Aspiring to be a girl in a band

Aiyin quickly reached out and turned off the alarm clock, then rubbed her sleepy eyes.

After regaining a little consciousness, Aine immediately got out of bed.

With her fingers slightly parted, Ai-yin peeked through them at the curtains swaying in the wind.

They're so restless, just like my current mood.

Ai Yin sighed, then slipped into the bathroom in her slippers.

After washing up, Ai Yin got ready to go out, told her mother, and walked straight out of the house.

……

First on foot, then by tram, and finally on foot again, after a long journey, Aine finally arrived at the gate of the Toyokawa family's manor.

Aiyin checked the time; it was already past noon.

Phew... At this time, Wuhua should be up by now, and... she should have eaten by now.

Ai-yin thought to herself.

That's right, Aine deliberately chose this time to come.

Although she had considered sneaking over early in the morning and launching an attack while Wuhua was still in her newly awakened "energy-saving mode".

But... after much deliberation, Aine gave up on the idea.

She came today with a clear understanding.

What she was looking forward to was a head-on confrontation, so Aine wouldn't allow herself to have any thoughts of taking shortcuts.

This girl, who always took "escaping is shameful, but very useful" as her motto, did not choose to escape this time.

She wants to... persuade Wuhua to change her mind under normal circumstances.

So, with a mix of trepidation and excitement, Aine rang the doorbell.

She didn't tell Wuhua that she would be coming today.

So... from now on, what she will face will be an unknown unfolding.

……

"Hmm? There's a ringtone... Who could it be..."

Shoko Toyokawa was fulfilling her duties as a maid. After serving Kirika Arakawa lunch, she was tidying up the table when she heard a familiar bell ring.

She stole a glance at Arakawa Kirika.

After all... she's not the current owner of this house, so Shoko needs to see what Arakawa Kirika thinks before deciding whether to go out to greet the visitors.

Xiangzi frowned.

Because she saw... the corner of the book that Arakawa Kirika was holding was wrinkled.

This is truly a novel thing.

How could someone who always cherishes books not have noticed?

Or perhaps... that person's feelings are... very complicated right now, so they don't have the extra energy to deal with these external matters?

Xiangzi slowly approached Arakawa Kirika, but simply sat down silently beside her without saying a word.

After spending the last two months together, she had figured out Arakawa Kirika's temperament, so she wouldn't bother her unnecessarily.

...Anyway, nobody cares if I'm locked out, it's not like it's me.

With this thought in mind, Xiangzi remained silent.

The familiar ringtone sounded again, as if announcing its continued existence.

Xiangzi looked at Arakawa Kirika's profile again, trying to read some emotion from her expression, but... he still got nothing.

Should we remind her?

Xiangzi hesitated.

Fortunately... Arakawa Kirika finally responded when the bell rang for the third time.

She seemed to finally notice the creases in the corner of the book, so she frowned, smoothed out the creases, and then turned to look at Xiangzi.

"Let that idiot in... and then you can rest today."

That idiot?

Xiangzi blinked; this statement sounded as if he already knew who was outside...

I was reading a book the whole time... Did you guess it?

Xiangzi shrugged. Although she had some doubts, she didn't think too much about it. She was used to not being able to keep up with Arakawa Kirika's way of thinking, so she didn't care.

Besides... I can leave work early...

Thinking of this, Xiangzi smiled slightly, then got up and walked out of the room.

Xiangzi spotted it immediately—the idiot Arakawa Kirika had described.

So it was... Aine.

Upon seeing Ai-yin, Xiangzi's doubts, which he had just suppressed, resurfaced.

This child... is clearly very smart, so why is she called a "fool"?

Forget it...

At this moment, the temptation to go home clearly prevailed in Xiangzi's mind.

"Come in quickly, Aine."

Xiangzi beckoned Aiyin in, but found that Aiyin didn't move for a long time.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Xiangzi keenly sensed something was amiss, so her eyes showed a hint of concern, because she had always had a good impression of Aiyin.

"No...it's nothing, it's just...I was a little nervous at the last minute."

Ai Yin felt her palms sweating involuntarily, and her heart was beating much faster than usual.

What's going on here...?

Xiangzi was a little confused. Aiyin's current situation... was even more nerve-wracking than a job interview.

But she didn't know what had happened between Aine and Arakawa Kirika.

So Xiangzi stood on tiptoe so that he could be a head taller than Aine, and then ruffled her hair.

"Although I don't know what happened, I'll still cheer you on, Aine."

Xiangzi's tone was very gentle, which made Ai Yin feel a little uncomfortable.

Because... she remembered that her band had made Xiangzi cry that day.

"Xiangzi...aren't you angry?"

Ai Yin asked in a soft, sweet voice.

Why should I be angry?

Xiangzi smiled and asked in return.

"Because...we played...【Spring Shadow】."

When she heard the name Haruhi Kage, Xiangzi's expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered and then lightly tapped Aine's forehead with her finger.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, I don't care anymore... Please also tell Deng that I'm not angry."

Is that so...?

Upon hearing this, Ai-yin smiled, knowing that if Xiangzi wasn't angry, Deng would definitely be happy too.

Sure enough... today is a good day, good news comes right away.

Aine's earlier tension vanished instantly.

She walked briskly into the manor, only to see... Xiangzi brush past her, as if they had been switched places.

"Huh?"

Ai Yin stared blankly as Xiangzi walked out of the iron gate.

But then she saw Xiangzi give her a sly smile.

"I'm off work now. It's all up to you, Aine."

After saying that, Xiangzi turned around gracefully and walked into a corner, disappearing from Ai Yin's sight.

Ok?

Ai Yin was puzzled, pondering Xiangzi's words.

get off work?

What work hours are you leaving?

Isn't this Xiangzi's home...?

In Aine's mind, Arakawa Kirika and Shoko are living together.

Her master liked Wuhua, but Wuhua was living with Xiangzi. Just thinking about this love triangle gave Aine a headache. If you also included herself, Deng, Lanna, and maybe someone else.

Ugh... it's even more of a mess than paste.

Ai Yin shook her head to stop her overthinking. She took another deep breath before slowly pushing open the villa door.

……

Xiangzi, who turned and hid around the corner, was also extremely nervous.

Because she realized it too.

I misspoke.

but……

When did things change? The truth that I used to desperately try to hide, I can now accept with equanimity.

Even if Aine discovers the truth and tells her former friends.