The wind whistled past my ears, pedestrians came and went on the road, but I was the only one who seemed to be standing still.

After seeing that Aine was no longer following, Takamatsu Akari slowed down and rested by the roadside.

"If I just run away like this, I'll definitely disappoint Aine. She was so kind and even encouraged me."

At this moment, Gao Songdeng's self-doubt reached its peak once again.

What exactly are the standards of "ordinary" and "taken for granted"?

Even knowing that running away was wrong, I still ran away. Even knowing the future Kita-chan foresaw, I couldn't accurately measure it no matter how hard I tried. I guess I can't do anything after all…

Helpless and stuck in place, aimlessly going around in circles.

I wanted to cry, but found my eyes were dry and I had no tears left in my heart.

Just as he stood there in a daze, a large hand grabbed Takamatsu Akari's wrist.

The pink-haired girl was panting heavily, two blushes already creeping onto her cheeks, clearly indicating that the long run hadn't been easy. But that didn't matter, because she had already caught up with the tomorin in front of her.

"I finally caught up with you, Little Lamp!"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed at you!"

Aine looked remorseful. After running for just a few minutes, she realized where she had gone wrong.

"It's not Aine's fault, it's because I said those strange things."

Takamatsu Akari shook her head, her expression gradually calming down. The more gently Aine treated her, the more guilty she felt.

Yes, ultimately it's all her fault.

If we could communicate well, if we could be like other children...

Mio wouldn't have left if she hadn't been a child.

Crychic will not disband.

Aine doesn't need to accommodate her like this.

Having always been detached from the world, her life's journey has always been a solitary one, and should only be a solitary one. Only the notebook in her hand can accompany her for a lifetime.

Looking at the dejected Takamatsu Toki in front of her, Chihaya Aine felt as if the flames on her body were flickering and about to be sucked away by the terrible gravity.

"Ugh, what should I do? Can anyone tell me?"

Aine's eyes welled up with tears. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation. Did all the other girls act this way? Chihaya Aine, who prided herself on being a social butterfly, suffered her first complete defeat.

"Is there any way to deal with this? Ah, that's it, there's hope!"

Chihaya Aine looked around the street and finally spotted a retail store called Youchuang Quality not far away.

"Little Lamp, look over there!"

Chihaya Aine's finger passed over Takamatsu Akari's shoulder and pointed into the distance, while Takamatsu Akari, driven by curiosity, followed suit and looked in that direction.

"You gave me two Band-Aids today, so does that mean I'm short two?"

"I remember it was a bearded penguin? And an Andrei penguin?"

Seeing that the girl in front of her had been drawn to her words, Aine knew she had succeeded. Without saying a word, she simply reached out her hand gently.

"Let's go, Xiao Deng!"

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the street, its light lingering in front of the Takamatsu lamp, which was also the direction Aine was heading.

"anon."

"what?"

"No, it's nothing..."

Before she knew it, a blush spread from her ears to Gao Songdeng's entire cheek. She whispered to herself, but the anxious Ai Yin did not turn around.

After walking for two or three minutes, the two arrived at the Youchuang Quality Store, where a dazzling array of small commodities quickly caught their attention.

"Wow, Little Lamp, doesn't this little toy idol look like you?"

Chihaya Aine smiled and took a small purple short-haired doll from the shelf. Her expression was, if not extremely similar to Takamatsu Akari's, at least exactly the same.

"It really does look like me."

Takamatsu's mind was racing; she was thinking about why this doll looked so much like her.

"Oh, there's one here that looks like mine."

Chihaya Aine's eyes were incredibly sharp; in the huge retail store, she immediately spotted something that shared similar elements with herself.

After walking several steps, Chihaya Aine finally pulled out a small doll from behind the rows of doll shelves.

"Ta-da! Little lamp, look, doesn't this look just like me?"

Chihaya Aine was very happy. Since her image could appear here and be made into a doll, it at least meant that she was still cute, right?

Takamatsu Akari glanced at the doll in Aine's hand, then at Chihaya Aine in front of her, shifted her shy and uneasy body slightly, and lowered her head.

"Hmm, it's a lot like love."

"The sound is so cute."

"right!"

Chihaya Aine smiled after receiving the praise, revealing her signature little fangs. As for who Takamatsu Akari was referring to as cute, that remains to be seen.

The dolls are cute as they may be, but the main focus of this trip is to soothe Akane's emotions. Chihaya Aine knows that no matter what, Tomorin is the most important thing right now!

"found it!"

After searching through her memories, Chihaya Aine found the two types of band-aids that the lamp had given her before among the ones she was selling.

"But just giving away two Band-Aids isn't really enough."

The two were standing in front of the counter, ready to leave after paying, but Chihaya Aine still felt a little guilty.

"Wait for me, Little Lamp!"

She handed the band-aid to Takamatsu Akane, then turned and ran back to where she had seen the doll. She quickly returned to the counter, this time with a small doll in her hand.

The two came out of the retail store, and Chihaya Aine looked at her empty wallet, feeling a faint bitterness in her heart.

However, seeing the light beside me smile made that feeling lessen instantly.

"This is for you, Tomorin!"

