Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"I won't actively send Xiao away."

Of course, Mu emphasized her attitude.

Even if this guy wanted to leave her, she wouldn't easily agree.

"Hehe, of course I know."

Kazama chuckled and touched his nose, then used a shovel to completely destroy the small circles that Mutsumi had just drawn in the nursery, which she had been daydreaming about.

"If Chu Hua is a partner that Xiao acknowledges, then he is also my partner."

"What, only now? I thought Mu had already considered everyone as partners because of Xiangzi."

"Xiang accounts for 30% and Xiao accounts for 70%."

"That's a really simple and easy-to-understand explanation..."

The tender moments between mother and son allowed Xiao to relax, a moment he had been longing for.

Mu also lowered his guard in this atmosphere, completely unaware that the other "master" inside his body was watching them closely.

What... Xiao and Mutsuko didn't mention my name at all when they talked about important partners?

In the space of consciousness, Metis, who was in the exquisite paper house, stood up angrily and smashed the television in the center of the room.

[How dare you! How dare you two do this? It's not fair! It's absolutely not fair!]

Chapter Fourteen: Aunt Chuhua, A Heavy Love

Mikasa has been keeping an eye on the interactions between Kazama and Mutsu recently.

After their breakthrough performance at the Budokan, the band members were busy preparing for their next performance. Dealing with the media was largely handled by the band's outward leader, Toyokawa Shoko, and the eloquent Ms. Meowmu, while the rest of the band focused on their respective tasks, preparing new songs.

This certainly includes Mikami Hatsuka, who wrote a confession song, but she is more concerned about why Kazama ignores this song full of her sincere feelings and instead becomes Wakaba Mutsumi's tagalong.

Was it because her expression was too obscure that he didn't notice anything amiss, or was it that her feelings were simply not as important as Mu's?

Suspicious and distrustful, Chu Hua watched Xiao's retreating figure as he left with Mu after work from a dark corner of her eye. She continued her work with a seemingly gentle demeanor, but in reality, she had been lost in thought all day. Finally, as she tossed and turned at night, she picked up her phone and typed a line in a chat box with a certain boy.

【Um... do you have time to call, Xiaojun? There's something about the lyrics I wanted to discuss with you again... If it might disturb your rest, we can talk another day.】

The lovestruck girl decided to take the initiative, at least to find out if the boy had noticed the feelings hidden in the lyrics before she would give up.

She knew where Xiao Hemu had gone and what he had done that day, but she didn't want to confront him about it directly; she was just slightly bothered by it.

【Hmm? Sure. I haven't rested yet either. If it's just a phone call, of course I have time. ^-^~】

Kazama's reply was timely and appropriate, but this only made Chu Hua feel a little bittersweet.

Is he this gentle and considerate to everyone?

Setting her wild thoughts aside for the moment, Chu Hua stopped lying on the soft bed. She sat up straight, cleared her throat, and finally, after making ample mental preparations, dialed the boy's number.

"Hello? This is quite rare, Chu Hua actually called me at this time. So, is there anything in the lyrics that needs to be changed? Or do you think there's anything in my accompaniment that needs more depth? I can start making changes anytime now."

Kazama on the other end of the phone appeared completely focused and ready to go, which made Hatsuka, who was using work as a pretext to probe his true feelings, feel a little guilty.

"Ahem... It's like this. Xiaojun, do you ever feel that... my lyrics are too ethereal, not quite touching enough?"

"Hmm? That's not true... I thought it was quite infectious."

Well, it's just that the infectiousness is a bit too strong, making him constantly have the illusion that "this might be aimed at me, right?"

However, it is clear that Kazama did not give this conjecture a deep consideration.

After all, Chu Hua still has a face that looks exactly like her aunt's, and she knows all about her past—so he can't possibly think about this in a way that goes against human ethics.

Well, let's just consider it an artistic interpretation of Chu Hua's burst of inspiration during the creative process. Aren't all creators like that?

"I always feel like something's missing..."

Chu Hua on the other end of the phone was a little hesitant.

Something is definitely missing.

Otherwise, she had already hinted—no, she had made it so explicit—why was this guy still so indifferent and detached?

Of course, she couldn't openly say the truth, "This song was written for you," she wasn't brave enough to do that.

