People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

When the piece ended, Ishikawa Mayu put down her bow and looked at the screen: "Did you like this one?"

Chihaya Aine didn't answer immediately. She stared at him blankly for several seconds before nodding vigorously.

"Hmm... I like it very much."

She paused, as if making a major decision, then looked at him very seriously and said, word by word:

"Maha... From now on, I'm going to become the best guitarist and vocalist!"

"I want to stand on the biggest stage with you... with Deng, with Lixi, with Sushi, and with everyone! Let everyone see us and hear our music!"

This vow, imbued with the light of dreams, stunned Ishikawa Mayu. He couldn't help but chuckle softly, his brows and eyes relaxing.

“Idiot,” he said softly, without a hint of reproach in his voice, “You’ve set your sights too high.”

"Of course we'll go far!" Chihaya Aine straightened her chest, her face regaining its unique, energetic radiance. "Because it's us! With you, Mahiro, me, and Akari, Suze-san, Ritsu-san... we can definitely do it!"

Looking at the gentle smile on Mayu's face, her cheeks belatedly began to burn. She buried her flushed face in her knees, her voice muffled but unusually firm:

"I don't care! I mean what I say!"

"And one more thing!" She suddenly looked up, her cheeks still flushed, and held up a finger to announce, "Because you made me sad for a little while just now... So, the 'compensation package' needs to be upgraded! You have to play the violin for me more often from now on!"

Looking at her "pushing her luck" yet incredibly cute appearance, Ishikawa Mayu's heart melted completely.

"Okay," he heard himself reply with a smile, "whatever you say."

Chapter 125 (Two Chapters Combined) No Hanging Up

Neither of them spoke for a moment during the video call.

Chihaya Aine hugged her knees, her cheeks still flushed with emotion and lingering shyness, her silver-gray eyes fixed on him on the screen. Mayu also watched her quietly, at her slightly disheveled pink hair, at the small reflection of himself in her eyes, and at the tightly pursed yet irresistibly upturned corners of her mouth.

Aine felt her cheeks rising in temperature. Being stared at so intently by him made her feel flustered, her heart pounding like a little rabbit. She subconsciously lowered her eyelashes, unable to meet his gaze, her fingers unconsciously digging into the smooth soundboard of the guitar.

Mayu belatedly felt a little uneasy. She hadn't noticed it while she was so engrossed in comforting her, but now that things were quiet, a slight warmth crept into her ears.

He coughed slightly, somewhat awkwardly, breaking the heart-pounding silence. His gaze fell on the guitar in her arms, and he tried to regain his usual calm, encouraging tone befitting a teacher:

"Hey."

Ai Yin looked up at the sound, her eyes still filled with a bit of bewildered moisture.

Mayu avoided her overly bright gaze, pointed to the guitar in her arms, and said in a voice with a barely perceptible hint of seriousness, a forced attempt to hide his embarrassment:

"The best guitarists aren't made by just spacing out."

He paused, then added, his tone softening slightly, but still retaining an undeniable seriousness:

"Now, pick up your pick."

"Okay..." she drawled, her voice softer than usual, like melted cotton candy, "Mahakawa-sensei—she's really strict."

She said "strict," but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly, forming a sweet arc.

After slowly sitting up, Ai-yin reached out and hugged the guitar that was placed to the side. Her fingertips unconsciously plucked the strings, producing an off-key note.

But she quickly regained her composure, took a deep breath, and focused her gaze once more. She picked up the pick and began her basic practice for the day.

It was still the same repetitive scales and chords, but perhaps because of her different state of mind, those originally monotonous notes seemed to carry an unusual seriousness to her at this moment.

Ishikawa Makoto leaned against the table with his arms crossed, quietly watching her.

Time flowed quietly amidst the rhythmic sounds of practice. No more words were needed between the two; a strange tacit understanding was established in silence. On either side of the screen, only the music and the sound of breathing intertwined, creating a tranquil and warm scene.

After an unknown amount of time, fine beads of sweat appeared on Aine's forehead, and her practice speed naturally slowed down. She stopped plucking the strings and gently shook her slightly sore wrists.

Seeing her movements, Zhenyu knew that today's practice volume was almost up.

"That's enough," he said, breaking the harmonious silence. "That's enough for today."

Upon hearing this, Ai Yin breathed a sigh of relief, carefully placed the guitar aside, and rubbed her slightly reddened fingertips.

"I feel... a little better today than before?" she muttered uncertainly, looking at Zhenyu with a hint of expectation, as if seeking a definite answer.

"Hmm." Ishikawa Mayu nodded, not holding back his affirmation. "The rhythm is a bit more stable than yesterday, and there's less background noise. Your finger endurance has improved."

"Really?!" Chihaya Aine's eyes lit up instantly, like stars ignited. Her earlier fatigue vanished in an instant, replaced by her signature bright, slightly smug smile. Her tail practically wagged in smug satisfaction. "Hehe, I knew it! I do have talent! At this rate, I might soon be..."

