Page 81
Page 81
Lixi frowned, looking helpless. This wasn't her first time in Aiyin's room, but before, both Deng and Sushi were there. Now, it was just the two of them.
With a slight effort, she easily broke free from Aine's grasp.
“...I didn’t intend to spend the night here. Or rather, I couldn’t.” Li Xi turned her face away and said in a low voice.
I didn't bring any clothes or toiletries.
We can't just use Aine's, can we?
“I won’t let Riki go back,” Aine said firmly.
"...Why?"
"The answer was clear the moment you stopped asking me a question."
Ai Yin closed the door and said, "Not to mention you just shed tears over a small matter. I don't think anyone would leave that unattended."
Lixi couldn't refute a single word she said, because they were all true.
Lixi gripped his arm, remaining silent.
"I'm sorry to have worried you," she said softly.
Ai Yin frowned and said, "You shouldn't say sorry at a time like this. I don't want to hear an apology."
Li Xi's voice was even lower: "What else can I say if I don't apologize? I've caused you trouble and created a rift in the band. The band we worked so hard to form might even break up because of this."
"There is no division now, and there will be none in the future!"
"You're really optimistic."
"Not optimism, but belief."
Aine took a step closer, and Riki instinctively stepped back, only to feel a firm touch against his back.
It's a wall.
With nowhere to retreat, Riki was grabbed by the shoulder by Aine, who brought her face close.
Too close. Li Xi avoided eye contact.
"Because Riki really wants this band to continue, and everyone feels the same way. As long as we share the same goal, we won't fall apart!"
Now that Lena has confirmed her wishes and thoughts, there's even less chance of any problems arising.
Li Xi pursed her lips: "...You really are strong. I envy how you can always pull yourself together. I can't do that...You don't really need my support anymore, do you?"
The grip on my shoulder tightened a bit, and it hurt a little.
"Don't say things like that," Ai-yin whispered.
"I can't do anything, so how can I support you?"
Lixi knew very well that these words shouldn't be said, but she just couldn't stop herself from saying them.
Even without looking directly ahead, Lixi could see from the corner of his eye that Aine's expression had slightly distorted.
Li Xi said softly, "You don't need me at all, do you?"
unnecessary?
Why do you say this?
"If I didn't need you, I wouldn't have grabbed you! I wouldn't have brought you to my house!"
Ai-yin lowered her head, her voice hoarse and trembling slightly, a tear falling to the floor: "Rikka went too far..."
"I messed up again," Lixi thought.
What Aine wanted was not an apology, but a thank you.
"Thank you" is enough, or you don't need to say "thank you" at all. You don't need to say anything more. Just sitting here is enough, following Ai Yin's kindness and care.
"Hurting yourself is hurting me too. Be kind to yourself and to me!" Ai Yin rested her head on Li Xi's shoulder and punched Li Xi's chest.
I remember now. She cried the first time she met Aine.
Is it because Aine has been so resilient and strong since then that we've unconsciously overlooked this fact? She's no different from anyone else; she gets sad, suffers, and worries.
"I'm sorry." — That's what Lixi instinctively wanted to say, but Aine didn't want to hear it.
But I can't say anything else.
Lixi could only lower her eyes and remain silent.
After a while, Ai Yin wiped her face, took a few steps back, and exhaled.
"...It's a promise, Riki will stay here tonight."
"Is it agreed?" But Li Xi still slowly nodded to indicate her acceptance.
"Don't even think about running away. If you try, I'll catch up with you with all my might."
"If I can't catch up, I'll wait for you at your doorstep."
“If you don’t go home, call the police. Once things get out of hand, reporters might come to interview you, and the next day’s news will be obvious: ‘A female high school student in Hanasaki River runs a marathon all night due to low self-esteem.’ By then, the whole school will know you.”
"Do you understand?" Ai Yin asked calmly, hands on her hips.
It sounds like a joke, but if I run away, it might really turn out like that.
Just thinking about it is disgusting.
Li Xi whispered, "Are you trying to socially kill me? I won't run away."
Having seen Aine's expression just now, how could she possibly run away?
"That's good. Please have a seat. You can make yourself at home here."
