A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Wakaba Mu whispered:

"I didn't expect you to know the truth so long ago."

“How could that be… I’ve never looked down on Aine.”

Facing Wakaba Mu's misunderstanding of herself, Nagasaki Suyo said with a smile:

"On the contrary, I've always admired her kindness, which is exactly the same as Tetsuya's, and her willingness to shoulder the responsibility of the band for Tetsuya. It's just a pity that her vain and cunning personality is really a bit regrettable. If I show her even the slightest bit of kindness, she'll immediately make a face that asks me to praise her. So... to avoid being pushed too far, I can only treat her that way."

"I see."

Recalling the uncontrollable joy on Chihaya Aine's face after hearing his evaluation when he was practicing guitar just now, Wakaba Mutsuya immediately understood the meaning of Nagasaki Motoyo's words.

On the other side, Nagasaki Suyo first glanced at the time, then said:

"Mu, are you going to sleep now?"

"……Do not."

Wakaba Mu shook his head slightly.

"I'm not sleepy yet..."

"So how about we two chat a little before you get ready for bed?"

Nagasaki Suyo smiled and extended an invitation to Wakaba Mutsu.

"Just some...girl talk."

……

"I'm sorry, I just moved in not long ago, so the room is a bit shabby."

Nagasaki Suyo said as she sat down on the bed.

As she said, the room currently only has a bed, a desk and a wardrobe, which is a far cry from the luxurious style of her own home.

However... Nagasaki Suyo's expression did not seem to show any disgust at all. Instead, she looked even more relaxed than when she was in the high-rise apartment.

"Come, sit down, Mu."

She patted the seat next to her and motioned Ruo Yemu to sit over there.

When Wakaba Mutsu saw this, he hesitated for a moment, and then sat down obediently next to Nagasaki Suyo.

"You must be very uncomfortable with it, right?"

Looking at Wakaba Mutsu, whose gaze was somewhat wandering, Nagasaki Suyo asked with a smile:

"After all, you're different from me. You've probably lived in a villa since you can remember. Wouldn't it be difficult for you to accept a narrow and old room like this?"

"……Won't."

Wakaba Mu shook his head.

"Compared to a large room where no trace of anyone else's presence can be seen... this kind of room is better."

"Well, that's what I thought too."

As Nagasaki Suyo spoke, she moved back and hugged the pillow she brought from Chihaya Tetsuya's house. Judging from her proficiency in this action, she seemed to do this often in bed.

"That's why I told my mother I wanted to move here... Just thinking that Tetsuya is right downstairs from me and I can see him just a few steps away makes me feel safe. You know? Sometimes I can even hear him accidentally drop his book from here. This subtle sense of distance is really incredible."

"..."

Although Wakaba Mutsu couldn't quite imagine the situation that Nagasaki Suyo was talking about, the impression she had accumulated from her visit to Chihaya Tetsuya's house just now was enough for her to understand the "sense of security" that Nagasaki Suyo was talking about.

Everywhere I look, there are traces of his life here. As long as I call his name, I will definitely get his response.

"Isn't this considered living together?"

"Ahem...don't talk nonsense. We're neighbors on the same floor."

Faced with such ambiguous words, Nagasaki Suyo's face suddenly turned slightly red.

Facing Nagasaki Suyo's rebuttal, Wakaba Mu tilted his head in confusion:

"But, Suye has the key to Chihaya's house, right?"

The implication is, "Since you can walk in anytime, then there's really no difference between this and living together, right?"

"Well……"

Faced with Wakaba Mu's perfectly reasonable question, Nagasaki Suyo was speechless for a moment. She thought hard for a long time before saying:

"At least I won't easily enter Tetsuya's room... Even if I go in, I'll just help him clean up."

"..."

After hearing this, Wakaba Mutsu didn't say anything else, but just looked at Nagasaki Suyo quietly, as if he wanted to use this silence to replace her answer.

Nagasaki Motoyo also knew that her defense was a bit too weak, so she finally admitted frankly:

"Well, it does feel like we're living together, but at least for now, I plan to keep my distance! Otherwise..."

Having said this, she paused for a moment before continuing:

"Otherwise, Hoshino Ai will definitely not sit idly by, and Xiangzi, who has finally regained his confidence, might also be affected."

"..."

After hearing this, Ruoye Mu immediately understood why Su Shi just said that the topic was "chatting between girls".

It seems that what we are going to talk about next should be the main topic of this discussion——

"Mu, could you please tell me what Xiangzi plans to do next?"

As expected, Nagasaki Suyo made her request.

However, just when Wakaba Mu thought that she was just trying to achieve her own goal, just like when she inquired about Xiangzi's whereabouts before, Nagasaki Suyo's next sentence made her look extremely surprised.

"I'd like to know if there's anything I can do to help."

24

Chapter 24 The second thread.

"Although I don't think I need to remind you, but you should have known about it a long time ago, right? Regarding Xiangzi's feelings for Chihaya..."

"Yeah, I know."

Nagasaki Suyo nodded, and then put on a very rare expression of calmness:

"Shoko and I...both like Tetsuya."

