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

"Michelle! Let's watch Xiaoyue and the others' videos together tonight!" Kokoro Tsurumaki sat next to Misaki Okuzawa and sent a voice message to her phone with great enthusiasm.

Misaki glanced at Kokoro and sighed inwardly.

Meanwhile, in Ras's rehearsal room, Pareo excitedly called out while scrolling through her phone, "ChuChu-sama, Mygo and the others posted a video, do you all want to watch it together?"

Upon hearing this, Tomoe, who was sitting in the chair, lightly bit the beef jerky in her hand, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.

She put down her snacks, turned her gaze, and said with a slightly serious but more confident tone, "Well! Although I don't think Mygo can threaten us, it's still necessary for us Ras to learn about other bands' songs!"

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

Hinasaki slowly opened her eyes in the afternoon sunlight, stretched, and felt the warm sunlight streaming in through the window. She had slept very comfortably, and her mood was relaxed and pleasant. She yawned slightly, preparing to get up for her afternoon training.

However, when she turned on her phone, the message that popped up on the screen stunned her instantly.

"Xiaoyue-chan! The new video is awesome!"

"My goodness! Not bad at all!"

On Hinasaki's phone screen, messages of well wishes from other band members popped up one after another.

She blinked slightly, somewhat surprised that her band's promotional video had garnered so much attention.

It would have been better if... there weren't other people's romantic relationships with her involved...

Climax Stage: Chapter Ninety-Nine - Dinner, Then Meeting the Parents (Part 1)

Hinasaki was staring blankly at the "blessing" messages on her phone, wondering what was going on with this sudden attention.

Just then, she vaguely heard hurried footsteps coming from the stairs. The "thump-thump-thump" sound grew closer and closer, as if someone was rushing towards her room.

Before she could even get out of bed to check, the door was slammed open with a loud bang. Shiina Tatsuki burst in, panting, her face filled with anxiety and unease.

"Yue! Are you alright?" Li hope's voice was filled with anxiety, clearly she had rushed over and hadn't even caught her breath yet.

Hinasaki paused for a moment, tilted her head slightly in confusion, then shook her hand, her expression somewhat innocent: "What's wrong? I'm fine. Why would you ask that?"

Hearing Yue's calm response, Li Xi breathed a long sigh of relief, touching her chest as if her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, had finally settled down: "That's great!" Her voice was full of reassurance.

Yue was still completely confused, looking at Lixi with a puzzled expression. She clearly didn't understand why the other person was suddenly so nervous.

While catching her breath, Li hope explained, "I called you several times, but you didn't answer. I thought something had happened to you... so I rushed over here."

Hearing this, Yue finally understood what had happened. She raised her phone, her eyes scanning the screen, and sure enough, she saw more than a dozen unread messages from Li Xi, as well as several missed calls.

"Ah...sorry, I was asleep just now and didn't notice at all..." Yue scratched her head a little embarrassedly, with an apologetic look on her face.

Upon hearing this, Li hope's anxiety finally subsided somewhat. She took a deep breath and slowly calmed down: "It's good that you're alright. I was really scared just now..."

"I'm so sorry!" Yue smiled, put her hands together, and sincerely apologized to Li hope.

Just then, Yue's stomach suddenly made a loud "gurgle~~", which startled her. She then lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

She checked the time and realized it was already past 1 p.m. She had slept until this late and hadn't even had lunch yet.

Seeing this, Li hope's lips curled up slightly, and she couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Xiao Yue... are you hungry?"

"No...no..." Yue wanted to retort, a blush rising on her face, but her stomach was clearly not cooperating, making an even louder "gurgle gurgle~~" sound.

At this point, she was completely helpless.

"Fine! I'm just hungry!!" Yue said with a self-deprecating expression, spreading her hands as if admitting defeat to Li hope.

Li hope originally wanted to laugh at her, but before she could say anything, her stomach made a very timely "gurgling" sound.

This sudden "response" froze Li hope instantly, and the expression on her face changed from preparing to tease to being embarrassed.

