Mygo, Takamatsu Touma wants to reverse the future

"Let's not see each other again."

It's hard to say what's painful, but you still have to say it.

“This is good for both of us… Right now, I’m just an ordinary person without a stable job, doing odd jobs every month and living a life where I might not have enough to eat.”

Although she didn't pick up smoking, Shiina Tatsuki learned to drown her sorrows in alcohol over the past ten years. Like those office workers who spent their days in izakayas and ramen shops, alcohol became her way of escaping sobriety and pain.

The working girl and the famous writer, two people with such a vastly different social status, were not destined to be friends again, a fact that Shiina Tatsuki clearly understood.

"Tomori, this is the first and last time I will make a request of you."

As she's gotten older, she's become more thick-skinned. She's probably not the same person she used to be. She stammers when she talks to Tomori and doesn't dare to express her needs.

Shiina Riki raised the corners of her mouth, trying to appear carefree, but a hint of loneliness lingered in her eyes, which was still noticed by Takamatsu Akari.

"Is it my fault? Did I cause Lixi to become like this?" Gao Songdeng replied after a moment of silence.

"No, it's my own problem, it has nothing to do with Tomori."

"I hope Tomori will write more good works in the future. I might go to the bookstore and buy a copy when I get back."

The ultimatum has arrived; it's time to turn around and leave. Shiina Tatsuki turned her head, her black bangs obscuring her eyes, making her expression unreadable.

In Gao Songdeng's eyes, Lixi was rapidly fading away.

"Li Xi is already bathed in the light, so why does he still want to hide in the darkness outside the door?"

“I will never allow such a thing.”

Ten years ago, she was able to win back Lixi; ten years later, she can certainly do it again.

The determined female lead singer took a step forward, grabbed the right hand of the person who was about to leave, and tried to persuade them to stay.

"Let go, Tomori..."

"Lixi, you used to hate people who disobeyed me the most..."

"What, is Lixi going to become like that now?!"

Gao Songdeng remembers that in the past, whenever Lixi felt that Aine had done something to harm her, she would show hostility. But now, Lixi herself is resisting her!

"Tomori, we've grown up, we've changed."

Shiina Tatsuki remained where he was, his tone serious.

"If that's the case... Lixi, you shouldn't have come in just now."

"Because I just wanted to make things clear with Tomori..."

“That’s a lie.”

In the past, Takamatsu Akari wouldn't have understood the root of Riki's sarcastic remarks, but after sharing the same feelings as Riki, especially after learning that Riki had such an outstanding older sister, Maki, she knew that it all stemmed from Riki's sense of inferiority.

Therefore, at this point in time, it is even less likely that she will let Lixi go!

"Tomori, what are you doing?!"

Seeing the petite, adorable girl struggling to block the doorway with her arms outstretched, her teeth clenched, Shiina Ritsuki gasped in shock.

“I know… I’m bad with words, both in the past and now. If Lixi says that everything has changed in ten years, then I haven’t changed at all.”

"She can't speak well, and she can't say nice things. This shortcoming will probably stay with her for the rest of her life," Gao Songdeng thought.

"I don't want Lixi to leave like this! To leave my side!"

"A working girl, a famous writer—none of that matters. What I care about is Lixi!"

"But I am just a Takamatsu lamp, a Takamatsu lamp that needs Riki!"

"You need to...stop saying such childish things, Tomori. No adult can't live without someone else!"

"Is it because Riki can't be herself that she's been so dejected and depressed until now? I know that Riki has been carrying a lot of pressure! Having such a sister, wanting to be like her, not wanting to be seen by anyone as just Shiina Maki's sister, all of this... I know all of this!"

"Tomori, wait... how did you know?"

Shiina Riki seemed frozen in place, as if struck by a spell. Her striking eyebrows trembled, and her eyes widened in disbelief, completely unprepared for Takamatsu Akari to mention that name.

Ten years, a name that haunts her heart like a nightmare.