"—But," Mayu interrupted her reverie without hesitation, pouring cold water on it in a flat tone, "it's only 'a little bit better'."

Aine's smug expression froze instantly, like a punctured balloon, and she pouted, "Eh—!"

Ishikawa Mayu ignored her small protest and continued to state the harsh truth in his flat voice: "Don't be too happy yet. At best, you can only barely finish the basic exercises without making mistakes while looking at the strings."

“Don’t forget, you’re the lead singer and guitarist in the band,” he reminded her, his tone devoid of emotion but each word clear. “When you’re on stage, you’ll have to juggle playing and singing at the same time, so your attention will have to be divided. Just looking at the strings to avoid making mistakes is far from enough.”

He looked at Ai Yin's face, which instantly fell, and then added casually, as if setting the goal for the next stage:

"Not to mention, you also have to play the instrument and sing at the same time. This requires even greater control over your breath and rhythm."

As Chihaya Aine listened to him list the "differences" one by one, her previously raised tail completely drooped. Of course, she knew that Mayu was right, but being pointed out so bluntly still made her feel a little frustrated.

"Okay, okay..." She puffed out her cheeks like a hamster stuffed with food, made a face at Mayu on the other side of the screen, and said in an exaggerated, slightly coquettish tone, "You're so annoying—Maya-sensei! You just know how to dampen people's enthusiasm!"

That's what she said, but there was no real resentment in her eyes. Instead, there was a coquettishness in her eyes, as if her secret had been exposed, yet she couldn't help but rely on the other person.

Looking at her sulky yet helpless expression, Zhenyu smiled and shook his head.

“Alright,” he said, his tone softening, with a hint of barely perceptible indulgence, “that’s enough guitar practice. Go put some aloe vera gel on yourself; your fingers need to relax.”

"Okay—" Ai Yin replied in a drawn-out voice, put down her guitar, and ran off the set.

Not long after, she jogged back with the aloe vera gel in her arms. As she unscrewed the cap, she carefully applied the cooling gel to her reddened fingertips, while subconsciously glancing up at the screen.

On the other end of the screen, Ishikawa Mayu had returned to his desk, the soft glow of the lamp enveloping him. He lowered his head slightly, his hair falling loose, intently looking at his open notebook, the pen moving smoothly across the paper with a soft scratching sound.

He was completely absorbed in his own world.

Looking at his quiet and serious expression, Chihaya Aine's original idea of ​​asking for "Donghuang Language Tutoring" vanished silently, like a bubble that had been popped.

Her fingers, still sore and swollen from just finishing practice, were tempted to slack off. Besides… looking at his focused profile, a strange sense of peace made her reluctant to break the tranquility. He had work to do later; he definitely needed time to finish his own things, right?

not to mention……

Her gaze traced the outline of his writing on the screen, and the longing in her heart to spend more time with him was already quietly filled by the scene before her.

What difference does it make whether or not you get special treatment?

Like now, being able to quietly watch him and listen to the soft sound of him writing, as if the two of them were sharing the same tranquil night... This feeling was warm and reassuring, making her heart flutter slightly.

So she quietly softened all her movements, even unconsciously slowing her breathing. While slowly applying aloe vera gel to her fingers, she focused intently on the boy on the other side of the screen.

Occasionally, Mayu would furrow her brow slightly as she pondered, or relax her expression as she solved a difficult problem. Every subtle change in her expression intrigued and captivated her.

As she watched, she couldn't resist quietly picking up her phone, adjusting the angle, and snapping a silent photo of Zhenyu's focused profile on the computer screen.

Looking at the newly added, somewhat blurry yet exceptionally heartwarming photo in the album, Ai Yin's lips involuntarily curled upwards, revealing a smile tinged with smugness and sweetness.

She held her phone to her chest, as if guarding a warm little secret that belonged only to her.

On the other end of the screen, Ishikawa Mayu remained engrossed in his homework, completely unaware of the subtle movements happening on the other side. The soft scratching of the pen across the paper, coming through the microphone, was like the most soothing white noise in the night.

Chihaya Aine did not bother him again.

She lay there on the table, her chin resting on her crossed arms, quietly watching him. She watched him unconsciously tap his chin with the end of his pen as he thought, and the fleeting relief in his eyes after he solved a problem.

The night outside the window grew deeper, and the neon lights of the distant city became less visible.

As Ai Yin watched, her eyelids gradually grew heavy. The fatigue after practicing guitar washed over her like gentle waves.

She tried to stay awake and look at him a little longer, but the reassuring profile on the screen and the rustling sound of his writing became the best lullaby.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Ishikawa Mayu finished writing the last line of her homework, put down her pen, and let out a soft sigh of relief.

He stretched his stiff neck and his gaze unconsciously drifted to the still-lit computer screen.

