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

"Although today's journey was a bit bumpy, it is precisely because of this that we are constantly growing!"

Reflecting on everyone's journey, Xiaodeng smiled slightly and looked down at the audience, "Even if we are lost, we will keep moving forward!"

Her voice carried a firm strength, seemingly addressed to the audience below the stage, yet also to Shiina Tatsuki and Hinasaki behind her.

After Gao Songdeng finished speaking, the audience below immediately cheered in response.

"Li hope...Yue...Renai Aine...Su Shi..."

Gao Songdeng turned his head and his gaze swept over everyone.

"I have no problem."

"Ready!"

"I can't wait!"

"Live...aren't you going to start yet?"

"The lights... can be turned on now."

After confirming that everyone was ready, Xiaodeng took a deep breath and started the conversation.

"Next, please listen to our 'Starry Night Cry'!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lixi struck the first beat with her drumsticks, and the band's music instantly filled the venue. Her drumbeats were as clear and strong as a heartbeat, driving the band's rhythm and officially opening the entire performance.

Side Story: A Trip to the Mountain: Chapter 33 The Three Strange People

Mygo's performance finally came to a close without any major incidents.

However... the tension between Shiina Tatsuki and Hinasaki still lingers.

Hmm...maybe we should also add the peaches from next door?

After the celebration ended, Sakura Sakura took them to participate in the celebration organized by the organizers.

After the celebration ended, Sakura Sakura led her group to a celebratory banquet hosted by the organizers. The banquet was brightly lit, with glasses clinking and voices mingling, but one table remained quietly deserted.

Hinasaki and Shiina Ritsuki sat facing each other. The two, who usually had endless things to talk about, were now silent, each looking down at their phones, their fingertips moving slightly, as if the most captivating scenery in the world was hidden on their phone screens.

Momoko Kurosawa, who usually clung to Hinasaki's side, was surprisingly quiet this time. She sat alone at another table, looking down at the drink in her hand, taking small sips now and then, her expression somewhat dazed.

Her gaze occasionally drifted towards the direction where Riki and Hinasaki were, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, but she quickly returned her gaze to her own cup.

The other members also noticed the subtle atmosphere among the group, and they huddled together in tacit agreement, whispering to each other and occasionally casting questioning glances at the table, as if trying to glean some clues from the silence.

Sakura Sakura frowned and asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened to them?"

Su Shi shook her head slightly, a helpless expression on her face.

She sighed softly and replied in a low voice, "I don't know either... She was fine before the celebration today, but suddenly became like this after it ended."

"To be precise... they were both perfectly normal before the fireworks display." Hachiman Kairin frowned and calmly analyzed, "Tachiki was with us the whole time before the fireworks display."

Hailing then replied, “Later, Lixi went to the shrine to wait for Hinasaki, and then they both disappeared from our sight.”

Takamatsu Akari nodded thoughtfully: "So... was it around that time that something happened between Riki and Satsuki?"

The group exchanged glances, a strange tension hanging in the air. Su Shi sighed softly, "It seems that's when it will happen..."

At this moment, Xiangzi's gaze turned to Kurosawa Momoko sitting in the corner, her brows furrowing slightly: "So, what's going on with Momoko?" She then looked at Momoko's companion, Meowmu.

Miaomeng was taken aback by the question and shook her head: "I don't know. We got separated during the festival. Taozi messaged me saying she wanted to wander around by herself, and then she didn't meet up with us again."

“Wait a minute,” Aine frowned, suddenly realizing something was wrong, “Didn’t Xiaoyue go to the shrine with Lixi? But when Hailing saw Lixi, she was all alone…”

Miao Meng's eyes suddenly lit up, and she put forward a bold idea: "Could it be... the legendary disappearance incident?" She said in a low voice, pretending to be mysterious, with a strange light flashing in her eyes.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. A mysterious disappearance? Legend has it that a girl was walking alone in the mountains when she suddenly vanished. When she reappeared, she seemed to have been altered by some mysterious force, appearing strange and eerie.

Hinasaki did tell a scary story about the ghost disappearing from Mount Hikami when they were at the beach earlier...

