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

Chu Hua smiled gently, her eyes filled with the warm smile typical of idols: "Thank you for your support, Aine."

Aine's cheeks flushed slightly as she continued, "I've never seen you this close before!"

Hinasaki sat beside her, watching Aine's overly excited expression, and couldn't help but cover her face, sighing and thinking to herself, "Seriously, Aine's acting is way too exaggerated..."

“But there’s no need to call me ‘senpai’ anymore. We’re classmates now, right, Shiina-kun?” She looked at Shiina Tatsuki.

Upon hearing Hatsuka's words, Aine's expression immediately turned to shock. Her mouth gaped slightly, and her eyes were filled with disbelief. She quickly turned to Rikki: "Eh? Eh!!! Rikki, you already knew Hatsuka-chan all along?"

After a moment of silence, the other person said to Chihaya Aine, "Yes, we are classmates."

Aine was clearly still in shock. Her eyes were wide open, and her voice was filled with excitement and doubt: "You guys didn't tell me! This is big news! Sumi's Misaki Hatsuka is super famous!"

Looking at Ai Yin's exaggerated reaction, Li Xi rubbed his temples helplessly: "There's nothing to say about this. We're just ordinary classmates at school."

Aine then turned her attention to the others beside her and found that they were not surprised at all by the result. "Everyone, aren't you surprised? That's Sumi!"

Xiaodeng looked puzzled: "sumimi?"

Lena shook her head, indicating, "I don't know her."

Takamatsu Akari's eyes still held confusion. She gently shook her head: "I'm sorry, Aine, I really don't know. Maybe it's because I don't usually pay attention to these things."

Aine turned to look at Hinasaki, her eyes filled with doubt and expectation: "Tsuki, you don't know either?"

Hinasaki smiled gently and shook her head: "Actually, I already knew from Riki that Hatsuka and she are classmates. Besides, didn't I bring you an autograph before? There's nothing to be surprised about."

Ai Yin's mouth gaped open, her face filled with shock and a hint of disappointment: "Xiao Yue, you knew all along? None of you told me!"

A hint of grievance and dissatisfaction flashed in Aine's eyes. She puffed out her cheeks, put her hands on her hips, and pretended to be angry: "Hmph, Rikki, Tsukimi, you both kept it from me! This is such an important matter! And Tsukimi, you still haven't given me your autograph."

Hinasaki patted Aine's shoulder gently and said with a smile, "It's alright, Aine, it's nothing serious."

Chu Hua watched the interaction of the group with an amused expression. "So, the band atmosphere with Yue-senpai and Li Xi is this interesting?"

Aine's expression softened slightly, but she still grumbled with some dissatisfaction, "Okay, fine. But next time if there's anything important, you have to tell me!"

Yue continued, "Isn't Chu Hua right here? If Aine has anything you want to say to Chu Hua, you can say it now. You can always ask Chu Hua for another one, can't you?"

Upon hearing Yue's words, Mitsumi Hatsuka, who had been analyzing the band members, paused for a moment before flashing a great smile: "Is Aine my fan? Thank you for liking me, Aine."

Ai-yin's eyes lit up instantly, and her face showed excitement: "Senior Chu-hua, could you give me your autograph? And... if possible, could we take a photo together?"

Chu Hua smiled slightly and nodded: "Of course."

Chu Hua nodded and said with a smile, "Of course. Do you have anything I can sign? If not, would a signed piece of paper be okay?"

"Sure, sure!" Ai Yin nodded. After all, she hadn't expected to see Mikasa today, so there was no way she would bring any autographed items.

Jinling Xiawu Qiu Jiu <3 Jiu Chuhua took out a signature sheet from her bag and carefully signed her name: "Is it okay if I write it for Chihaya Aine?"

“Of course!” Aine nodded, took the autographed paper, and smiled with satisfaction. “Thank you, Hatsuka-chan.”

Afterwards, Chu Hua and Ai Yin took a group photo together. Ai Yin looked at the photo on her phone with a happy expression. Her smile was filled with undisguised joy and satisfaction, and she couldn't help but let out a series of very cute smiles.

Hehe~ Ehehehe~

She shook her head helplessly, a slight hint of disdain on her lips: "Aine's smile is just too exaggerated..."

Yue turned her gaze elsewhere, trying her best not to look at Aine's bright smile, while subtly increasing the distance between them, afraid that the overly sweet smile would infect her.

After comforting her little fan, Chihaya Aine, Mikami Hatsuka turned her gaze to Takamatsu Akari, who had been watching them without saying a word.

"So, Little Lamp, can you tell me about your troubles?"

After hesitating for a moment, Takamatsu Akari nodded and repeated what she had just said to Kasumi Toyama, while also expressing her own troubles.

