Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"My name is Mu... You don't have to call me Mom, just call me Mu."

Her palms were cool, but when they were enveloped by that gentle yet delicate force, a warm feeling would still well up inside.

Perhaps moved by this youthful yet sincere warmth, Xiao finally decided to let this woman hold his hand and led him into the Ruoye family home.

Although this mother doesn't act like a mother should.

For example, Mu, who never cooks, specially prepared a bunch of cucumbers to cook at home in order to make Xiao happy, but accidentally cut her hand. In the end, Xiao had no choice but to stand on a small stool and cut the cucumbers into strips, feeding them bit by bit to Mu, who was enduring the pain but already had tears in her eyes, to make her happy.

For example, Ms. Mu, who had absolutely no experience in raising children, wanted to buy some cute new clothes for her son, but instead bought a bunch of pink and tender styles for girls. All her hard work was in vain, and she could only watch in frustration as Xiao was taken out shopping for clothes by Su Shi and Ai Yin.

For example, when Xiao was ** years old, he had a high fever. Mu, who had just rushed home from the film set, had absolutely no experience in taking care of a patient. He could only call acquaintances, friends, and doctors, and then frantically paced around at home, kneeling by Xiao's bedside and praying that he would be alright.

In the end, it was Auntie Sanjiao, who arrived first despite being travel-worn, who took the child to the nearest clinic.

Looking back, Xiao is actually quite shocked that he was able to grow up healthy and strong without any major incidents. His tenacious vitality and the meticulous care of the aunties around him are both indispensable factors.

Clearly, Ruoye Mutsu was not a competent or qualified mother. As Xiao grew up, the role of caregiver in the Ruoye family fell on his shoulders, but he never regretted becoming Mutsu's family.

He's about to debut, about to form his own band, which makes Mu proud—

“………………Hmm.”

When she woke up, Kazama Akatsuki could feel that the corners of her eyes were a little wet.

All I could see was an unfamiliar ceiling.

He woke up in the student dormitory, and the surrounding environment, completely different from his own bedroom, reminded him that this was not the harmonious and familiar Wakaba family home.

He patted his cheeks; it seemed that time travel was not a dream at all.

Kazama Akatsuki rubbed his eyes. The bitterness from his sleep seemed to seep into his heart, leaving a trace of regret even after he woke up.

He must be a little homesick.

Regardless of whether this person is a truly responsible mother or not, Xiao has come to regard her as family from the bottom of her heart because of her years of companionship and clumsy but sincere care.

If I had known this would happen, I should have had a peaceful talk with them at the end.

He stretched, composed himself after a moment of melancholy, and then mustered his energy to go to the bathroom and wash his face.

What's done is done; it's not good to dwell on the past and complain.

To be honest, last night he was hoping that some kind of divine weapon like a system would suddenly appear and guide him, but it still hasn't shown up today—

It seems he doesn't receive the treatment that male protagonists in time-travel novels should have.

Forget about the system; there wasn't even a hint about what to do next...

The prospective superstar, who is set to debut tomorrow, has suddenly been transported to this strange time and space. This sudden sense of disorientation has been enough to make Kazama Akira feel melancholy for quite some time.

But then again.

Now that he has already met Aunt Toyokawa Shoko, who is still alive and well after her accidental death...

That would mean that in this time and space, he could meet Wakaba Mutsumi, a middle school student who is still a teenager.

Thinking of this, Xiao, who had been feeling a bit dejected, instantly perked up.

Although he can't go home for the time being, he can see his mother from his teenage years.

Although he remembered Mutsu as being very well-maintained, and even in his thirties he still looked no different from a young woman in her twenties, he now had the opportunity to meet a genuine middle school student like Mutsu.

I heard from Aunt Aiyin and Aunt Sushi that Mu was as delicate and cute as a little doll when she was young. She looked a bit silly but was also a bit sensitive... Now I can finally meet her in person!

Xiao couldn't help but feel a little impatient.

Well, anyway, being able to see Mutsu in his younger days makes this trip worthwhile.

But then again—where should he look for Wakaba Mutsu?

His thoughts kept getting blocked just as he was about to take the next step, but just as he was racking his brains about how to create this chance encounter, Xiao suddenly remembered something.

He wiped his face with a towel, went back to the bedside, picked up his phone, and typed in and added Anna Hanami's contact information.

He almost forgot, this was the only connection he had after traveling to this time and space.

Although it's a bit apologetic to say this, it's precisely because this is Kazama Akira's only connection right now that he has to make good use of it—cough, no, he should ask for Hachimi's kind help.