Chihaya Aine's eyes were slightly upturned, revealing an undisguised joy and cheerfulness.

"I still want to apologize to you for what happened today, Xiaodeng."

Although Chihaya Aine never experienced what Takamatsu Akari went through, she could understand that extreme sadness and unease. "Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't suffered themselves." The band formation is something we'll discuss later!

So you have to forgive me, okay?

"See you tomorrow!"

Chihaya Aine chuckled softly, and then, seemingly afraid that Takamatsu Akari might change her mind or realize what was happening, she ran away in an instant.

Watching Chihaya Aine run away, Takamatsu Akari simply stood still, her hands gently folded in front of her, the doll tightly wrapped around them.

Only when the figure disappeared from sight at the end of the road did she realize what was happening and muttered a farewell in a low voice.

See you tomorrow, Anon-chan.

Even Gao Songdeng herself seemed unaware that there was a hint of shyness in her eyes and a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth.

Volume 1: Confusion Together - Chapter 7: Chihaya Aine's Sense of Crisis

After a peaceful night's sleep, Takamatsu Akari had a wonderful dream. The dream seemed to be a beautiful scene? She seemed to have become someone else, like Nina? Or maybe Kita-chan?

"Dong dong dong."

"Little Lamp, wake up, it's time to go to school."

His mother's gentle voice came into the room from outside the door. Takamatsu rubbed his eyes and got out of bed.

"Ding ding ding."

At that moment, the LINE message notification sound kept ringing on his phone. Takamatsu picked up his phone, and a familiar group chat name flashed on the screen.

"Kita, Celery and Lamp"

"Is this the name for today?"

Gao Songdeng opened the group chat and decided to check what was going on first.

"Oh no, Tomorin! I woke up this morning to find I have an extra memory about you. It's urgent! Tomorrow's the weekend, let's have a face-to-face chat!"

Looking at the Buddha's urgent emoji on the screen, accompanied by concise words, Takamatsu smiled—it was Nina's style.

"Ah, Ms. Gui Qu Lai Xi, why did you change your name again? How awful!"

Jingqinrencai has changed the group chat name to: "Return Home".

"Hmph, I won't bother with you today, you brat!"

"Tomorin, I have some new information too. Let's get together tomorrow. I'm not like that idiot Nina. I think I've found some patterns!"

Just then, Kita's profile picture lit up in the group chat.

"Ok, see you tomorrow."

After putting her phone in her pocket, Gao Songdeng didn't pay any more attention to it; she still wasn't quite used to group chats.

These past few days, she's basically just echoing Kita-chan and Nina. Should she initiate a conversation? Takamatsu Akari didn't know what to say.

If she were to take the job, would she be a good and competent subordinate? At least when it comes to simply replying "received," she would be perfectly capable!

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Takamatsu felt that everything around her was very bright as she walked through the campus.

The dewdrops on the trees sparkled in the sunlight, and a gentle breeze brought the brightness and hope of the day.

"Good morning, Tomorin!"

In the back row of the classroom, a girl with bright silver eyes smiled, looking quite pleased with herself.

Good morning, Anon-chan.

Gao Songdeng nodded without much reaction, but a blush flashed across her face, betraying that her mood was not as calm as it appeared.

"Are you shy? But I didn't do anything."

Chihaya Aine began to speculate.

As things stand, she wants to understand Takamatsu Akari. Only by understanding Akari's behavioral patterns can she get along well with her in the future. After all, she doesn't want to be as embarrassed as she was yesterday.

"I can't bring up the band thing with Xiaodeng right now, but the band formation can't be delayed. Oh dear, what should I do?"

School is a small circle in the novel, and a small society in a broader sense. Integrating into the group is the best way to cope, and only by standing out from the group can one demonstrate one's existence.

Chihaya Aine thought this way, so she not only wanted to form a band, but also a famous and talked-about band.

Yesterday was supposed to be a good opportunity, but unfortunately, the gray-blue-haired student in the brass band classroom rejected her suggestion.

Even as a novice, she could tell that her classmate's piano playing skills were anything but simple.

"Let's take a step by step!"

Although she was anxious, Chihaya Aine had only been at the school for a few days, so she wouldn't push herself too hard. Besides, she had to choose the lead vocalist position carefully.

Apart from the lights, everything else was a bit lacking!

Fortunately, time passed quickly, and soon it was time for the afternoon club activities.

Who should we go see next?

With these thoughts in mind, Chihaya Aine stood up, completely unaware that Takamatsu Akari, who sat in front of her, was already facing her.

"Anon, would you like to come with me to meet my friends?"

"Hey, are you inviting me?"

Upon hearing Takamatsu Akari's invitation, Chihaya Aine was somewhat taken aback. Was this progressing too fast? Oh, no, Akari was inviting her to meet her friend.

"Yes, that's fine. Are you going to meet Xiaodeng's friends? I'm quite curious about what Xiaodeng's friends are like."

Chihaya Aine smiled awkwardly. Although finding a band was important, there was nothing she could do since Kotatsu had asked. After all, this seemed to be the first time Kotatsu had invited her on her own initiative! And she was also quite curious.

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