People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

“…!” Aine was stunned. Then, a huge warm current, a mixture of surprise and gratitude, surged into her heart, instantly relaxing her tense shoulders and even causing her to involuntarily let out a soft breath.

He sensed her fear and... considerately avoided it. He didn't press her, didn't try to dissect everything that night, but simply set aside the topic that had embarrassed her.

This feeling of being understood and accepted is more powerful than any empty comfort.

Just as Aine was basking in this sudden sense of relief, Mayu's voice rang out again, still gentle, but subtly changing the subject with a hint of subtle guidance:

"So……"

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, as if giving her time to prepare, before asking softly in a tone that was both consultative and inviting:

"As we agreed before, in the 'compensation package'... are you still willing to come out with me next week?"

Ai Yin was stunned.

My brain seemed to freeze for a second.

It's not "I'll be with you," but rather... "Be with me"?

He subtly shifted the subject, transforming her request for his company into an invitation for his company.

A surge of heat rushed to her cheeks, and her ears instantly became burning hot. She could even feel her heart pounding loudly in the quiet room.

How could he say something like that in such an offensive tone!

"...Huh?...Ah...Hmm...!"

She uttered a few meaningless, chaotic syllables, her fingers unconsciously gripping the sheets beneath her. She curled up like a boiled shrimp, burying her burning face in the blankets.

On the other end of the phone, Ishikawa Mayu listened to her clearly flustered response. Although he couldn't see her face, he could almost imagine that she must be blushing and at a loss. A small smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

She hid under the pillow, her voice muffled, tinged with lingering nasal tones and a hint of barely concealed shyness, as she responded softly yet with crystal clarity:

"...Yes. I'm willing."

Hearing Aine's soft yet incredibly clear "I do," Ishikawa Mayu felt the last trace of melancholy in his heart quietly dissipate. He could clearly sense that the girl on the other end of the phone had been pulled back from the brink of collapse, her emotions softening again, even carrying a familiar, small joy that belonged to Chihaya Aine.

"Then it's settled." He confirmed softly, his tone carrying a hint of relief and gentleness.

A brief silence flowed through the telephone line, but it no longer caused unease; instead, it filled the air with a calm and warm atmosphere. Zhenyu leaned against the wall, looked up at the blurry light and shadow on the ceiling, and suddenly remembered something.

“By the way,” he said, his voice lower and gentler than before, filled with genuine concern, “does your finger… still hurt?”

Ai Yin paused slightly, subconsciously looking down at the bandage on her left fingertips. The slight stinging sensation had been overshadowed by her surging emotions, but now, brought back to her attention, she felt it clearly again.

"Hmm...just a little bit..." she answered softly, her voice unconsciously carrying a hint of coquettishness, like a kitten whose fur had been stroked, whimpering softly and aggrievedly, "But it's much better than this afternoon..."

"Okay." Zhenyu responded, without saying anything more to comfort her, only simply instructing her, "Remember to apply the medicine on time, and don't get it wet."

“…Okay.” Ai-yin replied obediently, rubbing her face against her soft knees.

A wave of weariness, accompanied by the unique exhaustion following a huge emotional rollercoaster, slowly washed over her. She couldn't help but let out a small yawn, her voice coming through the receiver with a soft, drowsy quality.

Ishikawa Mayu heard the faint yawn.

"It's getting late," he said, glancing at the deep night outside the window, his voice even softer. "Get some rest."

“…Mmm.” Aine hugged her knees, her consciousness already starting to wane, but she still forced herself to respond, “Mayuya…go to sleep early…”

Goodnight, Aiyin.

"...Goodnight, Makoto..."

The call has ended.

Ishikawa Mayu put down her phone, listening to the lingering "goodnight" from her sleepy, nasal voice, and sat there for a while before finally standing up, her legs feeling a little numb.

Outside the window, the city lights still flickered sporadically.

He walked to the window, the night breeze ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead. Although he would have to face the band's chaotic situation tomorrow, at this moment, he felt strangely calm.

At least, he found his most important little sun again.

