After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Since Ruoye Mu was already quite petite, she had to tilt her head slightly up at such a close distance to see Toyokawa Yuu's eyes and try to understand the boy's gaze.

Although she may seem a bit dull on the surface, she is not a slow-witted blockhead. On the contrary, Wakaba Mutsumi is extremely sensitive to emotions.

Yuu Toyokawa was only concerned about her own feelings, which is why she broke her own promise.

I... am causing trouble for others again.

Lowering her head slightly, Ruo Yemu's gaze became somewhat somber.

“You still need to eat, and I said yesterday that I would buy you some new clothes and bedding. When you came, you didn’t bring anything except your guitar, right?”

Gently breaking free from Ruoye Mu's support and shaking off the girl's fair hand, Toyokawa Yuu didn't needlessly worry about him to that extent.

When going to school or the agency, there is indeed a possibility that Wakaba Mutsu might be out of her sight and then secretly taken away.

But if someone rushes out and drags you away the moment you step outside, then hiding at home won't help.

Noticing that Wakaba Mutsuna seemed to have become somewhat downcast, Toyokawa Yuu reached out and ruffled her light green hair, just like she would comfort the golden-eyed beauty who had not yet found her guitar ten years later, letting the smooth strands of hair gently brush against her fingertips.

"Don't think too much about it. I just feel that if Xiangzi finds out that you've been wronged by me, he'll probably make a scene again."

"Besides the guitar... I also took your phone."

Watching Yuu Toyokawa take her keys and prepare to leave, Mutsuka Wakaba remained silent for a moment before speaking softly.

He took out his phone from his pocket—a phone he hadn't used much since he got it yesterday, and whose battery had barely been used up—his voice carrying an indescribable emotion.

Upon hearing Wakaba Mutsu's words, Toyokawa Yuu paused in her action of unscrewing the door bolt before finally opening her own front door.

Seeing that there was no one waiting outside the empty door, Toyokawa Yuu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and even her previously gloomy mood lightened up a bit.

A night had passed, and Toyokawa Sadaharu must have already received news that he had taken in Wakaba Mutsu.

There's been no action yet, so it seems they don't intend to forcibly take her away from them for the time being.

"Let's go, it's time to go out."

Since they don't plan to forcibly take her away for the time being, they should prepare for Wakaba Mutsu to stay with them for an extended period. Making do like last night is not a long-term solution.

"Let's have breakfast first, then I'll go buy you some clothes, and... some household necessities."

Hearing Toyokawa Yuu's urging, Wakaba Mutsu did not immediately walk to the door, but instead moved lightly closer to the bed where she had slept quite soundly the night before.

Strangely enough, despite it being her first time staying overnight at a woman's house, Ruo Yemu slept quite soundly.

She always seemed to unconsciously develop a sense of trust in the boy who gave her "something that truly belonged to her".

Golden eyes moved to the guitar on his bedside table. Ruoye Mu's gaze paused for a moment, but in the end, he did not choose to take the guitar with him. He only took the loose change that Metis had taken with him when he left Ruoye Mu's house.

"for you."

Walking slowly to Toyokawa Yuu's side, Wakaba Mutsu presented the coins in her hand to the boy.

The stack of change contained both small and large bills, and even included a few coins.

These coins weren't old; it's clear that even if she didn't use them often, the girl would still carefully preserve them.

Then, as if remembering something, she hesitated slightly before taking out the cell phone that Yuu Toyokawa had given her yesterday, as if she had made up her mind.

Although he usually has enough pocket money, he doesn't carry much cash. Right now, besides the change and his guitar, all he has left is the cell phone that Yuu Toyokawa bought for him yesterday.

Hailing said, "You're short of money."

Wakaba Mutsu still remembers what Hachiman Kairin said when she left the agency last night.

In order to get the public relations team to work harder and quickly steer public opinion in a direction favorable to the band, Toyokawa Yuu offered up her share of the profits and her salary.

She didn't know the exact financial situation of Toyokawa Yuu, but given his personality of always trying to appear calm and composed in front of others, he probably wouldn't tell her even if he was in a real predicament.

But no matter what, I can't just do nothing but cause him trouble.

"You can take my share too..."

Meeting Toyokawa Yuu's increasingly strange gaze, Wakaba Mutsu repeated the boy's words to Metis from the previous night.

"We are friends."

