Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Maybe...she really doesn't need to be so hard on herself and doesn't need to always live up to other people's expectations?

An unprecedented sense of relief, accompanied by an indescribable feeling of being moved, quietly spread in her heart.

The temperature gradually dropped, bringing a hint of coolness.

"It's getting late, let me take you home." Kujo Renji's voice brought her back from her thoughts.

“Yeah!” Aine nodded vigorously.

On the way back, the two walked side by side, and the atmosphere was more harmonious and natural than when they came.

Aiyin is no longer as cautious as before, and occasionally takes the initiative to share some embarrassing things that happened in the band, which makes "Xiangzi" laugh along.

Arriving downstairs of Aine's house, Kujo Renji stopped, his amber eyes looking particularly soft under the street lights.

He looked at Aine, his tone filled with sincere gratitude:

"Thank you for today, Aine. That ramen shop...it's really delicious."

"Huh? Really? Really?"

Hearing the praise from "Xiangzi", Aiyin felt a little embarrassed and waved her hands quickly:

"Actually...actually, the restaurant my dad likes might be a bit strong in flavor...Xiaoxiang, I'm so glad you like it!"

She secretly thought to herself: Fortunately, we didn't go to that internet-famous restaurant, otherwise, Senior Xiangzi might not have said that. It seems that taking her to eat "hardcore" ramen was the right choice?

"Yeah, very unique." Kujo Renji smiled and nodded:

"Next time we have a chance, let's go and try other delicious food together."

“Okay, okay!” Aine immediately agreed happily.

After the two said goodbye to each other, Aiyin watched "Shoko" turn and leave, until he disappeared around the corner of the street, then she turned around and went upstairs reluctantly.

She returned to her room, closed the door, and blocked out the noise from the outside world. Aine felt her heart still pounding and her face was hot.

Everything that happened today was so... beyond her expectations.

Touched, subtle, complicated...all kinds of emotions intertwined together, making her feel a little dizzy.

She walked to the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror with rosy cheeks and bright eyes. She couldn't help but raise her hand and pat her cheeks, trying to calm herself down.

After taking a shower and changing into comfortable pajamas, she threw herself onto the soft bed in a spread-eagle position, buried her face in the pillow, and let out a sigh of satisfaction yet a little confusion.

In my mind, the scenes that happened today kept replaying like movie clips.

In the ramen shop, Toyokawa Shoko's unusual, even somewhat "wild" way of eating; by the riverbank, her skilled and focused profile as she manipulated a kite; and... her gentle yet earnest eyes, as if they could see through people's hearts, as she spoke about "labels" and "being yourself"...

Everything was in stark contrast to the somewhat gloomy "Toyokawa Shoko" in her impression.

and many more...

My impression...

That gloomy... "Toyokawa Shoko"?

Aine suddenly raised her head from the pillow, her eyes filled with confusion.

For some reason, when she tried hard to recall "Toyokawa Shoko", the image that emerged in her mind seemed... fragmented?

One was vague, distant, and always shrouded in shadows; the other was clear, vivid, and though he sometimes said and acted strangely, he was gentler, more reliable, and more reassuring to her...

This feeling of disconnection...when did it start?

She tried hard to search in the long river of memory.

It seems...it seems like it was after she accidentally acquired the ability to see other people's "labels"?

Ever since she started seeing those strange, even scary labels on Xiaoxiang's head, her contact with Xiaoxiang has increased, and the relationship between the two seems to have become closer without her realizing it?

The image that always carried a sense of distance seemed to be gradually fading and blurring... and was replaced by Xiaoxiang, who was now mysterious but could touch her heart more.

It's no exaggeration to say...

If "being able to see the label" is used as a watershed.

So before this, "Toyokawa Shoko" might have been just an "ordinary friend" to Chihaya Aine.

But after that, he had unknowingly become someone she could trust, rely on, or even be said to be... a "best friend" in her heart.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the image of "Xiaoxiang" "before she could see the label" was so vague and unreal, as if it was separated by a thick layer of frosted glass.

But that "Xiangzi" who has a series of terrible labels on his head is so real, so... makes her heart beat.

Could it be...that this is the real intention of what Xiaoxiang said before?

Tell her not to care too much about those "labels", because the "past" represented by those labels may... not be the real "her"?

There is no doubt that something major must have happened to "Xiaoxiang" that made her become what she is now.

And these things are likely hidden behind those confusing "labels".

Aine started to have random thoughts again.

How can a person have so many labels that are completely different from his or her own image and even contradictory to each other?

[Kanto Underground Emperor]? [Yakuza Arbitrator]? ?

These words are totally incompatible with the image of Toyokawa Shoko!

unless...

unless...

Aiyin, who has extensive experience in comics, suddenly had countless classic comic plots flashing through her mind.

——Soul swap! Body occupation! Multiple personalities!

It's just like... just like that popular animated movie "Your Name"! The hero and heroine occasionally swap bodies to experience each other's lives!

