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

The gentle, continuous flow of water was like a pair of invisible hands, softly pressing on their tense muscles, slowly easing the fatigue and stiffness of the day.

The water flow is neither too fast nor too slow, and the temperature is just right—neither scalding hot nor too cool.

The steam rising from the hot spring pool filled the air with a faint smell of sulfur, but when mixed with the fresh scent of the mountains and fields, it felt incredibly refreshing.

The three women leaned against the stone wall, eyes closed, enjoying this moment of tranquility. Hot water flowed down their necks, over their shoulders, and slowly down their backs into the pool.

"As expected... choosing to come to the spring was definitely the best choice!" Miao Meng took a sip of milk, let out a satisfied sigh, and had a comfortable expression on her face.

She immediately complained, "During practice, my shoulders were so stiff from playing the drums! That's definitely a work injury!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Momoko Kurosawa chimed in with the same sentiment. "I've been practicing with that guitar strap on my back for so long, my shoulders are so sore from all the strain, it's really tiring!"

She rubbed her shoulders, as if she could still feel the pressure from the guitar strap.

Ai Yin wasn't going to be left behind, and added, "And also, because of all this practice, I can't even get pretty manicures anymore!"

She held her hands in her hands; her fingers were worn down from playing instruments for so long, and her nails were short, making it impossible to do the elaborate manicures she used to.

"The drummers are much better at this! But do you know how much muscle definition comes out in your arms from playing drums for so long?"

"The guitarist isn't much better off! His fingertips are covered in calluses from the strings."

"And another thing! You know our composer, Xiangzi, always gives me really difficult music. Every time we perform, I'm practically dying from playing the drums!"

The three of them chatted back and forth, complaining about various things, but each had a faint smile on their face. This is probably the legendary variation of "After you've finished complaining, remember to buy something"—after you've finished complaining, remember to continue forming a band.

"Interesting women." Lena, who had somehow sneaked into the pool with a cup of matcha ice cream, said while biting her ice cream spoon at the three people who were making sarcastic remarks.

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"Ugh... Meow Dream's head is so dizzy..." Meow Dream groaned weakly, her eyes glazed over, and a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She weakly raised her hand and gently pressed it against her forehead, clearly feeling extremely unwell. The once vibrant girl now lay limply on the bed like a deflated balloon.

"I feel dizzy..." Le Nai's voice followed closely, her tone filled with exhaustion and weakness.

She had just come out of the hot spring, and her whole body seemed to be limp from being soaked. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyelids were half-closed, as if she didn't even have the strength to open her eyes.

"Me too..." Ai's voice was even weaker than the previous two, almost inaudible. Her eyes were closed, her face flushed, clearly her body could no longer withstand the excessive heat from soaking in the hot spring for so long.

Yue stood aside, silently watching the three people on the bed.

They all had ice packs on their foreheads, were covered with thin blankets, and their faces still had the flushed look of being in a hot spring.

Yue couldn't help but sigh and rub her forehead. The scene before her made her both laugh and cry—it was truly unexpected that all three of them had fainted from the water.

"How could all three of you pass out from soaking in the water?!" Yue muttered helplessly, her tone filled with disbelief. "Didn't any of you feel anything at all?!"

Recalling what had just happened, Yue couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

If the shop owner hadn't regularly checked the hot springs and discovered that they were already dizzy from soaking, these three people would probably still be soaking in there, completely unaware. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

"Have some water." Sanjiao Chuhua gently opened the door and walked in carrying a bag of mineral water. Her steps were light, but there was still a hint of apology on her face.

She put the water aside, walked to Yue's side, sighed softly, and said with a smile, "I'm so sorry, our band members have caused you a lot of trouble." Although there was some helplessness in her tone, it was also filled with concern for her friend.

Yue smiled helplessly, shrugged, and said, "Not at all... Aine and Rakuna have also caused a lot of trouble for everyone."

Side Story: Hikami Mountain Trip - Chapter Sixteen: Now We're the Idiot Five!

At this moment, only Yue and Chuhua were able to speak in the room.

The two of them sat down at the table and started chatting quite naturally.

Chu Hua gently raised her eyes, gazing at Hinasaki Tsuki in front of her, her tone tinged with emotion: "Tsuki-senpai has changed a lot."

