Who says meal replacements can’t be eaten as meals?

"I also sent a message to Lixi, and she said she'll be here soon. So, does this count as our band's first team-building event?" Miss Sakuya looked at the souvenir shop at the door with interest, her thoughts already jumping to strange places.

"It's just a band without even a name... We came here just to hide our identities at someone's request." Nagasaki Suyo glanced around the exhibition hall and replied in a flat tone.

“Oh.” Miss Sakuya curled her lips slightly. Her elder sister was being dishonest again. She was obviously worried about Aine but she pretended to be indifferent.

"I roughly know where Xiao Deng and Aine are." Looking at the exhibition hall map on the wall, Sakuya pushed his non-existent black-framed glasses and suddenly spoke.

"Then lead the way quickly." Su Shi looked at her sister with displeasure as she suddenly started to cosplay as a famous detective. If possible, she didn't want Sakuya to do such childish things with her identity.

"Eh? Why aren't you more surprised?" Sakuya said coquettishly.

"The great detective Ms. Sakuya is so amazing. Please lead the way for me quickly." Su Shibang read it with a cold face as he satisfied his sister's desire to perform.

"You're so perfunctory. Remember to call me onee-sama next time." Miss Sakuya nodded pretentiously, and before her sister's ruthless iron hand could hit her, she jumped away, leaving only her crisp laughter to continue challenging Miss Motoyo's patience.

I haven't gone out to play with my sister for a long time. Sure enough, this lively sister is the one in my memory who wears a headband, plays with me, steals dinner dishes, and then gets criticized and educated by my mother. She loves to smile.

After all, Nagasaki Suyo was unable to take revenge on the spot. Just as she was jogging with Sakuya to the open-air penguin exhibition hall, she clearly heard Chihaya Aine's unique laughter with a sense of relief.

The pale pink evening light slanted in through the water at the top, and the blue walls of the exhibition hall were diffusely reflected, turning them into beautiful soft paintings. The two people in gray uniforms stood close to each other, looking at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Shall we... just wait for them here?"

Nagasaki Suyo stopped at the edge of the exhibition hall. She heard the girl's happy laughter and saw the two of them looking at each other in tacit understanding. She really didn't have the courage to go up and disturb them at this time.

Fortunately, Miss Su Shi didn't have to worry for too long.

"This is so troublesome, sister." Sakuya skillfully took her sister's hands, which were close to her own, and with a little force, she dragged her hesitant sister into the exhibition hall.

"Wait...wait a minute..." Su Shi hesitated.

"If you want to apologize, you have to say it in front of others." Sakuya looked back and smiled.

The courage needed to communicate with others sincerely may be a lot or a little, but as long as my sister can take a step forward and walk into the light again, no matter how much courage it takes, I can lend it to her without reservation.

The penguin rolled over his head and the timing of their penetration seemed just right.

"Just now, what Rikki said was actually true." Chihaya Aine said to Deng with a bit of self-deprecation. "Isn't it strange that I transferred here at this time? That's because I went abroad to study, but I couldn't keep up with the people around me, so I ran away."

Her light grey pupils fluctuated along with the water surface floating above her head, and Chihaya Aine's tone was flat, as if she was narrating a boring story that had nothing to do with her.

“It’s okay to run away, right?” Miss Sakuya shouted with her own voice while the stealth effect was still there, then she loosened her hand and gently pushed her sister who obviously didn’t react.

“Sakiya?” Miss Aine, who was pouring out her heart, was embarrassed for a moment. She turned her head in the direction where the voice came from. Sure enough, it was the familiar flaxen long hair and a silly and confused look on her face.

Su Shi is here too. Did I make everyone worry?

"Nagasaki Suyo", wearing the Tsuki no Mori school uniform, gave a comforting smile in return, took two steps back, and gave the stage to the trio of Yugaoka.

"Actually, Sakuya-kun was following behind, but I was too worried and didn't remember..." Takamatsu Deng explained belatedly. Today's hand holding really exhausted the girl's determination. It was only now that she remembered that she should have told everyone first.

“Saki-chan, I’m so touched!” Aine turned around and stared at someone until he turned his head away uncomfortably and pretended to look at the penguin. Only then did she meet Takamatsu Deng’s amber eyes again. Even though I had been avoiding him, I still had a friend who pushed me back on the road.

“I’m sorry, did I make a fool of myself in front of you today? I didn’t want to tell you about my failure in studying abroad because it’s too embarrassing…” Miss Aine paused for a moment, but still said with a smile some words that hurt her heart.

