After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

"Yes, I am Metis... Aine, listen to me, you absolutely cannot..."

"Okay, okay, it's alright, don't get so worked up. Can you tell me in detail what happened? Is Xiao Mu alright?"

Her grey eyes reflected the figure of the golden-eyed girl before her, whose appearance was identical but whose temperament was completely different. As she watched the other girl gradually calm down under her comforting words, Chihaya Aine breathed a sigh of relief, but also couldn't help feeling a little tired.

I always feel that things get really complicated whenever Soyorin or Yuyu is involved.

Especially this time, these two even bumped into each other.

and......

Is it really okay for someone to undergo a personality change?

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

In the lobby of 【RING】, Shiina Tatsuki silently turned off her phone screen, her purple gaze lifting with some concern, as if it could pierce through the ceiling above her head and fall directly into the rehearsal room where Wakaba Mutsumi was.

The questions Ai Yin just asked herself—did something happen to Xiao Mu?

Turning his head to look at Toyokawa Yuu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and was now resting on the table, in the same posture as when he first met her, Shiina Tatsuki frowned.

After hesitating for a moment, the purple-eyed girl took the initiative to approach the boy, with whom she did not get along very well, for the second time today.

I need to take a day off. 8k tomorrow.

As the title says, I need to take a day off. I earn 8k tomorrow.

Glug glug ...

Chapter 170 I will never forgive you (8k)

Holding her guitar in her arms, Chihaya Aine felt a lot of pressure.

She has always felt that her life trajectory has been quite normal.

She went to school like an ordinary person and received scholarships in an ordinary way. Although there was an episode when she graduated from junior high school where she wanted to study abroad, which gave her some extraordinary experiences compared to her peers, in the end, she returned to the city and resumed her original ordinary life.

I formed a band following the crowd. I was proud and wanted to be in the center of the stage, but I found that, given my skill level at the time, I could only play the rhythm guitar.

Regardless, Chihaya Aine always felt that her life so far had been filled with a kind of joy called ordinariness. Even though she had excellent grades and a good family background, she was just an ordinary high school girl.

So... can a girl with a dual personality really handle the internal conflict between her left and right brains while asking for help?

Looking at the golden-eyed girl in front of her, who seemed to be reminding her or asking her not to get involved in the conflict between Toyokawa Yuu and Nagasaki Sosei, Chihaya Aine suddenly felt at a loss.

But she soon realized that the request the girl who called herself Metis had made to her was never the point in the first place.

"Xiao Mo... Is it okay if I call you that? Answer me a question first."

Choosing a nickname that even Toyokawa Yuu had never used for Metis, Chihaya Aine reached out and patted the girl's head to calm her down.

Strangely enough, despite having the same face, Chihaya Aine finds it difficult to regard Metis as a peer who is even somewhat inferior to her in terms of music and achievements, just as she does with Wakaba Mutsu.

Compared to the taciturn girl, her eyes were much more lively, and although she was grabbing her wrist to beg, her behavior still revealed a childlike innocence. All of this showed Chihaya Aine that the girl in front of her was still a child.

Although she and Ruoye Mutsu are still considered children in the eyes of adults, some things cannot be easily ignored.

Rather, it's precisely because Wakaba Mutsu, who seems to have just been replaced by Metis, is also just a first-year high school student that Chihaya Aine has to ask this question.

"Does Youyu know that you and Xiaomu are sharing the same body?"

"know."

Metis nodded obediently; it was nothing to hide.

She and Yuu Toyokawa were good friends, and Chihaya Aine in front of her was Yuu Toyokawa's best friend, so there was no big deal about telling her about it.

Moreover, last time, she had a conflict with Nagasaki Souse in the lobby of [RING] in front of Shiina Tatsuki, and Toyokawa Yuu was also present at the time. If Chihaya Aine wanted to ask, she would definitely not be able to keep it a secret.

"So, do your family members know about your situation?"

Without stopping her questioning, Chihaya Aine's expression grew increasingly serious; the second question was what she truly wanted to ask.

Yuu Toyokawa and Mutsumi Wakaba do have a good relationship, and as the band's manager, he should indeed be concerned about Mutsumi's mental state, but before that...

A high school student already has a split personality, and her family doesn't care?

"......Know."

Unexpectedly, Chihaya Aine's question involved her own family. Metis's voice became hesitant, but she eventually nodded.

She had a feeling that Chihaya Aine wouldn't help her if she didn't tell the truth to the other person.

However, there are some things that Chihaya Aine cannot delve into.

“Minami doesn’t like Mutsu, and in the end only Yuu is willing to speak up for her.”

