Teacher Daxiang, please teach me how to play Kasuga Shadow!

"Xiangzi, you can just go home after school this afternoon. I've already given you the spare key. If you're really hungry, there's food in the refrigerator. You can just heat it up in the microwave."

After sending this, Xiangzi still hadn't replied, but Aine immediately sent a message:

[Huh? Ayano-chan, what's wrong with you again? If you weren't here...that Riki would definitely kill me!]

Aiyin, who was eating, had a puffed-up mouth. She was too lazy to even join in the conversation of the three giants beside her. She kept staring at the screen of her mobile phone, hoping for a satisfactory answer.

And soon, she did receive a reply, but how to put it... She always felt that Ayano-chan seemed to be trying to stir up trouble in front of someone.

[It's okay. If Lixi gets angry with you, just say that I kidnapped her daughter.

With Xiao Deng as a hostage, she won't dare do anything to you.

Chapter 22 Lantern Damage Assessment (2/2)

Snapped!

The enraged Riki slammed his hand on the table, then looked at the embarrassed Aine with rage and said:

"Did she really say that?!"

"Haha... Actually, that's not what she meant."

Actually, Aine didn't really mean to repeat Ayano's provocative words, but ever since they got together after school today, Riki has been expressing his dissatisfaction with Ayano's absence.

She was hesitant and couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. Finally, she was annoyed by the questions and got a little angry, so she just confronted Ayano as she wanted.

But right after she finished arguing, she felt a little regretful.

"Sai Yaku, you guys aren't good people, especially that Ayano. Is she close to Xiao Deng? She was just looking for trouble from the beginning!

There's no way I could form a band with her!"

Hearing this, Aine also became a little angry. She stood up and said angrily, staring at Riki with a tit-for-tat look:

"If you care about Xiao Deng so much, why don't you go find her?

Besides, Ayano didn't do anything excessive, right? Aren't you being too picky about her? "

"Everyone calm down, don't quarrel..."

Su Shi's smile was very forced. She now doubted whether she had done something wrong that led to the current situation. Or maybe all of this... was just the necessary hardship on the road to success?

Just like Tang Monk who went to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures?

"Ritsuki, Ayano isn't as bad as you think. Maybe she just wants to untie the knot in Deng's heart?"

"…What does she know?"

Although she still refused to admit defeat, Li Xi did not continue to argue endlessly with Aine. Of course, she no longer had any interest in today's meeting.

After all, Li Xi's mind was full of thoughts about whether Xiao Deng would be bullied by that bad woman Ayano.

--------

Right now, on the other side.

Takamatsu Deng was quietly leaning on a recliner inside the planetarium, and the person next to him was Mizushima Ayano, whom he had made an appointment to meet today.

She chose such a place not for anything else, but because the starry sky show could calm her down, so that she could face Ayano, a classmate she was not familiar with but who had many questions to ask her.

"Today's performances have all ended. Please leave in an orderly manner."

"Let's go." Ayano stood up and stretched out her hand to the lamp.

After a slight hesitation, Gao Songdeng held her hand and stood up from the chair.

The two walked out of the venue side by side, and the sky outside was gradually darkening. Ayano was very patient and did not speak actively, but waited for Xiaodeng to sort out his thoughts.

The quiet night is the best tranquilizer.

"Um, Ayano-san, you know Shoko, right?"

"..."

Ayano frowned. She didn't know if answering this question would be considered a violation of her agreement with Xiangzi, but what she was more curious about at the moment was how Deng knew about this.

And her doubts were soon answered, because while Ayano was silent, Deng spoke.

“Su Shi messaged me last night and she said she wanted to meet me.

By the way, she also mentioned Aine and Ayano, who knew Shoko."

Because of this information, Deng didn't sleep well last night. In fact, if it was just because of Aine, she might have gone to the appointment out of curiosity.

But when it came to Xiangzi...she instinctively backed off.

"Do you care about Xiangzi?"

"Well, how is she...?"

"If you're so curious, Xiao Deng, why don't you go meet her? She's actually in the class next to yours. You should have discovered it a long time ago, right?"

Hearing this, Gao Songdeng lowered his head again.

Yes, she only needed to walk a few steps out of the classroom to find the other person, but why didn't she take that step?

I guess I'm just timid.

Now she doesn't dare to face Xiangzi. Occasionally, when she thinks about asking him in person, she will back off because he ignores her when they meet.

"I'm sorry, if this is due to some reasons I'm not aware of, then if you have anything to say, I can help you pass it on."

"No, no need."

If you don't say it in person, it seems like everything is meaningless.

Moreover, Xiangzi was able to make new friends, which may mean that things were not as bad as one could imagine.