She rushed over immediately because she was so worried that Yue might have problems because of those online comments, and she hasn't eaten a single grain of rice yet.

The two looked at each other and then laughed at the same time.

The tense atmosphere in the room was completely broken at this moment, and the laughter carried a rare sense of ease and tacit understanding.

"How about... we go get something to eat together?" Yue suggested with a smile, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes.

Li hope nodded slightly, a smile appearing on her lips: "Hmm... let's go together."

"How about that Chinese restaurant we ate at before? It seems like they're having a promotion right now," Hinasaki suggested.

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

"Moon, what do you think of those comments online?" Shiina Tatsuki asked softly, her tone hesitant. The two walked side by side down the street. There weren't many pedestrians, the sunlight shone on their shoulders, and a gentle breeze blew, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

"Huh? What did you mean?" Hinasaki turned her head slightly, looking a little confused, when she heard Ritsuki's question.

Lixi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, stammering as she added, "It's... those... those comments posted under our videos." Her voice was a little hesitant, clearly embarrassed, and she managed to explain the problem with difficulty.

After hearing this, Yue's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, her expression quite calm: "Oh...you mean those things? I didn't take them too seriously." Her tone was relaxed and at ease, as if she hadn't been affected by those comments at all.

“If these comments could make me anxious, I would have broken down back in Sweat Pleats.” Yue said, a hint of reminiscence flashing in her eyes, as if recalling the ups and downs she had experienced.

Lixi was somewhat surprised and turned to look at Yue: "During the Sweat Pleats?" She was clearly not very familiar with this part of the past, but she didn't ask any further questions.

Yue sighed softly, and continued with a hint of helplessness and a touch of teasing, "Lixi, you may not know, but back then many people said that all the resources I got for my debut were because of my mother's connections."

Hearing this, Li hope's curiosity was immediately piqued: "Speaking of which... I haven't heard you tell me more about your family yet, Yue?"

She recalled the parents she had mentioned when Yue told ghost stories, and felt that there were many exaggerated elements in them, which might be somewhat different from the facts.

"Hmm... If Lixi is interested, I can tell you about it tonight." Yue thought for a moment and realized that she had already met Lixi's family, so it was time for her to let him know about her family.

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

"I heard the new Chinese restaurant here is pretty good," a woman with chestnut-brown medium-length hair said with a smile, her eyes filled with anticipation and excitement as she introduced the restaurant to the woman with long, straight black hair wearing sunglasses beside her.

The woman with long, straight black hair looked rather aloof. Standing in the sunlight, sunglasses obscured her eyes, revealing only a beautiful but somewhat icy face. She didn't show much interest, nodding slightly and giving a soft "hmm," her attitude rather perfunctory.

The woman with chestnut-brown, medium-length hair was clearly used to her aloof attitude and continued enthusiastically, "I've heard about this restaurant..."

"Weren't you with me the whole time? How do you know there's a new restaurant here? And that it's good?" The woman with long, straight black hair suddenly turned around, calmly interrupting her explanation, her voice low and tinged with doubt.

Her questioning style resembled that of a wife who suspected her husband of cheating, her tone revealing a subtle possessiveness, as if she didn't want the other person to disappear from her sight for even a moment.

The woman with chestnut-brown medium-length hair was clearly startled by her question. She paused for a moment, then hurriedly raised her hands, trying to defend herself: "Uh... someone else told me!"

The woman with long, straight black hair raised an eyebrow slightly. Although she was wearing sunglasses, her gaze seemed to penetrate the lenses as she carefully examined the woman in chestnut brown, confirming that the other woman was not lying.

"Hmph... Fine." She said coldly, then turned and walked towards the restaurant, her figure slender and her steps steady.

The woman with chestnut-brown medium-length hair stood still, looking helplessly at the other person's back: "Wait for me!"

The restaurant's glass doors closed gently behind the two women, and sunlight streamed onto the small street in front of the door. Through the reflection in the glass, two young women with long, straight black hair could be seen slowly walking towards the shop.