"I've always been running away from things in my life. I was planning to start over, but I ended up dragging down everyone in the band. It turns out that I'm not cut out for playing the guitar."

"I'm really sorry, but I may not be able to keep my promise. I want to quit the band."

Chapter 157: Moving Forward Even If You Get Lost

The steel jungle rooted in the earth obscures the last ray of cloud in the sky. The incandescent lights of office buildings and the neon street scenes interweave to create a bustling and lively atmosphere that never sleeps. Lead gray has become the main color of the city at this moment, and the small penguin exhibition hall has also turned into azure blue.

The cool light shone through the pool into Chihaya Aine's light grey eyes as she looked up, and her fair, flawless face, which had been well maintained recently, also took on a sad light blue hue.

The penguins still gathered together freely to play and fight. Chihaya Aine used her not-so-long bangs to hide her disappointment and spoke loudly with a smile on her face.

"I'm really sorry, I may not be able to keep my promise, I may have to quit the band."

"Actually, the two people I met in the park just now were my junior high school friends. They knew that I failed to study abroad. I have always been avoiding life, and I was planning to start over... Now my life is over, right?"

Nagasaki Suyo was the first one to tighten her sleeves. The familiar words made her body tremble subconsciously. After a moment of daze, she realized that it was not raining today and that she was not in the usual recording studio.

Takamatsu Deng opened her eyes wide and leaned forward to the point where she could grab Aine’s wrist at any time. She wanted to tell Aine what was in her heart.

Ichinose Sakuya was also shocked by the laughter that was suppressed with tears in it, and she stepped forward to block the exit, she didn’t want to see Aine running away again.

"Think carefully, someone like me who always evades things, has no sense of responsibility, and only cares about being in the spotlight is not suitable to join a band. Ain may become everyone's number one fan in the future, so don't be disappointed, I will cheer for you guys..."

Before Chihaya Aine could finish her farewell words, two pairs of hands grabbed her at the same time, and the grip was so tight that it was almost painful.

“No, Aine, you’re not done yet. We agreed to finish before the end of the first Live.” Takamatsu Deng raised his head seriously, and with both hands he lifted Aine’s right hand to his chest, close to his heart.

“It doesn’t matter if you like to be in the spotlight and are used to avoiding things, because this is Aine.” Ichinose Sakuya picked up Aine’s left hand with one hand and carefully felt the newly formed thin calluses on the fingertips.

“Eh… Could it be that everyone hasn’t given up on me yet?” Miss Aine mustered up the courage to glance around and was inexplicably moved. The brave Xiao Deng, the friendly Su Shi, and Xiao Sakura, who was looking at her with a complicated expression, all seemed to be expressing the same idea.

“I can’t play the guitar, and I even avoided this live performance…” Miss Aine couldn’t believe it, and asked in a low voice as if she was afraid.

"It was Aine who told me that I just needed to work hard." Deng looked at Aine with a scorching gaze, and she was not good at speaking, trying her best to organize her words. "And then...but you..."

"Xiao Deng..." Aiyin looked at her with relief, but found that Takamatsu Deng let go of her hand without saying a word and ran towards the feedback registration office not far away.

“Xiao Deng is still the same as always, doing whatever she wants.” Ms. Sakuya chuckled and released Aine’s left hand that was sliding the string.

"Suyo... I really didn't expect that little Suyo cares about me so much..." Now it was Miss Aine who felt embarrassed. Today, Suyo was especially gentle to her, and her palms were as warm as Sakuya's. Were they worthy of being real twin sisters?

"I've avoided it before, and I'm still avoiding it even now, although it's not about the band's performance." Ms. Sakuya was a little embarrassed. Aine usually touched her often in Yugaoka, and she was almost used to the simple holding of hands. But today, she subconsciously acted abruptly in her capacity as a sister.

“Also, Aine, the skin on your left hand’s fingertips has started to harden. That’s…”

“Those are all proof of my practice.” Having recovered from her memories, Nagasaki Motoyo took two steps forward and used the same gesture as Sakuya to gently lift up Aine’s left hand, with their fingertips touching.

Nagasaki Suyo, who attached great importance to the sense of distance in physical contact, separated at the first touch and turned around to stand between her sister and the pink-haired Lecher. She felt a little jealous about Sakuya's action just now, and she couldn't let Aine and Sakuya have more contact.

This is also the responsibility of the older sister who has more experience.

"Really? I didn't even notice it myself." Chihaya Aine retracted her left hand, put it together and squeezed it. It felt a little hard, indeed different from the softness before.

