Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 153 The system makes a long-awaited appearance and issues the highest difficulty mission!
After Ji Yexue returned to the activity room, it was time for club activities.

Since the creation of their original songs was still a long way off, they began rehearsing currently popular tracks.

Unsurprisingly, apart from the two veterans, Makoto Akizuki and Rie Niijima, the other three did not perform well, considering they had only practiced for a week.

However, the biggest problem is with Shiraishi Rin. It's as if she suddenly knows nothing about the electronic keyboard and doesn't even understand how to use it.

Although I wasn't very proficient before, after nearly a week of practice, I've finally mastered how to use it.

Everyone noticed Shiraishi Rin's unusual behavior, but they all tacitly refrained from pointing it out, pretending nothing was wrong.

During halftime, Akizuki Makoto walked up to Shiraishi Rin and asked her if she could go outside for a chat.

"Okay, okay..."

Shiraishi Rin nodded nervously and followed Akizuki Makoto out of the activity room and into the corridor.

After the two of them left, Shiina Maki and Niijima Rie huddled together, looking worried. "Shiraishi-chan seems really off today. Did something happen last night?"

"Yes, let's go ask Shiraishi-chan later. We must help her solve her problem!"

Even if Shiina Maki and Niijima Rie were slow to realize, they could tell that something must have happened last night that made Shiraishi Rin act so strangely today.

Although they had only known each other for a week, they already knew Shiraishi Rin very well and had developed a deep friendship with her.

……

Upon reaching the outside of the corridor, Akizuki Makoto found a quiet, secluded corner where no one was around, stopped, and turned to look at Shiraishi Rin.

"that……"

He considered his words carefully, thinking it best not to be so direct, so he smiled gently and asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell today? You don't seem to be in very good shape."

Asking Shiraishi Rin directly what she ate on Saturday night would be too abrupt. It would be better to talk about other things first and then bring it up; that would seem more natural.

Moreover, he really wanted to know what was wrong with Shiraishi Rin today.

"Feel sorry."

Faced with Akizuki Makoto's question, Shiraishi Rin could only apologize, because she couldn't explain the specific reason.

She wasn't feeling unwell, nor was she in bad shape; it's just that she wasn't the same Shiraishi Rin they knew from yesterday.

"It's okay, I didn't mean to blame you, I'm just a little concerned. Others probably noticed too, Shiina and Niijima are both worried about you."

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi Rin remained silent for a moment before replying in a low voice, "I will adjust my condition as soon as possible and not hold everyone back."

"Yes, don't push yourself. You can talk to us about anything."

Akizuki nodded, feeling it was about time, and changed the subject, saying, "By the way, I heard that after our performance ended on Saturday, you went to eat barbecue with Shiina and Niijima? How was it?"

"Very, very good..."

Shiraishi Rin responded somewhat awkwardly, her heart filled with nervousness and guilt.

She regretted not finishing reading the notebook left by the previous clone last night, otherwise she could have answered Akizuki Makoto in more detail.

The previous clone meticulously recorded everything that happened each day, including meals and mental activities.

"Yeah……"

Looking at Shiraishi Rin's awkward expression, Akizuki Makoto nodded thoughtfully and smiled, "Let's leave it at that for now and go back to continue practicing."

As expected, the Shiraishi Rin in front of me has no memory of Saturday.

Not only that, she also had no experience playing the electronic keyboard and didn't even know how to operate it.

If this is amnesia, then why does Shiraishi Rin still remember them, their relationship, and the Light Music Club?

"This is really strange..."

Akizuki Makoto frowned, completely baffled, unable to understand why Shiraishi Rin would forget Saturdays and Sundays, or even things from earlier times.

During the rehearsals that followed, everyone in the Light Music Club had their own thoughts and no one was able to concentrate on training.

At 6 p.m., when the club activities ended, Shiina Maki and Niijima Rie immediately approached Shiraishi Rin and pulled her to say goodbye to Akizuki Makoto and Hime Yuki.

Afterwards, the three of them left the activity room, intending to find a place outside the school to have dinner and have some heart-to-heart talks.

