Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

The date of the report shows that it was several months ago.

Vegetative...

In other words... this "Kujo Renji" who once dominated the Tokyo underworld has now become a living dead lying in a hospital bed, without any consciousness?!

Why..

Why would Aine-chan suddenly mention the name of a person who has become a vegetable?

and..

Why... "Xiao Xiang," that... secret nickname full of special meaning... is also called "Lian Si"?!

Could it be...is this just a...coincidence?

Yutenji Wakamu's mind began to wander uncontrollably...

She remembered the slightly tentative and...meaningful look in Aine-chan's eyes when she asked that name in the cafe yesterday.

At that time, she was still puzzled by the other party's reaction.

but now...

Combined with the shocking information on the screen...

A thought that made her feel creepy was growing and spreading uncontrollably from the depths of her heart!

Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed through her mind!

She suddenly remembered something!

This time...

According to the report, "Kujo Renji" was in a car accident and became a vegetable...

She recalled carefully...

This time...

No... doesn't it perfectly coincide with the time when "Xiao Xiang"'s personality changed drastically, as if he had been completely reborn?!

She still remembers it clearly!

At the beginning, when Ave Mujica was just formed, she was dissatisfied with Xiaoxiang's style of doing things, so she mustered up the courage to propose to Xiaoxiang the idea of ​​"taking off the mask and acting in her true identity".

However, he was met with ruthless threats and warnings from "Xiao Xiang"!

She will never forget the look that "Xiaoxiang" gave her at that time!

That was the first time she felt awe for that "Toyokawa Shoko"!

And that day that completely changed her view of "Xiao Xiang"...

The time when the "Kujo Renji car accident" occurred...

Before and after... unexpectedly... less than a week!!!

Is this...is this...just a coincidence?!

An idea... more daring, more bizarre, even... one that even she herself found absurd and unbelievable, was like a wild beast that had escaped from a cage, roaring wildly in her mind and challenging her inherent cognition!

Could it be...

Yutenji Wakamu suddenly stood up from her chair. Because of excessive shock and excitement, her body was shaking slightly uncontrollably.

Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

A hypothesis that almost overturned her entire worldview began to gradually emerge in her mind...

.

PS: This chapter is 8,800 words long, rounded up to 9,000 words, a transition chapter.

I am so dizzy after writing this that I can’t think of anything more to say. Red Bean Paste Private Marseille.

Oh, I'll write another ten thousand tomorrow. I feel like I'm apologizing every day. I'm the king of pigeons.

Chapter 109: Good news, finally good news.

Kujo Renji discovered something very miraculous.

I don't know when it started, but the atmosphere inside Ave Mujica suddenly became a little subtle.

This subtlety does not mean that there are any irreconcilable conflicts between the members, or any disagreements on the future development direction of the band.

On the contrary, after experiencing a series of events such as "Xiangzi's disappearance" and "performance postponement", the cohesion between the girls seems to have become stronger.

What made Kujo Renji feel "subtle" was the vague sense of strangeness that some members had when they were with him.

Among them, the most obvious one is - Triangle Chuhua.

Kujo Renji always felt that this woman, Sankaku Hatsuka, seemed to be hiding something from him, even from the real Toyokawa Shoko.

This feeling is not groundless, but comes from some subtle but unignorable observations.

For example, in the band's daily rehearsals and discussions, although Chu Hua always puts forward some very constructive suggestions and shows amazing talent in music, when she occasionally looks at "Xiangzi", there is always a hint of indescribable complex emotions in her eyes.

That emotion wasn't filled with straightforward admiration and dependence like Miao Meng's, nor was it filled with pure trust and a hint of awe like Hai Ling's, nor was it like Mu's...

Well, Mu's eyes are hard to interpret most of the time.

All in all, Chu Hua's eyes now were more like a mixture of scrutiny, inquiry, and a subtle sense of alienation hidden beneath the mask of a smile.

Especially after a certain point in time

——Kujo Renji couldn't quite remember the exact day, but it was probably shortly after he "escaped" from Toyokawa's house and reported his safety in the group chat. That's when Sankaku Hatsuka's tentative tone became more obvious when she was with him.

She began to ask "Xiangzi" about things in the "past", intentionally or unintentionally.

For example, during a rehearsal break, when everyone was sitting together drinking water and taking a break, Chu Hua would casually mention:

"Speaking of which, Xiaoxiang, do you remember the first time we met?"

Or, when discussing the arrangement direction of a new song, she would suddenly say:

"The atmosphere of this song reminds me of when we were little and we watched the stars together."

These seemingly casual questions were actually quite deliberate in the eyes of Kujo Renji.

Of course, Kujo Renji could also clearly feel that when Sanjiao Chuhua was making these "tests", his inner attitude was not completely "hostile" or "malicious".

It was more like a complex emotion mixed with doubt, exploration, and a hint of insecurity and self-condemnation.

She seemed to be suspicious of something, but for some reason, she was not sure of her suspicion.

She seemed to be trying hard to find some "evidence" from "Xiangzi" that could confirm or overturn some of her inner guesses.

But every time, when Kujo Renji cleverly responded to her temptations with "memories" of certain hidden details of the past that only the real Toyokawa Shoko would know, Chuhua's eyes would reveal a look of self-doubt.

It was as if she was doubting herself, wondering if she was overthinking things or being too suspicious.

