People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

"Me...me watching you sleep?" His voice rose slightly in surprise, tinged with obvious embarrassment. "Isn't that...a bit too much..."

"Idiot! Makoto!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ai-yin interrupted him, both embarrassed and annoyed. Her face turned bright red, and she grabbed a cushion and pretended to throw it at him through the screen, though it had no real power.

"What...what weird thing are you thinking!" She glared at him angrily, but her voice lacked strength because of shyness. "Of course I turned off the video! I just...I just didn't hang up the voice call!"

Her voice trailed off as she spoke, burying her burning face in the cushion, explaining in a muffled voice, as if trying to justify her somewhat childish request:

"This way... it's like... you're still here... it'll make me feel more at ease... and, what if I have a nightmare in the middle of the night..."

In the end, it almost turned into incoherent muttering.

Ishikawa Mayu remained silent for a few seconds.

Even so... just talking on voice... is enough to make your heart race and your ears burn.

He could almost picture her curled up in bed on the other end of the phone, her breath gently brushing against the microphone. The thought itself carried an overly intimate, ambiguous quality that made him uneasy.

But hearing her soft, anxious yet expectant breathing coming from the other end, he simply couldn't bring himself to say the words of refusal.

“…Fine.” He finally gave in, his voice lower than usual, with a slight stutter, as if the two words were being squeezed out of his throat with difficulty, “Whatever…whatever you want.”

He paused, trying to sound more natural, and added, more like trying to convince himself, "Anyway... I don't have any sound on my end."

"It's okay!" Hearing him relent, Aine immediately lifted her head from the pillow, her face instantly brightening into a radiant smile, as if she had received the best permission in the world. "Quiet is best! Just think of it as... white noise!"

She quickly started operating the device, muttering to herself, "So I'm turning off the video? Really turning it off?"

"Turn it off."

The screen flickered and went dark; the video connection was interrupted.

But the call did not end.

Immediately, I heard rustling sounds from her end of the receiver, as if she had climbed into bed and pulled the covers over herself. The sounds were much clearer than when the video call was on.

As Ishikawa Mayu stared at the screen, now back to the phone's default interface, his feigned composure crumbled like the tide, replaced by an unprecedented, subtle yet sharp sense of embarrassment and panic.

What... what is this?

Listening to a girl sleeping?

Just thinking about it made his cheeks and ears feel like they were on fire, burning uncontrollably. He could even clearly hear his own heart pounding against his will, so loudly that he wondered if it would get picked up by the microphone.

He almost frantically took the phone away from his eyes, as if it were a hot potato, and haphazardly stuffed it next to his pillow, screen down.

No, this seems even stranger. The sounds are too close to my ear... the sound of her turning over, the sound of her breathing... they're all too clear.

He stiffly moved the phone further away and placed it on the bedside table.

However, this made the room too quiet, and the subtle sounds coming from the phone's receiver, belonging to another space, were amplified and became even more impossible to ignore.

He lay stiffly on the bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling like a specimen on a grill, everything about him was off. At this time of day, he would usually be studying or already drifting off to sleep, but now, all his senses seemed to be focused on that small phone.

"...Zhen Yu?"

After a while, her sleepy, soft voice drifted over, as if confirming his presence in the darkness. Without the aid of an image, the voice sounded even more direct, as if it were right beside his ear.

He cleared his throat, trying to suppress the dryness and make his voice sound normal: "...Yes. I'm here."

He heard what sounded like a very soft, contented hum coming from the other side, followed by the rustling of fabric, as if she had found a more comfortable position on the pillow.

"Goodnight..." Her voice grew softer and softer, filled with sleepiness, gradually blending into her steady breathing.

Ishikawa Mayu held her breath, not daring to move an inch.

All that could be heard through the receiver was her long, rhythmic breathing, one breath after another, like soft feathers, constantly tickling his eardrums and his chaotic thoughts.

How am I supposed to sleep like this?!

He felt every nerve in his body tense. He closed his eyes, but the image of her at that moment uncontrollably surfaced in his mind—curled up in bed, pink hair spread across the pillow, her face asleep, completely defenseless…

Stop! Don't think about it anymore!

He abruptly rolled over, burying his face in the pillow, trying to block out the annoying sound, but to no avail. The breathing seemed to possess a magical power, penetrating the pillow and leaving a clear imprint on his auditory nerves.

He remained in that awkward position, feeling like a fool.

