Chapter 162: All I Can Think About Is Touma-kun 

At this moment, Sumita Mana took off her jacket and set it aside, then tugged at her collar.

"I've been moving things around all day and worked up quite a sweat. I feel all sticky, so I really should take a shower. Otherwise, it'll be too uncomfortable."

"Could you sit here for a while? I'll take a quick shower and be right back."

"Mm, sure."

Touma nodded.

He didn't think much of it. After all, this was her apartment, so taking a shower was perfectly normal.

Seeing this, Sumita Mana immediately stood up from the sofa, left the living room, and headed toward the bathroom.

A few minutes later, the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom.

Touma had already seen scenes like this when he was experiencing Mutsumi Wakaba's life.

Back then, Sakiko had borrowed the bathroom at Wakaba's house.

He was already quite used to it.

Come to think of it, did Sumita Mana have a family?

Were her parents still alive?

Why had she suddenly come to live in Osaka, and why hadn't Sumita Mana chosen to live with her family?

After all, that apartment wasn't exactly small.

Many suspicious questions quickly flashed through Touma's mind.

There was also the question of how Sumita Mana would continue developing her career in the future...

Just as he was thinking about this, a faint fragrance suddenly drifted into Touma's nose.

In an instant, he felt his mind gradually relaxing. It was almost as though his thoughts were slowly emptying out completely.

His mind gradually became peaceful.

In this state, Touma quietly sat on the sofa for several minutes.

Soon, a faint sound of the bathroom door opening came from that direction.

Sumita Mana should have finished her shower.

However, a few seconds later, accompanied by the sound of slippers against the floor, a girl with shoulder-length brown hair suddenly walked into the living room.

Touma shifted his gaze toward her, but his eyes only revealed confusion.

Sumita Mana was wrapped in nothing but a white bath towel, which only covered the area from her chest to the tops of her thighs.

The rest of her body was exposed to the air. Her skin looked even fairer after her bath, and beneath its crystalline sheen was a faint flush of pink.

A warm mist still lingered around her.

"Sorry, Touma-kun. I suddenly remembered that all my clothes are packed in cardboard boxes, but the cardboard boxes are in the living room, so I came out to look for them."

As she said this, Sumita Mana's entire body was tense.

She could feel the boy's gaze openly "invading" every inch of exposed skin on her body.

In an instant, a blush spread across her face.

She immediately turned around, bent over, and buried her head in the cardboard box as she searched for her clothes.

Ten seconds later, she stood up again with a stack of clothes in her arms, then hurried toward the bedroom.

During that time, she didn't forget to sneak a glance toward the sofa. Touma had already turned his head away and was eating the donuts on the table.

Seeing this, the light in Sumita Mana's eyes couldn't help but dim slightly.

Back in the bedroom, she closed the door, then lightly jumped and threw herself onto the bed.

She buried her head in the pillow, let out a soft sigh, then rolled over and sat back up.

She took off the bath towel and tossed it aside.

I didn't expect that even doing this wouldn't attract Touma-kun's attention any more than that.

He only looked at her for a few seconds before losing interest.

Then what's the point of having this nearly perfect figure that she'd maintained through years of idol work?

She might as well have eaten a few more donuts.

Thinking this, Sumita Mana puffed out her cheeks slightly.

She wasn't merely dissatisfied with Touma's reaction. She was also dissatisfied with herself.

No, was she really someone who would give up that easily?

This concerned the major matter of her future lifelong happiness.

She had to keep trying!

Sumita Mana encouraged herself once more.

Afterward, she picked out a set of white pajamas and put them on.

When she appeared in the living room again, she had already completely adjusted her state of mind.

This time, she didn't choose to sit across from him and talk. Instead, she directly sat down beside Touma.

"Mm, I feel so much more refreshed after taking a shower."

Sumita Mana first stretched, fully displaying her figure.

Then she stuck out her tongue. "But there was a little accident just now. You didn't see anything, did you, Touma-kun?"

"What do you think?"

Touma tossed the question back to her.

Hearing this, Sumita Mana's little face flushed red, and she gave a dry "cough" twice.

As expected, Touma-kun had seen everything, but he hadn't said a word about it.

It feels so unfair...

"You helped carry things back and forth quite a few times just now, so you must have worked up quite a sweat too. Why don't you take a shower like I did? It's really comfortable."

Sumita Mana suggested this.

"My place is right next door. I'll go back and shower there," Touma said.

What?

Go back?

The moment she heard that he was going back, Sumita Mana immediately panicked.

But she still maintained her composure as her mind raced.

"Eh, you're going back already...? We haven't even talked that much."

"But it's not a big deal. Once you've gone back and taken a shower, I might just come over and bother you."

Hearing this, Touma was speechless.

How did it feel like the ladylike air around Miss Donut had diminished quite a bit, replaced by something more like a "female hooligan" vibe, and a cultured "female hooligan" at that?

Of course, he had no intention of leaving immediately either.

Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "Did you put on some scented candles?"

Sumita Mana nodded and raised one finger.

"Mm. Doesn't it smell nice? And after smelling it, doesn't it feel like all the fatigue from the entire day has disappeared?"

As she spoke, the girl yawned.

"This is Flarescent Candles I specifically bought. It can calm the mind, and it's quite beneficial to the body too."

"This kind of candles must be pretty expensive, right?"

