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The mother and daughter were whispering to each other, as if trying to mend their strained relationship that had lasted for so many years.
On the contrary, Banami kept observing the two of them without saying much.
When the nanny van returned to Wakaba's house, and Hanami got out of the car, she saw the figure of a familiar girl.
"Xi!" the twin-tailed girl in front of me said excitedly.
Banami's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but seeing Toyokawa Shoko's appearance made his worries dissipate a bit.
Xiangzi stepped forward, gently hugged the boy, and said, "You've worked hard, Xi."
This is probably the meaning of family. After all, Lao Ba is now, strictly speaking, a married man.
Inside the van, Ruoye and her daughter slowly stepped out.
The moment Xiangzi saw Wu Ye Mutsu, she left Hanami's side and went to Mutsu's side, holding her hands tightly and asking worriedly, "Mutsu, was the interview okay today? Were you nervous? Were you not harassed by the reporters?"
Hearing his childhood friend's concern, Ruoye Mu smiled, a smile that surprised Xiangzi himself.
"No, everything is fine. I think the misunderstanding will be cleared up soon after the interview and video are released, SAKI, don't worry."
Upon hearing Wakaba Mutsumi's words, Shoko's expression mirrored that of Hachimi, and she said, "Mutsumi, you...."
Just then, Mori Minami said, "Xiao Xi, Miss Xiangzi, would you like to come to my house for dinner?"
"Uh, the family has already prepared the meal," Xiangzi replied subconsciously.
"Let's discuss this tomorrow. Xiao Mu must be tired now, and I need to prepare dinner for her." After saying this, Sen Minami went into the Wakaba house.
Wakaba Mutsu naturally pulled her hand away from Shoko's and said, "Then I'll go home first, SKAI. We can talk about it tomorrow when we get to school."
Then, the girl waved lightly to the two of them and walked into the Wakaba family home on her own.
"Xiao Mu, why would you..." Xiangzi said in a low voice.
Banami held Shoko's hand, and then heard her ask, "How was today's interview? Did Mutsu encounter any difficulties?"
He shook his head slightly and said, "On the contrary, if Ye Mu's performance is beyond everyone's expectations, I think the negative impact of that fabricated video will be clarified soon."
Then, after hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Xiao Xiang, have you ever seen Ruoye Mu like this before, this cheerful and talkative person?"
Xiangzi stared at Banami with slightly wide eyes, then pursed his lips, as if recalling childhood memories from a long time ago.
"Actually, when I first met Xiaomu, she wasn't as quiet and reserved as she is now. On the contrary, she was very cheerful and older than me, like... my older sister."
Just like Wakaba Mutsu just now.
"But one day, Xiao Mu's personality suddenly changed completely. Although she would still come to play with me, she became taciturn, which surprised even her mother."
However, aside from the personality change, Xiao Mu didn't seem to have suffered anything terrible. Besides, children's personalities change rapidly, and eventually, she became the Xiao Mu we know.
So when Shoko saw that Wakaba Mutsu had changed her appearance, besides being surprised, she felt a sense of familiarity with her more than with Hachina.
***
Having been out all day, she was covered in sweat. Banai noticed that Xiaoxiang had complained about her when she was holding him earlier.
So the first thing I did upon returning to the Toyokawa residence was to take a shower in the bathroom.
Even while taking a shower, Banami couldn't help but think about Wakaba Mutsu's performance that day.
I recalled the changes in her personality before and after, and the trigger that led to them.
Without a doubt, it's probably about personally denying any connection with Xiangzi and the pressure of not being able to meet her mother's demands.
Is her condition a personality shift caused by excessive stress?
If it were simply a personality switch, then Metis should have emerged.
But if she were still Wakaba Mutsumi, then there's a problem that can't be explained.
Stress doesn't disappear just because your personality changes. If her cheerful demeanor is just an act, how does she deal with her negative emotions?
An even more important question is: where did that silent little cucumber go?
Before she knew it, Banami realized that the skin on her palms had become wrinkled from washing, and that's when she came to her senses.
There are still so many things he doesn't know about Wakaba Mutsu.
Left with no other choice, he turned off the shower, put on his pajamas, and left the bathroom, where he saw Xiao Xiang asleep on the table.
Speaking of which, why has Xiao Xiang been sleeping so much lately?
Looking at the phone in her hand, Banami seemed to understand something and gently patted her shoulder.
Soon after, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
"Did you call Wakaba Mutsu just now? Why didn't you answer?" Yami asked.
But Xiao Xiang just shook his head slightly, looking somewhat sad.
As expected, the seemingly cheerful and gentle Wakaba Mutsuki is different from the Wakaba Mutsuki of the past.
Whether it was his politeness towards Hanami or his... subtle distance from Shoko.
Are you very tired today?
Upon hearing Xiangzi's words, Banami gave a slightly tired but knowing smile: "I only felt tired after seeing Xiangzi."
Ah, could it be that he unintentionally said something incredibly sweet just now?
Sure enough, after hearing his words, Xiangzi gently stood up, pressed his lips to his lips, and said in a soft, gentle Wu dialect tone, "Kiss, and you won't be tired."
Ahhh, little Xiang is so cute when he's half asleep!
Banami couldn't hold back any longer. Although she was surrounded by beautiful girls all day long, Xiaoxiang was the only one she could legally and legitimately eat.
As she said, the best way to relieve fatigue and stress is through intimacy.
Suddenly, Banami thought of a possibility: Wakaba Mutsu seemed to have awakened her sexual awareness before, and Xiaoxiang and the others suspected that Wakaba Mutsu had found a lover, whether male or female.
Perhaps, Ruoye Mu also thinks this way, using intimacy, or to put it bluntly, sex, to relieve his stress and preserve his self.
It's like some people become an ashtray when they're under a lot of pressure, but when the pace of life slows down, they can go without smoking a single cigarette.
Okay, he's always been this kind of person.
"What's wrong?" Perhaps seeing that Banami was a little distracted and not paying attention, Xiangzi looked rather dissatisfied.
With a smile, Banai said, "Xiao Xiang, how about I teach you a better way to relieve fatigue today?"
Xiangzi widened his eyes slightly, as if shy, and silently lowered his head, which was tacit agreement.
***
As the night grew hazy, Banami gently stroked Toyokawa Shoko, who was sleeping like a cat in her arms.
After the rain had stopped, he felt much better now; at least for now, the video issue should be resolved.
Objectively speaking, as Wakaba Mutsumi said, doing this is the best for everyone.
Thinking this, the image of the other person appeared in Banami's mind, and she wondered what Wakaba Mutsu was doing right now.
Chapter 47 Wakaba Mutsumi: Hey, Saki-chan!
The next morning, Banami woke up to a slightly damp sensation on her lips.
He slowly opened his eyes and found the rosy-cheeked girl looking at him with somewhat unfocused eyes.
He smiled naturally and said, "Good morning, Xiao Xiang."
Thinking about how obediently Xiangzi cooperated with him last night, his heart started pounding as soon as he woke up.
To Banami's surprise, despite how satisfying it had been the day before, Shoko, who had just woken up, looked shy: "Um, Yu, we..."
The two were, after all, soulmates who understood each other perfectly, so there was no need for Xiangzi to say it out loud. The boy simply straightened his slightly sore back and said, "Xiao Xiang, you little glutton."
But Xiangzi looked puzzled and a little embarrassed. He thought to himself, "It's been so long since we've done it. When I woke up this morning and saw your handsome face, I was suddenly moved and wanted to fulfill my duties as a couple. Why do you call me a little glutton?"
I'm not asking you to do it three times a day, after all, I'm not a demon, but you're only sixteen, how can you sleep like that!?
However, Xiangzi's words, which she found difficult to utter due to her ladylike modesty, vanished the next moment as the boy pressed her down.
He didn't know how much time had passed until the bathtub was overflowing, and Xiangzi lay in his lover's arms, enjoying the lingering afterglow.
But then I heard Banami say, "Soaking it again? Aren't you afraid of wrinkling your skin?"
Xiangzi thought to herself, "Why is this guy saying so many strange things today? He's just thinking about Xiao Mu." She quickly said, "Xi, I want to talk to Xiao Mu today. Her appearance yesterday made me very uneasy."
After a moment of silence, Yagami said, "You feel uneasy because Wakaba Mutsu doesn't need to rely on you now?"
Upon hearing her lover's words, Xiangzi was initially annoyed by the lack of understanding. However, this annoyance gradually dissipated as she came to understand the meaning behind his words. Then, she felt ashamed and introspective. Finally, she said, "No, it shouldn't be, but I don't know, because I'm only familiar with Xiao Mu, who always follows me around."
Banami's question is actually very simple: if the cheerful Wakaba Mutsu yesterday was the real Wakaba Mutsu, would you accept her as a girl, rather than a puppet, appendage, and follower behind you?
In fact, the boy's words carried a very strong accusatory tone, and it was understandable that Xiangzi felt wronged and angry, but in the end she accepted it calmly.
Perhaps she had never even considered this question before.
What does Wakaba Mutsu really mean to her?
Seeing that Xiao Xiang had come to his senses, Banai felt a pang of pity in her heart and simply hugged him gently.
***
After finishing breakfast, Xiangzi left home alone, not with Banami and Hatsune, but went to the door of Wakaba's house.
Perhaps out of a shared concern, Toyokawa Shoko encountered another familiar girl at the door.
“SAKI-chan…” Nagasaki Motoyo said with some surprise.
Because of the previous changes, Su Shi no longer lives at the Toyokawa family's house, but has returned to her own home.
It's quite far from the Wakaba and Toyokawa families.
Su Shi, who was wearing a school uniform, appeared here early on.
"Su Shi, are you here to invite Xiao Mu to go to school together too?" Xiangzi asked, her eyes brightening.
“Xi Jun already called me about yesterday’s interview. I’m a little worried about Xiao Mu’s condition,” Su Shi said in a gentle voice.
That's why the two of them appeared at Wakaba's door at almost the same time.
Unfortunately, the result was quite disappointing for them.
"Miss Wakaba, I'm so sorry you went to school so early today."
The two learned this news from the maid.
Xiangzi and Su Shi looked at each other in bewilderment, and without saying a word, they hurriedly headed towards the Moon Forest.
In the past, Wakaba Mutsu wasn't particularly enthusiastic about going to school; she would either go to school with Toyokawa and Shoko.
Otherwise, they'll only return to the Moon Forest at the very last minute.
For Mutsuka Wakaba, the school wasn't exactly a great place, except for the botanical garden.
Therefore, the fact that Wakaba Mutsuki went to school early alone without saying a word today made the two girls feel increasingly awkward.
The current Wakaba Mutsumi is completely different from the one she used to be.
However, when the two arrived at Moon Forest, they found that the entire school's broadcast system was filled with two voices.
"That video was really too much. If I had to say, I was the matchmaker for Xiaoxi and Saki-chan."
Ruoye Mu's angry voice came over the loudspeaker, resounding throughout the entire Moon Forest Academy, forcing all students to hear the interview.
“SAKI-chan, could this be Mutsu…” Suze said incredulously.
"I was just expressing my feelings about the two of them finally being together at their engagement party, and then someone took a picture of it and deliberately twisted my meaning..."
As the recording of this interview continued to be played, fermented, and brewed, it seemed that most people already knew the "facts" behind it.
Xiangzi stood there blankly at the door, while countless students from Tsukimori who passed by looked at her with complicated expressions.
The shame of wrongly accusing someone, and a little bit of guilt.
After all, it is the academy for young ladies in the world of Bang Bang. Even though a small number of people have malicious intentions, the vast majority of people are still very innocent.
However, Xiangzi didn't care too much about these things. The only person who started this school-wide broadcast was naturally Ruoye Mu.
She was moved by Xiao Mu's actions, but also puzzled by these unusual actions.
This was not something that the Wakaba Mutsu, whom Shoko knew, would do, or could do.
"SAKI-chan, let's go check out Mutsu's class together," Su Shi quickly reminded her.
Coming to his senses, Xiangzi nodded emphatically. The two hurriedly arrived at Ruoye Mu's class, but when they reached the door, they saw a group of girls gathered around the girl with light green hair whom they knew.
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