Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"Even if you think I'm a riddle teller, Xiao Xiang, there's nothing I can do... I made a promise not to reveal secrets casually."

The more resolute Chu Hua's attitude became, the angrier Xiangzi became.

What unspeakable secrets do they share that make Chu Hua keep it a secret from him?

"...If Chu Hua, you are unwilling to tell me, of course I will not force you to break the agreement."

Forcibly suppressing his urge to question further, Xiangzi loosened his grip on Chuhua's wrist.

"But Hatsuka, you went to such lengths for Kazama-kun, isn't it because of him...?"

Finally, Toyokawa Shoko mustered up the courage to ask her friend the question.

"Do you have feelings for him... that go beyond friendship?"

“Hmm, {〇O Yiqi Shi 59? Feeding for a long time?>Gun?}…”

Chu Hua was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood what Xiangzi was angry about.

"Xiao Xiang, are you jealous?"

"No, no!"

A casual question made Xiangzi blush and lose his composure, while Chuhua successfully turned the tables with ease.

"Don't worry, Xiao Xiang. My feelings for Xiao Jun... are completely different from my feelings for you."

Seeing that Xiangzi was only bothered by this kind of thing, Chu Hua breathed a sigh of relief and comforted him with a smile and gentle voice.

"Friendship and other emotions are not mutually exclusive, so Xiao Xiang doesn't need to feel anxious about this at all."

So you two really are... that kind of relationship!

Toyokawa Shoko blushed and gasped.

Young men and women of the right age have a secret they don't know about—what other possibilities are there besides romance?

"Hmm...it's also possible that Xiaojun and I are mother and son?"

"Yeah, right! There's a time and place for jokes, Chu Hua!"

"Haha, sorry, sorry. I just thought Xiao Xiang's expression was cute, so I was just joking."

Misaka Chuka smiled and used this excuse to gloss over what she had just said, just as many heartfelt words are often unintentionally packaged as jokes.

"Seriously...you two must be in that kind of relationship! Otherwise, why would you keep it from me and everyone else...!"

Xiangzi snorted softly, thinking that regardless of whether someone was a normal person or not, they could only think in that direction.

"It's not what you think. If I had to say—"

As Chu Hua smiled, her eyes sparkling, Xiangzi felt as if he could see a hint of regret in them.

"I also hope... I can become like that."

Of course, Misaka Chuka wanted to develop the kind of relationship with that boy that Xiangzi had envisioned.

It's not just that.

Romantic relationships, family relationships, friendships, life-and-death bonds, and all sorts of other relationships—

As long as it's a relationship where you can rely on each other to move forward, Mikasa wants to share it with that boy.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Carelessness Leads to Xiao's Demise

"What do you mean you want that... Could it be that Kazama-kun rejected your feelings, Hatsuka?"

Xiangzi's face was still full of confusion and bewilderment, but she had now calmed down from her unwarranted expectations and defenses, and began to have an inexplicable curiosity about Chuhua and the room's emotional life.

"Well... this isn't something I can tell you, Xiaoxiang. I'm sorry."

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, and being talkative can also get you killed—Triangle Chuhua knows this well, so she cut her losses and stopped the conversation in time.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Even if there are still many doubts now, one day in the future—Xiao Xiang, you will understand!"

"You're spouting nonsense again! What are you and Kazama-kun really up to?"

Chu Hua is indeed a reliable partner. She always remembers every request that is repeatedly told to her—such as what Kazama once told her not to reveal our secrets or to tell the supposedly dead Toyokawa Shoko about the future she was not involved in.

But Xiangzi also realized this.

"...I understand now, is it because this is actually a one-sided love?"

"Eh?"

Seeing that his straightforward request was ineffective, Xiangzi rallied his forces and launched a surprise attack in another direction.

"Hatsuka, you...you might have those kinds of feelings for Kazama-kun, but he hasn't reciprocated, has he?"

A glint of light flashed in Xiangzi's eyes—this was the closest she had ever come to the truth.

"What... What are you saying... Xiao Xiang, you've misunderstood. I don't have those kinds of feelings for Xiao Jun...!"

Even Chu Hua, who had always pretended to be just doing her job as a friend, felt a little guilty and flustered.

To be precise, it's "not just" that kind of thinking.

Being just lovers is not enough; being treated like family by that guy is like drinking poison to quench thirst.

There's nothing wrong with playing these word games, isn't there? She just doesn't want her feelings to be easily exposed; it's not like she's hiding any heinous crime—

"Even if you can fool others, you can't fool me, Chu Hua!"

Little did anyone know that her disguise was completely exposed in front of Xiangzi. Fengchuan Xiangzi only needed to frown and look up and down at Chuhua, who was wearing a mask and smiling, for a few seconds before he could righteously and sternly draw this conclusion.

Xiangzi was no stranger to her seemingly gentle yet murderous gaze.

For a fleeting moment, it seemed that Chu Hua had also cast a similar gaze upon her.

When Tang Hua's concern shifted to another boy, Xiangzi certainly wouldn't admit that she was actually a little disappointed, after all, dignity was one of the few things she could freely control.

But regardless, since Chu Hua has said she won't let her feelings for Kazama affect her relationship with him...

"...Why not let that guy know what you're thinking?"

After a moment's thought, Xiangzi decided to consider the issue from the perspective of his childhood friend.

"If you really have any different feelings for him, why don't you just tell him and let him know?"

Honest and frank, highly proactive and compassionate.

Shan (four) Ling @ Qi Er ② Shi sai; 『/⑷ This is the normal state of Toyokawa Shoko.