The sound of the mirror being violently struck kept echoing in his mind, each strike like a silent roar, making Ruoye Mu feel a pain in his eardrums.

Seemingly sensing that her phone was leaving her, Yu Mu, who was trapped in the mirror by Ruoye Mu, began to struggle violently, constantly banging on the mirror that was trapping her.

On the smooth mirror surface, even faint cracks were beginning to appear.

Metis, hold down Yu Mu.

With a pained squint, Ruo Ye Mu could certainly sense Yu Mu's struggle, and she had anticipated this situation.

After all, the fact that he could keep Yumu in line for the time being, and even trick her into the mirror, was largely thanks to the phone that Toyokawa Yuu gave him.

Now that he was doing this, he was undoubtedly trying to take the phone away from Yu Mu, so it was only natural that she would resist so fiercely.

However, Yu Mu's resistance was so fierce that it almost shattered the mirror, which was something Ruo Ye Mu hadn't expected.

However, even though Yu Mu in her mind was about to smash the mirror that was locking her up, Ruo Ye Mu had no intention of retracting her actions.

Anyway, the reason I locked Yu Mu up before was to prevent her from showing up and causing trouble, and making Xiang unhappy.

Now I have to stay at Youyu's house. Forget about the band, I can't even go to school. Even if Yumu breaks free, there's nothing I need to worry about.

"Youyu, you're pushing yourself too hard, it'll break you."

Seeing that Wakaba Mutsumi's eyes were trembling but her expression was still full of worry, Toyokawa Yuu was momentarily stunned, then immediately put on a stern face.

His brows furrowed deeply, forming a deep knot between his eyebrows.

"Take them all back. I'm not so destitute that I can't even afford the daily living expenses of a high school student."

Turning around, Toyokawa Yuu took the lead and left the house without looking back, and even her strides were longer than usual.

In the past, Ruoye Mu always maintained that expressionless and indifferent demeanor, and he had to use a lot of skill to try to guess the girl's thoughts.

But now, Ruoye Mu's words practically screamed apology, so how could he not guess what this girl was thinking?

It's simply that they feel that staying here is causing them trouble, and they want to do as much as possible to help themselves.

Logically, I should have accepted the change to make this sensitive girl feel better.

But... will she really feel at ease just because she can only offer this little bit of help?

Rather than letting this small amount of help become the beginning of her guilt and helplessness, it's better to refuse it from the start.

If Ye Mu was originally his own, there was no need to be so clear about the accounts.

"That phone is yours now, you don't need to return it to me, and I don't want it... If you keep delaying, breakfast will turn into lunch."

Watching Yuu Toyokawa's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Mutsuka Wakaba lowered his hand with a somewhat dim expression.

Yu Mu, who had been struggling fiercely, became docile again after Toyokawa Yuu refused, but Wakaba Mu felt that she was not as relaxed as she had imagined.

The boy's back was reflected in her golden eyes, and Ruo Yemu's gaze gradually became complicated.

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

LiveHouse, [RING].

With Wakaba Mutsu by her side, Toyokawa Yuu stood in front of the LiveHouse, a place she herself had only visited a few times.

But if there's anywhere in the world where he can feel even slightly reassured about the food, it's probably only here.

After all, he had indeed had breakfast here with Yawata Kairin, even before he developed a resistance to food offered to him by others.

However, compared to Toyokawa Yuu, Wakaba Mutsu, who was beside him, seemed to be somewhat resistant.

The girl who was already feeling down beside him hesitated as she looked at the gate of [RING].

Since forming Ave Mujica with Toyokawa Shoko... or more accurately, since that MyGO!!!!! live show, she hasn't come here again.

She knew that her friends often came here to rehearse and perform, and one of them even worked here.

If I come here by myself, I'm very likely to run into them, and that will make things awkward for everyone.

but......

Watching Yuu Toyokawa walk straight into the LiveHouse without stopping, Mukaru Wakaba covered her phone with her hand and ultimately decided to follow her step by step.

Stepping through the door that hadn't been there for some time and felt somewhat unfamiliar to Wakaba Mutsu, the first thing the golden-eyed girl did was to turn her gaze to the counter in the lobby.

Fortunately, the person on duty behind the counter at that moment was not a girl with black hair and pink eyes, but another shop assistant.

It seemed that his former bandmates hadn't worked the early shift, which relieved Wakaba Mutsu.

