People are in Mygo, and I can write their personalities.

"After all... in my opinion, your father is indeed somewhat useless, not as good as you."

What do you mean she's not even as good as her? It's like she's completely useless...

"Right, I told you so, didn't I? That's exactly what you're thinking, isn't it?"

"Have I... thought about that?"

No, she had absolutely no such idea... because it was obvious that such a thing was impossible, even more absurd than rekindling her father's fighting spirit.

The problem is that after Nanami Natsuki said those words, it was as if a seed was planted in her heart at the same time, and this seed is sprouting and growing at an alarming speed.

"No, no! You're trying to mislead me again!"

"Just tell me if you want to do this or not!"

“I…” Toyokawa Shoko hesitated for a moment, then immediately shook her head and refused, “Why would I do that? Give up myself…and my father? That’s ridiculous. No matter what you say, I will not agree to such an absurd deal.”

"In the end, you just want to get pleasure from me, don't you?! Listen up! I'm not your tool for amusement!!!"

"I... Waaah... Waaah~"

Seeing Nanami Natsuki, who had just been so certain that she would agree, suddenly burst into tears, Toyokawa Shoko was filled with questions.

How did she make you cry? I was just stating the facts...

Just as Xiangzi was hesitating whether to comfort the guy first, Nanami Natsuki's expression immediately changed.

"Hehe, just kidding~"

"You bastard..." Toyokawa Shoko looked at Nanami Natsuki making faces at her, and she gritted her teeth in anger, really wanting to punch Nanami Natsuki in the face.

"But... this is also an opportunity for you, isn't it?"

"what?"

Seeing that Nanami Natsuki suddenly stopped smiling, wiped away her fake tears, and put on a serious expression, Toyokawa Shoko became wary again, because she knew that this girl was about to say something to tempt her to agree.

"You're saying I'm getting pleasure from you and your father? But if that's really what I'm thinking, why would I need your permission?"

"We can just do it secretly without anyone noticing, right? There's no need to tell you beforehand, right?"

"..."

"Also, you don't think I only have you as a trading partner, do you? Actually, before I came here today, I already sensed the concern that another trading partner had for you."

"Xiao Xiang, not everyone in this world is hostile to you. Even I didn't come to bother you to completely break down your psychological defenses."

Who are you talking about?

"You'll find out once you agree to my deal."

"..."

"Getting back to the topic we were just discussing, why do I say this is an opportunity? Because... you and your father have never really put yourselves in each other's shoes, have you?"

"Put yourself in someone else's shoes..."

Seeing that Xiangzi had begun to ponder, Nanami Natsuki pressed on, saying, "Perhaps from your perspective, he is a very irresponsible father, and you are full of disappointment in him. But have you ever thought that in his eyes, he has done everything he could?"

"For him, it might not be that he didn't want to change, but rather that the pressures you can't see forced him to give up on changing. Because for a normal person, patience and perseverance need sufficient positive feedback to nourish them, and prolonged failures can really break a person."

"Are you telling the truth? You... know something I don't?"

"How would I know?" Seeing that Toyokawa Shoko looked a little angry, Nanami Natsuki smiled and continued, "But you can take this opportunity to see for yourself, right?"

"You can truly put yourself in your father's shoes and think about whether his choice was right, while your father can put himself in your shoes and experience the joys and sorrows of your life."

"Are you really that kind?"

"I've never really done anything that you consider heinous, have I? Why do you have such a strong prejudice against me, Xiao Xiang?"

How dare you say that? Toyokawa Shoko rolled her eyes; she was too lazy to explain.

"Of course, whether you want to agree or not, I will tell you the details of the deal. If you accept, then the deal is done. If you don't accept, then I will have to give up both deals at the same time."

"What two deals... Who exactly is this person you've been talking about since earlier?!"

"Don't rush, let me explain the details of this transaction first."

Nanami Natsuki cleared her throat and began to talk about her so-called deal in a very serious manner, "You can decide the time for the body swap yourself, whether it's 10 days, until you start school, or until you are satisfied."

Of course, to protect your privacy, I will switch you back if I notice either of you going to the toilet or bathroom. However, you'll have to explain these strange phenomena to your father yourself; I won't erase his memories of them.

Just kidding. As a fellow girl, it's already more than enough that she thought of protecting Xiao Xiang. She wouldn't waste any extra emotional points on this.

"Hmph...you haven't completely lost your humanity after all." Toyokawa Shoko rarely said anything that wasn't exactly kind. "But is that all? According to your usual practice, shouldn't you make me pay something more?"

"Of course there are conditions, but this time I don't want anything. I'll just put something into your body for the first ten days."

"???"

Toyokawa Shoko blushed and immediately took several steps back.

"What are you thinking, you lecherous woman! I'm just going to add some other people's memories and emotions to you!"

"What you said was really scary!"

Toyokawa Shoko thought for a moment, even if Nanami Natsuki had that idea, she didn't have that organ... Hmm, it seems that this little witch is deliberately playing a trick on her again.

"As for whose memories and emotions they are, you'll find out in time. Don't worry... these are all harmless and won't have any terrible effects on you. I'll take these things back in ten days. You can think of it as you watching a movie for free?"

"You're not lying to me, are you...?"

