After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Toyokawa Yuu casually brushed it off and steered the conversation back to Shiina Tatsuki.

"So, what about you? Do you intend to use your skills to conquer a bigger stage after this?"

............................................................

In the rehearsal room of 【RING】, as the last string plucked fell, Chihaya Aine excitedly raised her guitar and jumped up with joy.

"Wow, I really am a genius! I learned what Xiao Mu taught me so quickly."

Completely unaware that her best friend downstairs was poaching members from her band in an attempt to get revenge on another friend, Chihaya Aine wore a smug smile.

It must be said that Ruoye Mu is indeed a good student from Tsuki no Mori. Although her somewhat taciturn appearance might make people doubt her ability to take on a teaching job, only those who have experienced it firsthand can understand that her delicate mind is a unique advantage in teaching.

Although what she taught wasn't exactly simple or easy to understand, compared to Yoru Nai, who had the talent to "play naturally just by looking at the sheet music," Wakaba Mutsu could always accurately point out her technical shortcomings.

He quickly learned the basics of a piece of music taught by the Protestant.

However, compared to the excited students, teacher Ruoye Mutsu's expression did not show much joy.

Golden eyes kept glancing towards the door. From the beginning, she had been hoping that Toyokawa Yuu would come in halfway, but she hadn't seen the boy yet.

Even though she knew it was because she didn't want to disturb her teaching, Ruo Yemu still felt a little disappointed.

It seemed that Chihaya Aine's request was more important to him than his own dependence.

"What's wrong, Xiao Mu? You look unhappy. Is something bothering you?"

Even amidst the joy of progress, Chihaya Aine did not become complacent. The considerate girl quickly noticed the slight disappointment on Wakaba Mutsu's face.

Not knowing the specific reason, she could only guess that it might be because the somewhat introverted girl in front of her was in a closed space where she had no acquaintances, which made her feel uneasy.

"...Yes, a little."

When faced with Chihaya Aine's enthusiastic concern, Wakaba Mutsu initially wanted to refuse as was his habit, but after a moment's hesitation, he nodded.

Ignoring the girl, Yoro, who was hiding in the corner and looking over with great interest, the golden-eyed girl looked down at her guitar, her voice somewhat dejected.

"Aine, can I ask you for a favor? I want you to... help Yuu."

Chapter 169 Metis's First Victory

"Youyu, what's wrong with him?"

When Chihaya Aine heard that Wakaba Mutsu had come to her for help because of Toyokawa Yuu, she was slightly taken aback, but strangely, she wasn't too surprised.

The feeling was less like "Youyu actually got into trouble" and more like "That guy really did get into trouble, and he even kept it from me."

Strangely enough, regardless of one's feelings towards Toyokawa Yuu, anyone who knows him considers him a reliable person. However, in Chihaya Aine's eyes, Toyokawa Yuu was never a troublesome character from the very beginning.

In addition, a hint of curiosity... and trepidation also lingered in the pink-haired girl's gray eyes.

Although she didn't think Toyokawa Yuu was the type to make things easy from the start, Chihaya Aine had no doubts about his competence.

Just maintaining MyGO!!!!!, a band that's similar to a student club, sometimes feels a bit overwhelming for me and my bandmates.

After all, the idea of ​​"being in a band for life" seems too distant and heavy no matter how you look at it.

Chihaya Aine couldn't even imagine whether she would still be able to pick up a guitar decades from now, when she had become a wrinkled old lady.

In comparison, Toyokawa Yuu, who can manage a commercial band with far more complex interests than student clubs, should be better at interpersonal skills than I am... should be?

The problem that even Toyokawa Yuu found troublesome, and even Wakaba Mutsu couldn't stand it anymore and secretly asked her for help... could it be really that scary? Is it something that an ordinary high school girl like herself can get involved in?

With a mix of trepidation at the prospect of facing a difficult problem and a desire to help as much as possible as friends, Chihaya Aine awaited Wakaba Mutsu's next words.

"Youyu... he's about to break down."

The statement was so startling that even Kaname, who was sunbathing in the corner by the window, couldn't help but cast a curious glance at her, and Chihaya Aine's heart was secretly on edge.

Bathed in Chihaya Aine's somewhat worried gaze, Wakaba Mutsu hugged his guitar tighter and spoke again.

“Ave Mujica... has partnered with Soyo’s mother’s company, and Soyo found out... Yuu isn’t that outgoing, and he doesn’t know how to deal with Soyo.”

The voice was indifferent, and the words were somewhat incoherent, even lacking causal logic for those who were completely unaware of the situation.

Those who are not familiar with Wakaba Mutsu might find it difficult to understand the meaning behind these words.

However, while Chihaya Aine didn't know Wakaba Mutsu in great depth, she did know Toyokawa Yuu.

