After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 199

As she ran through the streets, the summer evening breeze brought only a slight coolness, but it couldn't stop the girl carrying her guitar from breaking out in a fine sweat.

Following the route she had observed in the mirror, Yu Mu took her first steps on her own two legs toward the station near her agency.

The brokerage firm is located in a rather bustling part of the city, which is now busiest time of day, especially in the evenings.

The city's prosperity was laid bare before the eyes of this person, who was experiencing the real world for the first time.

It wasn't the kind of extravagance that was intentionally created on the concert stage last time, but the real world.

However, at this moment, Yu Mu did not feel the same sense of wonder and emotion that Metis had when he fled Ruoye's house overnight with his guitar, nor did he have the idea of ​​deviating from the planned route to explore unfamiliar territory.

Golden eyes calmly swept across the street, their gaze fixed only on the ground they needed to step on next.

Midway through, she even took out the phone that Yuu Toyokawa had given to Mutsu Wakaba, skillfully opened the map app, and checked which vehicle she should take to reach her destination.

No matter what the world is like, Yu Mu has nothing to do with herself.

If nothing unexpected happens, given Wakaba Mutsumi's personality, this is likely to be his last chance to take control of his body.

Furthermore, if the other party gets too emotional and angry, you might be destroyed again.

Although you may not die, you will definitely suffer a lot.

The suffocating darkness of death evokes a fear inherited and imprinted from the original text; that feeling... is very uncomfortable.

However, if you don't do certain things, an unnamed fire will keep burning in your chest. Just seeing certain people in the outside world through the mirror will make you subconsciously clench your fingertips. Only by inhaling more cold air can you cool that fire.

That feeling of being constantly threatened must be eliminated.

The only time I felt relieved was when I pushed Metis off the balcony and watched her fall into the darkness.

That's why she let her guard down and was pushed down by Wakaba Mutsu as well.

Strange, does this mean I should hate Wakaba Mutsumi even more?

As Yu Mu headed toward the train station, a hint of confusion began to reappear in her otherwise calm golden eyes.

Compared to the resentment and unease that had been etched into her memory, Ruoye Mu was the one who had truly hurt her, and she should hate her even more.

but......

Looking down at her phone, which had already shown her the train number she needed, Yu Mu blinked and tilted her head to the other side in confusion.

It doesn't seem that annoying, nor does it have that threatening feeling of being pricked by thorns just from being seen.

Is it because I can't die?

While pondering questions that could not be answered with the current information, the station was already close at hand.

Instead of sitting down on the station benches, Yu Mu stood outside the safety line with her guitar, listening to the sound of the mirror in her mind softening and rippling.

The increasingly clear sound was like a countdown to the end of my activity.

Can you make it?

She instinctively hugged the guitar tighter. For the first time, she felt a sense of urgency, a feeling that had been almost entirely devoid of emotional fluctuations, even after returning from the brink of death.

The car arrived, and Yu Mu got on. Looking at the cash register by the door, she imitated how Wakaba Mu used to pay and took out the wallet that Toyokawa Yuu had given to this body.

[Wait, Yumu, what are you doing!]

A panicked scream echoed in her mind. Even though it wasn't a real sound, it still pierced her eardrums painfully, and her eyes couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Yu Mu froze as she inserted the coin. She could feel her control over her body being interfered with. The person interfering was Metis, who had just handed her the guitar.

In the mental space, Metis gripped Yu Mu's hands tightly, preventing her fingertips from plucking the strings.

In his golden eyes, there was an even more obvious sense of bewilderment and deep disbelief than when he faced Toyokawa Shoko's gentle advances on the rooftop.

She had just watched as Yumu was about to stuff the entire wallet that Toyokawa Yuu had given to Wakaba Yuu into the cash register.

If Metis hadn't reacted quickly enough, she might have witnessed Toyokawa Yuu's living expenses, earned through selling her body, disappear into the coin box.

Not only her, but even the reflection of Wakaba Mutsu in the mirror was startled.

The ripples that were gradually spreading on the mirror surface were interrupted, and panicked knocking sounds echoed continuously in the mental space.

Several days later, the two recalled once again the fright that Yu Mu had caused them.

[You have to pay with coins to get on the bus...isn't that how it works?]

Looking at Metis, who had always relied on her but was now suddenly trying to stop her, Yu Mu's golden eyes were filled with confusion.

