Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

She shrank back and instinctively moved closer to Kujo Renji, even grabbing his sleeve as if seeking protection.

Mori Minami watched her daughter's reaction, a hint of almost cruel satisfaction flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly covered up by superficial concern:

"I'm really happy to see Xiaomu relying on you so much. You've always been her closest friend."

Kujo Renji felt Mortis's fingers tightly grasping his sleeves, and through this subtle movement, she conveyed her inner fear and anger.

"Xiao Mu performed very well in the band."

"Yes, she has had a talent for acting since she was young."

A strange expression appeared on Mori Minami's face, a mixture of pride and control. "But she is still a child after all. She needs proper guidance and management. There have been too many band activities recently. I'm worried that it will affect her studies."

Mori Minami gently put down her teacup, her voice becoming gentler yet more unquestionable: "So, I'd like to ask Xiaomu not to attend rehearsals in the next few days. She needs to rest and spend more time studying."

She suddenly covered her mouth as if she had thought of something.

"Oh, I almost forgot, are you guys going on tour in Osaka soon?"

"Oh, look at my memory, really."

"But don't worry..."

Mori Minami smiled and said:

"I will talk to the management and it won't affect Ave Mujica. Even if it's cancelled, it won't have a big impact."

These words finally revealed her true intentions.

"after all..."

Mori Minami continued, with a certain inexplicable meaning in her tone:

"Xiao Mu has other things to do. He can't spend all his time on his hobbies, right?"

She turned her gaze to Mortis, her smile carrying a certain sense of oppression:

"Xiao Mu, what do you think?"

As soon as these words came out, Mortis's reaction became more obvious.

Her face turned pale, and a trace of struggle and pain flashed in her eyes. Although she existed as a "protector", she seemed unable to completely get rid of the deep-rooted instinct of obedience when facing Mori Minami.

........

Meanwhile, inside Wakaba Mutsu's mental theater, the real Wakaba Mutsu huddled in a corner, his arms tightly wrapped around his knees, his body trembling slightly. The theater was dimly lit, with only a single spotlight above the center stage.

Wakaba Mu lowered her head, her long, light green hair covering her face, but one could still see the corners of her mouth, which looked slightly pale from biting her lower lip.

There are countless mirrors hanging on the walls of the theater, each of which reflects Wakaba Mutsu's appearance at different times - there is the perfect little lady with a neat bun, smiling at the camera; there is Mortis wearing a mask, standing on the stage; and there is her current self, hiding in the corner, lowering her head and not daring to look at people.

In the center of the theater, Mori Minami's face appeared.

Become twisted and huge.

The sound echoed throughout the theater.

"Xiao Mu, what do you think?"

Wakaba Mu buried his head even lower, as if he wanted to curl himself up completely into that non-existent safe space.

The atmosphere in the theater was heavy and oppressive, as if filled with invisible shackles that bound her tightly.

"I can't... I shouldn't..."

She murmured softly, her voice so weak that it was almost inaudible

“Ave mujica... is my only...”

Her words were interrupted by an unseen force, just as they had been every time she had tried to express her true thoughts over the years.

The trained instinct of obedience and the deep-seated fear made her voice stop abruptly.

In the theater's mirror, the smiles of the reflections became more sarcastic and colder.

......

At this moment, in reality, Kujo Renji suddenly spoke.

At the same time, Kujo Renji in the theater suddenly spoke, as if two worlds overlapped and merged at this moment.

"Ms. Minami's lies are really nice to hear."

This sentence was like a sharp sword, instantly cutting through the false and harmonious atmosphere in the room.

Mori Minami's smile froze on her face, and a hint of disbelief flashed in her eyes.

Kujo Renji slowly stood up and looked down at Mori Minami condescendingly. An inexplicable emotion flashed in his amber eyes, like a cheetah locking onto its prey.

He took a step forward, his movements graceful but with an undeniable sense of oppression, and leaned close to Mori Minami's ear.

"Is it for Xiao Mu or for Toyokawa Hidehiko?"

His voice was so low that it was almost a whisper, but it exploded like thunder in Mori Minami's ears.

Mori Minami's face turned pale in an instant, and her perfect makeup could not hide her momentary panic.

"What...what are you talking about?"

She tried to remain calm, but her voice trembled unconsciously.

Kujo Renji stood up straight, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Interesting. I just mentioned it casually and you reacted so strongly."

"what do you want to say in the end?"

Mori Minami stood up abruptly, the gentle image she had deliberately created completely collapsed, and her voice was filled with undisguised anger and panic.

Kujo Renji walked around the coffee table and slowly came to Mori Minami. Every step he took was unhurried, yet it made people feel an invisible pressure.

"What I want to say is very simple."

He stopped in front of Mori Minami, the distance was just right—making her feel oppressive while maintaining a polite restraint.

"You have no right to interfere with Ye Mu's choice, and Ave Mujica's affairs have nothing to do with you."

"absurd!"

Mori Minami responded harshly, her expression completely distorted:

"I'm her mother! Of course, I have the final say on her every move! Who are you to tell me how to discipline my own daughter?"

