Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Su Shi's smile almost faltered, but this time it was for her wallet.

Chapter Twelve: The Secret Base of Mother and Son

Ruoye Mu's life has recently returned to the rhythm she was familiar with.

Every week, in addition to rehearsing intensively with Xiang and everyone else for the next live performance, she would take a small bag of fertilizer she had just bought to the plantation to carefully take care of the cucumber seedlings she had planted.

All members of ave mujica were facing an overwhelming number of interview requests. A large number of media outlets came to inquire, all eager to obtain Mutsu's interview permission, drawn by the gimmick of the first commercial band of star kid Wakaba Mutsu. But she remained indifferent.

Mu was still somewhat bothered by this matter, but most media reports were rejected by a certain teenager, so very few media reporters came to her.

This has allowed Mu to maintain her daily life without disruption; she can still go to the plantation after rehearsals every day to quietly water and fertilize her beloved cucumber seedlings.

Occasionally, she would want to take Xiao along, but if Mu knew in advance that Xiao was busy with the Ave Mujica project, she would sensibly remain silent and quietly come to the nursery alone to take care of the plants.

It's the same today.

"Ha... Everyone's been so tired lately. How about Mu? Is Mu tired? Oh, speaking of which, I wrote a pretty good piece for Chu Hua, you know? I'll definitely finish it before the next performance, and then I'll let Mu hear the full version first, okay?"

It's time to rest after a busy day at work.

In front of the nursery, which only the two of them would visit, even after a long day of exhaustion and intense work, the young man still bent down, picked up the watering can, and personally watered the cucumbers that Mu had planted.

"it is good."

Mu has always been a man of few words, and when he does speak, his words are brief and concise, which might lead people to mistakenly think he is some aloof and unapproachable person.

But at this moment, apart from her almost gentle tone, her intimate actions of clinging to the boy without resistance and letting him water the cucumbers all demonstrated her trust in the boy beside her.

Generally speaking, Wakaba Mutsu would come to the nursery alone to take care of his favorite plants.

However, Xiao always manages to find time to be with her amidst his busy schedule, and he always understands the dependence and need she has for him beneath her silent exterior. Even when Mu remains silent, he will always smile and offer to help take care of the cucumbers.

After the rehearsal, he noticed that Mu might take care of the cucumbers alone, so he refused Chu Hua's invitation to go home together. He also completely ignored Xiangzi's sharp gaze, which seemed to be able to tear him apart, and followed Mu directly to the plantation.

He wanted to come here with Xiao Mu, but there was no particular reason.

Whether it was Chu Hua or Su Shi, there were always moments that made him feel burdened and troubled. Only when he was with Mu could Xiao feel an unprecedented tranquility and inner peace.

"Phew... I should just loosen the soil a bit next, right? After all, it's just a few seedlings, so I don't need to apply too much fertilizer."

Xiao easily took care of the cucumber seedlings Mu planted, thanks to the gardening skills she learned in elementary school. Mu also scooped up a few handfuls of soil with a shovel, so it could be considered that she and Xiao worked together to take care of these cucumber seedlings.

Mu rarely works with others to care for plants, and she certainly doesn't easily let others take care of her cucumbers.

However, if it were Xiao, she wouldn't care about these things.

“Ave Mujica is slowly getting on track, and I might not have time to come here with Mu often in the future. Sigh... But this cucumber seedling should grow strong and healthy, right?”

The boy wiped his sweat, while Mu nodded, seemingly confused.

"Yes, it's all thanks to Xiao."

"Thanks to me... Which thing did I do that you owe me?"

"Two things."

Mu made no attempt to hide his trust and respect for Xiao, and spoke his true thoughts frankly.

"Both things were thanks to Xiao."

"Hmph... Since Mu has said so, I will definitely work harder to continue helping everyone in the future."

Once praised by Mu, Xiao couldn't hide her delight. She hummed a little tune and fiddled with the tender green cucumber seedlings, her smile overflowing.

