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

"Thank you... Mu, thank you for staying with us."

"Sometimes, I feel helpless when I'm alone, and there are always times when I can't do anything... but you are always willing to stay by my side. Thank you so much."

"There are some things...I can't say them in front of Xiangzi. I can't let her worry any more."

"But sometimes... Mu, when I can't hold on any longer, it really makes me feel at ease to see you here."

Perhaps it was because of the unprecedented fatigue that led to Chen Qi's decreased judgment, and in Mu's ears, Chen Qi's words, full of relief but mixed with fatigue that was difficult to conceal, reached Mu's ears word by word.

As Chen Qi spoke words that he had never heard him say before, expressing his helplessness and fatigue, the trembling of joy that had just risen in Mu's heart gradually cooled down.

Instead, there was a feeling of sadness... Mu Qing's eyes couldn't help but feel sore, and he gently hugged the young man in front of him who showed a rare fragility with his arms.

He has lost a lot of weight... This was Mu's first and most intuitive feeling, and she also clearly understood why Chen Qi was so tired.

Xiangzi's mother temporarily needs Qi's attention because her illness seems to have caused some chaos in Xiangzi's family...Mu doesn't know much about this, but only heard his father mention it occasionally. Xiangzi's father seems to be deeply affected by this incident and has done many extraordinary things.

The Toyokawa family's tolerance for Shoko's father was limited, and as a recognized member of the Toyokawa family, Shoko had to focus some of his energy on handling family affairs.

Obviously, Mu felt that Chen Qi should know about this matter, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to tell Xiangzi when she was at a loss that he could take care of Mrs. Toyokawa temporarily.

In addition to Xiangzi's family affairs, there are also Chen Qi's own family affairs...to be precise, it is Chen Qi's sister named Gao Songdeng.

Mu has always felt that Takamatsu Deng, who seems to be very similar to him in personality but is not of the same kind as him, is actually very dissatisfied in his heart because of his brother's excessive attention to Xiangzi.

Chen Qi himself was aware of this, so he had to occasionally take his sister's emotions into consideration and take her to the aquarium and planetarium.

There are also things happening within the band. Now that their first public live performance is approaching, Chen Qi is also needed to oversee the band's coordination.

And there is Li Xi who always quarrels with Qi... If Su Shi is in control and Chen Qi can have less worries about everything in the band, Mu really doubts that Chen Qi will really collapse suddenly from overwork one day as he said.

But I won't let this happen to you, Qi.

Everything she had witnessed in the past reverberated in Mu's mind like scenes, and the doll girl realized belatedly that the shoulders of the young man who was only three years older than her and who was hugging her actually carried so many responsibilities that did not belong to him...

My chest... feels so bad...

What's going on with that feeling? Why...why do I feel so sad because of Qi?

At this moment, Mu, with tears dripping from his eyes, seemed to have finally understood something...

The joy I once felt was not because of that song.

But it was because that song was given to her by Qi.

The reason why she could no longer feel the joy from "Ama no Weak" was because she realized that Qi had been taken away by Xiangzi. From now on, he would never write songs for her again, nor would he focus his attention on her anymore.

Yes, from the beginning to the end, the one who gave this doll of mine those “human” feelings was not the song “Ama no Weak”... but the person who created “Ama no Weak” for me.

She finally understood.

But, she realized it too late...

It is impossible for him to write songs for her now. His life, everything he has, and the future will be taken care of by Xiangzi...

But at least.

She could stay by Xiangzi's side during the time when he was too busy to take care of himself and when he needed help the most. Giving him a little help and a little company in exchange for the tenderness he could give me for a moment...

This is the only thing I want to do now.

"It's okay, Qi."

For the first time in her life, she was so clear about what she wanted to do. Mu did not hesitate, nor was she the slightest bit reserved. She only felt her heart beating so fast. It was the first time in her life that she felt so eager to do something for someone.

"No matter what Qi wants to do, I will be by his side."

"As long as Qi doesn't abandon me, I will always help Qi."

"——I won't abandon Mu." Chen Qi didn't seem to realize that Mu, who was hugging him with a gentle tone, was actually shedding tears of emotion. He just made his promise as always, and said softly to the doll girl who was accompanying him in his arms:

"I will never abandon Mu at any time."

I will never abandon Qi either.

Mu also repeated this sentence silently in his heart.

