Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"Why... because it feels great to have the audience cheering when you perform on stage."

I might as well play dumb and pretend I don't know what he's up to anyway.

"It's... just for this kind of reason..."

Yes, that's why he had to lie to Su Shi. Even Xiao himself shook his head and smiled bitterly at this behavior.

He would never have lied to the aunties he cared about before.

But since the Nagasaki Motoyo in front of him was not the Motoyo Auntie he remembered who cared about everyone and was very considerate, there was no need for him to continue practicing this useless principle.

He's the only one who can never go back to the past.

"Su Shi, aren't you worried that Xiangzi might see this and make her have bad thoughts? It's okay, it's okay."

However, he still had to put on a show when necessary, because without convincing Su Shi, his plan couldn't be carried out smoothly.

"Besides, even if there's any unexpected event, I'll definitely handle it for you. Don't worry, leave it to me."

"...Xiaojun's credibility with me has dropped to zero."

Su Shi squinted at the smiling boy, looking him up and down like a brown cat assessing how much food its human could provide.

It sounded like a warning, but more like a playful pout.

Xiao shrugged, somewhat amused and exasperated. If Su Shi was trying to decipher his intentions with such words, it would be completely useless.

"Really? I thought Su Shi wouldn't reveal her true colors to someone she didn't trust."

So he easily retaliated, and Su Shi, whose sore spot had been hit, opened her mouth, wanting to continue to defend herself, but found that there was no way to turn the tide - she could only resentfully admit defeat.

"...Anyway, even if I don't trust Xiaojun, you'll still lead everyone in the performance, right?"

Nagasaki Motoyo stopped talking and silently turned back into the recording studio.

"Anyway, I will always be watching you."

After saying this, she turned to face the crowd and put on her signature smile once again.

That's right, that's more deterrent, isn't it?

Xiao didn't say anything more, and followed behind her with a smile into everyone's view.

In terms of whitewashing reality, he and Su Shi were able to coincidentally put on the same act.

"How cunning Soyorin! What were you whispering with Kazama-sensei just now? Do you two have some kind of secret?"

Naturally, when the two of them returned to the recording studio one after the other, Miss Loudspeaker Ai Yin began to scrutinize them with starry eyes.

"If the goal is to give Kazama a warning, then I completely agree with Souyo."

Lixi's expression remained as irritated as ever, but her gaze did linger on the two of them a little longer.

"Oh dear, Rikki clearly likes Kazama-sensei too, so why does she always say things that contradict him? Could it be that she's trying to get his attention by saying unpleasant things on purpose? Is this the legendary tsundere—"

"No, that's not it! Can't you concentrate on practicing?!"

Actually, thanks to Aiyin, the atmosphere in this practice room doesn't become lifeless.

Kazama shook his head and smiled as he returned to his original spot, picked up his guitar, and strummed a string.

Unfortunately, such peaceful times will eventually come to an end.

After finishing today's practice, Xiao was packing her belongings when she received a text message from Sanjiao Chuhua.

Su Shi, who had originally planned to leave with everyone, glanced at Xiao, who was typing a reply on her phone. Her eyes shimmered, as if she was brewing something.

Chapter 71 Am I an important person to you?

Chu Hua hadn't contacted her for a while, which Xiao found quite unusual.

Although she would still occasionally send him a few words of greeting via text message on social media, she no longer mentioned her recent schedule to him, nor did she ask him out on dates anymore.

Just then, Xiao was busy rehearsing with MYGO and his group, so she was a bit overwhelmed.

As if to accommodate his busy schedule, Chu Hua stopped making invitations and only sent messages to greet him when he had free time... Could it be that she hacked his phone, which is why she appeared at the right time?

Of course, that last conjecture was just Xiao's nonsensical wild speculation.

Even if this Hatsune Miku aunt is crazy and heavy-hearted, she shouldn't be chasing after me so relentlessly... right?

"Xiaojun, are you free this afternoon? I'd like to invite you for coffee."

When Chu Hua sent this text message, he still hadn't changed his mind.

Admittedly, Hatsune Miku is actually a very burdened woman who desperately needs to be needed by others.

Even in his original timeline, Aunt Hatsune was devastated for a long time after losing Aunt Shoko. If it weren't for Mutsu and the other aunts keeping her alive, she might have done something really foolish.

It wasn't until Akatsuki, who had eyes similar to Shoko's, appeared that Aunt Hatsune had a little motivation to continue living a good life. It seemed that she poured all her guilt and longing for Shoko into Akatsuki.

Knowing this, Xiao couldn't hold any grudges against her. After all, who would want to hurt this aunt who was still mentally sensitive and fragile but was slowly trying to heal herself?

At this point in time, Hatsune Miku, who is still in her early teens, doesn't have Shoko by her side yet. She is probably just using Akira, who is now in her life, as a companion.

He wouldn't mind thinking even more pessimistically—that he was still just a substitute for Xiangzi in Chuhua's eyes. If Xiangzi and he appeared at the same time, she would probably still apologize verbally, but in reality, she would choose Xiangzi without hesitation.

He had been reluctant to face this issue before, but since Su Shi came to talk to him and laid everything out, Xiao has become more accepting of the fact.

Well, accepting that they don't love or cherish me as much as I remember... isn't actually that difficult.

However, there's really nothing to do after today's event. If all Chu Hua wants is to have a cup of coffee together, then that's fine too.

Xiao made up her mind, stopped packing her belongings, and began to slowly type on her phone screen.

