Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Although others might see him as the culprit who drove Xiangzi to his desperate escape, in the end, Kazama didn't actually harbor such strong malice towards Xiangzi.

He simply felt that even a strong character like Xiangzi should occasionally experience the feeling of being forced to take a backseat.

Even though she ran away from home and lived alone with her good-for-nothing father, she was financially independent, but spiritually she always seemed to have a backup plan.

Miss Xiangzi regarded Mutsu and Hatsuka as her trump cards, but little did she know that the only trump card she could truly rely on was her maternal grandfather, Toyokawa Sadaharu, with whom she had the most irreconcilable conflict.

Even if a childhood sweetheart were to fall from the sky, it's impossible to remain steadfast forever.

"Xiaojun... what are you laughing at?"

The blonde girl gently poked Kazama's arm, her tone slightly puzzled.

Xiangzi left without saying a word. Chu Hua originally wanted to chase after him, but as soon as she started to move, she noticed that Kazama beside her had no intention of leaving, so she stopped in her tracks.

She stayed where she was for him.

Kazama snapped out of his daze and suppressed his smile.

"It's nothing, I just think... Miss Xiangzi is just too cute."

"Eh?"

Chu Hua clearly failed to grasp his subtext.

"It's that kind of feeling where you try really hard to regain control, only to find that things you've always taken for granted have changed, and you start to give up and become completely disillusioned."

As Kazama spoke, he watched Shoko's figure disappear completely at the end of the corridor.

"But in fact, she was not abandoned at all; on the contrary, she forced herself into that position."

Originally, Kazama, out of consideration for Mutsu and Hatsuka, wouldn't have put Shoko in a difficult position.

But whether it's for his own pride or to become the captain of Ave Mujica and lead everyone to conquer new territories, this kid is pushing himself too hard.

"……Well."

Chu Hua bit her lip, feeling somewhat guilty.

Chu Hua was genuinely happy that Xiao Xiang, whom she had always longed for, had so frankly and directly expressed his feelings to her.

However, if choosing to accept this relationship means betraying another, even more important relationship, then she has no choice but to make the most difficult decision with a bitter face.

Nothing in the world is black and white, and feelings are no exception.

Some people are comrades-in-arms and confidants, while others are friends you would never want to let down. Their existence is inherently different, and forcing a ranking will only make the relationship awkward.

"Xiaojun, you don't think I'm that bad, do you?"

She suddenly asked, her voice tinged with inexplicable unease.

Kazama lowered his head slightly to look at her.

"Huh? Why do you think so?"

"Because I... even though Xiaoxiang and I grew up together, I still..."

"Or do you want to be on my side more?"

“………Hmm.”

Chu Hua had no way to refute it, so she could only admit it in a low voice.

She also wanted to take a gentler approach that wouldn't hurt Shoko. But that would go against her own wishes and might even hurt Kazama, who was standing nearby.

Actually, she was the one who gave up on everything even before Xiangzi.

The boy smiled and reached out to ruffle her soft blonde hair.

"There's nothing wrong with it."

He looked intently into her eyes.

"Chuhua, I'm actually quite pleased that you can say it so frankly."

"Really?"

"Really. Compared to someone who agrees to me on one hand, but then secretly goes to Anji to agree to her on the other, and ends up pleasing neither side, I prefer the current Chu Hua—even though I'm the only one who's happy, and you're the only one who's suffering."

Kazama shook his head with a wry smile, then moved the hand that was patting his head to Hatsuka's shoulder.

"I'm not very good at comforting people, but if you're feeling down, Chuhua, feel free to use me as a dumping ground for your rants."

"Pfft... Xiaojun."

Chu Hua was amused and laughed out loud, but when she opened her eyes again, her eyes were filled with tears.

She knew very well that Kazama was better at taking care of other people's feelings than she was in some ways.

Even though he always mocks and belittles others (currently this only applies to Toyokawa Shoko), he always manages to strike the perfect balance at crucial moments, allowing people to lower their guard.

"What trash can... it's clearly a tree hole, okay?"

"Oh dear. But isn't it more irreplaceable to be limited to Miss Chuhua's trash can? Just like I can be a glamorous and charismatic older brother to many people, but I can only reveal my dark side to Chuhua. As long as the two of us are together, it doesn't matter if we're like rats in the sewers."

"What a bizarre metaphor."

Chu Hua laughed, and this time her laughter was even lighter than before.

Kazama's dry humor isn't for everyone, but she happens to enjoy it.

Even setting aside the glamorous identity of "Triangle Hatsune," just being a disheveled "Triangle Miku" as a mouse huddled with him in the sewer... she would probably be very happy.

She thought this for no reason, the lingering smile on her lips something she didn't want anyone to know.

"I'm a very magnanimous person. Even if you go to comfort Miss Xiangzi next, it's fine, okay? I won't force you to choose a side and completely sever ties with the other party like she did—of course, I don't think she would do something that even elementary school girls would disdain, right?"

Seeing Kazama still considerately thinking of her, Hatsuka pondered over a long-brewing idea.

“…Um, Xiaojun.”

In the end, I said it out loud.

