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

Each time she put down the water glass, she would gently rub the bottle with her fingers, as if seeking comfort. In less than ten minutes, Ai Yin had repeated this action twenty times.

"Aine? Are you alright?" Yue asked with concern, her voice gentle and warm.

Aine raised her head and forced a smile. Although she tried to appear calm, her slightly trembling lips and pale face betrayed her inner tension.

"I...I'm fine," Ai-yin answered softly, but her slightly uneasy tone was hardly convincing; her fingers were still tightly gripping the water bottle.

The water bottle, which was already empty, made a squeaking sound as Ai Yin unconsciously exerted force.

"Are you nervous?" Yue's gaze fell on the water bottle in Aine's hand.

Ai-yin lowered her head slightly, gently biting her lower lip, a hint of unease in her eyes, "...Was I that obvious?"

Yue tried to encourage Aine, saying, "We've been practicing very well these days. Just keep up the good work from your training."

The other person shook their head. That wasn't what I was worried about. "We're going to the Moon Forest, you know. That's a famous school for young ladies."

Tsuki was a little confused. "Tsuki no Mori... what's wrong? Could it be that Aine's friend is somewhere there?"

She subconsciously recalled that the last time Aine was in this situation was because Aine's junior high school classmate discovered that she was not studying in London.

So, Yue subconsciously thought that perhaps one of Aine's classmates had entered the Moon Forest through the recruitment exam, and that Aine was acting so strangely because she was worried that the other person would see her.

Ai Yin shook her head and explained softly, "No, it's not like that." She paused and continued, "Yuki... don't you feel a lot of pressure performing in front of the teachers? Especially since they might be criticizing you."

When Yue heard this, she was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected it to be for this reason.

She then smiled knowingly. "I see. Aine, are you nervous because you're performing in front of your teacher?"

Aine nodded, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Yes, I asked the seniors at Popipa about the qualification review process before. I heard that even Kasumi Toyama was under too much pressure during the qualification review and couldn't sing."

Yue had heard about what Aine had said, and... in a sense, this matter was related to one of the stray cats in their band.

"But during the last performance... I think the boss came by, right?"

Yue recalled the pink and white highlights she had vaguely seen during the last performance.

“And that’s not all…” Aine continued, “We’re trying to persuade Suze to come back through this performance, right?”

Yue noticed the unease in Aine's voice, and she nodded slightly, signaling the other person to continue.

"What if... I mean, what if we fail?" Aine lowered her head, her voice almost inaudible.

Yue knew the importance of this performance, not only for the qualification review, but also to convey emotions through the performance and bring Su Shi back to their side.

Therefore, she could understand where Aine's worries came from.

What if... what if I fail the qualification review?

What if... they make a mistake during their performance?

What if... Su Shi is unable to attend the performance or fails to impress the other party?

She gently held Ai Yin's hand, offering her comfort and support, "Ai Yin, I know this performance is very important to us, but we have done our best. No matter the outcome, we have done our best."

“Moon…” Aine looked up at Moon, her eyes filled with unease and anticipation.

"Click".

The sound of the doorknob turning rang out, and Lixi, panting, led Lena in from outside.

Aine and Yue quickly let go of each other's hands, instantly widening the distance between them.

"Sorry I'm late, it took me a while to find the stray cats on campus..." Li hope said, but soon she noticed the subtle atmosphere in the room.

She looked at Yue and Ai Yin, both of them with slightly flushed faces and evasive gazes, clearly having been caught doing something by Li hope. Li hope frowned, finding it odd, "You two... what were you doing just now?"

Yue and Aine exchanged a glance, their embarrassment deepening. Yue coughed lightly, trying to hide her unease, "Ah, it's nothing, we were just... discussing the performance."

Lixi raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical of the explanation. She put down Lenai, walked to the table, and her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them, as if seeking more information.

Ai Yin felt Li hope's gaze and quickly explained, "Li hope, we were really just discussing the performance, don't overthink it."

