Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Time seemed to have stopped flowing.

Yutenji Wakamu was gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently.

After calling out that name, she actually felt a strange...sense of release.

It was as if the huge rock that had been weighing on my heart had finally been removed.

She raised her head, her cheeks flushed with sweat and tears.

But her eyes were no longer flustered and evasive as before.

She looked into Jiujo Renji's eyes and spoke clearly and firmly, word by word:

"You once said the definition of loyalty."

Her voice still trembled a little, but there was no longer any hesitation.

"I have never changed..."

She remembered what the other person said to her when she first put on the cat ears and collar.

And now, when she faced the owner of this name and called out this name herself, she truly understood the weight of those words.

"I can answer the question just now..."

“There is only one answer.”

Her eyes met his, without the slightest flinch.

It was as if she wanted to cut open her soul and show it to him.

"That is..."

She took a deep breath, used up all her strength, and uttered her final oath:

"I will pledge my loyalty to you."

I will pledge my loyalty to you, Kujo Renji.

Not to the gentle "Shoko Toyokawa", nor to the Oblivionis who shines brightly on the stage.

But towards you, the man who occupies someone else's body, has a mysterious background, cruel methods, yet is so powerful that it makes people tremble.

This is her answer.

An answer that, in her own opinion, was extremely despicable, yet extremely true.

After saying this, Yutenji Wakamu felt as if all the strength in her body had been drained away. She closed her eyes and waited for the coming judgment.

She admitted it all.

There was deathly silence in the living room.

Only the faint noise of the city coming from outside the window makes the room even quieter.

Kujo Renji looked at her quietly.

There was no expression on his face. His deep eyes were like two bottomless pools of water, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking at the moment.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Every second seemed like a century to Yutenji Wakami.

Finally, he slowly withdrew his hand from her cheek.

Then he laughed softly.

The laughter was soft and subdued at first, but gradually it grew louder and more unbridled.

Like hearing something...extremely interesting.

Yutenji Wakamu suddenly opened his eyes and looked at him in confusion.

She didn't understand why he was laughing.

Is her confession... just so ridiculous?

Jiujo Renji laughed for a long time before he slowly stopped. He reached out his hand and gently wiped away the tears that had seeped from the corners of his eyes due to his laughter.

He looked at Yutenji Wakami again, his eyes filled with a hint of...complex emotions that she couldn't understand.

There was teasing, scrutiny, admiration, and even... a hint of, barely perceptible... pleasure?

"Yutenji Wakamu." He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse with a hint of laughter: "You really... gave me a big surprise."

He didn't say "yes" or "no".

He simply looked at the girl in front of him, who had just offered her "loyalty" to him, with a new, inquiring and playful gaze.

This girl was even more interesting and...bold than he had imagined.

Yutenji Wakamu's heart was still hanging in the air.

But she knew that her desperate confession just now did not seem to have brought about the worst outcome.

At least, he didn't get angry on the spot, didn't kick her out, and even... smiled.

Is this a kind of... alternative recognition?

she does not know.

She only knew that from this moment on, the relationship between her and the man in front of her had completely changed.

There's no going back to the past.

At the same time, something sounded in Kujo Renji's mind.

It was the voice of Miss Toyokawa angrily shouting "Traitor!!!"

...

PS: I will send you 7,000 first, and another 3,000 tomorrow during the day.

Chapter 115 The boomerang comes so fast

Kujo Renji's laughter gradually subsided, but the amusement in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

He looked at the girl in front of him with interest. Her face was flushed and her breathing was still.

Ignoring the chatter of Toyokawa Shoko in his mind for the moment, Kujo Renji's interest in Yutenji Wakami has indeed increased a bit.

Since Miss Yutenji Wakami has already "revealed her cards", and in such a... well, dramatic way, he is actually very curious about how the other party got his "real name".

Ever since coming into Toyokawa Shoko's body, Kujo Renji considered himself to be relatively cautious.

He deliberately imitated some of Toyokawa Shoko's habits, minimizing contact with old acquaintances, and even in his band conversations, he was always careful with his words. He wasn't flawless, but he probably didn't make any major mistakes that would directly expose his true identity.

"Ms. Yutenji."