"You only added my contact information the next day? I waited for you for so long last night, Kazama."

After he sent a greeting emoji to Banami, a somewhat dissatisfied but also easily misunderstood complaint popped up in the chat box.

If it were Xiao Chunan, who had hardly ever interacted with women, he would probably have already imagined the girl tossing and turning all night waiting for his news, and then his heart would start pounding uncontrollably.

Unfortunately, Akira, who grew up surrounded by women (mainly pampered by his aunts), sensed that Banami was using this seemingly unintentional flirting to get revenge for the friend-zone he had given her yesterday.

Isn't that a bit too much of a grudge, Ms. Banami? If he were some lovesick young boy, he'd probably be blushing and his heart would be racing by now.

"You know, Xiao, some girls will pretend to be very interested in you or very enthusiastic about you, just to attract your attention and get some of your skills to their advantage... The prettier the girl, the more likely she is to lie. Remember what I'm saying."

Xiao Ke kept all of Aunt Su Shi's earnest teachings firmly in mind.

It's obvious that Banami is the kind of quirky and unpredictable pretty girl.

While she may not be like those scheming women who painstakingly win people's favor to exploit them, if you take her jokes to heart—you'll truly become a laughingstock.

Therefore, if Ye Xiao would never include this type of girl in his ideal category, if he had to assume that he would like a girl, it would only be a girl with a pure and harmless heart.

Hmm, now that you mention it, it sounds a bit like Mu.

This is not surprising, though, since Mu Ke is the woman who could become his mother.

Xiao calmly typed "I'm sorry, I was just afraid of disturbing your rest" and then began to plan how to use... uh, no, how to get through Ms. Banami's help to see her mother Mutsumi.

If he remembered correctly, his mother, Mu, and Aunt Su Shi had formed a girl band together when they were young. Aunt Li Xi even emphasized that they had a certain presence in the girl band scene at that time.

No matter how you look at it, Anzu Hachimi is the kind of high school girl who won't fall behind the trends. And high school girls are creatures who are always chasing the latest hot topics and gossip, so she should be quite well-informed and may even have some knowledge and interest in the band scene.

"Speaking of which, do you know the girl band CRYCHIC, Hanami?"

After a series of very standard excuses, Xiao finally got to the question he really wanted to know.

After a brief silence, Banai saw that the reply from the other end was just as he had expected.

"Of course I know them! Their songs were pretty popular online a while back. Do you want to know anything about them? I went to one of their live shows with my classmates!"

Whoever wins over high school girls wins the world—that saying is indeed true.

"Okay, okay, how about we meet and have a chat? I can repay you for the meal you had yesterday."

"That's great? I thought you'd forgotten about it. Great, great!"

After setting the time and place for the meeting, Xiao swiped out the chat window and looked at her phone screen with a "plan succeeds" expression.

However, what he didn't know was that at almost the same moment—

After exiting the chat window, Yanami Anna swallowed hard.

[Mission Update: Meet the remnants of Group C and interact with them. Reminder: Try not to reveal your identity or the purpose of your trip. Violating this rule will result in mission failure, and you will face penalties.]

The voice appeared in her head after she put down her phone.

"...It seems that the voice I heard last night wasn't just a dream."

In short, she first picked up the sandwich on the table and took a bite to calm her nerves.

Chapter Seven: Anana Hachimi Raises Her Alone

Last night, when Anna first heard that voice, which seemed to come from another world, in her mind, she was actually somewhat unwilling to believe it was real.

The host capability assessment has been completed, and the current evaluation criteria have been activated.

What host, what ability, what activation?

What does this mean?

Perhaps this was just a strange dream, or perhaps just a series of whimsical thoughts that popped into her head as she tossed and turned in bed...

[Name: Kazama Akatsuki. Character attribute panel activated. Baseline average score for male in the corresponding age group: 70.]

Wait, why is the name of that boy I met during the day appearing here?

If things had ended here, Anzu might have just thought she was too tired and was hallucinating.

But the next day, while she was leisurely eating breakfast at her own dining table...

The host properties panel has been loaded for you.

The sudden pop-up interface almost startled her so much that she dropped her breakfast.

[Intelligence: 80/10 The combination of a privileged upbringing and a calm, composed nature has shaped exceptional adaptability and resourcefulness.]

[Physical Strength: 75/100] Growing up in a somewhat precarious home, besides intelligence, one would certainly need a physique slightly superior to their peers.

