After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

Just as Yue put down her phone, deciding to think about it after school, her phone suddenly rang.

She paused for a moment, picked up her phone, and saw that it was Rui Yashio calling. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: "Rui-senpai? Is there any progress on that matter we talked about before?"

A familiar and gentle voice came from the other end of the phone: "It's Yue. I've been spending a lot of time on some things lately, but thankfully it's almost resolved this morning... However, I'm afraid we'll have to make some changes to the matter we discussed before."

Yue frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss: "Senior, what happened?"

Rui Yashio's voice was somewhat heavy: "Motoyo Nagasaki, she took sick leave today and didn't come to school."

Yue immediately sensed something was wrong and frowned: "What's wrong with Su Shi? Is she sick? Is her condition serious?"

Rui Yashio sighed softly: "I don't know the specifics, but the reason she asked for leave was that she had been sick recently and was not in good spirits. The doctor advised her to rest at home for a while."

"You're not feeling well?"

Yue's heart tightened instantly. She thought of the trending news she had seen yesterday. If she could recognize that the person in the photo was Xiangzi, then Su Shi, who was most concerned about Xiangzi's movements, certainly had no reason not to recognize him.

"Was it really because Xiangzi joining the new band was such a big blow to her?"

Rui Yashio, of course, had no idea what Yue was thinking at that moment. She just felt that Yue was concerned about Suze. "Although doing this is a bit against the rules, Suze's safety is more important than those rules right now."

Rui Yashio continued, "After school, I will go to visit Momoko Nagasaki at her home as a representative of the Tsukimori Student Council and a classmate from Momoko's class."

Tsuki naturally understood the implication in Yashio Rui's words. "I understand. Thank you for telling me this, Yashio Rui-senpai."

After hanging up the phone, Yue first sent a message to Shiina Tatsuki, who was far away in Hana-no-Ie, to inform her of the matter.

Ai Yin and Xiao Deng looked at Yue and noticed that the other party's tone was strange when he was on the phone earlier. Their faces were full of concern and doubt.

Ai asked softly, "Yuki, what happened?"

Yue sighed, looked up at them, and said, "It's news about Su Shi. She took sick leave today and didn't come to school. Yashio Rui-senpai will be visiting her in an hour with one of Su Shi's classmates."

"So if we want to find Su Shi, the best way is to go to Su Shi's house with Rui Yashio."

------------

In the courtyard of Tsukimori Girls' Academy, sunlight filters through the dense foliage, creating dappled shadows, while a gentle breeze brings a touch of coolness.

Without Suyoshi, Wakaba Mutsu could only sit alone on the bench in the courtyard, opening her lunchbox.

The lid of the lunchbox was gently lifted, revealing the exquisite meal prepared by the housekeeper—rice, fried eggs, pork chops, and some neatly sliced ​​cucumbers.

Ruo Ye Mu gently picked up a piece of fried egg with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, and chewed slowly. Her movements were gentle and slow, and she seemed a little absent-minded.

She chewed the food in her mouth mechanically, as if completing a task, her mind completely elsewhere. "Su Shi... didn't come to school today."

This morning, Mashiro Kurata, a senior student at Morfonica, gave a speech at the morning assembly and successfully rallied everyone to cast a petition to cancel the Tsuki no Mori Music Festival.

At that time, Mutsumi Wakaba was standing in the audience listening to Mashiro-senpai recount his personal experiences and the wonderful journey of forming a band.

"The friends and glorious memories that Mashiro-senpai mentioned this morning"

The students around her sat in twos and threes, their laughter echoing through the air, but their laughter sounded so distant to Wakaba Mutsuki's ears.

"Do I really possess it?" she asked herself silently.

Just as Wakaba Mutsumi was pondering these matters, that familiar female voice rang out beside her. Without even looking up, she knew that the person was Tsukinomori's student council president, Yashio Rui. After all, Rui was the one who would take the stage and give a speech at the weekly meeting.

"Wakaba Mutsumi-kun." Yashio Ruyu's voice was very gentle, with a hint of concern.

Ifa Mutsu looked up at Yashio Ruyu, a hint of confusion in her golden eyes. She didn't understand why the other party had approached her.

However, her good upbringing still prompted her to greet the other person immediately, saying, "Hello, senior."

Rui Yashio sat down next to Mutsuki Wakaba, her gaze softening as she looked at the bento box in Wakaba's hand. "Are you eating here alone?"

Ruo Ye Mu lowered her head slightly and said, "Mm."

