Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Being able to fight alongside the aunts who raised him was something he never dared to dream of.

But today is different from the past.

"So stay, what's wrong with that? If you find it too tiring and stressful to be in a major position in the band, then be one of our unofficial members."

He hesitated somewhat when faced with Li Xi's invitation.

They no longer need to walk on their own.

And he no longer needs them as his emotional support to live alone in this time and space decades ago.

Just as Kazama was pondering how to refuse, another chat box suddenly appeared in the group chat.

“Give him some time, Taki-chan. This is a big deal for us. Xiao-kun will definitely think it over carefully before making a decision.”

Su Shi thus shut him up, preventing him from uttering the refusal that was already on the tip of his tongue.

Hagizo, you bastard...

"Indeed, I'll think about it for a while longer."

Kazama had no choice but to type that reply, then drew the chat box with a cryptic expression.

He always felt that if Su Shi wanted to keep him, she wouldn't just rely on those few words.

Okay, it's fine if I don't quit for now. He was quite curious to see what Su Shi would do next.

Kazama hummed a song in a good mood and casually scrolled through his social media apps. Finally, his phone screen froze on his chat with Hachiman Kairin.

After meeting Hachiman Kairin for the first time in this timeline, Kazama smiled and gave her his contact information as well, when he received her business card.

Speaking of which, Shoko Toyokawa must have contacted Hailin after him, right?

"Hello, Miss Mercenary. What do you think of my suggestion?"

Kazama typed this line with a smile on his lips.

He had figured out how to plan a good show.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Are you two running a husband-and-wife business?

"I didn't think about it much because someone else showed me a complete project proposal. It was very appealing." (From "The Flowing River (Part Four) 6. The Shrimp II VIII")

Hachiman Kairin has always been a straightforward person, so Kazama finds it very time-saving and effortless to communicate with her.

"In our line of work, the worst thing is to be indecisive and procrastinate. We need to accurately deliver information to the people who need it, and do our best to complete any tasks we are given. That's the secret to my soaring performance."

This is how Aunt Hailing taught Xiao, and it seems that she has always practiced her principles since she was young.

"So, you want me to stop just making empty promises and instead give you a similar solution, or offer a sufficiently favorable condition so you can choose the better one from the two, right?"

"That's right, I enjoy talking to smart people."

Hai Ling never hides her principle of prioritizing her own interests; this is a creed she has upheld since she began working as a mercenary.

Teammates may let you down, but the amount of money in your bank account will never.

"Unfortunately, I've already shown you everything I have to offer."

"Oh? I don't recall that... wait a minute."

Yawata Kairin, who was on the other side of the chat box, froze for a long time.

"...Are you talking about the thing that Toyokawa showed me the other day?"

“Oh right》侕龄尔倭I衫0捌?鸸月漪*卅?.

“But that wasn’t her own idea… I understand.”

Hachiman Kairin gradually came to understand everything after a while.

"...Is this a husband-and-wife business looking for franchisees?"

Why would anyone interpret it this way?

"Now that I think about it, it makes sense. Your eyes look very similar... Wait, could you be siblings instead of a couple?"

"I'm so glad that Toyokawa and I aren't husband and wife or siblings."

If he absolutely had to be related by blood, Kazama would rather be just an illegitimate child of one of his elders, whom Mutsumi picked up and raised as her son.

Living in the Wakaba family without Minami's interference is much freer than living in the Toyokawa family under Old Noboru's supervision. At least you don't have to worry about having another nephew or niece someday.

"However, that plan is truly remarkable, and I believe that too. If it were Toyokawa-kun, he would definitely be able to achieve extraordinary business success."

Kazama learned about the concept of ave mujica from Hatsune Miku.

In his original timeline, more than twenty years after Toyokawa Shoko passed away, Aunt Hatsune took him to pay respects to Shoko and casually mentioned to him the plan that Shoko had never put into practice before his untimely death.

"Back then, Mu and I had already agreed to Xiao Xiang's request, and of course, we had also contacted Hai Ling and Miss Miao Meng... Everyone thought this was a successful project that would definitely go down in history. But just the day before we were to finalize the cooperation and sign the contract... she encountered that accident..."

That's what Hatsune Miku said back then.

It seems that although the timing of Toyokawa Shoko's unexpected misfortune differs between the two timelines, their idea of ​​the ave mujica project remains unchanged.

"But is this project truly sustainable?"

Or is this just a brightly decorated, eye-catching pie?

Yawata Kairin did not reply, it seems that she herself had some reservations about this opportunity.

"I understand, this is your tactic to suppress your competitors."

Her response a moment later left Kazama somewhat speechless.

“I’m not some Toyokawa Shoko completely denial bot. To be honest, Shoko’s plan is actually pretty good, right? I believe you think so too. But you haven’t agreed to her yet, probably because you think, like me, that if this project continues, it will definitely face a lot of uncontrollable risks.”

"Yes, that's correct."

"So, I don't mean to say bad things about her in front of you, Hachiman."

Indeed, he needed to "compete" with Xiangzi for Hachiman Kairin's approval.

Kazama isn't a person with high moral standards. If he could achieve his goal with a few idle words, he wouldn't be bound by the psychological barrier of "it seems petty to talk badly about others behind their backs."

