After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Toyokawa Yuu knew that this chain of suspicion was endless and would only lead her into a vicious cycle where she could hardly trust anyone.

But he couldn't help thinking about these things.

Standing beside Wakaba Mutsu, Chihaya Aine's gray eyes did not fall on the gradually recovering Wakaba Mutsu, but instead kept staring at Toyokawa Yuu.

His eyes held a mixture of doubt and contemplation, which the beautiful woman in the grey-white trench coat took in.

A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. Chihaya Aine turned around, opened her guitar case, and took out a light blue guitar that was almost as old as the one in Wakaba Mutsu's hand, but was also very well maintained.

“Aine?”

Noticing Chihaya Aine's actions, Toyokawa Yuu let out a soft question.

However, in order not to disturb Wakaba Mutsuna's seemingly self-healing performance, Toyokawa Yuu could only move closer to her and lower her voice.

"What are you doing?"

"It's been so long since Xiao Mu picked up the guitar again, and she's only playing the melody of the accompaniment guitar... She needs someone to cooperate with her to play this piece relatively completely."

Responding softly to Toyokawa Yuu's question, Chihaya Aine no longer turned her gaze to the man standing beside her, but instead stared intently at Wakaba Mutsumi's fingers as he plucked the strings.

A transnational phone call from a few years ago began to surface in her mind.

Xiangzi was right. If Xiaomu ever picks up the guitar again, the first song she'll play will be this one, and she even made me practice it.

No wonder he said he would entrust the guitar to me for safekeeping, but then refused to send it to England.

Could it be that she... had already guessed this day would come?

Taking advantage of a certain melody's rise and fall, Chihaya Aine also began to pluck the strings of her guitar, naturally immersing herself in this performance that she hadn't played in ten years.

A tight, rock-and-roll melody flowed in the morning light, filling every corner of the house.

At one point, it was Toyokawa Yuu, who had brought Wakaba Mutsu here, who felt more like an outsider.

The musical notes danced in the sunlight, and although only two guitars were playing, the rock music still awakened the vitality of the morning.

Outside Chihaya Aine's house, a black sedan had been parked on the side of the road at some point.

Yawata Kairin rolled down the car window, her emerald-like eyes gazing at the warmly furnished house.

Her hand instinctively reached for the bass box she had placed on the passenger seat. The black-haired woman in the suit listened to the familiar melody echoing in her ears, unconsciously clenching her teeth.

Why... should this piece be played?

She was certain that the performer of this piece was Wakaba Mutsumi.

No one but her would play this ten-year-old piece on such a clear morning for no reason.

It seems that the old Wakaba Mutsu really has returned.

And then... what about her?

Her emotions were somewhat complicated. Hachiman Kairin subconsciously recalled the green-haired girl from ten years ago and her ethereal murmur.

Gently unzipping the bass case, Hachiman Kairin's gaze was somewhat conflicted, as if she was struggling with whether or not to take out the object inside.

But after a moment's hesitation, she decided to zip the zipper back up.

Never mind, I haven't played this piece in many years.

.................................................. ..................................

As the last note faded, Wakaba Mutsu released her fingers from the strings, her breathing even becoming somewhat rapid.

As if the performance had exhausted all her strength, the pick that Chihaya Aine had just handed her fell limply to the ground as her fingertips relaxed.

"Huh...huh..."

Breathing softly, Wakaba Mutsu's vision was somewhat unfocused. In her eyes, the surrounding scene was no longer Chihaya Aine's cozy little house, but an attic that had been almost completely demolished.

The guitar, which had been missing for so long, was back in my hands, and the small space I had to stand on, which was originally only a tiny bit, finally became a little more spacious.

The soft sofa reappeared behind them, and a small pile of television sets gradually emerged from it, revealing the outside world.

The only drawback is that all those various dolls are gone, and the most eye-catching dark green doll is nowhere to be found either.

However, Wakaba Mutsu knew where she was.

Looking down the soft sofa with golden light, the space for standing was slightly wider, but only slightly.

