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She was simply following Xiangzi out of habit; she had no feelings of liking or disliking him.
Just like drinking water, probably very few people would specifically like or dislike drinking water.
If this doll-like girl could be described as liking something...
She was in the school's garden, watering the cucumbers in the soil with a watering can.
Watching the tiny cucumber grow little by little is something she enjoys doing.
Also, practicing guitar alone in the basement.
Of course, there were also many unpleasant things, such as going out with Minami to socialize with adults, and...
"Xiao Mu, did you water it too much?" Hearing that familiar voice, the girl, who was like a doll, came back to her senses and quickly grabbed the watering can. Then, she saw the familiar and reassuring figure.
“SOYO,” Wakaba Mutsu said softly.
“I went to the classroom to look for you just now, but you weren’t there. But I thought you’d probably be here, and I was right,” Nagasaki Motoyo said with a smile to the girl beside her.
Looking at the kind girl in front of him, Ruo Ye Mu saw that SOYO had been acting strangely ever since the disbandment of Ku Lai Xi Ku. However, Su Shi had become more gentle in his eyes over a period of time.
But all these changes had nothing to do with her, Wakaba Mutsu.
"Have you had lunch yet?" Su Shi asked.
"No." Wakaba Mutsu lowered her head.
"This won't do. Really, Xiao Mu, you're always like this. What if you get health problems? Luckily, I even prepared a portion for you." Su Shi held up the slightly large bento box.
Seeing that Su Shi was cooking for her, Ruoye Mu felt happy again.
"Yes, thank you." She was as taciturn as ever.
Looking at the cucumbers that Xiao Mu had planted, Su Shi asked curiously, "Hey, Xiao Mu, these cucumbers should be ripe soon, right? Can I have some?"
If Ye Mu stood there hesitantly, Su Shi asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
However, the petite girl finally raised her head and said, "No."
"Huh? Is that not allowed?" Although somewhat surprised, Su Shi was not angry.
After all, the Banami family's financial situation is much better now, so they don't have to rely on Komugi for cucumbers. However, Banami always says that the cucumbers Komugi grows taste better than the ones they buy, but she can't really tell the difference.
"No," Wakaba Mutsu said, head bowed.
"Oh, that's a shame." Even though she was rejected like that, Su Shi's smile remained completely genuine.
This, on the contrary... made Wakaba Mutsu somewhat sad.
***
As Ruoye Mu ate in small bites, the food Su Shi had prepared had a comical quality, like a little hamster stuffing pine cones into its mouth.
If Ye Mu is usually at home, she is taken care of by maids, and her meals are naturally prepared by maids as well.
Minami can also cook, but she prefers to cook Western dishes such as steak and boiled broccoli.
Although she doesn't have any particular preference, Ruo Yemu prefers to eat rice.
Only Su Shi cooked for her, which felt like a mother's cooking and was Japanese cuisine that suited her taste better.
"SOYO, aren't you going to eat?"
Ruo Yemu gently raised her head and looked at Su Shi, who was sitting opposite her, resting her chin on her hands and smiling as she watched her eat.
Su Shi is the type who prefers to see others happily enjoying her cooking; this applies to both Hanami and the girl in front of her.
Even though the two were not much different in age, Su Shi naturally felt a desire to take care of her.
"Xiao Mu, I heard you joined SAKI-chan's new band?" Su Shi changed the subject.
Wakaba Mutsumi paused slightly with the spoon in her hand, then nodded gently.
"Why... Ah, I'm not blaming Xiaomu for abandoning Kulaixi." Su Shi quickly added, afraid that the child would overthink things.
Why join a new band? This was a question that Mutsumi Wakaba hadn't really thought about.
"Because it's Xiangzi's band." That was the only answer Xiaomu could give.
But after giving this answer, Ruoye Mu felt a little empty inside, as if she herself was not "satisfied" with the answer.
"Oh, I see. Xiao Mu, you're still the same as always." Su Shi looked at the girl opposite her with gentle eyes.