"Although I think it's already perfect in terms of emotional impact... if you feel it's not enough, Chuhua, you can tell me your creative process or the emotions you want to express. I'll help you see what the problems are."

Kazama's answer remained sincere and earnest, which gradually eased Chu Hua's last bit of apprehension and caution.

"The protagonist of this song is a girl who likes a boy but doesn't dare to confess, right? Chuhua, please use 'he' as a pronoun and talk about your emotional portrayal from the girl's perspective."

Can I really vent all my frustrations to him?

"...Even if this is a little disgusting, is it okay?"

Chu Hua's voice was barely audible, which could be considered her last slight probing.

"Sincere feelings are by no means disgusting."

Kazama smiled faintly to comfort him, completely unprepared for the gravitational field he was about to face.

"Or is it that you, Chuhua, can't tell me something?"

"Of course not! Well, then I'll just treat this phone call as an outlet for my emotions, okay..."

With her heart pounding, Chu Hua used the phone as an excuse to pour her emotions into the song once again.

The bitter feeling brought back the equally poignant lyrics to her mind. After clearing her throat, Chu Hua finally poured out her heart in one breath, interpreting the lyrics—

"I just want to continue to understand him, and I want to be the only person in his life. I want to be his closest and most trustworthy person, but I also hate it when he shows a smile that only others can see when I don't know. I just want to be by his side when he's happy, sad, or down, and I don't want others to see his expressions that I can't see... Even though I'm constantly thinking about him, and I hope he'll call me first, I'm so distracted by this that I can't eat or sleep—it's like I'm going crazy—actually, I sometimes wish he would contact me first, but how should I do that?" "What? He has so many girls around him, he doesn't need me. It's unreasonable to monopolize him like this... But I just want him to notice my feelings, even if it's unrequited, even if we only keep each other company as friends... Why am I the only one who can't help but fall into this longing? Just thinking about him fills me with an overwhelming feeling. I don't want to see other girls around him, nor do I want to see him laughing and joking with other girls, looking so happy. I want to be the only one who sees that expression, but this selfishness makes me feel utterly disgusted—"

Chu Hua didn't remember how long she talked on the phone.

"what………"

When she realized she had said too much and lost her composure in the heat of the moment, there was a long silence on the other end of the phone, but the call was not ended.

It felt like half a century had passed. With a soft sigh, Kazama on the other end of the phone gave a thought that made Chu Hua uneasy.

"...This is so troublesome."

Chapter Fifteen: Chu Hua's Wolfish Ambition

What a troublesome woman.

Kazama had no idea when he had started to drift off into thought. When he realized it, Hatsuka was already rambling on and on about a bunch of stuff that looked like mud, and Kazama instinctively blurted out, "What a hassle."

Did Xiaojun just say the word "trouble"?

Oh no, she heard my casual remark perfectly! Her hearing is so good, it's a real headache.

"Um—I mean that! Chu Hua, you've said so much, it's a bit of a hassle to cram it all into the lyrics! That's what I mean by trouble!"

Kazama quickly racked his brains, using all his intelligence to try and come up with a way to justify himself.

That was close! I almost blurted out my true feelings.

No, when exactly did Chuhua start to become so troublesome?

Having cleverly used this excuse to temporarily evade Chu Hua's suspicions, Kazama breathed a sigh of relief while secretly savoring the strangeness in his heart.

In my memory, Hatsune Miku was indeed a rather heavy-hearted person.

Her smile would vanish when she witnessed other girls stopping him on his way home, and she would then escort him to and from school for the next two weeks.

She would also scheme and plot against Motoyo, who was also vying with her for the right to take Akatsuki out to play. She even went so far as to bribe Mutsu to gain more time with Akatsuki, all in order to compete with Motoyo for the title of Akatsuki's "Favorite Aunt".

Of course, the final result is often a head-to-head confrontation between Nagasaki Motoyo, Miku Miku, and Miku Miku, while the title of "My Favorite Auntie" is snatched away by Chihaya Aine or Shiina Tatsuki, who happen to be passing by.

The topic has veered a bit off-topic, but in conclusion...

Even if Hatsune Miku was very possessive of him before... it wasn't to the point that she would say something so incredibly intense, right?

Kazama felt a lingering fear. Could this be the price he had to pay as an equal friend, rather than as a nephew who needed to be taken care of by Hatsuka? It was truly a love that was full of constraints.