However, since the goal was to break down Toyokawa Shoko's self-righteous theory of gods, isn't it more effective to openly and honestly deny it?

"To be honest, Kazama. I've heard about you from Riki. I also saw the video of your last performance online. You did a great job."

Hai Ling stopped dwelling on why he and Xiangzi had become so incompatible, and simply expressed her own thoughts.

"Alright, I'd love to see your skill level for myself. See you at RiNG's practice room this weekend."

As expected of a highly efficient and proactive mercenary, she came up with a solution to the dilemma of choosing between two options so quickly.

Kazama readily agreed and sent the other party an "okay" emoji.

"I promise I won't let you down, Hachiman-kun."

"Wait."

Their conversation came to a temporary end, and Kazama, in a good mood, got out of bed and went to the refrigerator to get a can of coffee.

The cool, bitter liquid, accompanied by a faint milky aroma, entered his mouth, calming his previously somewhat agitated state of mind and making him feel calm and composed.

Hai Ling just mentioned Li Xi. Could it be that this guy has been secretly discussing me with Hai Ling all along? Li Xi doesn't seem like the type to talk badly about people behind their backs. Could it be that this quiet girl has actually been praising me to Hai Ling all along?

Kazama rolled his eyes, imagining the scene, his lips almost curling into a wide grin.

However, the message notification sound from his phone once again shattered his illusions.

"I am bored."

He picked up his phone to check; the sender was Mu.

"How boring—Xiao!"

Okay, judging from the tone, it must be Metis.

"Xiao, what are you doing? Can I come and play with you?"

"No."

"Okay! I'm coming right away!"

"........."

A straightforward refusal didn't seem to work on Miss Metis, and she appeared at the Kazama family's doorstep twenty minutes later.

"Haha! Xiao lives alone? That's great! Then it'll just be me and you playing together!"

Metis, with a carefree attitude, insisted on sneaking into his room to find out what was going on, and Kazama had no choice but to welcome this little tyrant into the house with mixed feelings.

He would much rather have Xiao Mu come to his house than Metis.

But now she's hiding and refusing to see him, so only Metis, who's easily lonely, will come knocking on his door and pester him for fun.

"Eh... so this is how Xiao's house is furnished. It's not as interesting as I imagined."

Metis, peeking out from the entryway, deftly removed her leather shoes, revealing clean white socks on the wooden floor. She glanced around, as naturally as the homeowner surveying her territory.

She also took in the clothes that Kazama had carelessly tossed aside and the makeshift packaging bags and shopping bags that were casually placed on the table.

"And it's really messy too."

"I'm sorry, my mom didn't teach me this properly."

Kazama responded with a smile, though of course Metis had no idea that he was actually teasing Mutsu.

"Speaking of which, I certainly wouldn't be unhappy if you came to visit me..."

Kazama crossed his arms and watched Metis look around the house like a curious child, but his gaze drifted to the front door in the entryway the next second.

“But did you come alone, Metis?”

"Huh? Of course. I was incredibly bored, and Mu was ignoring me, so I took a taxi straight to Xiao's house! I definitely didn't bring any guests to surprise you, absolutely not!"

Is it really……

Kazama looked at the door, his gaze somewhat subtle.

His anti-tracking radar was constantly moving; it never stopped.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: No need for anything like Chu Hua!

Kazama was actually quite surprised that Metis would suddenly come to him.

If it were Mu coming to see him, he would definitely welcome him with open arms, but if it were Metis, he always felt that something was not quite right.

"What? You're making that suspicious face. When I think about who to hang out with, Xiao is the first person I think of."

The girl was sitting casually on his bed, flipping through the comic books on his bedside table as if she were at home.

"It's neither Su Shi nor Xiang Zi?"

Kazama found it somewhat amusing. He sat on the tatami mat next to the desk, observing Metis's every move as if he were watching a rare animal he had never seen before.

"Su Shi will definitely be there to take care of me. Although she can take good care of me, we can't play together as freely. I don't want that."

Metis, like a child carefully selecting a toy doll, began to recklessly criticize and judge the world.

"As for Xiangzi... don't even mention her! Xiangzi hasn't contacted Xiaomu in ages, and I can sense she's deliberately avoiding her... but why? I have absolutely no idea. Well, anyway, Xiaomu's been too afraid to come out because of her, so thanks to her, I've been in charge of this body lately~"

I have a feeling that Toyokawa Shoko's reputation has been steadily declining in Metis's eyes.

Next up is Kazama.

"But Xiao is different. Xiao is a lot of fun. Not only does Xiao Mu not know what you're thinking, but I can't guess what you're thinking either—that makes it even more fun!"

Did someone implant some kind of chaotic and evil chip in this child's head?

"Oh? Mu is also trying to guess what I'm thinking?"

"That's right! Xiao Mu has been worried that she didn't protect you well enough, which led to your conflict with Xiangzi—so she's been avoiding seeing you all this time."

"Then could you please tell Miss Metis that I didn't really take this matter to heart? Anyway, I've managed to survive this wretched life, and nothing else matters as much as this."

"Wow, you said such heavy things without any restraint. But... anyway, Xiao Mu thinks you're the kind of person who says you're not angry but actually keeps it to yourself! You should wait until she's willing to come out on her own before you talk to her face to face."

That will take a long time.