Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

But Wakaba Mu's actions seemed to have no clear direction, like a blind man walking randomly in a maze.

Toyokawa Shoko is actually an amazing person. She has known Wakaba Mu for such a long time but she didn't notice anything unusual about her.

I can't find any useful information from my memory.

"I'm a little worried about her." Toyokawa Shoko's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Mu has always been... a little different since she was a child."

Kujo Renji raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

"She is very sensitive and can sometimes notice details that others cannot."

Toyokawa Shoko paused, as if considering her words.

"I'm afraid she'll do something... drastic."

"for example?"

Kujo Renji asked, suddenly interested in the topic.

Shoko Toyokawa rarely brings up anything about Wakaba Mutsu on her own initiative.

But maybe she also realized the other party's abnormality and acted a little surprised.

"For example..." Toyokawa Shoko's voice suddenly became hesitant. "Never mind. Maybe I'm just worrying too much."

——Are you still a riddle teller?

Kujo Renji clicked his tongue but didn't ask any further questions.

Sharing memories with Toyokawa Shoko, he knew most of what the other knew, so it seemed that he wouldn't be able to get any useful information from her.

He returned his attention to the piano, his fingers landing on the keys once more.

Wakaba Mu's problem can be considered later.

Now that the tour is imminent, improving my piano skills is the top priority.

.......

So, what exactly happened to Wakaba Mu...?

Maybe we need to turn back the time to a few hours ago.

Mortis leaned against the girls' restroom stall door, cold sweat soaking through her school uniform shirt.

“It’s horrible…”

Her fingertips were still trembling slightly, and her legs were so weak that she could hardly stand. She had to support herself with her hands on the wall of the cubicle to maintain her balance.

The light green hair became messy due to the rapid running, and a few strands of hair stuck to the sweaty cheeks like seaweed on the face of a drowning person.

The scene just now lingered in her mind like a nightmare - she had already mustered up the courage to step into the corridor of the rehearsal room, carefully controlling her breathing for fear of making any sound.

From a distance, she saw the familiar blue figure standing at the door with his back to her.

At that moment, an indescribable feeling of fear came over her like a tide, wave after wave, until it overwhelmed her sanity.

It was not ordinary fear at all. It was a trembling from the depths of the soul, as if something was silently screaming: Danger! Run away!

So she ran away, running like a frightened deer, her heartbeat deafening, and she didn't even remember what Hailing said to her during the journey.

Until I hid in this small toilet cubicle and isolated myself from the outside world.

--despair.

The world changes in an instant.

Gone was the cold tile floor, replaced by the soft velvet carpet of the theater.

Mortis found himself standing on that familiar stage, the curtain with a gilded frame floating slightly in the windless space.

Ruo Ye Mu stood in front of her, her golden eyes as calm as water, only her slightly furrowed brows revealed her confusion.

Her shadow was stretched so long under the stage lights that it almost touched Mortis's toes.

"Why... didn't you go?" Ruoye Mu's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.

Mortis finally recovered.

Hearing the other party's words, she curled her lips, and her light green hair drew an arc when she shook her head:

"I went! But... I didn't dare to go in."

"This is a good opportunity to get close to him." Ruoye Mu said.

"Good chance?" Mortis suddenly jumped down from the edge of the stage and complained in a raised voice, "You have no idea how terrible that feels!"

She gestured exaggeratedly: "Like...like a little mouse standing in front of a cobra!"

Ruoye Mu looked at her quietly without interrupting.

"It's all your fault!" Mortis pointed at Wakaba Mu and accused him, "You brought that 'monster' into our place. Now I tremble all over whenever I see 'her'."

Mortis got angry just thinking about it. He was living well in that small place, but suddenly one day his house was demolished and he was forced to work and cause trouble for the person who demolished the house.

She even suspected that if the personality of "Toyokawa Shoko" created by Xiao Mu was put in the very beginning of the personality battle royale, the current main personality would probably not be "Mu" but "Shoko".

Hearing Mortis' accusation, Ruo Yemu lowered his head, and a trace of almost invisible self-blame flashed in his golden eyes.

"I just wanted to make sure," she said softly.

"Confirm what? Confirm how dangerous the guy who took over Xiaoxiang's body is?" Mortis paced back and forth on the stage. "Now look, you brought 'her' in without permission. I've also been infected by that fear and don't dare to get close to her!"

She complained again: "Xiao Mu is always like this! He never consults with me before doing anything! Now he comes to me again after getting into trouble!"

silence...

Obviously, this sentence made Ruoye Mu unable to refute.

After a long silence, Ruo Yemu said something very human, his tone full of worry:

"Then how can we find Xiaoxiang?"

"How would I know!"

Mortis scratched his hair, trying to avoid Wakaba Mu's gaze: "Anyway, I'll slip away before he notices me. What if I get stared at by that kind of gaze..."

She shuddered, recalling the cold murderous intent in those amber eyes. She hugged her shoulders tightly and said loudly:

"I quit, I quit!"

All the lights in the theater suddenly went out, leaving only a cold spotlight in the center of the stage, outlining Ruoye Mu's figure extremely clearly.

