Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 563

"That's your own opinion." Xiangzi locked the door, walked to Miaomeng's side, and said, word by word, "Do you also want to say those things to me? Advise me not to run away, to face things bravely, and so on."

It's a cliché, I'm sick of hearing it.

"No." Miaomeng rubbed her temples. "I've been a bit tired lately and said some stupid things. How about you give me a break?"

"...Did someone say something to you?" Xiangzi squinted.

First it was Chu Hua, then Yan, and then Miao Meng came too. Did they plan this together? Or did something happen that only I don't know about?

If it were just a coincidence that all these troubles came knocking at once, that would be too much of a coincidence. Although such things had happened before, Xiangzi always felt that something was not quite right.

"No, no, no, that's not true." Miao Meng shook her head. "It's really nothing."

"..." Xiangzi looked at her suspiciously.

"What about the holiday?" Miaomeng held up three fingers. "It's only three days. I'll just stay home and relax for a bit, then I'll be back soon."

"When?"

"Starting Monday?"

"Okay." Xiangzi nodded and turned to walk towards the elevator.

She didn't ask why Miaomeng, who didn't have much work, always looked exhausted.

Miao Meng was about to follow, but Xiangzi suddenly stopped.

"Were you sincere about what you just said?" Xiangzi asked. "Were you just playing house?"

“…” Meow Dream fell silent.

"Okay, I got it." Xiangzi seemed to have gotten some answer, and casually pressed the elevator button. "Let's go eat first, lunch is on me."

==============

In another corner of the reed plain, in the villa district of the wealthy, lies Wakaba Mansion.

It's the weekend, and as usual, her parents are busy with various tasks outside. For Mu, besides herself, there are only a few servants in this house.

But that was before.

Now, she has a new "roommate".

If Ye Mansion has a basement, this basement used to be Mu's little world, but now, the "roommate" who suddenly appeared not long ago is busy in the basement.

Mu carried a tray containing lunch and drinks, opened the basement door, and immediately a clanging sound came from inside.

As Mu walked down the stairs, the busy figures in the basement were gradually revealed to him.

It was a figure with long white hair, short in stature, even smaller than Mu, probably only about 1.4 meters tall, wearing a tank top and shorts, her long white curly hair wrapped around her like a fluffy ball.

"Your lunch," Mu said softly.

"Oh, wait a minute, I'll be right there after I install this part."

The white-haired girl turned around, smiled at Mu, and her ruby-like eyes were particularly striking.

Beyond the Tale: Stars and Us: Chapter 749 - We Found Cupid

Since that incident, Xiangzi has become extremely depressed, locking herself in her room every day, unwilling to come out, unwilling to communicate, and unwilling to do anything. If the new world magical girls hadn't stopped turning into witches, their fate might have been exactly the same as the previous seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-five times.

It took Xiangzi about half a year to recover and start trying to "live" again. The commercial band Ave Mujica was a project that Xiangzi officially embarked on after recovering from his state of being a "puppet".

During this time, Miaomeng, as Xiangzi's assistant, was deeply involved in the job. Chuhua stayed by Xiangzi's side every step of the way except for work and school. Hailing helped this team, which was more like a business planning team than a band, to run around doing business and, incidentally, to practice—oh no, to learn—at martial arts dojos all over the country.

In this new world, Ave Mujica, whether as a band or as a magical girl group, got back on track after Shoko returned.

What has Mu been doing during this time?

Looking back, it seems she had always remained detached from everyone else, doing nothing at all.

When Xiangzi needed help, it was Miaomeng who helped him; when Xiangzi needed companionship, it was Chuhua who accompanied him; when Xiangzi needed to go on a long trip, it was Hailing who took his place.

As for myself, I stayed at home.

After that day, time moved forward as usual. Summer vacation came, and her mother returned. She went back to the cage called "Wakaba's House" and followed her mother's arrangements to learn how to be a young lady and how to develop her talent as an actress.