They were perfectly clear about how the conflict between the two had started... It probably began when Soyo invited Shoko to Asukayama.

"Does Xiaomu hope that I can help Youyu and Soyorin get back together, just like last time when Soyorin was willing to return to MyGO?!"

She asked the question tentatively, but in her heart, Chihaya Aine was secretly groaning.

I always feel that every time someone asks me for help, I have to deal with very tricky interpersonal relationships on my own, and the most troublesome part is always related to soyorin.

Despite her complaints, Chihaya Aine had no intention of truly ignoring the situation.

Judging from Wakaba Mutsu's description, it seems that Yuu's mentality has been affected by this incident.

If this mentality continues unchecked, it will likely affect his work, especially since the band Ave Mujica is the culmination of his and Xiangzi's efforts before their marriage.

But even if you decide to take charge, you still need to know the specifics of the situation.

Sensing that the problem was likely to be quite troublesome, Chihaya Aine looked at Wakaba Mutsu with a somewhat guilty expression, but still patiently continued to ask questions.

As a friend of Toyokawa Yuu, it wouldn't be difficult for her to say a few words of comfort, but judging from Ye Mu's attitude, it seems that he is already planning to cling to her as a lifeline.

However, under Chihaya Aine's gaze, Wakaba Mutsu, who should have continued to explain the whole story to her, frowned, her golden eyes showing some struggle and pain.

"Xiao Mu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

"They're arguing..."

A cute and concise voice replaced the trembling, silent Wakaba Mutsu as she responded to Chihaya Aine's concern.

Originally, Kaname had been lying by the bed, idly sunbathing, when she moved closer and looked at Wakaba Mutsu, who had suddenly become silent but seemed to want to say something. Her fair fingers pointed towards the girl's forehead.

"Huh? But Xiao Mu and I weren't arguing."

Chihaya Aine was still a little confused. Apart from playing the guitar and eating matcha parfaits, she couldn't keep up with the pace of this somewhat eccentric girl most of the time.

Although she was indeed troubled and put in a difficult position by Wakaba Mutsu's request, the atmosphere between the two of them didn't seem like they were arguing at all.

Yoro Nai shook her head, her heterochromatic eyes, as beautiful as a Persian cat's, reflecting the figure of the girl with long, light green hair in front of her.

However, the girl's expression seemed slightly different in her two different colored pupils.

"There are two people arguing..."

【Xiao Mu is a bad kid!】

A strong rebuke echoed in Wakaba Mutsu's mental space. Metis, unusually, left her makeshift bed surrounded by dolls while Wakaba Mutsu was manipulating her body, and came to the sofa in front of the space that she had subconsciously designated as Wakaba Mutsu's domain.

In an extremely rare move, Metis reached out and snatched the guitar that Wakaba Mutsu was holding in his arms.

If it weren't for the fact that the third personality named Yu Mu was still trapped in the mirror, quietly watching this farcical scene through the mirror, Ruo Ye Mu would even think that the Metis in front of her had actually switched places with Yu Mu without her noticing.

This behavior is exactly the same as that of Yu Mu when she was first born.

However, if it were only Metis, there would be no way to snatch the guitar from her arms.

"Metis, don't cause trouble at a time like this, I must..."

Clutching the guitar in her arms, Ruoye Mutsu looked at her other self, who was so close that she seemed ready to wrest control of her body from her, her tone a mix of warning and pleading.

She knew that what she was about to do was wrong, but for Xiang's sake...

That's why I said Xiao Mu is a bad child. She's usually so well-behaved, but at times like this, she doesn't care about Mr. You Yu's feelings!

Without any intention of stopping, Metis reached out and grabbed the edge of the guitar. Although she couldn't take control of her body, she was able to interfere with Ruoye Mutsu's behavior in reality, making her want to speak but unable to.

Why did you make Aine speak well of Soyo in front of Yuu-san? Don't you know Yuu-san hates her? If he gets caught up in the conflict between his dislike for Soyo and Aine's request... he'll really go crazy.

As two personalities of one mind, Metis certainly knew what Wakaba Mutsu was going to do.

She didn't want to help Nagasaki Sose salvage her image in front of Toyokawa Yuu, so she specifically asked Chihaya Aine, whom Toyokawa Yuu cared about the most, to act as the middleman.

On the contrary, she sought Chihaya Aine's help precisely to make Toyokawa Yuu so disgusted with Nagasaki Sose that she never wanted him to appear in front of her again.

Toyokawa Yuu already disliked Nagasaki Sase, and if he were to add the idea that "he even bothered Chihaya Aine in order to bother me," he might actually be able to fulfill the request that Toyokawa Shoko had made to her.

—Never again should Toyokawa Yuu be troubled by Nagasaki Sase's matter.