Touma asked. At the same time, he felt his eyelids becoming somewhat heavy, as though he was getting sleepy.

The candle really did have the effect she had described.

"It's not that expensive."

As Sumita Mana spoke, she took a sip of black tea.

Seeing that the boy beside her was much more relaxed now than when he'd first entered the living room, a faint smile also appeared at the corners of her lips.

Of course, she had absolutely no intention of using the candle to make Touma-kun fall asleep directly in her home.

If she could, though... naturally, that would be even better.

No, no. She just wanted to create a peaceful atmosphere, so that when Touma-kun stayed here, he would feel as though he were back at his own home.

Gradually, he would get used to being here.

And then, when the time was right...

In any case, the impression made on the very first day, right now, was extremely important.

"Then let's talk about the piano lessons next," Touma said.

Hearing this, Sumita Mana immediately nodded lightly.

"Mm-hmm."

She had almost forgotten about it because he hadn't brought it up.

Although she really had been working hard to learn the piano, this was ultimately just a way to get closer to Touma-kun and establish a connection with him.

After all, that had been her intention from the very beginning when she invited him to become her piano teacher.

"Although we live very close to each other and can drop by whenever we want, let's still settle on a specific time."

"First of all, considering how much your piano skills have improved, you no longer need lessons at a high frequency. The main thing is for you to set aside plenty of time to practice on your own, so once a week should be enough."

"Also, I'm usually out between seven in the morning and seven in the evening."

"So as for the specific time... let's set it for every Sunday from eight to ten in the evening. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, Sumita Mana was stunned at first. Then she completely failed to keep her expression under control, and her face was filled with disappointment and regret.

"Does that conflict with your schedule?" Touma asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Sumita Mana finally shook her head.

"No..."

"All right, then let's settle on that," Touma said.

"But if it's only two hours a week, is that really enough?"

As Sumita Mana spoke, she shifted her body toward the boy.

Before she knew it, she had already moved close beside Touma.

"Or do you think it's too much trouble? I can increase your hourly rate. How about 200,000 yen an hour?"

Because Miss Donut's pajama shorts were too short, her fair thighs were exposed to Touma's view.

They swayed lightly, quite alluring.

On top of that, with the way she was silently moving closer and closer, whether intentionally or unintentionally, her thigh had even pressed against his.

Touma felt somewhat helpless. Out of consideration for respecting her, he chose to move one seat away in the opposite direction.

If the body he was currently controlling were one of those band girls, then he wouldn't feel anything at all in a situation like this. Even his heartbeat wouldn't change in the slightest.

After all, in that state, he wouldn't experience any physiological attraction toward women.

But now, he had to admit that this nearly perfect idol girl was still very alluring to him personally.

Sumita Mana naturally noticed this small detail as well.

He actually avoided her?

Forget it. I'll take it slowly...

"Do you think that's too little? Actually, 300,000 yen, or even 400,000 or 500,000, would all be fine."

Sumita Mana continued.

Only then did Touma notice the amount.

"500,000 yen an hour?"

Did idols just have money falling from the sky?

"Mm-hmm." Sumita Mana quickly nodded.

500,000 yen for one hour with Touma-kun. No matter how she looked at it, it was worth it.

However, at this point, Touma no longer had much need for 500,000 yen.

After all, he could earn hundreds of millions of yen from selling a single song.

Not to mention the derivative income over the following ten years. With the system on top of that, he could practically lie down and collect money.

"Forget it. There's no need for that. Your piano skills really don't require me to teach you that much."

Touma replied.

That was the truth, too.

Hearing this, all of Sumita Mana's fantasies immediately shattered.

"Ah, okay."

At the same time, endless regret welled up in her heart.

She regretted spending the past few months constantly busy with SUMIMI's activities instead of making more time for Touma-kun to come over and teach her piano.

If she could go back to the past, she would definitely cancel all of SUMIMI's evening activities and have Touma-kun come over to teach her how to play the piano.

At least then, the two of them could spend two hours together at close range every day.

Unfortunately... all of that was already in the past.

Sumita Mana felt somewhat dejected, but she quickly pulled herself together again.

It wasn't too late to start now.

As long as she didn't devote herself quite so completely to her career as a singer in the future, and instead used it as a pretext, just like the piano, she could find ways to establish more and deeper connections with Touma-kun, connections that belonged exclusively to her.

Of course, this matter still needed careful consideration.

As for continuing to strive to become the champion of next year's National Singing Competition, she would certainly work hard for it.

But compared to establishing an even closer relationship with Touma-kun, that suddenly didn't seem quite so important anymore.

Thinking this, Sumita Mana suddenly felt that she seemed to have changed a little.

But there was nothing she could do about it.

After all, right now, her mind was filled entirely with Touma-kun.

Just being alone in the same room with him was enough to make her mind frequently short-circuit.

She simply had no room left to think about anything else.

Still, she was very happy about it, and she was also filled with anticipation for the days ahead, when Touma-kun would be part of her everyday life.

Touma, meanwhile, looked at the idol girl who kept inching closer and closer toward him and felt utterly helpless.

Eventually, Sumita Mana had forced him all the way into the corner of the sofa.

With nowhere left to sit, he finally stood up.

At the same time, he felt that it was better not to stay here any longer.

Sumita Mana also came back to her senses.