She took a step forward, and Mortis was surprised to find himself stepping back involuntarily.

"You will go." Although Ruoye Mu's voice was still gentle, the meaning in his tone had changed.

That's not a request, it's an order.

"What? No, I won't go!" Mortis shook his head fiercely, his long light green hair swirling in the air. "You have no right to order me around!"

If Ye Mu took another step forward, this time Mortis felt an invisible pressure fixing her in place, preventing her from moving back.

The air in the theater suddenly became heavy and oppressive, as if countless invisible threads had fallen from the sky and wrapped around her limbs. The theater's curtains moved without wind, the crystal chandelier emitted a strange light, and countless tiny points of light danced on the walls and the ground, like imprisoned souls.

Ruoye Mu's shadow was distorted against the backdrop of these light spots, and was much larger than her own body.

"We must find her." Wakaba Mu said, her eyes looking directly into Mortis's.

"But..." Mortis' voice became weak, as if his throat was strangled.

Ruoye Mu raised her hand, her slender fingers gently touching Mortis's cheek. The touch was cold and inhuman. Her golden eyes burned with a terrifying determination, illuminating the entire dark theater:

"We have no choice."

Mortis swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "What if I really can't find it?"

Wakaba Mutsu didn't answer immediately. Her gaze turned to the dark corner deep in the stage - that was where "Toyokawa Shoko" should have been, but now it was empty, as if it was a vacancy that could never be filled.

"I'll get it back."

Should we say that it is a mutual trust?

Without knowing each other, Wakaba Mutsu and Toyokawa Shoko said very similar things.

After a moment of silence, Ruoye Mu looked at Morris

"So, I... need you..."

"Alright alright!"

Mortis finally gave in and became a little self-destructive.

...

The sun is shining brightly, and on the rooftop of Tsukinomori Girls' Academy, the warm afternoon breeze gently caresses the railings.

The towering barbed wire fence tightly blocks the edge, but it cannot block the view of the vast sky.

The distant city skyline shimmered in the sunlight. Near the rooftop railing, a few sparrows hopped on the metal handrail, occasionally chirping, adding a touch of life to the quiet space. They vigilantly watched any movement on the rooftop, ready to take flight at a moment's notice.

"Why do I have to do this?"

Mortis pouted, tilting the pink watering can in his hand, and the water flowed like silver threads onto the neat rows of cucumber seedlings.

The rooftop of Tsuki no Mori Girls' Academy gleamed blindingly in the sunlight, and heat waves rose from the concrete floor, causing beads of sweat to form on the back of her neck.

Her long light green hair rose up as she shook her head violently, and the beautiful arc drew a shining trail in the sunlight.

"Watering the cucumbers and tracking that monster were all Xiao Mu's messy arrangements!"

She placed the watering can heavily on the edge of the flower pot, making a crisp clinking sound.

"Why should I listen to her?"

Despite her unconvinced expression, Mortis was surprisingly meticulous in her actions. She carefully ensured that each seedling received even amounts of water, even gently prying apart a few slightly curled leaves to allow them to better receive sunlight.

“Cucumber, cucumber, cucumber…”

As she watered each plant, she muttered in an exaggerated voice:

"One, two, three, four. Why does Mu Zimi like cucumbers so much..."

After watering the last plant, Mortis stood up and bent backward to stretch his aching back.

This action accidentally made her eyes fall on Yugaoka Girls' College in the distance.

From the rooftop of Tsuki no Mori, the building looked like a small, pale pink cube, quietly nestling against the city skyline.

"She's there now, isn't she..."

Mortis' voice dropped, and a subtle hint of fear flashed in his golden eyes.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and felt a sudden chill - a stark contrast to the scorching heat on the rooftop.

Recalling Wakaba Mu's attitude in the theater, she mustered up some courage.

"Really, I'm not her servant..." Mortis sighed, this time there was less complaint in his voice, more like he was comforting himself.

Ruoye Mu and she share the same body, but have independent memories and actions.

This gave Mortis a lot of room to maneuver - in theory, she could completely ignore Wakaba Mu's "orders" and hide in a corner pretending to have completed the task.

But she knew she would eventually give in and do what Wakaba Mu asked. Not because she was afraid, but because she couldn't bear to see the despair in the child's eyes.

"For Xiaoxiang, ah, it's so troublesome..."

Mortis picked up the empty watering can, watching its plastic pink sheen in the sunlight.

She knew only too well how important Toyokawa Shoko was to Wakaba Mutsu.

If it weren't for Xiaoxiang, Ye Mu might have already...

"Forget it! One hour! I'll just follow her for one hour!"

Mortis shook his head violently, as if trying to shake those heavy thoughts out of his mind.

She patted the dirt on her skirt, took a deep breath, and encouraged herself:

"What are you afraid of? At worst, I can just run away again!"

After saying that, Mortis glanced at his watch - it was 3:45 in the afternoon, and there were still fifteen minutes until the end of the school day at Hanegaoka Girls' College.

If we leave now, we can just make it to the school gate to wait for "Toyokawa Shoko" to finish school.

She took one last look at the neatly arranged cucumber seedlings and muttered softly:

"Xiao Mu, you owe me this time."