The wish that everyone once made while eating pizza, "to have a good talk with my mother," has now been lost on me.

Because it seems unnecessary.

As Ave Mujica is a formal business project, Xiangzi must have discussed it thoroughly with his mother and her agency, so there shouldn't be any obstacles to his participation.

Besides that, what else does she want to do? What about her own time? What about her own dreams?

It seems... it's not that important anymore.

Xiangzi once asked himself a question: "If I asked you to kill me, would you do it?" His answer at the time was "yes".

At that time, she must have truly considered herself a puppet of Xiangzi, and she would have obeyed any order from Xiangzi.

Mu didn't know when it started, but she realized she had changed.

Although she still centered her attention on Xiangzi, she began to have her own ideas.

It was already a miracle that Xiangzi was able to emerge from the shadows; Mu shouldn't ask for anything more. Her reason told her that she shouldn't ask for anything more, as long as Xiangzi was still alive and well.

But that's not how it's described in terms of emotion.

A voice inside Mutsu told her, "It shouldn't be like this." Toyokawa Shoko, Ave Mujica, and this world—none of it should be like this.

Xiangzi appeared to have emerged from the shadows, but Mu could see clearly that the Xiangzi who had woken up was a puppet named "Toyokawa Xiangzi," who was still hiding himself inside and refusing to see anyone.

Shoko Toyokawa, who emerged from the group, became a machine mechanically executing the command to "move forward," while the others wound her up, repaired her parts, and cleared the way for her. The members of Mujica seemed to be operating like a sophisticated machine, driving the giant doll Ave Mujica in both the real world and the magical girl world.

In that June, when everyone went through many cycles of despair together, yet still did not give up, this team was full of vibrant life.

Although Xiangzi had emerged from the shadows and was diligently studying, working, and striving to move forward, Mu found herself unable to move forward. She remained in that endless June, or rather, she remained in the former, vibrant Mujica.

In everyone's eyes, Ruoye Mu was still that obedient child, so no one discovered her little schemes.

Mu really wanted to do something to change the status quo, but he never got a good opportunity and could only follow the machine that is Ave Mujica forward.

And so, summer, autumn, winter, spring, and then summer again... Before I knew it, I was already a senior in high school.

The idea of ​​"change" has become increasingly faint over time.

She found herself losing her own thoughts again; she was no longer "pretending" to obey, but genuinely obeying.

Mu didn't know what she should do.

My mom said she's already arranged a university for me, wanting me to get a place at a prestigious one, and then start leveraging the family's resources in the entertainment industry to gradually build my career. That way, I'll be incredibly busy in the future—very, very busy indeed.

I will become very tired, more like a puppet, and further and further away from the future I used to talk about while eating pizza.

However, he still didn't have the courage to talk to his mother. His courage, along with that proud and strong Xiangzi, had been left in the past.

Nothing could ever go back to the way it was; that endless June had finally passed.

My fate will likely be to slowly become a cog in Ave Mujica's machine, mechanically moving forward with everyone else.

And then, that past will never be mentioned again.

Ding-dong-

However, during a sleet, Mu got the chance to change things.

Large, feathery snowflakes fell from the window, mixed with many raindrops. Because the temperature was above zero, the snowflakes quickly melted into rainwater after hitting the ground.

The weather was cold and damp.

Mu heard someone ring the doorbell and peeked out from his room.

Who could be coming to our house at this time? My parents are out filming and it's still a long time before they get back, so it's unlikely to be guests.

"Miss, the girl at the door says she knows you."

That's what the maid said.

Mu slowly walked downstairs and came to the doorbell screen.

A girl, soaking wet and with white snow clinging to her long white hair, stood in front of the camera, her head hanging low and looking dejected.

"Wakaba Mutsu, could you please let me stay here for one night?" the girl said pitifully.

"But I don't know you."

Do I know a girl like that?