She realized that her behavior was hardly befitting a composed idol anymore. She looked more like a lovesick pervert.

Then, seeing the boy stand up as if he were about to leave, she immediately panicked.

"Um, why did you suddenly stand up? Come sit here."

She patted the sofa beneath her and gave an awkward smile.

"If I didn't stand up, you'd have squeezed me right off the sofa, Mana-san."

Touma said without mercy.

"Sorry, Touma-kun. I wasn't paying attention just now. I'm really sorry!"

Sumita Mana immediately stood up and bowed in apology, her tone sincere.

"It's fine. We've pretty much finished talking about everything anyway, so I'll head back first."

With that, Touma turned around and prepared to leave.

Watching the boy's back, Sumita Mana's mood immediately sank to rock bottom.

At the same time, an impulse suddenly surged within her: to run over, embrace Touma-kun, and make him stay tonight.

The more she thought about it, the stronger this impulse became.

Just as she was about to act, the sudden ringing of a phone pulled her back to her senses.

It wasn't hers. It was Touma-kun's phone.

Sumita Mana shifted her gaze over.

Touma took out his phone and glanced at it.

Misumi Uika?

He answered the call directly.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Touma. Guess where I am right now?"

Misumi Uika's voice sounded a little more playful than usual.

She must have learned it from one of her partners.

Hearing this, Touma didn't even need to guess.

"Outside my apartment?"

"How did you figure that out? Amazing."

Misumi Uika deliberately feigned surprise.

"That's right. I'm right outside the apartment."

"By the way, Touma, are you home right now? I rang the doorbell several times just now, but nobody answered, so I called to check."

"Mm. I was just worried about you."

Hearing this, Touma looked toward the door, seemingly able to see the blonde girl standing outside his apartment through it.

She had suddenly come all the way from Tokyo to his doorstep without a sound.

The same thing was happening again.

The difference this time was that Sumita Mana was here.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "You must have the wrong door. I'm in the apartment next door on the left."

Chapter 163: The Unexpected Visit from Misumi Hatsune

"Eh? Did I remember it wrong?"

Surprise was evident in Misumi Uika's voice.

How could she have gotten Touma's residence mixed up?

Even if this was Touma's newly relocated residence, she couldn't possibly have made a mistake.

After all, she had come here to scout the place out long ago.....

Uika looked up at the apartment number in front of her. Confusion appeared in her eyes, but she quickly brushed it aside.

Maybe Touma had also bought the apartment next door, and she simply hadn't discovered it yet.

"Then you should be at home right now, right, Touma?" Uika asked.

"In the apartment next door," Touma replied.

"Then I'll come find you. I'll hang up first."

With that, Uika hung up the phone and excitedly walked to the door of the apartment next door. Full of anticipation, she pressed the doorbell.

Meanwhile, inside Miss Donut's apartment.

Sumita Mana was still puzzled by the contents of Touma's phone conversation when the doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting her train of thought.

"It might be someone from the moving company. You sit here for a while, Touma-kun. I'll go open the door and take a look."

Hearing this, Touma nodded and sat back down on the sofa.

Seeing this, Sumita Mana froze for a moment, then immediately became incredibly delighted.

She actually managed to get him to sit down again. Is this really Touma-kun?

At this moment, her heart was already filled with gratitude toward the visitor outside the door.

After putting on a thick, long coat, Sumita Mana went to the entrance and reached out to open the door.

However, the very next second, something that shocked her happened.

A familiar head of golden hair suddenly poked out and looked toward her.

The two of them stared at each other.

"Mana-chan?!"

"Ui-chan?!"

The two girls spoke at the same time in different voices, both looking utterly astonished.

After a few seconds of intense thought, Uika had already realized that something was wrong.

But before she could say anything, Sumita Mana spoke first.

"Sorry, Ui-chan. It's already a little late. How about you go home for today?"

As she spoke, she tried to close the door.

But Uika suddenly reached out and grabbed the edge of the door.

"Mana-chan, why are you here? I remember this is Osaka."

Seeing that her strength was evenly matched with the other girl and that she couldn't close the door, Sumita Mana completely gave up.

It was supposed to be a world for just her and Touma-kun from now on.

But why, of all times, did Ui-chan have to come looking for her now?

She was unwilling to accept it. She was really, truly unwilling to accept it.

Sumita Mana sighed deeply in her heart and forced herself to explain.

"That's right, this is Osaka. And I'm here. Is there a problem?"

Hearing this, Uika continued smiling.

But then, taking advantage of the moment when the other girl was distracted, she darted into the apartment.

"Wait a second, Ui-chan."

Sumita Mana hurriedly closed the door and turned around, trying to catch the golden-haired girl.

Unfortunately, Uika had already run into the living room.

What came into view was the sight of a young man sitting quietly on the sofa, drinking black tea.

"Touma....." Uika murmured softly.

It really was Touma.

"Mm, long time no see, Uika."

Touma looked at the golden-haired idol standing before him with a blank expression and greeted her.

This made him believe even more strongly in Sumimi's supposed unity of mind and body.

Sumita Mana had only just moved here, and Uika had followed right behind her. If that wasn't the tacit understanding of two people who were of one mind, then what was?

If either of them had come alone, it would have been somewhat troublesome for him right now.

But with both of them coming together, the situation would be much easier to deal with.

At this moment, Sumita Mana also hurried into the living room.

