Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

"I can! I can do it! I swear! I will never tell anyone about it! Not even a word! Please, please Lian...ah no! Please don't worry, Miss Xiangzi!"

Seeing her trying so hard to show her loyalty, Kujo Renji sighed silently in his heart.

It seems...it's time to put improving Miss Yutenji's "loyalty" on the agenda.

A "family member" who is completely controllable and will never betray you is much safer than a "fan" who is temporarily reliable only because of admiration.

...

When the apartment door closed behind him, completely isolating him from the suffocating interrogation atmosphere, Yutenji Wakami felt his tense nerves finally relax.

She breathed a long sigh of relief and patted her chest which was still pounding. The tension of being scrutinized and warned had not completely dissipated.

However, unlike the fear and frustration she had expected, a strange, indescribable sense of excitement spread quickly throughout her limbs and bones like an electric current!

She stood in the elevator, looking at her cheeks in the mirror, which were slightly flushed due to nervousness and excitement. Her beautiful pink pupils were flashing with a strange light, and the corners of her mouth rose uncontrollably, eventually turning into a big, silly smile.

Hehehe...hehehehe...

Xiaoxiang...took me to her house!

Although the process was a bit... thrilling, the result was good!

Not only did she go to Xiaoxiang's home, she also learned the extremely special "nickname" that only Mu could call him.

——Lian Si!

Sure enough! This name must be very important to Xiaoxiang! It must represent some special meaning, an unknown past, or a secret hidden deep in his heart!

Although Xiaoxiang tried hard to cover it up, saying it was "some small things" and "not convenient for outsiders to know", his serious expression and solemn warning only confirmed Ruomai's guess!

This is definitely not just an ordinary "thing"!

A strong, almost mission-like feeling burned in Ruomai's heart like a prairie fire.

If... if she could quietly, without Xiaoxiang finding out, what exactly did the name "Lian Si" mean to Xiaoxiang...

Does that mean she's truly entered Xiaoxiang's heart, becoming that one-of-a-kind "confidant" with whom she can share her deepest secrets?!

This... isn't this what she's been waiting for, dreaming of, the super bond storyline that will bring her and Xiaoxiang closer?!

It's just like triggering a hidden quest line in a strategy game!

Thinking of this, Yutenji Ruomai felt excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood!

The tension and uneasiness caused by the interrogation were instantly washed away by this huge "opportunity"!

She walked out of the apartment building, the cool night breeze ruffling her carefully styled purple short hair, but it did nothing to cool the passion in her heart.

The streetlights lengthened her figure, illuminating her pink eyes that sparkled with excitement.

She took out her phone and looked at the chat history with Xiaoxiang...

Hmm! Xiaoxiang must be afraid that this secret will be known by others, so he is so nervous!

It's okay! Leave it to me, Xiaoxiang!

I, Yutenji Wakamugi, will definitely help you keep this secret!

This is my unique "bond mission"!

.......

Although Miss Yutenji gave Kujo Renji a headache, fortunately, she at least agreed to keep her mouth shut on the surface.

At present, it seems that her condition is still under control and there is no need to worry too much for the time being.

Life's gears don't stop because of these minor incidents. As autumn deepens, Ave Mujica's activities enter a new, more intense phase.

The band's momentum is strong. Since the successful Osaka show, which featured the unveiling of Wakamu Yutenji, Ave Mujica's mystique has been lifted, but this has not only not diminished its appeal, but has instead sparked wider discussion and a more enthusiastic following.

"The puppets' awakening of self-awareness", "The rebellion of the Broken Theater"...

These worldview concepts originally constructed by Toyokawa Shoko have gradually become fuller and more fascinating through real-life performances and online fermentation.

Now, it's time for the next act of drama.

According to the established "Human Form Collapse" script, the next person who will take off the cold mask and reveal his true self is the Timoris representing "fear" - Hachiman Kairin.

As the performance date approaches, the entire team is engaged in intensive preparations.

In the rehearsal room, the sounds of musical instruments, the members' discussions, and the calm guidance of Renji Kujo were intertwined, and the air was filled with a sense of tension before the battle.

As the upcoming "protagonist", Hachiman Kailing naturally has the most pressure and practices extremely hard, but occasionally her face reveals an unconcealable nervousness.

