Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"...Mu."

Xiangzi, who had already put the phone away before Mu returned, neither scolded nor questioned him. She simply sat quietly in her seat, staring at the wooden dining table in front of her.

"Xiang...?"

Seeing that Xiangzi's expression was a little strange, Mu carefully put his hands behind his back and softly called her name.

It was this call that reminded Xiangzi of that vague idea that had been lingering in his mind for so long.

"...I mean, Mutsu. It's just...though it might be a bit sudden to say this."

She forced a smile, seemingly to avoid worrying Mu too much, but the shocking chat logs she had just witnessed made her exhaustion impossible to hide.

In short, a complex smile appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's face.

It seems... we have no choice but to resort to that somewhat "despicable" method.

"If I said I wanted to form a new band...would you still want to join my band?"

She didn't have the courage to point out her recent discovery directly and ask Mu for an explanation.

Instead, after hesitating for a long time, Toyokawa Shoko put forward this bold idea.

It was an idea she had been thinking about for a long time, but had never put into action.

"If it's Mutsu... she'll definitely support me, right?"

This time, Xiangzi's voice no longer carried an undeniable sense of oppression, but rather an extremely rare plea.

"Xiang...I..."

Because he knew her well enough, Mu's expression changed slightly, and even though he stammered out some syllables, he didn't know how to respond.

She had never seen Xiangzi with that look in his eyes before.

It looked like a little puppy, its eyes wet and pleading, as if it had been abandoned by its owner on a rainy night, pretending to be strong but ultimately giving in.

"Of course I will always be by Xiang's side."

Therefore, after overcoming his difficulties, Wakaba Mutsu finally spoke his true feelings frankly.

The feeling of always being with the other half of my body has never changed.

"Thank you... Mu."

Xiangzi, overjoyed at finding such a treasure, finally showed a slight smile, though her face was inexplicably filled with the sorrow of surviving a catastrophe.

"Also, I'm sorry..."

Xiangzi's brief pause and subsequent addition left Mu somewhat bewildered at first.

It wasn't until much later that Wakaba Mutsu realized why Shoko had added an apology after thanking her.

But by then it was naturally too late.

Chapter Sixty-One: Her Death, Your Rebirth

Mu has always known that Xiangzi intends to start a new band after CRYCHIC, but due to being tied up with other matters, she has not yet taken action.

Therefore, Mu was not too surprised by Xiangzi's invitation.

But it was less of an invitation and more of a humble request.

Of course, Ruoye Mu couldn't bear to see her childhood friend's half-body looking so pitiful, so she readily agreed.

—But after agreeing, she felt something was off.

Xiangzi's sorrowful yet tight-lipped demeanor suggested that he had discovered something heartbreaking.

These two childhood sweethearts should theoretically have no secrets from each other, but it seems that's not the case now.

For the first time, Mu felt a little uneasy.

It was almost without conscious thought; one could say it was a subconscious choice.

Mu sent a message to Xiao, truthfully explaining Xiangzi's unusual behavior.

For some reason, whenever Ye Mu felt helpless, as long as he could contact Xiao, his anxiety and unease would gradually subside with Xiao's arrival.

However, Kazama's expression wasn't so pleasant upon receiving this message.

“Xiaojun…? 亻尔艺傘V霓揪,熘[③栮.`月-漪”

Chu Hua remained gently waiting in the same spot, carefully observing the boy's increasingly pale face, but she did not ask what had happened.

She was waiting for him to say it himself.

"Cough... It's nothing, just another headache has been added to the list."

After a long while, Xiao coughed a little awkwardly to clear his throat. He said he was fine, but Chu Hua could clearly see that his furrowed brows did not relax at all.

Something must have happened after all.

She silently wondered who had sent the message to Xiao, and what kind of person could possibly cause such a ripple in his emotions—

However, before Chu Hua could think further, she suddenly felt a warm sensation on her palm.

"……Eh?"

Miss Chuhua was taken aback for a moment.

Just because the boy who had been beside her had suddenly become so close, he took her hand in that brief moment of surprise.

What... what's going on here??

Before she could even let the redness settle on her face, a flush gradually spread across her cheeks. Before Chu Hua could even ask, "So, what's our relationship now?"—

"I have something very important to tell you, Chuhua."

The boy's eyes were sharp as he took her hands in his.

"But...please speak freely?"

Chu Hua struggled to cope with the urgency and pleading in his eyes. She wanted to turn her face away so that the blush on her face wouldn't be noticed, but her hands were firmly held in Xiao's hands, making it impossible for her to move.

Is this... the kind of setup that often precedes a confession in romantic comedies?

Sanjiao Chuhua could feel as if several deer were rampaging inside her chest cavity, almost about to burst out of her mouth.