“Lixi…I…”

"Shut up! Tomori, this has nothing to do with you, or Shiina Maki or anything like that!"

This time, Shiina Tatsuki's face was truly covered in frost.

"Tomori, did you investigate me? I don't need this kind of concern!"

Like a lone wolf whose vital point and weakness have been struck, Shiina Tatsuki's mind went blank, and all she wanted to do was escape the scene as quickly as possible.

Even if Takamatsu is standing right in front of that only exit, she will still rush out.

The angry girl reached out to grab the doorknob, but was grabbed by another small hand. She raised her left hand, but was grabbed by the wrist by yet another small hand.

Shiina Ritsuki subconsciously used her strength, and the frail Takamatsu Akari was naturally no match for her.

Suddenly, Gao Songdeng's large, sweeping movements caused her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

The situation was sudden and unexpected. Seeing that Takamatsu Akari had been pushed down, Shiina Tatsuki momentarily forgot to hold the doorknob and stared blankly at Takamatsu Akari, who was in pain and had a distorted expression.

Even after being pushed down, Takamatsu Akari still moved slowly, her hands unhesitatingly climbing onto Shiina Tatsuki's ankles, preventing Shiina Tatsuki from leaving!

"We will absolutely, absolutely not let Lixi leave!"

Volume 3, Ten Years of Mygo: Chapter 5, Landmine Girl Takamatsu?

If Shiina Ritsuki were to go back ten years and tell herself that one day ten years later, she not only ignored the lamp but also pushed it to the ground, that younger version of her would probably be very shocked, right?

"I'm sorry, Tomori."

No matter what, we must not hurt Tomori; this original intention should never have changed!

"I'm not leaving. Let go of my hand. I keep my word. This time, I'm not lying."

With her small feet touching the cold entryway floor, Shiina Riki adjusted her posture and sat down on the spot. Seeing this, Takamatsu Akari smiled and gently crawled to Shiina Riki's side, sat down, and held her knees.

Should he stay and listen to Tomori's words of entreaty? Shiina Tatsuki's mind was in turmoil.

"Lixi."

It was Takamatsu who spoke first.

"You said I would listen carefully to what Tomori says."

"But I've already said everything I needed to say. Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

"Lixi is really... cunning, just like Su Shi."

Communication and chatting that are not on the same wavelength are bound to fail. Obtaining information from others while remaining silent about one's own situation is extremely disrespectful to the other person.

"Feel sorry."

"I don't want to hear apologies, I just want Lixi to tell me the truth..."

"Whether Lixi is a sales clerk or something else... it doesn't matter, because in my eyes, Lixi is still the same as before, still the Lixi I know..."

"And I am not"

I'd love to lose contact with someone like Li Xi!

Loss is a small interlude in life, like a yellow leaf that falls by chance in autumn; it may be a little desolate, but it is also commonplace.

But when true loss comes, it is like having your heart ripped out, so painful that you can't breathe.

Ten years have passed. The world must have been tormented by the choices we made back then on countless nights.

"Honestly..."

Shiina Tatsuki's throat emitted a few indistinct trembling sounds, as if he didn't know where to begin.

He started talking after the band broke up and he developed a negative impression of the band?

Let's start from the time when my older sister continued to study at the prestigious University of Tokyo while I failed the entrance exam.

Or perhaps it begins with the story of how one day he suddenly realized he could no longer play the drums.

Unable to do anything, she lost her sense of control over the individual named Shiina Tatsuki and... her sense of self.

How could someone who has accomplished nothing and has no talent stand next to the dazzling Tomori?

"Tomori, I am probably... no, I am a loser."

Shiina Riki tried to swallow her words several times, but when she glanced to the side, she saw Tomori's sincere eyes.

The long-strained string finally snapped, and Shiina Tatsuki's shoulders relaxed as she slowly recounted her past experiences.

"I see. Lixi... you really went through a very difficult time."

