Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

"I mean..."

Jiujo Renji repeated it patiently:

"The external threat has been eliminated, you are safe now. There is no need for us to continue living together."

necessary.

This word made the girl a little flustered. She subconsciously thought that she had done something wrong and made "Xiaoxiang" unhappy.

Are the cookies you baked yourself too bad?

Or was there something I didn’t sing well enough during practice last night?

Her brain was working rapidly, frantically reviewing her recent words and actions, trying to find the possible "mistake".

But what Kujo Renji said next dispelled her self-doubt, but also made her fall into deeper loss.

"It's not your problem."

It's not your problem.

Hearing this, Chu Hua subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, an even more turbulent and irrepressible sense of loss overwhelmed her like a tide.

It turns out...it's just because there is no "necessity" anymore.

She lowered her head and looked at the plate of warm and fragrant cookies in her hand.

The living room fell into silence, with only the faint sound of wind outside the window and her own heartbeat, so heavy that she could almost hear it.

She knew she should say "yes".

She should have acted sensibly and thoughtfully, said "thank you for taking care of me during this time" with a smile, and then sent him off like a qualified, independent adult.

But, she couldn't do it.

When she thought that this house filled with the scent of "Xiaoxiang" would become empty and cold again after tomorrow; when she thought that she would never be able to smell the familiar, cool wood fragrance again; and that she would no longer have a reason to learn those "new skills"... her heart ached, as if it was being gripped by an invisible hand.

She didn't want to go back to her previous life of being alone.

She wanted to keep this hard-earned and defined "daily life".

a long time.

Just when Kujo Renji thought she had accepted the decision and was about to turn around and pack up, Chuhua finally spoke again.

Her voice was very soft, with a barely perceptible tremor caused by nervousness.

She raised her head, mustered up the greatest courage of her life, and carefully met the bottomless golden pupils with her purple eyes that were misted with loss.

"Um...can I move in with you?"

She asked.

Kujo Renji originally wanted to refuse.

First of all, it's illogical.

His reason for moving out was that "the risk has been eliminated", so if she moved out with him, it would fundamentally negate this premise, making the whole behavior contradictory.

Second, this increases uncontrollable variables.

The reasons for rejection were numerous and clear. He had even mentally formulated the words to say "no."

However, he didn't.

Because the girl's eyes were so foul.

The words of refusal got stuck in my throat.

He looked at her and was silent for more than ten seconds.

During these ten seconds, he quickly tried to find a reasonable explanation for his impending irrational behavior.

He told himself that this was not a sign of weakness, but a deeper asset management strategy.

Yes, that's it.

This is a well-considered decision made to maximize benefits.

He found a perfect excuse for his "exception".

So, he finally spoke.

"Are there a lot of things?"

Chu Hua was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't immediately understand the meaning of this question.

"If it's not much, you can start cleaning it up now," added Kujo Renji.

At that moment, Chu Hua didn't say anything, but just nodded vigorously, then turned around, as if he was afraid that if he was a second late, the other party would go back on his word.

Jiujo Renji stood there, looking at her flustered back, then looked down at his hand which she had stuffed with a warm biscuit at some point.

He put the cookie in his mouth and tasted a faint sweetness with the aroma of almonds.

trouble.

In his heart, he once again evaluated his "asset".

......

after a while.

The daily routine of being bombarded with the same expressionless emojis on time every day is finally over.

Instead, Ruo Yemu tilted his head, looked at him, and then looked at Sanjiao Chuhua who was following him closely with his head lowered like a child who had done something wrong.

It was a look that made one feel a little guilty.

Chu Hua's heart was in her throat. She felt like an intruder, an uninvited guest who had entered someone else's territory.

This realization filled her with guilt.

"Um, Xiao Mu," she mustered up her courage and stammered, "I...I won't cause you any trouble! I...I can sleep on the sofa! I..."

She spoke incoherently, became more and more panicked, and her voice became softer and softer.

However, Ruoye Mu did not listen to her finish her words.

She raised her hand and said in her usual concise way:

"That..."

She opened her mouth slowly and said softly:

"Chuhua will be responsible for watering the cucumbers from now on."

As she spoke, she stretched out her slender finger and pointed to the small vegetable garden on the balcony that was converted from a foam box.

