Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

When did her childhood friend, who used to only have eyes for her, start to blush and panic in front of Kazama, fearing that he would just leave?

Toyokawa Shoko felt somewhat displeased.

But seeing how concerned and flustered Chu Hua was, she couldn't let her long-brewing jealousy show—she could only reluctantly withdraw her hand, like the incompetent husband in some adult films who could only pretend to be asleep while watching his wife being wildly raped by a blond man.

Kazama was also somewhat surprised by Hatsuka's sudden enthusiasm, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't happy.

"I knew Chuhua wouldn't abandon me, I've always known that."

After all, they've been friends for a long time. If we had to add a more fitting term to their relationship...

We're almost at the threshold of becoming family, aren't we?

"So if I asked you to join the band, would you say yes?"

Just thinking about this makes his gaze soften a little more when he looks at the blonde girl who's clinging to his clothes like a big dog.

"………Um!"

A glimmer of light appeared in Chu Hua's eyes, and she nodded her head almost without hesitation, like a chick pecking at rice.

However, her ideas differed considerably from Kazama's.

Why would Xiaojun be so confrontational with Xiangzi, competing over my affairs... Could it be that I've been too pessimistic about our relationship all along?

She was conjuring up thoughts that would make anyone blush and their heart race.

Actually, he... has always been possessive of himself, hasn't he?

Just thinking about this was enough to make the tail of some non-existent golden retriever behind Chu Hua flutter happily back and forth for quite a while.

Overwhelmed with girlish joy, she completely failed to notice that Xiangzi, who was trying to comfort himself, was furious after hearing those words.

If Xiangzi could still manage to keep her emotions stable before, she really couldn't maintain her composure after hearing Chuhua agree to Kazama's invitation to join the team without any explanation.

"What—would you accept his invitation before me, Chu Hua?!"

Like a victim in a subtle fanfiction who discovers his girlfriend is cheating on him with a scoundrel, Xiangzi showed a look of panic for the first time, as if saying, "No, I don't want that kind of thing."

"what……"

Chu Hua's smile gradually froze into an even more awkward expression. It seemed that when she made that boast, she hadn't considered Xiangzi's feelings at all.

"Could it be that in Chu Hua's heart, Kazama-kun is even more important than me...?"

When Xiangzi expressed her resentment, her eyes even reddened slightly; it was clear that Chuhua's unwavering agreement had completely shattered her confidence.

Well, now she's more like a resentful woman abandoned by her husband than the incompetent husbands in some movies.

She was full of confidence before she arrived, and even took the morning off just to welcome Chu Hua into her team—

As a result, she happily spent sixty or seventy yuan to take a taxi over, only to see Chu Hua readily agreeing to Kazama's request.

Who's going to make up for the missed full attendance bonus and this morning's hourly wage?!

"Xiao, Xiao Xiang... that's not what I meant."

Before Xiangzi could faint from anger, Chuhua quickly began to calm her down.

"It's not really convenient to chat in a place like this. Let's find somewhere else to talk about this."

Kazama didn't feel resentful that Hatsuka's attention was diverted; instead, he considerately offered this suggestion, which had no downsides and only benefits.

After all, the three of them were currently surrounded by staff from the modeling agency, and any misstep in their words or actions would be the subject of whispers among the uninformed onlookers.

This is certainly not the scene that Chu Hua, who works here, wants to see.

"……Um!"

Chu Hua also noticed Kazama's thoughtfulness, and her gaze towards him turned sweet with gratitude.

"Xiaojun, Xiaoxiang, come with me!"

As she arranged for the two of them to have a private conversation, she gently tugged at Kazama's sleeve as they left the crowded lounge.

As if afraid he would get lost, Chu Hua would occasionally turn around to check if the boy was following closely behind.

A girl's eyes are like cloyingly sweet candy, full of alluring charm.

This was the first time Kazama had felt this unique charm from a girl who should have been his "Aunt Hatsune Miku".

After the three of them arrived at a relatively quiet corner of the corridor, Chu Hua finally sorted out her thoughts and deduced the purpose of the two people's visit.

"So... even though you two both want me to join the same band, you insist that I choose one of you... is that right?"

Chu Hua glanced at Kazama and Shoko, whose expressions varied, and found it hard not to feel awkward.

"That's right, make your choice, Chu Hua!"

Xiangzi expressed his attitude firmly.

"Ah, that's right! This is a fatal question like, 'If I and your mother fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?' Don't run away from it, Chuhua!"

Wait, why is even Kazama getting so into it?

Chu Hua rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache, because she was always a girl who valued harmony and didn't want to hurt anyone.

However, if a choice is made, one party will inevitably be hurt.

"........."

She silently surveyed Xiangzi's less-than-optimistic condition, her eyes filled with worry.

The reason why she cares so much about Xiangzi's feelings is because Sanjiao Chuhua's mind had already given her answer before she even started thinking.

That was an answer that would absolutely not make Xiangzi happy.

Chapter 49 Xiangzi, you've been sidelined!

"Why... even though we're joining the same team, do I have to make a choice?"

Chu Hua's eyes darted back and forth between the two, carrying a hint of pleading, "Don't put me in the middle and put me in a difficult position."

"Because Miss Xiangzi is such a naive person, she has to use this kind of either/or method to figure out whether you value me or her more, Chuhua."

Kazama mercilessly revealed Xiangzi's true intentions at this moment, and in a Japanese society that values ​​superficial relationships, this action was undoubtedly a direct stab in the back for Xiangzi.

