Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

While efficiently entering the menu items, Li Xi answered the questions that Su Shi hadn't asked, without even glancing up at Su Shi.

“I was a little surprised too. That guy gave me a somewhat familiar feeling... but he really shouldn’t have anything to do with Xiangzi.”

"Oh my, I didn't say anything and Lixi understood exactly what I was thinking. To have such a level of understanding... even though we've only been in the band for less than a month."

"Hehe, if you hadn't been coming to the store every few days, I probably would have forgotten all about what happened before."

Their sarcastic remarks and teasing were deliberately kept low-key, which annoyed Banami, who was sitting by the window and couldn't hear their conversation but was still extremely curious. However, in the next second—

"Those two people... ah, that girl seems to be one of them too...!"

She recognized him as Nagasaki Motoyo, the former bassist of CRYCHIC.

"Yeah, she's Lixi's former teammate, right?"

Unlike the incredibly curious Banami, Akatsuki could roughly guess the content of their conversation from their expressions even if she couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Kazama, it's really unbelievable that you can call a girl by her first name on our first meeting..."

The reason why the person made such a comment without malice is simply because there are too many people in Japan who need to be concerned about the politeness of addressing others.

Actually, they are all the aunts who took care of me since I was a child—but Kazama can't explain it that way.

His eyes darted around, and without much thought, he figured out how to answer.

"If you'd like, you can call each other by our first names if you'd like, Banana."

As soon as the words were spoken, Banami's expression became somewhat subtle.

"frivolous…!"

"Haha, I knew you'd react like that."

It's normal for the perceptive Banami to be alerted by someone who tries to resolve a question indirectly instead of directly answering it.

"Let's stick to what we call you now. I still prefer to call you Kazama."

Banami waved her hand. Although Kazama was indeed handsome, she wasn't so idle as to have such a possessive desire for a handsome guy she wasn't interested in that she couldn't look him in the eye and address other girls in an intimate way.

Moreover, she still felt that calling him Kazama sounded better.

After exchanging a few playful words with Banami, Akira turned her attention back to Riki and Suze.

Aunt Lixi had complained to Xiao more than once about Aunt Sushi's "various misdeeds" when old stories were brought up again.

For example, "Even though he stopped being in a band, he still comes to the dessert shop where I work and asks me to make drinks whenever he has free time." Although Lixi was very unhappy, she still had to treat this customer politely and gradually accepted that Su Shi should serve her unsweetened Darjeeling tea as soon as he arrived.

Li Xi probably thought she was complaining, but Xiao, who was only a little young at the time, had already sensed the unspoken understanding beneath the subtle discord between the two.

This moment is just like that moment.

No matter how indifferent Li Xi's expression was, she still transformed into a dutiful and honest working girl and wrote down Li Xi's order.

"I noticed you guys chatting outside just now."

Su Shi moved her eyes slightly, her peripheral vision lingering on the boy sitting by the window, but finally landing on Li Xi's indifferent face.

"Seeing how pleasantly you two are talking, I thought something good had happened."

"Unfortunately, it's not the kind of good thing you're thinking of."

Li Xi didn't even look up before he knew that Su Shi was still subtly pointing at something.

"But having the opportunity to play with others again is a good thing for me. At least the basic skills I practiced before weren't completely useless... Wait, were you spying on us chatting outside the whole time?"

"That's so unfair! I was just passing by by chance, why did Lixi use the word 'peeping'?"

Su Shi tilted her head with a smile, her long, wavy flaxen sideburns swaying gently like the ears of a lop-eared rabbit, giving her the air of a seemingly innocent but actually cunning final boss from a slice-of-life anime.

"You seemed completely out of place in front of that guy just now... Could it be that Taki-chan, your heart is fluttering a little?"

"what?"

However, before she could get any more information out of Li Xi, and before Li Xi could refute this sudden misunderstanding—

"I just extended an invitation to Shiina and Rakuna."

Xiao, who had just been sitting by the window, had arrived beside the two of them without them noticing, and gave Su Shi a friendly and gentle smile that was a sign of goodwill.

"Su Shi... cough, Su Shi, are you interested too?"

"Ah...hehe, yes, I am a little curious."

She had thought she was the one who had everything under control, but now things were clearly not going as planned, and Su Shi tried hard not to let the smile on her face fall.

She hadn't expected the boy to be so direct in striking up a conversation, nor had she anticipated that his somewhat overly intimate form of address would sound so surprisingly acceptable to her.

"By the way... may I ask how I should address you? You seem to be very familiar with my name."

However, after a brief moment of panic, Su Shi quickly regained her composure and became the poised and elegant young lady she once was.

"My name is Kazama Akatsuki, you can just call me Akatsuki."

Xiao grinned. Aunt Su Shi's usual composed and mature demeanor in front of outsiders hadn't changed, but he had still noticed her unintentional lapse in composure just now.

Although Xiao had gone from being a close junior to a complete stranger after traveling through time, it was still quite amusing to see her again, even though she seemed a little distant at first.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Su Shi."

And now she's a girl around your age, which makes her even cuter, doesn't it?

"Although I've already told Lixi this once, I really want to say it to you again. I really, really love CRYCHIC's songs and his creative attitude."

So he spoke frankly about his feelings for the band MYGO—and even for the aunties who raised him.

"Of course, I like you all very much too."

I love you all, every single one of you.

"...Hello, Xiao."

Su Shi cleared her throat and exchanged polite greetings, but her gaze couldn't help but wander back and forth between Xiao and Xiao.