"So you two are living together?"

Uika's brain was already struggling to process any more thoughts, leaving her only able to think of this possibility.

"Bingo. You got it right."

Sumita Mana crossed her arms over her chest, looking completely confident.

Hearing this, Uika's pupils widened. A thin layer of dark shadows instantly appeared around her eyes, as shock, disappointment, disbelief, and other complicated emotions became mixed together.

Was Touma going to be taken away?

Was her Touma going to be taken away?

The words kept repeating themselves in the girl's mind.

She couldn't accept something like this at all.

What should she do?

What should she do?

Should she kick Mana out right now, or perhaps....

At that moment, Touma's voice suddenly entered her mind.

"That's not right. I just happened to be visiting Mana. I actually live next door, so you didn't get the wrong door just now, Uika."

Only after hearing this explanation did Uika slowly return to her senses from her somewhat deranged state.

The faint shadows at the corners of her eyes gradually faded, and her eyes regained their brightness.

"So that's how it is? I can't believe you lied to me, Mana-chan. I almost believed you."

As she spoke, Uika looked at her partner and naturally sat down beside Touma.

She very naturally sniffed lightly with her nose.

There didn't seem to be any scent of Mana. Everything was safe.

Uika finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then again, that made sense. After all, given Touma's personality, it would be very difficult for Mana to completely win him over by herself, even if she devoted a great deal of time and effort to it.

The same applied to her.

Of course, unlike Mana, she would first do her best to pursue and win him over.

But if that didn't work, she could settle for the next best thing.

As long as no one took Touma away from her, even if it meant being like a dog... having to obey him completely and being able to cling to Touma...

She would be completely willing!

Seeing this, Sumita Mana immediately walked over as well, took off her coat, and sat down on Touma's other side.

"Isn't this a little cramped?"

Touma gave the two of them no opportunity whatsoever. He stood up and then sat down across from them.

Seeing this, Uika and Sumita Mana first looked at the young man, then at each other. Neither made any unnecessary move.

Then Uika spoke first.

"Mana-chan, can you tell me why you suddenly moved here?"

"Sumimi hasn't even disbanded yet, and the activities that have already been arranged for us recently are still continuing. Yet you just moved here, and you even kept it from me without giving me any notice at all."

Disappointment filled Uika's voice, as though she had been betrayed by her closest friend.

"Could it be that..."

Was this really the kind-hearted girl she knew?

But actually, Ui-chan wasn't wrong either. She simply hadn't wanted to tell her and had secretly moved here for a while.

If she hadn't done that, how else could she spend time alone with Touma-kun and win him over?

Although now, all of that had been ruined.

"Actually, I didn't want you to worry, Ui-chan. As for why I moved here, it's complicated, and it's not easy for me to explain."

Sumita Mana had no intention of telling her all of her innermost thoughts. Instead, she casually came up with an excuse to brush her off.

Then she turned the question around.

"Anyway, I'll probably be settling down here for quite a while. But what about you, Ui-chan? Why did you suddenly come here?"

Hearing this, Uika felt somewhat sentimental.

Just a few months ago, the two of them had been very close, practically telling each other everything.

But now, they had become wary of each other.

Sigh...

Of course, it was merely a feeling of nostalgia. She wasn't actually sad about it.

"I came to Osaka, of course, to see Touma."

"Is that so? What are you planning to do by coming to see Touma-kun?" Sumita Mana continued questioning her.

"Of course I came to see Touma because I have something to discuss with him."

"What is it?"

Sumita Mana was clearly determined to get to the bottom of things.

"What is it... It's something between Touma and me, so I can't really tell you, Mana."

"Eh? Not even with the relationship between us?" Sumita Mana lightly covered her mouth, looking somewhat hurt.

In response, Uika raised both hands. Her smile gradually became resolute as she crossed her arms in front of herself.

"Of course. It's something very important. Even though we're partners in Sumimi, I can't tell you."

Hearing this, Sumita Mana grew suspicious and slightly furrowed her brows.

Was Ui-chan really planning to sever their relationship?

She turned her head toward the young man sitting across from her and began desperately blinking at him.

Touma, who had been watching the show from the side, noticed the girl's pleading gaze and felt somewhat helpless.

"Don't ask me. I don't know either."

He answered honestly.

Uika had suddenly come looking for him, so he really didn't know.

But to Sumita Mana's ears, those words meant something entirely different.

Touma-kun: Uika and I really do have a secret, a secret you aren't allowed to know.

How could this be.....

Had these two really done something behind her back?

At the thought of this, it felt as though something was slowly filling her chest, leaving her with a faint sense of unwillingness and suppressed pain that even made it somewhat difficult to breathe.

No. She couldn't let this affect her state of mind.

It was all Ui-chan's interference!

Sumita Mana took a deep breath and hurriedly regained her composure.

As long as she and Touma-kun remained neighbors, she would always have the advantage. She would remain in an invincible position.

Seeing the brown-haired girl regain her confidence, Uika felt somewhat dejected.

The main reason was that she had now joined Ave Mujica, so she couldn't move to Osaka. It would also be difficult for her to have enough time to disrupt the two of them having time alone together like this.

At that moment, Touma's voice suddenly drew the attention of both girls.

"I'll leave the rest of the time to you two. I still have some things to take care of, so I'll be leaving first."

With that, Touma stood up and walked toward the entrance.