"Xiao, are you happy?"

However, while Mu was diligently shoveling soil, he also raised a topic that caught him off guard.

"Xiao always seems very busy."

"Well... being busy makes it feel like I'm actually working. Besides, my efforts will be rewarded. If any of the songs I wrote are performed in the future, I'll get a share of the profits, okay?"

"Then, will Xiaohui perform on stage with me?"

Mu refers to "I", not "we".

Like an innocent child who asks whatever comes to mind, she earnestly sought Xiao's answer.

"Hmm... Ms. Shoko is still the nominal captain of Ave Mujica, right? Putting aside my personal wishes, I think she would definitely disagree a hundred times over if we were to add a boy who has never appeared in the project to the Masked Doll Girls."

Kazama didn't answer the question directly, but he did subtly emphasize the objective reality to Mutsu.

Even if Mu had this idea, Xiangzi would definitely oppose it.

"If I had to choose one, would you say I'm more important or Xiangzi is more important? Ah—you don't have to answer seriously, I'm just asking casually."

Having stolen a half-day of leisure, Xiao asked this somewhat abrupt question out of playfulness.

In contrast, Xiao Mu responded with a serious expression after careful consideration.

"So, for Xiao, who is more important, me or Chu Hua?"

"...?"

Completely unprepared for this answer, the thread paused, the calm smile on his lips freezing in place.

"Mu...you never used the tactic of answering questions with questions before, did you?"

Kazama narrowed his eyes slightly, while Mutsumi blinked innocently.

"Xiao loves doing this, so I learned it too."

"Really? When have I ever been that cunning?"

“Every time Miss Miaomeng asks Xiao if we can all be interviewed, Xiao will ask Miss Miaomeng if her recent beauty video views have dropped below 100,000 before she thought of this trick, and so on.”

"Oh dear, I never expected my way of changing the subject to be so harsh."

"Changing the subject... So that's what Xiao was planning."

Mu seemed lost in thought, but her gaze never left the boy.

"But I'm not trying to change the subject. Xiao and Xiang are both important, just in different ways."

Mu honestly answered the question that Akira had just casually asked, and her serious expression made Kazama chuckle.

Although it was an expected answer, it would be a lie to say I wasn't happy to see that Mu took my words to heart.

“I know. Mutsu and Hatsuka are the same to me, aren’t they? You’re both important, just in different ways.”

So Xiao answered Xiao Mu's question very seriously, based on her own feelings.

But Mu didn't show the expected excitement and joy. Instead, she fell into a long silence, listlessly picking up the kettle again.

Mu seemed somewhat dissatisfied with his reply.

Chapter Thirteen: The words of just two people are not enough.

To outsiders, Ruoye Mu is a quiet and reserved person, but she is actually a very easy-going girl.

Kazama could easily guess her unspoken girlish thoughts from the way her eyebrows were raised or lowered, and he could also guess whether she was feeling excited or depressed from the subtle clues of whether the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned or downturned.

This skill is also possessed by Toyokawa Shoko, Wakaba Mutsumi's childhood friend; in a sense, she could even be considered Akatsuki's senior.

However, she has been busy with work related to Ave Mujica lately and is overwhelmed with dealing with Muji, making it difficult for her to even figure out Muji's thoughts.

But Xiao wouldn't do that.

Compared to the mountain of work that could keep him busy to the point of being dizzy, he would always put Xiao Mu's feelings first and prioritize dealing with her emotions.

"Hmm...it seems my answer didn't quite satisfy Mu."

Just like now.

Mu, who was always ready to answer questions, fell silent. Xiao immediately sensed something was wrong and went straight to the point.

Perhaps this is the difference between him and Xiangzi.

Are you happy?

He carefully softened his tone, as if gently stroking a cat's belly.

Mu remained silent, merely nodding slightly as he gazed at the cucumber seedlings. His hand, holding the shovel, moved slowly, drawing small circles on the soil.

Oh my, my mom used to do these little things when she was young, so cute.