As the actual controller and producer of the band, Renji Kujo is naturally the busiest one among them.

In addition to overseeing rehearsals and coordinating resources, he also personally finalized every detail related to the performance. Over the past few days, he's been communicating frequently with the venue, the stage design team, and the lighting and sound engineers to ensure that every aspect perfectly captures the effect he, or rather, Toyokawa Shoko, originally envisioned.

The stage design was revised several times, and finally a style more inclined towards the ruins of a Gothic castle was decided to fit Timoris's theme of "fear".

Dark light and shadow, broken mirrors, tangled thorns... strive to create a visually oppressive, broken, yet eeriely beautiful atmosphere.

Of course, the stage design and script flow of all of this still largely follow the original ideas left by Toyokawa Shoko.

Jiujo Renji only optimized and adjusted the execution. However, when he carefully read the script written by Xiangzi for this performance, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

He leaned against the desk in his apartment, holding the printed pages of dialogue between his fingers. Looking at the gorgeous yet somewhat empty words on them, he couldn't help but complain silently in his heart:

"...something like 'Goddess Oblivionis whispers from the Throne of Thorns'...something like 'Knight Timoris breaks free from the shackles of fear and swings his sword at the false Holy Light'...isn't this too childish?"

If Ave Mujica's previous lines were still at the mysterious and vague "riddler" stage, although confusing, they at least maintained a mysterious "style".

This time, Xiangzi seemed to want to tell the "story" more directly, and the lines became much more straightforward. Settings about goddesses, knights, holy light, fate, etc. were put forward... The result was that the class was not maintained, but instead made people dig their toes into the ground and feel embarrassed.

Kujo Renji sighed and rubbed his eyebrows.

How about... let's go back to the Riddler style? I still don't understand what your grand Ave Mujica worldview is trying to express, but at least the Riddler sounds cooler and fits the overall tone of the band better.

You suddenly started telling stories in plain language, which not only lowered your status, but also completely exposed your dialogue writing skills, which were not very good to begin with, Miss Xiangzi!

This was so awkward that he could hardly bear to watch it.

Just as Kujo Renji was madly complaining in his mind, the consciousness of Toyokawa Shoko in his mind also obviously felt this undisguised "contempt". After a moment of silence, he finally couldn't help it and retorted with a tone of anger:

"Chuunibunny?! What qualifications do you have to say that to me?! Wasn't your previous name 'Soryukai' also chuunibunny?!" Toyokawa Shoko's voice was filled with obvious, embarrassed annoyance.

Upon hearing this, Kujo Renji put down the script and refuted confidently:

"How can they be the same? Of course, the names of underworld organizations should be more domineering and intimidating! 'Blue Dragon Society' sounds very imposing and fits the organization's positioning. Your band's dialogue sounds like something out of a cheesy light novel. How can it be compared?"

"You—!" Xiangzi was so angry at his twisted logic that he was speechless. "Then what kind of line do you think is not childish?!"

"At least don't keep calling me the goddess knight..."

Kujo Renji suggested:

"Wouldn't it be more stylish to use more imagery, leave more blank space, and let the audience guess for themselves?"

"That's because you simply don't understand the profound meaning of what I want to express!" Xiangzi tried to save face.

"Just say so."

Kujo Renji was too lazy to argue with her, so he said something perfunctorily and returned his gaze to the headache-inducing script. He began to think about how to "polish" these awkward lines while retaining Xiangzi's core setting.

In his mind, Shoko Toyokawa was still muttering indignantly, "The Soryu Kai is obviously more childish," but Kujo Renji had automatically blocked out her voice and started his "editing" work.

After all, the performance effect is the most important thing. As for the original creator's "glass heart", we can't take it into consideration for the time being.

.....

Regarding Timoris's unveiling performance plan, after drastic "polishing" and adjustments by Renji Kujo, the final version was finally finalized.

The stage renderings, lighting sequences, background music arrangement, and even every line that has been "de-middle schooled" have all been implemented in detail.

The relevant publicity and preheating have also been launched step by step. The speculation and discussion on the Internet about "who will be the next puppet to take off the mask" have once again pushed Ave Mujica to the center of the topic.

