Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

The girl looked at the two girls sitting in front of her, her beautiful but blank eyes full of confusion.

"Su Shi... and Chu Hua? Why are they both in my house...?"

"Mu!"

Su Shi's eyes lit up instantly, while Chu Hua's gaze was slightly more complicated in comparison, but she still smiled and nodded at the girl whose personality had undergone a dramatic change.

"Welcome back, Xiao Mu."

The real Mutsumi Wakaba has returned.

"Xiao Mu, there are two people with really ulterior motives who want to ask you a few questions! Be careful not to fall into their trap. Come back after you've answered their questions!"

After saying this, Metis pulled her out of the small dark room in that space of consciousness without any prior warning. Mu, who was still completely unaware of the current situation, regained control of her body in a half-dream, half-awake state.

The girl sat up and rubbed her temples, as if she had just woken up from a long and inexplicable dream.

"Chu Hua, Su Shi... have you both seen Metis-chan?"

"Ah, although I was a little surprised at first... it's easier to accept this second personality setting than I imagined."

"Why did I suddenly... become so tired..."

She muttered to herself, her gaze sweeping over the messy yet vibrant living room.

Metis seems to have been living a very carefree life while he was in control of the body.

Mu's bewildered gaze wandered back and forth, finally settling on the photograph on the coffee table, just as Su Shi Chu Hua had hoped.

The moment her gaze froze, her expression faltered slightly.

"……This is?"

She reached for the photo, her brows furrowing as she stared at the boy sitting on the woman's lap, smiling brightly, for a long time, but never uttered a name.

"My friend Su Shi and I are making this sudden and presumptuous visit to ask if Mu recognizes the person in this photo."

Chu Hua promptly explained the purpose of their visit.

"Hmm, don't you know Mu either?"

Su Shi was clearly slightly disappointed by Mu's reaction.

"It's like this, Mutsu. The boy in this photo... his surname is Wakaba."

Chu Hua, however, continued to look at her with a smile, his tone calm and gentle.

“But we already asked Metis, and she said she hadn’t seen the child before. What about you, Xiao Mu? Don’t you know him either?”

Ruoye Mu was silent for a long time before finally shaking her head gently.

"do not know."

His tone was firm and decisive.

"Although he looks very much like Akatsuki, to the point that he seems like a miniature version of Akatsuki, there is no such person in the Ruoye family."

Mu paused, his tone calm and firm.

“I have never seen this boy at home, nor have I ever heard Minami mention him. He is not my brother, nor could he be a relative.”

"Oh? You're so sure?"

Chu Hua's tone remained gentle, as if it were just a casual remark, but her purple eyes were subtly capturing a slight fluctuation in Mu's expression.

"Because I know very well."

Mu answered softly.

“Minami won’t let Takafumi mess around outside…and our family won’t show that kind of smile when taking family photos.”

She stretched out her delicate, white fingers and pointed to the boy who looked just like Xiao but had a shy smile.

"Hmm—I see."

Chu Hua nodded in agreement, but inwardly she was thinking that Ruoye's family wasn't as normal as she had imagined.

However, one thing is certain: [The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.]

Since Mutsu himself has said so, then the boy in the photo absolutely cannot be a member of the Wakaba family.

Well…at least not a family member “so far”.

"Su Shi, isn't this you?"

Mu suddenly noticed the brown-haired woman in the photo who was holding a boy and had a kind and gentle smile.

"Ahem... Don't you think the lady in the photo is more than thirty years older than me, Xiao Mu?"

"Well……"

While Chu Hua was deep in thought, Mu, who was carefully examining the photo, ignored the faint blue veins gradually appearing on Su Shi's forehead and suddenly uttered a brilliant remark.

"—It's like a middle-aged version of Su Shi and a miniature version of Xiao taking a picture together."

"...!"

Chu Hua remained silent, but the light in her eyes suddenly brightened because of Mu's muttered words.

"That kind of thing can only be done decades later by having Xiaojun use a clock that turns in the opposite direction to rejuvenate."

Even Su Yiliu, who was least interested in supernatural phenomena, continued to expand on Mu's train of thought, which unintentionally became the final piece of the puzzle to complete Chu Hua's logic.

"...That's true."

Chu Hua gasped, then smiled and agreed with their guess.

"This photo would never have existed without the extraordinary elements."

"Actually, I think the existence of dual personality is already extraordinary enough."

Su Shi rubbed her forehead. Although the well-behaved and obedient Mu Cheng had temporarily replaced the mischievous Metis, she was always worried that one day the child would make a comeback and cause trouble for everyone.

As for this photo, Miss Su Shi has already concluded that it was a prank orchestrated by someone through some means.

Although Miss Chuhua, standing to the side, seemed to have already found the answer in her heart.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Mu, do you know what Metis has been doing all this time?"

Chu Hua sighed half-jokingly, then tilted her head, her expression suddenly becoming very interested.

"Well?"

Mu raised his head blankly, like a sleepy sloth.