Whether it was Metis taking money from the Wakaba family overnight or Wakaba Mutsu coming to the agency's gate alone this morning, they would take out some money from their pockets and throw it all into the coin box when they got on the bus.

All the money taken out of the pocket should be put back in—this was information that Yu Mu obtained through observation.

But now he had no money anywhere else on him. All the money in his pocket had been put into the wallet, leaving only this wallet that he had never opened for anyone but himself.

So... is there anything wrong with putting your wallet in there?

Looking at the confused new personality before him, Metis suddenly realized where the unease he felt when he handed his body over to Yu Mu came from.

This personality modeled after Mr. Yuu does not share the same thoughts as her and Ruoye Mutsu, nor does it share the memories accumulated by the other two personalities since childhood.

Aside from her innate familiarity with Toyokawa Yuu, who served as her model, her understanding of the world may truly only come from imitating Wakaba Mutsumi's behavior.

Metis wedged his fingertips between Yu Mu's fingers, manipulating her fingers which were not resisting much due to confusion, and controlled her to take out the corresponding amount of money from her wallet, put it into the cash register, then put the wallet away, and sat down near the back door with his guitar.

After doing all this, Metis released his fingers, handing over complete control of his body to Yu Mu.

Throughout the rest of the drive, Metis kept lecturing Yu Mu on what she considered to be common sense.

Metis only stopped lecturing when the train arrived at the station.

Seeing Yu Mu nod with her usual calm expression, her eyes seemingly understanding but not quite taking his words to heart, Metis's expression also became somewhat strange.

In the past, she was always the one who sought help from Yumu, asking her to teach her how to deal with Toyokawa Yuu. This was the first time she had ever become the other person's teacher in this way.

[Speaking of which, Yumu, what are you planning to do? If I remember correctly...]

Metis glanced at the platform location displayed on the screen—Roppongi Station—and a sense of confusion arose in his heart.

According to the memories Xiaomu shared with herself, if she remembered correctly, this area was...

Go find Soyo.

Holding Wakaba Mutsumi's guitar, Yu Mutsumi left the platform and answered Metis's question in a calm tone.

After being reminded by Metis of the importance of her wallet and phone, she made a point of checking that she had both items with her before getting out of the car.

[Why are you looking for Soyo?]

Both Metis and Wakaba Mutsu, who was almost successfully emerging from the mirror, were taken aback by this answer.

They never expected that Yumu would leave without even saying goodbye to Toyokawa Yuu, and that she was actually planning to go find Nagasaki Sase.

"Go and resolve... the issue between her and Toyokawa Yuu..."

Looking at the tall buildings not far away, Yu Mu gave this answer.

This time, she didn't just silently recite it in her mind, but parted her lips slightly and murmured it aloud.

Finally, I can feel a little more at ease again.

.................................................. ................

It was around 8:30 p.m. Nagasaki Sase had just finished eating the dinner he had prepared by himself and was sitting on the bench on the balcony as usual, looking up at the bright moon in the sky.

The neon lights of the city were reflected in her deep blue eyes. She was clearly only a sixteen-year-old high school girl, but the melancholy and sorrow in her eyes made people subconsciously misjudge her age.

Today, Mom is too busy to come home for dinner again.

They said they needed to urge the working group to finish the remaining work with Yuu-sensei and Yuu-sensei Toyokawa as soon as possible, and they probably wouldn't be free to come back until tomorrow night.

Even though her mother always worked overtime in the past, and during the busiest period when she was in junior high school, she would only come home once or twice a month, Nagasaki Sase should have long been used to the loneliness of living alone.

However, whenever Nagasaki Sase thinks about how his only remaining relative is busy working for that boy who has already broken ties with him and openly expressed mutual disgust, he unconsciously frowns.

I have no right to interfere in or comment on adults' work, but I'm dissatisfied with my mother's work simply because of a personal grudge between me and someone else...

As expected, I'm still not mature enough.

The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became. Nagasaki Sase stood up from the bench, intending to wash up and get some rest.

As someone who doesn't stay up late, she usually maintains a strict schedule, and Nagasaki Sase also believes that she shouldn't waste too much energy on that guy.

Anyway, their lives don't overlap at all. Unless I take the initiative to go to my mother's company to find him like last time, the two of us probably won't see each other again, except for a chance encounter at [RING].

But... I'm still a little worried about Xiao Mu...

Recalling what Wakaba Mutsu had told her before that she was currently living with Toyokawa Yuu, Nagasaki Sase felt an overwhelming sense of unease rising in her heart.

