Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"Well, Lixi just messaged you, Xiaojun... I thought you two were the kind of people who would say good morning to each other the next morning..."

"No, no, Lixi and I aren't so close that we have to text each other every time we wake up."

In other words, they've at least gotten to the point where they chat frequently.

The moment Hatsune Miku lowered her head to close the sandwich, the corners of her lips slightly turned up.

Shiina Tatsuki is a threat.

"Oh, I see... It's nothing, I was just asking casually. Go ahead and eat?"

She smiled and handed the two sandwiches to the table, then sat opposite the boy and clasped her hands together.

"I'm starting to eat—I'm so happy to have breakfast with Xiaojun!"

"……Me too."

Seeing Hatsune Miku casually chewing her food slowly, Kazama inexplicably felt that this girl was definitely brewing a big surprise for him.

“Lixi contacted me about nothing, she just said she had something to discuss with me and hoped I could go and meet her as soon as possible.”

Before Hatsune could try to extract information from him, Akatsuki honestly explained the reason first.

"Hey, does it have to be today?"

"Hmm... she said today would be best."

"Is this so?"

After slowly and deliberately finishing half of the sandwich, Miku Miku took out a tissue from the side and wiped her mouth with an elegant and practiced gesture.

"Then I want to go too."

………What.

Chapter Twelve: We're just sleeping together.

"I really can't refuse Hatsune's request... but are you really going?"

The invitation from Shiina Tatsuki was received in the early morning. Breakfast time passed quietly, and Akatsuki, who had eaten an avocado sandwich made by Hatsune Miku, changed into her clothes to go out.

Good morning! You should be up by now, right? I have something to say to you in person! Are you free today? If you are, come to RiNG where I work; if you're not, see you there too! —Shiina Tatsuki

Although Miss Lixi often gives the stereotype of being good at forcing others to do things, she actually rarely forces others to do something without explanation—unless it is absolutely necessary.

Akira knew Shiina Tatsuki's style of dealing with people very well, so he roughly realized the seriousness of the problem behind this text message.

After changing back into his own clothes, the boy, ready to appear as Kazama Akatsuki once again, planned to rush off to his appointment immediately after breakfast.

However, just as he was about to set off, Hatsune Miku, fully armed, changed into her summer outfit at the entrance.

A clean and tidy white shirt accentuated the girl's shapely figure, while the relatively loose denim shorts and canvas shoes favored by high school girls complemented her outfit perfectly, making her look like an ordinary girl going out for a stroll on a hot summer day.

Of course, the black baseball cap and sunglasses she used to disguise herself as a popular girl band idol were also essential.

"Of course I'm going."

The girl smiled sweetly and playfully tilted her head at the boy in front of the entrance door.

"If I insist on going, will Xiaojun refuse me?"

What a blatant trap! If he just nods and says he definitely knows, she'll give him a knowing smile and then turn around and tell everyone his secrets!

"How...how could this be?"

Feeling as if a knife was already at his neck, Xiao had no choice but to grit his teeth and shake his head.

"Then, Xiaojun certainly won't mind if I go with you, right? Or," Hatsune's eyes darted around, her little head constantly churning out unusual plans, "would Lixi mind?"

This is a very dangerous problem.

Shiina Tatsuki didn't specify what the emergency was, and it wasn't good to bring Hatsune Miku, whom she wasn't very familiar with, along without explaining beforehand.

However, if he simply and honestly tells Hatsune Miku this logic, what awaits him next is an even more terrifying "moment of reckoning".

"Hey, is it true that even I can't know the secret between Xiaojun and Lixi?"

"Well..."

“I understand… It seems that even family members have things they need to keep from each other. That makes sense. I’ve gotten used to being the only one who tells Xiaojun everything, but Xiaojun still keeps some things from me.”

Hatsune gave a somewhat forced smile, but her pitiful and endearing appearance couldn't fool Akatsuki's sharp eyes.

This is the CPU! This guy is the CPU! If force doesn't work, try gentleness. With a combination of force and gentleness, there's no Miku in the triangle and no one who can't be won over!

However, Akatsuki really couldn't go against Hatsune, who still held leverage over him, so he could only take out his phone with a forced smile.

He informed Lixi in advance that he would be bringing Hatsune Miku with him.

【Huh?! —Shiina Tatsuki】

Even through the screen, you can imagine Li Xi opening her mouth in bewilderment and involuntarily exclaiming, "Huh?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

About an hour and a half later, the two met near the prime landmark on the commercial street.

"Ha... Kazama, you just can't sit still, can you?"

Having waited at the destination for a long time, the black-haired girl, with her arms crossed in front of her and her toes tapping the ground impatiently from time to time, gave a not-so-friendly smile to the pair of figures that appeared in front of her.

"Even when you meet me, you don't forget to bring another girl along. Looks like you have pretty good time management skills."

Unlike Hatsune Miku's subtle, veiled provocations, Riki's sarcastic remarks are always so obvious.

She glanced at Kazama, who wore an embarrassed smile, and the blonde girl who was snuggling close to him, never leaving his side, still wearing the most perfect smile despite being treated unfriendly.

"Chu Hua...right?"

"Yes, it's nice to see you again, Lixi!"

Compared to Riki, whose expression was anything but friendly, Hatsune Miku, who flipped up her hat brim to reveal a refreshing smile, was much more easygoing and friendly—or rather, she should now be called Hatsune.

