Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

When Nagasaki Motoyo asked in a gentle tone, "What is the relationship between Motoyo and Akatsuki?", Motoyo sighed inwardly.

But she has to admit that it is precisely because she values ​​every relationship she has with people around her that she has gradually become who she is today.

Restoring C-Group was the path she chose, and becoming allies with Kazama was also due to her stubbornness.

Motoyo Nagasaki would never betray the decisions she made.

"Perhaps I should be asking, what is the relationship between Hatsuka-kun and Kazama-kun?"

Instead of answering Chu Hua's question, she threw the question back at Chu Hua.

"Hmm... what's the relationship?"

Chu Hua didn't take it too seriously, but seemed thoughtful about Su Shi's question.

She keenly noticed that Su Shi addressed Xiao politely as "Kazama-kun," which made her smile even brighter.

"It's probably that kind of relationship where I want to know everything about this person."

She spoke in a casual tone, but the words made Su Shi's expression change.

"What's wrong? I thought we could reach an agreement on this... What a pity."

Chu Hua smiled shyly and tilted her head. Su Shi had already sensed a very heavy tone in her short sentence—"Yi Mio" Qi Ba Temple 7IV (5) 6"?々宭 But she didn't care.

If she were in front of others, Mitsumaki Hatsuka might have been more restrained. But since the person in front of her was a kindred spirit, she could somewhat ditch the insincere flattery she used to curry favor.

"Because, Su Shi can also feel it, right? Xiao Jun is the kind of person who just quietly stays by your side and keeps you company... even though you've only known each other for a few days, it's as if she has already seen through you."

Ignoring whether Su Shi would give her the response she wanted, Chu Hua continued talking to herself.

For him, such an uninhibited expression of his true feelings was a rare and precious moment.

“I… have never met such an incredible person.”

She gazed at the reflection of the coffee in her cup, as if she could see the boy's silhouette through her own eyes.

After spending these days together, Mikasa Hatsuka has indeed gradually begun to differentiate between Akatsuki and another unshakeable figure—Toyokawa Shoko—in her heart.

If Xiangzi was once a beacon illuminating her life in her dark world, guiding her out of that island...

So Kazama Akatsuki is the confidante she met on her journey after starting her own life, someone who was both incredibly compatible and mysteriously enigmatic.

He seemed to be able to see through my personality, my experiences, and even my painful past—while I knew nothing about him.

Ironically, this very person, whom she should have been wary of, showed her the most selfless kindness.

It was as if she were dancing on a glacier about to break apart, or walking on tiptoe on a suspended steel cable. Sankaku Hatsuka could feel her heart pounding.

She couldn't imagine a future without Xiangzi. Even after she disbanded the band, Chu Hua quietly waited for an opportunity to reconnect with Xiangzi.

But after meeting Xiao, for the first time in her life, she had the thought, "If it's with him, it's okay to just keep things as they are."

She was not denying the efforts she had made for Xiangzi in the past, but rather expressing a vision that "if it's about the future with this person, I'm willing to accept it."

"...I don't understand what Chu Hua means."

Su Shi frowned—this guy's weight seemed to be a little beyond her expectations.

In Su Shi's view, Chu Hua was just rambling on and on, saying a bunch of things that would only seem less cheesy in a novel or TV series.

However, upon closer reflection, Chu Hua's sentiments are not without merit.

"Okay, although sometimes I'm curious why Kazama-kun knows things I've never told him..."

Su Shi rested her chin on her hand, pondering as she took a sip of the black tea the waiter had just brought over.

For example, the fact that she would often intercept Mu at the school gate was something she had never mentioned to anyone, nor had she ever exposed herself to anyone.

But he knew it by chance.

Besides these, there are many other things. For example, he seems to know the inside story of C-group's disbandment, and he often acts like an old friend who knows everyone inside and out, mingling very well among them.

Even if he's from the Toyokawa family, doesn't he know far too many secrets?

"...But that's not the point!"

Nagasaki Motoyo snapped out of her daze, shaking her head frantically to regain her senses—at least enough to clear her head.

"The important thing is that I have made a promise with Kazama-kun that no one can break."

Su Shi resumed her gentle smile, even though she knew that such an intriguing statement would only pique Chu Hua's curiosity.

"Oh?"

Sure enough, a strange glint appeared in the blonde girl's beautiful eyes.

Nagasaki Motoyo achieved her goal.

"Yes, he and I are an unshakeable ally. No matter how many secrets Kazama-kun has kept from me, I believe that he will at least stick to this one point."

Su Shi straightened her back and gently placed her hand on her budding breasts—completely unaware that this was actually an answer to the question Chu Hua had asked earlier.

"Eh... alliance, which kind of alliance are you referring to?"

Chu Hua didn't point this out, but just blinked and kissed him.

"Of course, this is something I can't tell anyone. It's not directed at Hatsuka-kun, it's just a secret between me and Kazama-kun."

Su Shi's smile remained gentle and calm, but her additional explanation, which seemed to imply something was amiss, was rather superfluous.

After all, knowing it was a secret, he still revealed it. Wasn't his purpose simply to pretend to unintentionally let Chu Hua and the other person know that they had a unique bond, hoping to make her back down?

"...That's it."

