What kind of chat group is this?!

【What did the safety shorts do to you?】: It's band time now, right? Let me see what's going on with the band.

【Not in Prison 0721】: Why do they all seem so agitated? Is Nagasaki Motoyo a simp?

At this moment, Nagasaki Motoyo held Toyokawa Shoko's hand tenderly, her voice trembling, her tone sincere.

"Xiao Xiang, what's been going on with you lately? You haven't replied to my messages, and Mu isn't answering me either..."

Nagasaki Motoyo kept talking, while Lin Mo sat there smiling as he watched the flustered Toyokawa Shoko.

Xiangzi is under immense pressure right now.

Lin Mo kept smiling at Nagasaki Sue from behind. Judging from Nagasaki Sue's attitude, she must regard him as some kind of precious treasure. If he were to cut ties with Nagasaki Sue, there was a chance that Lin Mo would physically cut him off.

This guy is probably particularly obsessed with things like treasures, just like asking Rin Tohsaka for jewels is like asking for his life.

Shoko Toyokawa struggled to pull her hand away from Motoyo Nagasaki's: "I think... we should sit down and have a proper talk. Let's just sit there. I was originally planning to come and pay for that guy's drink—a hot black tea and an iced Americano. Motoyo, what would you like to drink?"

"Hey, it's good to be like Xiao Xiang—"

Paying for the gentleman I just met... What is the relationship between Mr. Lin and Xiao Xiang?

Judging from their names, one is Chinese and the other is Japanese, so they're definitely not related. What is their relationship? Friends?

Ordinary friends wouldn't go out of their way to pay him.

In other words, the relationship between the two is closer than it usually appears in the footage.

Are they boyfriend and girlfriend? Or something else?

"Um... what is the relationship between Mr. Lin and Xiao Xiang?"

"We are a community of shared destiny. My fate, Xiangzi's fate, and even the fate of others in our community are closely linked by certain events. We cannot sever or separate them. This bond will transcend life and death, time, space, and even different worlds."

Recently, due to some special circumstances, Sisiqiu Chess Player had to temporarily stay at Xiangzi's house.

Lin Mo's words made Nagasaki Motoyo's heart clench. Xiangzi had said something similar to them before, but still cut ties without hesitation.

As Shiina Tatsuki, who was behind the bar, brought two hot teas and an iced Americano to the table, Toyokawa Shoko said, "By the way, Tatsuki, why don't you come and chat with us too?"

"Huh? Now that things have come to this, what else do you want to say?"

"Well, even though it's over, I think it's better to say some things out loud."

"Tsk, I'm at work right now."

No sooner had Shiina Tatsuki uttered her refusal than Tatsuki's supervisor, Mimi Narita, urged Shiina Tatsuki to talk things out with her friend.

After careful consideration, Toyokawa Shoko realized that the little girl's self-esteem and dignity were very important to some extent, but she herself had been criticized by customers and supervisors so many times when she worked part-time.

Dignity is long gone.

Even someone as self-reliant as Li Xi is doing part-time work here, isn't he?

But...do I really have to say it?

Toyokawa Shoko was extremely resistant, but when she saw Lin Mo's slightly encouraging look, she gritted her teeth and decided to go all out with her two best friends, Nagasaki Motoyo and Shiina Tatsuki.

The weak, escapist version of myself from the past is dead.

The current user is Toyokawa Shoko, a Stand user with superpowers.

"To put it simply, my father was kicked out of the Toyokawa family after being defrauded of 16.8 billion yen by a land appraiser. My grandfather wanted me to be his daughter after my mother passed away, so I also ran away from the Toyokawa family. My father was an alcoholic, so in addition to going to school, I had to work part-time. After finishing my part-time job, I would come to play with you. From time to time, I would have to pick up my father from the street when he was drunk."

After saying that, Toyokawa Shoko felt all the strength drain from her body.

She didn't want her friends to see her in such a sorry state, but now she was forced to tell them everything about her most miserable moments.

Won't I be laughed at? Won't I be looked down upon?

After all, he had been so arrogant and condescending before.