What's wrong with this person? Why is he saying such cheesy things that sound like a confession of love right from the start, and laughing so irresistibly? Surprisingly, Su Shi found herself not to be disgusted at all.

She was pretty sure it had nothing to do with his handsome face.

"……Nice to meet you too."

This feeling of déjà vu, as if she had known the other person for a long time, gradually seeped into her heart, making it even more impossible for her to feel any ill will towards Xiao's gentle smile.

Was it because of his eyes, which were so similar to those of Toyokawa Shoko? No, it couldn't be more than that. The aura emanating from this boy always gave Su Shi the illusion that they had seen him long ago.

However, the emotions surging in his eyes were far more intense and passionate than those of ordinary fans.

Nagasaki Motoyo rarely encountered such a difficult person to deal with, so she simply put on a social mask and gave a few perfunctory replies before looking away.

As luck would have it, Li Xi captured this moment of Su Shi's social awkwardness.

The curve of her lips hinted at a teasing "Hehe, you're the one whose heart is pounding," and after handing Nagasaki Motoyo the cup of black tea, she didn't intend to talk to her anymore. After all, she knew all too well why Nagasaki Motoyo had been frequently appearing at the dessert shop where she worked after the band disbanded.

"Su Shi, if you have time, please chat with this fan for a while longer. I have to continue working."

Although this suddenly appearing boy brought Ritsuki unprecedented surprises time and time again, Ritsuki Shiina wasn't the type to have much offline interaction with her fans.

Besides, she had already left that band, and everyone else had left that band too.

No one stays in the same place forever, and no one will really form a band with someone else for a lifetime.

Aside from the lamp, she won't waste time with anyone now.

"If you two want to ask about something unrelated to my work, please stop now and wait until I get off work."

Lixi seemed to be ending the conversation, and her gaze no longer lingered on the two of them.

Nagasaki Motoyo stopped asking questions and, after taking her seat, began to enjoy the freshly brewed black tea with apparent elegance.

The reason it appears elegant is that her peripheral vision is still following the boy who returned to his seat, and she even slightly ignores the object of her real intention on this trip—cough, no, the object of her concern, Shiina Tatsuki.

After that conversation, which was practically a confession, Su Shi knew that Kazama, who was a hundred times more enthusiastic than the average listener, should have smiled and approached her to continue the "flirting." However, he didn't do that.

Seeing Kazama return to his seat with a big smile, Hanami also gave him a curious and inquisitive look.

"What does it mean to have that expression on your face, like you've stumbled upon some good news?"

"No, no, I was thinking of something happy."

He was all smiles, and his tone of voice was much lighter than before.

Hmph, it must be because they've gathered some intelligence.

Banami remained outwardly calm, simply because the system notification had already sounded in her mind.

[Unlock Character: Nagasaki Motoyo. Unlock all C-group members to unlock the hidden achievement.]

If Kazama is playing the protagonist of a linear narrative RPG, then Anna Yanami is a player with an omniscient perspective who can guide the protagonist to trigger key plot points.

Isn't this much more interesting than being a "loser"?

As the blue-haired girl chuckled and immersed herself in her own thoughts, the stray cat, who had been silent until now, once again made her presence known.

"Is it because you want to play with me?"

Lena, who had been quietly waiting for Xiao and the other girls to finish their conversation, pointed to herself with a look of anticipation in her eyes as she focused on eating.

"Of course."

Kazama nodded subconsciously and stroked the cat's fur, but that wasn't actually the case.

The happy thing—of course—was meeting the younger version of Aunt Su Shi.

It must be said that time never defeats a beauty. The elegant and noble Nagasaki Motoyo in his memory had always possessed proper manners since middle school... or rather, an indescribable widow-like aura.

Fortunately, she is not much different from the Aunt Su Shi in my memory.

This also means that it's only a matter of time before we see the rest of the group.

Xiao completely ignored Su Shi's intensely attentive gaze and began to enjoy the sundae he had just ordered.

There are also milkshake tiramisu donuts and cheesecake.

But just as he was about to take his first bite and enjoy the dopamine rush from the dessert—

A figure walking past the window froze his previously leisurely expression.

next second.

"Hey, Kazama, can you finish all this food...? Huh?"

Before Banami could finish her slightly helpless complaint, Kazama immediately sped off out of the dessert shop, causing the other girls present to turn around and follow his figure.

"Hey, hey! Kazama! Where are you going?"

"Hmm, they're probably out looking for the rest of the band members for us."

The wildcat immediately came to this conclusion.

"I haven't agreed to form a band with you guys yet. Speaking of which, were you two serious just now, or was he just playing house with you?"

Lixi couldn't help but transform into a吐槽 expert once again.

"………ah."

Only Banami, who was sitting by the window, sensed that something was wrong.

As Kazama Akatsuki rushed out of the store and grabbed someone, the system that had been giving her orders responded again, creating an echo in her head that only she could hear.

"...?"

As Hana saw Anja turn her head, the boy and girl disappeared again into the bustling street where pedestrians came and went.

[Unlocked Character: Wakaba Mutsumi. CRYCHIC's Unlocked Characters: 3/5.]

Only that voice echoed in her mind, seemingly affirming that her decision to meet the boy here was indeed a wise one.

but.

"This is not good...!"

—If Kazama just slips away like that, will she have to pay the bill again this time?

Chapter Fifteen Auntie's Mud Stick