Is it because of some unknown reasons that people have developed unnecessary misunderstandings and prejudices against "Xiangzi"?

Kujo Renji guessed that Sankaku Hatsuka might have obtained some...sensational "guesses" or "hints" about the true identity of "Toyokawa Shoko" at the moment from a "third party" channel.

However, since he did not show any major flaws in his daily words and deeds, and even occasionally revealed some information that only the previous Toyokawa Shoko would know, Chuhua became hesitant and uncertain about the "speculations" from the "third party".

This contradiction and entanglement caused Sanjiao Chuhua to fall into a state of self-doubt and even self-denial.

On the one hand, she couldn't completely dispel the doubt deep in her heart;

On the other hand, because of Xiangzi's seemingly flawless performance, he began to doubt his own judgment. Was it because of some personal emotions that he made unfair assumptions about Xiangzi?

This inner tug-of-war and torment is naturally reflected in her words and deeds when she is with "Xiangzi".

——Sometimes tentative, sometimes close; sometimes suspicious, sometimes showing guilt and self-blame.

Of course, these are just some speculations made by Kujo Renji based on his own observations and analysis.

What is Sanjiao Chuhua thinking deep down? How much "intelligence" does she have? What choice will she make in the end?

All of this is still unknown.

This silent temptation and counter-temptation surrounding the true identity of "Toyokawa Shoko" will undoubtedly be a protracted battle that will take a long time and is full of tug-of-war and game-playing.

Jiujo Liansi was not impatient about this.

...

What he cared about more, or rather felt a little confused about, was actually another talented player in the team...

If Sankaku Hatsuka's words and actions, which were obviously tentative, were still within the "range of understanding" of Kujo Renji.

The other person seemed quite intriguing, even to the point of confusing him.

This person is Yutenji Wakamugi.

Although those "little moves" of Sanjiao Chuhua are full of temptations, at least there are traces to follow and logic to deduce.

Kujo Renji could roughly guess that she might have doubted the identity of "Toyokawa Shoko" due to the interference of some "external information".

But Teacher Da Miao’s “transformation” seems a bit abrupt and inexplicable.

In recent days, Kujo Renji has keenly noticed that this "number one fan" who usually wants to stick to "Xiaoxiang" 24 hours a day has undergone some very subtle changes in his attitude when interacting with him.

She would still greet "Xiaoxiang" warmly as usual.

but...

Beneath those seemingly normal words and actions, Kujo Renji could clearly feel that Yutenji Wakamu seemed to be deliberately observing him and cautiously testing something.

It feels like a curious kitten trying to touch a mysterious object that it is both afraid of and can't help but want to find out.

When talking about an irrelevant topic, she would suddenly ask some very detailed questions about Xiaoxiang's past preferences or certain specific habits in a seemingly casual tone.

These temptations are all very obscure and cautious, as if they are afraid of accidentally touching some "taboo".

But the question is...what exactly is she trying to test?

What else could she find out?

What exactly is the reason that leads to her strange attitude of "wanting to try something but not daring to"?

Kujo Renji couldn't understand why.

He even once suspected that he had been too busy dealing with Toyokawa's family affairs recently and neglected to "care" for the band members, causing this "number one fan" to have some... unnecessary "sense of loss" and "sense of crisis"?

However, just when Kujo Renji was still wondering about Yutenji Wakami's abnormal behavior, he never expected... the girl actually took the initiative to attack him.

This is a private message from Yutenji Ruomai.

Ruomai: "Xiaoxiang, are you there? I want to... tell you a story, is that okay?"

tell a story?

He thought for a moment and replied, "Yeah, I'm in. What's the story?"

Soon, Yutenji Wakami's message came back.

Ruomai: "This is a fable...I recently came across it."

"The story goes that... a long time ago, there was a country. In that country, there was a general who was extremely loyal to their king."

"But, that king, at first, was actually... well, how should I put it, he was a bit incompetent. He wasn't very good at governing the country, and he didn't care much about the suffering of the people. Therefore, the country's situation has never been good."

"But then, one day, that foolish king suddenly seemed to... come to his senses! He became incredibly wise and powerful! He began to work hard, caring for the people, appointing people based on their merits... Under his rule, the country grew stronger and more prosperous day by day!"

"The general, seeing the king's transformation, was naturally... ecstatic! His loyalty and admiration for this 'reborn' king became even stronger!"

"Since then, the general has wholeheartedly assisted this 'wise ruler', making great contributions to the country and gaining the king's trust and respect."

"But... just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, one day, a mysterious priest secretly found the general and told him a secret... that he could hardly believe."

"The priests say... their wise and mighty king has actually... long been 'controlled' by a powerful witch using evil magic! The 'king' who now sits on the throne is nothing more than... a puppet controlled by the witch!"

"So...here comes the question, Xiaoxiang."

"If... you were that general, what would you think?"

"To whom have you always been loyal... the once incompetent, yet 'real' king? Or... the 'false' king... who, though wise and powerful, may have been possessed by a witch?"

"Or rather... to whom, General, is your true loyalty... the body and identity of the 'King'? Or... the 'Witch' who controls the King's soul, making him wise and powerful?"

Looking at the "story" full of metaphors and directions sent by Yutenji Wakami in the chat box, Kujo Renji tapped his fingertips lightly on the phone screen and fell into a brief silence.