Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

She breathed a long sigh, and her tense nerves relaxed a little.

At this moment, the somewhat teasing voice of Kujo Renji sounded in her mind:

"Miss Xiangzi, this really opened my eyes."

His tone was full of undisguised "admiration", but Xiangzi always felt that behind that admiration there was a deeper level of ridicule.

"I thought you would stick to your principles and would rather fail the mission than kill your good friend."

Jiujo Renji chuckled:

"I didn't expect that when you resort to such unscrupulous means, you actually have some of my style... That last sentence really touched my heart."

Toyokawa Shoko's cheeks turned red at his sarcastic "praise". She felt a little ashamed and annoyed, but also a little embarrassed that she had been seen through.

"Shut up!"

She replied in her heart in a bad mood:

"If it weren't for your bad idea, how could I..."

"Huh? What's going on?"

Kujo Renji asked back:

"How did you discover that you actually have a talent for 'doing evil'? Or how did you discover that solving problems using 'Kujo Renji's' way is indeed much more efficient than your own?"

"you!"

Xiangzi was furious, but couldn't find the right words to refute.

Because, she had to admit, what Kujo Renji said... made some sense.

Although coercing Su Shi made her feel full of guilt, it was undeniable that this method did have an immediate effect.

If she followed her original idea and explained earnestly and confessed her identity, she would probably just be met with rejection like she did just now, or even be regarded as a lunatic.

"Humph, I just...just want Chuhua to come back as soon as possible."

Xiangzi stubbornly argued:

“Ave Mujica can’t live without her.”

"I thought you were enjoying the feeling of controlling others."

"Nonsense!"

Xiangzi retorted immediately like a cat whose tail was stepped on, but his voice lacked confidence.

She recalled Su Shi's forced submission just now, and the strange, tingling excitement in her heart made her feel inexplicably flustered.

That feeling... is too dangerous.

Jiujo Renji stopped teasing her and said in a slightly "relieved" tone:

"All in all, we did a good job this time. Although the process was a bit tortuous, the result is good. We should have news from Nagasaki Suyo soon."

He paused and changed the subject:

"You don't have to blame yourself. To achieve your goals, you sometimes have to sacrifice some of your principles. Especially in our current situation, any hint of weakness could lead to eternal damnation."

Xiangzi was silent.

She knew what Kujo Renji said was right. From the moment she decided to embark on this path and protect Ave Mujica at all costs, she was no longer qualified to be the pure and innocent Toyokawa Shoko.

However, this change came too fast and too... unexpectedly.

While having this "friendly exchange" with Xiangzi, Kujo Renji was also secretly paying attention to his "fitness" with this body.

After this period of "rest"

——It mainly means that he temporarily handed over the control of his body to Xiangzi, and he himself "gave orders" like a hands-off boss. He noticed that the "fitness" value displayed on the panel had quietly risen to 70%.

Seventy percent.

This was almost the initial fit when he first unexpectedly arrived and merged his soul with Toyokawa Shoko's.

Logically speaking, with his current soul strength and familiarity with this body, having reached this level of fit, he should be able to try to regain full control of his body.

But strangely, he didn't feel any opportunity to regain control of his body.

That feeling of being close yet distant from the body, as if separated by a thin veil, still exists.

Of course, Kujo Renji was not too anxious about this.

Honestly, he'd been dealing with all sorts of messes almost year-round for the past six months, playing the role of "savior," and he was really getting tired. Now that he had a break, he was enjoying some downtime, watching Miss Xiangzi struggle in the front while he watched from behind, occasionally earning some "Original Sin Points" for pocket money. It was quite a pleasure.

The most important thing is that the external pressure now has been reduced a lot compared to when he first took over.

The framework for Ave Mujica has been established and the initial crisis has been largely resolved.

Although Chuhua's sudden departure is a big trouble, with Xiangzi's current "potential" and his advice, it shouldn't be a big problem to solve.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Kujo Renji found that he seemed to have really regarded Toyokawa Shoko as his "successor" or "disciple".

He always imparts to Xiangzi, intentionally or unintentionally, some of his experiences, some skills in dealing with things, and some...the survival rules of "Kujo Renji".

At first, he might be able to numb himself by using the excuse of "repaying the debt of occupying the other person's body."

But as time goes by, especially after going through so many things, that simple "transaction" mentality seems to have gradually gained some other things... perhaps what can be called "true meaning".

He himself couldn't explain what it was specifically.

Perhaps it was because he saw qualities in Xiangzi that were completely different from his own, yet surprisingly similar to his own in some aspects?

Whatever the reason, he was happy to see Shoko Toyokawa grow and gain experience through practice for a period of time.

After all, he didn't know how long he would stay in this body.

As the opportunity to return to her body seemed to be getting closer, he couldn't act like a nanny, arranging everything for Xiangzi in detail. It is better to teach a man how to fish than to give him fish. The most important thing is to let her learn how to survive in a dangerous environment.

Thinking of returning, Kujo Renji's consciousness sank into his "system panel" again.

He turned his attention to the new project that he had created by spending all the "Original Sin Points" and "Innocence Points" he had accumulated before.

