Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Shiina Ritsuki straightened his back, his sharp eyes fixed on the boy sitting to the side, strumming his guitar and teaching Ai-on basic chords.

"I'll call the stray cat to be the notary then, to ensure fairness, impartiality, and transparency!"

Actually, she had asked Kazama to demonstrate his musical talent before, but he always just gave a perfunctory response or made excuses to avoid it.

This time, he finally walked right into the trap by saying, "Let's have a drum match then." Of course, Li Xi wouldn't let go of this opportunity to test his true abilities.

"Riki seems to be quite concerned about whether Kazama-kun is stronger than herself."

Ai Yin, who was standing to the side, was also enjoying the spectacle and observed the two who seemed to be at odds with each other with great interest, as if she felt that the chemistry between them was somewhat subtle.

"Urusai, I just really mind that this guy holds back when he plays with me—by the way, what's that 'rikki' nickname? Are we that close?"

"Hehe~ Anyway, I really think highly of Riki!"

“You…!”

"I would love to, but not this Saturday."

Seeing that Lixi and Aine had started bickering again, Xiao hesitated for a moment before declining the challenge invitation with a troubled expression.

"Huh? It won't work again?"

Li Xi was also a little surprised.

"You were the one who said you could compete with me, right? Are you just making excuses to embarrass me again?"

"No, no, it's just that I really have something to do this Saturday. How about we reschedule for another day?"

Of course, it wasn't just Li Xi who was surprised; Su Shi was also quite taken aback.

She believed that Kazama's hidden strength was enough to rival Riki, so this was definitely not a sign of cowardice. Furthermore, he had promised Suze that he would dedicate himself fully to rebuilding the C-Team's cooperation with her.

In that case... what is he going to be busy with on Saturday?

"Oh, it's not a very important thing, but I've already made an appointment with them beforehand, so I can't go back on my word."

Come to think of it, I seem to have experienced something similar before.

This group of people would meet at RiNG almost every afternoon, and Kazama would always say he had something to do on a certain day of the week, either leaving early or being absent.

It seems they've been keeping in touch with this mysterious person.

Su Shi rolled her eyes and began to think.

She always knew that Kazama liked Ritsuki.

Of course, he has also expressed his love to a number of people, including himself and He Mu. Regardless of why this guy's feelings are so abundant, let's just take his words as true for now.

Who could it be that made him cancel his match with Lixi to see...?

"Kazama-kun, are you on a date with someone?"

Nagasaki Motoyo once again wore her signature gentle smile. It's more straightforward to ask her directly than to brainstorm with someone else.

"Huh? Of course not, no, no."

Xiao hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head like a rattle-drum, and finally touched the back of his head before responding to Su Shi with the same gentle smile.

"Well... it's an important friend I lost and then found again."

It seems things really aren't harmonious.

If Xiao were going to see her, he would have happily nodded and admitted it, and then said something like, "Compared to Li Xi, Mutsu is of course more important to me than my beloved Li Xi."

Putting everything else aside, this guy has always been quite open about his love for Mu.

After ruling out that option, Su Shi thought of a possibility.

...Could it be Xiangzi?

Nagasaki Motoyo's pupils trembled slightly, but the other four boys and girls did not notice her micro-expression at that moment.

No, no, no, if he were going to see Xiangzi, he should have told me, his ally... although when they formed their alliance, there didn't seem to be any rule about "not hiding things from allies."

Thinking of this, Nagasaki Motoyo silently opened her phone and checked the date.

"...Ahem!"

She suddenly raised her head and smiled at everyone.

"Actually, I have something to do this Saturday, so I can't come."

As she spoke, she gracefully stood up, ignoring the various expressions on everyone's faces, and simply gazed at Xiao's face with a gentle yet direct expression.

Motoyo Nagasaki has no interest in anyone outside of the CRYCHIC members.

That's how it was.

...But it's normal to monitor the whereabouts of allies, isn't it?

What if he didn't share any important information, or has some selfish motives?

Having figured out the key points, Nagasaki Motoyo felt a subtle sense of pride in her own wisdom.

On the other side, the boy was a little embarrassed by Nagasaki Motoyo's direct gaze, his beautiful amber eyes filled with clear innocence.

Of course, besides monitoring allies...

There's another issue that Nagasaki Motoyo is slightly concerned about.

Looking into those beautiful amber eyes, Nagasaki Motoyo lowered her gaze.

...Besides himself, whose image will be reflected in these eyes?

Chapter 40: Soyo's True Story of Catching Her Daughter in Adultery

Saturday arrived quickly, and it was supposed to be just an ordinary weekend.

Nagasaki Motoyo wore a simple and elegant summer dress, put on a khaki beret, and used sunglasses to cover her eyes from looking around.

She is currently in a residential area in Tokyo, which should be near the home of Kazama Akatsuki.

As for why Sose knew the exact location of Kazama's house... that's a very simple question.

Why don't you just follow him home and find out?

Although some people might categorize this behavior as "stalking," Su Shi was completely unaware of the gravity of her actions. She did it simply because she wanted to uncover the secret that Kazama was hiding.

Even though they are allies, they still hold back towards her, so it's understandable that she wants to find out more.

Furthermore, if the secret he is hiding poses a certain threat to the restoration of the C group, then it should be dealt with as soon as possible.

"……what."

