How can my simulation be a real love?

Toyokawa Shoko interrupted Takamatsu Akari's attempt to take the blame as if she had a premonition. How could she not know what Takamatsu Akari was thinking, given their close relationship? It was just that the gentle and insecure Akari wanted to take the blame and lessen her guilt.

But Toyokawa Shoko didn't intend for the other party to do that, because the responsibility for CRYCHIC rested entirely on her shoulders.

"In short, I just want to apologize to everyone."

"Deng, Su Shi, and Li Xi... I'm so happy to see you all forget the past, rebuild your band, and stand on stage again! Even if you can't accept my apology, I sincerely hope that you can continue your band activities in the future. I will be watching you from somewhere in the world."

After expressing all her apologies, Toyokawa Shoko slightly raised her head. At that moment, the 'guilt' she felt towards her former CRYCHIC members, especially Takamatsu Akari, was somewhat relieved.

A familiar and warm smile appeared on her lips.

Although it seems that only she, being selfish, has unilaterally obtained 'redemption', the thought that Ming is still by their side makes her less worried.

"Xiao Xiang, thank you..."

Takamatsu Akari, gently holding the laptop, pressed her lips together, her eyes slightly red. Seeing her former friend with this expression, Toyokawa Shoko's eyebrows and eyes gradually relaxed, and she smiled with her eyes slightly narrowed. It was as if she had returned to the Toyokawa Shoko when she was still 'CRYCHIC'.

Seeing this, Takamatsu seemed a little dazed, just staring blankly at the other person's smile.

"I wish you happiness."

After leaving those words, the blue-haired girl bowed slightly to the group again and turned to leave through the door.

Ruoye Muku leaned against the wall outside the preparation room, listening to the conversation inside. She stared blankly at Xiangzi as she walked out of the room with slightly red eyes.

Before she could say anything, Xiangzi gently patted her head and said softly with a chuckle, "Mu, shall we go?"

The stunned wooden figure simply nodded slightly, turned to meet the gaze of Kazami Naru inside the door, and then followed the girl's departing steps.

The preparation room still seemed to be filled with the faint sadness from before; the heavy emotions and the 'light' of past memories seemed to still affect everyone's mood.

The little penguin clutched the notebook with the words "Spring Shadows" tightly to its chest, watching Toyokawa Shoko leave as if it wanted to say something but ultimately just stood there with slightly red eyes, saying nothing.

There are still things she hasn't been able to finish.

"lamp."

Just as the bewildered girl stood there at a loss, a 'light' that dispelled the fog and darkness in the distance unknowingly approached her. The warm light, full of the breath of the sun, enveloped her whole body, and her hesitation and fear quickly dissipated as if she were embracing a warm and cozy bed.

With a smile, Kazami gently patted her head as usual, and suddenly handed a folding umbrella to the little penguin.

It looks like it's raining outside.

The boy murmured to himself, and at that moment, the bewildered eyes of Takamatsu Akira faintly shimmered with the light of stars.

The 'Mr. Sun' standing in front of the little penguin didn't seem to intend to say anything more. He simply raised an eyebrow and winked at Takamatsu Akari. The gray-haired girl, realizing what he meant, had a determined look in her eyes. After nodding to him, she took the folding umbrella and chased after him towards the door.

"Mmm, Matcha Parfait~"

Completely oblivious to the atmosphere, Ms. Rakuna pursed her lips and leaned closer. The little cat, demanding a reward, pursed her lips and snuggled into Kazami Mei's arms. Chihaya Aine, recovering from her shock, had a 'Oh no' look in her eyes.

Then, as if afraid of falling behind, she moved closer to him and said in a slightly anxious and coquettish tone, "Mingming~ How was my performance just now? Wasn't I amazing? Wasn't I amazing?"

"awesome."

Matcha Parfait

The chattering pink fur and cats completely changed the atmosphere, even making it seem a little more lively.

Shiina Riki, standing behind her, stared at the annoying guy not far away. With mixed feelings, she finally sighed helplessly. Nagasaki Motoyo, who was standing silently beside her, was looking ahead with complicated eyes.

What a philandering husband!

……

Rain curtain.

The drizzling raindrops fell from the sky onto the STARRY staircase. Shoko Toyokawa, who had just come out, looked up at the sky in a daze. She subconsciously stretched out her right hand into the air, and the cold raindrops fell into her palm.

The girl felt the unique coolness, and a trace of memory flashed in her eyes.

