Can Lixi look at me alone?

The good news is... because Soyo forgot to connect the bass to the amp, so almost no one could hear the bass.

The bad news is… nobody noticed. Because a much more serious problem has arisen…

What drew away all of Li Xi's criticism was the lamp that, despite wishing upon the stars, still couldn't sing.

"I'm sorry... I... I'm sorry everyone...!"

Why can't you sing it? How long did Yuzuki spend making those sweets for you? You don't know any of that, do you? Now you're just going to cover it up with an apology?

Why don't you practice properly?

Yuzuki shielded the lamp behind her, facing the somewhat angry Ritsuki-chan...

So cute...??

"I practiced with Xiaodeng yesterday... but maybe it's because Xiaodeng isn't familiar with the sheet music yet? And the live performance is next week... it's normal for Xiaodeng to be nervous. Can everyone give Xiaodeng a little more time?"

To be fair, if Jieyue weren't here... Su Shi probably wouldn't have had the courage to say these things to Li Xi.

Yuzuki is amazing...

Her fingertips gently rubbed the strings.

It would be even better if everyone could notice that the bass sound had disappeared.

"Yeah! I think Yuzuki is right too~"

The pink-haired girl, who made no attempt to hide rolling her eyes at Xiangzi, asked him with a hint of sarcasm.

"Who told Xiao Xiang to be in such a hurry to hold a live performance?"

Are you sick in the head?!

Give me some votes! Give me some votes!

Volume 1, Crychic!!!: Chapter 47 - Was it all Xiao Xiang's fault?

"Haha...because I have a lot of confidence in everyone! Whether it's Riki, Yuzuki, Soyo, or Akari! Everyone is very talented..."

With a disdainful glance at Xiangzi's weak explanation, Jieyue reached out and grasped the wrist of Deng, who was bowing his head and remaining silent.

"It's okay, Xiaodeng heard it too, right? It's all Xiaoxiang's fault~"

Su Shi, who was watching everyone playfully bickering and having a good time, was stunned.

What did Yuzuki say?

Is it all Xiao Xiang's fault? Shouldn't we be helping Xiao Deng solve the problem at a time like this? Why escalate the conflict between everyone?

Su Shi felt that something was wrong with Jie Yue…

Xiao Xiang...?

For some reason, Yuzuki kept harping on this point, and Shoko kept trying to change the subject, but Yuzuki wouldn't listen. Instead, she stood by with the lights on, saying that Shoko wasn't considering the band members...

Even Xiangzi was somewhat unhappy with her behavior. How much more so the lamp caught in the middle?

The girl, unsure how to ease the tension between Xiao Xiang and Xiao Jieyue, thought back to the beginning of their conflict... which was her, and yet she didn't sing aloud.

It's all...my fault.

Lixi, who also felt that Xiangzi was a bit anxious, didn't say anything. After all, in her opinion, the two of them were not arguing, but rather exchanging pleasant words.

"That's right... It's all because Xiao Xiang was in such a hurry. If I didn't know, I would have thought Xiao Xiang was moving or transferring schools next month~"

Originally, Xiangzi was just casually saying a few words to comfort Xiaodeng, but unexpectedly... watching Xiangzi's face gradually darken was really addictive.

At least she'll get addicted.

Seeing Xiangzi, whom she had cursed countless times in her heart, break down was just too much...

She didn't know how to describe the feeling, but the joy of seeing Xiangzi break down was second only to holding hands with Lixi for a day.

Do I... hate Xiao Xiang that much?

Seeing the little blue octopus's face darken, Yuzuki belatedly smiled at her.

"Hey, Xiao Xiang won't be angry with me over something like this, will he?"

Anyway, she didn't say anything nasty, and it wouldn't be good if Xiao Xiang got angry like that.

Xiangzi took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down by looking away from her gentle smile.

She didn't understand why... She just wanted the band to achieve some success as soon as possible. Why was Yuzuki relentlessly pursuing her like this?

Xiao Mu, Xiao Li Xi, and Xiao Su Shi didn't say anything... Why did Jie Yue have to do it...?

Su Shi touched her wrist and handed her a freshly made drink.

"Yuzuki seems a bit unhappy today... Did something happen at school?"

The bassist's extraordinary wisdom came into play.

Unfortunately, Lixi is not a bassist.

"No, she went out for lunch with her friends at noon."

As her mood improved somewhat, Yuzuki touched the note in her pocket.

Can we continue talking about Xiao Xiang now? I can't help it... I can't hold back anymore.

But if we keep talking... Xiao Xiang will get angry, right?

Seeing that Xiangzi no longer wanted to look her in the eye, Yuzuki covered her mouth and chuckled as she changed the subject.

"No, I was with Lixi-chan all afternoon, wasn't I?"

Mu walked to her side and tugged at her sleeve, a slight ripple appearing on her usually calm face.

"Are you tired, Yuzuki?"

The soft voice startled Yuzuki, who then immediately smiled and shook her head to comfort her.

Are you tired...?

You must be tired.