"Oh dear... is it because I said that Chu Hua and Mutsu are equally important people?"

Kazama didn't panic and deny what he had just said. Instead, he guided Mutsu step by step in a meaningful tone to tell her the truth.

He knew her well enough. Even in middle age, Mu often couldn't express himself clearly, which led to him saying things he didn't mean or being misunderstood when communicating with others. This was even more true for her when she was still a naive girl.

"……Um."

Mu nodded obediently, still staring intently at the small circle she had drawn with the tip of her shovel under the cucumber seedling.

It's as if her girlish thoughts are also trapped in these circles, unable to break free.

"You don't like being listed alongside Chu Hua?"

Kazama found it particularly amusing that Mumu, whom he had raised single-handedly, could also have such a petulant moment. He kept his eyes fixed on the girl's profile the entire time, taking in every detail of her huffy and tantrum.

"I don't like Xiao, but there are other important people around me."

However, Mu's answer after a brief silence was somewhat unexpected.

Oh dear, this is really a bit heavy.

In my memory, Mutsu, as a mother, rarely restricted his interpersonal relationships. Even if the girls in his class would hang around Xiao, she would not manage or restrain them at all, let alone participate in the fight between Aunt Hatsune and Aunt Sose, who often competed in front of her for the right to take Xiao home for the night.

"It's okay, no matter which aunt's house Xiao stays at overnight, she will eventually come home."

Mu, his mother, once said these words to him with a smile.

Of course, the current Xiao Mu would never speak with such ease as Xiao remembered.

However, the awkward words she uttered were enough to prove that she still held some weight in Xiao Mu's heart.

"Oh dear... is that why? But the importance of Chu Hua is, well, a bit complicated."

Kazama wasn't bothered by Mutsu's attitude. Instead, he sensed the obvious importance she placed on him, and his voice became much lighter and brighter as a result.

"If I had to say, I've already decided to just be friends with her, you know? But Hatsuka, as you know, is a very loyal and sensitive girl."

After learning the secret belonging to Akatsuki, Mikasa became even more convinced that the bond between her and him was an innate and unbreakable destiny. However, from an objective and dialectical perspective, this obsession is actually a double-edged sword that is both admirable and regrettable.

On the one hand, she would genuinely care about Kazama's affairs, considering them as if they were her own, and offering him advice as a comrade-in-arms.

On the other hand, such a huge sunk cost makes her even more convinced that this friendship is a unique and priceless treasure, and this obsession can make people feel so heavy that they can hardly breathe.

If he doesn't treat everyone equally like this, Chu Hua will become overly sensitive and easily become defensive if she senses even the slightest hint that Xiao is leaning more towards Mu. At the same time, she will still smile and claim that she is fine.

From any perspective, she was an absolute troublemaker.

Thinking of this, Kazama sighed with a touch of melancholy.

If one's life is to be controlled by such a heavy woman, it will definitely become a more troublesome situation.

Seeing this, Mu stopped being stubborn and instead continued to ask questions out of curiosity.

"Therefore, I am an even more important person to Xiao."

She wasn't the type of girl who liked to beat around the bush and probe other people's intentions, so that was the only conclusion she drew from Xiao's answer.

"Well—or rather, it's someone who, regardless of their relationship with others, will undoubtedly be on their mind."

Kazama chuckled, not minding that his image in Mutsumi's mind would become glib and frivolous.

"If it were someone else, and they felt too burdensome or too troublesome to handle, I would shamelessly and irresponsibly run away, okay? But if it's Mu, no matter how you treat me, I will stay by your side. Even if you actively try to get rid of me, I won't leave, okay?"

"........."

Mu didn't seem to think he was talking nonsense. She just lowered her eyes thoughtfully and looked at the circle she had drawn herself.

This time, she used the shovel in her hand to draw the boundary of the circle.

"I'm glad to hear Xiao say that."

Mu spoke candidly about her thoughts, and although she maintained a calm expression on the surface, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.