Seeing this, Sumita Mana hurried after him.

"Won't you stay a little longer? I'll see you out, Touma-kun."

"It's just next door. There's no need to see me out."

Touma was somewhat helpless.

He then opened the apartment door and left.

Uika remained sitting quietly on the sofa without making a move.

When the brown-haired girl returned to the living room and sat back down on the sofa with a disappointed expression, she spoke up.

"Mana-chan, that was really sneaky. You actually secretly moved in next door to Touma while I wasn't paying attention."

"Didn't we agree beforehand that we'd cooperate?"

There was a hint of dissatisfaction and reproach in her voice.

Hearing this, Sumita Mana's expression gradually returned to normal. She took a bite of her donut before retorting.

"You're no different, Ui-chan. You came here to see Touma-kun without telling me either."

"Who knows how many times you've already come here secretly."

"Aside from the times you already knew about, today is the only time I've come."

Uika defended herself.

"Who knows?"

Sumita Mana looked at the golden-haired girl sitting across from her, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"Mana-chan, you don't even believe me about something like this?"

"Of course. After all, you won't even tell me about the secret between you and Touma-kun. With that level of trust, how am I supposed to believe you?"

"In that case, I won't believe you anymore either, Mana."

Uika said this.

In response, Sumita Mana crossed her arms, turned her head away, and gave a soft "Hmph," her face practically saying, "Go on, leave already."

Seeing this, Uika didn't say anything more.

She sighed quietly to herself, then stood up and left.

She then walked to the door of Touma's apartment and rang the doorbell.

At that moment, Touma was composing music in his bedroom. Hearing the doorbell, he felt somewhat helpless, but he still went to the entrance and opened the door.

"Is there something else, Uika?"

"Mm. There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Uika nodded, a serious look in her eyes.

"What's up?"

Touma was somewhat puzzled.

It wasn't that he was being impolite. He simply really didn't want to be alone in the same room with this blonde girl.

Seeing the wary look on the young man's face, Uika immediately felt a sense of disappointment.

Had she made her intentions too obvious before, to the point that even getting into Touma's home had become this difficult?

It seemed she needed to restrain herself a little during this period.

"It's something very important. Can I come in and tell you about it?"

Uika lowered her head slightly, her eyelids half-lowered, and her voice softened.

Seeing this, Touma stopped doubting her. He nodded and let her in.

After entering the apartment, Uika relaxed all over and took several light breaths.

Emm... It all smelled like Touma.

Just standing here made her feel as though all the fatigue she had accumulated throughout the day had completely disappeared.

When they reached the living room, the two sat facing each other on the sofa.

"Go ahead. Is this the very important thing between us that I don't know about?"

Touma asked.

Hearing this, Uika immediately felt somewhat embarrassed, but she quickly straightened her expression and took a deep breath. With a serious look on her face, she said:

"There's something I've never told you. Actually, my real name isn't Misumi Uika. It's Hatsune."

This really was a very important matter.

Touma was somewhat surprised.

For Uika, this should have been a secret that absolutely had to be kept hidden. Yet she had just told him about it without any explanation?

She then launched into a detailed account of her background.

She had been the illegitimate child of Togawa Sadaharu and a female housekeeper since birth. Togawa Sadaharu had concealed her identity and hidden her away on an island for some time.

Later, she came to Tokyo and became an idol under the name of her non-biological younger sister, Mitsumine Uika.

However, in her account, she deliberately omitted the existence of Togawa Sakiko and the Togawa family, using other substitutes instead, such as "that person" and "my family."

"The family's influence... is enormous. Almost... no one can stand against it."

Finally, Uika/Hatsune added:

"That's... about it."

Chapter 164: Nagasaki Soyo's Cutesy Voice

"Mm."

Touma nodded.

Hearing his calm tone, Misumi Hatsune raised her head and looked at the young man before her, but all she saw in his eyes was complete composure.

Touma... isn't surprised at all?

Or does he simply not care about her, even a little?

At that thought, the light in Misumi Hatsune's eyes instantly dimmed.

Touma naturally noticed the girl's change in mood.

But there was nothing he could do about it. He had known all of this for a long time.

To open his mouth wide and put on a shocked expression while saying, "So that's how it is?!"

Sorry, that would be far too awkward. He couldn't do it.

"I already know all of this, Hatsune. So is there a reason you suddenly told me about it?" Touma asked.

Hearing the way he addressed her change from "Uika" to "Hatsune," Misumi Hatsune's previously dead heart began pounding again.

It had... been a long time since anyone had called her that.

"Actually, it's nothing. I was just a little worried.... So I wanted to tell you about it, Touma."

There was a hint of uneasiness in Misumi Hatsune's voice, along with a trace of confusion.

"Worried about what?" Touma continued asking.

Hearing this, Misumi Hatsune first looked up at the young man sitting across from her. Seeing the calmness in his eyes, it seemed he still didn't have much concern or understanding regarding the matter.

She lowered her head again, her eyelids drooping slightly, then gently shook her head.

"Nothing. I'm just worried that this might affect you in the future, so I wanted to tell you in advance."

As she said this, Misumi Hatsune's emotions were extremely complicated.

During this period, she had been completely immersed in her life as an idol, until the news from the Togawa family a few days ago completely shattered her fantasies and expectations for the future.