Behind the sofa was a bottomless abyss, with even half of the table leg dangling in mid-air.

Holding her recovered guitar, Ruoye Mu gazed at the endless abyss.

She knew that, deep within the abyss, there was another dark green doll gazing at her... no, there might be more than one doll.

"......sorry."

After a long silence, Ruoye Mu finally uttered a string of syllables, but the response she received was not the whisper from the abyss, but the concern of Toyokawa Yuu.

"Xiao Mu, what's wrong? Why do you suddenly want to apologize?"

Standing in front of Wakaba Mutsu, Toyokawa Yuu leaned slightly forward, looking at the beautiful woman who had finally regained some vitality.

Just now, he could clearly sense that Wakaba Mutsu had lost his focus for a moment.

"sorry......"

The golden gaze gradually focused as Ruoye Mu looked at the concerned man before her.

He instinctively hugged the guitar tighter.

She knew that the concern in the other person's eyes was not for her sake, but for something deeper.

After a moment of silence, the woman with long, light green hair spoke again. Her indifferent voice was a bit more lively than that of the doll, and it sounded more like the Mutsuki Wakaba that Yuu Toyokawa had known ten years ago.

“...Ave Mujica was destroyed because of me.”

“It’s alright, as long as you’re still here… Xiangzi has already left us. As her other half, you are one of the few things she still cares about in this world.”

Feigned concern came from Toyokawa Yuu's mouth, but Chihaya Aine, who was standing next to her, only listened to the beginning before glancing away and taking the guitar off her shoulder.

For a fleeting moment, she almost wanted to kick Toyokawa Yuu out.

She was tired of this affected manner ten years ago.

"Um......"

Looking at Toyokawa Yuu in front of her, her golden eyes had regained some vitality, but at this moment they remained calm and indifferent.

After a moment, Wakaba Mutsu nodded slightly and continued Toyokawa Yuu's words.

"Xiang... loves you very much."

The unexpected, even somewhat incoherent, answer reached Toyokawa Yuu's ears, causing his hands on Wakaba Mutsu's shoulders to tighten slightly.

This was not the answer he wanted, nor was it the topic he wanted to bring up.

However, despite her brief loss of composure, Toyokawa Yuu quickly returned to normal.

"I know, I... can't live without her either."

The lie that should have been blurted out got stuck in his throat, causing Yuu Toyokawa to pause before uttering the alternative words.

The sound of the violin case zipper being quickly pulled up was a little loud, and Chihaya Aine's gaze fell on Toyokawa Yuu and Wakaba Mutsu, who were standing together.

Although he didn't make a sound to disturb them, the meaning in his strange gaze was already very clear.

—Do you really have to say such things in my house?

Bathed in the strange gaze of Chihaya Aine, a gaze that was a mixture of rejection and displeasure, even Toyokawa Yuu knew that she was probably not very welcome here.

At least, I don't welcome mentioning these topics here.

She took out the guitar case she had prepared long ago, but seeing that Wakaba Mutsu was still clinging to her guitar, Toyokawa Yuu gave up the idea of ​​helping her put it away.

"I'm sorry, Aine, I should thank you properly, but I'm afraid the funeral arrangements won't allow me to leave for too long."

"It's okay, take care of yourself first. I also have my own travel plans."

Remembering the plan she had just created in the folder on her computer, Chihaya Aine waved to Toyokawa Yuu, indicating that she also had no intention of keeping him for further pleasantries.

The original intention of the graduation trip—to relax and unwind—has now been almost completely disrupted.

At least, Chihaya Aine didn't think getting involved in Toyokawa Yuu's affairs was a good start.

"Then let's take our leave first."

Gently supporting Wakaba Mutsu's shoulder, Toyokawa Yuu left the cozy little house with her.

Sunlight streamed into their eyes; the sun had truly risen, its golden rays almost blinding.

Even Wakaba Mutsumi's light green hair seemed to become a little more vibrant under the sunlight.

"By the way, Xiao Mu, when you were looking for the guitar, you mentioned Metis and Hailing. What's the story behind that?"

