Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Senior Anhe!! You tricked me!!"

She lowered her hands, her face flushed red, and glared at An and Asuka with a mixture of shame and anger.

“I wasn’t messing with you,” An and Asuka said with a laugh. “You were the one who said you would demonstrate.”

"That's because you said you couldn't!"

"I don't know how, but I didn't say this spell was normal, did I?"

"you--!"

Kita Ikuyo was speechless.

Hongxia was the first to break down and covered her mouth to laugh.

"Hahaha, Kita-chan, that pose you just made! That expression! And that spell! Hahaha, I can't take it anymore, I'm dying of laughter!"

"Nijika-chan! Don't laugh!"

But Hongxia just couldn't stop.

Yamada Ryo expressionlessly took out his phone and pressed the shutter button on Kita.

Click.

?3?澪扒二峮“凉前辈！”

“To record precious moments,” Yamada Ryo said calmly. “We can sell them for money later.”

"Not for sale!!"

Goto Ichiri huddled in the corner of her seat, her shoulders trembling. She tried hard to keep her head down and suppress her laughter, but the strained "pfft" sounds still escaped through her fingers.

Kita Ikuyo looked at her three teammates who were "kicking her when she was down," and then at An and Asuka in front of her, who were clearly laughing despite trying to hold it in. She felt terrible.

"You...you've gone too far!"

She grabbed a napkin from the table, crumpled it up, and threw it at An and Fei Niao.

An and Asuka dodged to the side, and the wad of tissue accurately hit a classmate who happened to be passing by on the back.

The student turned around, looking completely bewildered.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Kita Ikuyo witnessed the incident and quickly apologized.

The classmate scratched his head, puzzled, and walked away.

An and Asuka finally stopped laughing, but a hint of amusement lingered in their eyes.

"Alright, that's enough." He turned and went to the bar, brought over a plate of freshly baked cookies, and placed it on their table. "As an apology."

Kita looked at the plate of golden cookies, her blush still lingering, but her eyes softened.

"...Hmph." She turned her face away, but still reached out and took a piece.

She took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

"Hey? This is delicious!"

“Freshly baked,” An and Asuka said, raising an eyebrow. “Not the instant kind.”

"Then give me another one!"

An and Asuka smiled and pushed the plate towards her.

Hongxia also picked up a piece, and while eating, she asked, "Anhe, what time is your performance this afternoon?"

“Two o’clock,” An and Asuka replied, “on the stage over there in the stadium.”

"We'll definitely go!" Hongxia gave an OK sign. "We've been looking forward to it for ages!"

"Me too! Me too!" Kita mumbled, his mouth full of cookies. "I absolutely can't miss Anwa-senpai's band performance!"

Liang nodded: "I will go."

Goto Ichiri whispered, "I...I'll go too..."

An and Asuka looked at them, and a warm feeling welled up in their hearts.

"Thank you," he said. "See you this afternoon."

-

After seeing off the four girls who had finished their band performance, An and Asuka returned to the bar to continue helping out.

Akane Akasaka was still sitting in her original spot, her coffee finished. She rested her chin on her hand, smiling at him, her expression clearly saying, "I saw everything."

"Were those girls you just met your new friends?"

“Yes.” An and Asuka nodded. “A band I met at STARRY.”

"Oh?" Akane Kousaka raised an eyebrow. "What's your name?"

"End the band."

“The End Band…that’s a good name.” Akane Akasaka smiled and then asked, “But let me guess, you two probably know each other more than just each other.”

She knew this boy too well.

An and Asuka did not deny it: "Yes, I did help them a little bit."

"A little? I think it helped quite a bit, didn't it?"

An and Asuka did not deny it.

Akane Akane looked at him with a hint of relief in her eyes.

"You're still the same," she sighed softly, "You can't help but lend a hand when you see someone in need."

An and Asuka replied, "When we are able to help, we should. Just consider it making another friend; it's always a good thing, isn't it?"

Akane Akane paused for a moment, then laughed.

"You've always been so good with words, kid."

She stood up and patted An and Asuka on the shoulder.

"Alright, you go ahead with your work. I'll go wander around somewhere else. I'll go see the performance this afternoon."

"Huh?" An and Asuka were a little surprised. "Sister Zhu Yin has time?"

“There’s always room if we squeeze in.” Akane Kousaka blinked. “How can we, as parents, be absent from our child’s first official performance?”

