After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Even so, she still didn't like Toyokawa Shoko.

The radiance emanating from that cheerful, confident girl, whose smile seemed to glow like moonlight, never seemed to reach Wakaba Mutsuki.

Despite being only half-body, she was completely unaware of the oppressive mother-daughter atmosphere between Wakaba Mutsumi and Mori Minami.

Despite being considerate to everyone, and even being able to organize the messy contents of Takamatsu Akari's diary into lyrics and compose music on their first meeting, she never asked Wakaba Mutsu about her initial thoughts when she was forming a band with her.

I can only see the outside world through Xiao Mu now, so at least... at least I have to make sure Xiao Mu is doing well, and not always let me see her silently swallowing her grievances.

Over the past year, Metis's attitude toward Toyokawa Shoko has truly transformed from a little jealousy and dissatisfaction to genuine disgust.

Being with Toyokawa Shoko will only cause Wakaba Mutsuki pain.

That quiet and timid girl always said that half of her body was going to break down, but in Metis's opinion, she was the one who would break down first.

So Metis dislikes Toyokawa Shoko's self-centered attitude at all. Because of her stubbornness, she can't even take care of herself, so does that mean she can ignore the feelings of the rest of her body?

Now, after ignoring his other half for so long, he immediately regrets his actions in stopping Mr. Yuyu once he realized that his own personality still existed.

Are you eager to disappear and completely transform Xiao Mu back into your other half?

Metis placed one hand on his waist, his golden eyes coldly staring at Toyokawa Shoko standing not far away, his face expressionless as if he had no intention of listening to what she had to say.

Do you really want me to disappear?

"Metis, I..."

Such sharp words left Toyokawa Shoko momentarily speechless.

If Mutsuya has mental problems... This was the opinion that Yuu Toyokawa raised after that concert, but it was a fact that she simply did not want to believe.

At the time, she didn't trust Toyokawa Yuu at all, and thought that his act of using any means necessary for profit was a ploy to create hype by using Wakaba Mutsu.

Of course, this is just the most superficial idea.

The deepest reason is... Toyokawa Shoko is unwilling to believe this fact.

Mu, who had always been quiet and incredibly reliable, had stopped smiling and become taciturn since a certain period in elementary school, but had always stayed by her side no matter what. She actually had mental health issues. How could she accept such a thing back then?

In the end, Yuu Toyokawa didn't actually take Mutsuka Wakaba to see a doctor. Instead, she took her out to play for an afternoon after skipping class, and the two returned safely. This put Mutsuka's anxieties at the time to rest and confirmed her earlier thoughts.

However, today, Chihaya Aine told me something, and I went to Mori Minami to verify it...

Looking at the unfamiliar gaze on that incredibly familiar face before her, Toyokawa Shoko's amber pupils trembled slightly.

The person in front of me, [Wakaba Mutsumi], is not my other half, but another personality that I am completely unfamiliar with, yet who has already established his own interpersonal relationships outside of my sight.

Why? How could this be?

How did my peace turn out like this?

"Mu..."

"I've already told you my name is Metis, why do you always refuse to listen to what others have to say?"

Upon hearing that Toyokawa Shoko was still referring to him by the name Wakaba Mutsu, Metis, who had been keeping a straight face but was generally calm, suddenly frowned deeply.

She had wondered if she had been the one who received the guitar, if she had been the one who became known as "Wakaba Mutsumi," would everything she was experiencing now be completely different?

But now she no longer wants to think about such questions. She no longer needs to be [Wakaba Mutsumi], as Toyokawa Yuu has already given her what belongs to her.

The name Metis is already proof of the friendship between her and Yuu Toyokawa.

Yuu Toyokawa has always referred to herself as "Metis," so Mutsu Wakaba doesn't want others to refer to her by any other name.

"I'm not your other half, just a stranger who looks the same. We've never even spoken, so don't try to get too close to me."

The tone was extremely rude, completely unlike the attitude one would expect when treating a complete stranger.

Seeing that Toyokawa Shoko seemed to want to step forward to explain, Metis subconsciously took half a step back, as if he wanted to express his thoughts with this small movement.

This attitude, which almost made her openly express her resistance if it weren't for the presence of others, left Toyokawa Yuu quite helpless.

Metis was actually somewhat aware and aware that he disliked Toyokawa Shoko.

