Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

At this moment, soaking alone in this private bath where the only sound of water could be heard, a faint but lingering feeling of loneliness quietly enveloped her like water vapor.

She blew a few more bubbles and watched them pop.

It would be nice if someone was there to accompany me.

A figure subconsciously emerged in Mu's mind.

It was not the figure of Toyokawa Shoko, but a blurry figure whose face could not be seen clearly.

——Lian Si.

In some ways, Ruo Yemu is actually very proactive, especially when it comes to what she truly desires in her heart.

She is not good at beating around the bush and her ideas are often very direct.

So, Mu stood up from the warm spring water, dried himself, put on a yukata, and walked straight out of the bathroom without even paying much attention to the fact that his hair was still dripping with water.

...

The girl came to the door of Kujo Renji's room and knocked gently.

Kujo Renji was in the bedroom at the moment and was a little surprised to hear the knock on the door.

"Please come in."

He raised his voice.

The door was gently pushed open, and Ruo Yemu's petite figure appeared at the door.

She was only wrapped in a white bathrobe, revealing her delicate and smooth skin that had turned pink from the hot water.

Her wet light green hair stuck to her cheeks and neck, with a few disobedient strands still dripping with water and sliding down her collarbone.

Those eyes looked at him with some natural, unguarded trust.

"Lian Si..."

Mu's voice was soft and sticky, with the laziness of someone who had just finished a hot spring bath:

"Hot spring, together."

When they were alone, Mu preferred to call him by his name "Renji" directly. This was tacitly approved by Kujo Renji. Perhaps it was because he subconsciously needed a name that could slightly distinguish his different identities, or perhaps he simply felt that there was no need to be too harsh on Mu for such a small matter.

Of course, he also repeatedly reminded everyone that they must call him "Saki" when there are other people around.

Although Mu was sometimes confused, he remembered this point very clearly.

"Let's take a hot spring bath together?"

When Jiujo Liansi heard this, a question mark slowly appeared above his head.

He subconsciously thought that Mu was not used to or was afraid of going to the hotel's public bath alone, so he wanted him to accompany him.

"Isn't there a private bath in your room?"

Kujo Renji put down the work in his hands and looked at Mu with a hint of confusion in his tone.

Mu nodded and blinked, as if he found his question a little strange.

Then she looked at him and repeated it again, her tone serious and direct:

"Yeah, so, together."

This time, Kujo Renji finally understood what she meant.

She didn't want to go to a public bath, but wanted to soak in a private hot spring with him.

How is this different from just asking to take a shower together?

The corner of Kujo Renji's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

He glanced at the open-air private hot spring pool in his room, which was exquisite but not particularly spacious.

Two people taking a bath together? That means their bodies are almost touching.

"No."

Kujo Renji refused with almost no hesitation and in a firm tone.

Despite being rejected so decisively, Mu did not show any loss or grievance.

She just tilted her head and looked at him, as if she was thinking about something.

Then, as if she had changed her mind in an instant, she said in the same calm tone:

"Then, no soaking."

Her thoughts changed so quickly that Jiujo Rensi could hardly keep up.

It seems that for Mu, the suggestion of "taking a hot spring bath together" itself is not the most important thing.

At first, she just felt lonely and wanted to find Lian Si's company.

Now that I have met Lian Si and am in the same space with him, that feeling of loneliness has been replaced by a sense of security.

As for whether to take a hot spring bath or not, it becomes less important.

So the girl made a new request, which seemed natural to her:

"Then can I stay here for a while?" She raised her little face and looked at Jiujo Rensi.

"...Can."

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, Mu's face immediately blossomed with a subtle hint of joy, like the blooming of a first cherry blossom.

She walked obediently to the sofa in the room and sat down.

Her feet were off the ground, and her little feet in hotel slippers were swaying gently back and forth. She didn't speak, nor did she watch TV or play with her mobile phone. She just sat there quietly, her eyes fixed on the floor, not knowing what she was thinking.

Kujo Renji looked at her satisfied expression and felt a little helpless.

He sat back in front of the computer, ready to continue working, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a small puddle of water on the sofa, and water droplets still dripping from Mu's wet hair.

"Ugh..."

Kujo Renji sighed softly in his heart.

He stood up, walked into the bathroom, and came out with a clean, soft towel.

He walked to the sofa. Mu seemed to notice his approach. He raised his head and looked at him with his clear golden eyes, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Kujo Renji didn't say anything, but just covered her wet hair with a soft towel.