It wasn't a new point, but a simple, direct line of text:

"Original body (Kujo Renji) repair rate: 35%"

Thirty-five percent.

When the progress bar reaches 100%, he may be able to completely get rid of this body and return to his own body.

From this perspective, it won’t take long.

.....

Ms. Nagasaki Motoyo's efficiency is indeed quite good.

I just told the other party the most basic information about Sanjiao Chuhua, and in less than a week, I got the results.

When Su Shi appeared in front of her again, it was still the same elegant coffee shop, and still the window seat, but this time, the air was no longer filled with a tense confrontation, but a more subtle and complex atmosphere.

Su Shi gently pushed a brown paper bag in front of Xiangzi. His face was still pale, and there was a hint of fatigue and resistance in his eyes that was barely noticeable.

"What you want."

Her voice was a little hoarse, with a hint of deliberately suppressed alienation.

Shoko Toyokawa stretched out her hand, and her fingertips touched the edge of the brown paper bag, and she could feel the thickness of the photos inside.

She took a deep breath and opened the paper bag.

There are more than a dozen photos in it, some are from a distance, some are close-ups, and the shooting angles are different, but the protagonist is the same person - Sanjiao Chuhua.

In the photos, Chu Hua is wearing casual clothes and carrying a guitar bag. He is either stopping on the street, buying something at a convenience store, or looking up from the bottom of an inconspicuous apartment building.

Her expression was calm most of the time, even a little lonely, completely different from the person on the stage.

However, when Xiangzi took out the last thing from the paper bag, she was stunned.

It was a small, black square object with a faint metallic luster on its surface and a tiny switch and indicator light on the side.

"This is...?"

Xiangzi raised his head and looked at Su Shi, his eyes full of confusion and surprise.

Nagasaki Suyo avoided Xiangzi's gaze, picked up the black tea in front of her, and took a sip.

"A bug."

She said calmly, her tone as flat as if she was talking about the weather:

"I slipped this into her bag. If you want to know anything, just go and listen. I'm not in the habit of eavesdropping on other people's privacy."

Having said that, her slightly red ears and her hands that were gripping the teacup so tightly that her knuckles were turning white still revealed her inner unrest.

Shoko Toyokawa looked at the bug in her hand, then looked at Su Shi who was pretending to be calm, and her eyes became extremely strange.

Of course she knew it was a bug.

She just... just didn't expect the other party to be so efficient.

Although she really wanted to ask the other party how he did it, she held back the words when they came to her lips.

Although the girl didn't say anything.

But that inquiring and somewhat unbelievable look still made Nagasaki Suyo feel uneasy.

"What's that look in your face?"

Su Shi finally couldn't help it. He raised his head suddenly, glared at Xiangzi with some anger and shame, and his tone became aggressive.

She herself felt that she was despicable.

After investigating Sanjiao Chuhua's residence, she did not choose an honest way.

Instead, like a shadowy stalker, he waited outside the 24-hour convenience store downstairs of Chuhua Apartment for several days in a row.

She calculated the time Chuhua went out and came home, and observed her movements and living habits.

Finally, one evening, she got her chance.

Chu Hua, carrying a guitar bag and wearing headphones, walked out of the apartment building and went straight to the convenience store.

Su Shi took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and pretended to walk casually from the other direction of the convenience store.

The moment Chu Hua pushed open the door of the convenience store, Su Shi "happened" to walk to the door and "accidentally" bumped into Chu Hua's shoulder.

In this brief moment of passing by, Su Shi quickly and accurately stuck the small eavesdropping device to an inconspicuous gap at the bottom of Chuhua's guitar bag with a special double-sided tape in a movement so fast that it was almost invisible.

There was a small leather tag there that perfectly concealed the presence of the bug.

This method is undoubtedly despicable.

She took advantage of other people's vulnerability and invaded their privacy.

Especially in front of "Kujo Renji" who has the appearance of Xiaoxiang, exposing this side of himself made Su Shi feel even more embarrassed and humiliated.

It was as if her worst side was clearly seen by the person she least wanted her to see.

"It's just a little unexpected."

She was indeed surprised. She was surprised at Su Shi's initiative, and also surprised that Su Shi would go to such lengths to "help" her.

How much of this is out of forced helplessness, and how much is...complex emotions that she herself can't explain?

Nagasaki Suyo's cheeks flushed red with shame and anger. She felt that Xiangzi's "weird" look seemed to be mocking her, which made her even more embarrassed.

She suddenly picked up her bag and stood up from her seat, her movements seeming a little rough because of her impatience.

"I can only help you up to this point!"

She almost gritted her teeth and said, her voice a little sharp due to excitement:

"I have my own life to live! Whether you want to eavesdrop, stalk, or investigate, don't come to me again! I don't want to have anything to do with people like you anymore!"

After saying that, she quickly left the cafe without looking back, as if staying for another second would suffocate her.

The hurried back figure looked a bit embarrassed as if he was fleeing in panic.

After Nagasaki Motoyo left, Toyokawa Shoko looked at the bug in her hand and couldn't help but sigh.

.....

After returning home.

Xiangzi connected the eavesdropping device's receiver to his computer.