Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

He was almost certain that the story that Yutenji Wakamaki seemed to have "heard by chance" was not groundless.

King...General...Witch...Controlling Souls...

All of these keywords imply some disturbing possibilities related to "identity" and "control".

Combined with Miao Meng's recent cautious attempts and the "soul torture" she threw out at this moment

The other party seemed to have noticed some unusual "clues" in her own way.

Even...maybe we are infinitely close to some...astonishing "truth".

——So how the hell did they find out?

And it starts from zero frame without any pre-swing?

Kujo Renji felt like cursing.

But it was clear that there was a more pressing issue facing him.

How should I respond?

After a moment of silence, he slowly typed his answer into the chat box.

"If I were that general... I would be loyal neither to the once incompetent 'king' nor to the 'false' king whose soul might have been controlled by a witch."

"My loyalty has always been solely to... the 'will' that can lead this nation to strength and prosperity."

"Whether this 'will' comes from the 'real' king, the so-called 'witch,' or... from any other being... who can make this country a better place."

"To me, the identity and body of a 'king' are merely a 'vehicle'. What truly matters is whether the 'soul' and 'will' carried within that 'vehicle' are worthy of my loyalty and the blood I shed for it."

"If that 'witch' can truly make a foolish king wise, and revive a declining nation... then, even if she is considered 'evil' in the eyes of the world, even if she uses 'forbidden' magic..."

"As long as her goals align with my own 'morality' and 'ideals'..."

"Then why can't I... choose to be loyal to her?"

"After all, for a country and its people, a wise and powerful 'puppet king' is perhaps...far better than a foolish and incompetent 'real king', isn't it?"

Calm, rational, and pragmatic.

And it also fits the character of Ms. Toyokawa that he portrays.

He did not directly answer who was right and who was wrong between the "king" and the "witch", nor did he get entangled in the dilemma of "truth" and "falsehood".

He simply explained his selection criteria from the purest "results-oriented" perspective.

.....

Looking at the reply sent by "Xiaoxiang" in the chat box.

Yutenji Wakamu read Xiaoxiang's words repeatedly, word by word.

Xiaoxiang's answer...

It was completely different from what she expected!

She originally thought that "Xiaoxiang" might avoid the question or use some ambiguous words to perfunctorily answer her.

But she never expected that... "Xiao Xiang" would give such a straightforward, honest, and even... so "subversive" answer to her cognition!

These words...

Did it really come from the mouth of "Toyokawa Shoko"?

Or...

These words actually come from...another more powerful, more mysterious...soul?

Yutenji Wakamu felt his brain was in a mess.

"Xiaoxiang's" answer not only failed to resolve the doubts in her heart, but made her even more confused and entangled.

If her...bold, almost absurd guess was true...

If the current "Xiao Xiang" is really no longer the "Toyokawa Xiangzi" of the past...

So...

What exactly is the person she has always admired and obsessed with...the "existence" that possesses the beautiful body of "Toyokawa Shoko"?

Or...is it the "soul" that occupies this body and makes "Shoko Toyokawa" so dazzling, so powerful, and so fascinating?

Just like the general in the story...

To whom does she serve: the "king" or the "witch"?

This thought made Yutenji Wakamai feel flustered.

She scratched her hair and paced around the room anxiously, trying to sort out her confused thoughts.

Finally, she couldn't help it and opened the computer browser again.

In the browser history, there is still a clear trace of the previous question she searched for that made her feel entangled and confused.

——"If my liking for a same-sex friend goes beyond the boundaries of ordinary friendship, does that count as homosexuality?"

She secretly searched for this question on the Internet after realizing that her feelings for "Xiaoxiang" seemed to be more than just "worship" and "admiration".

Big data summarizes the question and answers: "Yes!"

However, at this moment...

When she saw this question in her browser history again...

When she connected this question with the story about the "king" and the "witch," and the increasingly clear suspicion in her mind about Xiaoxiang's true identity...

An extremely strange, absurd, yet enlightening thought suddenly popped up in her mind like lightning!

if...

If her guess is true...

If there really is a man's soul living in the body of "Xiao Xiang" now...

So...

Her love for "Xiao Xiang"...goes beyond the boundaries of ordinary friends...

Doesn't this mean...

She...Yutenji Wakamu...

actually...

Not gay at all?!

Eh?

Why does it suddenly feel like good news?!

......

PS: I’m taking a day off today and will only write 5,000 words.

Chapter 110: Aiyin, have you known for a long time that Xiaoxiang is actually Kujo Renji?

Let’s not delve into Teacher Da Miao’s bizarre train of thought, how she connected a series of seemingly unrelated clues into a “bold guess” that may be infinitely close to the truth, nor explore when she started to develop this “doubt” about herself that made her both afraid and unable to resist wanting to find out the truth.