This person doesn't exist in Mu's memory at all.

But what the girl said next made Mu's pupils shrink to their smallest size.

"You know me, you definitely know me, because... I am..."

The girl raised her head, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Xiangzi, with pitiful red eyes looking directly at the camera, as if she were looking directly into his eyes, almost as if she were looking directly through the camera lens.

".......Delete".

The Tale of Transcendence: Stars and Us: Chapter 750 I Want to Build a Time Machine

Next to the grand main gate, a small door for people to enter and exit opens automatically under Mu's control.

The girl, who called herself Delete, walked barefoot through the rain mixed with unmelted snowflakes into the Wakaba family mansion.

Mu waited for her at the door, watching her walk to a place where she wouldn't get wet in the rain, until she came to him.

"It's been a long time. Although we didn't talk much back then," the white-haired girl shivered and bowed to Mu. "But I'm still very grateful for your hospitality."

Her speech and behavior were impeccably proper. She was practically a young lady who had received extensive etiquette training, provided, of course, that one ignored her messy, wet hair and the clothes she wore that were practically rags.

"Are you really Delete?" Mu looked at it suspiciously. "Delee shouldn't be, judging from your appearance."

Putting aside the fact that Delete should be a Cupid, or incubator, even if it really is Delete, why would it appear here?

"I can explain—cough cough—!" The girl coughed a few times, hugging her arms and rubbing them vigorously, as if that would warm her up.

"Come in first." Mu stepped aside. "Go take a hot shower, and then we'll talk."

She stood at the doorway, watching as the maid led the girl to the shower room in the guest room.

The sound of rushing water came from upstairs. Mu silently walked to the living room, had the maid bring tea and water, tidied up the living room, and quietly waited for the girl who called herself "Delete" to come out.

As Mu sipped his drink through the straw, his eyes gradually became unfocused.

Her reason told her that what the girl said was completely unfounded and unreliable. Even if, hypothetically, she really was Delete, the culprit who made Xiangzi the way she is now, Mu had no reason to let her in.

However—only a few of them knew Delete, and they hadn't seen it since that day when it was destroyed.

These are just the reasons Mu gave herself to believe the girl. The reason she was willing to let the girl in was because she saw an opportunity for change.

Regardless of whether the white-haired girl in front of them is Delete, her appearance has the potential to change Mujica's current mechanical state.

—“Umbrella Forest: Hello, Mr./Ms. Enterprise 2*er.8”

The sound of Delete snapped Mutsu out of her thoughts. Mutsu looked up in the direction the sound came from.

Mu herself was already quite petite, but the girl in front of her was even smaller, like a little child who hadn't grown up. She was only about 1.4 meters tall, with long, freshly dried curly hair cascading down her shoulders, making her look fluffy. She was wearing clothes that Mu wore when she was a child, and at first glance, she looked like a delicate porcelain doll.

"Do the clothes fit?"

"Mmm." The girl nodded, standing awkwardly in place.

"Come, sit here." Mu acted like a proper hostess, gesturing for the girl to sit next to him.

After the girl sat down, Mu didn't ask any questions, but instead poured her a cup of hot ginger tea.

"You need to... explain yourself, right?" The girl held her ginger tea, taking small sips. "Where do you want me to begin?"

Her voice was a little hoarse, unlike that of a child, but her tone of voice was somewhat similar to Xiangzi's.

Actually, if you look closely at her face, it's easy to see the shadow of Xiangzi, especially those almost identical slanted eyes.

“Proving who you are is simple,” Mu said. “If you really are Delete, you should know when the last time you appeared in front of us was.”

"The rooftop, before the birth of the new world," the girl said softly. "That was the last time I appeared before Xiangzi."

"..."

Is that enough?

"That's enough." Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

Only a few of them knew about the events between the old and new worlds, and even the Incubators couldn't observe them. Since they knew about this, it meant that the girl must have been a participant at the time.