Although he has now returned to the Toyokawa family, no related news has been released yet...

"and many more?"

Neither Shiina Tatsuki nor Nagasaki Motoyo immediately realized how much information was hidden in Toyokawa Shoko's words.

Lin Mo's sipping of coffee was exceptionally clear amidst the silence on the table.

In reality, none of Toyokawa Shoko's girlfriends cared about Shoko's family background. In fact, after learning about Shoko's hardships, they might have even tried to share the burden. However, Toyokawa Shoko's bizarre thought process led her to regard all help as charity.

The haughty young lady is really speechless.

"So, you were late that day because..."

"Yes, my father got drunk on the way and was taken away again."

Even Shiina Tatsuki, who always liked to put pressure on himself and then on others, fell silent.

Nagasaki Motoyo said nothing, but clenched her fists.

"Then now you..."

“I have now returned to the Toyokawa family and kicked my absurd grandfather out.” Toyokawa Shoko’s tone was very calm: “Then this morning I went to the Mutsu family and brought Mutsu to live with me.”

"why?"

"Mu has a serious mental illness. That day... what she meant to say was not that she was unhappy with the band."

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly felt helpless. Just as Lin Mo had said, among the teammates she had found, not a single one was normal.

If we don't say it out loud, it will remain a misunderstanding, and no one will have to worry. But if we do say it out loud and Crychic can't be reunited, it will be a regret for everyone.

"I also had problems that day; I was too emotional."

Shiina Riki admitted her mistake, and Nagasaki Motoyo followed suit—although Nagasaki Motoyo had no idea what went wrong on the day the group crashed, now was the time to take responsibility and everyone had to try to share the blame.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

“I haven’t told Deng about this yet. Deng and I are in the same school now. I will ask her out when school starts and explain things to her. I hope you can be there too.”

"Then Crychic..."

"I do not know."

"Is Mu... alright?"

“It’s not good at all.” Thinking of this, Toyokawa Shoko gritted her teeth in hatred: “You know that famous actress, Mori Minami, right? That’s Mutsu’s mother. She knew that Mutsu had a problem when he was three years old, but because she was afraid that Mutsu would overshadow her and that Mutsu’s talent would be wasted, she ignored it. So today I went there and made a scene and took Mutsu away.”

How could there be such a mother?

"There are many people in this world who are not fit to be mothers."

Just then, Lin Mo spoke up: "What's done is done. I think Crychic has only paused for a while, not ended. You can get together and play again when you have free time."

"Okay...okay."

Shoko Toyokawa conceded and then looked at Tatsuki Shiina.

"I'll watch the light; if the light comes, then I'll..."

Upon hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't understand what Lin Mo was up to, but out of trust, she readily agreed.

Nagasaki Motoyo gave him a grateful look.

I was right to let my emotions control my reason today; he's practically my godfather.

Chapter 26 Saving Private Lin Mo

Toyokawa Shoko talked for a long time with Nagasaki Motoyo and Shiina Tatsuki, and all the conflicts were resolved. Then Toyokawa Shoko paid the bill and left with Lin Mo.

However, Nagasaki Motoyo was quite depressed.

If the misunderstanding was not resolved before, it was just a thorn stuck in your heart. But once the misunderstanding is resolved, the thorn in your heart will be like a nail on a wooden fence.

An empty hole was left there.

Although it was agreed that Crychic would be reorganized again, Motoyo Nagasaki thought it was a short-sighted solution unless a Crychic that never ends was established.

Meanwhile, Shiina Riki remained silent.

If we could turn back time, and go back to that day, if I had been more polite, everyone would have said less...

Well, it's already happened. I should worry about Su Shi instead. Once she starts being depressed, she never stops. She's like a discarded woman who's been used and then abandoned.

On their way home

Toyokawa Shoko asked, "What are you really thinking?"

"Imperfection is something that is often overlooked by humans, but once it is thought of, it is deadly. As for your friends, let's not talk about Shiina Tatsuki, who has an open-minded personality, but that Nagasaki Motoyo... she is too starved for love. If we don't give her a resolution, I'm afraid she will die peacefully one day."