"Let's go too."

After watching the three of them leave, Qiu Yuecheng turned to look at Ji Yexue beside him, who had her arms crossed and a playful smile on her face.

"How about it?"

"Yes, as expected, she forgot what happened on Saturday, and she probably forgot the message she sent last night as well."

"Haha...Interesting."

Ji Yexue chuckled and asked with interest, "So what's your guess? Why did she forget?"

"Isn't the answer right here?"

Makoto Akizuki took out his phone, opened the chat window with Rin Shiraishi on LINE, and showed them their conversation from last night.

Without a doubt, the message Shiraishi Rin sent last night was a farewell to them.

and……

Just now, the system, which had been quiet for a long time, issued a new task.

You have triggered a new temporary quest.

Should we try to contact Shiraishi Rin, find out the reason for her unusual behavior, and resolve it?

[yes/no]

[Note: This task is extremely difficult, and there is a very high probability that something unpleasant will happen to you.]

The good thing about Brother Tong is that even if he accepts a mission, he doesn't have to bear any consequences if he fails.

Naturally, Akizuki accepted, as he seemed to be no longer able to remain uninvolved.

This concerns not only him, but also everyone else in the Light Music Club.

Even if he doesn't interfere and chooses to sit idly by, Ji Yexue, Shiina Maki, or Niijima Rie will eventually find out the reason and drag him into it.

……

at the same time.

The trio who left first went to a fancy family restaurant near the school and chose the deluxe buffet set meal for 2980 yen per person.

Rie Niijima paid for it; she was the one who suggested coming here, so she volunteered to pay the bill as well.

For her, this was a small amount of money. Her family was a middle-class family, living in a high-end apartment building in Shinjuku and Waseda.

"I'm sorry to have troubled Niijima-chan to spend money; you even bought mine."

Rin Shiraishi thanked Rie Niijima with great embarrassment, as she felt she might not have been able to afford her share of the cost.

According to Rieko Shimada, who was in charge of picking her up... or more accurately, supervising her, her daily food allowance was only 1,000 yen, which included breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the cost of water at school.

If she pays for this meal herself, she might go hungry for a while.

"It's okay, we're good friends." Rie Niijima said with a smile, pulling them to the dessert area and selecting several desserts that looked incredibly delicious.

"Shiraishi-chan, don't you love cake? You said last night that we were going to eat it together, so hurry up and choose."

"Okay, okay..."

Shiraishi Rin nodded, carefully selecting several types of cakes, and secretly swallowed.

After the three of them had chosen their food, they found a relatively quiet place to sit down and began their whispered conversation.

As soon as she sat down, Rie Niijima asked impatiently, "Hey, Shiraishi-chan, what's wrong with you? Something must have happened last night, right?"

"Yes, we are all very worried about you. If anything happens, you can talk to us and we will try to help you!"

Shiina Maki nodded in agreement, then added, "If all else fails, we can ask Akizuki-kun and President Himeya. They're both very capable; they'll definitely be able to come up with a solution!"

Although she was reluctant to admit it, Shiina Maki always understood that Himeyasu was exceptionally outstanding, not only excelling in everything but also coming from a very powerful family.

"I'm really okay. You're all worrying too much. What could possibly happen to me?"

Shiraishi Rin forced a smile. She didn't know what the consequences would be if she revealed the secret of her original body and clone, and she dared not reveal it.

Rieko Shimada had instructed her that she absolutely must not tell anyone, no matter what.

As long as she doesn't admit it, no matter what happens, no one will be able to uncover their secret.

Even so, she has already revealed several fatal flaws today.

"By the way, shall we go eat barbecue together again next time? Let's invite Akizuki-kun and the president too."

Wanting to change the subject and prevent the two from probing further, Shiraishi Rin suddenly spoke up, "Didn't Akizuki-kun ask me to go out this afternoon? He asked us where we ate barbecue on Saturday night and how it was. He seemed quite interested."

She knew that Shiina Maki liked Akizuki Makoto, so as long as she brought up Akizuki Makoto at this time, Shiina Maki would definitely take the bait and stop investigating her affairs.