"Although I roughly understand what the band's goal should be... I still can't find our band's goal."

After hearing Takamatsu Akari's words, Mikasa stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, "I see... It is indeed a very troublesome problem."

Chu Hua smiled and looked at the other band members, her gaze gentle yet firm. "In that case, why don't we all share why we joined the band? Perhaps through this, we can find some common ground."

After exchanging glances, Hinasaki spoke first, saying, "I want to continue shining on stage."

After hesitating for a moment, Chihaya Aine took a deep breath and said her true thoughts: "I initially joined the band because everyone around me was forming bands, and I wanted to join a band as the lead singer and guitarist so that I could stand out in front of everyone."

After she finished speaking, seeing everyone's attention focused on her, she quickly added, "Of course, I'm thinking about that now too, but just playing the guitar already takes up most of my energy, so it's not very likely that I'll become a guitarist. So right now I just want to continue this band with everyone, and of course, it would be great if I could become more famous."

All eyes then turned to Shiina Tatsuki, who said almost without thinking, "Of course I want more people to hear Hikari's songs."

After hearing Lixi's answer, Yue thought to herself, "As expected, it's a very Lixi-esque answer."

After swallowing a mouthful of matcha parfait, Kaoru said, "I want to perform, so I want to be in a band for life."

Seeing that everyone's gaze was finally fixed on her, Gao Songdeng hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, "I want to convey the cry from my heart to Su Shi."

"Su Shi... I think she's the girl with flaxen hair in the Crychic photos before. Xiao Xiang mentioned her before. We should keep a close eye on her."

After a moment's thought, Sankaku Hatsuka understood who Su Shi was in Takasō's words.

She smiled with satisfaction. "See? Although everyone's motivations are not exactly the same, they actually have something in common."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Although everyone's goals may differ slightly, as long as you can find the right direction, even if you get a little lost or confused along the way, you will eventually be able to get back on the right path."

"Is it okay even if we get lost?" Takamatsu Akari murmured to herself after hearing Misumi Hatsuka's words.

Gao Songdeng's initial confusion gradually faded, and she finally understood how to write the lyrics for her song. "Thank you, Chuhua, I understand."

Seeing the enlightened look on Xiaodeng's face, Sanjiao Chuhua finally smiled from the bottom of her heart, her tone full of relief: "It's okay, I'm glad I was able to help Xiaodeng."

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

Let's rewind to a dozen minutes earlier, and the location is still Yuzawa Coffee Shop.

Since Mutsuya had rushed home for her upcoming piano lesson, only Shoko Toyokawa remained, sitting by the window of the Yuzawa Cafe. After signing a contract with Sakura Sakura, she now received a substantial monthly income and was gradually able to give up her part-time job, so she had time to sit here and enjoy her black tea.

Toyokawa Shoko picked up her black tea cup, her fingers gracefully pinching the handle. She took a small sip of the tea, the rim of the cup lightly touching her lips. The warm aroma of the tea wafted over her, and the tea soup slid over her tongue, delicate and smooth, with a slight sweetness and astringency, perfectly balanced on her taste buds.

She hadn't put down the teacup in her hand when her gaze inadvertently swept across the street outside the window. Office workers in suits and carrying briefcases walked by, indicating that it was now the evening rush hour.

"It seems like it's about time we went back."

Suddenly she saw a familiar figure; Hinasaki and her friends were walking towards her.

She originally planned to leave quickly to avoid unnecessary trouble, but she suddenly realized that there was someone she knew in Yue's group.

Xiangzi narrowed her eyes slightly and checked again. The person was wearing a low-key baseball cap. Even though the brim was pulled down low, she could tell from the familiar clothes and the golden hair peeking out from under the cap that the person was Sango Chuhua.

Xiangzi couldn't help but wonder, "Why is Chuhua with Yue and the others?" She hesitated for a moment, then decided to stay in the coffee shop to see if she could find out any information.

She gently put down her teacup, pretending to be nonchalant, and quietly changed seats, sitting in the corner. At the same time, she took out a mask and hat from her small bag and put them on.

Although she looked strange at first glance, given the Japanese people's reluctance to cause trouble, they would at most think she was an oddball sitting there, and not many people would come up to ask her anything. Not to mention, Yue and the others probably had something to talk about, so they wouldn't pay any attention to her.

Soon after, Yue and the others entered the Yuzawa Cafe. Just as Toyokawa Shoko had predicted, they obviously didn't notice her sitting in the corner, but instead found a seat near the window.

Chu Hua took off her baseball cap, revealing short, golden hair, which confirmed Xiangzi's identity. Now, she was troubled by why Chu Hua was with Xiao Deng and the others.

