I have pure love with them

"Well, that's true, but... the school has just started, so it's not that easy to get the school bonus. I've only been in school for a month, so I have to wait until next month at least to have a chance to fight for it, right?"

Cases like Quan's where tuition is waived and there are special bonuses are rare. If she hadn't gone abroad, she wouldn't have been unable to get the same treatment as Quan, but...

Recalling her failed study abroad experience, Aiyin, who already looked a little sad, became even more depressed.

287. Aiyin: There is a ghost floating above the band

Even after dinner, Aiyin never took the initiative to talk to him about Nagasaki Sose.

But when Quan returned to his room and finished his own things, he opened Dongyun Huiming's social account as usual to see what she was doing, when there was a knock on the door.

Before Quan could close the web page he was browsing, the door opened and Aine, wearing light pink pajamas, entered his room.

"I'm in."

"…You've already come in."

Looking back at Aine who entered his room, there was a helpless expression on Quan's face. Aine seemed to have no awareness at all about entering his room. She was entering a boy's room.

He wanted to remind her that they were no longer the children they used to be and should pay attention to each other's privacy, but when he was about to speak, Aine's eyes fell on the monitor screen behind him.

"What are you looking at?"

"..."

As Aine slowly walked to Izumi's side, a faint fragrance drifted in front of Izumi.

Leaning forward slightly, her long, soft pink hair falling over her shoulders and in front of her body, Aine, wearing glasses, stared at the girl's selfie on the screen before turning her gaze to Izumi beside her.

"Quan... do you like this type of girl?"

He turned to look at the screen behind him and the selfie of Higane Eina on the screen. Facing Aine's question to him, he fell into a brief silence.

If he explained that the other person was someone he knew... this statement seemed a bit disgusting.

"Don't you know her?"

The rhetorical question from Izumi made Aine speechless. She turned back and stared at the screen carefully for a while, but she couldn't find the person with the corresponding identity in the photo in her mind. She looked at Izumi again, with a look of confusion and puzzlement.

"Who?"

Holding the mouse in his hand, he closed the page and glanced at Aine.

"Forget it if you didn't recognize me. You didn't come here to care about this problem, did you?"

"Although I do have other things to ask you, I'm also curious about the identity of the person who took the selfie just now. Is it someone you know?"

Aine frowned slightly, her curiosity aroused, and she kept thinking about the person who fits the identity in her mind, but in the selfie, there was only the other person's body, and the other person's face was not seen. Aine couldn't think of the corresponding person no matter how hard she tried.

If it was someone she met every day, she could still tell them apart from their clothes and details, but everything in the photo was unfamiliar to her.

"He's someone I and Izumi both know, right?"

"You came here to ask about something related to Shuangshi, right?"

"Wait, give me some clues or hints, maybe I can figure it out!"

She spread her right palm in front of Quan to stop him from continuing, and covered her forehead with her left hand, with her eyes closed, looking like she was thinking seriously. Aiyin, who was curious about Quan, couldn't help but recall it in her mind.

"Elementary school? Someone we all know... In school, it shouldn't be Koizumi... Hmm, it doesn't seem to be Sawatari... Hmm, it doesn't seem to be junior high school either, could it be kindergarten?"

"It's Dongyun. Okay, next question. Are you here to ask about Shuangshi?"

Seeing that Aine couldn’t think of the answer, Izumi told her the answer directly. Then he received a shocked expression from Aine. He looked at the screen, but at that moment, there was only the wallpaper on the screen, reflecting Aine’s surprised expression.

"Touno? Um... painting class, Touno?"

Being stared at by Izumi, Aine was still somewhat incredulous. She covered her mouth with her hands, still seeming to be amazed in her heart.

"for--"

She wanted to continue asking about Higane Eina, such as why Izumi followed the other person's account, but seeing Izumi's lowered eyes, Aine felt uneasy. She silently put away her curiosity, adjusted her mood slightly, and asked Izumi about Nagasaki Soyo.

"When Shuangshi didn't come to the band for activities, you had always maintained communication and contact with Shuangshi, right? Why did Shuangshi say he wanted to quit the band as soon as he came to the band today?"

When they talked about the band, the expression on Aine's face became more serious and solemn.

For Aiyin, the band is her first attempt after returning to China and represents a brand new beginning for her. She has already put a lot of effort into the band's activities and does not want the band, which has only been in operation for a short time, to suddenly fall apart.

"I did keep in touch with her and talked to her about many things, and even asked her to return to the band, but what happened today was a little beyond my expectations."

After hearing what Aine said, he nodded slightly and told Aine something he had not told her before.

Personally, he does not want Nagasaki Soushi to quit the band, but his own wish cannot influence Nagasaki Soushi's will. Once Nagasaki Soushi has made the decision himself, he will not force him.

"Then why did she choose to quit the band? Aren't everyone doing the band's activities well? Or is it related to Toyokawa-san?"

Looking at Aine in front of him, Izumi was a little surprised to hear Toyokawa Shoko's name from her mouth.

"As expected, it has something to do with Toyokawa-san, right?"

Noticing the look Izumi was giving her, Aine pursed her lips slightly, a helpless look emerging on her face.

Shoko Toyokawa was like a ghost, always floating above their band. Whenever something happened in the band, it seemed that she was inexplicably involved.

She didn't feel much about it before, but now, when she thought about the people in the band, except her and Rana Kaname, they were all former members of Toyokawa Shoko's band, she felt an inexplicable headache. She didn't know who else in the band, except Nagasaki Shoyo, was reluctant to leave Toyokawa Shoko.

"Well, it is true that he has something to do with her, but there will be no relationship between him and her in the future. Shuangshi just broke up with Toyokawa Shoko..."

