Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"Ah, again—"

boom! !

Before Kazama could even say goodbye, she turned around and slammed the door shut.

"...He's still as frank as ever, yet not frank enough."

The boy smiled, shook his head, and turned to go back to his room from the entrance.

At this very moment, the long-haired black girl, who had been leaning her upper body against the door of the Kazama family's house, was still outside the door and had not left.

"...It seems I was too greedy."

She shook her head with a bitter smile, her eyes filled with an indescribable loneliness.

However, it's not a big deal to be a little greedy within the bounds, right?

Perhaps there's something else I can do.

She was gradually developing a corresponding way of getting along with the two girls who were in the same situation as her.

"........."

Shiina Tatsuki stopped talking and got up to leave towards the elevator in the corridor.

Chapter 53 Aine: Kazama-sensei's Severe Dependence

Chihaya Aine has been feeling that something is not quite right lately.

Previously, Le Nai was always elusive and unpredictable, but lately she has been regularly appearing at RiNG's recording studio, training with everyone on time, and is more focused and dedicated than ever before.

"Hmph, because I will become a very great person in the future."

Even when Aine curiously approaches to ask, the wildcat girl will only spare a little attention from her when she is focused on answering her questions.

Chihaya Aine was caught off guard when her good friend who used to slack off with her suddenly became so focused.

You see, she often sneaks around right under Su Shi's nose, so having a partner who behaves exactly like her, or even better, to draw attention to her is very important.

This situation is as terrifying as your best friend, who always sneaks off to sleep in the back of the classroom during math class, suddenly running to the front three rows, sitting upright, and intently listening to the teacher.

How could something like serious training happen to Lena?

"Ha...it seems I'm the only one who can secretly steal a moment of leisure from my busy schedule."

It was another afternoon of mygo practice. Ai Yin, who had just finished rehearsing a song, wiped the sweat from her forehead, leaned back in the comfortable leather chair, and took out her phone to browse social media.

While everyone else was chatting or checking their sheet music, Miss Aine, enjoying herself, chuckled as she looked at her social media page on the screen.

[Aine-chan is still working hard today too~ Keep it up! How about we go get some crepes together next time we go out? (￣ ￣?)]

This was a message from a blue-haired girl she had already followed on social media. Ai-yin, delighted, quickly typed a reply to this friendly comment.

Hehe, okay! See you next time, apricot sauce!

After clicking to send the message, she happily inspected her carefully decorated Instagram page.

Today, she gained dozens more followers on Instagram, and her post about starting training this afternoon received over a hundred likes and a dozen comments—though not many, and this level of engagement can't compare to that of top-tier girl band members, it was enough to make Miss Aine, who has a tiny bit of vanity, happy for a while.

"Hehe~ If this trend continues, I should have two or three hundred fans by the time I perform on stage next time!"

She happily took a screenshot of her social media profile, opened a chat window that she had recently pinned, and sent it to a certain boy.

[Kazama-sensei, look! So many people have followed me, liked and commented on my posts, aren't I amazing? (﹒?﹒)?]

The pink-haired girl chuckled and wiggled her toes. After waiting for only five or six minutes, she received the reply she wanted.

Wow, the unparalleled, dazzling guitarist, Chihaya Aine—you'll soon have such a resounding reputation on stage! Σ(oωoノ)ノ

"Hehe~ Oh dear, this makes me so embarrassed~"

Feeling elated by the undisguised praise, Aine shyly touched her cheek. With a joyful heart, she continued to tap on her phone screen, typing a message to send to the boy named Kazama Akatsuki.

In fact, after her first performance on stage, Ai Yin would occasionally share with Xiao the latest updates and her experiences during that time.

At first, she didn't have high expectations for this guy who got along well with all the girls, let alone expect him to seriously reply to her text messages. After all, as a fellow "outgoing" person, she understood the principle that "being enthusiastic to everyone is also being unenthusiastic to everyone."

But every time, Kazama patiently and thoughtfully provides unique emotional value with words she never expected. Even now, before she has had a chance to check the boy's messages on her phone, a smile unconsciously spreads across her face.

Well, it seems that Kazama-sensei isn't some kind of playboy with ulterior motives.