However, Yuu Toyokawa did not want the two to clash, so she never brought up Metis's existence to Shoko Toyokawa. Metis also rarely had the opportunity to appear in front of Shoko Toyokawa.

It's hard for Yuu Toyokawa to predict how these two will react when they clash. Besides, Yuu doesn't need to worry about Yuu's personality; if she's upset, she'll take the initiative to make things difficult for herself.

Metis has a childlike personality, and you can easily coax him if you just try your best.

The only one caught in the middle of the two, Wakaba Mutsumi, was someone that Toyokawa Yuu had no idea how to handle properly, like tofu falling into ashes.

Therefore, this is the situation that Toyokawa Yuu has been trying her best to avoid, but unfortunately, she couldn't escape it in the end.

Reaching out to grab Metis's sleeve and pull her back behind her, Toyokawa Yuu tried to use this method to avoid the impending conflict between the two.

But today, Metis was unusually stubborn. He shook off Toyokawa Yuu's pull and looked at Toyokawa Shoko with a completely unfamiliar gaze in his golden eyes.

"I'm just Mr. Youyu's friend, and it has nothing to do with you..."

Before he could finish trying to distance himself from the situation, Metis's voice abruptly stopped.

A hug, roughly the same size as her, encircled her body.

"I'm sorry, Mutsu, I've always... I've always neglected your feelings."

【Xiang...】

In the mental space, Wakaba Mutsu, who had already let go of the guitar and was sitting on the sofa receiving the outside world through the screen, couldn't help but murmur when she saw this scene.

Although spending the past year with Toyokawa Shoko had left her feeling exhausted, just as she had never resented Nagasaki Sōse for harassing her for a year, Wakaba Mutsumi had never complained about her other half.

Her personality wouldn't allow her to blame someone who couldn't even take care of himself.

She even wanted to comfort the half of her body that looked hurt and lost after being bluntly told she was disliked by Metis.

But... no.

The guitar is no longer in her possession.

The girl sitting on the sofa turned her gaze to Metis, who was lying on the floor surrounded by plush toys, holding a guitar, and remained silent.

Ever since Metis forcibly took away his guitar in [RING], Wakaba Mutsu has found that he has gradually lost control over his body.

Although they still held the dominant position, ... no matter what, they could no longer summon that shadowy figure that terrified Metis.

So, after Toyokawa Shoko called out Mortis's name, Wakaba Mutsu lent Mortis his guitar.

If we don't give it to her, she'll definitely make a scene again, and then both Xiang and Mr. Youyu will be upset.

Hugging her knees, the girl with long, light green hair curled up on the sofa, shrinking into a small ball.

The golden eyes that looked at the screen were not looking at their own half-body, nor at their other self; instead, they reflected the image of Toyokawa Yuu.

Yuyu, please help me. These two people... I really don't know what to do.

Once again, she felt helpless, but this time, Wakaba Mutsu didn't know who to ask for help.

[Dongdongdong——]

A soft tapping sound rang in Wakaba Mutsu's ears.

Looking in the direction of the sound, the personality that had been locked in the mirror and had hardly interacted with him, but which Metis often approached to talk to, was gently tapping the mirror.

A glimmer of hope gradually appeared in her eyes. Every time Metis felt helpless, he would turn to her for help, so this time...

Ruoye Mu looked at the personality that had intended to attack her from the very beginning, and was also the only one that she could never destroy.

Can you help me?

Without much hope, Ruoye Mu reached out to the mirror and tentatively asked a question.

However, the personality trapped in the mirror doesn't seem to care that Wakaba Mutsu once killed her and then imprisoned her in the mirror.

With a smile almost identical to that of Yuu Toyokawa when she first joined Ave Mujica, Yuu nodded and extended her hand to Yuu Wakaba.

To match the other's actions, Ruo Yemu also extended her palm and placed it on the smooth mirror surface. Then, her fair fingertips, as if probing a calm lake, disappeared into the mirror.

But in the next moment, Ruo Yemu suddenly widened her golden eyes, and a hint of panic appeared in them uncontrollably.

Unlike last time, Yu Mu didn't touch hands with Ruo Ye Mu's palms in the mirror. Instead, she suddenly grabbed Ruo Ye Mu's wrists with both hands.

Just like when you were a child and accidentally fell into the water from the edge of the bathtub, the feeling of your body passing through the mirror is like being caressed by water.

But Ye Mu had no time to savor the feeling—she was pulled into the mirror by Yu Mu, who then escaped from it the moment the mirror surface rippled.