Shoko noticed that Chihaya Aine's eyes were sparkling with excitement, as if she was talking about Hatsuka. Hatsuka responded with a smile, and it seemed that they had a very harmonious relationship.

"It seems their relationship is closer than I imagined," Xiangzi thought to himself. "How did Chuhua and Yue get together? What's going on between them?"

Xiangzi strained her ears, trying to hear their conversation. However, due to the distance, she could only catch fragments of words and couldn't piece together the whole story.

But she couldn't move to the other person's side now; such an obvious move would arouse suspicion. She frowned, feeling that she probably wouldn't be able to get any more information this way.

Despite thinking this way, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't come up with a suitable solution. In the end, even after Hinasaki and the others finished their conversation and left the Yuzawa Cafe, Ms. Toyokawa Shoko didn't find a suitable opportunity to gather more information.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 161 HHW's Unique Performance Meeting

That night, in the Tsurumaki family mansion, the members of Hello Happy World were gathered inside for their band meeting.

Genjuro Kokoro diligently drew many impressive-looking but completely incomprehensible patterns on the blackboard. The chalk in her hand danced across the blackboard, outlining all sorts of strange shapes and symbols.

She was drawing with great enthusiasm, a bright smile on her face, as if she had already sketched out a perfect band performance scene in her mind.

Okusawa Misaki, already dressed in Michelle's outfit, looked at the patterns. Although she wanted to follow her heart's train of thought, she still couldn't understand what the glowing humanoid pattern was all about.

She frowned, trying to find some logic in the intricate lines, but eventually gave up. She rubbed her temples and sighed helplessly.

"Kokoro, can you explain what you've drawn?" Misaki asked Kokoro using Michelle's voice.

Xian Juanxin stopped writing with chalk, turned around, and said excitedly, "This is our new performance plan! Look, this is the center of the stage. We're all wearing special costumes that will make us shine like stars on stage!"

Kitazawa Ikumi blinked. "Special clothes? What are we supposed to make?"

Compared to Ikumi, Michelle directly retorted, "Kokoro... the Kirakira that Kodama and the others are talking about, I don't think it's Kirakira in the physical sense, right?"

Genmaki nodded, indicating that she understood. "Yes, the light-emitting function of the clothes is only part of it."

She continued drawing on the blackboard, and Misaki could barely make out that there were probably four people saying "Hello Happy World" to everyone, but she didn't understand why there was a giraffe next to Michelle's portrait with an ambiguous meaning.

"This is a picture of everyone performing on stage," said Shin Tsurumaki, pointing to the background.

"Uh..." Even the battle-hardened Okuzawa Misaki was stunned for a moment after hearing Tsurumaki Shin's words.

She complained, "What's with that giraffe head next to Michelle?"

Reminded by Misaki, Kokoro Tsurumaki looked enlightened. "This giraffe just popped into my head when I was thinking about the performance. Don't you think it's cute to draw it here, Michelle?"

At that moment, a giraffe in the underground theater of Shengxiang was leisurely eating leaves when it suddenly felt a chill. It abruptly raised its head and looked around, as if it had a bad feeling.

Excitedly, Xian Juanxin continued drawing her plan on the blackboard. The giraffe was erased, leaving only Michelle's image on the blackboard, standing in the center of the stage, looking particularly eye-catching.

"Although I don't understand it, Ikumi thinks the idea behind the heart is really great!"

"Hakane!"

"Huh? Huh??? Huh!!!?" Hanon looked at the blackboard, feeling like she hadn't understood how to act at all.

Just as Misaki Ozawa said before, if she weren't wearing Michelle's performance outfit, she would have covered her head and cried. She couldn't see how this performance plan could help Riki and the others at all. To be more precise, she didn't understand what the plan was all about.

"Leave the invitations to all the little kittens to me," Kaoru readily accepted the task.

And just like that, the Hello Happy World performance plan was set inexplicably.

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

At Hinasaki's house, she had just finished showering, her long, wet hair disheveled, lying on the bed, thinking about the band. The room was filled with soft lighting and a quiet atmosphere, as if everything had stood still.

Suddenly, a faint sound of something cutting through the air rang out. [The following appears to be a separate, unrelated sentence:] 0玐「捂霖就〥]厁六》 〦#9月 jerked upright, her ears twitching slightly, confirming she hadn't misheard.

The sound was particularly abrupt in the quiet night. She listened carefully, and then she heard what sounded like something being stuck in the wall.

Yuexin felt suspicious and carefully got out of bed, walking towards the direction from which the sound came. She found something new on the wall of the balcony: a black invitation sticking out of the wall.