Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

The slight bitterness of matcha and the smoothness of cream slowly spread in her mouth. Chu Hua lowered her eyes, and for the first time, a desire called "struggle" burned in her beautiful purple eyes.

"Because sometimes, I feel that Su Shi likes Xiao Xiang even more than I do... and is more dependent on Xiao Xiang."

She spoke gently enough, and her expression was sincere enough, but Su Shi's expression grew increasingly grim.

Chu Hua's subtext was simple.

Before, I was completely devoted to CRYCHIC. How come I suddenly gave my heart to someone I just met?

Just a while ago you were complaining that he couldn't help you win Xiangzi back, but an accident made your attitude towards him completely change. Is this concern out of guilt, obsession, or just the most childish possessiveness?

Su Shi either chooses to preserve her obsession with CRYCHIC, which at least makes her appear to be a relatively consistent person who is greedy and insatiable, or she can only helplessly admit that she has "fallen out of love" and transferred the attention that should have been on Xiangzi to someone else.

Regardless of the reason, her motives are far from perfect.

Regardless of which side she chooses to justify, her feelings for Kazama are always mixed with negative labels such as "a carefully selected choice" or "a hasty, impulsive hope for a replacement."

None of the above can compare to Chu Hua's feelings for Xiao.

"........."

Su Shi remained silent precisely because she understood that Chu Hua's story was not yet finished.

If Su Shi really admits it, then she is the guilty one who has been switching back and forth between Xiangzi and Xiao, but has inadvertently hurt Xiao.

But if she denies it, it would mean that her concern for Kazama and her control over his relationships were completely overstepping boundaries.

Regardless of which response is given, it's enough for Chu Hua to stand on the moral high ground and criticize her mercilessly.

But so what?

There's no way out now.

Why not just tear off the unhealed old scar and throw it in the trash, so that only a new layer of skin can form under the fresh blood?

With that in mind, Nagasaki Motoyo no longer hesitated and nodded in agreement with Hatsuka's explanation.

"Ah, that's right. I had already placed all my hopes on Xiao Xiang before... but I never considered whether she could reciprocate my expectations."

Su Shi took a deep breath, as if recounting all the sins she had committed in the past.

“Xiaojun is different. Even if I don’t have any expectations of him, he always responds to all my wishes, whether spoken or buried deep in my heart. But…”

She moved her lips, but still couldn't say the words, "But I disappointed him."

"...But I thought he was no different from the ordinary people I had met before, and that I could get along with them by just wearing a social mask and dealing with them perfunctorily."

Even though she didn't utter that most incisive remark, Nagasaki Motoyo still conducted a unique moral trial of herself.

Without a doubt, Nagasaki Motoyo is a selfish and self-serving hypocrite who only sees the good old days.

As long as she can return to the past, even if it benefits or deceives many people, and she wears a mask of hypocrisy 24 hours a day, it is still part of her sacrifice.

—It wasn't until Kazama appeared that she realized she could not only stand still and look at the reflection of the past, but also raise her head and focus on the reality in front of her.

Even looking towards the more distant future.

"If it weren't for him, I would probably still be stubbornly hoping that Xiangzi could reconcile with everyone and that we could play that song that everyone knows best like before."

But things are different now.

Everyone has settled into their own lives, and perhaps from now on, her life and Toyokawa Shoko's life will be like two parallel lines that never intersect again.

But none of this matters anymore.

Everyone has gradually moved on, and she should also learn to peek out from the shadow of CRYCHIC and focus on the present and the future.

"Xiangzi has her own things to do now, and so do I. As I just said, we have a wonderful friendship and wonderful memories... That's enough for me."

A bitter smile spread across his lips.

Nagasaki Motoyo was somewhat saddened. She was never afraid that everyone would be unable to go back to the way things were before—what she feared most was that, as time went by, she herself would slowly feel that CRYCHIC should be sealed away in everyone's beautiful memories.

When that moment finally arrived, her heart was filled with nothing but sorrow and emotion.

Perhaps this is the saddest part.

"..."

Chu Hua listened quietly to Su Shi's seemingly off-topic but actually sincere answer. Perhaps because the two of them had similar experiences in their life journeys, she was unexpectedly able to empathize with Su Shi's feelings.

Whether it's for her or for Su Shi, perhaps [Xiao Xiang] is the [past] that they once stubbornly clung to and refused to let go of.

But people always have to look forward.

"So, I've come to a clear understanding."

Next, Su Shi switched to an offensive.

She displayed the grace and demeanor expected of a woman from a prominent family, uttering incredibly weighty words with a light touch.

"I want to keep the people who are still by my side now...until the future, even forever."

Chapter 57 Nagasaki Motoyo's Trump Card

Does this guy really know what he's saying?

Su Shi's words were absolutely sincere, and Chu Hua knew this perfectly well.

But she simply couldn't understand why Su Shi still had the confidence to win back Kazama.

"...I'm a little surprised. I initially thought Su Shi wouldn't be so direct."

Chu Hua's small silver spoon trembled almost imperceptibly, but she quickly regained the elegance and poise befitting a social occasion.

What she couldn't understand even more was why Su Shi was so relentless towards Kazama.

"Xiaojun and I knew each other before he became completely familiar with you, Su Shi."