Since both Wakaba Mutsumi and Toyokawa Shoko had no objections, Nagasaki Sase understood that he didn't need to worry about Toyokawa Yuu's character or safety, but...

What's so strange about this? Xiao Mu is still just a student, and now she's not going to school anymore to live with someone her own age, who is also someone else's sworn brother and fiancé.

He's only the same age as me, how could that guy possibly shoulder Xiao Mu's life?

When Wakaba Mutsu brought up these things in person last time, Nagasaki Sase was so angry that she chose to end the conversation unilaterally and leave. But after they parted, she found that she still couldn't help but worry about them.

However, Xiao Mu's phone has been switched off for a long time, and she doesn't know where she and Feng Chuan You are living now. Should she ask the boy where he and Xiao Mu are living together?

Looking down at his phone, even Nagasaki Sase himself found the idea laughable.

Yuu Toyokawa would never answer him; she might even turn around and mock him for meddling.

Just as she was pondering this, the screen of Nagasaki Sase's phone suddenly lit up; a friend request had come in from an unknown number.

Nagasaki Sase, who doesn't usually add strangers randomly, wanted to refuse, but when she saw the other person's profile picture and nickname, she couldn't help but pause.

The other person's profile picture was a selfie of Wakaba Mutsu. Under the dim light, even the girl's face was a little blurry, looking like a casually taken photo. The background was a long corridor that Nagasaki Sose was very familiar with—she passed through there every day on her way home.

The other party's notes were even more brief.

I'm outside your door.

Upon seeing this sudden news, Nagasaki Sase was slightly taken aback, then immediately turned around and jogged towards his front door.

As soon as Nagasaki Sase opened the door to his house, he saw a figure in light green, just as expected.

The girl with golden eyes was indeed standing at her own door, but she didn't even ring the doorbell. She looked down at her phone, which hadn't received a reply yet.

She placed the guitar, which she had always cherished, at her feet, one hand gripping the neck, as if she were simply carrying this exquisite and expensive instrument on a rather unwieldy afternoon.

Upon seeing "Wakaba Mutsumi" appear at his doorstep, Nagasaki Sase's azure eyes lit up with surprise, but he also subconsciously sensed that something was amiss.

She knew very well that Wakaba Mutsu cherished her guitar. Even Chihaya Aine, who had just started playing guitar, would not carry it in such a careless way, which might even damage the strings.

However, the joy of seeing her friend visit dispelled the slight discomfort in her heart that she herself might not have even noticed.

Nagasaki Sase smiled gently, just like every time she had taken the initiative to greet Wakaba Mutsumi over the past year.

"Xiao Mu, is that really you? You must have been waiting outside for a long time. Come in quickly."

Nagasaki Saseya quickly stepped aside to make way for the golden-eyed girl entering his house.

Although the other person's indifferent expression might subconsciously make one wonder if she harbored any dissatisfaction towards them, Nagasaki Sase didn't care.

In her memory, Wakaba Mutsu had always been a girl as aloof as inorganic matter.

"I'm thirsty."

Invited by Nagasaki Sase to the house, Amuro did not refuse, and even before the two sat down on the sofa, he took the initiative to speak.

With golden eyes fixed on Nagasaki Sōse's azure eyes, Amuro placed the guitar in his hand on the sofa beside him, thus ending his torment of the strings along the way.

"Is Xiao Mu thirsty? I'll make you a cup of tea."

When Wakaba Mutsumi took the initiative to make a request, Nagasaki Sase was not angry at all; in fact, he was quite happy.

She is the kind of person who habitually accommodates others, and in her view, Ruoye Mutsu's behavior is a clear indication that she wants to re-establish contact.

When I first brought her and Xiangzi to my home as guests, I made them each a cup of tea.

"Speaking of which, why did Muko suddenly come to my place? Toyokawa... wasn't Mr. Yuu with you?"

While boiling water and making tea by the stove, Nagasaki Sase tentatively inquired about the reason for the other party's sudden visit.

Subconsciously, I wanted to call someone by their first name, but halfway through the sentence, I realized that person was very important to Wakaba Mutsu, so I quickly changed it to a respectful title.

"He's busy... I'm thirsty."

Simply brushing aside Nagasaki Sase's question, Amemu once again urged him in a flat tone.

Tea... As long as there is Nagasaki Sase's tea, all problems can be solved.

Just like when he pushed Metis off the building.