Maki looked up somewhat blankly, and then Riki's slightly damp fingers were placed inside Maki's lips.

Lixi said in a gentle voice, "I forgive you."

Under the ripples of moonlight, Banami stared blankly at the scene. Riki seemed to possess an inexplicable divinity, as well as an equal amount of depravity.

***

The next morning, in order to prevent Shiina's parents from finding out that the two sisters had played such a crazy game with Hanami the day before, the three of them got up early. Perhaps to calm their minds a little, Riki changed her clothes and went out for a walk.

Banami thought to herself, "As expected of Riki, who has a healthy body. He was clearly in excruciating pain yesterday."

When Banami found Maki in the kitchen, she was standing in front of the sink washing fruit. Sunlight shone on her, and she had regained her usual elegant and composed demeanor, as if the "breakdown" in the room yesterday had never happened.

"Maki-nee, are you... alright?" Hanami walked over and looked at the faint red marks on her wrist.

Maki turned around, holding a washed apple in her hand and handed it to Hanami. The slight redness in the corners of her eyes proved that he hadn't been dreaming yesterday. She said in a gentle voice, "It's nothing. After all, it was my fault in the first place. As long as you don't make fun of me about it in the future, that's fine."

He seemed no different from usual. Just as Banami was about to turn around and leave the Shiina family to find Ritsuki, he suddenly seemed to remember something, turned around, and tentatively asked, "Did you have fun last night?"

Maki paused slightly, then her calm smile gradually turned hurried, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you, Xi-jun."

Seeing this, Banai suddenly understood, but was still somewhat shocked. She continued, "I just felt that you were acting strangely last night, as if you were deliberately trying to provoke Riki and make her go berserk. This is not like you."

Maki was breathing heavily, but a smile still appeared on her face: "At least, we fooled Riki, right?"

Seeing that she seemed somewhat incredulous, Banai said, "You...you really..."

Even Maki, upon hearing this, revealed a rare hint of shame. She said, "I...actually, seeing you and Ritsuki being intimate gives me a strange...excitement. I don't know why, so last night, I deliberately let Ritsuki get revenge on me, just to test it out. I didn't expect..."

Seeing the person I love doing that kind of thing with my dearest sister in front of me... I felt incredibly painful, yet, amidst the pain, there was also an equal degree of excitement.

Banami froze completely. He finally understood that Maki's "pain" yesterday was fake; those tremblings and tears were all an act, and what she truly enjoyed was the thrill of being "betrayed"—

It seems that this time, her twisted inner side was brought to the surface completely.

Moreover, it was only when Banami was with Riki that she felt a different kind of emotion.

"Hanami, Maki-nee, I'm back." Riki's voice came from the entrance.

Just then, Maki placed her damp fingers inside Hanami's mouth and whispered, "Don't tell Ritsuki, okay? This is a secret between you and me. From now on, whenever you're being affectionate with Ritsuki, I'll secretly hide it..."

Don't make that face, I'll... give you a reward~~

Okay, Riki got her revenge on her sister and even confirmed her relationship with Banami. She wins!

Maki found a new hobby and helped Hanami win over Ritsuki. Win!

As for Banami, she will be able to unlock more ways to play with the Shiina sisters in the future, and she will win!

A win-win-win situation, we're so excited!

So, who lost?

***

Meanwhile, inside Maki's apartment, a dark-skinned figure nearly kicked the door open and rushed in, shouting, "Shiina Maki, you get out here right now!"

Kumamoto girl Meow-chan finally rushed back from her hometown to the apartment she shares with Maki overnight.

"Huh? Where is everyone? Did you realize you'd offended me and run away before it happened?"

Chapter Seventeen: The First Blossoms of the Triangle (True)

On the Shinkansen heading to Tokyo, golden wheat ears gleamed in the fields. Even though they were separated by the high-speed train carriages, the middle-aged woman wearing a shawl could almost smell the earth.

Nao Misumi squinted slightly, trying to see more clearly, but was interrupted by the voice of the girl next to her.

"Mom, have a pear. It looks juicy and sweet."

Nao Misumi put the pear slices her daughter had peeled into her mouth, savoring the sweet flesh, and said softly, "Hatsuka, have you decided which school in Tokyo you want to transfer to?"

The girl wearing a baseball cap next to him shook her head slightly and said, "Not yet. I plan to visit those schools in person after I get to Tokyo before making a decision, and also..."

Before she could finish speaking, the girl's phone rang. She quickly picked it up and started replying, looking quite busy.

"What's wrong?" Ms. Nao asked curiously.

"It's nothing, it's just that my old classmates were all very surprised that I suddenly wanted to transfer schools," Chu Hua said in a lighthearted tone.

“Actually, I was also surprised. I just wanted to discuss it with you, I didn’t mean to force you…” Ms. Nao’s words carried a slightly doubtful tone. When Toyokawa Sadaharu suggested that she go to Tokyo to recuperate, she hesitated for a long time, so she wanted Hatsuka to make the decision.

After all, Chu Hua had gotten used to school and life near Okinawa, and she heard that she had many friends at school.

