Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

Then, Yanming snapped his fingers again, breaking the hypnosis on Su Shi.

His unfocused pupils refocused, and after several turns, finally landed on him. His tone was tinged with disbelief: "...It's you?"

"Well, it's me."

"Where have you been these past few days?! Xiao Xiang is going crazy looking for you!" The moment Su Shi saw Yan Ming, she immediately thought of Xiang Zi.

Yanming told her casually, "The last person I saw was Xiaoxiang. She won't be contacting me again."

Su Shi quickly connected the pink light she had last seen before losing consciousness.

"Are you really bothered by this?" Yanming held up his phone and placed the unactivated black software in front of Su Shi. "This is a hypnosis app... I don't know about others, but you must know about it, right?"

Su Shi is a reclusive woman who secretly watches works of this genre.

This is probably the consensus of everyone.

"You've changed my understanding..." Su Shi couldn't believe that such an extraordinary thing actually existed in the world. "Wait... what about the others!"

Yanming nodded and answered her question at the same time: "Yes, you are the last one. Just like you said before, I am about to leave... As for the reason, telling you now may be the most appropriate time."

After saying that, under Su Shi's horrified gaze, Yanming pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing a series of hideous scratches under the fabric. The crisscrossing wounds were enough to frighten any human being with emotions. The newest one was still bleeding.

These are all things he's dug out himself over the past few days... This method can barely alleviate some of the pain he experiences when breathing.

"I'm dying." Yanming looked at Su Shi calmly, his voice hoarse and flat.

Su Shi recalled what Yan Ming had once said to her, realized something, and her eyes widened instantly: "Could it be that you've been... lying to me since then?!"

Su Shi's breathing became rapid.

"..." Yanming didn't speak, knowing that the other party would soon be able to adjust to a stable state.

This is one of the reasons why he chose the other party.

This child possesses a maturity that others lack... Su Shi understands the pain of separation better than anyone else, which is why she can truly discern the weight of this matter.

In order to prevent the hard-won "home" from being thrown into turmoil again, she would definitely listen to herself even without using a hypnosis app.

They were accomplices

This was a promise between him and Motoyo Nagasaki.

Chapter 258 Replacement

Su Shi stood still, clutching her chest, which was heaving violently from the shocking truth, and restrained her instincts so as not to lose her composure in front of Yan Ming.

After a long while, she lowered her hand, turned around, and spoke in the same low tone as Yanming: "Come in. I know you. One of the reasons you came here is that you want me to take you in, right?"

"I'm sorry... of all the people I know, you're the only one..."

Su Shi interrupted him: "Don't say so much, come in first... let me catch my breath."

After entering the house, Su Shi settled Yan Ming on the sofa and brought him some freshly brewed black tea.

Seeing that he didn't move for a long time, Su Shi couldn't help but ask, "...Is it not to your taste?"

Yanming shook his head: "It's just too hot."

“Sigh…” Su Shi sat down next to Yan Ming, pulled down his hood, and looked closely at his pale face. She said softly, “I… will try my best to keep it a secret for you.”

It had only been a short time since they last met, yet Yanming had suddenly become so haggard... And thinking back to how he used to deliberately annoy people in front of her, the contrast was so stark... It was hard for Su Shi not to be moved by this.

"Thank you, Su Shi..."

"Don't misunderstand, I just didn't want Xiaoxiang and the others to be sad..." Su Shi's fingers traced the scab that had begun to form on Yanming's neck. She stood up and said, "These must hurt a lot... I'll go get you some medicine. You should rest for a while."

Yanming remained motionless, sitting on the soft sofa as if on pins and needles.

He couldn't guarantee whether Su Shi would be willing to take him in. The reason he came here in the end, besides wanting to tell Su Shi some things, was actually just to try his luck.

If Su Shi refuses, then I can just find a corner to stay in for a few days, it'll be about the same.

Anyway, he started out with nothing, and now he's just returning what didn't belong to him.

While Su Shi was away, Yan Ming opened the plastic bag beside him, took out several bottles of medicine, and poured out twice the amount of pills into his palm.

These were the things he took with him when he went to see Xiangzi.

Those special medications were no longer very effective for him, so he only took all the painkillers with him after the trip.

He took and threw away everything else in the cabinet, including the missing bottle of medicine.

Fortunately, Yanming had very few belongings to begin with, so it was just a small amount of work, and there was no trace of him living in the house anymore.

However, the fact that Xiao Xiang could take a bottle of medicine from right under his nose and hide it in her bedside table made Yan Ming realize his usual neglect of those close to him, so he hypnotized her more thoroughly than others.

Furthermore... in order to prevent Xiangzi from discovering that he had altered her memories, Yanming attributed all the things he had done to Su Shi.

Doing this can be seen as a way to make up for his guilt about deceiving Su Shi to some extent.

"Glug—glug—" With the help of the slightly cooled black tea, Yanming swallowed the handful of white pills with difficulty.

Perhaps it was a placebo effect, but although the pain of suffocation still occurred when the medication scraped through the messy trachea, the pressure on my lungs seemed to have really eased a lot.

