Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Jiujo Renji sighed helplessly and gently pulled open a corner of the curtain: "I'm coming in."

The fitting room was cramped, barely enough for two people. Mu Zheng was wearing a newly chosen off-white dress. The simple and elegant design of the dress perfectly complemented her tranquil temperament.

But at this moment, she was facing away from the door, her fair neck was slightly flushed, and her slender fingers were trying clumsily to button the row of small buttons on her back, but she could never get the position right.

She was still wearing Xiangzi's Yuqiu school uniform shirt and...the newly chosen underwear that didn't fit her perfectly.

"Hey! You! Don't, don't look!"

In the space of consciousness, Toyokawa Shoko waved her hands frantically, as if trying to block Kujo Renji's sight, but it was in vain.

——I don’t see how to help her.

Kujo Renji was speechless and completely ignored the noise in his head.

He walked forward calmly, and the narrow space allowed him to stand almost against Wakaba Mu's back.

He could smell the faint floral scent left over from the girl's shampoo, mixed with a hint of laundry detergent.

Ruoye Mu's body stiffened noticeably, his shoulders hunched slightly, like a frightened little animal.

"do not move."

Kujo Renji's voice was low and steady.

He reached out, skillfully pinched the first button, and aligned it with the buttonhole.

His fingertips inevitably brushed against the delicate skin of Mu's back. The touch was slightly cool, yet it made Mu's body tremble barely perceptibly.

Her breathing seemed to stop for a moment, and her light green hair fell beside her cheeks, covering her expression at the moment, leaving only the red earlobes exposed in the light.

"How come you're so skilled?!"

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly realized the key point.

Even girls may not know how to wear women's underwear.

"Shut up."

Kujo Renji responded concisely in his mind, his hands moving non-stop.

If it were just Xiaoxiang, who has been wearing you for so long and doesn't even know how to put on underwear, you might as well commit suicide.

His fingers moved deftly, buttoning the buttons one by one.

This pure touch without any distractions made Xiangzi feel even more ashamed and angry - he was too lazy to even feel uncomfortable about it!

The girl even began to doubt herself.

——Am I really making a big deal out of nothing?

Mu remained stiff and motionless, allowing him to manipulate him.

Only after the last button was buttoned did Kujo Liansi take half a step back and create a slight distance between them.

"Okay." He patted Mu's shoulder, "Turn around so I can see."

Mu hesitated for a moment before slowly turning around. The off-white dress made her skin look even fairer, and the simple style outlined the girl's slender figure, which had not yet fully grown but was already taking shape.

But... there is a little space in the chest, and you can vaguely see the traces of the underwear not fitting well.

Jiujo Renji's gaze lingered on her chest for a second before moving away. He stated the facts in a calm tone:

"It's the wrong size, and it won't be comfortable to wear, right?"

Mu's cheeks turned even redder. She subconsciously covered her chest with her hands, then felt that the action was too obvious, so she hurriedly put them down. Her fingers helplessly pinched the hem of her skirt and she nodded slightly.

"Hmm..." The voice was as thin as a mosquito's.

"Then change into something else."

About ten minutes later

Kujo Renji leaned against the wall outside the fitting room and waited.

He could hear the rustling sound of clothes being changed and the rustling of fabrics rubbing against each other.

After a while, the door curtain of the fitting room was gently opened, and Mu stuck half of his head out, looking at him inquiringly with golden eyes.

"Have you changed it?"

Mu nodded and walked out slowly. She was wearing a light gray cotton T-shirt and a beige skirt.

The clothes fit her perfectly, making her already fair skin look even more translucent. Her long light green hair was loose, making her look like a clean and clear girl next door.

Kujo Renji walked forward, stretched out his hand, and naturally helped her adjust the collar of her T-shirt.

Mu's body tensed instantly, and he shrank his shoulders slightly like a frightened cat, but he still stood there motionless.

He looked at Mu, who just stood there quietly, letting him manipulate him, his eyes lowered, looking at his toes.

"Try this." Lian Si took out the light blue shirt and dark blue knee-length skirt from the clothes she had just picked out. "Roll up the sleeves of your shirt."

Mu turned around silently and entered the fitting room again.

This time, the effect was much better. The light blue color made her look even better, and the knee-length skirt revealed her beautiful calves.

Following Lian Si's instructions, she casually rolled up her shirt sleeves to her elbows, making her look less formal and more casual.

"Well, this is much better." Kujo Renji nodded in approval.

Mu seemed to feel more comfortable in this set than the previous one, and his fingers unconsciously stroked the fabric of the skirt.

...

Carrying a few handbags with simple brand logos, Kujo Renji was about to take Wakaba Mutsu to leave this relatively quiet side street and rejoin the crowd on Shibuya's main road.

Mu followed closely beside him, carrying two lighter paper bags containing the basic T-shirts and socks she had just bought. Although she remained silent, her fingers loosened their grip on the hem of Jiujiao Liansi's shirt, seemingly relaxing a little in the relative tranquility of the shopping environment.

However, just as they were about to turn the corner, they could hear the faint sound of a dispute, not too loud but full of tension.

The sound came from a small open-air space not far ahead, where street performers occasionally performed.