"...Fine! So what if that's the case? Because Hatsuka is very important to me, I also want to be the most important person to Hatsuka—what's wrong with that!"

Xiangzi, his face alternating between red and white, gritted his teeth for a long time before finally blurting out his true intentions in a fit of desperation.

"Because for me, Chu Hua is not something important that I can share with others!"

Xiangzi's confession was resounding. Even though the other two people present knew that her sincere confession had nothing to do with love, they could still tell from her words how much Chuhua meant to her.

"Xiao Xiang..."

The blonde girl was also caught in a flashback because of her words.

That night when Xiangzi and I gazed at the starry sky together, Mitsuba Hatsune Miku—no, Mitsuba Miku ...

The island stretched as far as the eye could see, the air thick with the damp scent of sea salt. Beside her lay a girl who understood her heart, and Hatsune Miku seemed willing to do anything just to be looked at by her.

When did this obsession begin to change quietly? Even Miku herself can't quite put her finger on it.

All she knew was a little bit.

During the time she couldn't meet Xiangzi, another unreasonable but surprising guy suddenly barged into her peaceful life.

He had eyes similar to Xiangzi's, but they held a completely different emotion from the way Xiangzi looked at him.

"Ah, I must be bound by this feeling"—similar thoughts would rise in her heart whenever she looked into Kazama's eyes.

The boy who calls himself Kazama Akatsuki is a magical person who speaks without restraint, but whose actions are always perfectly considerate. He shares hobbies with Hatsune Miku and can always see through all her pretenses and fake smiles, soothing her anxious and uneasy feelings in his own way.

If Shoko represents the past that supported Hatsune Miku in her journey to Tokyo and her success, then Akatsuki represents the future that she wants to maintain and continue striving for.

Actually, these two people are not really comparable.

So when Xiangzi was eager for an explanation from her, the blonde girl couldn't help but glance at the boy out of the corner of her eye.

At the same time, she gently hooked his sleeve with her index finger, afraid that he would distance himself from her because of Xiangzi's questioning.

If I had to choose one person to walk into the future with...

Therefore, this person can only be...

"Xiao Xiang... I'm sorry."

Chu Hua looked apologetically at Toyokawa Shoko, whose face was deathly pale.

"I... don't want to make this choice before the two of you. But I know that if I continue to play dumb, it will only make everyone unhappy in the end..."

After a long pre-cast animation (that is, the shield stacking time), Chu Hua finally hesitantly expressed her stance.

"So, I'm sorry... right now, all I can do is stand by Xiaojun's side. This is something I promised him..."

"Chuhua..."

Xiangzi couldn't even find a reasonable excuse to refute it, because she knew it would never work.

Misaka Chuka seems like an easy-going and gentle person, but only Xiangzi knows that once she makes up her mind, it's hard for her to change her opinion.

This also means that when Hua explained why she chose Kazama's side with that troubled expression, she had already lost all ability to persuade him to change his mind.

What could be more heartbreaking than watching your childhood sweetheart choose someone else right in front of you?

Xiangzi staggered back a step or two, and finally stood there listlessly against the wall with his eyes vacant.

Perhaps.

"...What did you promise me? What was it? I can't remember."

Kazama belatedly realized something was amiss, so he asked directly.

"Hmm... This happened while you were in a coma in the hospital, Xiaojun."

A faint blush crept across Chu Hua's face, but even so, she kept her bright, watery eyes fixed on the boy.

"Because you said before that you would always be my companion... I feel that I can't not reciprocate your kindness."

So, during the time when Kazama was bedridden after saving Shoko, Mitsumi Hatsuka, sitting by his bedside, secretly vowed to become a worthy companion whom he could entrust his back to.

What could be more heartbreaking than watching your childhood sweetheart choose someone else right in front of you?

"Oh, I see. So Chu Hua and I are companions heading in the same direction?"

"Yes! Absolutely!!"

That is watching her childhood sweetheart and another person "fall in love" with each other, and the two of them even get so engrossed in their relationship that they completely ignore her presence.

"Chuhua..."

After struggling to utter those two words, the silver-blue-haired girl leaned almost her entire upper body against the wall, her face pale.

"Ah...of course, that doesn't mean Xiao Xiang isn't important to me!"

Chu Hua then snapped out of her pink bubble and quickly waved her hand to soothe Xiangzi's emotions.

Clearly, although the scales in Chu Hua's heart had already tipped, she still couldn't bring herself to cruelly abandon one side.

"During the time Xiaoxiang was away, Xiaojun really took a lot of care of me... I also bear some responsibility for the accident he had before. I'm sure Xiaoxiang can understand, right?"

Although Chu Hua's statement was reasonable and convincing, to Miss Xiangzi it sounded like the kind of lines a woman would use to desperately explain to her husband why she was having an affair with a gigolo.

He was the incompetent husband who was completely unaware that his wife had been taken away by someone else, and even thought that everything could go back to the way it was before.

"...Do whatever makes you happy!"

Unable to accept any of this any longer, Xiangzi stomped her feet and stormed off—of course, she was just afraid that if she left any later, she would burst into tears in front of the two of them.

Kazama had remained silent until Shoko left the scene like a sulking child, at which point he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

If Teacher Da Xiang thinks that only Chu Hua is no longer on her side, then she is very wrong.

Chapter Fifty: Detective Chuhua and Mr. Mist

Ms. Toyokawa Shoko's pride is higher than the Tokyo Tower.

Kazama silently added this sentence in his mind, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.