Soyo will be further disliked by Mr. Yuu, and even Aine, who speaks up for her, may be rejected by him. As for Wakaba Mutsu, who did this, regardless of whether Mr. Yuu finds out that he asked Chihaya Aine for help, he will definitely hold a grudge about it.

That's why Metis was determined to stop her no matter what.

She didn't care about Nagasaki Sosei, nor did she care about Chihaya Aine. Even Toyokawa Shoko wasn't that important to her, and she even disliked her a little.

As a supportive personality, Metis only cares about Mutsumi Wakaba and Yuu Toyokawa, who is his friend.

So... why should I? Why should another version of myself have to sacrifice myself like this? Why should my friend suffer this undeserved misfortune when he did nothing wrong?

He has done so much for me, and now even his best friend's relationship is being undermined by the very people he was protecting.

Clinging tightly to the guitar in Wakaba Mutsu's arms, Metis gritted his teeth, trying desperately to regain control of his body.

Although she was very unwilling, she had to admit that in Toyokawa Yuu's heart, her best friend was not herself, but Chihaya Aine.

Therefore, even if it was just to prevent Yuu Toyokawa from being saddened by what she found out later, Metis wanted to stop Aine Chihaya from getting involved in this mess, simply because she was considered her best friend in her best friend's heart.

Jealousy, resentment, and a desire to steal the pink-haired girl's place in Mr. Yu's heart, but... not wanting to make Mr. Yu sad.

So even if another version of herself wanted to do this, she would stop her.

"Metis, please stop..."

I don't know how to refute Metis's ideas and stance.

Since it concerned Yuu Toyokawa, Mutsuka Wakaba couldn't just ignore it. Facing her supportive personality, her voice even became somewhat pleading, and her golden eyes seemed to waver.

She knew, of course, that what she was doing was wrong, but it was also absolutely wrong to let Toyokawa Yuu's interpersonal relationships continue to be so chaotic.

Youyu needs to be with Xiang.

However, the conflict between his likes and dislikes and his responsibilities, and between his work and personal feelings, has left him at a loss.

What Wakaba Mutsu said to Chihaya Aine was not an exaggeration.

As a roommate who spends at least half the day in close proximity to Yuu Toyokawa, Mutsumi Wakaba feels that Yuu Toyokawa is really going crazy.

Even if it meant being a bad person, Ruo Ye Mu didn't want him to continue thinking about so many things that would cause him pain.

But there was no way to refute Metis's gaze.

What kind of acting skills should I use to deceive myself? This kind of behavior, which objectively harms Youyu, is correct.

The force with which he held the guitar was becoming increasingly weak.

For the first time, Wakaba Mutsu wavered in his stance when faced with his supportive personality.

"Xiao Mu, Metis... can you hear me? Don't argue with yourselves..."

Some distant sounds, transmitted through the television screen not far away, entered the mental space and echoed in the ears of Ruoye Mu and Metis.

With an almost natural enthusiasm and concern, and a worry that, though not very close, still makes one think of their friends.

Upon hearing this voice, Ruo Yemu was slightly taken aback, and the next moment she felt her arms suddenly empty.

[It hurts so much!]

Clutching the guitar he had successfully snatched, Metis, unable to stop in time, fell flat on his backside onto the floor of the mental space, staring blankly at the guitar in his arms.

In her memory, this was absolutely the first time since she was born that she had successfully shaken Wakaba Mutsu's control over her body, but she didn't care about that now.

Looking at Wakaba Mutsu, who was staring at his empty chest with a somewhat lost expression, Metis gritted his teeth, plucked the strings of his harp, and took control of the body that he rarely had the opportunity to use.

"Little Mu, Metis, can you hear me?"

Chihaya Aine extended her pale hand holding the phone and waved it in front of the girl's dazed golden eyes, her gray eyes revealing obvious worry.

Ever since Yao Lena pointed out that there were two people arguing in her head, the light green-clad girl's state changed from being hesitant to being lost in thought.

Chihaya Aine was so worried that she couldn't leave Wakaba Mutsumi, who was clearly not in the right state, in the rehearsal room, but her personality wouldn't allow her to do nothing.

So he contacted Shiina Tatsuki by phone, hoping that the girl who lived closest to him and had once been in a band with Wakaba Mutsumi might know something.

However, the result was not entirely fruitless.

Metis – Chihaya Aine received the name for Wakaba Mutsumi's other personality from Shiina Tatsuki, which is exactly the same as Wakaba Mutsumi's code name in Ave Mujica.

Watching the golden-eyed girl gradually regain her senses after being called out, Chihaya Aine secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Noticing that the girl's eyes were no longer as calm as before, but had become more lively and spirited, she began to ask questions tentatively.

"Are you...Metis?"

Having finally regained control of his body, Metis was startled when his name was called out for the first time in front of Chihaya Aine. The words he had prepared were hesitant and only flowed out of his mouth after a moment.