But one by one
The reality, however, was far beyond her expectations.

Shiina Maki and Niijima Rie both looked at her with puzzled and strange eyes.

"Did we have barbecue on Saturday night?"

"Did Akizuki-kun really ask that?"

Maki Shiina and Rie Niijima looked at each other, wondering if they had gone mad or if they had suddenly been transported to some parallel world.

"Yes, yes, it was Akizuki-kun who asked me. You can ask him if you don't believe me."

Shiraishi Rin didn't know why the two looked confused. Could it be that the three of them didn't go out for barbecue on Saturday night?
Then why would Akizuki Makoto ask her that? Could it be...?

Shiraishi Rin suddenly realized a possibility: Akizuki Makoto was trying to trick her into revealing information.

Actually, she and Akizuki Makoto had barbecue together on Saturday night...

"No, it's impossible, right?"

The thought of this possibility caused Shiraishi Rin's pupils to contract sharply, and a nameless sense of panic spread through her heart, making her body tremble uncontrollably.

In just one day, Akizuki Makoto so keenly sensed that she had become a different person, and she dared not think about how she would cover it up later.

"We believe you, Shiraishi-chan."

"Well, that's right, we were just wondering why Akizuki-kun would ask that, and..."

Seeing that Shiraishi Rin was in a bad mood, Shiina Maki and Niijima Rie quickly spoke up to comfort her.

They certainly wouldn't suspect that Shiraishi Rin was lying; the lie was meaningless.

Moreover, they also had a question...

Shiraishi Rin seems to have admitted that they went out for barbecue together that night.

This is quite intriguing.

Even though they didn't go that night, why didn't Shiraishi Rin deny it outright?
He even suggested to them that he should bring Akizuki Makoto and Hime Yuki along next time.

"..."

Realizing that he had made a fatal mistake with his words, Shiraishi Rin stood up suddenly after a moment of silence, picked up his schoolbag, and bowed deeply to the two of them.

"Sorry, I... I have to go now. I think I've been acting a bit strange today. I'm really sorry, and I've troubled Niijima-chan with the expense. I'll pay you back my share tomorrow."

After saying that, she immediately rushed out of the family restaurant as if fleeing, running as fast as she could.

She could no longer stay there, because her words instantly turned the previously pleasant atmosphere into an awkward and tense one.

Even she herself couldn't stand it anymore, let alone the other two.

They must have felt awkward and confused, but out of consideration for her, they didn't ask her any more questions.

Such a gentle person is not something she, a mere imposter, could possess.

"Wait, wait, Shiraishi-chan!"

"Where are you going!"

After Shiraishi Rin ran off, Shiina Maki and Niijima Rie instinctively tried to chase after her, but they were both quite slow, and the store was bustling with people coming and going.

The petite Shiraishi Rin disappeared immediately after running into the crowd.

They could only watch helplessly as Shiraishi Rin disappeared before their eyes, unable to do anything about it.

"Why is Shiraishi-chan running away?"

"it's wired……"

The two looked at each other, both puzzled as to what was wrong with Shiraishi Rin today.

……

at the same time.

After running out of the family restaurant, Shiraishi Rin continued running at full speed. She even bumped into a pedestrian because she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and was verbally abused.

"sorry Sorry……"

She could only keep bowing her head and apologizing to the person who had been hit.

Fortunately, the person didn't dwell on it and walked away grumbling.

Even then, Shiraishi Rin continued to apologize, muttering the words "I'm sorry" over and over again.

At the same time, her eyes became sore, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.

She squatted on the ground, wailing and crying, while passersby avoided her, looking at her with strange eyes.

No one knows what Shiraishi Rin is thinking now that she's emotionally broken down.

Even she herself couldn't figure out why she was crying. Was it for her life, which she only had one week left, or for the kindness of Maki Shiina and Rie Niijima, or something else entirely?

However, when she thought about all the things she had experienced since her birth, she couldn't help but want to cry.

She didn't know why she had to go through all this; it was so cruel, so incredibly cruel.

(End of this chapter)