Climax Stage: Chapter 100 - Dinner, Then Meeting the Parents (Part 2)

"Boss, your business here is pretty good?" Hinasaki pushed open the restaurant door and walked in with Shiina Tatsuki. As soon as they stepped inside, they saw that the restaurant was already packed.

The restaurant was bustling with noise, a lively mix of conversations and the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.

"Oh~ Xiaoyue, you're here!" The busy boss recognized Hinasaki at a glance, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. He then waved to her, his tone full of enthusiasm and familiarity.

Yue replied with a smile, "Boss, business has been good lately!"

While busy with his work, the boss explained with a smile, "We've been having a promotion lately, offering 20% ​​off, and customers have been flocking here. You know, who doesn't love a cheap deal?"

Yue looked around and found that almost every table was occupied, with crowds of people everywhere. She frowned helplessly: "Are there any seats left?"

"Yes, yes!" Without the slightest hesitation, the owner pointed expertly to a corner of the restaurant. "Over there, there are two empty seats in the corner, just right for the two of you!"

Following the direction the boss pointed, Yue looked and sure enough, there was an empty table in the corner.

She nodded to the shop owner: "Thank you, boss!"

"You're welcome. Sit down for a while, and I'll come and take your order later!" The owner waved with a smile.

Yue turned to Lixi and said, "Let's go sit over there."

The two walked through the bustling restaurant, around several tables, and finally arrived at the empty seat by the window that the owner had mentioned.

The seat was right next to the window, where the soft sunlight streamed through and onto the table, adding a touch of tranquil warmth to the otherwise bustling restaurant atmosphere.

After Yue and Lixi pulled out chairs and sat down, Yue casually glanced at the seats next to her and noticed that there were two people sitting at the next table.

The two women's attire caught her attention: one was a woman with a high black ponytail, wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap, which almost completely covered her face, making her look exceptionally low-key.

The other one had her hair in a bun and was intently studying the menu with her head down; her face was almost completely hidden by the menu, so her expression was not visible at all.

Yuewei raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing through her mind, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

After all, this is Japan, and it's not unusual to occasionally encounter idols in unusual costumes or who are particularly low-key.

She knew that many celebrities and idols would choose to dress like this to avoid being recognized by fans, and she even remembered that Ms. Maruyama Aya of Pastel*Palettes especially liked to search herself and always hoped to be recognized.

Even so, Miss Cai doesn't usually dress up much when she goes out, yet... it seems that not many people can recognize her.

Yue chuckled lightly at this, then turned to the menu without giving it any further thought.

She knew that idols were no different from ordinary people in their daily lives; they might just want to have a quiet meal without being disturbed.

"What are we having for dinner today?" she asked Lixi, her voice light and relaxed.

Lixi casually flipped through the menu, pondering, "Hmm... I don't know, I never know what to order when I see so many dishes."

"Let's take a look first." Yue nodded and turned her gaze back to the menu.

——————Let's rewind a few minutes——————

The two had just sat down when the warm sunlight streamed in through the windows, making the seats by the window even brighter.

With her chestnut-brown medium-length hair, Furuka Yuuri slightly raised her head, shifting her gaze from the menu to Hinasaki Miha across from her.

Her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were pondering something. After a moment, she asked softly, "Shinba... are you really not going to go back and find Koyuki?"

Hinasaki Miha put down the menu in her hand and looked up at Yuuri.

She said, "Well... I already told Xiaoyue that I would go to watch her final. Besides, we're only staying here temporarily, and we're going to Mount Rishang soon, right? There's no need to bother Xiaoyue."

Yuri looked hesitant, gently stroking the table with her fingers, clearly still struggling internally: "Hmm... but I still feel a bit of a longing for Xiaoyue."

Just then, Yuri, who happened to glance out the window, suddenly stopped, as if she had discovered something.

She quickly turned around, reached out and poked Hinasaki Miyu, who was looking at the menu, her voice tinged with nervousness: "Miyu... look at that one outside, isn't that Tsukiko?"

Upon hearing this, Fukaba abruptly raised his head and looked in the direction Yuri was pointing.