We agreed to be in a band for life, what the heck is Dragon Raja?

"it is good."

Since she's already spoken, let's go.

Chapter 18 What kind of family is this?

So the two packed their things and walked out of the classroom side by side.

Outside the classroom, Toyokawa Shoko stood in the corridor, watching her classmates walk out of the classroom one after another.

Parking is not allowed in the Moon Forest. Even students who take the bus home have to walk a distance away from the school before they can get on the bus and go home.

She had originally planned to wait for Ruoye Mutsu, walk with her to the pick-up point she had arranged with the family driver, and then part ways.

But then she saw Wakaba Mutsuki and Nagumo Ugetsu walking out side by side.

?

A big question mark rose in her mind.

Nangumo Ugetsu also saw Toyokawa Shoko standing in the corridor.

However, he didn't understand why Xiangzi didn't go home in the family's Maybach, but instead stood in the corridor.

Seeing Xiangzi's figure with her back to the setting sun, seemingly lost in thought, the two greeted her together and then continued walking out of the school.

------

Wakaba family residence.

Led by Wakaba Mutsuki, Nagumo Ugetsu and she went to the basement they had visited before.

As he walked down the dimly lit stairs, where he had to watch his step, he casually asked:

Do you usually go home alone?

Ruo Yemu's steps did not falter at all, showing that she frequents this place:

"sometimes."

Sometimes I take a car.

Nan Yun Yu Yue finally understood.

The Ruoye family is, after all, a rising star in the entertainment industry. Although they didn't see Xiaomu's parents when they came here, the maid who was in charge of cooking opened the door and greeted them with a smile.

Before the accident, Xiangzi was picked up by a Maybach every day. Although the Ruoye family may not have as deep a foundation as the Fengchuan Group, they are certainly not an ordinary family.

Ruoye Mu then said:

"Minami-chan, get in the car."

Nan Yun Yuyue was somewhat confused by this statement.

He tentatively asked:

"Is it because your mother is usually too busy that the driver often has to pick up Ms. Minami first?"

Wakaba Mu nodded.

???

!!!

Nan Yun Yuyue suddenly realized that she was still too deeply influenced by traditional family values, assuming that parents would take great care of their children.

He recalled that in his past life, some parents still worried about their children's safety on their way to and from school even after they had grown up. This was certainly an extreme case.

The Ruoye family... is clearly another extreme.

It's no wonder that her whereabouts are sometimes so unpredictable after school; sometimes she suddenly appears in the basement of her house, while other times she is dragged by Nagasaki Sase to visit the Battle of Asukayama.

This...showed a little bit of concern...it counts as concern, I guess.

Nan Yun Yuyue couldn't help but rub her forehead.

After descending the stairs, the two returned to the place where they first met.

The basement lights were slightly dimmer than those upstairs. Ruoye Mu walked to a corner, picked up her guitar, and stood there looking at Nan Yun Yuyue.

When Nan Yun Yu Yue met her gaze, she sensed a hint of anticipation.

The next second, he tilted his head.

When Momo saw that Nagumo Ugetsu had turned to look at her guitar, she began to play softly:

The song is called "Poem of the Wind".

This piece is not technically difficult; the fingering and playing style are basic practice pieces. The real challenge is not how to play it, but how to evoke the feeling of the wind "moving".

Nan Yun Yuyue listened quietly, not in a hurry to speak, but let her play the whole piece first.

Ruoye Mu's technique is truly impeccable; his pitch, rhythm, vibrato, and glissando are all perfected in every detail.

However, the melody is too smooth and lacks a real sense of wind, sounding almost mechanical.

Nan Yun Yuyue waited until she finished playing the last note before speaking:

"Your technique is solid, but... do you think this is like the wind?"

Ruoye Mu looked up at Nan Yun Yuyue.

Nan Yun Yuyue thought for a moment and then put it another way: "The wind will not always flow evenly."

He stretched out his hand and made a slight gesture in the air:

"It changes; it can pause suddenly, and it can also have moments of sudden enhancement. It can refract, swirl, and spin in different terrains..."

……

"The wind is free and unconfined."

Ruoye Mu looked down, gazing thoughtfully at his guitar.

"Try to imagine it."

Nan Yun Yuyue continued,

"If you stand on a mountaintop, and the wind blows from all directions, you can feel that it is sometimes strong and sometimes weak. It will not always be the same strength or the same direction."

He smiled:

"So, when you play this piece, you can try to let it be a little freer."

Ruo Yemu remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded gently, raised her hand again, and plucked the strings.

Nan Yunyuyue listened and nodded, saying, "Yes, that's exactly it."

As Ruoye Mu continued to pluck the strings, the melody gradually became smoother. She kept adjusting the rhythm, trying to capture the true feeling of the wind.

Gradually, the wind began to blow.

She seemed to finally realize something; her fingers were no longer restrained, but slid freely.

The music of the piano intertwined between reality and illusion.

Just as Wakaba Mutsumi was getting absorbed in it,

suddenly,

Her consciousness was suddenly torn apart.

In her perception, the world was as if it had been divided into two parallel spaces.

In one space, she was still sitting in the basement, still playing the guitar, and the voice of Nan Yun Yu Yue could still be heard.

In another space, he was sitting cross-legged.

Not far in front of her was an old television set.

Its screen flickered with blurry, static-like noise and emitted a low, buzzing sound.

Ruo Yemu looked up and around.

Behind her stood a row of dolls, all hidden in the shadows, arranged neatly, each one like her current chibi version.

But none of these people were pale and lifeless; they were simply watching her in silence.

Wakaba Mutsu looked at them, her expression never changing.

She tried to read something from the expressions on these dolls, but their faces were empty and lifeless, devoid of any emotion, as if they were already dead.

"Xiao Mu..."

A voice came from her side.

Ruoye Mu slowly turned her head and saw another doll that looked similar to her.

She was sitting next to her, smiling at her.

The doll tilted its head and whispered:

"Xiao Mu... I feel like I'm losing my sense of purpose."

Her voice was ethereal and soft, like a whisper carried away by the wind.

Ruoye Mu stared blankly at the "self" in front of her, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only reached out her hand.

a little……

a little……

Closer...

They were already very close, but Ruoye Mu stopped at the last moment.

The doll's smile remained on its face, but its eyes began to dim.

It was a very strange feeling.

It's as if a person's light is slowly fading, gradually losing its color, until it completely merges into the darkness.

Behind her, the group of silent, standing dolls remained motionless in the shadows.

suddenly,

At that very moment, the entire consciousness space suddenly trembled.

It looked as if something was violently ramming against the exterior wall of the house, causing tiny cracks to appear on the wall.

The doll's body trembled suddenly.

Her previously dim eyes instantly regained their luster, and the smile on her lips gradually deepened, as if she had awakened.

She smiled softly, with a hint of ambiguous pleasure.

"It seems..."

"Xiao Mu still needs me."

She slowly stood up, and the shadows around her seemed to flow with her movements, spreading out like invisible ripples, making her appear even more ethereal.

"Moreover, it seems that for some unknown reason, even some of my memories have been erased."

She looked up at Wakaba Mutsu:

"Last time, I think I misunderstood Xiaomu."

"Xiao Mu is the best, how could I have wronged you?"

Her smile was meaningful:

"It's because our memories... have all been clouded."

Wow!

Ruoye Mu's consciousness jolted suddenly, as if he were surfacing from the bottom of an extremely deep lake.

Suddenly, the sounds around her became clear.

The strange sense of division disappeared, and the images in her mind pieced themselves back together. Before her was still the familiar basement, and she was still holding her guitar.

The strings were still vibrating slightly, the lingering notes not yet faded.