To her surprise, Chu Hua agreed immediately when she only asked tentatively, and quickly applied for all the necessary procedures herself, almost without any hesitation.

"Don't you feel sad about leaving school?" Ms. Nao asked.

As a result, Chu Hua looked at her mother and said in a slightly lighthearted tone, "They can't really be considered my friends."

Ms. Nao was slightly taken aback, but Hatsuka couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Just kidding, Mom. Compared to something as trivial as parting with friends, Mom's health is definitely more important. After all, the medical conditions in Tokyo are better."

Hatsuka remained completely indifferent. Although the Hatsune and Hatsuka sisters looked very similar, their mother knew best just how different their personalities were. Compared to the introverted, sensitive, and quiet Hatsune, Hatsuka, who sometimes seemed cheerful, was the one who gave Nao more headaches, because... she didn't even know what Hatsuka was really thinking.

Even Ms. Nao herself wasn't sure if she had truly opened her heart to her mother.

Actually, Chu Hua wasn't like this when she was little. She had a very sunny and cheerful personality, and her smile was pure and innocent, just like any other child born on the island. She always got herself dirty, like a little boy.

As for when she started to change, Ms. Nao thought that perhaps it was when Hatsune Miku, under the name Hatsuka, went to Tokyo to form an idol group called SUMIMI, and gained nationwide fame.

Since then, Chu Hua, who was often mistaken for someone else, still seemed cheerful, but there were some inexplicable changes that her mother couldn't understand.

Regardless, this made Nao, as a mother, feel deeply guilty. This time, she agreed to go to Tokyo with Toyokawa Sadaharu. Her own health was secondary; her main goal was to reconcile the two sisters.

Although... she wasn't sure if the two sisters had actually argued.

"Um, Hatsuka, you..." Before Ms. Kanao could ask anything, her daughter interrupted her, pointing to the screen in front of the Shinkansen and saying, "Look, it's Hatsune Miku's performance."

Ms. Nao looked up and saw on the screen her daughter and another girl with long black hair waving enthusiastically to the audience; it looked like a recording of some performance.

"Hello everyone, I'm Junda Mana desu, the lead vocalist of SUMIMI."

Every time Hatsune goes home, she tells this lovely girl that thanks to Ms. Junta's help, Hatsune, who recklessly went to Tokyo, was able to settle down in that big city where you can't see the stars and start her own business.

But.....

Then, Ms. Nao heard her eldest daughter, Hatsune, say, "Hello everyone, I am SUMIMI's guitarist, Misumi Hatsuka."

At this moment, Hatsune Miku's tone was no longer the timid one she was familiar with; instead, it sounded exactly like the girl sitting next to her, almost identical.

Ms. Nao looked at the girl beside her and wondered how she viewed having her name and even identity taken away by her older sister.

"Hatsuka, do you... hate your sister?" Nao asked bluntly.

Chu Hua tilted her head slightly and said, "Hate... Sister Hatsune? Why? She made my name famous throughout the country."

It was the same answer every time. This wasn't the first time Ms. Nao had tried to communicate with Hatsuka, but she always got the same response.

Just then, a ticket inspector came up to the two and said, "Excuse me, could you please show me your tickets so I can check them?"

"Ah, please wait a moment."

Ms. Nao's questioning was interrupted as the girl turned to deal with the ticket inspector.

She quickly retrieved her and her mother's tickets, but the ticket inspector seemed to realize something. She first glanced at the screen showing SUMIMI's performance, especially the guitarist Hatsuka Mitsumi with her beautiful blonde hair, and then turned to look at the girl in the baseball cap in front of her. The two looked almost... exactly the same.

The ticket inspector seemed to have forgotten her duties and asked with some surprise, "You...excuse me, are you Miss Mikasa Hatsuka?"

The ticket inspector's voice trembled slightly. Clearly, he was quite fond of SUMIMI, and it was not surprising that he lost his composure at the sight of his idol on the train.

Even though her name was called, Misumi Hatsune knew that the person calling her was not Misaki. She said as if she knew it all too well, "You've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Misumi Hatsune."

After saying that, she handed the ticket to the other person. The ticket inspector stared blankly at the two words "Hatsune" written on the ticket, his gaze shifting back and forth between the ticket and the girl's face.

"But...but...could it be that you are bisexual...?"

Before the ticket inspector could recover from the chaos, Chu Hua smiled brightly but with a hint of distance and asked, "Is there anything else?"

These words reminded the ticket inspector of his duties and the reality of his work.

He was only there to check the ticket; it was enough for the other party to show the ticket. If he continued to question them, the other party could file a complaint against him.

As if sensing the other person's resistance, the ticket inspector quickly returned the ticket to the person, apologized, and left, but still looked unsatisfied.

This seemed to be a daily routine for the girl, who habitually pulled her hat down to avoid causing a bigger commotion.

Soon after, the two finally arrived at Tokyo Station. Hatsuka deftly unloaded her rather large suitcase and helped Ms. Nao off the train.

Just then, a strange girl's voice called out nervously, "Excuse me, are you Miss Mika Mika?"

