After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

The two figures darted across the stage, their attacks and defenses tightly intertwined, their movements brimming with the power and elegance of fighters.

However, this seemingly fierce battle revealed a subtle sense of tacit understanding and familiarity, as if it were more of a well-practiced team effort than a real fight, even carrying a hint of flirtation.

Momoko swung her katana, the blade drawing a sharp arc in the air as it hurtled down towards the top of Yue's head.

Yue swiftly raised her sword to meet the attack. The moment the blades clashed, their forces collided, producing a crisp metallic clang in the air. Yue stepped back slightly, skillfully deflecting the impact.

"How many times have we fought each other?" Peach asked casually, as if this duel was just a routine sparring match.

Her eyes gleamed with a playful light, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, giving her a composed and confident air.

"Hmm...it seems like it's happened three or four times already," Yue replied, her voice calm but sharp. Her eyes were focused, and she instantly seized the moment when Momo was slightly relaxed, her sword flashing out like lightning, aimed straight at Momo's chest.

Momoko had anticipated this, and nimbly dodged to the side. The blade almost grazed her shoulder, but she didn't panic. Instead, she chuckled and quickly closed the distance, her katana slashing horizontally again.

"It seems like I've won almost all of them," Peach teased, a hint of smugness in her voice.

Her figure approached like a shadow, and the katana found an opportunity in the gaps in Yue's defense, probing Yue's weaknesses time and time again.

Yue was agile and quick, her movements as swift as the wind. With a slight turn of her body, she avoided Taozi's fatal blow.

With a flick of her wrist, the sword's edge arced from the side, launching a counterattack straight at Peach's side.

"But I won the last time." Yue's tone carried a faint smile.

Momo dodged Yue's attack and swiftly counterattacked, her katana drawing a beautiful arc in the air as it hurtled towards Yue's waist. "That was a draw, how can you say you won?"

Seeing this, Tsukiko nimbly retreated, her sword drawing a silver arc in the air as she swiftly parried Kurosawa Momoko's katana.

The moment the swords clashed, the sound of metal striking metal was crisp and resounding, and sparks flew at the point of impact.

"Pfft, hahahaha."

The two faced off briefly before quickly distancing themselves. In that instant, the tense atmosphere on stage was suddenly broken.

Peach's lips unconsciously curled up, and then she actually chuckled softly.

Seeing this, Yue's lips twitched slightly, and then the two of them burst into laughter almost at the same time, their laughter echoing on the stage.

"As expected... only you, Xiaoyue, can keep up with me." Momoko Kurosawa wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

Her expression suddenly turned slightly regretful, and her tone carried a hint of a sigh: "It's a pity that I couldn't keep you here back then."

Yue raised her sword and gently shook it, bluntly exposing the hypocrisy in Taozi's words, "If you really let me stay, I'm afraid I won't be the person you want me to be."

Momoko's eyes flickered for a moment, then returned to calm, as if accepting this helpless fact. "Yes." Her tone carried a hint of helplessness, but not disappointment. "What you said is indeed correct. The 'Hinasaki Tsuki' I want is just the Hinasaki Tsuki of my memory, the one I imagined."

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Yue gripped her weapon tighter, her gaze sharpening. She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Only now are you realizing the truth? It seems you're not as strong as I thought, Peach."

Peach wasn't angry; she simply shook her head gently, her tone calm yet reassuring. "No... I've always known, but I was just reluctant to admit it."

The conversation between the two seemed to break down some psychological barrier, and Momo's smile didn't fade; instead, it grew even brighter. "And I also want to try to mold you into the person I want you to be."

Yue sneered. Although her words were full of danger, there was no fear in her tone. Instead, there was a chilling ease in her voice: "In that situation, I would probably choose to commit suicide without hesitation."

She spoke casually, as if words like suicide had nothing to do with her.

Peach laughed too. She looked up at the moon, her tone a mix of mockery and sadness: "You're right. If I really did it, I'm afraid even I wouldn't be able to resist killing that 'moon' myself."

Although their words were cold, they seemed to reveal some kind of unspoken understanding.

"Then let's give it a try?" Yue lowered her body and slowly raised the Mo Dao in her hand, the blade gleaming under the stage lights with her breath.

“Then let me give it a try.” Momoko fully understood Yue’s “secret message” and gripped her katana tightly, lowering her stance.

There was nothing else in their eyes.

The stage lights and the gaze of the giraffes below the stage—all impure thoughts had been completely banished from their minds.

At this moment, Hinasaki and Momoko Kurosawa could only see each other's sparkling eyes.

"Moon, you've always been so cute," Momoko Kurosawa suddenly said.

"Thank you for the compliment, I've always been cute!" Yue grinned, accepting the compliment without hesitation.

The next moment, the two rushed towards each other, their weapons thrusting straight at one another.

Climax Stage: Chapter Ninety-Two - Concern Leads to Confusion

"Huff...huff..." Shiina Riki's breathing was rapid, his chest heaving violently.

She looked down at the cloak she was still wearing, its edges torn and the fabric ripped and tattered, swaying gently in the faint air currents.

Li hope shook her head gently, enduring the soreness in her body, and turned her gaze to the side.

Yawata Kairin collapsed on the other side of the stage, her cloak scattered around her.

Fatigue washed over him like a tidal wave, and Lixi's muscles ached so badly that it was almost unbearable; even standing up felt like torture.

Her legs began to tremble, and exhaustion made her almost want to collapse on the spot, but she gritted her teeth and resolutely supported her swaying body.