There, several green cucumber vines were trying hard to climb upwards. Hanging on the vines were a few tender yellow flowers and a few small cucumbers with thorns on top of the flowers.

Chu Hua was stunned.

"Eh?"

After a long while, the girl finally came back to her senses from the huge shock.

She looked at Mu's clear eyes without any impurities, and then looked at the cucumber vines on the balcony that looked vibrant in the sun. The huge rock in her heart that was hanging because of guilt and uncertainty finally fell to the ground.

She nodded quickly:

"Yeah! I'll definitely do it!"

..

PS: This chapter is 7,000 words long, and it is a daily transition chapter between Chuhua and Mutou... Next, we will turn to the Aine line.

Chapter 146: Chihaya-san's Daily Life as a Sufferer

Human beings are, after all, social animals.

The so-called sociality is nothing more than seeking a psychological placebo called "sense of belonging" by establishing various complex and ambiguous interpersonal relationships.

What maintains these relationships is often not some lofty ideal or pure goodwill, but a kind of repetitive, ritualistic behavior called "daily life."

For example, now, Kujo Renji was leaning against the door frame of the living room, watching the scene unfolding on the balcony.

Sanjiao Chuhua is watering the cucumbers carefully.

Sunshine, girl, cucumber.

If this picture were photographed and posted on social networks, it would probably receive a lot of cheap comments like "sticky", "so beautiful", and "oh my god, Mr. Chuhua".

"How does it feel to live with two beautiful girls, Mr. Kujo?"

Ah, here it comes.

It was the original owner of this body, Ms. Toyokawa Shoko.

At this moment, Xiaoxiang's voice was like a glass of soda water with too much ice and lemon. It sounded clear, but every sip had a pungent sour taste and the crackling sound of bubbles bursting.

Kujo Renji thought for a moment, then responded in his mind in a tone that was as objective and emotionless as possible.

"not bad?"

"Ah!"

Toyokawa Shoko spoke very quickly and sneered:

"Is that all you can say? Isn't it like a paradise with women on every side?"

"How does Chuhua's breakfast taste? Does Mu smell good? Is there anything different from what's written in your asset value report?"

Although it wasn't a formal breath, one could clearly sense the resentment in the girl's tone.

"Breakfast was a standard Japanese breakfast. The miso soup was perfectly salty, and the grilled fish was cooked to perfection. Sankaku Hatsuka certainly showed a level of proficiency in cooking that was beyond his years."

"As for Mu... doesn't she use the same shower gel and shampoo as us?"

Toyokawa Shoko was choked by this serious answer.

She couldn't "ask" any further because she knew that if she continued, she would appear to be a petty and unreasonable little girl.

Although she is now.

Of course, even if a woman is being unreasonable, she cannot say it in front of the other person.

The so-called "high emotional intelligence" does not mean understanding the other person's mood, let alone empathy.

That's too troublesome and too inefficient. True emotional intelligence means quickly finding a new topic that interests the other person and diverts their attention from the current unsolvable vicious cycle before their emotions explode.

Simply put, it's about changing the subject.

"Speaking of which..."

Kujo Renji's tone was so natural, as if the argument just now had never happened:

"I have some new ideas about how to improve the masks for the next Live."

"...Don't try to change the subject like that!"

Toyokawa Shoko retorted subconsciously, but the tension in her voice had obviously weakened by three points.

"And speaking of which, Oblivionis' unveiling performance is coming up soon."

"I've already said it, don't change the subject!"

Miss Toyokawa Shoko was still a little angry, but she finally compromised:

"...Okay, tell me what you think."

The girl is still so easy to deal with.

........

As time passed quietly, the three of them had been living together for almost a week.

A new problem was soon put before Kujo Renji, or should I say... the whole of Tokyo?

——The season has changed.

A cold wave swept across the city overnight, blowing away the last bit of autumn warmth in Tokyo.

When I opened the curtains in the early morning, a thin layer of white frost condensed on the window glass, which could only be melted by my breath. The ginkgo tree downstairs, which had originally stubbornly hung a few yellow leaves, finally surrendered completely at this moment, leaving only bare branches, stretching silently under the gray sky.