It would have been better if Ai-yin hadn't said anything, but after she did, Li-hope felt like she was trying to cover something up, like she was trying to hide something obvious.

A vague sense of unease flickered in her heart, but after thinking about it, she realized that she and Yue didn't have any special relationship, so she didn't know what to say.

Feeling frustrated, Lixi could only change the subject and ask Aine, "Are the costumes for the performance ready?"

A confident smile appeared on Ai Yin's face as she nodded. "It's already ready!"

Lixi continued, "Can we take a look?"

“Of course!” Ai Yin said excitedly, “I’ll go upstairs and get it right away.”

After saying that, she walked briskly towards the stairs, her steps light and quick, leaving only Lixi, Yue, and Lenai in the recording studio.

While Aine went upstairs to get her performance costume, Lixi frowned and walked over to Yue's side. Yue also moved aside on the sofa to make room for Lixi.

Lixi sat down next to Yue with practiced ease, the distance between them much closer than when Yue and Aine had been, but neither of them seemed to notice anything amiss. Lixi looked at Yue with a hint of confusion and asked softly, "Yue... what just happened?"

Yue turned to look at Lixi and explained, "Aine is a little nervous about tomorrow's qualification review, so I comforted her a bit."

Li hope frowned. "Is that all?"

Yue tilted her head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "That's all."

Lixi's expression softened, and she was clearly relieved. The discomfort in her heart disappeared. She sighed and smiled slightly, "That's good."

"Why would Lixi care about this?" Yue asked curiously, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

Lixi's expression froze for a moment. She couldn't very well tell Yue that her whispering with Aiyin had made Yue feel uncomfortable. Her brain raced, and she quickly came up with a plausible excuse, "It's nothing, it's just that we have to go for the qualification audit tomorrow, and I don't want anything else to go wrong in the band."

Yue raised an eyebrow slightly, a look of interest on her face. "Is...that so?"

Feeling Yue's gaze, Li Xi's cheeks gradually flushed red. She lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassment, but the heat spread from her neck to her ears, and she felt as if steam was about to rise from her face.

"What? What? Yue and Lixi, what are you two talking about?" Just then, Aine came back from upstairs with clothes and asked curiously when she saw Yue and Lixi sitting together.

"Everyone... I'm sorry, I just went home." Xiao Deng, who arrived late, helped Ai Yin carry her clothes inside. It seemed that she had met Ai Yin when she went upstairs to get her clothes.

"Oh, it's nothing, just discussing tomorrow's qualification review with Lixi," Yue quickly replied, her tone relaxed, helping Lixi cover up her earlier embarrassment.

Aine didn't ask any more questions. At this moment, her attention was entirely focused on showing everyone the clothes she had made: "Hey, everyone can try them on today and see how they look."

Yue and Lixi stood up from the sofa and followed Aine to the clothes rack next to them. Even Lena, who was playing the guitar next to them, came over curiously to take a look.

Several brand-new outfits hung on the clothes rack, each one looking exquisite, the fabric shimmering with a soft sheen.

Everyone took their own clothes and went to the next room to change in turn. A few minutes later, everyone was wearing the performance costumes made by Aiyin.

"Aine, it looks great!" Yue praised Aine, completely surprised that the clothes they had bought together could be made into such exquisite performance costumes so quickly.

Although they are still some distance from the performance costumes of professional bands, many costumes are simply made by cutting and decorating ready-made clothes.

For example, she could clearly see that Lena's outfit was made by cutting a whole dress in half.

However, for Aine, who was designing and producing stage costumes for the first time, it already deserves a high score of 95.

Lenai adjusted her clothes and nodded, "Looks good!"

Xiaodeng's clothes were rather plain, and it seemed that Aine hadn't put much design into them. However, Yue felt that this actually highlighted Xiaodeng's natural beauty, making people pay more attention to her singing voice.

Even Li hope, for once, praised Ai Yin, saying, "Although it's a bit rough, it's very good for you."

"Rikki, are you praising me? You are praising me, right?" Aine asked Riki with a smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Stop nagging..." Li hope turned her head away, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Yue smiled as she looked at Li hope's slightly arrogant expression.