Although his infectious enthusiasm for "mygo, everyone agrees" deeply influenced Aine in the early stages of their interactions, leading her to think things like, "Kazama-sensei must be the kind of guy who likes to tease little girls just because he's got some talent"—

However, as their contact became more frequent and closer, the subtle element in her perception of the boy was naturally eliminated.

He wasn't just putting on a show; he seemed to genuinely know how to make people like him, constantly adding to Ai Yin's positive impression of him.

From this perspective, the considerate and reliable Kazama-sensei is practically the epitome of an ideal. If he were to take the stage, I'm sure even more girls would become his fans.

Unintentionally, Chihaya Aine quietly placed her guitar teacher, who had guided her into the world of guitar, in a more distant yet still admirable position.

If only she could be the teacher's partner, standing beside him and performing with him.

Just imagining the two of them freely expressing themselves through music under the spotlight, and then exchanging a smile amidst thunderous applause and cheers from the audience after the song, Ai Yin couldn't help but giggle.

The audience will surely be amazed by their equally matched abilities and looks, right? And just like that, they easily secured first place in the nomination for most popular band—

Just as Chihaya Aine was lost in her fantasy and unwilling to come back to her senses, another girl who had just finished training walked up to her, silently picked up the canned coffee on the table, and unscrewed the can.

"Why are you laughing so silly? Have you finished your chord practice for today?"

Shiina Riki took a cold sip of coffee. When she finally spoke, it was with an extremely pressuring question.

"Riki, relax a little. I did a great job just now, right? Let's not talk about these kinds of tense topics during break~"

Fortunately, Aine was already used to her approach, which seemed to put pressure on her teammates but was actually more like a training exercise, so she just smiled and waved to Riki.

"You should rest more and not be so hard on yourself. Our next performance is just around the corner, but it hasn't been scheduled yet. What's the rush?"

The pink-haired girl comforted the taciturn Lixi like a caring older sister, while the latter simply quickened his pace of gulping down coffee, chugging down half a can in the blink of an eye.

"...Time waits for no one."

After a long silence, Li Xi, who was usually very sparing with words, only managed to utter this sentence.

"The competition is right behind us, you wouldn't understand."

After saying that, she got up again with her coffee and went to the drum set, where she resumed practicing the rhythm she had just learned.

"Wow...you're really going all out."

Ai Yin stood there, watching Li Xi practice diligently, and sighed with emotion.

Speaking of which, besides Lenai, Lixi is the one who's acting the most strangely. What exactly happened to these two during this time?

Chapter Fifty-Four: Su Shi's Deadly Series of Text Messages ca.月-漪尔lin g倭陾①染冥⒏弍ll

Not only Chihaya Aine felt something was off, but Nagasaki Motoyo had also been feeling something was amiss lately.

Everyone in MYGO was training at RiNG's recording studio according to the agreed schedule. Su Shi initially said, "I didn't promise there would be another show. Who knows when I'll end this band myself."

As a result, she obediently arrived at the venue at the agreed time in advance and began to practice various equipment to check if the pitch was correct.

She didn't actually have any expectations for this newly formed band; it was just that her meticulous and detail-oriented personality led her to do so.

And the current situation is probably what Kazama wanted.

Everyone's lives are back on track, and even after CRYCHIC disbanded, new bands have emerged. This kind of development must be something he'd be happy to see.

If he finds out in the future that Nagasaki Motoyo also played a role in bringing everyone together, will his impression of her improve somewhat?

With these thoughts in mind, Su Shi ended today's training session.

After putting down her instrument, she, like the others in the group, walked to the leather chair next to her and plopped down. She took out her phone and opened the chat box with a certain boy—their past conversations came into view.

We didn't train together today, but I would be very grateful if Xiaojun could offer some guidance to a very small number of members.

[By the way, Chihaya and I accidentally saw a video about Rakuna... and there was a child in it who looks exactly like Akatsuki. I'm really curious about this, but I keep thinking it might just be a fabricated video. If you have any information about this and are willing to explain it to me, please help me figure it out.]

Also, the temperature has been fluctuating quite unpredictably lately, so please dress warmly and remember to bring an umbrella if it rains. Try to avoid high-oil, high-calorie, and high-salt foods so I don't worry too much.

The above three conversations were sent about an hour or two ago when training started, and Kazama has not yet given her a reply.

Actually, there were many more messages of concern and care on this screen, but the conversation was mostly filled with green boxes from my side, while there were very few white boxes from Kazama's replies. So Su Shi simply scrolled them all up.