Under the scorching sun, she stood in the shade of a tree by the roadside, looking around, and finally spotted a familiar figure.

As Kazama Akira walked out of the lobby of his bachelor apartment, Su Shi quickly hid himself in a corner under the shade of a tree, only revealing his head, which was wearing sunglasses and a beret, to observe the situation.

The boy, dressed in a light-colored short-sleeved T-shirt and cargo pants, a common summer outfit, walked straight toward the nearby platform, seemingly on his way to an appointment.

The more I look at it, the more suspicious it seems.

Without hesitation, Su Shi followed after Kazama, keeping a proper distance from him.

They passed one after the other through the bustling intersection, the crowded platform, and the packed tram—

Finally, we got off the bus near the newly built planetarium.

I冥qi疤丝琦#肆⒌`|六素世 followed behind the unsuspecting Kazama, pondering to himself.

The planetarium... doesn't seem like a place Xiangzi would go.

At least in her memory, Toyokawa Shoko never mentioned that her hobbies included stargazing, and recently Shoko has not posted any posts related to astronomy on any social media... At least Su Shi did not find any such posts.

It seems that the person he is to meet is not Toyokawa Shoko.

Su Shi raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat disappointed, but since she was already here, there was no harm in taking another look at who this person was.

She stood in a corner of the greenery in the open plaza in front of the planetarium, only her profile visible, watching Kazama get closer and closer to the planetarium entrance—

Then, a blonde girl wearing a baseball cap popped out from behind him, patted him on the shoulder, and raised her sunglasses to reveal a lively and lovely smile, as if she had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Wow—did I startle you?"

"Miss Chuhua... I didn't expect you to arrive so early. Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, no, I just got here a few minutes ago. Let's go, Xiaojun?"

The two walked together into the planetarium building, leaving Su Shi, who was still gazing and observing in the square, somewhat lost in thought.

That girl was indeed not Toyokawa Shoko, but...

Nagasaki Motoyo opened her phone with some skepticism and typed "sumimi Mitsuba Hatsuka" into a search engine.

In the image that popped up, a blonde girl on stage held a guitar and smiled brightly; she was practically the perfect band idol.

Chu Hua…is that the Chu Hua from the triangle?

……

……

The perspective shifts back to the planetarium on the other side. Xiao is completely unaware that she seems to be being followed by someone, and she and Chu Hua walk side by side toward their planned secluded spot.

They had arranged to meet here several times already. Even though Chu Hua was a busy active band idol, he would always take one or two days out of the week to meet with Xiao at the planetarium.

"Whenever I feel overwhelmed by work, I want to come here with Xiaojun to relax... I don't know why I don't feel tired at all when I'm with you."

Chu Hua smiled broadly; she was never stingy with her expressions.

This is the first time he has been so candid with anyone other than Toyokawa Shoko.

"Thank you for taking the time to be with me."

"What are you saying? I also feel very comfortable when I'm with Miss Chuhua."

Xiao wasn't lying. Being able to relax in a familiar place with familiar people in an unfamiliar time and space was a rare opportunity for him.

"...I'm glad you think so too. Actually, Xiaojun is the second friend I've made since I came to Tokyo."

They walked through the dimly lit corridor, and Chu Hua lowered her voice, trying to prevent passersby from accidentally overhearing her heartfelt words.

"I thought that apart from Mana and the person I wanted to see... I would never make any more friends."

Chu Hua paused when she got to this point, and Xiao quickly realized who she was referring to as "that person".

However, he did not press further, but simply smiled and responded as he and Chu Hua walked to the end of the corridor and entered the stargazing hall.

"Then I am very happy to become Miss Chuhua's second friend."

"Well……"

Perhaps not expecting him to be so discreet in his interactions with her, Chu Hua regained her smile after a brief moment of surprise.

"...So that's the kind of person you are, Kazama-kun. Don't tell me you're completely uninterested in other people's unspoken words and hidden secrets?"

"If Miss Chuhua really wanted to tell me, there would be no need for me to ask."

Well, actually it's because he really knows everyone's secrets inside and out, so there's no need to ask.

"Indeed... Perhaps it's because you're this kind of person that I feel safe and secure being with you."

However, Chu Hua seemed to interpret his excuse as a gentlemanly gesture of keeping things under control, and her smile deepened.

"Then, I'll have to trouble Xiaojun to be my only listener."

"Not at all, I would be delighted."

Perhaps it's because she doesn't need to put on airs in front of this person, or perhaps it's because she can always feel a sense of security from him. In any case, after spending time together, Mitsumi Hatsuka is now certain that she can confide some of her feelings to this person.

Misaka Hatsuka then roughly recounted her story after arriving in Tokyo to Akatsuki.

The chemistry between people is such a subtle thing. Some people may spend their whole lives together only to find that they don't understand each other at all, while others may only meet a few times and find that they can confide in each other.

She talked about how her childhood friend boosted her confidence when she was still unknown, and how her childhood friend used to have an unparalleled band and invited her to their first live performance, which Chu Hua will never forget.

Throughout, Xiao played the role of a quiet listener, simply because even if Chu Hua didn't mention the past, he had heard Aunt Hatsune talk about this experience when he was a child.

—But Nagasaki Motoyo is different.

She hadn't heard their previous conversation, but she had taken in Chu Hua's story.

"……Eh?"