However, what Xiao said next completely contradicted her romantic notions.

"...If Xiangzi asks you to form a band, don't agree to it yet."

"...?"

What was supposed to be the start of a romantic comedy was completely shattered by Kazama's words, causing Hatsuka's unrealistic fantasies to crash and burn.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly talking about Xiao Xiang (Part 3) dying in Lin Qiwu, who is a shrimp company D group..."

Rather than saying that it was Kazama's words that made her feel a little flustered, it was more accurate to say that the name Xiangzi had slipped out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I can't explain the whole story to you right now, and I know this request is very unreasonable for you... but please."

Xiao's expression was sincere yet conflicted, as if this was a difficult decision for him as well.

"You just need to reject her for a while, that's all."

In principle... no, Xiangzi was originally based on the principle of y/ue/yi-first/start triangle Chuhua.

She had fantasized countless times about Xiao Xiang coming to her to form a band together. In fact, she had been eagerly anticipating that day, and she was willing to endure countless stares in Sumimi for it.

But now, another person she cherishes equally actually wants her to reject Xiangzi.

Is this just fate playing tricks on us?

There was no time for Chu Hua to think it over, and Xiao's next addition was undoubtedly another bombshell.

He lowered his voice, revealing a rare vulnerability.

"Please. Right now, I have no one else I can rely on but Chu Hua..."

—The Chuhua was sunk.

Looking into the boy's eyes, which were so similar to Xiangzi's, Chu Hua felt an indescribable sense of guilt.

The moon (ripples*%1 cage_7) is V Liu because she would actually be happy for this sentence.

He had no one else to rely on but himself.

In other words, neither Nagasaki Motoyo nor Shiina Tatsuki existed in his heart as much as Mikami Hatsuka.

"I...I will do my best. If it's just a temporary refusal of Xiaoxiang's offer."

Chu Hua blushed and nodded in agreement, trying not to let her excitement be too obvious.

While it's true that Xiao Xiang is still her favorite person right now, if simply not forming a band with Xiao Xiang for the time being would bring a smile to Xiao Chong's face—

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Chuhua!"

After receiving Chu Hua's wisdom tooth, Xiao Xing excitedly opened his arms and gave the blonde girl in front of him a loving bear hug.

"what……"

This was another unexpected benefit for Chu Hua, causing her brain to go blank for five seconds.

Okay, it's really great value for money.

"That's all for now! Sorry, I have to go home first. Let's get together again next time, Chuhua!"

"Hmm, hmm... Be careful on the road, Xiaojun."

Kazama seemed to be in a hurry, as if the text message he had just received had given him something he absolutely had to do. Hatsuka, naturally, had no reason to try and stop him, and simply smiled and waved goodbye.

Rather, she was still immersed in that embrace, savoring the lingering warmth of the boy on her body.

"...That was quite unexpected."

Su Shi's indifferent voice rang out from behind Chu Hua, breaking the momentary silence.

"I thought you wouldn't agree to him, Chu Hua."

Nagasaki Motoyo emerged from the corner of the street. Ever since her confrontation with Hatsuka, she no longer used a gentle and tolerant smile to disguise herself.

Because she knew the person in front of her was one of her own kind.

"...Why? Su Shi should be happy to see this."

Chu Hua turned around, her smile still unchanged.

In other words, she has no intention of revealing her true self to Su Shi.

"After all, as long as I reject Xiaoxiang, CRYCHIC can continue to reorganize according to the original plan, right?"

"That's true, but if I were you, I wouldn't care about CRYCHIC's future development."

That's why Su Shi couldn't understand.

"To have Xiao Xiang all to myself... that doesn't seem so bad."

Chu Hua smiled faintly and murmured to herself, "It's more accurate to say that this has always been a pursuit she could only dream of."

That was the case, at least for a while.

"But Xiaojun asked me to do it like that."

Chu Hua smiled serenely, while Su Shi shook her head in disbelief, holding her forehead.

"You actually let that guy's coquettishness bind you..."

"No, I just don't want to hurt the feelings of important people because of my own selfish desires... I can't do what Su Shi did, who was willing to make such a big sacrifice for the restoration of C Group."

"Well……"

Su Shi's expression was rather unpleasant.

She strongly suspected that Chu Hua was mocking her, but she couldn't find a trace of sarcasm on that smiling, pretty face.

Mikasa Hatsuka... seemed somewhat dissatisfied that Nagasaki Motoyo had so easily and resolutely chosen Shoko in the difficult choice.

No, what made her unhappy was that Suze had placed Kazama on a scale that wasn't important.

"Besides... there might be another possibility."

Miss Misaki raised her chin and gazed at the cloudless sky.