"I see... No, you don't think my words are too troublesome, that's good... I thought..."

"Even if it's troublesome, it's nothing. If it's Chu Hua, no matter how troublesome it is, it doesn't matter to me. Hmm, maybe what you just said was a bit heavy, but no matter how heavy it is, I'll find a way to handle it!"

"You actually just said it outright... This is something that weighs heavily on my mind..."

Chu Hua chuckled awkwardly on the other end of the phone, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"Yes, but I don't care."

Kazama didn't mince words and spoke his mind quite frankly.

"Maybe it's because in my memory, Hatsune Miku has done a lot of heavy things. Just like how the human body can develop drug resistance after taking medication too often, anyway, it's not a big deal to me. So it's okay if you become more frank and straightforward, okay?"

In this situation, saying something sweet like "No, Chuhua isn't feeling down at all" is actually quite simple and should provide Chuhua with a brief moment of comfort and relief.

But it was ultimately a lie.

Misaka Hatsuka might give up asking questions because of a white lie, but she would never simply believe such lines that only come from the mouth of a taciturn and kind male protagonist in a romantic comedy.

"I've long been used to the fact that you're already a heavy person, and I'll accept you no matter what you are like, Hatsune Miku."

"Xiaojun's meaning, what she means is..."

"It means that Chuhua doesn't need to restrain herself or do things against her conscience. And she doesn't need to think that the word 'heavy' sounds bad—I don't think it sounds bad at all, right? After all, it's a symbol that you care about me and everyone else."

"Well……"

Chu Hua lowered her head and remained silent, her heart still filled with a complex mix of emotions, like a bottle of mixed flavors spilled over.

On the one hand, she was indeed moved by what the boy said, after all, she originally thought that there was no one in the world who could accept her true nature.

On the other hand, she would also have random thoughts about other things.

If she greedily demands more, even to the point of comparing it to the feelings he holds for harmony—would he then withdraw his understanding, tolerance, and unconditional empathy?

The bitter feelings piled up in her heart with nowhere to be vented, and in the end, they only turned into a faint smile that appeared on the corner of the girl's mouth.

"Thank you... for not thinking of me as a troublesome guy."

No, no, no, the truth is, you're such a troublesome guy.

But since Chu Hua thanked him so sincerely, it was even less likely that Kazama would reveal the truth.

"If there's anything I can do to help Xiaojun, as long as it's within my power, I'll do anything, even go through fire and water! Even if you ask me to do something against common sense, I'll find a way to help you within my capabilities, okay?"

Since he didn't care at all about his appearance with full gravity, Chu Hua would no longer hide or hesitate in front of him.

"Hearing Xiaojun say that makes me really... really happy. So I'll do anything that makes you happy—I swear to you."

…Now that things have come to this, I regret saying those things to Chu Hua. Is it too late to take it back?

Kazama, who nearly dropped his phone, twitched the corner of his mouth. Even without speaking face-to-face, he could feel the deep affection in the tone of the voice through the phone screen. He would have believed it without a doubt, even if Hatsuka on the other end of the line had sworn a blood oath for this.

He had indeed long been accustomed to the heavy burden of Chu Hua and Su Shi's love, after all, he had personally experienced the heavy love between these two people since he was a child, and had successfully survived.

But... I feel like this guy's symptoms are getting more and more terrifying. Like cancer cells spreading to every cell in his body, it's gotten so severe that it's probably beyond cure, right?

In any case, he wouldn't dare say anything to Chu Hua that might make her start overthinking again in the short term.

"But... have you shown the lyrics to anyone else?"

Just as Kazama was making up his mind, Hatsuka changed the subject with a gentle voice.

"No, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing... I just don't think it's a secret that needs to be kept, so it's okay for Xiaojun to show it to others."

After a series of unexpected events, Chu Hua finally revealed his true purpose.

"If possible... I'd also like to ask Xiaomu for some advice."

National Day Leave Application Form

I need a leave of absence note! I stayed up late last night writing, I'm getting old and can't stay up all night anymore. My head was buzzing when I woke up at noon (( ( ??? ) )). Consider this a break for the author to rest and recuperate. I'll update again tomorrow!

In the next part of the story, it's finally time for Chu Hua to take action against Mu... What kind of development would you all like to see? ((?(???= ???)?)) Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!