Chu Hua smiled gently, gazing at Su Shi without saying a word.

Perhaps for a moment she was still somewhat disappointed.

However, this Schrödinger's moment did not last long before it was replaced by Chu Hua's counterattack.

"Since even Su Shi, who is an ally of Xiao Jun, couldn't stop him, it seems that the person he's going to see is a more important and mysterious figure than me and Su Shi, who is also an ally."

"...!"

Chu Hua's calm and composed words successfully made Su Shi's expression freeze for a moment.

Indeed, she seemed preoccupied with sitting there dealing with Mitsukasa.

"Actually, I've noticed before that Xiaojun sometimes spaces out when she's with me, as if she's thinking about someone."

Chu Hua's expression remained unchanged, but the gentle light in her purple eyes as she looked at Su Shi became even brighter and more dazzling.

"I'm curious about who this person is too."

But the next second, she narrowed her eyes and replaced that sharpness with an idol-like, perfect smile.

"Since she's Xiaojun's friend, maybe she can become my friend too?"

Chapter 51 Mom, Love Me Again

Achoo... Achoo!

The boy squatting in front of the potted plant sneezed several times in a row, attracting the attention of the girl with long light green hair next to him.

"Xiao, are you alright?"

Ruo Yemu remained calm, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes as she looked at the boy.

"It's nothing... Achoo, maybe someone's talking badly about me behind my back."

Xiao touched his nose sheepishly. He had felt his ears burning from the very beginning—maybe someone really was talking about him.

Forget it, he doesn't care if anyone else is thinking about him now.

Xiao subtly moved her body closer to Mu, who had been obediently squatting beside the soil, applying fertilizer to the seeds buried in the pot.

The most important person is actually only Mu, isn't there?

Although she doesn't understand herself well enough yet, and Xiangzi has always been getting in the way of the two of them, he will definitely be able to get to know his mother better in time.

Xiao was full of confidence and took out the seeds he had carefully escorted all the way from his pocket.

"Since you helped Mu take care of the cucumbers before, could you allow me to plant this thing together with Mu's cucumbers now?"

"Well……"

Mu, who had been focused on her own work, looked up and carefully examined the tiny seed in Xiao's hand.

"This is……"

Mu looked closely and recognized the variety of the seed.

"Sunflower seeds?"

"That's right, that's right, Mu, you're amazing!"

Xiao laughed heartily, her eyes full of praise and approval for Mu.

Actually, he brought this thing here for a reason.

Back when I was first adopted by Mu, I was at a loss in the new environment and didn't know how to communicate with Mu as a new mother.

Mu, who was also not good at communicating, did not have a heart-to-heart talk with him. Instead, she silently led him to the back garden where he grew various potted plants and gardening products, and let the young Xiao choose the flowers and plants he wanted to plant the most.

He initially chose a tiny sunflower seed.

After that, Mu would always take time to take care of the plants in the backyard with Xiao. The mother and son took good care of the sunflower seeds that Xiao had chosen, and the seeds finally transformed into a warm and bright sunflower in the same season.

As they cared for the garden together, they gradually broke the ice and slowly became a family who knew and cared for each other.

This moment is just like that moment back then.

"Xiaozhong, I don't mind."

Mu did not show any resistance; he simply buried his head between his knees and arms and nodded.

"Although, I don't actually let others plant anything in my fields."

Mu's brief explanation had already made Xiao unable to help but grin.

In other words, Mu didn't treat him like a stranger.

If it's not someone else, doesn't that mean we can gradually become family?

"Mu, I love you so much."

No matter what Mu says, Xiao will always make a heart shape with her hand with exceptional affection, just like now.

"Um... thank you."

Mu blinked somewhat blankly, neither blushing nor showing any shyness or bashfulness like a normal girl.

No, based on Xiao's understanding of his mother, she was the kind of person who rarely showed her emotions, even when she was touched or shy—that's why he dared to say such inappropriate things so recklessly.

He noticed that Mu lowered his head again and began to shovel the soil more quickly.

Because actually, harmony is very beneficial.

"Does Xiao like me because she sees me as a friend? Or is it because I can play the guitar?"

Like a walking encyclopedia of questions, Mu kept asking one after another while tending to the plants with her head down.

"There's no reason, it's just that I was born liking you."

Having truly inherited the skills of those gravity-fighting aunties, Xiao calmly and without batting an eye uttered these words of confession that would put a lot of pressure on a normal person.

"Well……"

However, this might not be the case for Wakaba Mutsu.

Her expression remained calm and composed, but her left hand, which was wrapped around her knees, was gently tapping her thigh from an angle the boy couldn't see, as if she were both excited and slightly elated.

Xiao knew that now was the time for her to press her advantage.

"Um... I know Xiangzi doesn't want me to have any contact with Mu, but if it's possible..."

He made up his mind and blurted out all his true feelings.

"I still want to see Mutsu more often. I also want Mutsu's contact information. If possible, I want to see Mutsu off to school every day, whether it's helping you take care of the plants in the plantation or taking you home—even if we don't say a word, it would be very comfortable to just stay together quietly like this."

Perhaps influenced by her aunts who valued women, Xiao didn't find it difficult to express her true feelings.

—Besides, if we don't speak up now, it will be too late when Xiangzi comes to catch us in the act again.