Oh dear, today's conversation is a little...

Not long after, Kazama quoted a line from Soseki's long essay to express his polite refusal.

Understanding this perfectly, Su Shi didn't press him further to accept her invitation. Instead, she immediately placed her slender fingers on the phone screen and typed out a series of responses.

It's okay, I can tell you've been very busy lately. It's alright if you can't find time to meet; this kind of work, which isn't really your responsibility, is simply my duty. I'll take good care of everyone. But occasionally…occasionally, could you share with me what you've been up to? I won't force you to talk about topics you're uncomfortable discussing; I just hope you can chat with me more often so I know how you're doing.

This conversation, which might seem like an overload to others, was sent by her without any psychological burden. After doing all this, Nagasaki Motoyo even breathed a sigh of relief.

During this period of time, the young man seemed to have been busy with Xiangzi and Xiaomu's new troupe and hadn't paid much attention to them.

Nagasaki Motoyo is certainly someone who can distinguish between what's important and what's urgent. She wouldn't keep sending text messages to Kazama, who wasn't always by their side, just because of her own selfish desires.

"Although I didn't post much... I hope he can sense that I'm not as critical of his existence as I used to be."

Sliding through the phone screen, which was almost three-quarters filled with her own green chat box, Nagasaki Motoyo swiped right to exit the current screen with satisfaction.

Although he wasn't with them, she believed she could make Kazama look at her with her own actions.

Nagasaki Motoyo will gradually try to accept this new group and will also try to salvage the fragile bond between him and them that has become precarious—otherwise, she really intended to end MYGO herself.

Well, if it weren't for MYGO's existence allowing that boy to stay with them, she would have already made her move.

For now, let's just leave it at that. Once the hype surrounding Mujica's debut ends, Kazama probably won't be as busy as before.

Having already made this plan in her mind, Su Shi pressed the lock screen on her phone with satisfaction. She raised her eyes to check on her teammates' condition.

"Hmm... let's change this part."

Le Nai, who had always been notoriously lazy, had been showing up for several days in a row without warning, and even after training time had ended, she was still sitting there, enthusiastically changing the sheet music on her guitar.

"Hmph~ As expected, it's only a matter of time before she becomes a popular member of a pop girl band!"

As always, Chihaya Aine revealed her vain nature. As soon as she put down her instrument, she took out her phone and started scrolling through social media. The way she kept smiling at her phone screen made Suze sigh inwardly.

"Hmm, could this word be replaced with something else...? Maybe I should ask Kazama-kun what he thinks... I wonder if he's free..."

Deng, meanwhile, huddled quietly in the corner with her notebook, intently pondering whether the use and connection of words could accurately express the emotions she felt when creating these lyrics.

Although she mentioned wanting to contact Kazama, Su Shi not only didn't mind at all, but also secretly nodded in agreement.

Since Deng is honest, well-behaved, and sensible, she won't do anything outrageous, nor will she develop any special ties with that guy. She can rest assured that the two of them can interact privately.

Furthermore, even if these two people do have some inclination towards each other, I believe the guardian of the lamp would definitely take control of the situation before he could, nipping the possibility in the bud.

Thinking of this, Su Shi looked at a long-haired black girl who was sitting in front of the drum set studying the drum score with the kind of gaze one would give a trusted and beloved subordinate—

"...?"

The confident glint in her eyes froze slightly, replaced by a hint of confusion that seemed to sense something amiss.

Lixi, who usually takes a quiet nap or recharges during breaks, is still sitting at the drum kit, anxiously thinking about how to improve the compatibility between the drumbeats and the music.

Speaking of which, haven't Li Xi and Le Nai been training a bit too hard these past few days? Even more so than Deng...

Nagasaki Motoyo thought for a moment and then stepped forward.

Chapter Fifty-Five: A lover of lamps or a lover of dawn?

"You're in great shape as always today, Taki-chan."

Like an elegant and composed long-haired cat, Nagasaki Motoyo walked up to Shiina Tatsuki with a warm and friendly smile.

"But don't you plan to relax during your break?"

After she showered him with concern in an almost sickeningly sweet voice, Lixi finally managed to briefly shift all her attention away from the sheet music.

"Ah...it's you."

"What are you saying? Does Taki-chan think it's someone else?"