Anyway, she already considers the Su family her own home. The band members share their homes, so it doesn't matter.
As for clothes and toiletries, those are easy to solve.
She saw a toothbrush and cup that looked really good online a while ago and bought them. They just arrived this morning and should still be with her mother. She'll give them to Lixi to use.
You can use Aiyin's own pajamas, and you also have spares.
There's just one thing that's rather awkward.
Ai Yin's gaze involuntarily fell on Li Xi's chest. Without a doubt, her underwear was definitely not suitable for Li Xi!
But it's a bit late to buy them now. Speaking of which, didn't Mom buy several items yesterday?
"Wait a minute, I'll go ask my mom."
After saying that, Ai Yin opened the door and went down the stairs.
"Mom, do you have any extra underwear from the ones you bought yesterday?"
"Yes, I do. Are you going to give it to Lixi?"
"Yes."
"Mom's clothes aren't really suitable for high school girls, are they?"
Aine shook her head: "I feel like it wouldn't make a difference if Riki wore it."
A short while later, Ai Yin returned with a set of underwear.
"Riki, give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll talk about it later."
"Isn't this... a bit too mature?" Li Xi's eyes flickered, but she still took it; if she didn't wear it, she wouldn't have anything to wear.
After Aiyin came out of the room, Lixi tried on the clothes.
"How is it?" Ai Yin asked from outside the door.
"Fortunately."
"...It's only 'okay' in the end."
Even though I'm making sure I get enough nutrition, why am I not as good as Riki, who used to stay up all night and had a completely unbalanced diet? Ai-yin thought to herself absentmindedly.
Although the size is essentially irrelevant.
About a minute or two later, Lixi changed back into her original clothes.
"Okay."
“OK~” Ai Yin’s tone was very light, and you could not tell that she had just been crying.
She opened the door and waved.
"Oh right, Mom has already heated up our food. Let's go downstairs and eat."
Although she bought some snacks on the way back from picking up Le Nai, snacks can't be a proper meal. She thought Li Xi must be hungry now, but his stomach wasn't growling like it was when she went to the Su family last time.
Li Xi gave a vague reply: "Okay."
Aine's expression suggested she had forgotten what had just happened.
If she could, she hoped that Aine could really forget what she had just said.
But that's impossible. Aine will remember it perfectly clearly.
I wish I hadn't said those things.
Chapter 81: Top News
Lixi put down her phone; she hadn't received a reply to the message she had just sent to her family.
"Did you send a message?" Ai Yin asked.
"It's been issued, at least for now."
"That's good. We can't leave Riki's family uninformed."
As Ai Yin spoke, she looked at her phone screen, which showed messages from Deng and Su Shi in private chat.
[Su Shi: Has something happened?]
[Light: How is Lixi?]
She thought about it and replied truthfully.
[Ai-on: Riki is currently staying at my house overnight]
[Su Shi: ...I remember she only intended to take you home, right?]
Why does it sound like I've been sent to Aine's house? Su Shi sighed softly from her apartment.
[Light: Could something have happened...?]
How should this be explained?
The two boarded the tram together. Lixi fell asleep, feeling that she hadn't even done such a small thing well, so she shed tears. "I can't bear to leave her, so I've decided to take her home?" Aiyin stroked her chin, thinking.
[Aine: I'll explain later.]
She was planning to hold a meeting afterward.
With Lena there, the four of them working together will surely find a solution to the current situation!
"I'm full." At this moment, Lixi neatly put down her chopsticks.
"How was it? My mom's cooking was delicious, wasn't it?" Ai Yin said with a smile.
"Ah."
Actually, Ai Yin's cooking wasn't bad, it's just that last time the food was cold, so it didn't taste quite right.
Lixi stood up: "I'll wash the dishes."
Since she was going to stay overnight at Aine's house, she hoped she could at least do something in return.
"Okay, I'll go upstairs and wait for you."
"Wait for me?" Li Xi hesitated, but then realized that besides Ai Yin's room, she had nowhere else to go.
She silently finished washing the dishes and then returned to Ai-yin's bedroom.
"Riki, did you bring your homework?"
"...I did bring it."
"It shouldn't have been written, right?"
I don't have the time to write that.
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