Chu Hua stopped, took off her hat, and then used a rubber band to tie her long hair into a neat braid. Her appearance was quite androgynous, and the way she turned around also looked neat and heroic.

"No, you've mistaken me for someone else. I (boku) am a boy," Hatsuka said to the SUMIMI fan girl with a bright, sunny smile.

Moreover, her voice at that moment sounded like that of a boy before his voice changed, completely different from the "Hatsuka Mitsuko" on TV. This immediately made the fan girl, who had mustered up her courage, apologize.

"It's okay, I'm a fan of SUMIMI too. I started dressing up like Mitsuka because I really like Mitsuka. I didn't expect to look a little too much like her." Mitsuka even had the nerve to comfort her.

A short while later, Chu Hua said goodbye to the female fan and even exchanged LINE contact information with her.

"Mom, let's go. Hatsune Miku should be waiting for us outside the station. Luckily she didn't come in, otherwise there would probably be a huge mess."

Chu Hua spoke in a light tone, as if she was already very used to what had just happened, and this skillful response seemed to have become a daily routine.

All of this was observed by Ms. Nao.

This situation has happened countless times just when she's with Chu Hua, let alone when Chu Hua goes to school alone.

Chapter 18 Chu Hua: Who should I go play with first?

Not long after, the mother and daughter from the Sankaku family, who were new to Kyoto, arrived at a coffee shop not far from the station. The environment inside was relatively quiet, and considering Hatsune's special status, it was only natural for them to meet in such a place.

Supported by her daughter, Nao Mikado walked into the cafe and saw a girl wearing a baseball cap sitting anxiously in a dark corner not far away, as if she was afraid of being recognized.

But when she looked up and saw herself and the girl beside her, she couldn't help but stand up excitedly and call out, "Mommy, Chuhua, over here...!"

After shouting, she seemed to realize that she was in a public place, and quickly sat down, blushing.

Although it had been a few months since they last met, the child's temperament really hadn't changed at all. There was no need to guess; he was so easy to understand, Ms. Nao thought to herself.

Soon, the mother and daughter sat down opposite Hatsune Miku.

"Mom, was the tram ride tiring? Are you feeling unwell now?" Hatsune asked with concern.

Ms. Nao gently shook her head and said, "No, Hatsuka is taking care of me."

At this moment, Hatsune Miku finally had a chance to look at the girl next to her who was dressed very similarly to herself, but her attitude was somewhat reserved and hesitant. On the contrary, it was Hatsuka who took the initiative to greet her.

"It's been a long time, Hatsune-neechan," Chuka said in a cheerful tone.

"Ah, thank you for your hard work, Chu Hua." Hatsune said shyly, a beat late in the morning.

Even though they are half-sisters, they are still biological sisters. Judging from their appearance, their relationship is not as close as that of the Shiina sisters.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it. Ever since Hatsune Miku started performing at SUMIMI, she's had almost no personal time. Even when she goes back to the island to visit her mother, the time is very limited.

While Hatsune goes home, Hatsuka usually stays at school, and the two sisters can only see each other about once a year, around the Lunar New Year.

Moreover, Hatsune felt a sense of guilt, so even when she met Hatsuka, she was very polite, which was completely unlike her older sister.

This is also one of the reasons why Ms. Nao was determined to go to Tokyo.

She didn't know how long her body could hold on, and she was afraid that if the two sisters' misunderstandings weren't resolved after she left, Chu Hua would be all alone.

"I just saw SUMIMI's performance on the screen on the Shinkansen. Hatsune-nee, your guitar playing was really amazing." Chu Hua didn't mention being mistaken for someone else twice, but instead praised the other person's performance, making Hatsune lower her head, looking a little embarrassed.

"No, not at all..."

Ms. Nao, who had witnessed all of this, gently interrupted, "Hatsune, have you taken care of the house I asked you to rent?"

Before heading to Tokyo, Ms. Nao asked Hatsune to rent an apartment that could accommodate the three of them, and she transferred the money to her.

"Ah, um, I asked my manager to help me find one, the environment is quite nice..." Hatsune's tone became hesitant as she said this.

"What's wrong? Is the rent too expensive?" Ms. Nao asked.

Hatsune quickly waved her hand. Although the money her mother sent was indeed not enough, she had secretly made up the difference long ago, and she didn't need the money.

"I was thinking... since Mom and Hatsuka are both in Tokyo, why don't you... why don't you just stay at the Toyokawa house with me? It's not just Saki-chan, other girls also stay there from time to time, it's very lively."

Besides, Mom used to work for the Toyokawa family, so Saki and Hanami will definitely be happy to see you, Mom.

Although she had already rented a house, Hatsune foolishly thought that everyone would be happier living together.

Chu Hua's eyes twitched slightly, but she still maintained her smile, though her expression was a little sweaty.

As soon as Hatsune finished speaking, Ms. Nao interrupted, "Don't say any more, Hatsune! I welcome Ms. Shoko and Mr. Banami to visit me, but I am no longer a servant of the Toyokawa family. To that family, I am an outsider with no relation whatsoever."

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