An and Asuka paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Okay, then I'll save a good spot for Sister Zhu Yin later."

"Hmm, that's more like it."

Akane Kousaka waved her hand and left the cafe in her high heels.

-

The morning flew by in a flurry of activity.

An and Asuka, dressed in their butler uniforms, moved around the café, serving coffee, snacks, and handling various customer requests. Several girls asked for photos with them, which he never refused, maintaining a polite smile throughout.

Several bold girls tried to get him to perform the "spell," but he politely declined with a smile.

"That's a special service, and it costs extra," Liu Sili said to his wife in a serious tone.

The girls left disappointed, but soon became excited again because "Anwa and Asuka are so handsome".

Around noon, the students in the class began packing up their things to make room for the afternoon's activities.

An and Asuka changed back into their own clothes and stretched their slightly sore shoulders.

My phone vibrated.

It was a message from Eriri.

Eriri: How are the preparations going?

Anhe: Just finished. How about you?

Eriri: The stage setup has been checked, and all the equipment is working fine. Marina and the others are doing their final practice in the activity room.

Anhe: Okay. I'll be right there.

He put away his phone and was about to leave when a voice came from behind him.

“Anhe, classmate.”

He turned his head.

She was a girl in the class, holding a lunchbox, her face slightly flushed.

"Um... this is a bento I made this morning, if you don't mind..."

She handed over what she was holding.

An and Asuka paused for a moment, then politely shook their heads.

"Thank you, but I already have plans." He smiled and said, "I have a performance this afternoon, so I need to have lunch with everyone first."

The girl was somewhat disappointed, but she still nodded.

"Good luck with the performance!"

"Thank you."

An and Asuka left the classroom and headed towards the activity room.

The five girls had already arrived in the activity room.

Marina was gesturing with drumsticks in the air, muttering to herself as if memorizing the beat. Ai was humming a tune beside her, occasionally pausing to adjust her vocal placement. Shizuka was organizing the sheet music, stacking the six copies in order.

Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned against the window reading a book, but her fingers remained motionless on the pages for a long time, clearly her mind wasn't on it. Eriri sat at the keyboard, her fingers unconsciously pressing lightly on the keys, producing scattered notes.

"They're here!" Marina was the first to spot An and Asuka, immediately putting down her drumsticks and rushing over. "Asuka, come quick! I'm starving!"

"You haven't eaten yet?"

"I've been waiting for you." Shizuka smiled and pointed to the several bento boxes on the table. "They're all ready."

An and Asuka looked at the bento boxes—a few rice balls, a serving of tamagoyaki, some side dishes, and a few bottles of drinks. They were simple, but neatly arranged, clearly showing that they had put thought into them.

"You did this?"

"Of course!" Marina said, hands on her hips. "I cooked it myself! It's just a simple rice ball, but it's made with my heart!"

Xiao Ai nodded, "I made tamagoyaki! Although it might be a little burnt..."

She pointed somewhat embarrassedly to the tamagoyaki, noting that the edges were indeed a bit blackened.

Shizuka said gently, "I've prepared some side dishes, let's all eat together and have a good time."

“Okay.” He walked over and sat down between them. “Let’s eat.”

"start--!"

The six people sat together, eating rice balls and tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelets) that Jian Jiuliu and Yishan had prepared, along with side dishes, drinking beverages bought from the convenience store, and chatting about this and that.

Are you nervous?

"A little," Marina honestly admitted. "After all, it was my first time on stage, and there were so many people in the audience..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha comforted her, "It's normal to be nervous; it would be strange if you weren't. The key is how you handle it."

"Does Kasumigaoka-senpai have any secrets?"

“No,” Kasumigaoka Utaha said frankly, “This is also my first time on stage.”

Everyone was silent for a second, then burst into laughter.

Eriri secretly glanced at An and Asuka.

He was talking to Marina, a faint smile on his lips, looking very relaxed.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and the activity room was filled with the aroma of food and quiet conversations.

After finishing the meal, everyone began making final preparations.

Marina was practicing her wrist movements with drumsticks in the corner, Ai was doing vocal exercises by the window, Shizuka was flipping through the bass sheet music over and over again, Kasumigaoka Utaha was adjusting the guitar effects pedal, and Eriri was sitting in front of the keyboard, going over the chord progressions of several songs again.

An and Asuka stood to the side, watching them.