"Of course not." Nanami Natsuki waved her finger. "How about it? I'll only give you one chance to answer. If you agree, it's a deal."

"If you don't agree, I will never appear in front of you again unless you come to me yourself, and of course, the price won't be the same then."

"..."

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, one minute, and finally three minutes...

Toyokawa Shoko had been weighing the value of this deal. She was indeed a little afraid that Nanami Natsuki's act of stuffing someone else's memories into her head might be out of malice, but as she said before, if the other party really only had malicious intent, then she didn't have the opportunity to make this choice now.

Moreover... if he could truly put himself in his father's shoes and talk to his grandfather, perhaps he would be able to understand what was troubling his father.

This is an opportunity, an opportunity that a normal person would never encounter in their entire life...

As for whether her father could take her place at work and understand her difficulties... Xiangzi no longer had any expectations of that.

All she wants now is an answer, an answer that will put her completely at ease.

"Okay... I promise you."

Chapter 17 Xiangzi Strikes Back at Xiangzi (1/2)

Toyokawa Shoko felt as if she had just been ripped from her body by some special force. The feeling was terrifying, but she had no way to resist.

Consciousness gradually faded, and then awoke again after an unknown period of time.

"This is... ah, my voice."

Just as Shoko was about to get up to check on Nanami Natsuki's health and see if she was still at her house, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

A flood of memories that didn't belong to her rushed into her mind, mixed with an extremely strong sense of obsession...

"This is... Su Shi's memories?!"

A series of memories belonging to Su Shi, but not including all of Su Shi's experiences, were laid out before Xiangzi. She saw the starting point of all the stories, that is, from Su Shi's perspective, she glimpsed another "self" smiling and walking towards her.

'Nagasaki-kun?'

'...'

"Is this Nagasaki Motoyo?"

'You are? '

"I'm Toyokawa Shoko from Class C. I'd like to ask you something small: are you interested in the band?"

Looking at all this, a scene reminiscent of old photographs, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly felt a sense of surprise and anticipation.

Was she happy about the band's invitation? But why? Why would Su Shi have such a strong sense of anticipation for an invitation from a stranger's band?

The scenes of her memories were still playing, and Xiangzi was like a spectator watching a movie on a screen. At this moment, she was both an observer who could not change the past and a participant watching it all from a first-person perspective.

Through Nagasaki Motoyo's perspective, she saw everything she already knew when she was Shoko: getting to know Mutsu, Riki, and Kodama, discussing the band's practice arrangements together, the conflict arising from Kodama's poor performance during the first song rehearsal, and Motoyo's anxiety and heartfelt mediation at that moment.

So... is their band really this wonderful? For Su Shi...

Toyokawa Shoko's feelings were very complicated. On the one hand, she knew very well that the band had disbanded and she should not dwell on the past; but on the other hand, the resentment that had been suppressed in her heart was brought up again by Su Shi's memories and obsession.

From rehearsals to their first performance, and then the creation of the Crychic social media account, where they posted a group photo of all the band members on the account, hoping that the number of followers would increase...

Everything was moving in a positive direction, until the ending that Xiangzi already knew was repeated.

Looking at herself that day from someone else's perspective, Xiangzi suddenly felt disgusted with herself. In front of the "screen," she begged herself not to do that, begged herself to persevere for a while longer, even if she really couldn't take care of the band's activities anymore, at least not to hurt others.

After all, Xiangzi knew very well what happened next. Instead of continuing Crychic's activities as she had predicted, the group fell apart and ceased to exist.

I'm leaving Crychic.

As these words were spoken, the oppressive atmosphere exploded. Xiangzi, standing where Su Shi had been that day, witnessed once again Li Xi's anger, Xiao Deng's silence, and Xiao Mu's denial.

There's nothing she can do.

Not only could she, as Toyokawa Shoko, not do it, but in the flashbacks, the character Nagasaki Motoyo, whom she played, was also unable to do anything.

If the memories ended here, that would be fine, but it's not over yet.

Shoko Toyokawa watched with a sense of guilt the events that happened to Crychic after she left over the next two weeks.

Lamp was the first to leave, and Riki left angrily after Lamp stopped participating in practice. In those last few days, Shoko, filled with despair from the world, witnessed the departing figure of Wakaba Mutsu.

The band was gone; that was a given. But this was the first time Toyokawa Shoko had learned about the events behind that fact.

Xiao Mu had never told her these things, but thinking about it, she knew that Xiao Mu was just not good at expressing herself and did not want to worry her.

Neither Lixi nor Deng had told him anything. Lixi might resent him, and Deng... she had always been introverted and withdrawn. They wouldn't come looking for him, much less find him.

Of course, Su Shi did not give up.

Time and again, he contacted "himself" with longing and anticipation, knowing that doing so might anger "himself" but unwilling to give up, only to be met with "himself's" indifference and disregard time and time again. He was so heartbroken but unwilling to give up. He watched hope dissipate but still chased after the fading shadow with an obsession... Xiangzi had personally experienced all of this.

Although Xiangzi didn't understand why Su Shi cherished everything about Crychic so much, at least Xiangzi knew very well that this feeling... was not unreal.

"Xiao Xiang?! What's going on?!"

Toyokawa Shoko's head was still a little dizzy, perhaps because her father's body had not yet completely shaken off the effects of alcohol.