She looked at Hinasaki now, and the girl in front of her was completely different from the radiant idol she remembered standing on the stage.

Hinasaki smiled gently, her expression soft, carrying a hint of composure and relief. She gently set down her teacup and said calmly, "Before, on stage, I was always influenced by the persona I was portrayed."

Chu Hua nodded slightly after hearing this, a smile spreading across her face. She understood Yue's feelings, because she herself was facing a similar predicament. "That's true, I've also seen people say lately that my persona has changed a lot."

Hinasaki listened, looking at her thoughtfully, and said with a smile, "Actually, at first, I never expected you to participate in the Ave Mujica project."

"Why?" Chu Hua asked in surprise, tilting her head slightly with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

“Because,” Yue chuckled, her fingers tapping the table unconsciously, her tone revealing a matter-of-fact assumption, “in the entertainment industry, when faced with a brand new project where the members haven’t even been confirmed yet, and most of them are amateurs, it would seem safer to choose a project like sumimi. After all, sumimi is on its way up and has great potential, so everyone would feel more secure.”

“Sumi is really great…Mana-san has always taken good care of me…” Hatsuka said, but stopped halfway through her sentence, as if considering how to continue.

"Is it because of Xiangzi?" Xiaoyue picked up where she left off, her tone soft but with a hint of insight.

"Is it that obvious?" Chu Hua smiled slightly, her eyes showing a mixture of helplessness and relief.

Hinasaki glanced at her thoughtfully, striking an exaggerated contemplative pose: "Hmm... compared to Aine and Sose, you are indeed better at hiding it. But you know what? When you brought water and towels to Sho before, weren't you a little too obvious?"

Chu Hua smiled somewhat embarrassedly, her fingers gently stroking the edge of the table, and didn't argue further.

However, Hinasaki suddenly became serious, and her tone turned solemn: "But, Hatsuka... have you really found the meaning of stepping onto the stage?"

"The significance of stepping onto the stage?" Chu Hua paused for a moment, then, almost without hesitation, replied firmly and naturally, "Of course, it's to sing for Xiangzi!"

Her answer was straightforward and undisguised, with a certain certainty in her eyes.

For her, Xiangzi was her motivation, the biggest reason she stepped onto the stage and pursued her dreams.

Hinasaki looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something, but hesitated, finally giving Hatsuka a meaningful look and saying softly, "Is that so..."

Although Hinasaki doesn't know much about the internal workings of Ave Mujica, judging from Sakura Sakura's frequent team-building activities with them, the team is probably in a state of individualism.

If any problems arise, it could very well fall apart as quickly as Mygo did before.

You ask why Hinasaki is so clear about this situation? Well, that's because Sakura Sakura has used this tactic many times before!

However, many members of the group had been together since their trainee days, so their relationships were relatively close and not so strained. After a few outings, their relationships quickly became intimate.

But now, the situation in Ave Mujica is clearly different.

Aside from the team-building activities that Sakura Sakura forcibly organized, there was almost no spontaneous interaction among the members, and they seemed to keep their distance from each other.

Well... Miss Meow Dream is an exception; most of the time she's just trying to ride the wave of popularity.

Chu Hua's feelings for Xiangzi were mostly one-sided; Xiangzi could offer almost no emotional return to Chu Hua.

"Well... these aren't things I should be worrying about."

Hinasaki silently picked up her water glass, took a small sip, and lingered her gaze on the gently rippling surface of the water for a moment, thinking to herself.

"In the end, these kinds of things have to be resolved by them themselves for them to be truly effective."

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Momoko Kurosawa stood up from the hot spring ahead of time, water droplets sliding down her arms. She gently draped a towel over herself and prepared to leave.

"Are we leaving already?" Aine leaned lazily against the edge of the pool, looking up at Momoko, her voice tinged with reluctance. "It's so comfortable, won't you soak a little longer?"

Peach nodded gently and said to Aine, Rana, and Meow Dream in the pool, "It's almost time. You'll get dizzy if you stay in the water any longer. You'd better get out soon."

Although she said that, Momoko didn't leave immediately. Instead, she went to the rest area outside the hot spring and sat quietly for a while. Her eyes darted around, as if searching for something. However, after waiting for a while, she realized that Shiina Tatsuki was nowhere to be seen.

