mygo, Villain Simulator

Nagasaki Sōse closed her eyes, forcing herself to clear her thoughts.

Yes, she knew she shouldn't be so sad. After all, the brown-haired girl had already considered this situation—one day, he would leave.

Before Ichinose Wakaba came to this house, after hearing her mother mention that she had a younger brother, she sat in the corner of the room, silently tidying up the younger brother's clothes and desk.

At that moment, she had already made a quiet decision in her heart: to maintain a basic distance from this half-brother.

Because Nagasaki Sase knew that sooner or later, her younger brother would meet someone he liked, form a family with that person, and leave this family.

And she herself will feel lonely once again.

Not wanting to experience that unspeakable pain again, Nagasaki Sase set boundaries early on, no longer allowing herself to expect or depend on anything.

She only wanted to be the furthest relative of Ichinose Wakaba.

Living under the same roof, yet being the most familiar strangers.

However, reality always prevents Nagasaki Sase from doing so.

Because of the nightmare that she both hated and longed for, and the pitiful loneliness of Ichinose Wakaba, Nagasaki Sōse couldn't bear it.

When she was with him, she broke free of her inhibitions.

Time and again, he has found himself trapped in an inescapable emotional entanglement.

Now, standing here, Nagasaki Sase finally realizes that she has inevitably walked into the trap she herself had set.

The feeling of being robbed still clung to the girl's heart like invisible chains, preventing her from escaping.

Nagasaki Sase felt empty inside, as if she had lost the most important thing—something she could never find again.

Yesterday, the little girl was amazing; she sang so many songs in a row that she was almost out of breath.

Chapter 140 A Messy Mind

Takamatsu Akari stood to the side, her eyes unconsciously drifting towards her former teammate's face. The gray-haired girl hadn't seen her since that rainy day.

Because that one phrase, "light," was the most hurtful word that needed to be practiced, the shy girl became even more withdrawn, hiding herself away from everyone.

I don't want to see anyone.

Even though everyone else was waiting for Takamatsu, they couldn't escape the words, "It's all because of me," and the gray-haired girl was filled with fear.

Just like when Chihaya Aine invited me before—the band will disband again because of me.

So, starting from the day it rained, Gao Songdeng never went to practice again, and just watched the group suffering.

Everyone is waiting for you.

Lixi and I are waiting for you.

I'm waiting for you.

From three people waiting, to two people waiting, to one person waiting, and finally, no one left.

Takamatsu Akari reached high school and met the person who told her that Akari needed to practice more.

She also met someone who wanted to form a band with her, and a boy who seemed very strange to the gray-haired girl.

With her gaze shifting from Ichinose Wakaba to the side, Takamatsu Akari's clear and innocent eyes fell upon her former teammate.

People who are not good at speaking can always unintentionally capture subtle changes in other people's emotions.

Gao Songdeng tilted his head slightly, feeling a strange, indescribable sensation in his heart.

For example, Nagasaki Sosei's smile was still gentle at this moment, but his eyes lacked their usual sparkle.

In that instant, Takamatsu seemed to realize something. However, being poor with words, she didn't know how to express herself even if she wanted to.

Coupled with the previous blows, the gray-haired girl ultimately responded with silence.

However, this silence also made Nagasaki Sase realize just how unbearable his current expression was.

Nagasaki Sase subconsciously pursed her lips, paused slightly, and then lowered her head.

At that moment, her heart was touched. The girl instinctively did not want anyone to discover her uneasy feelings. Unlike Takamatsu Akari, who was not good at speaking, Chihaya Aine also keenly sensed the abnormality.

At that moment, she was happily introducing herself to Ichinose Wakaba, but Nagasaki Sase was so quick to disguise himself that she only had time to say it and didn't realize the specific reason.

The pink-haired girl was startled, her heart skipped a beat.

She stopped talking, instinctively wanting to ask, "Soyo-chan, what's wrong—"

However, before she could finish speaking, Nagasaki Sase had already revealed her familiar, gentle, and polite smile.

Like a gentle spring breeze, it caressed the surface of the lake without causing a ripple.

"It's nothing, Aine."

Her voice was soft and gentle as she smoothly took over the conversation, as naturally as if nothing had happened.

Chihaya Aine's eyes widened slightly; her intuition told her that something was wrong. But she couldn't find the answer, no matter what it was or why.

That strange sense of incongruity was like a thin veil of mist, seemingly within reach yet impossible to grasp.

"Are you really... alright?"

Chihaya Aine asked softly, her voice small and tinged with uncertainty and worry.

Nagasaki Sase managed a weak smile, her tone still gentle, even carrying a hint of reassurance.

It was as if she wanted to tell Chihaya Aine that nothing had happened, that everything was fine. But that unreal feeling clearly didn't fool Takamatsu Akari.

Gao Songdeng looked at her quietly for a while, her eyes filled with worry, but she said nothing.

Nagasaki Sase simply smiled and nodded.

Then, as usual, she gently steered the conversation, subtly diverting Chihaya Aine's attention away from her.

And so, this vague unease was quietly buried in the April wind, and no one mentioned it again.

"Wakaba, speaking of which, you, Kodama, and Aine go to the same school."

"I was wondering before, Wakaba, do you know Kodama and Aine-chan?"

Nagasaki Sase spoke softly, her voice carrying a gentle smile. She clasped her hands together lightly in front of her chest, as if surprised by the coincidence, or as if speaking of something destined to happen.

It was both unexpected and inevitable.

The air paused slightly.

Standing in front of Nagasaki Sase, Ichinose Wakaba blinked, as if he had just realized this fact. He nodded calmly, his voice indifferent.

"Yeah, I've run into Chihaya-san a few times on the train before."