On the other end of the phone, Chihaya Aine remained in the position of hugging her knees, her phone still tightly clutched in her hand, the screen already dark.

She slowly lay down, pulling the blanket over half her face, revealing only a pair of bright, silver-gray eyes reflecting the faint light from the window. Her deep, gentle voice seemed to still echo in her ears.

She gently closed her eyes, a faint, reassuring smile curving her lips.

"Goodnight..." she murmured again in the quiet room, in a barely audible whisper.

Chapter 157 The Band's Escaped Love Sound

Saturday afternoon, May 23

At Nagasaki Motoyo's suggestion, everyone went to a quiet open-air cafe near Sun City.

The soft rays of the setting sun filtered through the edges of the large parasol, casting dappled light and shadow on the white round table. The rich aroma of coffee and the scent of desserts filled the air, slightly dispelling the gloom that lingered in their hearts.

Nagasaki Motoyo elegantly picked up the Royal Milk Tea in front of her, gently blew away the steam on the surface, and her gaze swept across the somewhat silent faces of the crowd before finally landing on Ishikawa Mayu, with a hint of encouragement that was barely perceptible.

Shiina Tatsuki took a deep breath, her hands clenching slightly on her lap. She remembered her promise to Mayu—to speak her mind. She disliked beating around the bush, especially at such an important moment as deciding the band's direction.

“Regarding the performance,” Lixi began, her voice slightly softer than usual at RiNG, but still carrying her characteristic frankness, “my thoughts haven’t changed. We need this goal.”

She didn't look at Aine, but instead turned her gaze to Takamatsu Akari beside her, her eyes filled with an almost stubborn determination.

"The song of the lamp should not be heard by only a few of us. It deserves to be heard and felt by more people... just like it touched me in the first place."

Her ears turned slightly red, but her tone remained unwavering. These were the closest she could come to her true feelings.

Chihaya Aine instinctively tightened her grip on her hand under the table. She stole a glance at Ishikawa Mayu beside her; seeing him listening quietly with an expressionless face, she felt slightly reassured. She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calm and rational:

“Lixi, I understand what you mean, and I also think Xiaodeng’s singing is very special… However, we also need to consider the reality. Time is too tight, and… and her first time on stage is on such a big stage, won’t the pressure be too much? What if… I mean, what if the effect is not good, won’t that be a bigger blow to Xiaodeng and everyone else?”

Her words were logically clear, and she tried to focus on the well-being of the team and the lights, attempting to cover up her deep-seated fear—fear of making a mistake under Mayu's focused gaze, fear of letting him down with his words, "I believe in you."

Shiina Tatsuki's brows furrowed immediately. She was fed up with Aine's seemingly considerate words, which actually masked her own cowardice.

"For Xiaodeng?" Lixi's voice took on a subtle sharpness, her keen gaze seemingly able to pierce through Aiyin's disguise. "Are you really worried about Xiaodeng, or are you worried about yourself?"

"You're clearly afraid to go on stage! Afraid of making mistakes in front of so many people, afraid of disappointing Zhenyu, right?"

As she spoke, her gaze swept meaningfully over Ishikawa Mayu, who was sitting next to her.

"The reason Xiaodeng is so uneasy is because you keep conveying this hesitation and fear to her!"

"I didn't!" Aine blurted out, her voice filled with panic and grievance at having her secret exposed. Almost instinctively, she cast a pleading look at Ishikawa Mayu directly opposite her.

This action completely ignited Lixi's anger.

"See! It's the same thing again!" She stood up abruptly, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. "You always rely on him when something happens! You depend on him for everything! Chihaya Aine, don't you have any ideas of your own?!"

"Li hope!"

Ishikawa Mayu's voice rang out, lower than usual, carrying a clear sense of restraint, even a hint of sternness. He couldn't let Riki continue to be so aggressive.

Lixi was startled by his shout, her burning anger seemingly caught in its throat, replaced by a surge of emotion mixed with rage and even more resentment. She stared at Zhenyu in disbelief, her beautiful purple eyes filled with disappointment and accusation.

