Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Su Shi rarely took off her respectable mask and spoke a lot of her true feelings that she had never told anyone before.

The words were already on the tip of her tongue, but she would swallow them back sheepishly because she was worried that the other person could not accept her feelings—this was actually something that Su Shi often experienced.

She had become accustomed to playing the role of someone who saw love clearly and indifferently, but in reality, both gaining and losing were far too important to Nagasaki Motoyo.

"……is that so?"

Metis blinked; clearly, this level of understanding of interpersonal relationships was still somewhat beyond her comprehension.

"I just feel that what should be in my own hands should not be easily taken away by others—it's that simple."

Because they are afraid of it falling into the hands of others, they desperately try to hold on to it.

This is Metis's way of life.

"Otherwise, while you're hesitating, others will have already taken the opportunity to finish the path that was rightfully yours. The person who should be by Xiao's side is you—wouldn't Su Shi feel resentful?"

Su Shi bit her lip; she would no longer play the gentle, serene high school girl role in front of Mortis.

"...Of course."

Under Metis's highly persuasive and infectious provocation, she gradually lowered her guard and revealed her true feelings.

From the very beginning, her relationship with Kazama was merely one of mutual reliance during an alliance period. Even before their relationship broke down, they never made any promises to each other, so she had no right to be jealous.

But the feelings pounding in my chest couldn't be guided by reason this time.

"It seems I really need to have a serious talk with Chu Hua."

She rubbed her temples, as if sweeping away a gloom that had been lingering in her mind.

Nagasaki Motoyo could no longer deceive herself like this.

Of course, she couldn't continue to pretend to be an ostrich that didn't notice anything, thinking that burying her head in the sand would allow her to escape what she didn't want to face.

"Exactly! At least we can't hold back our emotions, let's unleash our fury on Chu Hua!"

Metis, standing to the side, raised his fist with a sigh of relief, and danced with excitement as if he had accomplished a great task.

Under her persistent persuasion (or incitement), Su Shi seemed to have been ignited with the fighting spirit to confront Chu Hua.

What's even more amazing is that Su Shi doesn't seem to have realized that she has been bewitched.

Therefore, the outcome of life and death hinges on this one move.

"Let's arrange a time and place to meet Chuhua and talk it over!"

At Metis's urging, Su Shi nervously picked up her phone.

"…ah."

However, when she opened the social media app, Su Shicai seemed to suddenly remember something and let out a soft exclamation.

"I...don't have Miss Chuhua's contact information."

"Then, what should we do?!"

"it does not matter."

Seeing that Metis seemed even more anxious than she, the person involved, because she couldn't contact Chuhua, Su Shi smiled and turned her gaze to the window.

"Of course I have a way."

It seems she has to go back to her old profession.

Chapter 55 This sentiment will not be inferior to yours!

Nagasaki Motoyo's old profession is simple in theory but a little troublesome in practice, but no matter what, she can do it perfectly.

Even if we don't have Sanjiao Chuhua's contact information, so what? Su Shi has plenty of strength and means to find her whereabouts.

The most direct and brutal way is to simply go to where Chu Hua works and confront him.

However, Nagasaki Motoyo didn't consider herself such a rude and barbaric person. Since the goal was to have an open and equal dialogue, she needed to get the guest to be willing to talk to her.

First, you only need to wander around downstairs at Kazama's house for a day or two.

Then, you can show your face more often at that coffee shop on the street corner and make your presence known to the staff.

Finally, all you need to do is find the modeling agency where Chu Hua works and stake out the area to follow her around for a day—waiting for her to scout out the area near Kazama's house, and then seemingly unintentionally let her notice the traces that Su Shi left in the coffee shop.

In the next few days, Miss Chuhua will be making frequent and impatient appearances at the coffee shop. At this time, Su Shi only needs to make an elegant appearance.

When Misaki Hatsuka entered the coffee shop for the third time this week, Nagasaki Motoyo had already been waiting in a corner seat for quite some time.

She came to scout the location a day in advance and chose this spot. It offers a clear view of the stairwell and the entire store, while being cleverly partially hidden by a tall green plant, forming a natural barrier.

Nagasaki Motoyo sat silently in her seat, sipping the black tea that had been prepared, waiting for Hatsuka to appear in her field of vision.

at last.

"Are you looking for someone, Chu Hua?"

The soothing jazz music flowing quietly inside the store did not drown out Su Shi's sweet and gentle voice, which was enough to make people let their guard down.

She called out to a girl in a baseball cap who had just entered the store and was looking around, simply because her medium-length blonde hair under her sunglasses and mask was too eye-catching.

"...It really is you, Su Shi."

When Chu Hua noticed her, he was only slightly taken aback, but his tone quickly returned to calm.

It seems she had anticipated who was subtly making their presence felt.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

As Chu Hua walked towards Su Shi, she removed the mask and sunglasses she had been using to conceal her identity. Her voice, like her smile, carried just the right amount of sweet apology.

And so, Misaka Chuka gracefully sat down opposite Su Shi.

"Not at all, after all, I never expected Miss Chuhua to keep the appointment so quickly from the very beginning."

Su Shi raised her eyes, and a gentle and graceful smile instantly appeared on her face, like the opening of a stage play that had been carefully rehearsed countless times.

“I just arrived recently,” she said, gently pushing a beautifully designed menu toward me. “The summer limited-edition desserts at this shop are quite good, in my personal opinion.”