"I met Gao Song at noon today. We are classmates. I'm from the same school."

The answer was brief and lacked emotion, but Nagasaki Sase could detect a hint of clumsy pretense in his younger brother's subconscious glance.

Is someone hiding something?

Is she trying to cover up her relationship with Aine-chan, or... with Kodama?

In that instant, Nagasaki Sase's gaze subtly changed.

It was no longer just a gentle gaze, but rather, like an undercurrent hidden beneath a lake, it subtly began to scrutinize.

Almost instinctively, she wanted to figure out the answer, to know what the hidden secret was.

Chihaya Aine exclaimed softly, "Eh—!" staring blankly at Ichinose Wakaba. Her voice was full of disbelief and a hint of doubt.

"Does Ruoye know Soyo?"

"Also, does Ruoye know Xiaodeng?"

"Wait, something's not right. What happened between Xiaodeng and Ruoye at noon today?"

A barrage of questions came at him like a machine gun, causing Takamatsu Akira, who was not good at handling such situations, to tremble slightly, and even the tips of his ears turned red.

"I...I...I just..."

Gao Songdeng hurriedly explained, but she didn't know how to explain it properly.

It was a very simple thing, but because she sensed Toyokawa Shoko's presence from Ichinose Wakaba, the gray-haired girl's voice became as soft as a mosquito's hum, and she instinctively clutched the corner of her skirt.

"At noon, Gao Song helped me take me to the infirmary."

Skipping over the most important part and simplifying the fact that would raise more questions, Ichinose Wakaba simply and clearly showed the wound on her leg.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Once again, Takamatsu lowered her head, tears blurring her vision.

I don't know if he's apologizing for hurting Ichinose Wakaba, or for someone who's no longer around, or for that line about how the light is something that needs more practice.

Chihaya Aine blinked slightly, keenly sensing the subtle tension in the air, yet unable to pinpoint exactly what was amiss.

She pouted; the feeling of being excluded made Chihaya Aine very uncomfortable.

Somewhat unwilling, she wanted to continue asking, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Nagasaki Sase standing beside her, strangely quiet.

At that moment, the girl's heart skipped a beat.

Chapter 141 They Cannot Be Lovers

Upon learning that his younger brother was injured, Nagasaki Sase felt as if his heart had been stabbed by something sharp.

Although she still had a gentle smile on her face and her steps remained calm, the panic in her heart was almost impossible to suppress.

"Injured...?"

The brown-haired girl confirmed softly, her voice hiding a panic she herself didn't even realize.

Takamatsu Akari nodded timidly and added in a low voice, "At noon... Wakaba-kun, while helping me... scraped his knee..."

knee--

Before he could finish speaking, Nagasaki Sase had already bent down quickly and knelt down in front of Ichinose Wakaba without making a sound. His movements were gentle and natural, as if he were tidying up his younger brother's clothes.

She didn't say anything, but her eyes immediately and carefully searched along the edge of her trouser leg.

Sure enough, in Ichinose Wakaba's slight tightening of her leg muscles and her subconscious attempt to avoid it, she saw that faint abrasion mark.

Redness, swelling, and broken skin

Even after several hours, it remained clear and glaring. Though not heavy, it felt as if it had pierced Nagasaki Sase's heart.

Nagasaki Sōse reached out, her fingertips hovering in the air, just a hair's breadth away from touching the scar.

But she ultimately didn't touch it.

Nagasaki Sase's gaze lingered on the panda-shaped massage stick for a long time. Her fingers trembled slightly in mid-air before she gently withdrew them and hid them in the hem of her skirt.

"Really, how could Wakaba be so careless? Kodama, thank you for taking good care of Wakaba's wound."

Nagasaki Sase's voice was as gentle as the softest breeze in the morning, but only she knew how strong the bitterness in her throat was at that moment.

She clearly wanted to care, to scold, and to protect him like a real older sister, but in the end, Nagasaki Sase just smiled gently, as if through a transparent yet cold glass, keeping all the emotions she wanted to express locked inside her heart.

The girl was afraid, afraid of experiencing that feeling of loss and loneliness again—without expectation, there is no disappointment.

Therefore, she smiles gently, is sensible and considerate, like a perfect older sister.

But only she knew that behind that smile was suppressed heartache, unspeakable fear, and the feeling of losing something little by little.

Like a tiny ray of light held in the palm of your hand, slowly slipping through your fingers.

Nagasaki Sase gently pretends to be the older sister, acting as the most familiar stranger. Having experienced loss, she doesn't want to go through that again, so all she needs to do is play the role of a loving older sister to her younger brother.

Just like the sound of Sōe that Nagasaki Sōse always kept hidden, just like the understanding she showed in the Moon Forest, just like the sensible daughter she played.

You just need to act, you don't need to put your heart into it.

Just as Nagasaki Sase decided to play the role of a good older sister, Chihaya Aine seemed to suddenly realize something.

She blinked sharply, her face showing an undisguised surprise.

"Eh?!"

The pink-haired girl let out a soft gasp, her voice gentle yet strikingly clear in the quiet atmosphere.

The girl's pupils dilated slightly, as if she had suddenly discovered a long-missed but important piece in a puzzle, or as if she had witnessed something unbelievable, like something out of a fairy tale.

"Soyo-chan and Wakaba-ha...you guys?!"

Chihaya Aine wondered if they were really that close. After all, she had never dared to act so intimately in public.

The girl's eyes darted between Nagasaki Sosei and Ichinose Wakaba, like a small animal trying to confirm if it was seeing things. Her tone was filled with barely suppressed panic and curiosity, and she was so shocked that she even unconsciously loosened her grip on Ichinose Wakaba's clothes a little.