After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

It's no wonder they're both from Hanasakigawa. I thought Hachiman Kairin and Hatsune had already caused me enough trouble, but I never expected that Shiina Tatsuki, whom I don't know much about, could outmaneuver me in this way.

Based on this, after Shiina Tatsuki had caused her all this trouble, Toyokawa Yuu didn't know whether she should thank him in return.

Shiina Tatsuki lowered her head slightly, seemingly oblivious to Toyokawa Yuu's reproachful gaze, as if her only concern was her job as a waitress. She didn't even greet Chihaya Aine and the others who were coming downstairs.

"Youyu..."

Holding her guitar, Wakaba Mutsu stopped at the table where Toyokawa Yuu was.

She didn't sit down directly next to the boy, but stood up obediently.

A hint of apology appeared on his somewhat indifferent expression, and his golden pupils held a look of unspoken words.

It was as if he had unintentionally done something wrong, but he didn't know how to speak, so he could only silently lower his head.

"Ai Yin learns very quickly..."

In the end, the golden-eyed girl could only squeeze out these words from her mouth. Then she stood silently beside the boy, her eyes conveying a silent message—she wanted to go back.

Looking at the face she had spent almost every day with, Toyokawa Yuu didn't read any grievances or annoyance on Wakaba Mutsu's face, and she could tell that she probably hadn't had any conflicts with her new student.

Wakaba Mutsu's current behavior seems more like he simply wants to leave this place.

"Of course, I'm a genius."

After being praised by her guitar teacher in front of others, Chihaya Aine raised her head with a touch of pride.

It seems that gaining the approval of a professional rhythm guitarist is very pleasing to this slightly vain girl who wants others to look at her with admiration and surprise.

"It seems you two get along very well. But it's getting late, I have to take Xiao Mu back. I still have to go to the company tonight."

Yuu Toyokawa's gaze lingered for a moment on the somewhat sullen-looking Mutsuki Wakaba before she smiled at Aine Chihaya.

"How about we schedule another time to test your learning progress next time... Aside from the band members, Xiao Mu has rarely spent time with other people like this lately."

"If Xiaomu agrees, I have no objection, but now..."

Chihaya Aine went around to the back of Toyokawa Yuu's seat, put her hands on the boy's shoulders, and made him stay in his seat for a moment.

"Would you mind lending me Youyu for a little while, Xiaomu?"

She gave the girl with golden eyes a playful smile, while in response to Chihaya Aine's liveliness, Wakaba Mutsu lowered her head even further and let out a soft, almost inaudible reply.

The moment Wakaba Mutsu stepped aside and left the spot next to Toyokawa Yuu, the pink-haired girl grabbed the boy's wrist, preventing him from leaving the LiveHouse.

"Is there anything you can't say in front of Xiao Mu?"

With Chihaya Aine holding her wrist, Toyokawa Yuu did not try to struggle, but let her lead her to a street corner not far from [RING].

He could roughly guess what Chihaya Aine intended to say to him, which was probably related to Metis.

It couldn't possibly be because the guitar teacher, Mutsumi Wakaba, was of questionable teaching quality that she came to complain to me.

Before Chihaya Aine could even speak, Toyokawa Yuu had already begun organizing her thoughts in her mind, considering how to explain to the girl something that was difficult to describe precisely in just a few words.

However, to Toyokawa Yuu's surprise, Chihaya Aine did not ask about anything related to Metis, nor did she even mention Wakaba Mutsumi to him.

The pink-haired girl simply released her grip on the boy's wrist, and her voice, tinged with a hint of seriousness and worry, drifted into the boy's ears.

"I heard you and Soyorin had a fight, right?"

The deliberately lowered volume suggested that she did not want her conversation with Toyokawa Yuu to be "accidentally" overheard by others.

However, what she mentioned was not a secret worth guarding closely in Toyokawa Yuu's eyes.

His dislike for Nagasaki Sase was not only undisguised towards Sase himself, but Shiina Tatsuki, who was behind the bar, witnessed the whole thing.

Toyokawa Yuu couldn't understand being so cautious about this kind of thing.

However, he did not expose the mystery and sense of urgency that Chihaya Aine had deliberately created. He did not even turn around, but simply lowered his voice to talk to the girl behind him.

"Did Ms. Shiina Tatsuki tell you, or did you get the news from Komuku...? I really don't like her, and Shoko doesn't want me to have much contact with her either."

Since Chihaya Aine had asked, Toyokawa Yuu had no intention of continuing to hide his true feelings for Nagasaki Sase from her.

Asking this kind of question means that the other party already knows the details to some extent, and there is no need to continue to cover it up.