"Ishikawa Mayu! What did you say on the rooftop yesterday? We agreed to face this together, and now you're betraying us?! Even at a time like this, all you're thinking about is protecting her?!"

These words churned in her heart, but remained stuck in her throat. She stubbornly bit her lip, refusing to look away.

He didn't look at Ai Yin, but turned slightly to the side and gently tugged at Li Xi's sleeve. The force wasn't strong, but it carried a kind of persistence that she couldn't ignore.

“Lixi,” his voice softened, no longer as stern as before, carrying a calming force that was trying to soothe her, “sit down and talk, okay?”

Lixi was taken aback by his sudden, somewhat soothing gesture. The anger in her chest seemed to have been punctured, and her momentum involuntarily deflated. She looked into Zhenyu's calm eyes, which held no bias, only a serious "we're solving the problem" attitude. She pursed her lips, her expression still unpleasant, but she reluctantly and heavily sat back down in her chair.

Seeing that she had sat down, Zhenyu loosened her grip on her clothes and turned his gaze to Aine, whose face was pale and whose eyes were darting around.

“What Lixi said is partly true.” He spoke, his voice steady, revealing neither joy nor anger, simply stating a fact, “Aiyin, you have indeed been relying on my feedback a bit too much lately.”

Aine's body trembled almost imperceptibly, as if pricked by an invisible needle, and she instinctively wanted to lower her head to avoid his gaze.

“But it’s not entirely your fault,” Zhenyu immediately chimed in, her tone still calm but with a sense of sharing responsibility. “It was my failure to notice in time, and I may have... unintentionally indulged or even encouraged this dependence. As a mentor, this is my dereliction of duty.”

He leaned forward slightly, trying to catch Aine's evasive gaze, and spoke in a softer tone, with a guiding quality: "So, Aine, now put aside all outside voices, including mine, and Lixi's. I only want to hear your most genuine thoughts."

All eyes were on Aine.

Chihaya Aine opened her mouth, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something.

"I...I..." she stammered, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her skirt, her eyes darting around in a panic. Finally, she looked at Zhenyu again, as usual, with a pleading look, hoping that he could give her an answer as usual, or at least give her a hint.

Seeing her like this, Shiina Riki, who had just been forcibly suppressed by Mayu, suddenly felt her anger rise up again.

"See! It's the same again!" Li Xi's voice was filled with suppressed frustration and disappointment. She didn't even bother to stand up anymore, but instead used sharp words to pierce straight ahead, "You don't even dare to say what you really want! How long are you going to keep running away?!"

Chihaya Aine suddenly raised her head, her face pale, her eyes instantly reddening, tears welling up in them.

"I didn't... I didn't run away... I..." She stammered, her voice trembling with sobs. The intense emotions made it hard for her to breathe, and she couldn't bear to stay in this suffocating environment for even a second longer.

The next second, before anyone could react, she shoved her chair away with a loud bang, and without even grabbing her bag, she turned and ran out of the coffee shop, her figure quickly disappearing into the evening crowd.

Shiina Riki looked in the direction where Aine had disappeared, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just clicked her tongue in annoyance, stiffly turned her head away, avoiding any possible gaze from Ishikawa Mayu.

Almost the instant Aine's figure disappeared, Ishikawa Mayu stood up.

"I'm going to find her."

He didn't even have time to say much to the two people who stayed behind, leaving only this sentence before quickly chasing after Aine in the direction she had left.

Almost the instant Maya moved, Takamatsu Akari also stood up from her chair without hesitation.

For a moment, only Shiina Tatsuki and Nagasaki Motoyo remained at the table.

Nagasaki Motoyo elegantly picked up her teacup, took a sip of the slightly cooled black tea, and maintained an impeccably gentle expression. However, beneath the table, her neatly manicured nails were slightly digging into her palms.

Chapter 158 (Two-in-One): Even if you lose your way, keep moving forward.

Aine stumbled through the evening crowd, tears blurring her vision. All she wanted was to escape that place that made her feel so ashamed. Ishikawa Mayu followed closely behind, with Takamatsu Akari also taking anxious little steps, staying close to him.