Kujo Renji's tone returned to its previous calmness, but the composure of a superior became even more evident:

"I'd like to know where you heard the name 'Kujo Renji'?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "I heard" with a subtle hint of temptation.

Yutenji Wakamu's heart was lifted again.

She hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke: "It's... it's Aine-chan... Chihaya Aine."

When she said this name, her voice unconsciously lowered and her eyes became a little vague.

Yutenji felt somewhat guilty for having directly betrayed his "teammate" Miss Chihaya Aine.

After all, they had just been "sharing" intelligence and establishing a fragile "alliance" relationship not long ago.

But then I thought, when Chihaya Aine answered the call from her other "ally", didn't she also hide the content of their conversation from me, saying that she "didn't ask anything"?

Thinking of this, Yutenji Wakamu felt a little more balanced and confident.

She thought, Aine-chan is so smart, she should be able to understand me... Well, probably.

So, she repeated to Kujo Renji everything about her and Chihaya Aine's "intelligence verification" and "case analysis".

Including the bizarre "labels" that Chihaya Aine saw, the subtle differences she observed before and after the drastic change in "Toyokawa Shoko"'s temperament, and... the most important thing is the name "Ren Si" that she accidentally heard from Wakaba Mu.

When he heard the word "label", Jiujo Renji's eyebrows raised slightly.

Of course, he knew that Miss Aine had the special ability to see "labels", but he did not expect these key clues to appear in this form.

As for the biggest flaw...

Perhaps, it was really because I told my name to Wakaba Mu.

Ugh...

Kujo Renji sighed softly in his heart.

No matter how careful you are, there is always a loophole.

It seems that it is not enough to solve the problem of Yutenji Wakami alone, and we have to deal with Chihaya Aine as soon as possible.

More importantly... Nagasaki Suyo.

Judging from what Yutenji Wakami just described, Chihaya Aion seemed to have been "commissioned" by Nagasaki Suyo to come to her to inquire about the news about "Shoko".

I just hope that during her conversation with Nagasaki Motoyo, Chihaya Aine really didn't say "any useful information" as Yutenji Wakami relayed.

He also thought about finding a suitable opportunity to investigate the "Mrs. Nagasaki" and the forces behind her to see if he could find some breakthroughs that could be exploited.

If his true identity was revealed to Nagasaki Suyo prematurely because of Chihaya Aine...

Regardless of whether Nagasaki Suyo would believe this fantastic statement, the suspicion itself was enough to cause unnecessary trouble.

A suspicious and proactive Nagasaki Suyo will definitely be detrimental to his next plan.

"I see."

Kujo Renji withdrew his thoughts and spoke lightly to Yutenji Wakamu.

His expression had returned to calm, without any clues being revealed.

It seems that the discussion about "labels" and "leaks" just now was just a trivial matter.

But Yutenji Wakamu keenly felt that beneath his calm surface, something seemed to be quietly changing.

The way he looked at her seemed...less scrutinizing, and more...indescribable depth.

"Yutenji-san..."

Jiujo Renji chuckled and said:

"Regarding the content of our conversation today, and...about the name 'Kujo Renji', I don't want anyone else to know. Can you do that?"

This is both an order and a warning.

Yutenji Wakamu's heart began beating uncontrollably again.

She knew that this was his first "test" of her.

It is also the first "obligation" she needs to fulfill after offering her "loyalty" to him.

Without hesitation, she nodded vigorously: "I promise, I will never tell anyone!"

From the moment she chose to be loyal to "Lian Si", she was ready to "break away" from everything in the past.

Jiujo Renji looked at her, and a satisfied arc slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

well.

Although the process was somewhat unexpected, the result...seems to be better than expected.

He said nothing more and made no substantive promises.

For someone who has just offered her "loyalty", appropriate warnings and a sense of distance are necessary to make her understand that her "loyalty" is not a matter of course, but needs to be constantly proven and maintained.

"It's getting late, Ruomai."

Jiujo Renji glanced at the wall clock and ordered them to leave:

"That's it for today."

When Yutenji Ruomai heard this, she felt a little disappointed. She was still looking forward to staying with "Lian Si" for a while and learning more about him, but when she heard the name Ruomai, she couldn't help but feel a little excited.

She knew that she had received too many "surprises" and touched too many "taboos" today.

She still understands the principle that too much is as bad as too little.