Even though it was merely an ordinary message, it reminded her of her identity, the illegitimate child of the head of the Togawa family, whose existence could not be exposed.

Everything she had belonged to the Togawa family. She was an existence that could be summoned at a moment's notice and dismissed just as easily, with absolutely no ability to resist.

That was why she was also afraid. She was afraid that the Togawa family would use force to take her back to the island.

If that happened, all of her relationships in Tokyo would be severed.

Including Touma. She would no longer be able to contact him.

Just imagining such a scene filled her with fear and dread.

If she had never come to Tokyo and had never met Touma, then even if she were made to return to the island and live there again, she wouldn't have minded!

But now.... all of this had already happened.

If, in the future, she could never see Touma again, and could never speak with Touma again....

At the thought of this, bitter despair churned within Misumi Hatsune's heart.

It was probably these feelings that had driven her to rush over to see Touma today.

She really wanted to tell him everything, to tell him how she felt about Touma, her despair toward her family, and her fear of the future.

She wanted to pour out every last one of these feelings.

But...

No!

If she did that, given Touma's personality, she would only be dragging him into the Togawa family's abyss.

Although she had still revealed some things, a tiny part of her heart had hoped that Touma might be able to pull her out of the abyss of the Togawa family....

But looking at Touma... he didn't seem to care very much.

No!

Not caring was a good thing!

She had been too impulsive. Just now, she had even wanted to drag Touma into this matter.

How selfish, Misumi Hatsune...

Just then, Touma's voice pulled the girl out of her internal struggle.

"There's nothing to worry about."

"If you have any thoughts or difficulties in the future, just tell me directly."

"Everything will get better."

Hearing this, Misumi Hatsune's nose stung. She nodded and softly answered, "Mm."

Immediately afterward, she stood up.

"Um, I suddenly remembered that I still have some things to take care of, so I won't bother you anymore."

As she spoke, Misumi Hatsune hurried toward the entrance.

She was afraid that if she stayed here any longer, she might do something impulsive and embarrassing.

"Goodbye, Touma."

Touma likewise stood up and followed her over.

"Mm. See you next time, Hatsune."

After he said this, Misumi Hatsune closed the door and stood alone in the hallway.

She did not leave immediately. Instead, she rested both hands on the railing and let the cool night breeze blow against her, calming her constantly fluctuating emotions.

At that moment, the notification sound from her phone suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

She took it out and looked at it.

She found that it was a message from Togawa Sadaharu:

Hatsune, you've been staying outside for quite some time. Return to the family as soon as possible.

Seeing this message, Misumi Hatsune gripped her phone tightly.

After remaining silent for a long while, she finally let out a deep sigh, her arms falling limply to her sides.

She knew that she did not have much time left to continue moving about freely.

If she could, she really wanted to move into the apartment next door to Touma right now.

But... it was completely impossible.

Touma didn't need her here.

Sakiko was the one who needed her the most. She couldn't simply abandon her position as Ave Mujica's guitarist and throw away the band for her own selfish reasons.

Although when the time came, she would certainly end up leaving the band because of the Togawa family anyway. But that wasn't really related to her personally.

She just felt extremely sorry toward Sakiko.

At this thought, Misumi Hatsune felt as though everything here was gradually drifting away from her.

She turned around and looked at Sumita Mana's apartment.

I'm really jealous of you, Mana-chan....

After standing there for a while longer, Misumi Hatsune finally left the apartment building.

Meanwhile, inside the living room, Touma was marveling at how much Misumi Hatsune trusted him.

Aside from when she had hurried to the island at the beginning and told Togawa Kiyoshi about this matter, she had never mentioned it to anyone else afterward.

That included her extremely close childhood friend, Togawa Sakiko.

Yet she had directly told him about it now. Although she had concealed certain information, it was still enough to demonstrate her sincerity and trust.

Looking at it this way, compared to Togawa Sakiko, wasn't the person Misumi Hatsune trusted more right now actually himself?

At this thought, Touma suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Forget it. He would just let things take their natural course.

....

Time passed quickly. Before he knew it, two weeks had gone by.

At this moment, Touma was controlling Nagasaki Soyo's body, sitting on the sofa and playing the bass.

His one-hour bass practice for today had just ended.

[Bass Bonus Lv3 (1700/2000)]

[Bass Level Lv2 → Bass Level Lv3]

[Bass Level Lv3]

It had finally reached Lv3. Those twenty days of Experience Cards hadn't gone to waste. He had even burned through all the fivefold Experience Cards.

After going out later and grinding some experience for the Agent Bonus, he should be able to raise the Agent Level to Lv3 as well.

Of course, these weren't the only two skills that had improved over the past two weeks.

The Sensory and Spirit Vision that he normally trained while back in his own body had also both risen from Lv3 to Lv4.

Among them, the Lv4 Sensory had improved tremendously. Although his reflexes still weren't quite enough to let him dodge bullets, he was getting close.

If someone were standing in front of a wall roughly three meters away from him, he could instantly flash over to that person, grab them by the neck, and pin them against the wall.

He had already completely surpassed the limits of an ordinary human.

Of course, Touma was still somewhat worried.

Only after raising it to Lv5, when he could easily dodge bullets, would he feel relatively at ease.

As for why he didn't simply use an Ability Level Increase Card to raise Sensory Awareness to Lv5...