With a hint of doubt, Momo put her bath towel back on, gently pushed open the door, and returned to the ordinary hot spring pool.

She walked slowly up to Shiina Tatsuki and asked calmly, "Would you mind if we talked for a bit?"

Hachiman Kairin, who was chatting with Riki, raised an eyebrow when she saw Momoko approaching, a knowing look flashing in her eyes.

She chuckled and said, "Oh, then I'll excuse myself for a bit." There was a hint of teasing in her tone, and she turned away gently, giving them some space to be alone.

Watching Hailing stand up and leave the hot spring, Lixi's gaze slowly shifted from her back to Kurosawa Momoko in front of him.

"Senior Kurosawa, is there something you need?" Riki's tone was slightly stiff, his words carrying a hint of defensiveness and a subtle sharpness.

Peach smiled slightly and, without beating around the bush, went straight to the point: "Lixi, you and Xiaoyue are a couple, right?"

"Yes." Li hope didn't hide anything and nodded in agreement.

A hint of sadness flashed across Momoko Kurosawa's face, but she quickly put on a smile and said calmly, "I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet."

"Huh? Ah... Thank you." Peach's sudden change in attitude clearly caught Lixi off guard. She didn't expect Peach to act so unpredictably and directly use her sincerity as a finishing move.

Peach sighed softly, her smile still on her face, but her eyes revealed complex emotions. "I will voluntarily withdraw from the competition... although I really want to say that, but..."

Her smile turned meaningful, and she looked at Lixi with a determined gaze, a hint of amusement in her eyes: "Even if I say that, little Lixi won't be completely at ease, will she?"

Li hope didn't flinch, but nodded frankly, looking directly at Tao Zi with a hint of admiration in his voice: "Yes, Tao Zi's acting skills are amazing."

"It's true what they say, 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black.'" Hearing Riki's comment, Momoko Kurosawa wasn't annoyed at all; instead, she laughed and teased him.

She remembered that Xiaoyue had once teased her with similar words, saying that her acting skills were unpredictable.

Unexpectedly, hearing the same evaluation from Li hope now made Taozi feel both amused and helpless.

"Shall we have a head-on showdown?" Momo challenged Shiina Tatsuki.

Shiina Ritsuki didn't flinch, looking directly into Momo's eyes, and replied crisply, "Okay!"

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

"I have a feeling... a chill down my spine!"

Hinasaki suddenly shivered, as if a chill ran up her spine, causing her to hug her arms tightly.

The feeling was like being watched by something, with a hint of eeriness.

"It's probably because the weather has cooled down; the temperature difference in the mountains is quite large at night," Chu Hua speculated, her tone carrying a hint of comfort.

The temperature difference between day and night is indeed quite noticeable in the mountains, so explaining it as a drop in temperature is reasonable.

Hinasaki frowned, still feeling that the inexplicable chill was a bit off, but she didn't say anything more.

She stood up, glanced at the slightly ajar window, and said softly, "No matter what, let's close the window first."

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When it was time for bed, Chu Hua left the room, and the three who had fainted finally woke up slowly in bed.

"My head is so dizzy..." Le Nai rubbed her temples, her voice weak, clearly indicating that they had not fully recovered.

Hinasaki stood to the side, arms crossed, looking at the three still somewhat dazed people, a hint of helplessness on her lips: "Alright, now that you're awake, get up quickly, don't occupy my room, I still need to sleep!" She gave them a "get out" order without any politeness.

Miaomeng lay half-reclined on the bed, weakly stretching out her hand, her voice filled with sorrow: "Miaomeng, I feel... I haven't fully recovered yet!" Her tone was soft and gentle, like a kitten whining.

"Me too... I'm still a little dizzy..." Ai Yin rubbed her forehead, trying to clear her head, but she was clearly not fully recovered from being dizzy from the soaking.

"Never mind..." Hinasaki looked helplessly at the three still dizzy people in front of her, sighed, and although she was still a little unwilling, she finally gave up the idea of ​​sending them away. "You can sleep here, I'll go to your room to sleep." She gently shook her head and turned to walk towards the door.