In reality, Nagasaki Motoyo will not die quietly in Tamago. Lin Mo is just taking advantage of Toyokawa Shoko's ignorance and spreading alarmist rumors.

Lin Mo seemed to be talking about something trivial: "I do things based on my mood, even when it comes to filming, it's the same."

For some reason, Toyokawa Shoko sensed a hint of joy in Lin Mo's words, but her mood grew increasingly heavy.

I feel that my friend is not human in some ways.

"Oh..."

How can you talk about filming such vulgar things so openly?

Toyokawa Shoko drawled, "How much do you know about Mutsumi?"

"I only know the general outline."

Lin Mo said, "Talent is also a curse in a way. After all, you can't guarantee that Ruoye Mu won't pretend to be a normal person when facing a psychologist."

"what should I do then?"

"Be content with whatever comes your way."

Lin Mo felt that Ruo Ye Mu was actually a good candidate to cultivate the Endless War God.

The two passed a park of moderate size, and Lin Mo pointed over there with a grin: "I usually live over there."

Why do you have to change the subject at a time like this again?

Xiangzi's verbal tic is a combination of "" and the feminine "", pronounced in Romanized form as desu+wa, but it doesn't have any particular meaning.

It roughly means the same as "xx pinch", Naruto's "de shuo", and the words "le", "wa", "me", "ne", and "ya" in Taiyuan Mandarin.

So when the words were spoken, the desuwa悦/怡亿祁六印3（二）栮IX尔 in Toyokawa Shoko's mouth were directly transcribed by Lin Mo into something strange.

However, Toyokawa Shoko did not notice Lin Mo's subtle expression.

There was nothing noteworthy about Lin Mo moving into the Toyokawa family home. Lin Mo and Ruoye Mutsu didn't have much interaction. They exchanged names briefly and then had no further communication.

Second day

Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu went to school, leaving Lin Mo alone at home with nothing to do. So he started looking at the chat group, and what he saw shocked him.

Everyone in class was chatting, while those not in class were nowhere to be seen.

Lin Mo chose to peek at the screen.

[AAA Rin's Gemstone Wholesale]: Class is so boring, anyone want to chat?

[AAA Customer Service Xiao Xiang]: 111

【What did the safety shorts do to you?】: Classes are indeed a bit boring.

[Not a Teenage Cook]: Although daydreaming in class isn't a good habit, it shouldn't be a problem if it happens once in a while, right?

[AAA Customer Service Xiao Xiang]: So what should we talk about? How about Lin Mo?

[AAA Rin's Gemstone Wholesale]: Speaking of which, didn't he move into your house? How does it feel?

【What did safety shorts do to you?】: Same question, I'm also curious about what it's like to live together like this.

[AAA Customer Service Xiao Xiang]: Wh... what cohabitation?! Actually, I don't really have any feelings about it, it's just that sometimes I feel... maybe Lin Mo really needs our help or something...

[Not a chuunibyou cook]: How so?

[AAA Customer Service Xiao Xiang]: Well...you see, Lin Mo started wandering alone in different worlds a very early time, without any support or help, so his personality...how should I put it?

[AAA Rin's Gemstone Wholesale]: I understand. Just like traditional magicians who don't interact with modern humans, they lack morality and humanity to some extent.

[Not a chuunibyou cook]: I think he's alright? He might just be a bit playful, and his personality is a bit suppressed.

[AAA Customer Service Xiao Xiang]: This is a big problem, really. I saw his live stream in the group yesterday. How can I put it? He is actually known as a gentleman by the public.

【What's wrong with the safety shorts?】: Well...everyone in this group has some kind of problem, right? Otherwise, we wouldn't be all together.

Of course, Misaka Mikoto doesn't think there's anything wrong with her—but she's the only one with a normal personality among the Level 5 members, and from that perspective, she's abnormal.

[AAA Customer Service Xiao Xiang]: That's what I mean, but I'm worried that he might appear cheerful on the surface but be depressed inside, and then quietly die in the end.