The towel prevents water droplets from dripping and also brings dry warmth.

Mu seemed to like the feeling of being taken care of. She tilted her head slightly, closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembled gently like butterfly wings, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards in a satisfied arc.

She was like a cat with its fur stroked, quietly enjoying this rare tenderness.

The only sounds in the air were the rustling of the towel against my hair and the quiet chirping of insects faintly heard outside the window, a sound unique to the night after the rain.

The coolness brought by the water vapor was replaced by the dryness of the towel and the heat from friction.

On the other hand, Yutenji Wakamu's inner struggle finally came to a tragic end.

After repeatedly chewing over the ominous tarot card interpretation and attributing all the credit for the band's turnaround to the greatness of "Xiangzi", a distorted sense of "responsibility" and fear of "misfortune coming again" finally overwhelmed her reason and shame.

She had to "give back"!

She must show her "worth" and "dedication" to the "Knight of the Holy Grail"!

The only way she could think of to give back that best matched the Tarot card's suggestion and the morbid expectation deep in her heart that she dared not admit was... to repeat that "punishment."

Although the mere thought of it made her dig her toes into the ground and she wished she could disappear right away, but when she thought that if she didn't do it, the entire band might get into trouble again, she gritted her teeth and finally made a decision.

Taking a deep breath, as if to complete some extremely tragic task, Ruomai took out the pair of black cat ears and rhinestone collar that symbolized humiliation from her bag again.

Her fingers trembled slightly due to nervousness, and she almost lost her balance several times.

Finally, she closed her eyes and put them back on herself.

The cold metal collar against her neck sent shivers through her, and the touch of the furry cat ears above her head made her feel even more ashamed.

After doing all this, she felt that all her strength had been drained away. But now that things had come to this, there was no turning back.

She tiptoed out of her room, like a guilty thief, and moved step by step to the door of Kujo Renji's room. The corridor was empty and so quiet that only the frantic beating of her heart could be heard.

Boom boom boom... Boom boom boom...

Her heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it was going to jump out of her throat.

She raised her slightly trembling hand and knocked gently on the door.

"Tuk-tuk."

The sound was so soft that it was almost inaudible.

She held her breath, put her ear to the door, and asked in a voice as thin as a mosquito and with obvious trembling:

"Xiao, Xiaoxiang...are you there?"

His voice was distorted due to nervousness and sounded pitiful.

She was terribly nervous, afraid the door would open immediately, yet also afraid it would never open. If Xiangzi wasn't there, would she be able to...escape?

But if Xiangzi is not there, how can she complete the "feedback" required by the Tarot cards?

Just as she was torn between heaven and man and having wild thoughts——

"Click."

The door opened from the inside.

Ruomai's heart suddenly rose to his throat. He subconsciously took a step back and lowered his head, not daring to look at the expression of the person who opened the door.

She was prepared for a rebuke.

However, the expected reaction did not come immediately.

She waited for a few seconds and heard no sound, only an extremely strange silence.

what happened?

Ruomai couldn't help it, secretly raised his eyelids, and looked up cautiously.

The first thing that caught my eye was Kujo Renji's expressionless face, but with a look of obvious surprise in his eyes.

Then... her gaze passed over Kujo Renji's shoulder and looked into the room.

Kujo Renji was not the only one in the room.

A petite figure sat upright on the sofa. Her long, light green hair flowed softly, the tips still slightly damp. Her eyes, unblinking, stared at her in the doorway—at the cat ears and collar around her neck—with a mixture of obvious curiosity and pure confusion.

It's Wakaba Mutsu.

Ruomai's brain suddenly crashed.

She stood stiffly at the door, wearing cat ears, a collar, and looking guilty.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Wakaba Mutsu tilted his head and looked carefully at Yutenji Wakamu's strange outfit.

She didn't seem to understand the complex implications and suffocating embarrassment involved...

She thought for a few seconds, and seemed to finally connect these elements with a certain image in her cognition.

Then, under Ruomai's horrified gaze, Ruoyemu slowly raised his little hand, made it into a cute cat paw shape, placed it next to his cheek, and scratched it gently and imitatively.

At the same time, she tilted her head slightly, looked at Ruomai with her eyes, and uttered a soft, cute sound full of sincere doubts—

"nya?"

"..."

"..."

The air was completely stagnant.

.......

PS: This chapter has 9,000 words, which can barely be considered four and a half chapters combined into one.

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