But just from the girl's "story" full of metaphors and temptations, as well as her cautious and treading-on-thin attitude, Kujo Renji could probably guess the extent of her "doubt" about herself.

If Yutenji Wakami was truly certain that she was not the "original" Toyokawa Shoko, but rather a "foreign entity" that had taken over her body...

So, with her personality, would she really dare to ask herself such probing questions as she did just now?

Kujo Renji thought otherwise.

The greater possibility is that Yutenji Wakamu is currently in a state of self-doubt.

She might have vaguely sensed something "wrong", or she might have obtained some disturbing "clues" about the name "Kujo Renji" from certain channels.

But at the same time...she couldn't completely believe her "guesses".

That's why she used that storytelling method to euphemistically express her confusion and temptation.

Rather than "questioning", is this more like seeking "confirmation" and "comfort"?

...

Tokyo at night is still bustling and bustling, ablaze with lights. Traffic is thronging, and people are streaming in. Gigantic electronic billboards, nestled between towering skyscrapers, flash a dazzling array of colors, illuminating the entire city like a gigantic, never-ending stage.

However, for Jiujo Liansi at this moment, this prosperity and bustle instead set off an inexplicable "loneliness".

He was used to this loneliness.

Or rather...he had already internalized loneliness and made it a part of himself.

Just as he was walking aimlessly at the famous intersection in Shibuya, looking at the passers-by who were in a hurry and had different expressions, the huge LED advertising screen on the exterior wall of a skyscraper across the street suddenly switched the picture.

A familiar and beautiful face filled the entire screen.

It was Wakaba Mutsu's mother, Mori Minami.

This once popular actress is now wearing a well-tailored business suit, with a professional and impeccable smile on her face, elegantly showing off a piece of jewelry that looks very valuable.

The background music of the ad is a melodious and ethereal piano piece. The voice-over, in a magnetic and gentle voice, talks about the "eternal love and commitment" represented by this jewelry.

In the lower right corner of the advertisement, there was a logo clearly printed that surprised Jiujo Renji.

Toyokawa Group.

It seems that this is the latest advertisement recorded by Minami Mori for a high-end jewelry brand under the Toyokawa Group.

Just as Kujo Renji was lost in thought as he stared at the advertisement screen, Toyokawa Shoko's voice rang out in his mind after a long absence:

"What Ruomai said just now, and that strange story she told...it's possible that she has noticed something?"

"And Chuhua... her recent... intentional or unintentional attempts have also been very obvious..."

"But I feel like Chuhua's 'doubt' seems to be less profound than Ruomai's? She seems to be in a state of... uncertainty and a bit of self-denial?"

After experiencing so many things, Ms. Toyokawa's perspective and analytical ability have indeed improved a lot.

Xiangzi's voice continued to ring, with a hint of "asking for advice" from Jiujo Renji that she herself had not noticed.

"Do you think... their 'suspicion' could be... the work of someone from the Toyokawa family?"

"I mean... is it possible that Grandpa and the others... noticed something was 'strange' between us first, and then wanted to test us through the members of Ave Mujica, in order to... verify their suspicions?"

Ms. Toyokawa's perspective on things is becoming more and more biased towards herself.

Watching the girl grow from infancy to her present appearance step by step, Jiujo Renji couldn't help but feel a little weird.

He had...done something similar before.

In his previous life, he had personally trained a "successor" who made him feel very gratified and proud.

That young man is smart, courageous and ambitious.

He once thought that the young man would be his best continuation and would bring his unfinished career to a new height.

But unfortunately...

The ending is not happy.

That was also the first story about "wolves" that Renji Kujo told Shoko Toyokawa.

For some reason, when thinking of this, a sense of inexplicable melancholy suddenly welled up in Kujo Liansi's heart.

He shook his head gently, dispelling those inappropriate "memories" from his mind.

Then, he responded to Toyokawa Shoko's question in his mind:

"This possibility cannot be ruled out."

"If he really sensed something was 'wrong', using band members to test us would be consistent with his style."

"But..." Kujo Renji changed the subject: "In my opinion, the most urgent task right now is not to figure out why 'they' have become suspicious of us."

"It's about... how to make them willingly stand on the same front with 'us'."

"No matter how much suspicion Sankaku Hatsuka and Yutenji Wakami may have towards us, their starting point is the 'existence' of 'Toyokawa Shoko'."

"And now... you, Toyokawa Shoko, are actually... an 'ally' with whom I share common interests and have reached a clear consensus."

"Then, as long as we can handle our relationship with them..."