Aspiring to be a girl in a band

Arakawa Kirika gently patted the back of the lamp, waiting for it to calm her breath.

Looking at the girl in her arms, Arakawa Kirika felt a sense of déjà vu.

No matter what I do to the lamp... she doesn't resist at all.

It's practically... like a second Mu.

……

Seeing the two people in front of her engaging in such an excessive play, Aine pouted unhappily again.

If she could, she would certainly like to join in, but unfortunately...

It had been a long time since Wuhua had had such intimate contact with her as when she hugged Deng.

Sigh... Am I just another part of the game?

Aine was a little disappointed, but she quickly cheered up.

Because she thought... it's just a suffocation game, right?

She... and Wuhua have also played together!

Hmm... Although she was quite certain from their encounter that day, Wuhua had absolutely no romantic feelings involved.

Hey.

Aine touched her neck; the mark left by the mist flower brand had long since disappeared.

But for some reason, Aine felt that the red marks were proof of the connection between her and Kirika.

No wonder Master Ruoye said those scars were a treasure given to her by Wuhua...

At that moment, Ai Yin seemed to understand a little bit of what her cheap master was thinking.

Should I think of a way to further provoke Wuhua...? That way, I can also be "bullied".

A bad idea popped into Aine's mind, but she quickly suppressed her dark desire.

Because… Aine thought, she was already disliked by Kirika, what if she continued to act recklessly and Kirika really stopped talking to her altogether… what should she do?

Hmm... We can't ruin everything for a moment's desire, Aine.

She said to herself.

……

Seeing that the lamp's breathing was gradually stabilizing, Arakawa Kirika repeated the question she had just asked.

"Now can you tell me why?"

Akari naturally knew what Arakawa Kirika was referring to, so after thinking for a moment, Akari finally chose to speak.

“This is my… [desensitization training].”

With a flushed face, she explained, while avoiding the gaze of Arakawa Kirika.

Desensitization training...

The moment the word was uttered, Arakawa Kirika understood what the girl was thinking, and gently shook her head.

"...Because I always care too much about what others think and what they think. Every time I see negative comments, it affects my state of mind..."

"So I thought, if I actively look at those negative comments every day and get used to it, I won't be easily affected anymore... That's what I think."

As Deng carefully explained, he nervously fiddled with his fingers.

This method... could it have been taught by that pink idiot?

After hearing Akari's explanation, Arakawa Kirika immediately looked at Aine in the back seat.

Volume 1: Chapter 158 The Rewards

Eh?

What did I do wrong again?

Seeing Arakawa Kirika staring at her with an unfriendly expression, Aine immediately began to reflect.

But no matter how hard she racked her brains, she still couldn't figure out what she had done to upset Wuhua.

So she could only sit upright in her seat, her back straight, and her hands were placed obediently on the desk, looking like a well-behaved girl.

Although I don't know what's wrong, it's always good to behave well.

Ai Yin thought to herself.

"It has nothing to do with Aine..."

Lamp quickly defended Aine, saying that this girl, who was not good with words, had already taken a crucial step toward becoming human, namely, the change in the reading atmosphere.

Seeing that the lights had nothing to do with Aine, Arakawa Kirika withdrew her wary gaze.

Ok……

Seeing that Arakawa Kirika had withdrawn her scrutinizing gaze, Aine couldn't feel happy at all.

When... will I be able to become as close to the mist as the lamp...?

Ai Yin felt a surge of sourness in her chest.

……

Seeing that Arakawa Kirika had turned her head away, Akari continued speaking.

"The band members... always take good care of me, especially Aine and Riki. They would only tell me 'Don't care about the feelings of those irrelevant people,' and then they would always be positive about everything I do."

As she spoke carefully, a sweet smile graced her face.

"But... I don't think this can go on, because... we're going to be a band for life, so I can't hide under everyone's protection forever. I... have to grow up and become someone who is worthy of everyone."

"Because I'm the lead singer of mygo."

The lamp's voice was very low, like a gentle stream, but when it reached Aine and Arakawa Kirika's ears, it was deafening.

“tomori…”

Aine's eyes widened. Even though she spent every day with Akari, she had never noticed that Akari had already come to this realization.

She... is truly working hard for a lifetime.

This girl, who initially could only hide behind herself, is now even taking the initiative to face things she is not good at, actively challenging herself outside her comfort zone and beyond her own capabilities.

That's really amazing... the lamp.

Aine's gaze softened as she looked at the lamp.

Even Arakawa Kirika couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression.

She lowered her head slightly, and then, as if she had suddenly figured something out, a relieved smile appeared on her lips.

"Sorry, Lamp, it seems I still underestimated you by a large margin."

Arakawa Kirika raised her head, smiled, and spoke to the lamp.

"Let's pretend I never said that 'You can't become human' before... as an apology..."

Arakawa Kirika's eyes became somewhat evasive, because Akari's actions proved just how terribly wrong her arbitrary assertion was.

Is this what they mean by "Band Girls, Always Evolving"?

It really is... dazzling.

It's just a Tomori, yet it dares to be so cool.

Arakawa Kirika smiled and reached out to take a hair clip off her head... Then she solemnly placed the hair clip in the palm of the lamp.

"This is for you."

Freed from the hair clip, a strand of hair on Arakawa Kirika's forehead quickly fell down, obscuring one of her eyes.

So, while handing the hair clip to the lamp, she also had to grab the strand of hair with her hand and tuck it behind her ear.

Seeing this, Deng felt... her lips were a little dry.

Wu Hua seemed completely unaware of how destructive her casual action was to onlookers.

What the lamp was even more concerned about was...

The hair clip is now in my hand.

The lamp stared wide-eyed, carefully examining the hair clip.

The design on the hair clip mainly uses red and black, two color schemes.

These are also the two colors that best represent Arakawa Kirika.

Red petals and black roots...

The well-informed lamp was certain that the flower pattern, which had a somewhat eerie feel, was definitely not a type that existed in the real world. It was probably just a product of imagination. But the lamp could no longer think about what the flower symbolized.

She simply couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Because... this was the first time she had received a gift from Arakawa Kirika, and it was something so intimate.

If I wear this hair clip on my head, it's like Wuhua is always by my side.

As Deng thought this, her face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Why did you send me this?

The lamp was about to ask that question, but quickly changed its wording the moment it opened its mouth.

In the end, she could only utter a simple "thank you" with slightly trembling lips.

The lamp kept her head very low, because if she didn't, she would definitely have a terrible expression.

She was quite certain that this was the first time she had ever been so happy.

Even during her time with Crychic, or when Aine dragged her into forming Mygo... she had never been as happy as she is now.

She was so happy that she couldn't come up with any new words.

……

Aine, sitting in the back seat, watched all this, and a feeling of loss resurfaced.

Although she could understand that the hairpin that the lamp received was a reward for... the brave.