"That child seems to regard Xiaojun as his 'second parent'—and is even instigating Su Shi and me to fight over the spot for the mother."

Seeing this, Chu Hua smiled and began to "settle accounts" with Metis in an almost gentle tone.

"Including Xiaojun and Xiaoxiang—she seems quite happy to see the two of them have a falling out."

This was the "punishment" that Chu Hua had been planning for a long time, targeting Miss Metis.

Chapter Seventy-Six Unconditional Love

If he were the one left behind, waiting alone in the space of consciousness, Metis would feel a little uneasy.

Just as when she was in control of her body, Mutsu did not thoughtfully provide the personality remaining in the consciousness space with a perspective to peer into the outside world.

The lonely television set, placed in the center of the empty room, forever flickers with only static in black, white, and gray.

"Hmm... Mutsu shouldn't notice anything unusual..."

Back in this familiar yet tiring world of solitude, Metis sat on the empty bed in her bedroom, clutching the doll that Xiao Mu used to hold tightly in her arms.

Before handing over control of her body to Xiao Mu, she had told her, "After answering those two guys' questions, come back and rest." That's what Metis said, anyway.

Regardless of whether Chu Hua and Su Shi could use flattery to win Mu's favor, Mu, with her gentle and easy-going personality, probably wouldn't break this promise.

Metis, harboring a sliver of hope, pondered this in his heart.

Little did they know that at the same time, outside—

"She seemed quite pleased that the two of them were having a falling out."

As Chu Hua finished speaking, her tone was as gentle as if she were describing a mundane, everyday meal that everyone takes for granted, but Mu frowned at that moment.

"Chu Hua means that Metis... [unintelligible characters]"

"Hmm, Metis-chan... seems to be stirring up everyone's relationships, whether intentionally or unintentionally."

Chu Hua blinked, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"I don't know if she was influenced by Xiao Mu and developed a somewhat awkward 'young bird' complex towards Xiao Jun, or if even without Xiao Mu's influence, Metis still has a certain possessiveness towards Xiao Jun's interpersonal relationships—in short, she seems to really want to see me and Su Shi turn against each other, and Xiao Jun and Xiao Xiang don't get along."

At this point, Chu Hua turned to look at Su Shi, her smile widening even more.

"But thankfully, neither Su Shi nor I are stupid enough to fall for Metis-chan's attempts to sow discord, right, Su Shi?"

"Cough... Yes, that's right."

Even though she felt a little uncomfortable, Su Shi, who felt she had been thoroughly mocked, could only force a polite smile and continue the conversation.

"What……"

Mu was speechless for a moment.

Chu Hua's tone carried no reproach whatsoever, and even her emotions were as light as if it were merely a topic of casual conversation. Yet, it was precisely because of this that Mu's heart was stirred with subtle, persistent ripples.

“I’m sorry, I was completely unaware of all this…”

"Just as I suspected. I suppose Metis-chan didn't tell you the whole truth, right? Hmm, although I'm not entirely sure how your different personalities communicate and exchange memories with each other..."

Chu Hua stopped there, but her meaning was crystal clear.

Regardless, Metis was secretly up to no good behind Xiao Mu's back.

This is an indisputable fact.

No one knows why she did this, or perhaps someone has vaguely guessed the clues but hasn't brought them up openly.

Well, at least Miss Chuhua is currently in a state of knowing everything but not saying anything, and is very much looking forward to how Mu will deal with this disobedient alternate personality, Miss Metis.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know Metis had made so many mistakes."

Not good at dealing with people, and even less good at apologizing, Mu could only squeeze out this weak and feeble explanation with an apologetic expression.

Fortunately, both Chu Hua and Su Shi are very gentle and considerate.

"Of course this is not Mu's fault. Metis should take responsibility for her own mistakes."

Su Shi gently comforted Mu, who was hanging his head, but the latter still seemed to feel somewhat guilty.

"However, because I succumbed to my desire to escape and let her go, that is indeed my responsibility..."

Why would Xiaomu want to run away?

Chu Hua, who was singing along with Su Shi, put on a reliable and caring older sister demeanor, like a patient and persuasive psychologist, making people want to rely on her.

And so, Mu naturally revealed the deep-seated resentment he had kept hidden in his heart to the two of them.

"Because...it's my fault for not stopping Xiao and Xiang...from turning out like this. They could have gotten along well, it's all my fault..."

"Mu..."

"I don't know how to face Xiao."

Mu shrank back a little awkwardly.

"I could have protected him."

She felt it was her duty to protect him.

There was no reason; it was as if this journey was simply something etched into one's very blood.

But she couldn't do it.

"And... I don't know how to face Xiang."

Mu lowered his head, staring at Jiu Ming's hand, which was neatly placed on his knee, as if he were looking for someone who was not present.

“I don’t understand why…Xiang has never visited Xiao.”

Watching Xiao Mu lower her head further and further, Su Shi's eyes showed a complex mix of emotions—but more than anything, a feeling of heartache.