Besides, even if she's determined to take Mutsu and Hatsuka back from Kazama, she has to do it in a fair and square way.

A lowly and dirty scheme to sow discord? Taking advantage of the fact that these two people are already at odds, saying some provocative things to one of them? Perhaps this would work, but Toyokawa Shoko would never stoop to such a tactic.

"Or is it that Kazama-kun, who is clearly intelligent to the point of being almost supernatural, actually has no idea what you're thinking, Hatsuka...?"

After a little thought, she deduced the situation that best fits the current state of affairs and is closest to reality.

"...There's no need to speculate about our relationship, Xiao Xiang. I've maintained this distance myself, and I'm quite satisfied with it. If I were to break the current balance as you suggested, it would only cause unnecessary trouble for everyone."

Chu Hua smiled and thought that at worst she could endure hardship and humiliation for a while, and eventually she would tell that guy her feelings on the right day.

Moreover, now... we still need to carefully plan and deploy our troops.

"...Does this mean you're backing down?"

Unexpectedly, Xiangzi, who had just cleverly guessed the truth, suddenly lost her mind and interpreted Chuhua's temporary silence as a cowardly escape and a numb wait.

“Listen, Chu Hua. Maybe I shouldn’t be saying this, but I really want you to be happy—even if it’s that guy who can make you happy.”

After learning that his childhood sweetheart had secretly fallen for the guy he had always considered a thorn in his side, Xiangzi's feelings were actually quite complicated.

But rather than trying to win Chu Hua back, she prioritized helping Chu Hua get closer to the happiness she desired most, standing in Chu Hua's shoes.

"Some things, if not said aloud, may remain unknown to others for their entire lives."

Although doing so would stir up some complicated emotions in Xiangzi's heart, she didn't know why.

"Xiao Xiang..."

Chu Hua was lost in thought for a brief moment, then gradually regained her composure in a long period of silent contemplation.

"...That's exactly the kind of thing you would say."

If Xiangzi were in her current situation, she would probably muster the courage to break through this boundary, even if it meant blushing and stammering, to convey her feelings to Xiao.

This was the first time that Sanjiao Chuhua felt somewhat fortunate, as she wasn't always Xiangzi's equal partner.

"This is between you two, and I don't want to get too involved. But... I don't want your relationship to affect our relationship."

"Of course, Xiao Xiang."

"Hmph... Chu Hua, you're easy to talk to, but Mu is a different story... I have a feeling she's been bewitched by that Kazama guy, and she's been ignoring me and everyone else lately..."

As Xiangzi muttered to himself, he mentioned a name that caught his attention, and Chu Hua's eyes also lit up.

"Xiao Mu... she hasn't said anything to me lately."

"Tsk, as expected... Mutsumi always leaves first after rehearsals, and Kazama-kun follows right behind. Could it be that the two of them are doing something shady behind everyone's back..."

"I thought if it were Xiao Xiang, he would know Xiao Mu's recent whereabouts."

Chu Hua spoke in a gentle and easygoing tone, saying things that at first glance didn't sound like she was trying to persuade someone to make a decision.

"It's okay. With the relationship between the two of you, you'll definitely be able to clear things up and make up by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, um...right."

Xiangzi frowned, as if struck by a sudden inspiration from Chu Hua's words, and took out his phone.

Yes, she could have easily brought Mu Yue out and talked everything out, just like she and Chu Hua are doing now.

However, not long after Xiangzi enthusiastically typed the invitation to meet tomorrow into Mu's chat box, a message that followed made the smile on her face freeze completely.

"Xiao Xiang...?"

Sangoku Hatsuka, not understanding, tilted her head slightly in confusion.

(1) ling, strange air, si, warm, leeks, gone. Pull out, "Mu said, she'll say tomorrow..."

Xiangzi tried hard to control her expression so it wouldn't look too bad, but her dazed eyes and uneasy lips betrayed her.

"...He invited Kazama-kun to his house, so he doesn't have time to see me."

"...?"

Chu Hua's slight smile froze on her lips.

She just wanted to use the lyrics to test Mu's attitude—but this guy actually invited Xiao to his house?

Chapter Twenty-Three: Who Wants to Disrupt the Reunion of Mother and Son?

Others may not know, but Ruoye Mu has always been a person who dares to think and act.

She would invite Kazama to her house and even tell him the code to her electronic lock without any hesitation, simply because she genuinely welcomed Akira to her home.

[Really? Xiaomu, is that really what you think? You actually invited a boy to your house! Isn't it because you care so much about Xiao and Chuhua's relationship that you thought of using this method to get closer to them?]

However, Metis, who was constantly shouting in the consciousness space, clearly did not think that way.

Even if you and I like Xiao a lot and feel close to him, he's still just a normal boy going through puberty, okay? Xiao Mu, you know what this kind of invitation means, right?

"Hmm... what does this mean?"

The next day, even though the sun was high in the sky, Mu was still lying in his bed, wrapped up in the soft, comfortable white bedding, covering his mouth and muttering to himself.

Ever since yesterday, when Metis invited Kazama to come over to his house, it has been chattering incessantly in his head, keeping Mu awake all night.

Just as Mu was patiently preparing to listen to her insightful opinions, the noisy teacher Metis gave an unexpected answer.

[—Doesn't this mean that Xiaomu is going to make Xiao her best friend?]

"Well………"

In his flustered state, Metis seemed completely oblivious to the possibility of a relationship between a boy and a girl.

Even though it was Xiangzi, Mu never told her the door code or welcomed her with the door wide open! Mu just wants Xiao to be her best friend, right? What about me? I'm the one who understands and knows Mu the most! Is Mu going to abandon me and choose Xiao instead?