On a street corner, Ai-yin nearly bumped into two girls wearing uniforms from another school.

"Ah, I'm sorry..." Aine apologized subconsciously, but when she looked up and saw the other person's face clearly, her voice stopped abruptly, and her face instantly turned even paler than before.

"Huh? Isn't that Chihaya-san?" one of the short-haired girls exclaimed in surprise, her gaze falling on Aine's Haneoka school uniform, filled with doubt. "Chihaya-san? Shouldn't you be in England? What are you doing in Tokyo, wearing Haneoka's school uniform?"

Another girl came over and looked her up and down curiously: "Yeah, didn't you announce at graduation that you were going to study abroad? We were all so envious of you!"

These two girls were Aine's junior high school classmates, and they clearly remembered her dazzling "study abroad plan." This encounter was undoubtedly adding insult to injury for Aine, who was on the verge of collapse and desperately trying to cover up her "failure."

"I... um..." Aine's mind went blank, her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single complete syllable. A wave of immense shame and panic gripped her, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Admit she hadn't been able to go to England? Admit her "failure" in front of her former classmates? She couldn't do it!

Just then, the short-haired girl's gaze shifted and landed on Ishikawa Mayu, who had rushed to Aine's side. She blinked, seemingly trying to search her memory, and then tentatively asked, somewhat uncertainly, "Wait...you...you wouldn't happen to be...Ishikawa? Ishikawa Mayu?"

When his name was suddenly called, Zhenyu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. He hadn't expected that the other person would actually remember him, this "nobody."

The two girls' gazes instantly sharpened and inquisitively focused on him and Aine, who was clearly not in a good mood behind him. The air seemed to freeze, and the pressure felt like a tangible weight on Mayu's shoulders.

Aine closed her eyes in despair, feeling as if the last veil of shame was about to be torn away.

Looking at the suspicious gaze of her classmate, and glancing out of the corner of her eye at Aine behind her, who seemed about to shatter at any moment, Ishikawa Mayu felt an unprecedented impulse surge up from her head.

He suddenly took a step forward, almost face to face with the two girls, using his body to completely shield Aine behind him.

"It's—it's because of me!!"

His voice was unusually loud due to excessive tension and excitement, and even a little distorted, instantly attracting the attention of many passersby.

His eyes, though somewhat vacant from extreme shame, stubbornly refused to look away.

"It was me...it was me who begged her not to go! It was my selfishness...I didn't want her to go so far away! That's why she...she didn't make it to England!"

This sudden and intense "confession" completely stunned the two girls. They looked at Ishikawa Mayu, his face flushed, his emotions running high, almost ready to argue with them, and then at Aine, whom he was tightly protecting behind him, only a sliver of pink hair visible…

After a brief moment of shock, their faces showed extremely complex expressions—a mix of sudden realization, disbelief, and a hint of relief at "so that's how it is."

They exchanged a knowing look. The short-haired girl chuckled awkwardly, her tone softening with a hint of mischief: "Uh... I see... Ishikawa-kun, I didn't expect you..."

She didn't say anything more, but the meaning in her eyes was clear—I never expected that you, who was practically invisible in junior high, would be so "affectionate" and "assertive".

Another girl quickly smoothed things over, "Ahaha... Well, then we won't bother you any longer! See you later, Chihaya-san and Ishikawa-san!"

Only after they disappeared from sight did Zhenyu, like a taut string suddenly released, abruptly arch her back, brace herself on her knees, and gasp for breath. After the extreme tension and shame came waves of utter exhaustion.

He felt his cheeks, ears, and even neck burning intensely, and he didn't dare turn around to look at Ai-yin and Deng. The reckless courage he'd felt earlier had faded, leaving only immense embarrassment—a desire to immediately dig a hole and disappear, or be hit by a passing truck and lose his memory. His mind was blank, filled only with the endless loop of "What did I just say?"

Just then, a small, cold, trembling hand carefully and gently touched the back of his hand, which was also cold from nervousness.

Zhenyu's body stiffened abruptly, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment.