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

But unexpectedly, that being seemed to want to break free from itself...

Wakaba Mutsu looked at Toyokawa Shoko's seat.

Xiangzi had already sat down, as if he was thinking about the content of the math lesson.

After Wakaba Mutsuki was awakened by Nagumo Ugetsu, the entity within her immediately calmed down.

Ruo Yemu also felt that his consciousness space had returned to normal, and he no longer had that feeling of separation.

However, the small fragment of nightmare that spilled from her body landed right on Toyokawa Shoko's seat.

"Xiang..."

Ruo Yemu was somewhat worried.

She looked at Nan Yun Yuyue beside her and said softly.

She had never experienced anything like this before, and the fact that the abnormality was almost visibly written all over her face made her a little nervous.

For some reason, when this strange thing happened, the first person she thought of was Nan Yun Yuyue.

Ruoye Mu's heart was like a thousand threads intertwined, complex and intricate.

If he finds out about the abnormality in me,

Will he think I'm... a monster...?

Thinking of this, Ruoye Mu felt a little worried again.

Nan Yun Yuyue was just looking at her textbook when she heard her voice, and raised an eyebrow:

"Ok?"

He followed Wakaba Mutsu's gaze and saw that Toyokawa Shoko was still the same as before, and everything seemed normal.

Nan Yun Yuyue turned to look at Ruoye Mu, but Ruoye Mu's expression didn't change, so she had a rough idea of ​​what was going on.

Could it be because of the PE class just now?

Nanon Ugetsu sensed something was wrong.

The next second, his Word of Power, 'Discipline', quietly activated.

Chapter 44 Sorrow Like a Tide

"Om."

As the precepts were initiated, for a moment, the air seemed to quiet down.

The power of the rules, which only Nanon Ugetsu could perceive, slowly unfolded, like a transparent ripple, spreading towards Toyokawa Shoko.

The moment the "precepts" covered her—

Nan Yun Yuyue saw an almost transparent misty shadow floating on Toyokawa Shoko's shoulder and back, and it fluctuated strangely.

The fog was pale gray, very light and thin, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"?"

Nan Yun Yu Yue's eyes narrowed.

He continued to monitor Toyokawa Shoko's condition, but the fog seemed like an illusion, leaving no trace.

The 'precepts' continue to be practiced.

He focused his perception on covering Toyokawa Shoko's body.

But apart from that one moment, everything was as calm as still water.

Her mental state, emotions, and emotional fluctuations were all within the normal range, with no signs of being out of control.

"strangeness."

Nanon Ugetsu withdrew her gaze, turned slightly to the side, and whispered to Wakaba Mutsuki:

"Toyokawa-kun seems fine. Is something the matter?"

He spoke in a deliberately calm tone.

Wakaba Mu shook his head.

Just now, Nan Yun Yuyue could see some hidden worries in Ruoye Mu's expression, so he specially activated 'Discipline' to check.

However, Nan Yun Yu Yue then covered Ruo Ye Mu with the precepts to ensure her safety before she felt at ease.

His biggest worry was that Wakaba Mutsumi and Toyokawa Shoko's words of power would go out of control.

As for psychological issues, there's still plenty of time; he can gradually help them resolve them.

at this time--

"Jingle Bell--"

The school bell rang.

The math teacher walked into the classroom and said:

"Class begins. Please turn to the page in your textbooks—"

Before the words were even finished, the classroom fell silent.

The math class proceeded at a leisurely pace amidst the teacher's writing on the blackboard.

The sunlight outside the window slowly moved from left to right, and the shadow of the blackboard gradually lengthened, making the whole class seem to stretch out to the end without anyone noticing.

Lunch break, afternoon... time was swallowed up in this uneventful rhythm, everything was no different from usual.

The classroom erupted in chaos the moment the school bell rang.

"Hey, tomorrow's the weekend!"

"Finally, I don't have to get up early anymore..."

"Next week is the music festival, it's an annual event, I wonder what kind of programs will be on this year."

"I really hope I can perform on stage next year..."

"come on! Come on."

Everywhere you could hear hushed, excited voices, the screeching of tables and chairs being dragged along, and hurried movements as people rummaged through their schoolbags.

