They are in the music show, but I am a stranger to them

It was the first time that Mu spoke with such a loud voice and such intense emotions - of course, by Mu's standards. To Deng and others standing in front of her, Mu's voice was just a little higher than that of an ordinary person, but this was almost the limit of what Mu could do.

In the past, Mu had never had any chance to vent his emotions like he did now. As the eldest daughter of the Wakaba family, and her father was a comedian with a wide network of connections and a huge social circle, Mu was taught from a young age that she needed to control her emotions at all times.

In a sense, Mu did it. She never embarrassed her father in her father's social circle, nor did she say a wrong word.

It was just because Mu was no longer willing to speak, and she even suspected that she had lost her emotions as a "human".

It was not until that person appeared... the person who influenced her life and awakened the first beat of her heart after many years that she regained the emotions that a "human" should have.

He was the first person who told me that I could have my own emotions and say whatever I wanted.

He was the first person who gave her warmth. When she was still closing off everything to herself, he was the one who used her mood to write a song that described her inner thoughts!

He was so warm and dazzling that it was only after Xiangzi and the others left him that I dared to stay by his side, cautiously and carefully, for fear of being noticed by others, as if guarding my most private secrets.

Even when she touched him, she was so careful, afraid of hurting him because of her recklessness. She didn't even dare to actively ask for his warmth. She was satisfied as long as she could enjoy the remaining warmth for a moment.

Treat him as your most precious treasure that you should protect.

But you trampled on his heart, which I cherished most, and left such an indelible scar!

Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!

"Qi left home just to let you grow up! Do you know how hard and helpless he has been in the past six months?!"

"Half a year! Half a year! He wanted you to get over the shadow of Crychic's disbandment and asked you not to worry about him. How did he hold on?"

"Xiao Mu... don't say that." Nagasaki Sushi saw that Mu's emotions were getting more and more excited. He felt heavy in his heart and wanted to stop Mu. However, Mu glared at him coldly and made him retract his hand.

For a moment, Su Shi was a little scared. This was the first time she saw Xiao Mu so angry.

At the same time, Su Shi felt a little guilty... After all, it was she who instigated Takamatsu Deng to sing the song "Sixth Star Night", and it was also she who instigated Takamatsu Deng to use her affection for Aqi as a sister to bring Aqi back.

Didn't Su Shi know that Chen Qi hoped that they could break away from him, become a complete band with five people, and step onto a bigger stage together? Of course Su Shi understood, because Chen Qi personally entrusted her with the hope that she could maintain this band.

However, Su Shi and Deng felt the same way. They couldn't stay in a band without Chen Qi, their closest people.

Or to put it a little more selfishly, they couldn't accept it. After witnessing their growth, Chen Qi put them on the list of "no need to worry about them anymore" with peace of mind.

They wanted to get Chen Qi's attention and hoped that he could care about them and the band as much as before.

Therefore, for the bottom line that they were trying so hard to maintain, they had to do something to completely shatter Chen Qi's idea of ​​"just quitting after they all become independent."

And if he did so, Su Shi was also very clear that what he had done did not lighten Chen Qi's burden at all, but instead made his expectations go unfulfilled...

Now, Aqi must be very disappointed with me and us, right? Thinking of this, Su Shi's eyes dimmed a little. She subconsciously clenched her fists slightly, and a strong sense of sin and guilt immediately engulfed her.

But even so, even if time could go back and Nagasaki Motoyo was given another chance to choose, she would still do it.

Everything she did was to keep Aqi by their side! Even if she disappointed Aqi or even hurt him, she would find a way to make up for it later and do her best to win him back!

This is better than doing nothing and just watching Aqi go further and further away!

"Xiao Mu, don't say that about Deng-chan. Deng-chan did this for Aqi, so that her brother could stay with her."

Su Shi also tried her best to muster up her courage and became the first person in the team to speak up for Takamatsu Deng. She tried hard to say to Wakaba Mutsuki who was already out of control:

"Xiao Mu, you probably don't know yet, right? Deng-chan just told me that if we really succeed in this Live, Aqi will--"

"—would let down all of us and never come back to the band, wouldn't you?"

However, what neither Sushi nor Aine expected was that Mu continued to answer Sushi's unfinished words with an attitude of knowing the truth. However, these words did not calm Mu down, but made her tone much colder.

The one who was even more surprised was undoubtedly Chihaya Aine, who knew about this. She looked at Suyo and Deng beside her in great surprise, her eyes full of confusion.

Didn't Brother Qi tell her about this alone? Why did Su Shi and Deng know about it? Even Mu knew about it?

Besides, Brother Qi just said to her at that time, "You can walk the rest of the way on your own." The reason why Aiyin didn't take it too seriously was that she thought Brother Qi was simply speaking from his heart and just said that he would not join the band, but he never said that he was going to leave?

Could it be that I had misunderstood? Did Brother Qi tell Deng and Su Shi that he was leaving?