Between Chihaya Aine's house and the highway, there is a small courtyard that serves as a barrier.

Taking advantage of this short distance, Toyokawa Yuu's old friend asked a question lightly, as if she had just thought of it and was only slightly curious about it.

The current Wakaba Mutsu is no longer as mechanical as before, like a puppet, so it's best not to ask her questions too directly.

After a moment's glance away from the guitar in her arms, Ruoye Mu looked up at Toyokawa Yuu in front of her. Her golden eyes were no longer as dull as before, but rather closer to a kind of clarity.

"Timoris said...sometimes I wish Metis could take my place."

Upon hearing Wakaba Mutsu's answer, Toyokawa Yuu raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't expected that Hachiman Kairin would say something so blunt.

However... it seems to fit her capable style quite well.

"Perhaps... it would be better if I were the one who disappeared."

Although it is an answer, it is far too brief, and even somewhat incoherent.

Yuu Toyokawa frowned; this answer was not enough for her to understand the whole picture.

"Xiao Mu, could you elaborate? Since you're still holding a grudge, I might be able to help mediate your relationship with Hai Ling."

"Timoris hated me, and Timoris disappeared, ruining the band's future."

The indifferent voice carried a hint of pain, as if that memory was truly unbearable for Wakaba Mutsu.

"She said she would always protect Ave Mujica, no matter what."

What does this mean? Metis's disappearance wasn't Hachiman Kairin's doing?

Then why did Wakaba Mutsu say last night that the current situation was related to Hachiman Kairin?

Just as she was wondering, Toyokawa Yuu had already left Chihaya Aine's house with Wakaba Mutsu. There was only one car parked by the roadside, so it seemed that Hachiman Kairin had not arrived yet.

Yuu Toyokawa hesitated as she took out her car keys from her pocket, wondering whether she should just wait there for Kairin Hachiman to come over.

After all, it was my request for the other party to accompany me on this trip, but they deliberately created a time difference so that I couldn't see them at all. No matter what, that's unacceptable.

The rudeness was a minor matter; what Toyokawa Yuu was truly worried about was the potential cracks in her alliance with Hachiman Kairin, the reliability of which was uncertain.

However, Toyokawa Yuu soon realized that she didn't need to worry about such things anymore.

"I just heard you talking about Ave Mujica. Are you planning to hold a memorial concert after Xiangzi's passing?"

The sound of Hachiman Kairin reached Toyokawa Yuu's ears. The woman in the suit leaned against the wall outside Chihaya Aine's courtyard. Her bass box was placed against the wall at her feet, and the not-so-tall wall stickers concealed her figure.

A black sedan was parked at the corner of the road, at an angle that naturally prevented Toyokawa Yuu from seeing the vehicle when she went out.

"Hailin? When did you arrive?"

Looking at Hachiman Kairin leaning against the wall, Toyokawa Yuu chose to show her surprise on her face this time.

He needed to know exactly when Hachiman Kairin arrived, and how much of his conversation with Wakaba Mutsumi had she overheard.

"They arrived while you were playing that piece... What a boastful display."

Hachiman Kairin's tone sounded somewhat unfriendly, but it didn't convey any hostility; rather, it was closer to a question.

Although she was answering Yuu Toyokawa's question, Hairin Hachiman's gaze remained fixed on Mutsumi Wakaba the entire time.

More accurately, it rests on the guitar of Mutsumi Wakaba.

"I never thought you'd pick up a guitar again, Ms. Wakaba. We were just talking about Ave Mujica, are you planning to rebuild that band?"

"Wait, Hailing, Xiaomu probably didn't mean that. She was just a little sad after Xiangzi left and wanted to find her guitar to play a song at Xiangzi's funeral to send him off."

Although it's unclear how Yawata Kairin's thought process suddenly jumped to rebuilding the band, her words did remind Toyokawa Yuu of something.

Before he had experienced any death, he found Toyokawa Shoko's medical examination report, which did indeed contain words such as "Ave Mujica Resurrection Project".