"Actually, I've always had this question..."

She looked directly into the boy's eyes, her voice so soft it seemed to be carried away by the wind.

"Actually, when you first saved Xiao Xiang, you were thinking that it wouldn't matter if you died, right?"

Then, he hit the nail on the head.

Chu Hua's voice was still light and melodious, but her words successfully made Kazama's expression less nonchalant.

"It's less about self-destructive tendencies and more about... that the world no longer cares about him."

Only at this moment did Chu Hua's detective title truly come into play.

"Is that right?"

Infinitely approaching the truth.

"I actually know you better than you think, Xiaojun."

Because I like you, I clumsily imitate you. Because I like you so much, I have become your imitation.

When (Part 3) I〤V Cold Qi Er Yi Shi? Pull 14〧 She tried to put herself in Kazama's shoes and think about the problem from his perspective, and the various illogical things in the past became even more obvious.

"If we are going to become close partners, then there are some secrets I want to know now."

Without the slightest hesitation, she stepped forward and grasped Kazama's wrist—this boy, who always brought her surprises and was surrounded by an air of mystery, now had a hint of astonishment in his eyes.

The detective smiled and refused to let go even more, as if she were tightly grasping a wisp of mist that was luring her step by step into a swamp.

"Xiaojun, you actually know who I am, right?"

Chapter 51 I'll be waiting for you in the future

Kazama had also considered whether or not to tell the truth to this discerning detective.

But once the words were on his lips, even someone as eloquent as him was at a loss for words.

How should he explain this?

Actually, I'm a child adopted by Mutsu from decades in the future. Aunt Hatsune, you're practically a mother to me. And in my timeline, Aunt Xiangzi died young, and you, like Aunt Su Shi, were widows for several years before gradually emerging from the shadows thanks to Aunt Ai's care.

It would be strange if Chu Hua didn't consider him a mentally unstable person.

Kazama lowered his eyes, the casual mockery in them replaced by an almost indifferent calm.

Actually, what he fears more than this is the price he will pay for telling the truth.

Chu Hua's intuition was sharp; without any supporting evidence, she vaguely guessed that he might have been prepared for the accident that Xiangzi was about to suffer, and she was slightly resentful of his attitude in keeping the secret.

However, Kazama had his reasons for not wanting to reveal his precognitive abilities to anyone at the time.

What if the secrets he knows are discovered by others, and things that were about to happen no longer proceed as planned, or even get out of his control and cause bad consequences?

Even now.

If he were to be careless and reveal his true identity to Chu Hua... would punishment befall him, a time traveler who violated the rules of time travel?

Kazama understood the saying that curiosity killed the cat.

Therefore, he absolutely cannot respond to Chu Hua's speculation here.

"...Wow, you're really amazing, Detective Chu Hua."

He chuckled softly, but did not pull his wrist away from hers, letting her hold it.

"But is the question 'Who am I' really important to you?"

If this was a psychological battle comparable to a courtroom debate, then Kazama could only resort to shamelessness when faced with Hatsuka's "objection."

"Didn't Ming Chu Hua tell me that no matter who I am, I will always stay by your side as your partner? So, is the question of who I am really that important to you?"

"...As I said before, if Xiaojun doesn't want to open up to me right now, I can understand. But..."

Chu Hua didn't back down, staring at him intently. Her fingertips, gripping the boy's wrist tightly, turned white as if trying to see through his skin to confirm his existence.

“I really want to know…where you’re from, who you’ve crossed paths with before—everything about you, I want to know.”

Kazama's pupils contracted slightly.

"...As a detective, is my thirst for knowledge a little too strong?"

There was no pride or boasting in Chu Hua's eyes, only an indescribable sadness.

"I'm sorry... I just wanted to know everything about Xiaojun no matter what, to be ahead of others, even if it was just a little bit..."

She simply wanted to understand the inner world of the boy named "Kazama Akatsuki" before anyone else.

Kazama fell silent, a rare occurrence for him.

The blonde girl in front of him who was grabbing his wrist emanated a gravity field that even Su Shi could hardly match.

"I don't care about anything else, I just need to know... Xiaojun has no relation to Xiangzi's family, and she's only friends with me because I am me... right?"

She gripped her hands tighter and lowered her voice.

Even if you know my true identity... you'd still want to be my friend, right?

Kazama's eyes darkened for a moment, as if her intuition had struck a nerve.

How could she know this...?

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about this for a while… but I’ve also always felt that even if we ignore this, we can still act as usual.”

Her voice was so soft it was almost blown away by the wind blowing past the corridor window.

"But I've already rejected Xiaoxiang for Xiaojun's sake... I'm not saying you have to take responsibility for this or anything, it's just that I suddenly realized this when I made the choice—"

She actually cared about Kazama more than she realized.

How does he see me? Do we share some kind of understanding? If he knew my heavy thoughts, would he find them troublesome and want to run away?

This is why Mitsuko Miku, feeling uneasy, chose to express her feelings here.

"........."

Kazama didn't answer immediately. He simply lowered his eyelashes slightly, the faint smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth.

Fortunately.

Fortunately, she was unaware of the time travel trick.