Shiina Riki was even more confused. She glanced at her companions around her who had different expressions, and suddenly felt that she was the only one who didn't know the truth.

But this time, before Li Xi could ask the question, Mu's cold reply came:

"So in order to keep Qi and not let him leave you, you chose to use this song to hurt his heart and make him miss you forever?"

"Do you know that he has already shouldered enough? He has done so much for you, isn't it enough?!"

At this point, Mu seemed to recall the six months he had spent with Chen Qi and the hardships he had witnessed Chen Qi go through. Tears began to fall from his eyes, but he still couldn't change Mu's indignant expression. He said to the lamp word by word:

"Do you know that your brother squeezed out money from his own teeth in order not to make you worry? Just to send you and your family 10,000 yen every month, telling you that he has a comfortable life, but in fact he dare not even eat meat, and even has to pay back a sum of money every month?"

"When you were hurting your brother, did you ever think about the fact that while you were still sad about his departure, your brother was practicing guitar in [SPACE] until his fingers were bleeding? He didn't stop even when he was beaten by Manager Tsuzuki until his palms were red, just to improve himself as quickly as possible so that he could teach his guitar skills to Chihaya Aine!"

"When you hurt him, did you ever think about how much he had to endure and how much suffering he had to endure in order to bring you together again? You actually hurt his heart just for your own selfish desires?"

"What do you want from him? How much does he have to do before you let him go?!"

When the last angry roar came out, Mu finally couldn't control her emotions anymore. Her long light green hair covered her cheeks because of her excessive force.

Mu, who spoke more words in one breath than he normally would in a year, was also gasping for breath due to lack of oxygen, clutching his aching chest tightly.

"Xiao Mu..."

Seeing Ruoye Mu in so much pain and feeling a dull pain in his heart from being scolded, Su Shi was the first to react. He subconsciously wanted to step forward and support Mu's trembling body.

However, before Su Shi approached, Mu had regained his usual calmness without him noticing, and the familiar indifference returned to Mu's delicate face once again.

However, Su Shi, Li Xi, Aine and Takamatsu Deng all noticed at this moment that the extremely cold look from Mu no longer had a trace of warmth or the intimacy he had when looking at his friends.

"Sure enough, it's just as I thought at the beginning."

Mu shed tears silently, and her tone returned to its previous indifference. She slowly turned around, with her back to these former friends, and uttered her final farewell words:

"You guys don't deserve to bring him back."

After saying that, Mu no longer turned her head to look at the four "friends" behind her who were stunned by her words... She didn't have such friends who would hurt others for her own selfish desires.

In the end, Mu chose to leave. She now had more important things to do - to find Chen Qi.

Qi, please don't get into any trouble...Mu is very scared now. He is afraid that because of this injury, Chen Qi's broken heart will be completely shattered, and he will do something impulsive.

"Xiao Mu--" However, facing Mu's departure, Su Shi couldn't help but narrow his eyes. When he wanted to stop him, the voice of Shiina Riki on the side suddenly sounded and stopped Su Shi's action.

"…Let her go."

Li Xi, who was also scolded by Mu, unexpectedly did not have any words of rebuttal this time. She lowered her eyes slightly, revealing a rare look of guilt... Mu's words just now made Li Xi think of her own actions.

Wasn't she also the kind of person who, like Mu said, only cared about venting her emotions to him but never did anything to help him release his emotions?

Mu was not wrong. Chen Qi had done so much for them...it was only their own greed that caused him to completely collapse.

"Mu, it's impossible to come back."

Su Shi: “…”

However, facing the back of Mu who had already walked away, Su Shi's eyes, feeling unwilling, completely dimmed.

I had promised Aqi that I would maintain this band... but now...

Why am I so useless? Why can't I always meet his expectations?

Chihaya Aine, who was also reprimanded by Mu for being silent, also lost her usual relaxed and cheerful smile, and thought about everything Mu had just said with a somewhat lonely expression.

Have I really helped Brother Qi in the past six months? Have I really made Brother Qi feel more at ease? Obviously, I have also received so much tenderness from Brother Qi... Have I really done enough?

As for Takamatsu Deng...she didn't react at all at this moment, or rather, her brain was blank, as if she had not yet digested everything that Mu had just said to her.

Only the tears that kept falling from her eyes proved the turmoil in Gao Songdeng's heart at this moment, and her belated realization of the consequences of everything she had done.

Did I really do something wrong again? Telling my brother about my feelings like this... I can't live without my brother, so was everything I did from beginning to end wrong?

I just want my brother to stay by my side... That's all I want...

……

Mu held his guitar, avoided the crowd and trotted to the door of "RiNG". However, when he found two familiar figures there, he stopped involuntarily.

"...Dad? Qi?"

"Mu?"

On the other side, Chen Qi and Mr. Ruoye also turned their heads subconsciously after hearing Mu's voice, but they soon discovered that something was wrong with Mu.