Kujo Renji looked at her quietly, the pity and indifference in his eyes made Mori Minami's anger even more intense.

Her voice was already trembling with hysterics:

"Without my training, without my connections, she's nothing! From childhood to adulthood, every expression, every movement, was taught by me bit by bit! She is my—"

Those words seemed to trigger a switch. Kujo Renji's eyes suddenly turned cold, and a dangerous aura emanated from him. He suddenly turned and punched the floor-length mirror behind Mori Minami.

The immense force of the impact shattered the mirror instantly, the cracks spreading rapidly like a spider web, emitting a sharp cracking sound. The reflection on the mirror shattered into millions of fragments, and Mori Minami's distorted face became fragmented among the fragments.

The room was silent, with only the crisp sound of mirror fragments falling to the ground.

Mori Minami screamed and stepped back, fear in her eyes.

Kujo Renji retracted his fist, and a few drops of blood seeped out from the back of his hand, but he seemed unaware of it.

His gaze turned to Mori Minami, and his amber eyes reflected the other person's ugly expression.

"She is Wakaba Mu, that's all."

.....

In Wakaba Mu's spiritual theater, time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The golden chandelier suddenly shook violently, the crystal prisms collided with each other, making a crisp sound. The floor-to-ceiling mirrors on both sides of the stage that reflected her perfect image suddenly burst into spider-web-like cracks from the center.

"Click——"

The first crisp sound was like thunder, echoing in the empty theater.

In the center of the theater, the mirror behind Mori Minami, which was broken by Kujo Renji, was reflected.

Ruo Ye Mu stood there in a daze, watching himself in the mirror twist and shatter along with the cracks.

Those carefully polished smiles and elegant gestures that have been practiced repeatedly became fragmented in the broken mirror.

More mirrors began to crack.

The round mirror in the dressing room, the wall mirror in the hallway, even the reflector above the stage—all seemed struck by an invisible force, cracks spreading at an alarming rate. Each fragment reflected her at different times—herself in a gorgeous gown, herself practicing her smile in front of the mirror, herself being corrected by her mother...

boom! ! !

The voice penetrated the walls of the theater and reached her ears clearly.

——She is Wakaba Mu, nothing more.

As these words were spoken, the largest stage mirror collapsed with a loud bang, and countless fragments flashed in the air like a sudden rain of diamonds.

Ruoye Mu stretched out her hand unconsciously, and a sharp lens scratched her fingertips, but did not bring the expected pain.

She looked down at her hands and found that the tiny, invisible wounds that had been there for years were slowly healing.

The theater began to collapse.

It wasn't a catastrophic collapse, but a strange, slow disintegration. The golden curtains silently slid down, and the stage floor cracked, revealing the long-lost sunlight below. Dust danced in the light like liberated souls.

Wakaba Mutsu stood in the center of the mental theater, and his slender body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Her fingers were tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white from the force, and her long light green hair swayed slightly with her slight tremors.

The girl's lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. A tear silently slid down the corner of her eye, rolled down her cheek, and hit the theater floor with a crisp sound.

Then came the second drop, the third drop... Tears flowed uncontrollably, as if a dam that had been accumulating for many years had finally burst.

Her shoulders shrugged slightly, and her arms unconsciously hugged herself, as if she was embracing the real self that had never been allowed to exist.

at the same time.

Kujo Renji felt a slight tugging sensation at the corner of his clothes.

He lowered his head and saw that Wakaba Mu's slender fingers were tightly grasping the corner of his clothes, and his knuckles were slightly white due to the force.

He turned around and met those golden eyes. Ruoye Mu raised his face stubbornly, his eyes, which were usually as calm as water, now had a moist luster, like amber washed by rain.

She stared at Mori Minami intently, her lips trembling slightly, but stubbornly pressed into a straight line.

"I, don't leave, Ave Mujica."

...

PS:

This chapter has 10,000 words and is five chapters in one.

Chapter 70 If Ye Mulian falls

Mori Minami's expression quickly switched between shock and anger. She obviously didn't expect Wakaba Mutsu to go against her will so directly.

The absolute authority she had maintained for many years was shaken at this moment, which was simply unacceptable to her.

"Mu! You——"

She was about to rebuke him harshly, but her words stopped abruptly under Kujo Renji's cold gaze.

There was something dangerous in those amber eyes that froze Mori Minami's anger instantly.

She unconsciously took half a step back and bumped into the cabinet behind her, making a crisp sound.

"I don't think we have anything more to talk about, Miss Minami."

Kujo Renji's voice returned to calm.

The blue-haired girl with twintails shook her hand lightly, and a few drops of blood splashed out from her knuckles that were injured from breaking the mirror, falling onto the exquisite glass coffee table, forming bright red spots on the pure white desktop.

He gracefully extended his other good hand and gently placed it on Mortis's shoulder, motioning her to follow him.

"and many more!"

Mori Minami suddenly shouted, with a hint of barely perceptible panic in her voice:

"You can't just take her away like this! I'm her mother! I have—"