Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Silence returned to the practice room only when Yutenji Wakamu's figure disappeared at the door.

Only Jiujo Liansi was left standing by the window, while Ruoye Mu was still sitting in the same place, his fingers silently moving on the strings.

The moonlight quietly sprinkled on the piano keys. He put away the last page of music and turned to leave.

Just as he took a step, Wakaba Mu's slender fingers suddenly grabbed the corner of his uniform.

The force was not strong, but it caused a slight tremor as if to confirm something.

The air in the practice room seemed to freeze at this moment.

"You're not Xiang, are you?"

Ruoye Mu's voice was very soft, but it was particularly clear in the quiet practice room.

The moonlight filtered through the window lattice, weaving mottled shadows on the floor and illuminating Jiujiao Liansi's slightly stiff back.

..

Chapter 24: Perfect Acting? (2.5K)

To be honest, Kujo Renji never expected that Miss Wakaba Mutsu, who had always acted like an outsider in the previous "farce", would give him such a "surprise" after the rehearsal was over.

The moonlit night was quiet, and Kujo Renji's mind began to frantically recall memories of Miss Wakaba Mutsu.

Wakaba Mutsu is Toyokawa Shoko's childhood sweetheart, and they grew up together.

As the only child of a famous artist, she grew up in a glamorous yet somewhat cold environment. Perhaps it was this upbringing that shaped her taciturn personality.

Wakaba Mu rarely shows her emotions in front of outsiders, but occasionally when Xiangzi is present, she will reveal some subtle changes in expression.

For example, now, her hand that was holding the corner of Jiujiao Liansi's clothes was shaking slightly. This was her habitual action when she was anxious.

"What are you talking about? Mu, of course I am Xiangzi."

A puzzled look appeared on Jiujo Renji's face. He stopped and said with concern:

"Is the pressure from the band too great?"

"Xiang wouldn't talk like that."

Her voice was still soft, but with unquestionable certainty:

"You're not looking at the sheet music right either."

"When Xiaoxiang looks at sheet music, he always unconsciously taps his fingers on his thighs to keep the beat." Ruoye Mu continued, "And you... don't have this habit at all."

Jiujo Renji's heart tightened. He hadn't expected Ruoye Mu to notice such a subtle detail.

Yes, as childhood sweethearts, she perhaps knows the real Toyokawa Shoko better than anyone else.

But judging from Shoko Toyokawa's memory.

She knew very little about her childhood sweetheart.

——I suffered from the information gap.

Moonlight streamed into the practice room, adding a touch of drama to the confrontation.

Jiujo Renji raised his head and met Ruoye Mu's calm eyes.

"And..." Wakaba Mu loosened the corner of his shirt and placed his hands gently on his knees, "The 'smell' on you doesn't match."

Kujo Renji was silent.

He did inherit Toyokawa Shoko's memory, but he could not completely replicate all the habits and ways of speaking that a person developed over more than ten years.

To a keen observer like Wakaba Mutsu, these subtle differences are as obvious as fireflies in the dark night.

But can we conclude based on this alone that he is not Shoko Toyokawa?

This is too absurd.

Therefore, Kujo Renji was more concerned about the second half of the other party's sentence.

odor...

what is that?

"Who are you anyway?"

Wakaba Mu asked, with a hint of emotion in his voice that he had never heard from her before:

"Where is Xiaoxiang?"

A breathtaking scene.

Of course, it only took a few seconds for Kujo Renji to adapt to the atmosphere and respond perfectly.

She sighed softly, a helpless yet gentle smile appearing on her face.

He slowly squatted down in front of Wakaba Mu, so that his eyes were level with hers.

"Mu, you are too sensitive..."

The blue-haired girl stretched out her hand and gently placed it on the back of Wakaba Mu's hand on his knees, feeling the other person tremble slightly.

"After Crychic disbanded, I did go through a long period of depression."

"The pressure of reality, the expectations of others, and what I want to pursue...it seems like nothing is going according to plan."

"There have been countless times when I've doubted whether my choice was the right one. The thoughts that suddenly popped into my head left me no time to think about the people around me."

Having said this, the girl suddenly paused, and then spoke as if she was reminiscing:

"Remember that Roselia show we went to in junior high?"

"Not long ago, I found a group photo from that time."

"Ever since then, I've been wondering why that lead singer could play every note so perfectly...why she could pursue her passion without distraction, and why nothing seemed to stop her."

"Later, I found a video of Ms. Yukina's first stage performance. You know, even she was green and immature at first..."

“But she never stopped.”

"It's like it's telling me that no matter how confused or hesitant I am... I just need to move forward."