Realizing something was terribly wrong, Wakaba Mutsu, who had fallen into the mirror, quickly got up and tried to get out of the mirror.

However, the inside of the mirror did not allow her to move freely as it did the outside. The feeling of water flowing over her skin was long gone, and Ruoye Mu hit the mirror hard but it did not budge.

When Wakaba Mutsu became the person in the mirror for the first time, she subconsciously looked around. Only then did she realize that the world in the mirror was not as spacious as the mental space. Its area was only the area that the mirror could reflect. The areas that the mirror did not reflect were all dark barriers.

The space is barely enough for one person to stand or sit, and it's not even convenient to stretch out. No wonder Yu Mu always stands obediently.

If there's another chance, let's help her expand it next time...

Such a thought almost subconsciously arose in Wakaba Mutsu's mind, but he quickly realized that such an idea was inappropriate.

The most urgent thing is to get out of the mirror.

No longer wanting to break the mirror by brute force, Ruoye Mu placed her fair palm on the mirror surface, trying her best to change the structure of the mirror using her authority as the dominant personality.

However, the person in the mirror, now free, will not obediently wait for her to come out of the mirror.

Looking at Wakaba Mutsu, who had been replaced in the mirror, Yu Mutsu didn't say anything. Instead, she clasped her hands together on her lower abdomen and bowed slightly, performing an extremely proper greeting. Then she walked towards Metis, who was lying on the floor with her guitar.

Those smiling golden eyes conveyed that meaning.

Thank you for your cooperation. Now, leave the rest to me.

Chapter 180 Hypocrisy

"I already said I'm not..."

Hearing Toyokawa Shoko still calling him by the name Wakaba Mutsu, the irritation that rose in his heart quickly dissipated the slight reflection that had arisen from the apologetic hug.

Yuu Toyokawa once said that she hoped Yuu would be a good girl, not argue with people, and not make people worry.

Giving your best friend's fiancée such a cold shoulder will definitely put Mr. Youyu in a difficult position. This is not something a good kid should do.

However, the reflection that arose after realizing that his behavior had violated the rules of being a good child vanished without a trace under the continued refusal of Toyokawa Shoko to change her way of addressing him.

Please don't call me by that name. I don't want Mr. Youyu to confuse me with Xiaomu.

He played guitar with me, albeit at a mediocre level, bought me toy dolls, and video chatted with me while working...

These are things that only Mr. Youyu and I can do together. Don't confuse me with Xiaomu.

However, even though he was very dissatisfied, Metis was at a loss for what to do when Toyokawa Shoko suddenly wrapped her arms around him.

She tried to break free from the blue-haired girl's arms, but the girl was holding her tightly; it wasn't something she could escape with a gentle push.

By increasing the force, it is certainly possible, but...

Given Mr. Youyu's favoritism towards Xiangzi and Xiaomu's feelings for Xiangzi, they certainly wouldn't want to do anything too outrageous.

However, Metis dared not look to Toyokawa Yuu for help.

This time, she volunteered to face Toyokawa Shoko, and even Toyokawa Yuu didn't expect her to show up directly.

She stood up so confidently to express her dislike for the other person, but now she's panicked and desperately wants help just because she's being hugged. She doesn't want to be unable to hold her head up in front of Toyokawa Yuu in the future.

Even if the other person might not care at all, or even if she acts cute, he might comfort her instead.

So... can anyone help me...?

Relax, it's all over now, leave the rest to me...

Reassuring and comforting words rang in Metis's ears, as gentle as when Yuu Toyokawa had comforted him before, as if she wouldn't give herself to Minami Mori.

Metis froze, feeling his vision suddenly plunge into darkness.

In the real world, her vision was unobstructed, but in the mental space, a pair of hands, just as fair and soft as her own, gently covered her eyes.

The loss of sight was just the beginning. Metis could clearly feel herself losing control of her body little by little, and the guitar was being taken away from her.

However, the loss of control over his body did not cause Metis much panic; he was far calmer than when he was trapped in the mirror by his own body.

As a supportive personality type, I've long been accustomed to losing control of my body.

Moreover, this voice is...

[Yumu, you can come out now?]

While relaxing his body and quickly and peacefully transferring control to another version of himself, Metis asked with surprise.

Sure enough, at this crucial moment, Yu Mu is still the one I can rely on. She truly lives up to her reputation...