"Just like that day."

The day CRYCHIC disbanded, it was raining just like this all of a sudden.

"..."

Behind her, Wakaba Mutsu cast a questioning gaze at the girl beside her, seemingly asking what to do about the rain, but a faint smile flashed in the eyes of the blue-haired girl with twin tails.

"Mu, would you like to stay at STARRY for a while?"

"...Is Xiao Xiang planning to go home by himself?"

Hearing Xiao Mu's calm words, Toyokawa Shoko raised her eyebrows slightly, let out a long sigh, and replied softly, "I just sometimes want to go back in the rain, so you don't have to worry about me, Xiao Mu."

After saying that, she prepared to step onto the stairs to leave, but before she could move, she seemed to hear someone calling her name. When she turned around, she saw a familiar little penguin chasing after her, panting.

The girl who ran up to her struggled to lift her head, and her amber eyes, similar to those of Toyokawa Shoko, met her gaze.

"lamp?"

Miss Toyokawa was clearly at a loss.

"...Here, take this."

The panting little penguin handed the folding umbrella to the girl, leaving the stunned Toyokawa Shoko staring blankly at the umbrella in her hand before instinctively saying thank you.

"Deng, your singing voice is more emotional than before."

"Um...thank you."

There was a two-second silence between them. The little penguin, with slightly reddened eyes, seemed hesitant to speak, but after recalling the look in Kazami's eyes just now, she seemed to have made up her mind—

"I also want to give this to Xiaoxiang."

The girl took out a smooth, white, oval pebble from her pocket and carefully placed it in Toyokawa Shoko's hand.

"Stone?"

Somewhat dazed, Xiangzi carefully examined the smooth and delicate pebble. Its snow-white color clearly indicated that it had been well maintained and polished by its original owner. Thinking of this, a hint of tenderness flashed in her eyes.

"Then I will accept it without mercy."

With a smile, Toyokawa Shoko carefully placed the pebble into her bag, then opened her folding umbrella and beckoned Wakaba Mutsu to come in as well. Just as the two were about to leave, Takamatsu Akari slowly raised her eyes.

"Xiaoxiang——"

"If you have the chance, could you... could you come to our live show again?"

The girl with pigtails, who had been walking, stopped in her tracks.

She nodded with an undisguised gentle smile on her face, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"of course."

Upon hearing this, Takamatsu Akari blinked blankly for a moment, then gently furrowed her brows, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her face. The girl, who was also smiling gently, turned around and slowly left, holding the umbrella handle.

Perhaps neither of them noticed that the doll girl, who always had a blank expression, also had a beautiful smile on her lips.

41

Chapter 41 Come with me, and nothing will happen.

No matter how soaring the tone or how powerful the rhythm, it will eventually come to an end.

As the roar of STARRY's last band's guitar faded into the air, this impactful performance came to a complete end, and the noisy concert hall returned to its initial silence as the speakers were turned off.

Shortly after Mygo's performance, the girls left the LiveHouse separately.

The intense training over the past few days, coupled with the numerous events that occurred today, has left everyone physically and mentally exhausted. Even the usually most lively pink-haired dog finally became drowsy and tired after making a ruckus for so long.

Only Kazami Mei, who was temporarily free, remained at STARRY to help clean up the mess.

"...Manager, can't you at least say something? Staring at me like that makes me really uncomfortable."

After sweeping away the last remaining trash, Kazami Mei, slightly bent over, looked at Iji Tomokazu, who was sitting at the front desk, with a strange tone.

From the very beginning, the other party rolled their eyes and stared at them with a sarcastic and displeased expression. Even when the kid came over to help clean up, Ijichi Hoshika didn't give him a very friendly look.

Looking at handsome Kazami Naruto is understandable, but rolling your eyes at him is a bit too aggressive, isn't it?

Ichi Hoshika seemed unfazed by his squinting, sarcastic remarks. She simply rested her chin on her hand and handed him a stack of envelopes, saying casually in a cold tone, "Take this, consider it your wages."

"I'm doing this voluntarily—"

Even though Kazami Mei had no intention of accepting this 'salary' at all, the other party still forcefully handed it over, her face still showing a rather displeased and indifferent expression as she stared at Kazami Mei.

After all, in Ichiji Hoshika's eyes, she had seen firsthand what kind of mental state her silly little sister had been in these past few days.

He often spaced out and occasionally showed a forlorn expression.

