Aspiring to be a girl in a band

"There is someone I really like, and I want to get closer to her... but she has made it clear that she hates me, so I don't know what to do."

Ai Yin put down the bowl and chopsticks, and then slowly expressed the bitterness in her heart.

"Oh? They're already disliked... yet they still insist on getting close... It seems that the one over there is a very outstanding child. No wonder Ai-yin likes him so much."

The mother's expression was thoughtful.

I already said... that's not how it is!!

Ai Yin blushed and glared at her mother. She was very troubled by her mother's romantic mindset. No matter what she said, her mother would easily associate it with that kind of thing.

but……

Is that really not the case?

If it were Kirika... if I could really have that kind of relationship with Kirika...

I... I definitely won't refuse...

Awakening from her sweet fantasy, Aine looked at her mother with expectant eyes.

What advice would a mother who is an adult give herself...? Aine is looking forward to it.

But... soon Aine realized that her expectations were a bit... ridiculous.

Because the two people in front of him were practically like old children.

Sometimes they are even more naive than I am, and probably can't give me any valuable advice.

"Hmph... Mom thought it was a big deal. It's just being disliked."

Her mother seemed confident, which surprised Aine. So Aine quickly perked up her ears, intending to listen carefully to what her mother was going to say next.

"Little Aiyin, you probably don't know this, but the person sitting over there used to hate me. Now he has to eat my cooking obediently."

Upon hearing his mother's words, the father's body stiffened considerably.

But this reaction proves that what the mother said is true.

ha?

Ai-yin's eyes widened.

Did I suddenly get fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection)?

Aine felt so embarrassed by her parents' blatant interaction that she wanted to scratch her toes.

But Aine immediately began to think as well.

So... Mom and Dad didn't have a good relationship from the beginning... They even disliked each other at first... but they still managed to get together.

Coming to her senses, Aine saw her mother patting her on the shoulder.

"If you think of something, don't hesitate, just do it. Women of the Chihaya family should never turn back even if they hit a brick wall. Your old mother back then had the spirit to break that man's back and took him down in one go."

ha?

Ai Yin froze on the spot, beginning to doubt whether she had misheard something.

"What's wrong with you? How can you say such things in front of a child?!"

Aine saw her father stand up, his face flushed, but... she didn't want to hear anything more from them.

Alright, alright, I know you two are on good terms, stop showing off your love in front of me!

After hurriedly shoveling down a couple of mouthfuls of rice, Ai Yin fled the place.

Today is another day that Ai-yin is stressed out because of family issues.

It wasn't until late at night, when Aine was lying in her own bed, that she began to reflect on her mother's words.

"Should we go with the attitude of 'never turning back even if we crash into a wall'... I wonder... if that will work on Wuhua."

A feeling of weariness gradually crept over her, and Ai-yin slowly closed her eyes.

Volume 1: Chapter 136 The Degree of Love

Ai Yin stood in front of the building once again, her heart pounding with trepidation.

But... the name written on the house's plaque is not "Toyokawa," but... "Wakaba."

Although Aine had considered just making a surprise visit, going to see Kirika without being prepared would be tantamount to suicide.

I... need to learn more about Wuhua.

Therefore, Aine's preparation period was extended once again.

Last night, Aine thought it through very clearly: if she wanted to understand Wuhua better, she needed to have a good talk with someone who was closest to Wuhua.

She had thought of Lena.

Aine had witnessed Ronna and Kirika's intimate interactions, but... a gut feeling told Aine...

Rakuna is not the person with the deepest relationship with Kirika.

That's why... she found this place.

Before coming to visit, she had sent a message to her mistress, Ms. Wakaba Mutsu.

But... for some reason, her master didn't reply to her today.

Aiyin brazenly stood right in front of her master's house.

There were still security personnel on duty at Wakaba's gate, so Aine really didn't dare to approach rashly.

Fortunately... she was really lucky today; she saw the head maid who had led her into the Wakaba family last time.

After carefully approaching the other party, Aine told him her purpose.

The maid looked troubled.

"My lady is indeed at home right now, but without her permission, I wouldn't dare let you in, Miss Chihaya."

The maid naturally recognized the pink-haired girl in front of her; she was the one who brought her in last time, and... this pink-haired girl seemed to get along quite well with her mistress.

So the maid pondered for a moment and then added a sentence.

"Let me go and inform Miss Chihaya that you would be kind enough to wait here for a while. How about that?"

Seeing that the other party was actually willing to help her, Aine was naturally overjoyed and quickly bowed to express her gratitude.

Watching the maid's departing figure, Aine cupped her face in her hands and let out a few more silly laughs.

"What...it seems like I'm really lucky today."

She immediately ran into a maid she knew, and the maid was even willing to help her.

This immediately improved Ai-yin's mood a lot.

But the waiting time was always unbearable. Ai Yin paced back and forth for a while but the maid did not return. So she squatted down out of boredom and even thought of reaching out to pick the flowers in front of her.

But... when she thought that all these beautiful flowers in front of her were, in a sense, the property of the [Wakaba] family, Aine's outstretched hand could only hang awkwardly in mid-air before she reluctantly withdrew it.

After a while, just when Aine was about to give up, the maid finally appeared in sight.

Aine squinted, trying to glean some information from the maid's expression.

She has slight nearsightedness, which is why she made that gesture.

Hmm... But no matter how Aine analyzes it, she really can't read the maid's micro-expressions.

So Aine could only stand there nervously, straightening her back as if she had been thrown into the dock.

"Please come in, the young lady is waiting for you."

To Aine at that moment, the maid's words sounded like heavenly music.

She hugged the maid in front of her, quite moved.

"Thank you so much."

This abrupt action surprised even the seasoned maid, but she quickly recovered and politely pried open Aine's fingers, forcibly creating distance between them.

"It's just my duty, Miss Chihaya, there's no need for this..."

Aine also felt that her behavior was not quite... proper, so her face turned slightly red.

Fortunately, the professional maid never embarrassed her guests. She quickly led Aine into the Wakaba family manor and then swiftly opened the door, not letting the momentary embarrassment affect her efficiency at all.

"Then I'll take my leave now. Miss is still waiting for you downstairs."

Watching the maid walk away, Aine murmured to herself.

"So amazing..."

Ai Yin was very envious of that perfect and elegant demeanor. At that moment, Ai Yin also had a new ideal: to become such a mature and capable person.

...In short, Aine met her cheap master, Ms. Wakaba Mutsumi, again.

Hearing the noise behind him, Mu put down his guitar.

It seems that even while waiting for someone, she didn't waste any time practicing.

"Master... why are you ignoring me?"

The reason for asking this question is that all the messages Aine sent showed as read, indicating that Mu had already seen them but deliberately did not reply.

Upon seeing Mu, Aine approached him with a somewhat aggrieved expression, her pouting lips so delicate they could practically hang a water bottle on them or be used as a clothes hanger.

Mu merely glanced at her with a hint of disdain.

"Because I have a feeling that you won't come to me with anything good."

Mutsu's tone was very cold, much like what Arakawa Kirika would say when faced with something she wasn't interested in.

It's unclear whether Mutsu was deliberately imitating her or if he had gradually picked up some of Arakawa Kirika's traits from standing next to her for so long.

Faced with Mu's disdain, Aine could only awkwardly scratch her head.

Because Mu was right, her coming today was indeed... meant to trouble her master again.

"Undeniable..."

Aine had no choice but to admit it, but then another thought came to her mind.

Since Master already guessed that I was coming to trouble her, yet she still agreed to see me... that means Master still loves me... Hmm...

Aine's way of thinking has always been very positive, so she smiled again.