After getting off the train, everyone consciously staggered their getting-up speed, and Nishikino Maki walked ahead.
As Izumi Chihiro was walking among the crowd, he was suddenly nudged by someone; he initially thought it was an accident due to the crowd, but then immediately heard Eriri's question.
"Hey, Chihiro, Nishikino wouldn't be your prototype, would she?"
"Huh? Prototype, what are you talking about, Eriri?"
Izumi Chihiro did not understand.
"I'm talking about Touma Kazusa from white album, you see... aren't their attributes pretty similar? I remember you were the one who had her refine those two songs, right!" Eriri said with a suspicious look.
"Uh, Eriri, your association is too far-fetched, isn't it? Have you forgotten? The original manuscript of white album was from a year ago. At that time, Nishikino and I weren't even deskmates, so this is just a coincidence," Izumi Chihiro explained.
"Oh..." Eriri nodded slightly.
"By the way, this weekend, you must come to my house. You must make time, no refusing!" The girl suddenly remembered something and said forcefully.
"That's fine... but can I ask why?" Izumi Chihiro tilted his head, looking confused.
"Because white album is almost finished, but before its release, it needs to be debugged to see if any bugs appear. Besides that, it's also to see the quality of the finished product and whether it can satisfy everyone. This will be a standard for everyone's psychological expectations," Eriri said righteously, "So, you also have to take responsibility and be a beta tester!"
"Game testing, of course I can do that," Izumi Chihiro smiled readily.
In his previous life, he had never played the white album game, only heard others mention it. Now that he had a chance to try it, it wasn't bad.
"Alright then, I'm leaving first." Eriri nodded with great satisfaction, then swept her golden twin tails, and walked away with light steps.
As soon as he arrived in the classroom and sat down in his seat, the girl next to him turned her head and asked, "Did I interrupt you two just now?"
"Nishikino, do you actually have such awareness?" Izumi Chihiro asked back, his expression becoming much more interesting.
"No, not at all. Eriri and I just happened to run into each other and chatted casually." Before she could answer, he explained first.
"That's good," Nishikino Maki's gaze changed.
Because she felt the atmosphere of that conversation just now was a bit strange, and Sawamura's gaze on her made her feel like she had thorns in her back.
So, she was wondering if she had done something wrong?
But looking at it this way, it seemed Sawamura's attitude was just normal, no need to be surprised.
However, should she keep some distance from her deskmate to avoid Sawamura misunderstanding something?
No, no, there was nothing between them in the first place, and keeping a distance would only make it look like she was trying to cover something up, wouldn't it?
She shook her head, abandoning the ridiculous thought that had suddenly risen in her heart.
"Hmm? Nishikino?" Izumi Chihiro saw her expression change and was a bit confused.
"Izumi, you know... social interaction is indeed a very troublesome thing, isn't it? If you don't communicate with other people, then you won't have those corresponding worries, right?" Nishikino Maki suddenly sighed with emotion.
Because of the other person's words, she regretted her choice to give up the path of music, and even struggled with whether she should retract that decision...
She wasn't as firm as she imagined.
If she hadn't communicated with the other person, would she not have had such worries?
"Nishikino, I have to say your idea is a bit naive. If you don't connect with other people, relying only on yourself, can you survive in this society?" Izumi Chihiro questioned.
This was obviously not possible, so Nishikino Maki shook her head.
Having grown up under her parents' care, it was precisely because of this family affection that she didn't want to express her truest feelings.
"Nishikino, did something happen? I feel like you're a bit more melancholic today," Izumi Chihiro felt that the girl's state today was a bit off, and out of concern for his friend, he asked an extra question.
"Nothing... I just suddenly had this question," Nishikino Maki replied calmly, then turned her head away.
This also marked the end of their conversation.
Actually, last night, her mother had a long talk with her, but it didn't yield any results. She still answered with her unchanged aspirations for the future, but her wavering feelings still affected her state today.
Physical education class.
While resting after exercising.
He found a bench far from the sports field and sat down.
A classmate named Ozaki Mako suddenly found him.
"Izumi-kun, I want to ask you for a favor, can I?" The girl asked with pleading eyes.
"You go ahead and speak first," Izumi Chihiro chose to inquire first.
"Um... I want to become friends with Nishikino, so I want to ask Izumi-kun, could you introduce me?" Ozaki Mako clasped her hands together, her expression sincere.
"Something like this... you can go talk to her yourself, right? You don't need to find me," Izumi Chihiro said with surprise in his tone.
"Because Izumi-kun is the only one who can talk to Nishikino, and they seem to have a very good relationship, I thought Nishikino probably wouldn't refuse if it was Izumi-kun's introduction?"
Ozaki Mako lightly touched her finger to her lips, making a very cute little gesture.
"So that's how you guys see the relationship between her and me…"
Izumi Chihiro clicked his tongue.
"Did I misunderstand?"
Ozaki Mako asked, puzzled.
"It's not wrong, but I don't hold much weight in her heart, so I can only try; I can't guarantee anything to you."
Izumi Chihiro suddenly smiled.
"That's great! Thank you, Izumi-kun, for helping!"
Ozaki Mako was so excited she almost jumped up.
So, he set about making arrangements.
"Introduce friends to me? How inexplicable! Do I look like someone who lacks friends?"
Nishikino Maki immediately expressed her dislike.
"Yes."
Izumi Chihiro answered seriously.
Nishikino Maki became even more annoyed, frowning deeply.
This was too demeaning!
She just didn't want to make friends, it wasn't that she couldn't!
"Hello Nishikino, I'm Ozaki Mako, I'd like to be friends with you, is that okay?"
Before she could think clearly, a girl appeared before her, introducing herself sweetly.
"Nishikino is certainly very happy to…"
Izumi Chihiro didn't give her a chance to think, quickly settling the relationship with a few words.
"Wait…"
Nishikino Maki rubbed her forehead, her thoughts still a bit muddled.
"I understand."
Ozaki Mako directly reached out and grabbed her hands, her expression innocent as she said, "From now on, we're friends, Nishikino!"
"Eh?"
Even after the relationship was established, Nishikino Maki remained in a state of utter confusion.