After Mygo disbanded, Riki didn't play drums for a long time and lost contact with everyone. Later, Hachiman Umi invited her to be the drummer as a support player. Riki played for a while, but eventually left the band due to inner turmoil. In the years that followed, the shadow of Maki's older sister continued to haunt Riki.

Whether it's academic performance or music, Riki is far behind Maki in everything. After applying to the same university as her sister, Riki works incredibly hard, but in the end, she fails to get in by a mere 0.5 points.

The final straw for Lixi was that one day, she could no longer pick up the drumsticks to play. In the end, Lixi gave up on herself and has been living in a daze ever since.

"I guess I'm the only one who's made a mess of my life over the past twenty years, right? Aine, Souse, and Rana, they should all be shining brightly in their own fields right now, right?"

In the band, the pink-haired girl, though technically lacking, was quite talented. Through diligent practice, she reached the standard for performing live in just two months. Outside the band, she was also good at communication and proactive and enthusiastic.

Even if someone like Ai Yin leaves the band, she will still do quite well in the future.

Le Nai is a guitar prodigy with a bright future ahead of her. She comes from a wealthy family and should become a successful career woman, right?

"Lixi, if you want to know and be sure, you should...see it with your own eyes, right?"

"We haven't seen each other for a very long time, so how can you be sure that everyone is doing well?"

"No, but I didn't mean to wish everyone a bad time! What I meant was that if Lixi really wants to understand... then she should reconnect with everyone in the band!"

As Gao Songdeng spoke, he realized that his words were somewhat ambiguous, and immediately blushed and waved his hand.

"Will there be any connection?"

Following Takamatsu Akari's advice, Shiina Tatsuki opened her LINE contacts. Aine, Sose, and the stray cat's contact information were still there, even including Shoko's. But even so, ten years later, she had no reason to contact them.

Since the conflict, even if some people send a thousand text messages, their hearts can probably only get one centimeter closer together.

"By the way, what happened to your relationship with Aine after that...?"

Recalling the almost sorrowful yet calm expression on Chihaya Aine's face in the training room back then, Shiina Tatsuki's pupils dimmed. It was the first time she had ever seen the free-spirited Chihaya Aine show such an expression...

"We haven't been in contact since, Lixi."

Gao Songdeng gave a bitter smile and said, recalling how he had almost brushed past Aine in various ways.

In the past, Aine would pick up her dropped erasers for her, but later, even when it came to things like handing in homework, Aine would try to avoid her.

If you just lean your chair back a little, you can touch the edge of Ai Yin's table—a distance that used to accommodate their fingers passing notes, secretly sharing band-aids, and barely suppressed laughter. But after the band broke up, that distance felt like an entire ocean at high tide; the slightest movement would disturb something fragile.

"In the second year of high school, Ai Yin was assigned to another class. Occasionally, you could see her laughing and chatting with other girls on campus..."

If such a situation were to happen in reality, Gao Songdeng wouldn't even dare to think about it... She would never let Aine slip away from her side in this lifetime!

"That Tomori... actually works very hard too."

Being indifferent to teammates you once liked, and pretending to be calm and patient every day, such a routine is not easy.

"Maybe so, but I believe Aine isn't feeling good either!"

"So, Tomori, what are your plans next? Wait, I still don't know how Tomori knew I was at that convenience store..."

"Tomori, did you... cough cough, investigate me and my sister? Was this also part of your plan, Tomori?!"

Still immersed in her grief, Shiina Tatsuki hadn't yet realized what was happening, but now she noticed some of Takamatsu Akari's rather prophetic remarks from earlier...

Legend has it that a mysterious landmine woman appears in Tokyo at midnight. Could it be Tomori...?

In short, Tomori is really strange for saying those things!

Volume 3, Ten Years of Mygo: Chapter 6 - Wanting to Stop Lixi from Being Sad!

Could it be that it was because of his interactions with Lixi in real life that he learned everything about her?

Parallel worlds, the future, and other such things—Gao Songdeng pondered carefully, but decided it was best not to tell Lixi for now.