It's really hard to understand what Hongxia is hesitating about. Instead of this constant mental exhaustion, why doesn't she just confess to Fengjian directly?

This is what a 30-year-old single woman who has never been in a relationship thought:

However, when she suddenly thought of the complicated interpersonal relationships around Kazami Mei, Iji Tomoko could more or less understand Nijika's thoughts. However, she had a terrible headache every day staring at her stupid little sister's pitiful expression, so she could only vent her frustration by watching the 'culprit' in front of her openly and secretly.

"It's getting late, I'll handle the rest... You're a minor, so get home right now!"

The older single woman, looking annoyed, kicked Kazami Mei out. If she stayed with this scumbag who had stolen her sister's heart, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back and blurt out about Nijika's affair.

Only after watching Kazami leave through the door did Ijichi Hoshika, clutching her juice, let out a cold snort.

Kids having relationships is such a hassle.

"...If Hongxia were even half as good as me, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

"Sister? What are you talking about?"

Holding a broom, Ijichi Nijika blinked in surprise. Her older sister's inexplicable muttering to herself made her eyes flash with worry.

Conversely, Miss Hoshika's lips twitched slightly as her sister stared at her with that look. She casually said in a rather strange tone, "I was just scolding that brat Kazami. We've known each other for so long and he's never taken the initiative."

"Sis, what are you saying, sister?!"

The blonde girl, shaking her head, immediately gripped the broom tightly. Her bright golden side ponytail seemed to be tinged with a crimson hue by her slightly flushed face. Thinking of this, she immediately began looking around, searching for something.

Such an obvious action made Ichiji Hoshika roll her eyes in annoyance, and she said coldly with a straight face, "Don't bother looking, I've already sent that brat Kazami home."

"……elder sister!"

A visible hint of disappointment flashed in Ijichi Nijika's eyes. This heartfelt emotion was only revealed in front of Ijichi Seika, and perhaps even if Nijika wanted to hide it, she couldn't hide it from her older sister who had been with her for over ten years.

Her low mood caused the tuft of hair on her head to droop, making her look rather pitiful.

Wasn't it obvious to her sister that she was hiding her true feelings?

Seeing that Ijichi Nijika had fallen back into her usual depressed state, Ijichi Seika frowned and finally sighed helplessly, then took out two brightly colored 'tickets' from her pocket.

The older single woman, propping her cheek up with one hand, casually said in an annoyed tone, "Go out for a walk once in a while to clear your head. Maybe once you relax, you'll know how to face things."

"Art exhibition?"

The words on the ticket made Ijichi Niyaka's bright red eyes widen slightly. She was clearly stunned that Ijichi Seika would actually take out such a thing.

My sister, who usually stays at home and doesn't even do housework, actually got tickets to an art exhibition, and more importantly, it was an 'art exhibition' that had absolutely nothing to do with music.

Upon seeing this, she immediately realized that the other party had specially bought it.

Seeing her younger sister's astonished expression, Ichiji Hoshika simply rolled her eyes and said with feigned indifference, "A friend from the past just casually gave it to me. I have absolutely no interest in this."

"...Thank you, sister."

See through, don’t say through.

As the younger sister, Ijichi Nijika was already used to her older sister's quirky and arrogant personality.

As Nijika put away the two tickets, a faint warmth flashed through her heart. It was obvious that Ijika Seika had given her two tickets so that she would take the initiative to invite Kazami Mei. However, for Nijika at the moment, it was still too difficult to take the initiative to invite the other party on a 'date'. She still couldn't truly let go of the entanglement in her heart.

What Yamada Ryo said to her this afternoon, in particular, is still causing her a lot of confusion.

Not wanting Ichiji Hoshika to notice anything, the blonde girl gently shook her head. The moment she raised her head, she regained her energetic demeanor, flashing a bright smile as she spoke—

"Sister, I'm going out to buy something!"

……

at the same time.

Kazami Mei leisurely stepped onto the departure stairs after leaving STARRY. The evening breeze that blew in his face carried a faint chill of autumn, and the wind made his long, black hair sway gently in the air.

He looked up at the dimming sky, squinted, and let out a long sigh of relief.

This time, things have improved somewhat.

Teacher Da Xiang, who was once at odds with the other members of CRYCHIC, is now finally willing to take the initiative to sincerely apologize to her former friends. In a way, the current Xiangzi can be considered to have reconciled with her past 'weakness'. No matter what happens in the end, at least they have now pulled out the thorn stuck in their hearts.