Because doing so would only prematurely consume the potential of this ability. The best approach was to first raise it to Lv5 through his own efforts, then use a Functional Card to break through its upper limit.

Reach Lv6.

That was what he really wanted to see.

As for Lv4 Spirit Vision, it did not have the possibility of allowing him to see ghosts and monsters as he had feared.

Instead, just like Raana, it allowed him to see the multiple personalities of other people. It was a very straightforward and simple function.

Aside from observing Wakaba Mutsumi and Mortis, it wasn't particularly useful.

What Touma looked forward to more was Lv5 Spirit Vision.

Aside from these two abilities, there was also the Acting Bonus he had placed on Wakaba Mutsumi.

Likewise, the Acting level had reached Lv4.

If before, he could only deliberately play the role of the person he was experiencing by relying on impressions and memories, then now he no longer needed to deliberately do so at all.

Instead, he could naturally react exactly like the person he was experiencing under any circumstances.

It had completely made up for his shortcomings in acting, and Touma was quite satisfied with that.

As he was thinking, a voice that was both unfamiliar and familiar suddenly rang out in his mind.

"You've improved so quickly. Your electric bass skills have completely surpassed mine already. Amazing, Touma."

Nagasaki Soyo spoke in a cutesy voice while lightly clapping her hands and praising him.

Hearing it made Touma feel somewhat physically uncomfortable.

Compared to Anon, whose sugary voice came completely naturally, Soyo's sounded extremely fake and unnatural.

From the angry voice she had used on his first day here, to her normal voice, then to the cutesy voice that had occasionally slipped out a few times over the past few days.

And now, the cutesy voice she had been using nonstop since this morning.

"Did you used to talk in this voice?" Touma asked.

"Eh? What are you talking about? I remember I've always sounded like this."

Nagasaki Soyo answered without hesitation, her tone sounding puzzled and sincere.

"Doesn't it sound good?"

Hearing this, Touma's eyebrows lifted slightly.

Although this little widow had started speaking to him in a cutesy voice, everything else about her behavior remained unchanged.

She wasn't going to be as skilled at playing both sides and being smooth with everyone as she had been in the original story.

When it came time to argue with him, she was still extremely decisive.

"Really? Isn't the difference between your voice and mine a little too big?" Touma continued questioning her.

Nagasaki Soyo frowned.

"What do you mean, the difference between my voice and yours is very big?"

"You're the imitator here. The voice I use is up to me."

"From now on, you have to use the same voice I'm using now whenever you talk to other people."

The girl's tone sounded unquestionable.

Touma didn't respond or say anything more.

At that moment, his phone rang.

After answering, Soyo's mother's voice came from the other end.

"Soyo, did you organize that spreadsheet from last night?"

"Of course. It's fine if you haven't, after all, our agreement was to finish it this week. But I need it urgently here at the moment. If you've already organized part of it, could you send it over?"

"Quick, tell Mom I've already organized it, then send it over."

Nagasaki Soyo hurriedly said.

Hearing this, 'Soyo' also answered honestly.

"That helps me out a lot, Soyo. It's great having you around. I'll hang up for now. Bye-bye."

"Mm, bye-bye."

With that, the call ended.

A happy voice also came from Nagasaki Soyo's side.

"Hehe."

She sounded somewhat smug.

Being able to help her mother, receiving her mother's praise, and having more daily interactions with her mother.

For Nagasaki Soyo, these were indeed things worth looking forward to and being happy about.

Touma was also happy to see a more cheerful Soyo.

She shouldn't spend every day looking like some gloomy little widow. Showing the youthful energy a girl her age should have was the right way to be.

Touma thought this as he sent the spreadsheet to Soyo's mother.

"Thank you....."

At that moment, Nagasaki Soyo suddenly murmured softly.

Touma heard her, but still asked, "What?"

"I said thank you."

This time, Nagasaki Soyo's voice was much louder.

"If you hadn't told Mom that day to talk about her work, and suggested that I study these things and help Mom with them, I might still be the same as before, going an entire week without even saying two sentences to Mom."

"Anyway... thank you.."

As she said this, Nagasaki Soyo's cheeks became slightly flushed.

However, since she was inside the body, no one would be able to see it.

"Mm."

Touma nodded.

Actually, this could also be considered his attempt to make up in advance for deceiving Nagasaki Soyo.

But when Nagasaki Soyo saw that her sincere thanks had only received a cold "Mm" in response, she immediately felt somewhat dissatisfied.

Yet there was nothing she could do about it, so she could only swallow her dissatisfaction.

What an unpleasant guy.

If she could see Touma himself right now, she definitely would....

She would grab his arm!

And then....

Then she would push Touma down and pin him to the floor, pressing him down with her body!

And then..... she would give him a good scolding!

Finally....

Nagasaki Soyo's eyes became somewhat unfocused, and her face gradually flushed red.

About half a minute later, she hurriedly shook her head lightly, driving some dangerous thoughts out of her mind.

At the same time, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

When she came back to her senses, she discovered that her body had already arrived outside.

She put on a pair of glasses, and an extremely tiny red dot appeared on the lenses, along with a pile of data she couldn't understand.

Although Nagasaki Soyo had already grown accustomed to such scenes, she still asked, "The thing shown here... isn't that Saki-chan or Mutsumi-chan's location, is it?"

"Correct," Touma said.