"Then, is Su Shi still the same as before, like when she was suffering the most?"
However, Wakaba Mutsu asked the question in return, which was rather unusual for him.
Slightly surprised, Su Shi smiled and said, "Ah, what's the matter? I'm probably a little different from back then."
Su Shi's tone still reassured Wakaba Mutsu, but this answer reminded her of Xiangzi now.
Not only Xiangzi, but everyone else seemed to have moved forward, except for her, who was still the same Ruoye Muku, the same Ruoye Muku who had suffered so much.
"Hey, Xiao Mu, can I ask you for a favor?" Suddenly, Su Shi changed the subject, seemingly unaware of Xiao Mu's subtle emotions.
Ruo Ye Mu looked up at Su Shi without saying a word. She subconsciously felt that Su Shi's real purpose in bringing her food was probably what she was about to say.
"Could you keep an eye on Xiangzi and Banai for me? After all, you're in the band, so you're closer to them," Su Shi pleaded in a gentle voice.
But this time, Wakaba Mutsu couldn't bring herself to say "no."
***
After school, at the school gate, Wakaba Mutsu saw Suze getting on the back of a boy on an electric bicycle in the distance, and the two of them drove away chatting and laughing.
She was familiar with that boy; she had met him just yesterday.
Watching Su Shi's departing figure, Ruo Ye Mu felt inexplicably sad.
At that moment, she seemed to hear a voice.
"See, Wakaba Mutsu, actually no one cares about you. Not Toyokawa Shoko, not Nagasaki Motoyo, only I care about you the most. As long as I take control of this body, I can make everyone like you!"
That was a voice coming from the depths of her heart.
But Ye Mu just stared blankly at the departing figure and said, "Can you play the guitar?"
"Uh……"
Then, the voice fell silent.
Chapter Thirteen: Proxy Wars
Yutenji Wakame gripped the drumsticks with both hands, striking the drumhead like raindrops, while sweat dripped from her forehead onto the drum kit and the floor like rain.
Completely immersed in her practice, the girl recalled the words of the blue-haired girl with twin tails who looked at people out of the corner of her eye.
"You are the one who should be practicing the most."
If this were just a simple lie, Miao Meng wouldn't care at all. But unfortunately, she was telling the truth. Right now, the person who needs the most practice in this new band is Yutenji Ruomai.
Just as she was lost in her own world, she heard the sound of a door opening in the entryway. Soon after, a girl with short black hair slowly walked in.
The black-haired girl seemed unable to bear it any longer and said, "Playing drums so late at night, aren't you afraid of getting complaints from the neighbors?"
Disturbed like this, Miaomeng had no choice but to put down her drumsticks and say, "Can't you see that I've put soundproofing foam in the window?"
"That's true. I felt like I couldn't breathe when I first came in, and you're still playing drums here. Would it kill you to turn on the air conditioning a little?"
The girl with long black hair, who is also Meow Dream's current roommate, Shiina Maki quickly turned on the air conditioner, pulled open the soundproofing material, and opened the window.
Instantly, the previously stuffy apartment became cool.
Miao Meng couldn't help but exhale and say, "You have to pay for electricity to turn on the air conditioner, and electricity is so expensive in Tokyo."
"Anyway, I'll help pay half," Maki said nonchalantly.
"The other half was also paid by me!" Miao Meng felt a little annoyed, but she did not stop the other party's actions.
Compared to Miaomeng's unhappy expression, Maki still smiled and placed a bag in front of her.
"Don't be angry, here, a souvenir."
Miao Meng glanced at the contents and saw that it was a cheesecake, along with egg tarts, cookies, and other desserts.
"You went back to the Shiina family?" Nyanmu asked.
"Yes, it's my mom's birthday today. These desserts were a gift for her. I told her that my roommate likes desserts, so my mom packed them up for me."
See? I'm pretty conscientious, aren't I? I never forget to share good things with you.
Maki said in a slightly teasing tone.
"You come home every few days, why don't you just move back home?" Miao Meng didn't have such a nice tone, she just said coldly.
Maki laughed and said, "I was just worried you'd be lonely. You're all alone in Tokyo, with no one to talk to."
Maki Shiina's favorite thing to do is to jokingly poke into other people's lungs.
Of course, Yutenji Wakame is also one.
Miao Meng rolled her eyes and said, "I don't understand you. It's obviously more convenient and cheaper to live at home, but you insist on squeezing into this cheap apartment with me."
Maki gently shook her head and said, "Even if this apartment is cheap, I still paid for it myself, so it's different."
It's like she now goes home every few days to freeload, but she does it as if it's perfectly natural, without any of the pressure she used to feel.
It's amazing, even though we've only separated slightly and are not under the same roof.
It seemed as if the distance between her and her parents had actually shortened.
It was all thanks to someone who single-mindedly pulled him back from the airport.
Moreover, they found her a roommate who would never be bored.
To be honest, although they are nominally sisters but actually cousins, Maki and Riki seem to have completely opposite personalities.
Li hope is too honest and doesn't know how to play any tricks. When it comes to fighting with Li hope, she basically crushes her.
But Yutenji Wakana in front of us is different. The two of them are exchanging blows, and they are so cunning that they are almost like Cthulhu. It's fun, very fun.
"Hey, Meow-chan, do you think if I call out to Hana to come over for dessert, he'll come running over all of a sudden?" Maki seemed to have a cat's tail wagging back and forth behind her.
Miao Meng, who had just picked up a piece of cheesecake, stared at the girl opposite her and said, "No wonder you brought back such a big box. I thought you were kind enough to cover my desserts for two days. So that's what you were up to."
"Just tell me, would you be happy if Hana saw you coming?" Maki was as direct as ever.
But Miao Meng sneered and said, "Of course he'd be happy to, he'd even be eager to come over, but it would be strange if he could go out at night."
She had tried before, and even secretly showed him a selfie while wearing stockings, but he still didn't dare to go out.
When Miaomeng saw him the next day, he looked like he had lost millions, which made Miaomeng both annoyed and amused.
"Ah, is that girl named Nagasaki Motoyo? I heard she's his cousin?" Maki hadn't been idle during this time.
But Miao Meng sneered, "What cousin? It's all a facade. They're both pretending to be stupid."
Because they pretended to be stupid, they were able to live together in a daze.
Maki listened with great interest to the information from Nyanmu, but soon, Nyanmu, who was eating cheesecake, felt cheated and said, "No, why is it all me talking? Are you trying to trick me?"
Maki said with a smile, "Oh, we're roommates now, what's wrong with sharing some information?"
"Go away, my boyfriend won't share with you," Miao Meng immediately hissed.
"Hmph, are you so sure that Banami will ultimately choose you?" Maki seemed to understand her implication, but she wasn't angry.
“Of course, he even put a wedding ring on my finger. Who else could he choose but me?” Miao Meng said confidently.
“But those things all happened in a fake world. Now we’re in reality,” Li hope corrected.
“What happened to me is real, at least my feelings are real,” Miao Meng said stubbornly.
Maki did not deny it, but changed the subject and asked.
"I heard from Riki that you joined Toyokawa Shoko's new band? And that Banami-kun is also involved as their manager?"
"So, it's not only in the same school that you can get to know Hanami."
Although Miaomeng joined Xiangzi's new band not only for Banami, but also for her own dream of making a name for herself with her own hands, isn't killing two birds with one stone a good thing?
"That's great. This way, you can also help me keep an eye on those two people," Maki said with a smile.
Lixi is looking for Hailing, Sushi is looking for Xiaomutou, and Zhenxi is looking for Miaomeng.
What proxy war?
"Tsk, you're making it sound like I joined the band for you? You've got some nerve!" Miao Meng advised her roommate not to flatter herself.
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