—Amidst the clinking of glasses, the first contest between the two women began on a battlefield without gunpowder.

"........."

Chu Hua remained silent as Su Shi casually pushed the menu in front of her.

When did Suze start appearing frequently at the coffee shop near Kazama's house?

She didn't notice at all.

Moreover, judging from Su Shi's tone, she seemed to have been visiting this place frequently during this period, while Chu Hua was completely unaware of it.

Despite her reservations, she did not express them.

"Thank you for the recommendation. Su Shi is always so thoughtful and considerate."

Chu Hua lingered on the menu, a perfectly ordinary smile playing on her lips.

The war without gunpowder has begun, and maintaining a feigned ignorance while remaining unchanged is the most common tactic used by Misaka Chuka when probing others' intentions.

"No, it's just that I happen to be a frequent visitor here lately."

Su Shi responded softly, still appearing amiable. However, seeing Chu Hua's indifferent expression, her fingers subtly tightened, digging slightly into her palm under the table.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee and the sweet scent of desserts, and the warm sunlight shone on the table between them; everything looked so harmonious and beautiful.

"Ms. Chuhua, you must be quite busy with work lately. I hope my invitation to sit down and have a drink won't take up too much of your time."

But beneath this carefully applied layer of honey, a silent tension is quietly growing and spreading.

The more flawless their smiles, the more subtle their brief eye contact became. It was as if, beneath the transparent sugar coating, a life-or-death struggle was taking place.

This was especially true for the war-torn Triangle Chuhua, who was hesitant and indecisive.

Being ambushed by Su Shi here was already a precarious situation for her—she had to find a way to turn things around.

Therefore, it is only natural.

Chu Hua fired a sneak attack first.

"It's okay, it's still the same work as always. Hmm... Su Shi, did you suddenly bring this up to ask about Xiao Xiang's recent situation?"

She blinked, offering a seemingly innocent but clueless suggestion that could mislead the current conversation.

She certainly couldn't possibly be unaware of Su Shi's real reason for intercepting her here.

Actually, this guy is just like her; he went from having Xiao Xiang all over his head to having that boy all over his head.

However, Mikami Hatsuka is willing to admit this, while Nagasaki Motoyo always seems to avoid talking about it.

"..."

As expected, Su Shi neither nodded in agreement nor shook his head in denial; he simply remained silent with a somber expression.

You could say that Su Shi is just a naive young girl in other places, but she is definitely an expert in interpersonal relationships and making friends.

How could she not understand the implied meaning in Sangoku Hatsuka's words?

But the question this guy left at the end is a bit too cunning, isn't it?

"I'd be very happy to hear news about Xiangzi. Of course, whatever she's doing now, I wish her all the best. But I'm sorry... she's not the reason I want to meet with Miss Chuhua."

The exquisite desserts and drinks were quickly served by the waiter. Su Shi had a small piece of cheesecake drizzled with berry sauce in front of her, while Chu Hua chose the lighter-looking matcha mousse.

Su Shi was thus able to respond to Chu Hua's first question in an elegant and appropriate tone in the presence of a third person.

"...Su Shi, you've let go of your past with CRYCHIC so quickly? I think Xiao Xiang would be very happy if he knew you thought this way."

　This actually surprised Chu Hua a little.

Su Shi, who used to be completely silent or even create a gravitational field when faced with topics related to Xiangzi, can now so casually gloss over the matter of Xiangzi.

"Hmm. Perhaps it's because my feelings are no less than Miss Chuhua's."

Even Su Shi, without changing her expression, launched a brilliant counterattack, turning the tables on Su Shi.

Chu Hua's smile lacked some of its former ease.

It seems that dealing with this ambush is far more difficult than she imagined.

Chapter Fifty-Six: Su Shi Chu Hua's Romantic Offense and Defense

Calm your mind, calm your mind.

Faced with the aggressive and clearly ill-intentioned Nagasaki Motoyo, Mikami Hatsuka chose to calm herself down first.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems she overreacted a bit to Nagasaki Motoyo's unexpected arrival.

Even if Su Shi came alone with some purpose... in the end, she couldn't pose any threat to Chu Hua.

If I had to explain why...

"That was a little unexpected."

The surface of the matcha mousse was gently broken by a spoon, and Hatsuka Sanka put a small bite into her mouth, chewing it carefully, as if she was only focused on evaluating the taste of the dessert.

"I thought that Su Shi had put all her energy into persuading Xiao Xiang to return to CRYCHIC and didn't have any spare energy to deal with other people."

But in reality, she had already quickly constructed the framework for the next offensive and defensive maneuvers in her mind.

Her tone was casual, as if it were just a casual remark, but her words were enough to make Su Shi's feigned calm and collected expression less composed.

Sanjiao Chuhua knew that doing this was wrong.

She shouldn't deliberately reopen other people's wounds with such an innocent attitude, or pretend to be completely unaware and say things that only make others feel that she is being sarcastic.

In the past, when faced with similar situations, her morality would restrain her well, allowing her to control her evil thoughts and not do such disgusting things.

But today is different from the past.

If they didn't do that, there would be no way to stop Su Shi, who had been eyeing Xiao Jun covetously.

If we don't do this, Xiaojun might be taken away from us.

We can't afford not to take the initiative.