"Two breakfasts, a glass of juice, and a glass of ice water."

The boy's voice came from the counter as he ordered. When it came to the fact that Yuu Toyokawa had made the arrangements without consulting her, Muya didn't object and stood obediently beside him.

Golden eyes cautiously surveyed the surroundings. Even if Shiina Riki wasn't on duty right now, it didn't mean she wasn't here.

My former teammates often gather here, and even though I have class today, I can't guarantee they won't show up here.

She lowered her head slightly, seemingly intending to minimize her presence.

The girl's gaze swept around constantly, her alert demeanor like that of a kitten that would be startled by the slightest disturbance.

Even after being pulled to a seat by Yuu Toyokawa, who had already ordered her food, Mutsuka Wakaba still couldn't stop staring.

"Don't be so nervous, I'm still here. Even if we do run into your old friends, I'll use the excuse of preparation work to help you avoid it. That's what managers do."

Yuu Toyokawa's voice drifted into Mutsu Wakaba's ears, which eased her anxiety slightly.

only......

"Youyu, why?"

Looking at Toyokawa Yuu sitting opposite him, who seemed to have spent the night on the sofa without getting a good rest, and was resting with her eyes closed.

"How does Yuu know...?"

"Your expression is written all over your face. This jumpy look isn't like you at all... Don't worry, no one will bother us."

Yuu Toyokawa's voice cut off Mutsuka Wakaba's words, which she hadn't yet fully uttered.

Raising her eyes to glance at Wakaba Mutsu, who had become somewhat nervous since stepping into the LiveHouse, even Toyokawa Yuu couldn't help but marvel at the girl's rather unique thought process.

Rather than skipping classes or even truanting out of school, which are clearly not actions that students should take, Ruoye Mu was more worried about whether she would run into her old friends.

Yesterday, when she skipped class with me, she would occasionally glance worriedly in the direction of Tsuki no Mori, but now she doesn't seem to care at all.

This amazing adaptability should have made Toyokawa Yuu feel at ease, at least she wouldn't have to worry that Wakaba Mutsu would feel awkward due to habit during her stay at her house.

But at this moment, Toyokawa Yuu felt a slight sense of guilt for leading good students astray.

Perhaps influenced by Toyokawa Yuu's calm and composed attitude, Wakaba Mutsu gradually stopped glancing around and quietly sat down so as not to disturb the boy's closed-eye rest.

Feeling her heartbeat gradually calming down, Ruo Yemu took out her phone and revealed a relieved and serene smile.

Golden sunlight streamed into the room through the window lintel, making Ruoye Mutsu look like a newly blooming cucumber flower, quietly emitting a delicate fragrance.

It is neither erotic nor addictive, but it makes people unconsciously relax because of its restrained and subtle temperament.

until......

"Youyu, what are you doing here?"

A vibrant voice reached Toyokawa Yuu's ears. Unlike the calm and silent Wakaba Mutsu, this voice was particularly distinctive to Toyokawa Yuu, and the vitality it contained seemed to make even the sunlight brighter.

Opening her eyes, Toyokawa Yuu instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, and the pink and gray school uniforms of Haneoka Academy immediately came into her view.

The pink sun carries its guitar case, wearing a gray coat that is both heroic and gentle, and a green pleated skirt with varying shades of plaid.

More importantly, his bright gray eyes and sunny smile are impossible to ignore.

"Xiangzi tried to contact you yesterday but couldn't reach you for some reason. You turned off your phone when I called. If you hadn't replied to my message last night, I might still be worried about you now."

The pink-haired girl, who always belonged to the group, approached Toyokawa Yuu and complained, seemingly dissatisfied but actually worried, before noticing Wakaba Mutsumi sitting opposite the boy.

The already dazzling gaze became even more intense.

"Wait, Yuyu, could this be Ave... this is Mumu... Wow, she's so cute."

As Chihaya Aine finished speaking, Wakaba Mutsu, who was sitting opposite Toyokawa Yuu, saw it clearly.

The boy, who had been completely at ease just moments before, visibly became tense.

Chapter 93 Little Cucumber's Subtle Emotions (8k5)

The morning sun is already bright, and since [RING] is a fairly large livehouse, they also turn on some ambient lighting even during the day.

【RING】, which targets female high school students who love music, doesn’t use brightly colored ambient lighting, but it does try to create a soft and bright atmosphere in the lobby.