Time passed slowly amidst the torment.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just when he thought he might have to stay awake until dawn, the breathing coming from the phone became deeper and more even, clearly indicating that she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Only after confirming this did his tense nerves finally relax a little.

He carefully and very slowly adjusted his position, lying back down as quietly as possible, as if afraid of disturbing the peaceful sleep on the other end of the phone.

In the darkness, he lay with his eyes open, listening to the breathing that didn't belong in this room but inexplicably disturbed him. An extremely complex feeling spread through his chest.

It was awkwardness, panic, and a sense of being at a loss.

But deep within all these emotions, there seems to be a strange sense of peace that even he himself is unwilling to admit.

Just like she said, it was as if...she was right next to me.

This thought caused his cheeks, which had just cooled down, to flare up again.

He remained stiffly lying flat, feeling as if the rhythmic breathing carried some strange magic, not only tickling his eardrums but also creating ripples that could not be calmed on the lake of his heart.

After an unknown amount of time, the breathing that had initially made him feel uneasy gradually lost its unsettling ambiguity through its continuous monotonous repetition, transforming into a stable and reassuring background sound, like the gentle lapping of waves against the shore of his consciousness in the dead of night.

He tried to fight off the sudden drowsiness, but his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. The chaotic thoughts in his mind seemed to be soaked in warm water, gradually blurring and dissipating.

In the moments before he drifted off to sleep, he vaguely thought:

Tomorrow morning... I must quietly hang up the phone before she wakes up...

Chapter 127 Good Morning

Tuesday, May 19th

The morning light seeped silently into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

Ishikawa Mayu woke up groggily, his consciousness not yet fully returned, and he let out a sleepy, muffled murmur. He instinctively tried to turn over, but felt his body was stiff, as if he had been in the same position for a long time.

Just as he was groggily wondering why, a familiar voice, brimming with excitement and mischief, like a morning bell, suddenly and clearly pierced his eardrums through the phone receiver beside his pillow:

"The big—lazy—worm—finally—got—up—and~?"

It's Ai-yin!

Ishikawa Mayu's sleepiness was instantly dispelled, and she opened her eyes abruptly, blinking somewhat blankly.

He stiffly propped himself up and reached for his phone on the bedside table. The screen showed that the voice call was still ongoing, and the time had jumped to 6:40 a.m.

For Chihaya Aine, who needs to carefully style her hair, choose her outfit, and squeeze onto the train to go to school, this time is indeed not early; she may have already completed some of her pre-departure preparations. However, for Ishikawa Mayu, whose commute is greatly shortened by riding a motorcycle, she can lazily dawdle for quite a while longer.

He could even imagine that on the other side of the screen, Ai Yin had probably already changed into her crisp school uniform and was carefully adjusting her bow tie in front of the mirror, with the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile because she had successfully pulled off a prank.

"...How come you..." He started to speak, but was startled by his own hoarse voice. He quickly cleared his throat, trying to find his usual tone, but couldn't hide the languor of just waking up and his surprise. "...So early?"

"Good morning?" Aine's voice was filled with exaggerated surprise, followed by barely suppressed laughter. "Mahakawa-sensei, are you still half asleep? For a top student like me who needs to 'travel long distances,' every second counts!"

Her words were full of teasing, clearly indicating that she was in a very good mood.

“But one of my classmates who has her own car,” she deliberately drawled, her voice full of mockery, “waking up at this hour, still making those… um… drowsy noises like a little animal in bed, she’s so—lazy—and—lazy—at—this!”

Ishikawa Mayu's ears burned at her words, and she subconsciously raised her hand to touch her throat, as if to confirm whether she had really made some strange sound.

“I was just…” he tried to explain, but found himself lacking in vocabulary, and could only mutter in frustration, “…just woke up.”

“I know, I know, it’s ‘Shinba-sensei’ who just woke up~” Aine replied readily, her smile undiminished.

A soft rustling sound came from the other end of the phone, as if she were tidying up her books, accompanied by her still cheerful voice: "But hearing such a 'rare' sound of you waking up, Makoto, makes me feel like I'll have an incredibly lucky day!"

As soon as she finished speaking, as if afraid he wouldn't hear her, she deliberately lowered her voice and added in a breathy tone filled with endless regret and slyness:

"Sigh—it's a pity I didn't turn on the video last night...otherwise I could have captured a precious 'sleeping face' of Teacher Mayu! It would have been super—interesting! I'm so curious, does Mayu, who always seems so carefree, drool when she's asleep? Or does she hug the blanket like a little kid?"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but chuckle softly to herself, clearly aware that the idea was both bold and embarrassing, purely meant to tease him.