With such belief, for the first time, Mu felt the energy contained in her petite body. For the first time, she found the motivation to move forward for her beliefs and goals, which made everything that she once hated become so easy.

Even just thinking about seeing him, the time in the tutoring classes that used to make me feel stressed would pass so quickly.

He clearly didn't have much reason to stay with the band, but as long as today's problems were less than yesterday's, Mu was happy for Chen Qi from the bottom of his heart.

Mu was enjoying the care from Chen Qi, which was supposed to be enjoyed by Xiangzi alone. Even the slightest bit of his tenderness towards Xiangzi had already made Mu feel a little intoxicated...

However, whenever Mu thought of the spring-like warmth that would leave him sooner or later, he couldn't help but feel regretful... and a little jealous of Xiangzi.

Xiangzi, his childhood sweetheart, his closest friend... and at the same time, the object of his greatest jealousy since childhood.

You are so dazzling and so lucky. Even if you lose your loved one, there will always be another loved one in your arms.

And everything I have lost, nothing will come back to me, even the tenderness I once had for a short time, will eventually belong to you...

Forget it, forget it, if you want to take it, just take it all.

Who made you my "half body"... I'm not good at speaking or expressing myself, and I haven't experienced all the hard-to-let-go things with Qi, so how can I possibly compete with you?

I only hope that you can be worthy of Chen Qi's efforts for you...at least, like me, try to repay his kindness with your actions.

This is within your ability and you can do it. I will give you everything he has. This request is not excessive...

Mu, who had figured it all out, was greedy for the extra care that Chen Qi gave her, but at the same time, she calmly watched Xiangzi's reliance on Chen Qi, and Chen Qi's repeated comforts and unrequited efforts for Xiangzi...

Even the huge success of that public live performance, Xiangzi's tearful hug of Chen Qi... Mu could accept them all calmly.

Because, she had already known that sooner or later, all these things would belong to Xiangzi.

But... she can't tolerate everything...

"Mu, I...want to quit Crychic."

"……well?"

After the live ended, Chen Qi had fulfilled his promise to Mrs. Toyokawa. In the end, Mrs. Toyokawa got what she wished for without any regrets. Instead, she watched with satisfaction that her daughter had someone to rely on and was finally on the right track before she closed her eyes.

Although her life was short, she did not leave too many regrets. Shoko, the Toyokawa family, and many of Mrs. Toyokawa's friends who had a very good relationship with her, all watched with grief and regret as Mrs. Toyokawa was slowly buried and turned into that tombstone.

After that, what surprised Mu was that Xiangzi, who finally accepted his mother's death, did not follow his mother's wishes...

In the days that followed, Xiangzi gradually distanced herself from everyone, even Chen Qi. She spent most of her time at Fengchuan's house, as if she had something serious to deal with...

Although the possibility was very low, Mu did suspect at first that Xiangzi didn't know what her mother had said to Chen Qi... But later, when Mu learned from Chen Qi that Xiangzi had stopped answering his calls, Mu realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Xiangzi's mood seems to be very unstable." On the other end of the phone, Chen Qi's tone was also full of sorrow, and he couldn't help but confide in Mu:

"Mu, you and Xiangzi are childhood sweethearts. If possible, can you pay attention to her situation? I am very worried that the Toyokawa family may have brought some pressure to Xiangzi, making Xiangzi a little overwhelmed now."

Mu: “I understand.”

Even if Xiangzi was very busy with family affairs, and even if she didn't know her mother's last words to Chen Qi, she wouldn't have deliberately distanced herself from Chen Qi...

Even Mu could see that she and Qi were just one step away from success.

"Why, Xiang, do you want to quit Crychic?"

Mu, who had made an appointment with Xiangzi, faced Xiangzi's difficult expression and gritted teeth as she told him her decision. After a brief moment of blankness in his mind, Mu couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Is it because of the Toyokawa family?"

"Yes..." Xiangzi could not say it to Chen Qi in person, so he could only say it reluctantly to his childhood sweetheart whom he absolutely trusted, and whispered in a dull voice:

"Regarding the matter between my father and me, my father and I...maybe we can't stay in the Toyokawa family any longer."

"Why?" Mu also didn't expect that Xiangzi's family would do such a decisive thing this time. They were going to kick Xiangzi and her father out of the house just one week after Xiangzi's mother was buried?