Do you want me to get back together with her?

Despite feeling a little reluctant, Toyokawa Yuu brought up the topic for Chihaya Aine before she could speak.

Given the other person's personality, it's perfectly normal for them to have such thoughts.

No one wants to be caught in the middle of two friends who are having a falling out, making them feel like they're in the wrong place at both ends.

However... Toyokawa Yuu did not want to forgive Nagasaki Sosei, and even at Chihaya Aine's request, he did not want to make that attempt.

Or rather, he never considered this possibility from the very beginning.

From receiving financial sponsorship from Yawata Umiyoshi...

No, from the moment she took in Wakaba Mutsu and Metis... or even from the moment she threw Wakaba Mutsu out of the car when they were being chased, Toyokawa Yuu had already included Nagasaki Sase in the category of those who were absolutely unforgivable.

Yes, no.

The one thing I absolutely cannot forgive is Nagasaki Sosei.

Unlike the unexpected death of Hatsune Miku, or the sudden realization before death when Metis pushed her off a high-rise building, the time when Nagasaki Sase poisoned her, it was Toyokawa Yuu who asked her for help with sincere and earnest hope.

But what he received was the most painful betrayal of all.

Something had fallen and shattered on the ground along with the cup that she couldn't hold due to poisoning, but Toyokawa Yuu made no attempt to bend down and pick it up and piece it back together.

Therefore, even if it was Chihaya Aine's request, he wouldn't...

"No, I have no intention of advising you to make up with Soyorin. It's not that I can't accept the fact that friends of friends can't necessarily become friends."

Her calm tone showed no sign of distress or confusion despite Toyokawa Yuu's admission that she disliked Nagasaki Sase; in fact, Chihaya Aine's voice even sounded somewhat happy.

Yuu Toyokawa couldn't understand where those fleeting moments of happiness came from.

But conversations between friends aren't like exams with their question-and-answer format, and Chihaya Aine's voice didn't stop because of Toyokawa Yuu's confusion.

"In fact, if you really dislike her, you can be more direct about your attitude. There's no need to hide it because of me."

Although she didn't get any information from Toyokawa Yuu about whether he intended to forgive Nagasaki Sase, Chihaya Aine could see the obvious resistance on the boy's face when the topic came up.

Chihaya Aine is happy precisely because of this resistance.

“Yuyu…you’ve always been suppressing your feelings like an adult. Whether it was admitting on behalf of Xiangzi at Asuka Mountain that it was your idea to let Xiaomu perform, or choosing to help Xiaomu after that, you’re so reliable that sometimes you don’t even feel like you and I are the same age.”

Chihaya Aine doesn't know when Toyokawa Yuu started to dislike her band's bassist.

But upon closer reflection, it seems that his attitude became somewhat strange from the second time he met with Toyokawa Yuu, the only two times he met with Soyorin.

However, as if to protect something, Toyokawa Yuu hid it very well, and at the time, he himself did not notice it at all.

"If you take on everything yourself and keep it all inside, you'll eventually break down. But I'm at ease now."

After hearing Metis's statement about gravity, Chihaya Aine was genuinely worried that Toyokawa Yuu would force himself to take on a responsibility that didn't belong to him and that he couldn't bear alone.

but......

"The fact that she showed that expression just now means... Yuyu isn't the kind of person who only forces herself. Sometimes, Yuyu needs to learn to relax."

Chihaya Aine never expected that she would have this attitude regarding her relationship with Nagasaki Sosei.

Yuu Toyokawa was momentarily stunned as she looked at the pink-haired girl in front of her, who was looking at her with a gentle expression and even a hint of relief in her eyes.

He originally thought that, given Chihaya Aine's personality, she would definitely try her best to bridge the gap between him and Nagasaki Sosei.

In order to avoid putting Chihaya Aine in the middle and making her feel uncomfortable due to her conflict with Nagasaki Sosei, Toyokawa Yuu was originally prepared to firmly refuse, and even to rupture her friendship with Chihaya Aine.

But who would have thought...

Toyokawa Yuu tried to relax, never imagining that someone would say such a thing to her.

Even though Yawata Kairin has always expressed her willingness to share the workload with him, her true intention is probably to get busy with him as well, in order to satisfy her psychological need to be trusted and to advance and retreat together.

However, this time, with no way out, it seems I have no room to relax.

"Thank you, Aine."

From the bottom of my heart, I thank the girl in front of me who, in an objective sense, did not provide any substantial help, but who consistently made me feel relaxed.

"Even though I can't stop now, thank you for your concern. I'll try my best not to make things difficult for you with Sasuke Nagasaki."