She suppressed her exhaustion and slowly walked towards Hailing.

As Li Xi walked up to Hai Ling, she stopped and looked down at her opponent.

Hachiman Kairin lay on the ground, her vision slightly blurred, her eyes revealing a hint of weariness, but more so a sense of relief and peace.

The battle was over, and the tension finally eased, as if all the burdens had been lifted from my body.

Suddenly, a familiar shadow loomed over her. Shiina Ritsuki stood beside her, extending a hand that trembled slightly, clearly exhausted from the recent battle.

Li hope didn't say much, but simply and forcefully said, "Come on."

She smiled slightly, without struggling or hesitating any longer, and reached out her hand to hold Lixi's hand tightly. She felt the warmth from his palm, a warmth that seemed to penetrate her tired body and help her slowly stand up.

Hai Ling gently patted the dust off her clothes, a helpless smile on her lips, and said softly, "I really... lost to you."

Li hope nodded slightly, said nothing more, and then turned and walked towards the exit.

Watching Lixi walk further and further away, Hailing suddenly asked, "Are you going to Hinasaki's place?"

Li hope stopped, turned to the side and nodded, her voice calm and firm: "Yes... Yue, she should be waiting for me."

Hai Ling's heart skipped a beat. Although she had anticipated this answer, hearing Li hope say it himself still brought an unavoidable sense of disappointment. She whispered, "...Is that so?"

As Lixi prepared to leave, Hailing reminded him again, "Be careful."

Li hope didn't turn around, and replied softly, "Hmm... I know that Senior Peach is very strong."

As Hailing watched Lixi's figure gradually disappear, a wave of helplessness and loss washed over her. She murmured softly to herself, "...Was I too late?"

Just as she was lost in thought, a soft footstep suddenly came from the bamboo forest.

Mortis slowly walked out and stood quietly beside Hailing. Her light green hair blended almost perfectly with the surrounding bamboo forest, and even Hailing didn't notice when she appeared.

"Timoris?" Mortis called softly.

Hai Ling turned her head and glanced at her, then revealed a faint smile and gently shook her head: "The stage is over, you can just call me Hai Ling."

Her tone was relaxed, as if she had let go of some burden. Then, she reached out and gently ruffled Xiao Mu's hair.

She suddenly realized that Xiao Mu's hair also felt nice to the touch, smooth and delicate, seemingly no worse than Li hope's.

Looking at Hailing, Ruoye Mu seemed to have gotten used to her affectionate behavior and didn't struggle much.

She simply stared silently at Hailing's tattered clothes, her eyes filled with concern: "Are you alright?" Her voice carried a hint of worry, clearly indicating that Hailing's disheveled appearance had worried her.

Hailing smiled, shook her head, and said easily, "It's okay... After leaving the stage, whether it's the Demon King or the Hero, the scars will disappear, and even the dead can come back to life."

"Can the dead come back to life?" Mu listened silently, his brows furrowing slightly, clearly puzzled and pondering the question.

----------

"Moon!" Shiina Tatsuki practically burst through the door and rushed anxiously onto the stage.

Her heart was pounding. She had expected to see a fierce battle, but the scene before her left her stunned.

The entire stage appeared ethereal and quiet, with only Hinasaki sitting alone in the chair in the center of the stage, the same chair that Momoko Kurosawa had sat in before.

The moon's figure appeared particularly lonely in the stage lights and shadows. A red cloak and a few golden buttons were scattered around her, the scattered objects telling the story of the fierce battle that had just taken place.

Lixi's gaze froze for a moment. Seeing the scattered clothes, she was almost certain that Yue had lost to Taozi in the battle just now.

"Li hope..." Yue's voice rang out softly. She looked up and saw Li Xi's figure. A trace of fatigue appeared on her face, and the light in her eyes seemed to be covered by something.

"Boom!"

Li hope's heart sank suddenly. Without any hesitation, he rushed onto the stage in three quick steps.

She leaped up the steps and embraced Yue tightly.

"It's okay...it's okay..." Li hope's voice trembled slightly, carrying a comforting softness, but also revealing the tension and unease in her heart.

However, Yue suddenly froze. She hadn't expected Li hope to make such a sudden move while she was being embraced.

She tilted her head slightly, a look of confusion and surprise on her face, and asked softly with a hint of uncertainty, "Xiao...Xiao hope, wh...what's wrong?"

Her voice was gentle, yet tinged with surprise, as if she hadn't fully grasped why Li Xi was in such a hurry.

Lixi was stunned when she heard Yue's voice.

She slowly released her embrace, looked down at the moon, and all the tension and anxiety suddenly stopped at that moment.

Her gaze quickly swept over Yue's expression, and she found that the other person was not as sad as she had imagined, which instantly threw her mind into chaos.

"Huh?" A look of confusion appeared in Li hope's eyes, and her mouth opened slightly, with an incredulous embarrassment.

Her voice sounded uncertain as she hesitantly asked, "Yue...aren't you sad because you lost?"

"I...I didn't lose..." Yue said with a helpless smile.

"Huh?" Lixi stared wide-eyed in disbelief, momentarily at a loss for words, a blush quickly spreading across her face.

I thought Yue had lost, so I rushed over to comfort her, but now you're telling me that Yue didn't actually lose.

"Hmm..." Yue nodded gently, her tone tinged with resentment, "It's a tie again."

A hint of disappointment and dissatisfaction flickered in her eyes. "I thought I could win this time."

"Oh, I see."

Li hope stared blankly at Yue, the embarrassment on her face gradually fading, but she also felt much more relaxed.