[Charm: 90/100] It's not just about outstanding looks; the etiquette and manners learned from elders throughout one's life are also invaluable, enhancing one's overall aura and charm.

【Durability: 75/100 Although this value is slightly better than average, it is easy to be inconsistent in your efforts to advance a project without passion or other necessary motivation.】

[Strength: 65/100 For a slightly pampered, sedentary young man who doesn't like exercise, it's recommended to carry around an electronic keyboard or drum set for some exercise every week.]

[Agile: 55/100 You're the kind of lead singer who delivers a spectacular performance on stage, only to trip over a guitar cord and fall flat on his face, right?]

[Willpower: 75/100 - Average but not nonchalant willpower; assessed as having had a smooth-sailing life with too little challenge.]

[Reputation/Finance: 60/100] Kazama Akatsuki's life is no different from that of an ordinary male high school student.

[Luck Value: ? ? / 100 The mountains and rivers seem to block the way, but then a new village appears amidst the willows and flowers.]

[Currently proficient skills: persuasion, pleasing others, rhetoric, composing, singing]

[Pre-existing talent: Social skills – Under the subtle influence and guidance of one or more mentors, even if you are not good at flattering others in social situations, you can at least maintain your integrity when you don't want to socialize, avoiding the malice of others, and you can accurately guess the true purpose and thoughts behind others' feigned politeness.]

[Pre-existing talent: Outstanding appearance – Your excellent looks and education ensure that your eloquence will convince most people, automatically increasing your success rate by 20% on top of your base stats when persuading others or using persuasive techniques.]

[Activated keyword: Bonds Across Time. When conversing with certain characters, their friendship level will double. Mentioning certain bond events may trigger different storylines...]

[Currently completed task: Spend a day in 202x. Points held: 2. System prompt: You will receive free points for each completed task, which can be allocated to different attributes for bonuses.]

[Current Task: Meet with a former member of Group C to find inspiration for your own performance. Points awarded: 2. Points are awarded based on the performance's rating: Pass +1, Excellent +2, Perfect +3. Note: Exposing your identity will result in mission failure and a penalty.]

"...What are all these things?"

Although she quickly ate a bite of breakfast to calm her nerves, the eerie feeling of something so illogical suddenly appearing before her was still hard to alleviate in this way.

So Banami took a second bite.

This thing that calls itself a system... it sounds like something you'd find in online novels.

After calming down, Anna spent several hours exploring a field she knew very little about—web novels—and finally understood her situation after reading several system novels.

Simply put, the appearance of this so-called system seems to foreshadow that the protagonist is about to receive this unexpected golden finger, thus turning his life around from a loser to a winner and reaching the pinnacle of life...

However, there is one problem that we must face.

"...Why is this host not bound to me, but to Kazama-kun?"

Having emerged from the ocean of online novels, Ms. Banami, who was already feeling a bit dizzy from reading so much, thought of this insightful question.

As a well-rounded person with many interests, she is actually the kind of girl who doesn't read novels much or play games often, but that doesn't prevent her from understanding her current situation.

A cheat system? Cool. Getting stronger by completing tasks? Awesome. And you can fully equip yourself by allocating skill points? Awesome.

But wouldn't it be a bit funny if the subject wasn't her but someone else?

"Hey—I don't know if you can hear me, but you've got the wrong host, haven't you?"

Anzu tried to raise her voice, wondering if that would make the person who gave her this cheat code realize that they had the wrong person to bind the panel to.

"Can you please give this system back to Kazama—or at least change the host's name to mine! It's Anna Hachimi, not Akatsuki Kazama! Can you hear me?"

However, it was clear that four minutes had passed and the house was still silent. Only the panel recording Kazama Akatsuki's attributes was still floating in front of her, and a large headshot of a boy was staring straight into her eyes.

No matter how you look at it, this system seems to have been tied to the wrong person, and the person who released this cheat code didn't seem to realize that at all.

"...Based on my understanding from several hours of quantum reading...even if these tasks are completed, the final points will probably all go to Kazama-kun."

Banami sighed, her eyes filled with undisguised helplessness and trouble as she looked at the boy's delicate and handsome face on the panel.

In this way, even if Anna followed the system's task guidance diligently and conscientiously, she wouldn't benefit from it—she would just be doing all the work for Kazama Akira for nothing.

No... if we think about it the other way around.

She had just ended a decade-long emotional entanglement with her childhood sweetheart (which was actually just a one-sided crush) when a handsome young man suddenly appeared in her life, and even the golden finger that was supposed to be tied to him ended up on her head by some twist of fate...