"You...!" Ishikawa Mayu could almost picture the mischievous, sparkling smile on Aine's face right now. This girl is getting more and more outrageous!

Just as he was racking his brains for a way to retaliate against this increasingly excessive "teasing," a slightly urging male voice came from the other end of the phone. Although it wasn't very loud due to the microphone's attenuation, it was still clear enough to hear:

"Aine—! What are you dawdling for? Breakfast is going to get cold! Why are you taking so long in your room today?"

He is Aine's father.

"Ah! Coming, coming! Coming right away!"

Chihaya Aine, like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, hurriedly responded to the outside of the room, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible panic.

She was indeed... a little reluctant to leave.

Listening to Mayu's steady, long breaths on the other end of the phone, it felt as if he were sleeping peacefully beside her. The feeling was so reassuring and wonderful that she couldn't help but want to linger a little longer, even forgetting the time. But to be on the phone with a boy while having breakfast with her parents… just thinking about it made her cheeks burn. It was too much!

She leaned closer to the microphone, her voice extremely low and rapid, filled with deep reluctance and a hint of guilt at almost being caught doing something wrong:

"Ugh... Zhenyu, I... I have to go eat breakfast first! Father's calling me..."

“…Hmm.” Zhenyu responded softly, feeling inexplicably relieved. He felt like he was about to burst into flames if she continued to “tease” him.

"Well... I'll hang up now?" Ai-yin's voice was still sticky and tentative.

"……it is good."

"Is it really over?"

"...Go quickly."

Hearing his urging, tinged with helpless indulgence, Aine finally said softly, with a satisfied yet somewhat reluctant tone:

"Well... see you at school, Maho."

"Ah."

As soon as he finished speaking, a short tone indicating the end of the call came through the receiver.

Holding her phone, Ishikawa Mayu listened to the sudden return of silence, and in a daze, she could almost hear her last words, "See you at school," tinged with a smile.

He slowly put down his phone, raised his hand and vigorously wiped his face, trying to dispel the lingering heat on his face and the chaotic images in his mind.

It's true... there's just no way to deal with her.

The room fell completely silent, with only the faint chirping of birds coming from outside the window.

Ishikawa Mayu remained seated on the edge of the bed, still holding her phone, and stared blankly for a few seconds.

He shook his head vigorously, as if trying to shake off these disturbing thoughts, before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

……

As Ishikawa Mayu pushed her motorcycle into the school gate, she spotted a familiar figure in the distance—Takamatsu Akari—standing quietly in the shadows at the entrance of the teaching building, carrying a schoolbag.

He quickened his pace and walked over.

Good morning, light.

Takamatsu looked up at the sound, her light brown eyes brightening the moment she saw him, and she replied softly, "...Good morning, Masahiro-kun."

The two naturally walked up the stairs side by side.

"Today..." Tama tilted her head slightly, her voice soft and filled with innocent doubt, "Mayu-kun... is a little later than usual... is it... that caused a delay?"

“…Hmm.” Ishikawa Mayu’s gaze shifted subtly for a moment before she gave a muffled reply, instinctively avoiding Touhou’s pure gaze. “There’s something… a little…”

Seeing that he seemed unwilling to say more, Deng obediently nodded and did not ask any further questions.

The two walked into Class 1A classroom one after the other.

Zhenyu sat down in her seat and had barely taken out her textbook when a series of light and familiar footsteps sounded at the door, accompanied by an energetic greeting:

Good morning, everyone!

Chihaya Aine's face beamed with a bright smile, her silver-gray eyes sparkling as she swept over the entire class.

At this moment, Zhenyu was looking down and pretending to be focused on flipping through a book, not even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard the energetic voice at all, nor noticed the pink-haired girl who walked straight to the row in front of him.

Aine's gaze lingered for a moment on the back of his head, which looked like it was "keep away," and her lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Then, a brighter smile spread across her face as she turned her attention to Takamatsu, who had just sat down.

"Little Lamp~ Good morning!" She leaned affectionately over the lamp's desk, her voice sweet enough to make sure the person in the back row could hear her clearly. "Hey, did you sleep well last night? I'll recommend a really effective way to help you sleep! Listening to white noise while you sleep can help you sleep very soundly!"

Takamatsu was a little bewildered by Aine's sudden enthusiasm, but she still nodded obediently and replied softly, "Hmm... I slept well." She seemed to vaguely sense that Aine's words had a hidden meaning, but she didn't quite understand what she meant.