Nanon Ugetsu also began tidying up her desk.

He only read a third of the copy of Natsume Soseki's "Kokoro" that he brought today, so he stuffed the book into the drawer and didn't take it home.

As Nan Yun Yuyue tidied up, she glanced sideways at Ruoye Mutsuki beside her.

At this moment, Wakaba Mutsu was still sitting in his seat.

Her expression was calm to the point of silence, except for a pen on the table that rolled gently around, making a soft "thump" sound in the setting sun.

Unlike the other students in the classroom, her heart tightened more as school ended.

School's out... Time to go home.

Weekend... I don't want the weekend.

Ruoye Mu sat quietly, her eyes lowered, seemingly out of place amidst the noise of the classroom.

The world seemed to dim, and then, as if waking her in the morning, Nan Yun Yu Yue gently poked her arm:

I'll come see you this weekend.

If Ye Mu raised her head and her gaze fell on his face, her voice would be low:

"invite."

In other words, this year's Wakaba family dinner was different from previous ones; the entire invitation list was drastically reduced, and only a small number of people received the news.

This was no ordinary weekend dinner; it was said that very important guests were coming, and many people who had been invited many times before were not qualified to step into the Wakaba family mansion this time.

For example, light novel author Ugetsu Nagumo did not receive any invitations.

Nan Yun Yuyue paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Don't worry," he said.

"When the exact time comes, remember to send me a message."

Ruoye Mu nodded without saying anything.

The two walked out of the classroom one after the other, through the crowd of students leaving get out of class, and down the sunlit corridor.

The two parted ways only at the school gate.

The crowd weaved through them, their laughter and light footsteps filling the air.

Nan Yun Yuyue did not leave immediately, but watched Wakaba Mukuro's departing figure and pondered silently.

…………

at the same time,

Shoko Toyokawa, who had just finished school, felt a strange sense of depression.

She didn't greet anyone as usual, nor did she chat with her classmates who were talking about the music festival, nor did she go to find Wakaba Mutsu. She simply walked out of the classroom alone and slowly walked down the corridor.

Toyokawa Shoko couldn't explain what was wrong with her. Starting in the afternoon, she felt completely overwhelmed by sadness and loss, and everything she did made her feel inexplicably sad.

But clearly... nothing special happened today...

Toyokawa Shoko thought to herself.

Especially after school, when she heard several classmates in the front row excitedly discussing the music festival, she suddenly thought of her mother.

Shoko Toyokawa still remembers her mother sitting in front of the upright piano in the living room when she was a child, her fingers moving between the black and white keys.

She would teach me the melody little by little, her tone gentle and earnest.

"Slow down, relax your right hand... Yes, that's it."

However, she could no longer hear her mother's voice.

Toyokawa Shoko hadn't thought about these things for a long time.

She kept those memories very deep, so deep that they wouldn't be easily touched in normal times.

But this afternoon, for some reason, this overwhelming longing came without warning and surfaced silently.

Shoko Toyokawa thought it was because of the upcoming Tsuki no Mori Music Festival.

In the past, she had always hoped that one day her mother would see her performing under the spotlight.

Perhaps it was this expectation that made Toyokawa Shoko suddenly realize that her childhood dream had been shattered.

And so, her heart sank.

It is said that humans have a trauma protection mechanism; the brain helps people filter out some overly sad events so that the body can still function normally.

But you won't forget it.

As for feelings of sadness, naturally not.

This sadness is not like the intense sadness one feels after suddenly hearing extremely sad news.

Rather, it was a quiet, spreading sadness, like falling leaves.

Toyokawa Shoko didn't cry; she just looked down at her shadow in the corridor without saying a word.

Her shadow quietly accompanied her as she walked, gradually lengthening in the golden light at the end of the corridor.

Chapter 45 The Banquet, Important Figures, Senior Figures

Friday after school and Saturday passed by in a flash.

It was Nagumo Ugetsu's first Sunday at Tsukimori Academy.

night.

Wakaba family residence.

Unlike previous banquets, this time only a very small number of guests were invited to the dinner.

*Sizzle*—Click