Seeing that even the more lively Metis was unwilling to talk about this topic, Chihaya Aine had a guess in her mind.

If there are absolutely no problems in the family relationship, a girl of this age would generally not exhibit symptoms of personality disorder.

No wonder that Ruoye Mu and Metis are so dependent on Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu.

Even after understanding this, Chihaya Aine still felt somewhat helpless. As a high school girl, how could she possibly interfere in other people's family affairs?

Ultimately, all I can do to help them is...

Bathed in Metis's expectant gaze, Chihaya Aine could only nod.

"Okay, okay, don't look at me like that. I won't ask Yuyu to do something he doesn't want to do... But can you tell me why Xiaomu wants me to help Soyorin and Yuyu make up, but you don't want me to do that?"

"Because of Xiao Mu..."

Because Xiaomu is a bad child, she even wanted to hurt Mr. Youyu for Xiangzi's sake...

She wanted to say that everything Xiao Mu did was for Xiangzi, but she stopped herself abruptly as the words rose to her throat.

In his mind, Wakaba Mutsumi, who had temporarily taken control of his body, was preventing himself from revealing Toyokawa Shoko.

In the end, all Metis could say was...

“Because Mr. Yuyu really hates Soyo, and he’s already very busy and tired taking care of me and Xiaomu. If he continues to spend his time on relationships he doesn’t like, he’ll break down.”

Metis knew that Toyokawa Yuu wasn't the type to ignore someone just because she disliked them.

On the contrary, if someone he dislikes appears in front of him, he will be very concerned and his mood will worsen.

Metis didn't want Yuu Toyokawa to waste her time on such things, and she didn't want even those whom Yuu Toyokawa disliked to steal her attention away from her.

Although I know it's unlikely, if... Mr. Yuu could just look at me... that would be great.

"I see. Xiao Mo cares a lot about You Yu."

Chihaya Aine's smile began to look somewhat forced.

She wasn't quite sure how to judge Metis and Ruoye Mu's behavior.

This could be considered interfering in other people's interpersonal relationships behind their backs.

Although Chihaya Aine herself was unwilling to categorize this behavior as that of a bad child, both Metis and Wakaba Mutsu seemed to be genuinely thinking of Toyokawa Yuu's best interests, even though their perspectives were completely opposite.

But... it's so heavy.

From Metis's somewhat naive words and tone, Chihaya Aine could sense a heaviness almost comparable to that of Takamatsu Akari, who had once wanted to form a band with her for life, and it had even reached the point where she was secretly interfering in her social circle.

"Because Mr. Youyu is my only friend. Apart from him, no one else in this world cares about me."

His nonchalant tone and unwavering reply made it seem as if such a bizarre event was a matter of course to Metis.

If Chihaya Aine had previously only found Metis's behavior somewhat perplexing and difficult to agree with, feeling that interfering with other people's social circles was unreasonable...

At this moment, she was truly frightened by Metis's somber remarks.

"No...it can't be that bad, can it? Don't your family care about you?"

Chihaya Aine instinctively wanted to defend Metis's outrageous statement, but as soon as she spoke, she realized that she had been somewhat inconsiderate.

Mutsuka Wakaba is the daughter of actress Minami Mori. Coming from a family of performers, her parents must be very busy.

Moreover, if her parents had truly treated their daughter with the same meticulous care as her own parents, Metis, who is now standing before her, probably wouldn't have been born.

"Even so, there's still Xiangzi, isn't there? She and Xiaomu have always had a good relationship. Instead of asking me for help, why don't you go and talk to Xiangzi?"

"But Xiangzi cares about Xiao Mu. She doesn't even know I exist yet."

Metis opened her eyes wide and met Chihaya Aine's gaze. The clarity and sincerity in her eyes were so overwhelming that the usually lively girl couldn't handle it and soon looked away.

She was now certain that Ruoye Mu and Metis's problems were far more serious than Gaosong Deng's before, and this went beyond the scope of introversion.

As someone who knew the situation, didn't Youyu ever think of taking her to see a psychologist?

Although she had such doubts in her heart, Chihaya Aine did not ask them this time.

She could tell that Toyokawa Yuu held a very special place in Metis's heart, and that this kind of topic was more appropriate to ask Toyokawa Yuu in private, rather than to provoke the girl in front of her.

Even an outgoing person like Chihaya Aine was at a loss for words in the face of this unexpected situation. Perhaps she should agree to Metis's request for the time being; the child didn't seem like she would give up so easily.

However, even though his request had been answered, Metis did not stop talking.