Thinking of this, Deng was suddenly not so nervous anymore, and her initial impression of Ayano as being difficult to approach, which she had when she first met her, also began to slowly change.

"Xiao Deng classmate."

"Yeah." Deng turned around and looked quietly at Ayano who suddenly became serious.

"Actually, you're not just concerned about Xiangzi, but also about that band experience that changed your life?"

Seeing the other party's surprise, Ayano smiled and explained, "Suyo, Aine, and I all said that...actually...I envy you very much."

"envious?"

“Yes, only when people lose something do they realize that some things are their most precious and worth ignoring everything else to remember.

Of course, if everything is really lost, I won’t be envious.

In my opinion, Xiao Deng, there are actually many people waiting for you to come back. They always have a place for you in their hearts, as long as you want it."

"But I..."

"Are you scared?" Ayano interrupted Deng and asked seriously, "Actually, what you're really afraid of is the fear itself.

If you really want to solve these problems, Xiao Deng, why not face them first, and..."

Ayano raised the corner of her mouth and glanced at the time on her watch. "I guess someone must be so anxious and worried about the crown that they're going to be exhausted."

After hearing this, Gao Songdeng laughed softly twice. The sound was so faint that it was barely audible, but it was extremely obvious between the two of them.

She just stared at Ayano's beautiful face, and finally said calmly, "Ayano-san, I feel like you and Aine... are very similar."

"Really? Did she tell you anything?"

"She said something similar..." Gao Songdeng raised his head and looked into the distance, his eyes gradually becoming clearer.

"Let's go then."

"W-where?"

"Go where you should go." After saying that, Ayano grabbed Deng's hand and pulled her towards RiNG's location without saying anything.

----------

"Lixi, and Aine, why don't we discuss the band issue."

Neither of them wanted to talk before the meeting, so Su Shi had to take the initiative to start.

"I didn't promise, did I?"

"But Xiao Deng..."

After saying this, Su Shi regretted it, because she suddenly realized that the reason why Li Xi was angry was related to Xiao Deng being "kidnapped".

"Well, how about I first determine the position allocation in the band? I'm the bassist, and Lixi is the drummer."

"Humph."

Su Shi ignored Riki's objection and continued with a smile, "Ayano will be in charge of the keyboard part first."

"We don't need her, do we?"

Ma objected.

Aine, who was standing by, slammed the table and retorted, "Aren't you going to participate? Why should a non-staff member tell Ayano-chan what to do?"

"What did you say?!"

"Stop arguing, everyone..."

Su Shi is already numb.

What was she doing? A nursery? She had to appease these fussy kids to achieve the first step of her three-step plan?

"Keyboards are still very important to the band."

Of course, she wasn't referring to Ayano.

“I agree.” Confused, Aiyin smiled and raised her hand to express her thoughts.

However, her "fawning" behavior was not unexpectedly met with Li Xi's disdainful gasp.

"Then Xiao Deng will be the lead singer, and Aine will be in charge of the guitar part."

"Eh? But I wanted to be the lead guitarist..."

Enough is enough! She really can’t bear it anymore!!!

...No, no, no, she should be able to continue to endure it.

For Xiangzi, for everything about crychic, she must endure humiliation...

Just as Aiyin finished saying that and Li Xi was about to make a sarcastic remark, the automatic door outside opened.

Out of professional instinct, Li Xi was just about to greet the guest when she found that the person who came in was none other than Ayano, who was like a bully in her eyes.

Beside her was Xiao Deng, who had his head lowered and looked nervous and anxious.

Is this bullying?

It must be, right?!

Without thinking, Li Xi immediately ran to the two of them, then pulled the lamp to his side and checked it up and down to see if there was any damage.

He turned around and looked at Ayano with a vicious look and said:

"What did you force Xiao Deng to do?"

Chapter 23 Soyo: Is this woman a succubus? (1/2)

"Did anything?"

Ayano tapped her chin lightly with her index finger, then replied with a smile, "It was about lying down side by side in a dark room, wasn't it?"

"W-What did you say?!"

Seeing that Li Xi looked like she was about to eat someone, Deng beside her pulled her arm and explained in a low voice: "Li Xi-chan, Ayano didn't force me to do anything. I am very happy tonight."

"……ha?!"

"Yes, it was Xiao Deng who took the initiative. I was shocked. I didn't expect that we would go to that kind of place on our first date. Xiao Deng is really bold."

"Ayano-chan... No, don't say things that could lead to misunderstandings..."

"What?! There's actually such a thing!"

This sentence was not said by Li Xi, but by Ai Yin, who wanted to watch the show in silence, but suddenly felt that she was stabbed in the back and ran over.

As for Lixi, she was now half leaning against the wall, her eyes were empty and her body was sliding down, looking as if she had been played to pieces.

"Okay, okay, let's get down to business."