Could it be... could it be that there is another... strange soul living in "Xiao Xiang's" body?!

And she...everyone she came into contact with, liked, and considered a "close friend" after being able to see the label...was actually that "strange" soul all along?!

She was shocked by her own thoughts!

Because... when she realized this possibility and thought a little more deeply about the question "If this is really the case, then who do I like, the original Xiaoxiang, or that strange soul?"...

She discovered...the balance in her heart actually...leaned towards the latter without hesitation!

This discovery instantly gave her a strong sense of guilt and shame, as if she had "betrayed" a friend!

Although she didn't actually betray anyone, it was just an absurd guess.

"No, no, no! Impossible!"

She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake off that horrible thought, and at the same time trying to justify her previous "tendency":

"How could something so bizarre happen in real life? I must be overthinking it! Yes! It must be!"

The girl slapped her burning cheeks hard, trying to sober herself up.

But seriously...

Xiaoxiang's androgynous outfit today seems... indeed more in line with her impression of "the current Xiaoxiang"?

Did Xiaoxiang before seem more... gloomy? Or perhaps, more distant and distant?

And now Xiaoxiang... although he has a lot of scary labels, he gives people the feeling of being more efficient, more reliable, more decisive, and also... more gentle?

That outfit really suits her current temperament...

The current girl Chihaya Aine silently made a positive comment on her "best friend's" fashion sense.

Then, she couldn't help but think of what "Xiaoxiang" said on the river bank in the evening.

"You are Chihaya Aine."

"My favorite friend, Chihaya Aine."

When I think of those sincere and warm amber eyes reflecting the sunset...

The girl's cheeks began to burn again, and her heart skipped a beat.

Xiaoxiang...

She's also...her favorite friend...

Um...

perhaps...

More precisely...

Is this the current "Xiaoxiang"?

.

As night deepened, the streetlights cast a dim glow on the sidewalk.

Kujo Renji walked slowly on the quiet street near his new home with his hands in his pockets.

The evening breeze blew his blue twintails, bringing a hint of coolness.

Although the process of today's contact with Chihaya Aine was a bit tortuous, the result was satisfactory to him.

We successfully appeased the other party and initially established a layer of trust, laying the foundation for subsequent plans.

However, while he was in a good mood, the "native" in his mind was brewing new dissatisfaction.

"Kujo Renji."

Toyokawa Shoko's voice rang out in his mind, with a unique, cold and scrutinizing tone.

"You are so hypocritical."

"Hmm?" Kujo Renji replied casually in his mind without stopping, "Where's the hypocrisy?"

The girl deliberately imitated the tone of Kujo Renji just now, but her tone was full of sarcasm:

"'You're Chihaya Aine, my friend I like, Chihaya Aine'... Heh, isn't it hypocritical to say something like that, exploiting someone's trust in order to achieve your own goals?"

Jiujo Renji could hear the displeasure in her tone, but he was not annoyed. He just stated calmly:

"I do like her very much... Strictly speaking, it's not a lie."

"Who wouldn't like a girl who's full of energy, vitality, cheerfulness, and understanding?"

However, this "explanation" which he thought was quite frank, seemed to trigger some unexpected emotional fluctuations in Toyokawa Shoko's ears.

There was a moment of unusual silence in my mind.

Xiangzi snorted softly, and the subtle awkwardness in his tone seemed to be even stronger.

"Using someone else's face, someone else's voice, to judge their 'strengths', or even to develop so-called 'admiration' for them... don't you think that this in itself is a bit... crossing the line?"

She seemed to be struggling to find a suitable word to express her dissatisfaction, and finally landed on the word "crossing the line", which sounded relatively "objective" and "reasonable".

"Out of bounds?"

Jiujo Renji was a little confused. What did this have to do with "crossing the line"?

He keenly sensed that something was...off about Xiangzi's mood at the moment, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly was wrong.

It was like... a normally elegant and reserved cat, but suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, its fur stood up and it let out a low, warning whimper.

Did she feel that he was using her body to establish an "emotional connection" with others, making her feel...violated?

Or was it simply a temper tantrum from a spoiled little girl, who felt that as an "outsider", he was not worthy of "judging" others by her standards?

Or... are you jealous?

Jealous? !

This idea seemed a bit absurd to Kujo Renji himself.

What kind of jealousy is this?

Previously, when he and Wakaba Mu were getting closer, Xiangzi showed some unhappiness or "wariness", which was understandable. After all, Mu was her "half" who she grew up with and had a very special relationship with. She would subconsciously want to "protect" Mu and not want him, an "outsider", to take him away. This was logical.

But...Chihaya Aine?

You two weren't very familiar with each other before, why are you jealous?

Kujo Renji was too lazy to delve into the complex and subtle psychology that even Xiangzi himself might not be able to figure out.

He simply stopped responding to the young lady in his mind who was inexplicably acting up, quickened his pace, and walked towards the apartment.