Looking at the familiar flaxen ponytail beside her, Miss Aine suddenly recalled the brief conversation at the station. Sakuya seemed to have told her the same thing. As long as she practiced hard, she would soon have noticeable thin calluses...

So after being pinched by the two sisters, Miss Aine naturally reached out and pinched back. There were still calluses on Sakuya's fingertips, but the feeling was different from last time?

"This is just a very normal phenomenon. Can't you just pinch your fingers? Why do you have to rub your palms?" Nagasaki Suyo, who suddenly felt taken advantage of, stepped back vigilantly with a look of understanding. It turned out that the pink-haired guy was suspected of flirting with girls everywhere!

“Sorry, Sakuya-chan’s palms were so comfortable that I didn’t pay attention…” Aine-san’s eyes wandered, trying to change the subject. “Although I worked hard and gradually became proficient in guitar, it’s really embarrassing to fail in studying abroad and be seen by my junior high school classmates…”

“Don’t worry about that.” Sakuya-san, who was pushed aside by her sister, put her hand gently on Suyo’s shoulder and said with a smile. “Sakuya should have something else to say to Aine, right?”

“Actually, I also met Aine’s junior high school classmates today. If possible, it would be better for Aine to contact them on Line. They seem to be very worried about you... worried that something might have happened to you since you suddenly came back.” Miss Su Shi gently pinched her left thumb, stole a glance at Aine’s face, and took the opportunity to add her own slightly awkward concern.

“Hey... everyone... I’m so moved that I’m about to cry.” Miss Aine was moved once again. The tears brewing in the corners of her eyes turned from sour to sweet. It turned out that so many people loved her.

"Aine." Takamatsu Deng also ran back now, holding the back of the feedback form and handed it over with both hands. The paper was filled with a maze of scribblings, and the remaining blank space was interspersed with beautiful handwriting written in a blue signing pen.

【escape?】

【go ahead】

【get lost】

“Lost?” Miss Aine wiped her eyes and asked in confusion.

Takamatsu Deng took a deep breath, adjusted the range of his voice, and sang a tuneless song to Aine.

“Aine is always moving forward. Even if she encounters a dead end, she will still look for other ways and try to keep moving forward.”

"And you also helped me to successfully form a band. You made me realize that even if I move forward... it's not the end..."

"Me too..." The aquarium's unique light blue light shone into the pupils of the lamp, as if the eyes were originally shining. "Me too, I want to move forward even if I lose my way."

“It sounds just like the lyrics of a song.” Sakuya leaned close to her sister’s ear and whispered.

Su Shi ignored him. His gray-blue eyes were filled with three parts of relief, three parts of melancholy, three parts of worry, and a tiny bit of envy.

It seemed that she could no longer express her true feelings directly and without reservation like Xiao Deng and Sakuya did.

"I'm lost..." Chihaya Aine put down the draft-like doodle in realization, and her eyes swept over everyone in turn, with her signature smile on her lips again.

“In that case, do you want to move forward together?” Miss Aine said while staring at the light. “Let’s move forward together in the midst of loss.”

The black and white penguins swam across the night sky, and the problem of mutual understanding was solved. The band will continue and will not disband even after the live performance. The miracle of youth is sometimes so ordinary and can be seen everywhere, but it can leave a mark in some people's hearts.

The lights gradually came on, and Miss Aine, who had already held Xiao Deng's left hand, was trying to have her own left hand held by Sakuya as well.

After receiving the unexpected cold stares, there was another round of noise, just like usual.

Only the black-haired figure hiding at the entrance of the exhibition hall slowly hunched over, with familiar laughter in his ears. Shiina Riki hugged his knees but did not have the courage to stand up as usual and interrupt Chihaya Aine's little action.

She is no longer qualified to do so.

Chapter 158 Gift

ended.

The flaxen-haired girl stood upright in front of the mirror, skillfully re-tied her bow tie with both hands, brushed off the dust, tried her best to smooth out the wrinkles on her long skirt, and neatly gathered up her hair that had been hanging down to her waist. The expression on her face was the usual gentle and virtuous one, but with a hint of agility, not as stiff as before.

Thinking about it carefully, what happened in the afternoon was indeed a little shocking. Leaving aside my own poor physical condition, this kind of "meddling" full of courage and action seemed to be what my stupid sister often did.

She flirts with other girls like this every day, no wonder so many girls like her...

Ichinose Sakuya, who was inexplicably met with her sister's resentful gaze, shrank her neck, tilted her head awkwardly, and pretended to admire the small dolphin hair accessory on her ponytail in the mirror. "I didn't dirty my clothes on purpose. Sister said it's not my fault."