The golden-eyed girl clasped her hands together, and a relaxed expression appeared on her face after her request was granted, releasing a joyful smile.

"Actually, I used to think about being friends with Xiangzi, but sometimes she doesn't even care about Xiaomu, and she's said a lot of hurtful things to Xiaomu... I hate Xiangzi, Xiangzi is a bad kid."

She trusted Yuu Toyokawa, who in turn was on good terms with Aine Chihaya.

Because of this relationship and the other party's goodwill in agreeing to his request, Metis gradually began to relax in front of Chihaya Aine.

She even began to express her dissatisfaction with Toyokawa Shoko in front of Chihaya Aine, a side of her that she would never show in front of Toyokawa Yuu.

Even if she's childish, she knows that talking about someone's fiancée in front of others is not the behavior of a good child.

"Family and friendship... How can I trust things I've never seen before? But Mr. Youyu is different. When Xiaomu and I were homeless, he was the only one who helped us."

Quietly clutching the hem of his clothes, Metis could feel the phone that Ruoye Mu had placed in his pocket. A sense of calm, which was different from his usual demeanor, appeared in his golden eyes.

“Mr. Yuyu never saw me as another Xiaomu. Only when he looked at me did I realize that I was alive just like Xiaomu… Without Mr. Yuyu, I probably wouldn’t know how to live.”

Metis was lost in his own thoughts about the connection between himself and Yuu Toyokawa, but Chihaya Aine's expression turned serious for the first time today when she heard these words.

"Xiao Mo..."

Holding the girl's wrist, Chihaya Aine's voice carried a hint of admonition, her gray eyes serious and earnest.

"Don't talk to Youyu about this kind of topic."

"Eh?"

Anwen's gaze gradually turned to confusion. Metis looked at Chihaya Aine, who seemed to have a completely different aura, and subconsciously shrank back a little.

In Metis's eyes, Chihaya Aine's expression was somewhat similar to that of Toyokawa Yuu when she became serious; it was a departure from her previous gentleness and had become a little frightening.

It's like someone who's always been easygoing suddenly being confronted with a topic that demands unwavering stubbornness.

His grey eyes reflected the somewhat bewildered expression on the girl's face.

Chihaya Aine knew she shouldn't comment on Metis's views on life. What she needed to do most was support and comfort her, and let the person who was truly qualified to interfere with and bear the burden of her life correct her extreme ideas.

But... I couldn't resist.

Seeing how dependent Metis was on her friend, she really felt...it was so unfair.

Clearly, Youyu is just someone our age, so why do we always think about entrusting our lives to him? Xiangzi is like that, and so is Metis.

The word "life" is so heavy; it's not a weight a sixteen-year-old should bear.

“Youyu... he’s just your peer. He might not be able to accept such heavy ideas. He’s not obligated to understand or even shoulder your life’s challenges. Don’t... arbitrarily throw such a heavy responsibility onto someone who genuinely cares about you.”

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

For students, weekends always seem to fly by.

As the sun gradually set and the sunlight dimmed, the band members who had come to the LiveHouse to rehearse together over the weekend began to leave in twos and threes, promising to come again next time.

Yuu Toyokawa sat on the edge of the bed, holding a magazine to pass the time, but her gaze did not linger on the pages of the book. Instead, she silently watched the stairs leading to [RING] until the three girls, each carrying a guitar, appeared at the top of the stairs.

Seeing the expressions on the three faces—though not exactly laughing and joking, they were generally harmonious and showed no signs of conflict—Toyokawa Yuu quietly withdrew her gaze and relaxed her fingers, which had been crumpling slightly as she gripped the book pages.

Even though the two had become friends when they last met, he was still a little worried that the quiet girl he brought might not get along with the overly enthusiastic Chihaya Aine, not to mention that there was also a stray cat that he didn't really know very well this time.

In particular, Shiina Ritsuki disturbed her afternoon nap, which she was slumped over on the table intending to make do with for a while, and told her that Chihaya Aine had recently learned the name Metis from her, which made her even more uneasy.

He believed that Chihaya Aine, given her personality, wouldn't discriminate against that personality that was no different from a child's, but it was impossible not to worry at all.

So much so that Yuu Toyokawa, disturbed, lost all interest in going back to sleep. Not wanting to make things worse by going upstairs and giving herself away, she could only patiently wait.

Seeing that Wakaba Mutsumi and Chihaya Aine were getting along fairly well, Toyokawa Yuu was genuinely relieved.

Thinking of this, Toyokawa Yuu couldn't help but glance at Shiina Tatsuki, who was hiding behind the bar and working with her head down, with a strange look.