"It's okay, Xiao Mu, you don't need to worry about me. Compared to me, Xiao Xiang is more worthy of everyone's worry... isn't he?"

Shoko, who no longer wanted to discuss this matter with Yuzuki, cleared her throat.

"Yuzuki, can we stop talking about this...?"

Tired of being a coward? Looking for trouble?

"Can we try to find a way to make Xiaodeng less scared?"

The two, whose relationship was already escalating into an argument, made Su Shi...

They nervously tried to reconcile the conflict.

"Actually, Xiaoxiang and Xiaojieyue don't need to do this... After all, we're all part of the same Crychic community! We're all... partners, so..."

So what can you do?

Yuzuki gently tugged at her long hair, reached into the lamp's chest, and turned on the microphone.

"Soyo is right."

Yuzuki didn't want to continue arguing here. She didn't want Riki-chan to be dragged into this argument. Nor did she want Kodama and Komu to become Xiangzi's pawns. Let it be.

With her usual gentle smile on her face, Yuzuki opened the candy jar and handed out a konpeito to everyone.

After placing the candy in Xiangzi's palm, Jieyue ignored her and was the first to put the candy in her mouth.

"Let's eat something sweet to cheer ourselves up. If we finish this, I'll bring another can tomorrow."

With her arms crossed, Li Xi reached out and stuffed the candy granules from her fingertips into Jie Yue's mouth, causing the belatedly aware pink-haired girl to freeze.

The girl, hastily covering the flush that ran from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, shrank into a corner of the room.

Li Xi-chan... what are you doing?

The drummer's beautiful voice interrupted her bandmates, who were each lost in their own thoughts.

"I don't like sweets, so I'll give them to Yuzuki."

She lowered her arms and instead put one hand on her hip, looking at the lamp that had been exposed because of Yuzuki's escape.

The other party did not eat the stardust either.

"Light, I want to know... why are you so afraid?"

She interrupted the gray-haired girl who was trying to explain, and shook the candy inside in front of her.

"You're afraid of displeasing us? Don't be ridiculous, doing nothing will only make us more dissatisfied!"

How come Xiao Lixi is also...

Su Shi glanced at Xiangzi, who was still calming down, and patted Li Xi on the shoulder with a flattering smile.

"Little Lixi, don't be so harsh... Little Deng, Little Deng is also practicing very hard..."

Her explanation seemed exceptionally weak and powerless in the face of a lead singer who couldn't sing.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...! It's all my fault, if I..."

Lixi helped the girl, who was kneeling on the ground and had started to cry, up, put her on the sofa, and handed her a tissue.

"This isn't Xiaodeng's fault, nor is it anyone else's fault. It's normal to feel pressured during your first live performance... Xiaolixi and Xiaomu felt the same way, right?"

Mutsu, who had been silently standing beside Yuzuki, nodded in response. Riki sighed and tried to keep his tone from being too harsh.

"The lamp doesn't need to apologize to us, but you need to apologize to Yuzuki."

The pink-haired girl, waiting for her cheeks to cool down, twitched her ears and looked at Riki-chan in disbelief.

"She devoted a lot of time to making these sugars, and she would boil sugar water every morning and evening."

So... Lixi-chan is paying so much attention to me?

The lead singer gripped the microphone tightly.

"It's all so that you can sing it successfully. Yuzuki has put in a lot of effort."

Xiangzi gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, then stood up and bowed to everyone.

"I'm sorry, everyone. It's because of my unauthorized actions that this happened."

Give me some votes! Give me some votes!

Volume 1 Crychic!!!: Chapter 48 Different Worldlines

However, Yuzuki was in a bad mood today, and with a sudden outlet for her emotions, she calmed down after hearing Shoko's apology.

While silently telling herself that Riki-chan cared about her, she waited for her cheeks to cool down before patting Mutsu's arm beside her, signaling her to move aside so she could pass by.

The obedient blue-haired girl received a pat on the head as a thank you. Yuzuki, returning to Xiangzi's side, urged everyone to practice again, as usual…

Although she felt somewhat guilty towards Xiaoxiang, she also felt somewhat guilty. Therefore, she didn't apologize, and before the atmosphere between them became tense... Jieyue returned to the sofa.

Watching everyone practice, I wondered why Xiangzi suddenly went crazy and was in such a hurry to perform.

Because I believe in everyone...?

Don't be ridiculous... There's no way she wouldn't have guessed what was going on with Xiaodeng. So why is that?

What urgent matter has happened to Xiao Xiang that makes him want to hold a live performance so soon? If so, something bad is probably going to happen after the live performance.

What should Lixi-chan do then?

Yuzuki, who was rubbing her legs to relieve her anxiety, glared at Xiangzi. Why didn't she say what was wrong? Didn't we agree to be a community of shared destiny?

Why remain silent like this? Are you trying to fool Xiaodeng, Xiaomu, and Xiaosushi like idiots?

Tell me what you're going to say so I can help you, or so that others can help you solve the problem.

She suddenly felt her soft pink hair being gently stroked by a warm little hand.

Is practice over...?

The girl immediately put on a smile and looked at the worried-looking lamp.