Aine couldn't help but swallow, glancing at the still silent Hinasaki and Ritsuki, her voice trembling slightly: "Hina and Ritsuki... they weren't really replaced by 'God,' were they?"

“How could that be… If someone were to disappear by spirit, they wouldn’t come back.” Nagasaki Motoyo looked helplessly at Aine, who was trembling beside her, her tone tinged with disdain. “Besides, how could there really be such a legend as disappearing by spirit?”

Ai Yin retorted unwillingly, "Then Su Shishi, how do you explain the ghost lady you saw at the beach before?" Her tone was resolute, as if she were holding onto some kind of strong evidence.

Upon hearing this, Su Shi's expression froze for a moment, and she couldn't help but frown. She couldn't retort about Miss Ghost's matter.

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

Hinasaki and Shiina Tatsuki listened silently as the whispers around them grew louder and louder. Finally, Tatsuki couldn't help but mutter a complaint: "What they're talking about is getting more and more outrageous..."

"Should we tell them the truth?" Hinasaki Tsuki replied softly, her gaze still lowered, seemingly unwilling to face the truth.

Li hope was silent for a moment, then shook his head, his eyes filled with confusion and helplessness: "Let's just forget about it... I don't even know what I should think."

Her mind was in turmoil, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

Sometimes she felt she should be angry and confront Hinasaki; other times she wanted to turn around and find Momoko Kurosawa to explain everything.

However, she was torn by complex emotions, making it impossible for her to determine what she truly wanted.

"Hmm... I also feel like I can't quite put my finger on it." Hinasaki's voice was low, with a hint of a bitter smile.

She was also filled with contradictions, and the relationship between Li hope and Tao Zi was even more chaotic.

She neither wanted to escape nor knew how to face it, as if all her emotions were suppressed deep inside.

In the end, she chose to remain silent, neither wanting nor daring to disrupt this delicate balance.

Sitting at the table next to her, Momoko Kurosawa sighed softly, her gaze fixed on the gently rippling liquid in her glass, her expression complex.

Logically speaking, she would usually think things through carefully and make thorough preparations before taking such actions.

However, today, for some reason, she was almost entirely driven by her emotions—simply because she "wanted to do it."

Perhaps it was the events of last night and this morning that made her emotions difficult to control; or perhaps it was the sense of belonging that this familiar homeland brought, causing her to relax her usually firm composure.

Being in my hometown, my acting instincts seemed to soften, allowing my true feelings to quietly emerge.

The thought that if she didn't take action, Xiaoyue would go to see fireworks with Lixi in a little while... and Lixi would chat with Xiaoyue without any restraint.

Even... tonight they will rest side by side again—just the thought of this scene made Momoko Kurosawa feel an uncontrollable surge of jealousy, burning her emotions and her reason like a wildfire.

That burning emotion gradually eroded her usual composure, and the calmness and restraint she had repeatedly told herself crumbled completely at this moment. The flames of jealousy burned wildly within her, incinerating all reason and leaving her with no way to retreat.

Regardless, things were beyond repair. She pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. Now... she wanted to make a wish again.

Side Story: A Trip Up the Mountain - Chapter Thirty-Four: Giraffe, you tricked me again!

"Are flowers that have lost the sunlight destined only to wither and die?"

In the long-absent underground theater, Giraffe stared intently at the television screen before her. On the screen, three people were shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere, distant and silent. Giraffe's voice rose softly, her tone carrying a hint of mystery, making it difficult to fathom her thoughts.

"If things continue like this, the final result will probably only be bitter," she sighed softly, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes.

Therefore, if she wants to save the fruit from turning bitter, she must use some other methods.

Just like...

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

"I said... could we reschedule for another time?"

Hinasaki stood by the hot spring pool, her expression somewhat complicated. The sight before her left her speechless—a giraffe was leisurely soaking in the water, a towel draped loosely over its head, only its long neck protruding above the surface, looking extremely relaxed. The rising steam from the water made its carefree demeanor appear particularly comical.

Wrapped in a bath towel, Hinasaki stood hesitantly by the pool. She had originally planned to enjoy the relaxation brought by the hot spring, but the scene before her made her hesitate.