On the other end of the screen, Chihaya Aine had fallen asleep on the table at some point. Her face was resting on her open notebook, pink hair cascading down her cheeks, and long eyelashes like two small fans casting soft shadows beneath her eyes. Her breathing was even and deep, clearly she was fast asleep, and one hand was unconsciously resting on the half-used tube of aloe vera gel beside her.

Seeing this, Ishikawa Mayu was stunned for a moment, and then a helpless yet gentle smile involuntarily spread across her eyes.

This guy... said he was going to keep the video on, but he fell asleep first.

This guy is really diligent to use so much aloe vera gel...

I glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of my computer screen; it wasn't very early anymore.

Ishikawa Mayu thought for a moment, then reached for the phone on the table and found Junta Mana's LINE.

[Mayu: I've checked the schedule; Wednesday to Friday evenings are fine. Please explain the specific procedures.]

The message has been delivered.

Almost immediately, a message popped up above the chat box saying "The other party is typing..."

[Mana: Received! (^▽^) Don't worry, leave it to me! I'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly, and those tedious procedures won't bother our great musician!]

Looking at Mana's energetic reply, which seemed to dispel all gloom, Ishikawa Mayu could almost see her sparkling eyes and energetic smile through the screen.

He shook his head and tapped the screen with his fingertip.

[Mayu: Okay. Please.]

After putting down his phone, his gaze involuntarily returned to the still-connected video call.

Aiyin was still fast asleep, the light from the screen softening her features. The room was quiet, with only the faint, steady breathing coming through the microphone like the most soothing white noise.

He watched her silently, momentarily lost in thought. He thought of how confidently she had declared she would become the "best guitarist," of her eyes welling up with tears of panic after saying the wrong thing, of the glint in her eyes when she slyly offered the "compensation package"... all sorts of images of her intertwined in his mind.

A few more minutes passed in the stillness.

He didn't realize until he glanced at the time again that if she continued sleeping like this, she would definitely wake up with sore muscles the next day.

After a brief hesitation, he made up his mind.

"Aiyin".

He spoke softly into the microphone.

The girl on the screen didn't react at all; only her steady breathing answered her.

“Aiyin,” he raised his voice slightly, but still gently, “wake up, don’t sleep on the table.”

As if his voice had finally pierced the barrier of the dream, Aine's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she let out a muffled, sleepy nasal sound: "...Hmm?"

She groggily raised her head, her silvery-gray eyes half-open, filled with a bewildered mist, clearly not fully awake. She subconsciously rubbed her eyes, looked at the screen, and spoke in a soft, indistinct voice:

"...Mayu?...What's wrong...?"

Looking at her adorable, sleepy-eyed, and slightly slow-to-react appearance, Mayu's voice unconsciously softened, carrying a clear sense of helplessness and concern:

"Go back to bed and sleep. Lying here like this will make you feel unwell when you wake up tomorrow morning."

“…Oh…” Aiyin drawled out the last syllable, like a kitten whose sweet dreams had been disturbed, and reluctantly responded.

"Well, goodnight, Aine." Seeing her sleepy look, Mayu's tone softened unconsciously. "I'll hang up now."

"No! You can't hang it!"

Just moments before, Ai Yin was still half-asleep, but then it was as if a switch had been flipped, and she instantly sat up straight, her voice hoarse from just waking up, yet unusually resolute. Almost instinctively, she reached out, as if trying to reach through the screen to stop him.

Her sudden, excited reaction startled Zhenyu.

Her voice was a bit loud, seemingly waking her parents next door. A gentle female voice, tinged with concern, came faintly from the other end of the video call: "Aiyin? What's wrong? Aren't you asleep yet?"

"Ah! N-nothing, Mom!" Ai immediately covered the microphone, turned her head and shouted towards the outside of the room, her voice rising slightly in a panic, "I-I'm going to sleep right away! I'm watching a study video!"

She quickly made a "wait a minute" gesture to Zhenyu on the other side of the screen, and then the screen shook. You could see her jump off the chair, run to the door, and talk to the outside for a few minutes. The content was unclear, but you could tell that she was comforting her parents.

Chapter 126 Watching you sleep?!

After a while, she tiptoed back to the camera and saw that the video was still connected and that Mayu was looking at her helplessly on the screen. She breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"That scared me to death..." she muttered softly, sitting back down, her cheeks still a little red, whether from just waking up or from the panic she had just experienced.

Looking at her series of actions, Ishikawa Mayu sighed helplessly: "You don't mean you want to continue 'overtime', do you? Even if it's a compensation package, there has to be a limit. Staying up all night is not an option."

"It's not that I'm going to stay up all night!" Ai Yin retorted immediately, her cheeks slightly flushed. She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her pajamas, her voice suddenly becoming much softer, carrying a hint of shyness and tentativeness, "It's just... um... is it okay to... go to sleep... after hanging up the phone?"

Upon hearing this, Ishikawa Mayu's pupils dilated slightly, and an expression of disbelief instantly appeared on his face, his ears turning red at a visible speed.