"Sorry, I can't tell."

However, under Mu's questioning, Xiangzi was no longer willing to reveal any information. She pursed her lips tightly, with a stubborn look in her eyes. From beginning to end, she was unwilling to say even a little bit of the reason.

It was as if the reason that caused her and her father to be kicked out of the house was so dirty and so humiliating that she was unwilling to say it even if the person in front of her was her best friend.

Judging from Xiangzi's expression of reluctance to speak, Mu knew that the real reason would probably never come to light. Xiangzi was unwilling to say it, and the people in the Toyokawa family might also regard it as a scandal and would not tell the truth.

"I can only say... my, no, my father's actions caused us to owe a lot of money, and my family is unwilling to bear the expenses caused by my father. I must repay the money as much as possible."

"So, sorry, I have to quit Crychic."

"...Xiang, you know, right? Crychic is Qi's hard work."

However, Mu now does not care much about Xiangzi's difficulties. The first thing she reacts to is all the consequences caused by Xiangzi's withdrawal. In the end, who should bear the consequences?

And it's not just Crychic, there's also Mrs. Toyokawa's hopes... In the end, isn't it Chen Qi alone who has to bear all the consequences?

Xiangzi, you may have your own difficulties, but have you ever thought about who should bear your difficulties in the end? And that person actually has no obligation to bear all of this for you.

All of this was imposed on him by you and your deceased mother. He had no obligation to bear all this pressure for you.

"Xiang, you must not have told Qi the truth, right? You suddenly withdrew, are you planning to let Qi bear all this alone?"

Xiangzi: “…”

"…Think about it again, Xiang Qi, he really did a lot for you. Do you want to use him and then kick him away?"

If that's the case, Xiangzi.

Then I have to say, I am really disappointed in you.

However, facing Xiangzi who fell into silence, Mu did not have any emotion. He just shook his head gently and left on his own initiative for the first time in his meeting with Xiangzi.

She had nothing more to talk about with Xiangzi, who had such thoughts.

"Mu." At that moment, Xiangzi, who was lost in thought, suddenly raised his head and said in a low voice to Mu's back in an almost pleading manner:

"Please... don't tell Chen Qi about this, okay?"

Mu: “…”

I will do this, Xiangzi, just regard it as my friendship with you for so many years, I will believe you again.

But, Xiangzi, although I really don't want it to happen, if you really do something that hurts Qi's heart in the end.

Well, this may be the last thing I do for you.

……

"I'm quitting...Crychic."

That rainy night, that rainy night that Mu would never forget. After receiving the notice from Xiangzi, Mu had vaguely guessed what would happen. When she and Chen Qi turned their backs to everyone, the moment she heard the cold voice from Xiangzi, her heart sank.

Mu, for the first time, discovered that his childhood sweetheart, who had been with him for so long, was actually so selfish.

What made Mu even more angry were the other people in Crychic... those people who were taken care of so well by Qi, but had no gratitude at all. Instead, at this time, they questioned Qi, who was already feeling uncomfortable.

What do you know? What do you know!

Do you know how hard he tried? Do you think he was the one who wanted Xiangzi to quit?

In order to keep Xiangzi and maintain the band, he did everything he could!

Isn't that enough? Isn't that enough? What do you want from him?

You guys are a bunch of selfish bastards who only think about yourselves!

"enough!"

At that moment, the images of Chen Qi being tired and forcing himself to be strong countless times flashed through his mind. Witnessing his silent efforts time and time again, but getting results that no one understood, Mu felt "anger" for the first time in his life.

This anger drove Mu to say the words that put an end to the band. At the same time, it was also her true feelings that she had wanted to say for a long time.

"If you want to break up the band, then break up."

"Anyway, I've never felt happy about being in a band... not even once."

You don't deserve him at all.

He doesn't deserve to sacrifice so much for you. He can live a better life without you!

Mu thought so and spoke out her impulsive words, however, she also noticed that Chen Qi's eyes were gradually dimming, and he closed his eyes helplessly to prevent his loss from showing.

...I'm sorry, Qi.

Mu also slowly closed her eyes. She knew that everything she did was wrong, but... this was really the best result she could achieve.

I know that you can't let it go in your heart, and you can't let go of Xiangzi.

But, I will help you, help you get Xiangzi back.

At least, I will let you know the truth of everything - I will let Xiangzi tell you all the truth.