"Huff—" Yanming clutched his chest and gasped for breath, "Cough cough! Cough—!"

"Yanming!" Hearing the commotion, Su Shi ran back with medicine and bandages in her hand, and grabbed Yanming's shoulder. "How are you!"

Then she saw a dark red blood clot appear in Yanming's palm as he coughed.

"...It's nothing, it won't affect anything." Yanming picked up a piece of paper from the table, wiped his palms briefly, and cleaned the flesh and blood he had picked off under his fingernails.

Because he was in a rush, he hadn't had time to clean these things up until just now.

That's made us a laughing stock.

Yanming smiled awkwardly: "Well... I'm actually quite clean normally."

"...Who cares?" Su Shi was inexplicably angered by Yan Ming's nonchalant attitude. "What does your cleanliness have to do with me?"

Immediately, she remembered Yanming's current state, her face stiffened, and she secretly turned her back, trying to keep her voice calm: "Just don't make a mess of my house... You can sleep in my room for the next few days, and I'll prepare your food and daily necessities."

"You should also be careful... You absolutely cannot let my mother find out about you."

"Before you leave, for Xiaoxiang and the others... I will cooperate with you. If you have any requests, just tell me and I will try my best to fulfill them."

Perhaps realizing that her words might be misinterpreted, Su Shi quickly added, "Of course, I'm just a student, I can't do much, you have to understand that!"

“I understand… I’m already very grateful that you’re willing to take me in. I won’t cause you any more trouble. It’ll only be a few days… I’ll leave in a few days.”

He would stay by Su Shi's side for a few more days to observe. As long as he ensured that there would be no mistakes in the hypnosis of others, he could then lie in the hospital with a clear conscience.

As for whether you're waiting to die or fighting for your life after entering the hospital... after doing all that, it seems there's no difference anymore.

It's all about leaving it to fate.

“Stay a few more days…” Su Shi didn’t dare look at his face. “Staying a few more days is fine.”

When Su Shi realized what Yan Ming meant by 'leaving,' she hesitated to let him go.

Letting him stay right under my nose...that would make me feel even more at ease.

If we let him leave, perhaps... then no one will be able to find him.

"Do you need any medicine given your condition? I can go downstairs and buy some for you later."

"There is no cure for my illness; I can only let nature take its course."

“…I see.” Su Shi silently sat down beside him and placed her palm on the back of his hand. “…You are a good person, and good people are rewarded.”

"I have no other desires. Being able to meet you, Su Shi, is already a way of repaying all the good deeds I have done," Yanming said sincerely.

A kindred spirit who, even after knowing everything about himself, can still think about problems from his perspective...

This is the way out that Yanming has found for himself.

Let Su Shi fill the void that suddenly disappeared, and let the wound heal little by little.

In this way... it's practically equivalent to no one getting hurt.

Before ending the conversation, Su Shi asked one last question: "...Would you use that thing to modify my memories?"

"not now."

At least for the rest of his life, Yanming was unwilling to lie to Su Shi again.

Chapter 259 Xiangzi's Diary

[Date], Sunny

○○ disappeared.

I don't know who ○○ is; all I can remember is a vague outline.

I first realized this yesterday afternoon.

I suddenly had a question: I've lived in this house for so long, why do I have no memory of any place other than the living room and my own room?

With that in mind, I tentatively pushed open the door to the master bedroom.

...Just like I remember, it was eerily empty, with only a lonely bed frame telling a story.

I found my father, who lived next door, and asked him if this room belonged to him.

He rejected it, and then took out a stack of paper materials from the cabinet.

Real estate registration information.

"That house will be yours from now on."

I asked my father about the doubts in my heart, but I always got only one answer.

○○ does not exist.

He has always lived alone in this house.

"Go back now. I can take care of myself now. You should go back too," her father said, shooing her out.

Go back to where? Toyokawa's house?

That is impossible.

There are no family members left there.

After returning home from my father's place, I immediately began a more detailed search.

There was a tall cabinet in the living room. It was probably there when I moved in; it wasn't something I brought with me.

When it was opened, it was completely empty.

But it was very clean inside, as if it had just been cleaned recently, and the person who cleaned it was himself.

...But why should I clean a cabinet that no one uses?

Later, I found obvious signs that my room had been ransacked, but I had no recollection of this part of the story.

○○ has been here.

Fortunately, the most important new bass guitar wasn't lost; it was safely under my bed.

But why would I buy a bass? To upgrade Hailing?

How strange... But that bass must be very important. I need to find a safer corner to put it away. If that person comes back, I absolutely cannot let him find it.

This is a surprise!

...What surprise?

There's definitely something wrong with my brain.

The trash can was cleaned very thoroughly; they must have emptied it for me when they left... What kind of person is this?

The thought that there might be another stranger living in my home gives me goosebumps.

I, Toyokawa Shoko

Ave Mujica's captain

Leader of the Future Budokan Band

A celestial beauty radiating brilliance.

How could such a thing be allowed to happen?