"...I don't know if this guy told you about the situation beforehand. I don't usually ask him out for no reason. The reason I called him out today is because there's an emergency."

Perhaps because Chu Hua's idol-like perfect smile was so deeply ingrained in people's minds, Li Xi, who couldn't bring herself to hit someone with a smiling face, patiently and tactfully reminded the blonde girl in front of her who was showing kindness.

The subtext is that this is something they need to discuss privately. If Chu Hua just wants to join in the fun, it's best to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

"It's okay, Xiaojun's problems are my problems."

As a result, Chu Hua abandoned her usual gentle and humble attitude and rejected Li Xi's tactful suggestion in a somewhat forceful manner.

This was quite unexpected.

Li Xi paused for a moment, then frowned and looked at the silent Kazama, hoping he could give her an explanation.

"Uh... my matter is indeed Chu Hua's matter."

As a result, this guy stammered out something that surprised her.

What are these two doing?

Lixi's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them several times. Kazama, from beginning to end, smiled without showing his teeth and looked away, refusing to meet her eyes. Chuhua, on the other hand, smiled and squinted her eyes, looking completely at ease.

There's definitely something fishy going on.

Shiina Tatsuki's intuition isn't very good, but that's an obvious fact.

However, asking Lixi to voice her question directly was a bit of a thorn in her side.

"...You two have a very good relationship."

In the end, she could only look away, pout, and awkwardly hint at the matter in a seemingly indifferent tone.

"It seems that becoming a bandmate is not the same as being a bandmate."

I have a feeling that there's a sour smell coming from somewhere.

“qi (two) ③neighbor IV guilt abandoned umbrella # skirt. Chat] Hey... does Lixi know that Xiaojun has also joined Mujica? He hasn't even appeared on screen.”

Chu Hua turned to look at Kazama with some surprise, and Xiao had no choice but to tell him the whole story.

"Oh dear... because I told Lixi about my plans beforehand."

"Including recruiting team members with Xiaoxiang... all the way to joining Mujica?"

"Yes."

"...That's it."

Chu Hua fell into a long silence, but when she turned her head to look at Li Xi again, the smile on her face vanished for a moment.

"Lixi seems to care a lot about our relationship. Hmm, let me explain—"

The next second, she put on a bright smile again, and at the same time, she reached out and took the boy's arm—

"We just slept together last night, that's all."

"…ha?!"

Now, both Kazama Kureha, Yueyi, and Lixi were speechless with astonishment.

Chapter Thirteen: Chu Hua and Li Xi's First Clash!

Originally, Riki wanted to wait at the store for the time agreed upon with Kazama, since even on a regular workday, one cannot slack off at work.

Unexpectedly, this guy suddenly sent a text message saying that Chu Hua would also be coming with him.

With someone present who wasn't exactly a close acquaintance, Li Xi felt a little uneasy and made up an excuse to end her work at RiNG early for the day.

She arrived at the landmark building on the commercial street in front of the RiNG store, suppressing her anxiety and unease, and waited for the appointed time to arrive as scheduled.

It wasn't about seeing that guy sooner, nor was it about wanting to see how intimate he and Hatsuka were when they arrived side by side. Shiina Tatsuki just wanted to resolve the matter as quickly as possible—at least that's what she told herself.

However, this idea of ​​mental victory crumbled in her heart when she saw Xiao and Chu Hua standing in front of her.

"Xiaojun, are you sure you don't want to wear the hat and sunscreen I prepared? It's so hot, what if you get a tan?"

She had barely seen the two people from afar when she heard Chu Hua's undisguised concern and the intimate gesture of her arm around the boy's wrist.

A vein throbbed on Li Xi's forehead.

What a couple! They're going on a date and taking meticulous care of each other's needs.

Not to mention the words Chu Hua uttered without batting an eye after the three met—

"We slept together last night."

From Shiina Tatsuki's perspective, when a girl takes the arm of the boy beside her and says in a shy yet bold tone, "We're in a relationship where we sleep together," there's only one possibility.

Her face turned deathly pale, and even the finger she slowly raised in mid-air to aim at Kazama trembled with immense shock.

"You two have already started messing around...!"

"Wait, that's not how it works!!"

Okay, that's what most normal people would think!

Feeling somewhat speechless, Kazama turned to look at the instigator, Mikami Hatsuka, whose smile remained bright.

"Why not...isn't this what happened last night?"

Chu Hua slowly and methodically revealed the truth, which was another bombshell revelation for Shiina Tatsuki, requiring no further explanation.

"W-Huh?! It really happened...?"

She glanced at Chu Hua, whose face was radiant with happiness, and then looked at Kazama closely in disbelief.

"You mean—on the night of Ave Mujica's debut, the two of you... slept together?!"

"That's a really strange way of putting it, Lixi, you've definitely misunderstood something. I just stayed at Chuhua's house for one night for some reason... cough. Heaven knows we really didn't do anything."

Xiao, already overwhelmed by Chu Hua's wicked humor, tried his best to explain the situation. However, before he could even begin to soothe Li Xi's emotions and elaborate further, he was thrown off balance by Chu Hua's sudden attack.

She didn't rush to refute Kazama's one-sided clarification, but simply nodded thoughtfully, then gave the two of them a meaningful smile.

"Hehe, at least in Xiaojun's memory, nothing happened."