Rui Yashio noticed that Mutsumi Wakaba was a little distracted. "Wakaba-kun, were you worried about Motoyo Nagasaki just now?"

Mutsu looked up at Rui Yashio again, her slightly trembling gaze seeming to say, "How did you know?"

Ruyuu Yashio noticed Wakaba Mutsumi's confusion and smiled as she continued, "The Tsukimori Student Council is planning to visit Nagasaki Motoyo's family to offer their condolences and comfort. They need someone to come with them, Wakaba Mutsumi. Would you like to come along?"

A hint of hesitation and unease flashed in Ruo Yemu's eyes. She lowered her head and tapped her fingers lightly on the chopsticks.

"Su Shi...would she want to see me?" Ruo Ye Mu asked herself silently, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

In the end, Mutsumi nodded and accepted Rui Yashio's invitation.

Rui Hachishio looked at Mutsu Wakaba and frowned slightly. She had thought that he would agree quickly, but she didn't expect him to hesitate for so long.

"Could it be... that there's some conflict between Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsumi?"

When the Stage Begins: Chapter 121 Let's Go to the Su Family Together (Part 2)

"Whoa... Is this Suze-chan's house?"

The Su Shi Jia is located in a modern high-rise building with an exterior made of glass and reinforced concrete that gleams with a cool and elegant luster.

The building's exterior is simple yet magnificent, and the entire structure exudes an extraordinary grandeur. Sunlight shines through the glass curtain wall, reflecting a dazzling light and giving people a solemn and noble feeling.

Chihaya Aine looked up at the tall building in front of her, but even with her neck bent at almost a 90-degree angle, she still couldn't see the top floor.

Yue, standing next to Ai Yin, also looked up at the building, which appeared to be at least forty or fifty stories high.

She glanced down at the message from Rui Yashio and confirmed, "Based on the location Rui Yashio sent, this should be the building."

Just as Yue was confirming that she hadn't come to the wrong place, Yashio Ruyu came over with Wakaba Mutsu. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

The four turned to look at Rui Yashio. When they saw Mutsumi Wakaba beside her, Kodou opened her mouth, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She seemed to want to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Shiina Tatsuki frowned slightly and simply nodded to Wakaba Mutsu as a greeting.

Rui Hachishio, having observed everything, and after confirming that everyone was alright, addressed the group, saying, "Everyone should have nothing else to do now, right? May we go upstairs?"

Everyone said there was no problem.

Led by Rui Yashio, the group of six explained their purpose and passed through the access control to enter the elevator. Watching Rui Yashio press the button for the 45th floor, Aine couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "So high?"

"45th floor...is that the top floor already?" Yue exclaimed in surprise, her eyes revealing a hint of astonishment and curiosity.

Rui Yashio looked at Tsuki and Aine, her face showing a hint of confusion and bewilderment. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?" As the student council president of Tsukimori, she had visited the homes of many Tsukimori students before. Having seen all sorts of different family rooms, she was momentarily at a loss for words to understand everyone's amazement.

Yue shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, "No... I was just thinking that it would be difficult for Su Shi to go out... at least waiting for the elevator would take quite a while."

Rui Yashio nodded, her brows furrowing slightly as if she were also pondering the question. "Indeed," she said slowly. "Although there are indeed high-speed elevators, it still doesn't feel very safe. If something unexpected happens, it would take time to escape down from the top floor."

“However…” Rui Yashio continued, “perhaps waiting for helicopter rescue on the rooftop is the best option?”

The group passed the time chatting, and the elevator soon reached the top floor.

The group walked down the corridor and arrived at the Nagasaki Sue family home at the end.

Rui Yashio stepped forward and rang the doorbell, saying in a formal tone, "Nagasaki Motoyo, I am Rui Yashio, the student council president of Tsukinomori. I have come to visit you on behalf of Tsukinomori."

After a long while, a sound came from behind the door, and the door slowly opened, revealing Nagasaki Motoyo standing behind it, disheveled and listless.

Nagasaki Motoyo's hair was disheveled and fell loosely over her shoulders. Her face was pale, her eyes were lifeless, and there were obvious dark circles under her eyes, making her look extremely tired.

A hint of confusion and bewilderment flickered in her eyes, as if she had lost interest in and attention to everything around her.

Her lips were chapped and had lost their usual rosy color, appearing unusually pale. Her cheeks were slightly thin, as if she hadn't been feeling well lately.