Soaking in a hot spring can relieve all fatigue, but doing it with this unexpected "companion"... seems to be a different story.

Upon hearing Hinasaki's footsteps, the giraffe slowly turned around, revealing a leisurely and contented expression, and nodded slightly, saying, "Good evening, Hinasaki-san."

Although her tone seemed somewhat serious, implying that there was something important to discuss, her languid posture while soaking in the hot spring, coupled with her comfortable, slightly squinted eyes, made it difficult for anyone to take her seriously.

Hinasaki looked at the scene before her and couldn't help but facepalm. She hesitated before asking, "Can...I still go in for a soak?"

After all, although the giraffe in front of her was some kind of... uh, god of drama... or something strange, her current appearance was still that of a giraffe soaking in a hot spring.

Hinasaki Tsuki isn't yet at the point where she can calmly soak in a hot spring with a giraffe.

"It's alright, these are just stage props," the giraffe said calmly, slowly rising from the pool. As she moved, the water in the pool seemed to be controlled by some invisible force, instantly receding, the surface disappearing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Hinasaki stared in disbelief at the scene before her. The water seemed to be sucked into some hidden outlet, flowing silently away through the drain hole at the bottom of the pool. In an instant, the entire hot spring pool was completely empty, without a single drop of water remaining.

As the bottom of the pool was exposed, clear spring water suddenly gushed out again from several holes at the source of the hot spring. The water gushed out, carrying warm steam, and quickly filled the entire pool. Ripples gently rippled on the surface of the water, refilling the pool.

Hinasaki's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but retort, "This is clearly magic! Don't keep trying to brush it off with excuses like 'stage setup'!"

"Hinasaki-san, aren't you going to stand on the stage?" The giraffe silently watched her, his eyes carrying a profound meaning.

"Without the warmth of the stage, do you feel cold now?"

Reminded by her, Hinasaki Tsuki did indeed feel a chill creep up her spine. She had originally planned to go straight into the hot spring, but the giraffe's delay meant she stood outside for quite a while and did feel a slight coolness.

For some reason, a vague unease rose in her heart—if she soaked in the hot spring now, she might face some unpredictable and strange things.

A cold wind swept by, and she couldn't help but shiver. Her mind raced. Perhaps the best option now was to turn around and leave, ignoring the giraffe in front of her and avoiding this conversation.

However, the giraffe seemed to have read her mind and asked softly, "Are you really not going on stage?"

Hinasaki Tsuki paused for a moment, a slight displeasure creeping into her heart. The feeling of being seen through made her frown. "Tsk..."

Left with no other choice, she slowly walked forward toward the hot spring pool in front of her. She slowly lifted one foot and carefully stretched it out onto the water, as if the water beneath her feet was an unknown door leading to some unpredictable place.

Her toes gently touched the water's surface, and the moment her skin touched the hot spring, a gentle warmth spread from her toes. A delicate ripple spread across the water's surface as her slender toes dipped slightly into the water. With her tentative movements, the warm sensation gradually spread throughout her body, easing her tension slightly.

Hinasaki stood by the pool, pausing for a moment to examine the water before her. From what she could see, the hot spring pool seemed perfectly normal. The clear water shimmered gently under the lights, steam swirled around the surface, and wisps of steam floated faintly in the water, as if it were just an ordinary hot spring.

She was slightly relieved after confirming that there seemed to be no "strange" signs.

She slowly took her second step, gradually immersing her calves in the water. The warmth of the hot spring began to envelop her skin, giving her a silent sense of relaxation.

"Could it be that I really misunderstood the giraffe? Did she really just want to invite me to the hot springs?"

As Hinasaki slowly entered the water, a half-believing, half-doubting thought flashed through her mind. The warmth of the hot spring enveloped her, gradually lowering her guard. However, the next second she regretted it—she shouldn't have trusted the giraffe at all!

As her body slowly sank into the water, the warm spring water reached her shoulders. However, she suddenly noticed a strange feeling of floating—the bottom of the pool seemed... to not exist at all?

My toes didn't touch any solid ground at all; it felt like I was being gently supported by hot spring water.

Hinasaki's heart sank. Based on the depth of the hot spring yesterday, she should have already touched the bottom of the pool.