Chu Hua recounted her experience of meeting that boy in a gentle tone.

"Although it sounds a bit like I'm bragging... I can feel that Xiaojun has a special trust in me."

She seemed to be recounting past events that had nothing to do with Su Shi, but when she raised her eyes to meet Su Shi's gaze, the undercurrent of possessiveness made him realize that this was not a harmless lie.

"Therefore, I also gave him the same trust."

Her words seemed not to criticize Su Shi's self-analysis, but they also seemed to highlight her current predicament.

"If I hadn't taken his matter to heart at the time, I would probably have realized what I had lost and felt distraught and full of regret."

She was just secretly relieved.

The mutual affection between Mitsumi Hatsuka and Kazama Akatsuki is very strong; at least they both quickly mended the rift after it might have developed.

As for Nagasaki Motoyo, it seemed like she was the only one performing a one-woman show full of elegiac lament from beginning to end.

Fortunately, I never doubted that boy.

Fortunately, despite her doubts, she chose to believe him immediately.

Chu Hua didn't want to be so blunt. She knew perfectly well that both she and Su Shi were mild-mannered and reserved in social situations, always leaving room for maneuver.

Even a few words, if only touched upon, are enough to stir up a storm in the other person's heart.

After all, life is not a game where you can go back in time and make new choices. If you have indeed sown bad seeds in the past, you will definitely reap bad consequences in the future.

Su Shi was the unfortunate one who deserved this fate.

"...I think that's why Xiaojun invited me to become his partner."

She gracefully brought the topic to a close, which was also a fatal blow.

Chu Hua thought that as long as she said this much, she could make Su Shi, who was eager to make a move, give up completely.

"...Perhaps that's true."

However, this seemingly gentle yet subtly sharp argument did not dissuade Su Shi from her idea.

"Therefore, I will try my best to make up for the mistakes I made before because I was blinded by a leaf in my own way."

She no longer elaborated on her ideas, but simply and clearly expressed her current thoughts.

"Why……"

The light that had been gleaming in Chu Hua's eyes gradually turned into confusion.

Why is Nagasaki Motoyo so persistent?

"I've already missed out once because of my stubborn obsession. I can't afford to lose something even more important by running away and numbing myself."

With an unperturbed expression, Su Shi slowly lowered her eyes, then skillfully and gracefully took out a small plastic wrapper from her handbag.

Since she was trying to find out Chu Hua's background, she was naturally well-prepared.

"I'm curious about something, Chu Hua. If what you say is true, and Xiao Jun considers you an important and special companion—"

Chu Hua's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it. There seemed to be a...photograph in the bag?

"Did he ever tell you about the existence of these photos?"

Wrapped in transparent plastic was a brand-new photograph, the expressions of the two people in the photo still remarkably clear.

One of them was a young boy with a childlike face and an uncanny resemblance to Kazama.

Even if others might not recognize it, Hatsuka could tell at a glance that this was what Kazama would look like in his childhood – after all, during the days when they couldn't see each other, she had set her phone's wallpaper to the boy's face, so that even when she was busy with work, she could spare a little time to look at Kazama's face during her breaks.

The other woman was a gentle and mature lady with an elegance and composure that came with the passage of time.

Her smile was so gentle it could melt ice and snow, her eyes filled with doting affection and care for the boy beside her. Although she appeared much older than Su Shi before her, and her demeanor was more mature and serene, the contours of her features, the curve of her eyebrows and eyes, even the slight tilt of her head—

It was none other than Nagasaki Motoyo herself.

No, to be precise, she should be described as a mature and composed woman who has experienced many trials and tribulations, namely Motoyo Nagasaki.

"This is……"

Sanjiao Chuhua's voice suddenly went dry.

Her gaze was fixed on the photograph, her eyes revealing an undisguised confusion and bewilderment.

"Please allow me to state upfront that this is not a prank by me. If I had to say, this photo is actually a photocopy that I obtained from someone else... and the friend who accidentally left the photo also indicates that she obtained this item unintentionally."

Before Chu Hua could even ask a question, Su Shi, as if anticipating her potential questions, provided a comprehensive and thorough explanation.

"At least in my opinion, this is a photo that should not exist."

However, subjective perception cannot change objective facts.

"Because I have absolutely no memory of taking photos with Xiaojun in such a setting. If I did... it would probably be more than ten years from now."

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Chu Hua wanted to speak in rebuttal, but found that she couldn't make a sound.

It was absurd, but the facts before her eyes made it impossible for her to ignore them.

"...Then, why did Su Shi show me this photo?"

After a long silence, Chu Hua finally raised a question.

"Deduction isn't my strong suit, Chu Hua. When a fact is thrown right in my face, since I can't find the underlying logic, I can only try to make it seem reasonable."

Su Shi calmly put the photo away.

If there is anything that firmly links her fate with Kazama's, this photograph is probably the clearest symbol.

If anything could overcome the bond between him and Hatsuka—

"Perhaps the bond between Xiaojun and me has long been an unshakable objective fact in some way that defies common sense."

So this is the declaration.

Motoyo Nagasaki is so confident because she is trying to find the truth.

Once this truth is revealed in the direction she wants, neither Chu Hua nor Mu will be a match for her.

That's at least what she thinks at this stage.

Chapter 58 Don't underestimate our bond!