She was wearing loose-fitting loungewear, which was slightly wrinkled and made her look a bit sloppy.

Su Shi's shoulders slumped slightly, her body looked somewhat weak, and her posture appeared loose and powerless. Her hands gently gripped the door frame, as if searching for support to prevent herself from falling.

When Nagasaki Motoyo saw Yashio Rui, her expression didn't change much; her eyes still conveyed weariness and helplessness. However, when her gaze passed over Yashio Rui and landed on the others standing behind her, a complex mix of emotions flickered in her otherwise lifeless eyes in a brief moment.

When she first saw Wakaba Mutsu, a flash of anger appeared in her eyes, her brows furrowed slightly, and a suppressed flame emanated from her gaze, as if she were blaming Mutsu for not helping her find Toyokawa Shoko, which led to the situation turning out this way.

Her lips were slightly closed, appearing somewhat stiff, and her entire demeanor instantly became tense.

Then, thinking that Toyokawa Shoko had now joined Ave_Mujica, which had a love triangle, her anger was quickly replaced by a self-deprecating smile.

A bitter smile played on her lips, her eyes filled with helplessness and self-mockery. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if mocking herself for all her previous efforts being in vain; Xiao Xiang no longer wanted to form a band with these students.

Then, the self-deprecating smile slowly faded, replaced by deep sorrow. Her eyes reddened slightly, and a thin layer of tears welled up, making her appear exceptionally vulnerable and melancholic. Her lips trembled slightly, as if suppressing inner pain, and she looked even more exhausted.

Rui Yashio noticed the emotional fluctuation in Suze and asked with concern, "Suze-kun, are you alright?"

Su Shi quickly composed herself. Her eyes returned to their vacant state, revealing a coldness and indifference, as if nothing mattered.

Her face regained its paleness and exhaustion, and the bitterness at the corner of her mouth slowly disappeared, leaving only endless peace.

She nodded slightly, her voice hoarse and weak: "Thank you for coming to see me. I... I just need to be alone for a while."

Yue stepped forward and said with concern, "Su Shi, we all care about you."

Su Shi glanced at the moon in front of her, then turned to Yashio Rui and asked, "Yashio Rui-senpai, these people aren't from Tsuki no Mori, are they?"

Rui Yashio nodded and explained, "On my way here today with Mutsu Wakaba, I happened to run into your bandmates, Motoyo Nagasaki. After they learned that you didn't come to school today, they came with me to visit you."

Nagasaki Motoyo's gaze shifted to Kodama and the others, a hint of hesitation and unease flashing in her eyes. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips remained tightly pressed together, appearing somewhat stiff.

She knew she couldn't go too far in front of Rui Hachishio, so she forced a smile, but the smile looked extremely strained and tired.

"As you can all see... there's nothing wrong with my body, I just need to rest."

When the Stage Begins: Chapter 122 Let's Go to the Su Family Together (Part 2)

"As you can all see... there's nothing wrong with my body, I just need to rest." Su Shi's words were very calm, so calm that it was a little frightening.

Ai Yin seemed oblivious to Su Shi's implied meaning, or perhaps she understood but pretended not to. She frowned slightly, her eyes revealing obvious worry, and her voice carried a hint of urgency: "No, no, no, Su Shi, you don't look like you're alright at all, do you?"

Ai Yin took a step forward. "Su Shi, the way you look is really worrying."

A hint of resistance flashed in Su Shi's eyes. She took a small step back, her arm instinctively pulling back to her side, her voice still calm: "Really, I just need to rest."

"In order for Suze-chan to rest well, we need to take care of you even more." After saying that, Aine took advantage of the gap that Suze created by stepping back and entered Suze's house.

Su Shi frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure and helplessness flashing in her eyes: "I said..."

Before she could finish speaking, Aine's exclamation interrupted her: "Although I was already shocked outside, seeing Suze's house in person, I still have to say it's huge."

Su Shi's brows furrowed even more, her lips slightly downturned, revealing a hint of impatience and helplessness. She took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with a suppressed anger: "Su Shishi? What kind of name is that?"

Ai Yin didn't notice Su Shi's reaction and walked into the living room on her own, her eyes sparkling with excitement and curiosity, and a bright smile on her lips: "Su Shi, this place is so beautiful! Your house is so big, it must be very comfortable to live here, right?"

Su Shi now seemed to understand why Riki was so resistant when he was called Rikki.

A hint of helplessness and weariness flashed in her eyes as she sighed softly, "Please don't call me that, Aine."