"It's really not your fault." Miss Su Shi smiled kindly and said nothing more. It wouldn't be too late to settle everything one by one when she got home in the evening.

"By the way, sister, do you know when Riki's birthday is?" Miss Sakuya decided to trust her sister's broad mind and asked casually while fiddling with the screen of her mobile phone with her fingers.

She didn't expect her sister to remember it. She was asking another bassist lady who seemed to be quite familiar with Li Xi on Line, and she also asked about the lady's birthday in a subtle mood.

"I don't know. Lixi and I are just ordinary band partners. Why should I remember her birthday when I have nothing else to do?" Nagasaki Suyo said calmly, feeling the lingering touch of their hands that had been held not long ago.

She still gave the fickle pink-haired scoundrel an opportunity to grab her hand. He was clearly holding Xiao Deng in one hand but he still tried to attract the attention of his own sister. How despicable!

"Oh, what about Xiaoxiang's?" Sakuya, who had already received the answer from Hailing, took two steps back and said in a playful tone.

"February 2... Sakuya! I think you deserve a lesson. You even dare to tease your sister." Su Shi murmured before realizing that her sister's hook was right and the bait was salty. She opened her eyes wide and immediately labeled her sister unfilial. She even had a strong desire to use the Seven Death Stars of the North Star and poke the ticklish spot on Sakuya's waist with her index finger.

Miss Sakuya, who had anticipated the situation, chuckled twice, opened the door quickly and ran out of the bathroom, not giving her sister a chance to chase her. She ran all the way to behind Aine and Kodama, who were still holding hands, then turned around and stopped. She coughed lightly and started talking about the band in a serious tone.

"Xiao Lixi told me that she was waiting for everyone at the entrance of the aquarium, so I went ahead. Let's meet at the souvenir shop later?"

"Eh? Rikki is here too..." Chihaya Aine shyly scratched her cheek with her free hand. Although she had made up her mind to move forward with everyone, it was not easy to suddenly meet up with a friend with whom she had just had an argument.

"It's okay, Aine, Riki is actually a very good person..." Takamatsu Deng crossed his five fingers and held Aine's hand with his left hand, then tightened it again to comfort her.

"Little lamp."

“Aine.”

Miss Sakuya silently stepped back as she watched the two of them calling each other's names and looking at each other. This kind of intense friendship was still too scary for her. If it were her and Shoko...

Ms. Sakuya blinked quickly and turned around, covering her cheek which was gradually getting hot. She stopped thinking and said "See you later" before running towards the exit of the aquarium.

It’s just that Xiangzi is very handsome, so I’m shy.

======

"Lixi's birthday is August 9th, right?"

He had seen many of Sakuya's unconventional thoughts before, but even now, Shiina Riki still couldn't react.

"Um... yes, but why are you asking this?" Li Xi forced himself to cheer up from his loss and asked in confusion.

She had quietly run away before. Having messed up everything, she had no right to join everyone's reconciliation party. She sent a Line message and stood quietly by the souvenir shop at the exit.

"Actually, this aquarium sells birthday animal charms~" Ms. Sakuya took out an otter doll with a lavender swimming ring with her hands behind her back like a magic trick, and gently placed it in Li Xi's palm before pointing and explaining. "There's a month on the otter's belly, and the date on the swimming ring."

"Why... suddenly give me this." Shiina Riki was at a loss. He held the doll in both hands and turned to the front, meeting the otter's dark eyes that were glowing.

"Today is actually the first team building for the band, right?" Ms. Sakuya pulled away and gestured with her hands. "Although the band doesn't even have a name yet, it would make the band members feel more like a team if they all hung the same pendants on the sides of their instruments, right? It would also be very memorable."

"But I..." Li Xi's voice was a little choked. Can I still be a member of the band like this?

"But Li Xi is a drummer. Is it better to hang it on the school bag or put it on the top of the drum set?" Miss Sakuya noticed the problem and thought with her chin resting on her hand.

"It's not such a boring question!" Li Xi still couldn't hold back the desire to complain and complained softly.

"That's right." Sakuya covered her mouth and chuckled, and said nothing more.

The corners of Shiina Riki's mouth also curled up slightly. She lowered her head again and touched the otter's belly covered with white fur with her thumb. It was indeed a very warm and cute little animal.

But this cute accessory doesn't suit me at all...

"Sakuya, how much is this? I'll transfer it to you." Ms. Lixi shook the doll in her hand and asked in a normal voice.