Several figures gathered there, and the back of one of them, with twin ponytails and wearing a red coat, looked extremely familiar.

"Ok?"

Kujo Renji stopped, narrowed his amber eyes slightly, and looked at the center of the dispute.

——Jing Qinrencai

Kujo Renji quickly recognized the girl's identity as her next-door neighbor.

Come to think of it, it has been a long time since we last saw each other.

The two people who were facing off against Renai were a man and a woman. The man had a unique bun hairstyle and wore loose street-style clothes.

The woman had eye-catching short white hair and was dressed in the same trendy style. Both of them exuded an aura of "not to be messed with".

Next to Nina, there was a tall, silver-gray-haired woman with a cheerful temperament, carrying a guitar on her back, and she was protecting Nina behind her.

what's the situation?

.........

——Damn it! What’s wrong with these people?

Jing Qinrencai clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, her chest filled with anger, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She tried to straighten her back and stared at the couple in front of her who looked like bad guys.

"What do you mean your territory? This is a public street!"

She mustered up the courage to retort, her voice trembling with nervousness, but her tone was firm:

"Do street performances still need to be divided into spheres of influence?"

Senior Taoxiang, who was standing beside her, patted her shoulder gently, signaling her to calm down. Then she stepped forward and spoke in her usual, slightly lazy but unquestionable tone:

"Hey, hey, you two, there's no need to be so angry. We just finished a song and are about to close up shop. Shibuya is so big, everyone is in the music business, and harmony brings wealth."

After listening to the words of the woman next to her, Rencai did not feel at ease. Instead, she glared at her with a troubled look.

Thinking about how she got involved with Momoka-senpai and ended up standing here arguing with someone, Renai felt a headache.

How did all this happen...

My thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to a few days ago.

It was an ordinary day after school. Rencai was browsing her phone as usual, preparing to go to the study room to read those reference books that she would never finish.

Suddenly, she saw that the account in her follow list that had not been active for a long time had updated its status.

She had stumbled upon the independent musician whose songs she'd been drawn to, with their raspy yet powerful voice and poignant lyrics. The post was simple: a blurry night scene photo and a single line of text:

"Tonight, just sing something."

She didn't know where the other person was, but the location she was following showed that he was not far from the study room she often went to!

Her heart began to beat uncontrollably, driven by a strong urge.

That night, for the first time, she did not go to the study room, but found the place according to the location.

Under the moonlight, Senior Taoxiang sat casually on the steps, holding an old guitar and singing to himself.

There was no gorgeous stage, no noisy audience, only her and her music.

The singing was more real and penetrating than what you hear on the Internet. It seemed to have a kind of rough tenderness that instantly touched Rencai's heart.

After the performance, Momoka-senpai spotted her, but was not surprised. Instead, he greeted her with a hearty smile and even offered her a can of coffee.

The senior had a unique charm that slowly relaxed her nervous mood.

Then she sang with the other person in a daze.

After the chorus, I was given a guitar.

After I returned the guitar, I was invited by the other party to form a band without knowing why.

Form a band?

This word was too far-fetched and unrealistic for Rencai at that time. She hurriedly waved her hand and refused:

"No, no! I...I want to go to college!"

"Applying to college and playing in a band don't conflict."

A lot of things happened after that... She was half-dragged and half-pulled by Momoka-senpai to see the band's rehearsal room. Although Momoka-senpai was alone now, she listened to her tell many stories about music, dreams, and resistance to boring reality.

Nina wavered, her long-suppressed love for music stirring. Ultimately, she reluctantly agreed to help with some of the band's affairs in her spare time, on the condition that it "wouldn't affect her studies," such as... learning to write lyrics?

As a result, everything went wrong as soon as we got involved.

She found that she had an unusual interest in the combination of melody and words, and often stared at the reference books in the study room, her mind full of jumping notes and unformed sentences.

Her learning efficiency plummeted, which made her fall into deep anxiety and self-doubt.

Just when Nina was in deep self-loathing and panic, Momoka-senpai held the song she had written and said excitedly:

"Nina! This song is amazing! Let's try it out on the street!"

"Street performance?!" Nina almost jumped up. "No, no! I, I can't do it!"

"What are you afraid of? I'm here!"

Momoka-senpai put his arm around her shoulders without hesitation and took her and her guitar to the streets of Shibuya.

"Music is meant to be shared! Show the energy you put into writing it!"

Just like that, she dazedly completed her first (or maybe second?) street performance in her life with Momoka-senpai.

The process was tense, her fingers were shaking and her voice was a little unstable, but when the last note fell and she heard the sparse applause around her, an indescribable excitement and satisfaction surged in her heart.

However, the excitement didn't last long before trouble struck.

"Harmony brings wealth?"

The man with the bun sneered, put his hands in his pockets, and looked up and down at Taoxiang and Rencai with a scrutinizing look.

"You've taken over our territory, and you still want to be friendly?"

The woman with short white hair next to her also crossed her arms and spoke expressionlessly in a cold voice:

"This isn't the first time. The previous times..."

Before he finished speaking, Rencai interrupted angrily:

"What rules? The streets belong to everyone. Isn't it natural that whoever comes first gets to perform?"

"Oh?"