"I feel like the band is moving in a positive direction. It would be even better if we could persuade Su Shi to come back."

Lixi looked at the extra clothes hanging on the nearby clothes rack and asked, "Why is there another piece of clothing here?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Yin turned her head and, after seeing the dress that Li Xi was referring to, explained, "That was designed for Su Shi. When I was making clothes for Xiao Le Nai, I happened to have half a piece of fabric left over, so I made one for Su Shi as well."

Ai Yin nodded gently, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes, "Maybe... Su Shi will come to see our performance during the qualification review stage, and then come back?"

Yue stood to the side, listening silently to Aine's words, a mix of complex emotions surfacing in her heart. "Although Suze said those things to Aine when she left, Aine doesn't seem to hold a grudge against her much," she thought to herself.

To be honest, Hinasaki felt that if someone said something so hurtful, she would never speak to them again, or even see them again, until they apologized. She recalled how Momo had done something so outrageous recently, and she had immediately blocked her. If Momo hadn't come to her house to apologize, they probably still wouldn't have spoken a word to each other.

She looked up at Ai Yin, her heart filled with admiration and emotion. "If I didn't feel that I also bore some responsibility for Su Shi's departure, I wouldn't have been so concerned about finding her," Yue thought to herself.

Aine's forgiveness and tolerance deeply moved her. If their band had changed guitarists because of Aine's guitar skills in the first place, they might have disbanded by now.

Li hope looked at the clothes in front of her and sighed softly, "Ai Yin, do you really think Su Shi will come back?"

Ai Yin smiled, her gaze firm. "I'm not entirely sure either, but as long as we do our best, we'll definitely be able to convey our thoughts to Su Shi through music."

Looking at Ai Yin's determined eyes, Xiao Deng said, "Xiao Ai is right, Su Shi will definitely feel our sincerity."

Li hope didn't say anything, but silently walked back behind the drum. "Alright, now that we've all changed our clothes, let's have one last rehearsal and see if the costumes affect the performance."

Upon hearing Li hope's words, Ai Yin panicked instantly. Her guitar was still in its case, leaning against the corner of the wall.

"Huh? We still have to rehearse? Wait a minute, I haven't even taken out my guitar yet!"

"Honestly! Hurry up, you idiot!" Li hope said, but the reprimand in his words wasn't very strong; it just sounded like a complaint.

"I didn't expect Rikki to be rehearsing today," Aine said as she finished tuning the guitar.

"Alright! Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, we're ready," everyone responded in unison.

As Lena's light guitar music began, Takamatsu Akari gripped the microphone tightly and slowly began to sing...

When the Stage Begins: Chapter 184 Everyone's Journey to the Moon Forest

"Wow... Is this the Forest of the Moon?"

Aine stood in front of the Moon Forest gate, looking up at the noble and ancient school gate with amazement in her eyes. The stone pillars on both sides of the gate were carved with exquisite patterns.

"This is... the school where Su Shi and Xiao Mu went..." Takamatsu Akari stood beside Aine, her gaze slightly complicated, her tone carrying a hint of reminiscence. Her eyes revealed a touch of emotion and nostalgia, as if recalling the time she spent with Su Shi.

“Stray cat! Listen carefully, don’t wander off once you’re inside. This isn’t Flower Girl, we won’t be able to find you here.” Shiina Ritsuki said, giving Rakuna a pep talk like a concerned mother. Her expression was serious, and her tone was full of care and worry.

"Okay! I understand." Le Nai nodded obediently. Although she usually seemed a bit mischievous, she could still feel everyone's care and importance at times like this.

Yue stood to one side, her gaze passing over the gate, recalling the last time she and Xiangzi came here together. Back then, they came to see Morfonica's performance; now, they were back to perform on the stage of the Moon Forest Music Festival.

She prayed silently, hoping to pass the qualification review and participate in this important music festival.

"I wonder if I'll run into Xiangzi here?" This thought popped into Yue's mind, and her thoughts drifted away.