After a pause, Quan felt that what he said seemed inappropriate. It should be that Toyokawa Shoko and Nagasaki Shoyo had made a complete break, but... there was no difference. They were both broken up anyway. No matter who broke up with whom, the result would be the same.

"Eh?"

After hearing what Izumi said, Aine was obviously shocked and looked at him in surprise.

"Now Shuangshi no longer thinks about Toyokawa Shoko, but after she broke off all ties with Toyokawa Shoko, she no longer has any attachment to the band, so she chose to quit the current band."

"..."

Did you quit your current band because you cut ties with your former band member Shoko Toyokawa?

Chihaya Aine, I can’t understand.

288. Do you want to come to my house? Now

Looking at Aine who seemed to understand him all too well, Izumi looked towards his desk, picked up the water cup, took a sip, and moistened his dry mouth.

"Do you know Shuangshi's family situation?"

"…single parent?"

The family situation of Nagasaki Soyo is no secret within the band, and the last time the band performed live, she saw Nagasaki Soyo's mother in person and also learned some information from Izumi, so Aine has some basic understanding of Nagasaki Soyo's affairs.

"Does her quitting the band have anything to do with her family situation? Could it be that her mother doesn't allow her to continue with the band activities?"

It was hard for Aine to think that the reason of Toyokawa Shoko alone would be the reason for Nagasaki Shoyo to quit the band, so she thought of a more convincing reason.

"Ms. Nagasaki is not such an unreasonable person. If it was because of Ms. Nagasaki, do you think she would let Shuangshi continue her activities after she saw the live performance? It is just related to her family background."

Frowning at her brother in front of her, Aiyin felt her legs getting a little sore after standing for a while. She glanced at Quan's knees and silently walked to the edge of Quan's bed, bent her knees and sat down, placing her arms on both sides of her body and gently pressing them on the soft bed.

"You know the specific reason, right? If you know it, why don't you tell me? From the time you came in until now, you have only been talking about things that are irrelevant to the key points... I just want to know the reason why Shuangshi quit the band."

Looking at Izumi who was sitting on the chair with her watery and clear eyes, Aine’s brows became more and more furrowed.

"Aren't I just talking to you about Shuangshi now?"

"…Then! What does her family have to do with her quitting the band now? Didn't you just say that her mother had nothing to do with her quitting the band?"

The complicated relationship made Aiyin feel like she was beginning to have a headache. She stared at Quan's cheek sullenly, waiting for his explanation.

"Because she comes from a single-parent family, when her mother is working, how do you think she feels when she is alone at home?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Aiyin couldn't help but put herself in her shoes and imagine the scene of an empty house after returning home from school every day. The expression on her face gradually became gloomy.

In Chihaya's house, both her parents and Izumi and Aine get along very well, so Aine doesn't feel that she is particularly free when she is alone at home. She just feels lonely and uneasy as if she has been abandoned by her family.

Looking at the expression on Aine's face, Izumi, who could guess what she was thinking about even though he didn't know, continued talking.

"After such a long time, you can more or less imagine her inner state, right? So, when she was lonely, Toyokawa Shoko appeared, which had a special meaning to her. And what does the band 'CRYCHIC' mean to her? Do you understand?"

"……all?"

After thinking for a while, Aiyin lowered her eyes and slowly raised her head to look at Quan, then asked softly.

"Not all of it, but almost. At least it occupied all of her energy and emotions at the time. She believed that 'the band is a community of destiny' and actually carried it out. But Toyokawa Shoko, who invited her to join the band, was also the first person to betray this 'community of destiny'. And on the day Toyokawa Shoko left the band, no one else tried to save the situation. Everyone 'betrayed' them."

Aiyin, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, suddenly felt an inexplicable heaviness in her heart. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something but stopped herself.

"But... Toyokawa-san also has her own difficulties... right?"

"She did have her own difficulties, but she cared more about her own self-esteem. She didn't see the band as a true 'community of shared destiny' as she said to Nagasaki Soyo. It was probably just a nice thing to say based on the situation at the time, but she didn't expect Nagasaki Soyo to take it seriously."

Things have come to this point, and Quan feels that there is no need for her to hide the situation in her band from Aine anymore.

"I'm afraid she didn't care about you when you invited her to form a band. She just regarded you as a tool to rebuild 'CRYCHIC'. But after being rejected by Toyokawa Shoko, she was completely disappointed and gave up everything."

Aiyin, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, was stunned for a moment, and then an inexplicable emotion emerged in her eyes. She pursed her lips and slowly lowered her head.

"This is basically the situation in your band. Are you planning to let her join the band again?"

The room was quiet for a while.

Hearing that she was just being used as a tool by Nagasaki Souse, even Aiyin couldn't pretend she didn't hear it at all, especially when she thought back to the efforts she had made for the band during this period of time, she felt even more annoyed. She bit her lips tightly, raised her head sullenly, and stared at Izumi with annoyance.

The general meaning of the look in his eyes is - why are you telling me this?

But she knew very well in her heart that these were objective facts, and even if she blamed Quan, she could not change the reality.

"Then, weren't you used as a tool by her before? Why didn't you feel angry? And your relationship with her now...seems very close. Aren't you worried that she will use you as a tool again?"

Aine was silent for a while because of the negative emotions in her heart. Then she decided to vent them to Izumi and made a little mockery of him.

“No, probably because I’m more realistic about this. As long as it’s beneficial to me, it doesn’t matter if she uses me. I don’t have any expectations of you, Aine…anyone other than my family.”

"..."

After hearing what Izumi said, Aine couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, then her eyes avoided Izumi’s sight and wandered around the room.