As the preparations for the performance got on track, everything seemed to have returned to a regular daily rhythm.

The band members attended rehearsals on time, and Kujo Renji continued to play his role as the mastermind producer, while also not relaxing his attention on the developments of the Toyokawa family and the Soryukai.

The previous concerns about Wakaba Mu's mental state seemed to have gradually subsided.

Ever since Mortis made a brief appearance last time and mentioned that Mu went to the consciousness space to "correct" the mysterious personality, Mu's performance has been very stable and there have been no abnormalities.

Kujo Renji asked her several times indirectly whether the matter in the "theater" had been resolved, but Muto just nodded calmly, indicating "no problem."

Judging from her appearance, she certainly didn't seem to be in any trouble.

Since the person involved said so himself, Kujo Renji could only put aside his doubts for the time being.

The days passed slowly in dullness, and the autumn atmosphere in Tokyo became increasingly strong.

One weekend afternoon, the sun shone through the glass windows into the apartment, bringing warmth.

It was a rare occasion that Kujo Renji was not out handling matters. He was leaning on the sofa and reading a report on the music industry.

Ruoye Muze sat on the carpet, leaning against the sofa, holding her somewhat old rag doll in her arms, quietly watching the animal documentary on TV.

The documentary happened to introduce a kind of fox living in the cold zone. In order to adapt to the winter, they will change into a thick white fur.

Mu watched intently. When she saw a furry, chubby white fox rolling in the snow, she suddenly turned her head to look at Kujo Renji and said as if stating a fact:

"Lian Si, it's time for you to shed your fur."

"puff--"

Jiujo Renji almost spit out the water he had just drunk. He put down the report and looked at Mu with a mixture of laughter and tears:

"I'm not a fox, why should I change my fur?"

Mu blinked, as if finding his rebuttal strange. She pointed at the slightly flimsy home clothes on Kujo Renji, then at the branches outside the window swaying in the wind, most of the leaves having fallen off, and said seriously:

"It's cold. Wear thick clothes."

In her opinion, when the weather gets colder, people should put on thicker clothes just like animals shed their fur. This is a simple and clear logic.

"I know I need to wear thick clothes when it's cold."

Jiujo Renji explained somewhat helplessly:

"But that's not called molting, it's called changing clothes or adding clothes."

Mu nodded, not quite understanding, then pointed at Kujo Renji's iconic long blue hair and continued:

"My hair needs to grow thicker, too."

Kujo Renji:

"..."

He felt that his communication with Mu sometimes really required crossing the species gap.

"Hair doesn't get thicker just because it's cold, Mu."

Mu seemed a little disappointed when she heard this. She looked down at the rag doll in her arms, then looked up at Jiujo Liansi, then silently picked up a thin blanket from the sofa and covered Jiujo Liansi's legs without saying a word.

"Keep it covered. Don't get cold."

She showed her concern through her actions.

Looking at the blanket on his legs that was warm with Mu's body temperature, and feeling the girl's clumsy but pure kindness, the helplessness in Kujo Renji's heart was instantly replaced by warmth.

He stretched out his hand and ruffled Mu's soft light green hair:

"Okay, thank you Mu."

Mu seemed to really like having his hair rubbed. His little head shook slightly like a cat having its fur stroked, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curl upwards almost imperceptibly.

The sun is shining and the years are peaceful.

.

However, deep down in our consciousness, things are not always sunny.

In the spiritual space that Muhe and Mortis called "theater", there was now an oppressive and restless atmosphere that was completely different from the peaceful real world.

The main body of the space is still the familiar, spacious and gorgeous opera house stage.

The pale light of the spotlight hit the center of the stage, but the surrounding audience seats were hidden in the thick darkness, as if countless prying eyes were lurking there.

Mortis, the girl who represents Mu's more lively and extroverted personality, is now pacing back and forth anxiously on the edge of the stage.

She was wearing a black dress with a Gothic Lolita style, which was very different from her usual style. Her long light green hair was loose, and her golden eyes were filled with obvious worry.

"Mu, are you sure everything is okay?"

Mortis paused and looked at the figure standing quietly in the center of the stage—Mu, wearing a white dress, representing the main personality. Her voice trembled slightly: