Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

Page 28

Actually, Xiangzi wasn't in as good a mood as she appeared in the coffee shop. She just didn't want Xiaomu to worry too much, so she tried to act as relaxed as possible.

In her memory, Su Shi had always been the gentlest, motherly figure in the band.

Therefore, Xiangzi was not surprised that Su Shi sent him messages every day to show her concern.

Xiangzi was terrified of her constant attempts to uncover his secrets.

When someone you've known day in and day out messages you on Line to ask about your current situation, how can you possibly answer them? If you accept the conversation, you'll inevitably find yourself becoming dependent on them.

Because of this, Xiangzi blocked the other party, but she never imagined that in such a short period of time, the other party would become so obsessed.

This kind of Su Shi, who arbitrarily twists other people's good intentions, is not the Su Shi she knows.

She couldn't help but wonder if her departure had caused Su Shi to become like this.

She was also hesitating about whether or not to meet with Su Shi.

After all, we can't just let her be like this... If it's my responsibility, I should at least take responsibility for it.

"Xiao Xiang..." A gentle female voice, which Xiao Xiang didn't want to hear, came from beside her ear. Xiangzi covered her mouth in surprise and slowly turned around... Sure enough, at one end of the park walkway stood the figure that Xiangzi didn't want to see.

The girl with long, flaxen hair, wearing the Tsukimori school uniform and carrying a shoulder bag, couldn't clearly see the other person's face from that distance because of the setting sun.

However, Xiangzi wouldn't mistake...the figure of every member of the band she once cared about most.

After her mother's death, Xiangzi formed the group "Ku Lai Xi Ku" (meaning "bitterness comes with bitterness"). Among the members of "Ku Lai Xi Ku", the person she cared about most was Deng Hemu (meaning "lamp")... because she felt that Deng's lyrics were the cry of her heart. One of the reasons for the formation of "Ku Lai Xi Ku" was because of Deng.

And Mu is his childhood sweetheart, the other half of his soul.

But the person I like the most is Su Shi...

Although it sounds strange, Su Shi's temperament really is very similar to that of her deceased mother.

Looking back now, perhaps this was one of the reasons I blocked her.

Xiangzi simply couldn't bring himself to refuse Su Shi's concern, given how similar she was to his mother.

If you don't block the other person, sooner or later you will be unable to resist reaching out to them and asking for their help.

However, the situation seems to be somewhat different now...

Xiangzi had a bad feeling. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

"Su Shi, why are you here?" She asked calmly at first, but seeing Su Shi's face turn somewhat panicked at her question, she seemed to realize something, and her expression turned cold: "Were you following Mu?"

"That's not how it is..." Su Shi tried to explain in a panic, but then seemed to remember something, and lowered her head helplessly, not saying anything.

Just like yesterday, she was worried about Mu's safety and planned to secretly send Mu home. However, she was surprised to find that Mu was meeting with Xiao Xiang, whom she had been thinking about day and night.

Xiao Xiang... it turns out she transferred to Yuqiu. Looking at Xiangzi wearing the Yuqiu school uniform, she desperately wanted to talk to her.

After she separated from Xiao Mu, she followed Xiangzi. When Xiangzi was alone, she stepped forward... However, regardless of the truth, judging from her actions alone, Su Shi did indeed follow Xiao Mu.

Seeing this, Xiangzi's eyes slowly darkened, filled with deep disappointment.

She really couldn't understand why Su Shi had become like this. Before she left Ku Lai Xi Ku, Su Shi was a gentle and kind person, like a mother to everyone. She never expected that Su Shi would actually do such a thing, not only slandering Taro-senpai, but also stalking Mutsu.

Xiangzi was already finding the first thing hard to accept, and then the second thing happened.

Her feelings for Momoi Taro were very complicated.

Her mother once said that she liked her honest, upright and kind father the most.

Xiangzi, who resembled her mother very much, naturally thought such a person was wonderful. She herself agreed that the father her mother spoke of was the best father in the world.

But ever since my mother died, and that incident happened, my father seems to have completely changed. He's become a stranger, someone I don't recognize at all. All the integrity and kindness my mother spoke of have vanished without a trace.

Even so, Xiangzi still did not abandon her father. She left the wealthy Toyokawa family and lived with her father, all for the sake of him. How could she really abandon her father?

But seeing her father's decline, she was truly disappointed and heartbroken. For her father's sake, she paid for his tuition herself and worked to support both of them, hoping that one day her father could pull himself together.

But her efforts seemed to be in vain; her father became increasingly degenerate. He was even taken in by the police for being drunk. Under increasing pressure, she began to give up many things she used to care about, and this was one of the many hardships she endured.

Things didn't get better after he left the band. Xiangzi still had to work several jobs a day.

But after meeting his mentor, everything changed. The fallen father rallied and became the father he once was. He also got a relatively decent job, which was a little tough, but nothing compared to before.

The senior colleague at work was really strict. At the beginning, he kept saying no to his work, but Xiangzi actually liked that kind of senior colleague more. Even though the senior colleague knew about his down-and-out situation, he didn't treat Xiangzi as someone who needed to be taken care of. Instead, he treated him as an ordinary colleague.

The senior colleague may seem sharp-tongued, but he was simply stating his true thoughts. He wouldn't compromise because of societal unspoken rules, and he would readily lend a helping hand to those in need.

Such a senior is undoubtedly more honest, more upright, and more kind than the father my mother described.

How could Xiangzi not like such a senior?

That's why Toyokawa Shoko is troubled, because she is gradually trying to rely on her seniors.

That's why Toyokawa Shoko was willing to try to change herself. Although she couldn't be as good as her senior, she was willing to share the light she received from her senior with others.

She gradually learned to pay attention to others, noticing Xiao Mu's pressure and wondering if there had been anything wrong with her past actions. She also noticed various things she hadn't noticed before.

That's why she felt uneasy when she heard that Su Shi might harass her senior. That's why she said she was willing to meet Su Shi when she heard Su Shi's thoughts about her senior...

Although avoiding it would make her feel better, she couldn't bear to see Su Shi lose such a reliable friend as her senior because of prejudice. She also didn't want her senior's image to be misunderstood.

However, everything changed when she learned that Su Shi had seen this. She considered many possible reasons why Su Shi might have found her way, but no matter how she thought about it, only the guess that she was following Mu was the most plausible.

She spoke with the hope that the other person would deny it, but seeing Su Shi's expression, she knew that Su Shi had indeed followed Xiao Mu to see her.

"You've gone to all this trouble to come see me, what exactly do you want to say?" Xiangzi's tone was cold and tinged with impatience.

"I...I followed...I followed Xiaomu because I was afraid something might happen to her. So..." Su Shi stammered, trying hard to explain the reason: "Xiaomu met a very dangerous guy somewhere..."

"Are you still saying such things?" Xiangzi's voice was icy, directly interrupting Su Shi: "To slander others so casually based on your own speculation is truly disgraceful..."

Su Shi was speechless. She knew how far-fetched her own explanation was. She could only take two steps forward and say, forcing herself to speak, "But I'm really scared that Xiao Mu's personality will suddenly change after she's been around him..."

No, she felt that she was the one who caused Xiao Mu to become like this.

"Do you really think so?" Seeing Su Shi still saying such irresponsible things, Xiangzi's last bit of tenderness for her died. She pointed out the problem without hesitation and said, "Then why don't you tell Xiao Mu that you want to go home with her?"

"You know, right? Xiao Mu won't refuse you."

"You've misunderstood!" She tried to explain, but then gave up. It was the truth she absolutely couldn't say.

She was afraid that if she continued to have contact with Xiao Mu, it would worsen Xiao Mu's condition.

"Where is the misunderstanding? Your words and actions are contradictory."

Xiangzi's cold words pierced through Su Shi's heart like a knife. She dared not look Xiangzi in the eye and could only look away.

"Stop pretending you're thinking of Mu. You've probably realized it yourself, haven't you? How much pressure your actions put on Mu."

Xiangzi slightly raised his head, looking down at the silent Su Shi. Su Shi couldn't refute him, clutching her shoulder bag tightly, hoping that the pain from the strap digging into her shoulder would ease her inner turmoil.

"But you still blame everything on others." Su Shi's wretched appearance did not soften Xiangzi's heart: "Doing this kind of thing makes you feel relieved. Isn't that what you want?"

"No, no!" Su Yin shook her head, denying it, her voice trembling with a hint of tears: "I just, I just want to get back from this bitter time, to go back to the way things were before, so that Xiao Mu can... can become happy again."

"It's really ridiculous to still be clinging to the past."

Xiangzi felt a string snap in his brain. Why suffer so much? Why put so much pressure on Xiao Mu?

But she still used her last bit of reason to offer gentle advice, hoping that Su Shi wouldn't remain obstinate: "You should probably forget about it by now."

Yes, Toyokawa Shoko... you should have forgotten about her by now. She told herself this to herself, thinking to herself, "Aren't I also preparing to form a new band?"

"Why..." Su Shi asked softly, her voice trembling with confusion, a hint of a sob in her gentle tone.

"We used to be so close, we were happy every day...we were all together...now we've gone our separate ways, it's so strange..."

Su Shi forced a smile, her eyes filled with the sorrow of a wife witnessing her husband's infidelity—a mixture of resentment, pleading, and expectation. A flood of emotions clouded her eyes, creating a misty haze.

"The band is a community with a shared future, right, Xiangzi?"

"So, have you asked other people for their opinions?"

"Su Shi, stop talking." Xiangzi pleaded earnestly in his heart. Deng and Li Xi have both decided to move forward. Now, you and I really can't pull them back.

"Eh...? Everyone must be like this..."

Su Shi's trembling voice carried a hint of uncertainty. She knew that Deng wanted to reform the band, but she didn't know whether it was to rebuild Ku Lai Xi Ku. Xiao Mu had clearly said those things, wanting to bring everyone back together, without asking for her opinion.

I'm really scared... scared of hearing different ideas from them.

Therefore, she never asked for everyone's opinion, although she had approached Lixi before. However, she never directly asked Lixi if she wanted to return to Kulaixi.

The lamp too… I saw her at Momoi Taro's place last time, and I couldn't ask her a single question. Because she was afraid…

She could only tell herself that everyone thought this way, and that was the only way to think it. Otherwise, what would all she had done up to this point mean?

"So this is just your personal opinion." Xiangzi shook her head. She could tell that Su Shi was just talking to himself: "Ku Lai Xi Ku is destroyed and can never be resurrected."

If we start all over again from scratch, wouldn't that be denying our past selves, and denying everyone who is moving forward?

Xiangzi's pride and gentleness wouldn't allow her to do that.

“Eh… But, Ku Lai Xi Ku was created by Xiao Xiang himself, right…” Su Shi murmured, biting her lower lip tightly, gripping her shoulder bag tightly with both hands to tighten the pain in her shoulders.

She didn't even have the leisure to play with her fingers as she was racking her brains to find evidence to convince Xiangzi.

"So I ended it myself." Xiangzi said very calmly. Deng and Lixi both had more promising lives ahead of them, and he couldn't become their prison.

"It's not over yet!" Su Shi shook his head in denial and retorted loudly, "I have always been working hard for the sake of suffering."

"No one asked you to do this, right?" Xiangzi sighed softly. Here, he absolutely couldn't be soft-hearted, not even for Su Shi's sake...

Even if she harbors the slightest lingering affection, she will still be trapped in that prison called the past.

"This is an ultimatum." Xiangzi made this declaration with great determination: "From now on, you are not allowed to have anything to do with me anymore."

After saying that, Xiangzi strode away, brushing past Su Shi.

tread, tread, tread...

Xiangzi's footsteps weren't heavy, but to Su Shi's ears, they sounded like a death knell...

This is a death knell tolling for those who suffer. Every step Xiangzi takes causes her heart to ache terribly.

"Wait a minute..." Su Shi was stunned for a long time before she finally broke free from this pain. She turned around and pleaded with Xiangzi, crying, "Don't go... No... I really cherish everyone and like everyone very much..."

She tried one last time to salvage the relationship...

I like everyone very much... and I cherish everyone very much.

Xiangzi continued walking forward, showing no intention of stopping.

Therefore, I absolutely, positively cannot turn back; this is the best choice for everyone.