"Well--"

Although it was a topic that had nothing to do with him, after hearing Nagasaki Suyo's confession, Wakaba Mutsu subconsciously turned his eyes away.

"Since you know everything, why do you still want to help Xiangzi?"

"Well..."

Facing Wakaba Mu's perfectly normal questioning, Nagasaki Suyo thought for a moment before saying:

"Because the way we both express our feelings is the same."

"?"

Wakaba Mutsu immediately showed a confused expression after hearing this, and Nagasaki Suyo continued to explain:

"As an advisor, I, and as an apprentice, Xiangzi, are always providing Tetsuya with the best possible assistance no matter what we do. It's not so much that we're pursuing him, but rather that we both sincerely want to help Tetsuya achieve his dreams and be his indispensable presence, always by his side. So, Xiangzi and I can be said to be partners with the same goal. As for my possessiveness of Tetsuya... well, there is a little bit of it, but it's completely different from the feeling that Hoshino Ai has, who is willing to sacrifice everything to have him."

“…Indeed.”

Ruoye Mu nodded in agreement.

"Xiangzi is indeed putting Chihaya-san's career first at the moment. As for Chihaya-san's body... she doesn't seem to have any overly strong desires."

"You're being so direct when you say 'body'..."

After hearing this, Nagasaki Suyo's face turned red.

"But in my opinion, Xiangzi is probably not completely uninterested. She just temporarily put aside her desire because she has something more she wants to do... After all... well... Mu may not understand what you said right now, but Zheya is actually quite shy. Whether it's his body or his defenseless posture, it should be difficult for a girl who likes him not to have those kinds of thoughts about him..."

"?"

"Ahem, it's nothing. Let's get down to business!"

Facing the confused Wakaba Mutsu, Nagasaki Suyo suddenly realized how obscene the things she usually thought in her mind were.

No, we cannot use this knowledge to pollute this child who has a strong desire to learn about everything around him!

"Anyway, what Xiangzi is going to do next will definitely benefit Tetsuya, right? If that's the case, I'd like to help out a little."

"...Sushi's words have been of great help to Chihaya-san, right?"

Wakaba Mu tilted his head.

"After all, your mother helped connect with all the channels for Starry Sky."

"That can only be regarded as my mother's investment in him, not my contribution to him at all."

Nagasaki Suyo made this distinction very clear.

"At the moment, I can only slightly correct his various unhealthy minor problems in life and do some record-keeping work that even a child can do. I haven't contributed much to what he really wants to do. So, if possible, I would also like to do something for Zheya, just like Xiangzi."

"...So that's it."

In other words, rather than being jealous of Xiangzi, Su Shi prefers to prove his worth in this way? Although it is still a competitive relationship at its core, this kind of competition doesn't seem to hurt anyone...

Thinking of this, Ruoye Mu also breathed a sigh of relief.

Before this, she had always been worried whether she would be caught between the two of them again like she was last year, but now it seems that this worry is completely unnecessary.

In that case——

"Actually, Xiangzi is planning to form a faction with all those related to Chihaya-san..."

This time, if Ye Mu no longer worried about her own position and no longer worried about whether their relationship would deteriorate further, this sense of ease, which was completely different from her impression, would allow her to finally tell everything she knew with peace of mind.

……

"...So that's it."

Because the plan itself was not complicated, Nagasaki Suyo quickly understood Toyokawa Shoko's idea.

"This doesn't seem like a plan a high school student could come up with at all... As expected of Xiangzi."

If the plan is successful, the benefits brought about by joint publicity in multiple fields will undoubtedly be enormous.

However, under the influence of her workaholic mother, Nagasaki Suyo noticed another risk:

"However, for an emerging brand, this kind of large-scale publicity will also attract more attention. As for Zhe Ye, he probably doesn't have the energy to deal with this at the moment."

"..."

Although Ruoye Mu didn't know much about business matters, she still understood the principle that a big tree attracts the wind.

When Chihaya Tetsuya was an assistant designer at KaZoKu, he was already so outstanding that his works were copied by his peers. If his competitiveness and popularity are further improved, more competitors will follow.

and so--

"Xiangzi's plan is best carried out in stages."

Nagasaki Suyo analyzed seriously:

"The first phase will naturally be directly launched by [Summer Zodiac]. In the second phase, the news of Hoshino Ai as an 'exclusive model' will further open up the mid-to-low-end young market. As for the third phase..."

"..."

Looking at Nagasaki Suye's extremely focused look, Ruo Yemu felt both admiration and relief in his heart.

If it were a year ago, she would never have imagined that Su Shi and Xiangzi would still work hard for a common goal. She would never have imagined that the two of them have now become as mature and strong as adults.

(Chihaya-san is surrounded by truly remarkable people.)

Ruoye Mu couldn't help but think in his heart:

(Whether it's Hoshino Ai, Xiangzi, or Su Shi, everyone knows what they should do next and will work hard for it without hesitation...)

……

It seems that they all have such clear goals because they have someone they like.

So, if she also has someone she likes, can she get rid of her current confusion and find her own direction?