Su Shi, who had been standing not far behind him, just watched him silently until Deng, who was at the very back of the disbanded group, also left the recording studio with Aine. Only then did she slowly walk up to him.

"Are you going to meet with Chu Hua?"

Su Shi's tone was indifferent, as if this was just a question devoid of any emotional bias for her.

But Xiao knew exactly what she was thinking, so he didn't even look away from her, and simply replied calmly.

"We won't discuss anything about the operation to take away Xiangzi, so don't worry, Su Shi."

"...It seems that no matter what I'm thinking, I can't hide it from Xiaojun."

Su Shi remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. It was unclear whether she had taken Xiao's promise seriously.

"Why you of all people..."

Why is it that you, who know my feelings so well, still choose to walk a completely different path from me?

Nagasaki Motoyo's unfinished sigh seemed to express such sentiments.

But compared to this…

"Su Shi, you're no longer pretending in front of me at all."

Xiao noticed this and blurted it out.

"Is this what you care about?"

Su Shi looked somewhat helpless, but still did not continue to pretend.

"Whether Su Shi wears a mask when interacting with people is very important to me."

"What's so important about it..."

Su Shi was not good at dealing with this kind of person.

Especially when she saw the hint of relief in the boy's eyes because of her lack of pretense, Su Shi felt so awkward that she didn't want to continue the conversation.

She was unwilling to admit the fact that "your emotions are actually very important," after all, it was something that even she herself would avoid.

Before she can restore C-group... she needs to rely on this self-ignoring facade for a while longer.

"Although I can't explain anything to you right now, you'll understand my good intentions later."

Xiao said this in a gentle tone, a statement that even he himself found problematic, but after thinking it over, he realized it was the most appropriate explanation.

Okay, although the process might be a little painful for Su Shi, as long as the ending is worth it, it's like the bittersweet experience has finally come to an end, isn't it?

"Is this just empty promises?"

Su Shi's expression was displeased; indeed, anyone would be unhappy with this answer—although it was one of the goals he wanted to achieve.

"Of course not, this is my promise to you—well, a man's promise."

Xiao didn't mind making Su Shi dislike him even more, even though he wasn't lying.

In the end, we will surely achieve a happy ending for everyone, and he will give up a lot in order to achieve this.

The aunts' affection for him was the least important factor; he no longer cared whether Su Shi would hate him when he took action to break his alliance with her.

"Does a man's promise really work on a girl group..."

Su Shi sighed, looked at Xiao with a somewhat resentful gaze for a long time, and then turned and left.

Feeling relieved that she had been let off the hook, Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, slowly packed her things, and left the recording studio.

He didn't leave RiNG with the band girls, but instead walked alone at his own pace, heading to the place where he had promised to appear at the beginning of the night.

That place was, of course, the coffee shop downstairs from his house—speaking of which, haven't Chu Hua and Su Shi been appearing at the coffee shop a little too frequently lately? Could it be that he's been being monitored by these two women all this time?

When Xiao arrived as promised, Chu Hua had already been sitting by the window waiting for a long time.

The superstar, who is known for his striking appearance in the public eye, was still wearing a black baseball cap and a simple light-colored tracksuit, sitting in the corner. He only took off his sunglasses and mask a little when he appeared.

Xiao thought about it carefully and realized that this seemed to be the place where Su Shi had sat when they had met before.

"I'm sorry, Xiaojun... I've been very busy with work lately, so I haven't had much time to go to the planetarium."

As soon as he sat down, Chu Hua started apologizing—no, what was there to apologize for?

"It's okay, I've been a bit busy lately. Besides, work arrangements aren't something Chu Hua can decide."

Seeing the blonde girl's complicated yet restrained expression, Xiao was a little confused, but still offered a few words of comfort.

Although he felt he hadn't quite offered any comfort, Chu Hua still looked preoccupied.

"Um... my question might have surprised Xiaojun a bit..."

The girl's voice was intermittent. She placed her hands on her thighs and gently kneaded the fabric of her pants, as if she were going through a great internal struggle.

Xiao knew this was the prelude to Chu Hua unleashing a trump card.

"Xiaojun...am I one of the most important people to you?"

Finally, with a weak, forced smile on her lips, she uttered those words in a voice that seemed cheerful but whose tone trembled at the very end.

Chapter 72 The Choice Is Yours, Hatsune Miku

"The most important person to Xiaojun... am I in there too?"

Only Chu Hua herself knew the immense inner struggle she went through to dare to ask that question.

She had understood the principle that if you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed since she was a child, but now she had placed too many expectations on the young man in front of her, and it was too late to talk about restraint.

Even though Misaka Chuka had a thousand or ten thousand ways to confirm his feelings, she still didn't want to use a method that was disrespectful to him to speculate.

So in the end, she chose to get straight to the point and bring up the issue directly.

She was prepared for the other person to look confused or even startled, since most guys would probably react the same way if asked such a question by a friend they'd only known for a short time.

Xiao's reaction was indifferent, as if the question that Chu Hua had prepared for was just a casual inquiry to him.

"Yes, Chuhua is a very, very important person to me."

"Woo..."

Well, actually, the simpler yet more decisive the answer, the more effective it is.

Chu Hua received a satisfying answer, and a faint blush appeared on the tips of her ears.

But this was not enough to dispel the cloud of sorrow that lingered in her heart.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking me this question... Although no matter how many times you ask me, Chu Hua, I will give the same answer."

Xiao wasn't stupid; he could naturally use his keen observation skills to notice that Chu Hua still had some things on her mind that she hadn't said.