The moonlight still quietly sprinkled on the piano keys, and Jiujo Renji's voice was soft but firm:

“So I’m also changing, getting rid of some small habits that affect my performance.”

"We've been through so much together as a band. Everyone is growing and changing. Just like you're no longer the Mu who always hides in the corner."

Ruoye Mu was stunned.

She stared at the familiar face before her, as if trying to discern authenticity.

But Kujo Renji's expression was so natural and sincere, as if he really was her childhood sweetheart.

"And... the smell and stuff..."

The girl with blue hair and twintails stood up and blinked as if deliberately not understanding.

"Maybe it's because I recently changed my shower gel. After all, I'm not a child anymore. I want to be more mature sometimes, right?"

The blue-green twintails drew a beautiful arc as she turned around.

The girl stood up, moonlight poured in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, shattering into ripples in her amber eyes, and a corner of her skirt was lifted by the night wind.

"Actually, I'm very touched, Mu." Her voice remained gentle, and the wind chimes on the eaves swayed as the blue-haired girl slowly spoke, "I'm touched that you can notice these changes in me."

She blinked. "That means you're still keeping an eye on me... just like before."

There was a rustling sound outside the window, and the shadow on the wall suddenly lengthened.

Wakaba Mu's long, light green hair shone like a firefly, and the lace headband swayed gently between her hair.

The gold-rimmed clock makes a ticking sound

Ruoye Mucai moved his lips: "I'm sorry, Xiang."

The girl's eyelashes cast a butterfly-wing shadow on her porcelain-white skin. She stared at her clenched fingertips:

"I'm too sensitive."

"Don't think too much..."

The blue-haired girl spoke softly, and the moment she turned her back, the shadow in the moonlight suddenly split into two.

The face reflected in the glass flashed with a trace of twisted joy, and the corners of his mouth raised in a subtle arc that even the surveillance camera could not capture.

He picked up the sheet music on the piano and gently packed his things.

The only sounds left in the piano room were the faint rustling of paper and Ruo Yemu's slightly rapid breathing.

Before turning around and leaving, Kujo Renji took a last look at Mu who was still lowering his head.

The moonlight filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on her.

"Get some rest, Mu."

The door of the piano room was closed gently, and the footsteps gradually faded away.

...

The diamond-shaped spots of moonlight condensed on the ground gradually faded, and Ruo Yemu seemed to still be able to feel the coexistence of warmth and suffocation just now.

The entire corridor faded to grayish white on the retina, only the dancing peacock blue hair tail was like indigo paint seeping into rice paper, leaving an indelible afterimage on the retina.

The watch continued to tick regularly, and the silver blade of the pendulum cutting through the moonlight suddenly froze.

The girl closed her eyes.

It was as if my consciousness had sunk into the deep sea.

When he opened his eyes again, the theater's scarlet carpet wrapped around his toes like a living thing. The gilded chairs stretched endlessly into the void. In this empty theater... or rather, within Wakaba Mu's field of vision, there was only one figure.

It was a blue-haired girl wearing the Tsuki no Mori Girls' Academy uniform, sitting there quietly, as if waiting for something.

"Toyokawa Shoko" sits in the center of the third row.

Ruo Ye Mu walked slowly closer, his eyes fixed on the familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

She could feel that the aura emanating from the "Xiangzi" in front of her was completely different from the person in the piano room just now.

After entering here, the sense of incongruity became more and more obvious.

She reached out her hand and gently touched the girl's cheek with her fingertips.

The touch was real, yet it also felt indescribably strange.

Wakaba Mu's voice echoed in the empty theater:

"You are definitely not her..."

The entire theater began to twist, and the scarlet curtain suddenly wriggled like a living thing. Countless thorns pierced the velvet surface.

"Then let me see who you are."

.

PS: Let’s start a personality war right now

Chapter 25 Application of Original Sin Points

As the saying goes, only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

But the information gap now is really big, which gives Kujo Renji a headache.

"Aren't you her childhood sweetheart? Why do I feel like you don't know her at all?"

"How do you know I don't understand? I simply don't want to tell you." Toyokawa Shoko sneered.

"Your memory is like a book to me. What you remember may not be as much as what I know. How could I not know that?" Kujo Rensi was speechless.

Then Shoko Toyokawa hummed and moaned for a long time and couldn't say anything.

Of course, it’s different from the previous time when I was tortured and felt so depressed that I couldn’t speak.

Kujo Renji could feel that the girl was in a very good mood.

Is it because he was recognized?

Shaking his head, Kujo Renji stopped talking about this matter.