Chen Qi, whose face was still a little pale, keenly noticed the remaining tear marks on Mu's face and the tears that had not yet fallen in his eyes. He was also startled and subconsciously walked towards Mu and asked with concern:

"Mu, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"

It was natural for Chen Qi to be nervous. After all, whether in the original novel as a time traveler or in their previous time together, he had never seen the indifferent Mu shed tears. Especially when he fled the studio, he did not realize that Mu was so moved by Deng's singing.

Then there is only one possibility, Mu shed tears after the performance... or after he escaped from the studio.

"Mu, come back."

However, before Chen Qi could ask further questions, Mr. Ruoye, who had been silently observing the interaction between Chen Qi and his daughter, flashed a faint smile on his face, but immediately returned to his usual seriousness and issued instructions to Mu in an almost commanding tone.

When he heard the same tone from his father at home, Mu's body shook noticeably, but he still lowered his head subconsciously, intending to obey his father's wishes.

But at this moment, Chen Qi's figure blocked Mu's figure with his tall figure. Chen Qi stared at Mr. Ruoye more seriously than usual, and said word by word:

"Mr. Ruoye, please don't embarrass Mu, and don't embarrass your daughter. This is a matter between the two of us."

"No, I said, what we talked about was originally about peace."

Seeing Chen Qi standing in front of Mu, Mr. Ruoye nodded in his heart, but he remained calm on the surface. In front of Mu, he said bluntly:

"You are the only person of the opposite sex who is so close to Mu. Mu has been staying by your side for the past six months just for you. As Mu's father, how could I not interfere?"

"Huh?" Her father's words made Mu, who was hiding behind Chen Qi, feel a little nervous. She never thought that her father would know about this.

"What? Mu? Do you really think that I know nothing?"

When Mr. Ruoye saw that his daughter seemed quite surprised, he shook his head with a half-smile, but still maintained his composure as an elder and said calmly:

"In the past six months, you have been hiding it from me and your mother. You have skipped many art classes and extracurricular tutoring sessions, and you have exceeded the curfew many times. We both know it clearly, but we just thought you were in your rebellious phase, and we heard that you joined a band, so we didn't ask much about it."

"But now it seems..." As he spoke, Mr. Ruoye fixed his gaze on Chen Qi, who remained calm, and said pointedly:

"Mu, are all your actions just because of him?"

"...Dad, don't embarrass Qi."

However, Mu seemed to have sensed something unfavorable about Chen Qi from his father's words. He almost immediately stepped out from behind Chen Qi, and said with a nervous expression on his face:

"I just wanted to be with Qi. Qi, he did nothing wrong."

"Mu, don't forget your identity. You are the eldest daughter of the Ruoye family and my only daughter."

However, just as Mu's explanation came out, he received an extremely serious response from Mr. Ruoye. There was no joking on the face of this popular comedian at this time, and he immediately said:

"You haven't dated him yet, and you haven't brought him to meet me and your mother. Your mother and I have never approved of your relationship. And now you have been so close to him for half a year. As a child of the Ruoye family, how can you behave like this?"

"Or did you not choose the right time to introduce him to us? Well, I'll give you a chance then."

As he spoke, Mr. Ruoye turned his gaze back to Chen Qi, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness and solemnity, and said to Chen Qi indifferently:

"Chen Qi, your uncle has understood your situation. Now I will give you a chance. As long as you agree, I will not care about your peace in the future."

"From today on, you will move out of the house of the girl named Chihaya Aine and cut off contact with the other girls, including your sister named Takamatsu Deng and the girl who left the Toyokawa family. From now on, you will only have one place to live, and that is the Wakaba family."

"As long as you can do this, whether you are dating or anything else, as long as you don't cross the line, my mother will never ask about it again. What do you think?"

...leaving Deng, Xiangzi, and everyone else?

However, faced with the harsh request made by Mr. Ruoye, which he would never have agreed to before, at this moment, Chen Qi, whose inner defenses had almost completely collapsed, actually began to think about this possibility for a moment.

After all, Chen Qi himself had been thinking about the possibility of leaving Tokyo before.

Otherwise...is this the end of it? In a trance, Chen Qi had such an extreme thought for the first time in his mind. It was the first time he wanted to escape, to escape from all the constraints.

"enough!"

However, at the moment when Chen Qi wavered, Mu Na's sudden and extremely loud voice startled both Chen Qi and Mr. Ruoye.

Mu lowered his head silently, and after a long time he slowly raised his head, cast his crystal clear eyes towards Chen Qi beside him, and reluctantly revealed a bitter smile, saying:

“…I’m sorry, Qi.”

I clearly made up my mind to protect everything you maintained, and also to protect you, but in the end, I failed to do either of these two things.

Mu was very clear that what she said to Deng and the others when she lost control of her emotions had basically destroyed the band, and facing Chen Qi who was already covered in bruises, she had no way to protect his heart from being hurt.

I no longer have the dignity to stay with Qi.

"Goodbye, Qi. I'm going home."

"Mu..."