"Here we go again. You don't need to feel that you've received some help and therefore have to back down in other areas. We're all just students, there's no need to be so petty."

Seeing that Yuu Toyokawa was serious and said she wouldn't make things difficult for her in the matter of Sosei Nagasaki, Aine Chihaya finally began to show helplessness on her face.

Sometimes, having a friend who is too serious isn't necessarily a good thing.

However, Chihaya Aine was also helpless in this regard. She was not a personality correction expert and could only offer some advice as a friend.

Now that everything that needed to be said has been said, lingering here is just a waste of time.

"It's getting late, let's go back. If we stay any longer, Xiao Mu will be getting impatient."

Yuu Asahi waved, and Aine Chihaya turned and left first.

Watching the girl's silhouette bathed in the setting sun, Toyokawa Yuu felt a stirring in his heart. A certain thought began to occupy his mind, stirring up a question that he had never been able to answer for a long time.

"Ai-yin..."

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

The pink-haired girl turned her head in confusion, looking at the boy whose expression was conflicted, even somewhat lost, with a puzzled look in her eyes.

Why is he making that face?

"If one day I betray our friendship, will you forgive me?"

A brief silence fell over the room. The pink-haired girl stopped in her tracks and looked at her friend intently, pondering this question she had never considered before.

It was as if I needed to get to know the boy in front of me all over again, from beginning to end.

A considerable amount of time passed, until at least three fallen leaves drifted between the two in Toyokawa Yuu's line of sight, before Chihaya Aine finally gave her answer.

"No, if Youyu does anything to betray our friendship, I will never forgive you. Don't let my appearance fool you, I can hold grudges too."

The unusually serious answer made Toyokawa Yuu's heart sink.

I will never forgive her. That's my attitude towards Nagasaki Sase, and it's also...

What will Chihaya Aine's attitude be towards herself ten years from now?

"However, if I'm in a good mood, I might give Yuu a chance to be friends again."

"After all, life is so long. If you lose the courage to start over just because of one fall, it's easy to give up."

Chapter 171 The wind you can't stop will blow on me (5k5)

No matter the season, the time that the sunset and dusk linger is always short.

When Yuu Toyokawa and Aine Chihaya returned to [RING], the dim sun had completely sunk behind the mountains, and the bright moon began to rise in the night sky in its place. Countless neon lights replaced the stars, serving as embellishments for the city's night.

A significant portion of the light cast by the streetlights on both sides of the road is obscured by the dappled shadows of the roadside greenery.

Carrying her guitar case, Wakaba Mutsu followed closely behind Toyokawa Yuu as they walked together on the road leading to the train station.

Neither of them spoke; the only sounds were the wind whistling through the road as vehicles passed by and the faint conversations of passersby.

The atmosphere seemed somewhat somber. Ruoye Mu's golden eyes reflected the figure standing not far in front of her. Several times she wanted to break the somber atmosphere, but each time she only opened her mouth, hesitating to speak.

The golden gaze fell on Toyokawa Yuu's right hand.

More accurately, it landed on the wrist that was covered by the sleeve.

She didn't want to admit that when Chihaya Aine casually took Toyokawa Yuu's wrist and led him out of the LiveHouse to a place where she couldn't see him to whisper secrets that perhaps only the two of them would discuss, she felt a strange emotion.

It tastes sour and astringent, but not stinging; instead, it's slightly itchy.

Compared to the occasional cold treatment from Toyokawa Shoko, which felt like being lightly pricked by a needle and made one want to cry out but subconsciously endure it, the feeling was more like when one was young and curiously stretched their finger into the flame on a candlestick, only to have it gently burned by the candlelight.

Feeling somewhat lost, yet unable to alleviate the discomfort on my own, I could only turn to those I wanted to be close to, hoping to receive a gentle comfort.

However, she couldn't confide these feelings to the boy in front of her.

The other party did not have the obligation to bear those heavy thoughts of their own.

Behind Toyokawa Yuu's back, the golden-eyed girl gently bit her lip, somewhat regretting asking Chihaya Aine for help today.

If I hadn't heard what Chihaya Aine said, would I still be able to ignore Toyokawa Yuu's true exhaustion as before, and continue to comfortably hide behind him, letting him bear the pressure for me?

In fact, the girl with long light green hair knew very well that if she wanted to, she could completely pretend she hadn't heard what Chihaya Aine said and continue to act coquettishly towards Toyokawa Yuu as always.

Chihaya Aine is not the type to gossip. Even when chatting privately with Toyokawa Yuu, she would not reveal their previous conversations.