This guy really was becoming more and more... amazing.

"I remember abusing something like this is illegal, isn't it? Where did you get it?" Nagasaki Soyo questioned him.

"The source is fine. Don't worry," Touma said.

This was an ability provided by the Lv2 Agent level.

It allowed him to take out most of the equipment an agent would have at any time and anywhere.

For example, tracking equipment like this, or retractable grappling hooks and the like.

However, firearms such as pistols were still beyond his reach for now. He estimated that he would need an even higher Agent level before he could produce those.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo said nothing more.

From openly following someone around at the beginning, to disguising himself and tracking them in an instant, and now being able to take out such practical equipment whenever he wanted.

This guy... could really only be described as "amazing."

Chapter 165: The Contradictory Nagasaki Soyo

However, compared to entering and controlling her body every day, this actually wasn't anything particularly remarkable.

Nagasaki Soyo didn't think too deeply about it in that direction. Instead, her thoughts suddenly jumped to another possibility.

Wait a minute. She had now completely confirmed that Touma wasn't her second personality.

Then the reason he knew so much about her...

Could it be that he had been using these methods to keep track of her all along?!

The more Nagasaki Soyo thought about it, the more likely this possibility seemed.

However, she didn't feel disgusted or repulsed by it. Instead, she felt a little excited, and even somewhat expectant?

How strange....

No, this was all an illusion.

She couldn't keep thinking about it.

Nagasaki Soyo hurriedly drove these thoughts out of her mind.

Some time later, Touma also finished grinding all of today's Agent Bonus experience.

[Agent Bonus Lv3 (1700/2000)]

[Agent Level Lv2 → Agent Level Lv3]

[Agent Level Lv3]

The moment the system's voice faded, a surge of knowledge about basic computer operations flooded into his mind.

It included basic general-purpose skills, intelligence analysis, technical infiltration, and more.

Why had it suddenly evolved in the direction of programmers and hackers? Was he preparing to fight an electronic war?

Touma thought this while rapidly digesting the knowledge in his mind.

The rewards given by the system had always been generous.

If there were a computer containing confidential files placed in front of him right now, he could obtain all the relevant information stored on it within a minute.

Not bad.

After finishing his experience grinding, Touma returned to the apartment.

Since today was the weekend, he didn't need to go to Tsukinomori for school.

At this moment, Nagasaki Soyo suddenly reminded him, "If I remember correctly, we have a live at SPACE at five this afternoon."

"I know."

Touma nodded.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed a guitar pick lying on the sofa in the living room.

Nagasaki Soyo also followed his gaze and noticed the pick.

"This should be the one Anon left behind when everyone came here last night."

"We can take it with us when we go to practice at noon."

Hearing this, Touma picked up the guitar pick, put it into his pocket, and then asked, "They came here again last night?"

That's right. Over the past two weeks, the band had often gathered together. Since the Nagasaki family's apartment was relatively spacious, they basically always came here.

And most of the time, they came at night, when he wasn't around.

Nagasaki Soyo was the one who spent time with the band members.

"Mm. They said they needed to prepare for the next new song, so we decided to discuss it at my place. But, well, we mostly just chatted."

Nagasaki Soyo explained.

As though she had suddenly remembered something amusing, she chuckled twice.

Touma had never seen this little widow in such a good mood before, so he became somewhat curious.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Actually, it's nothing...."

"It's just that I made a cake in advance last night and planned to let everyone try it."

"But whenever Anon gets a piece of cake, she gets really excited, puts the plate on the edge of the table, and then sticks her fork into the edge of the plate."

"In the end, the plate and the cake both end up spilling all over her."

At this point, Nagasaki Soyo couldn't help laughing twice more.

"She spilled three pieces of cake like that in a row, and didn't get to eat a single bite in the end. She even got her clothes dirty."

Touma didn't find it particularly funny. Instead, he felt that this was exactly the kind of thing Anon would do.

But before he could say anything, Nagasaki Soyo began talking about some of the things that had happened during the band's gatherings over the past few nights.

Seeing the girl enthusiastically recounting everything, Touma simply drank his black tea and quietly listened.

Just like that, Nagasaki Soyo talked nonstop for half an hour.

"Oh, right. There's something you definitely haven't heard about. Last Saturday night, we all went to Anon-chan's house....."

At that moment, Nagasaki Soyo suddenly remembered something, and her voice abruptly stopped.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

A few seconds later, Touma asked in confusion, "Why did you stop? I actually want to hear it."

Being able to listen to Nagasaki Soyo chatter so enthusiastically about the band for a full half hour was quite a spectacle in itself.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo pursed her lips and lowered her eyes slightly.

"There's nothing worth talking about. Anon is going to be cut from the lineup anyway, so there's no point talking about her. Let's change the subject."

Her goal was to rebuild Crychic, and in the process, Anon and Kaname Raana were supposed to be cut.

What was there to talk about regarding these trivial matters? What was there for her to be happy about?

At this thought, Nagasaki Soyo's mood instantly plummeted, turning into disappointment.

Seeing her attitude suddenly undergo a complete 180-degree change, Touma was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood.

The current Nagasaki Soyo was a very complicated bundle of contradictions. That was how he felt.

"Let's talk about what you promised me. It's been so long since you said you'd rebuild Crychic, yet aside from forming this new band, there has been almost no progress."

Nagasaki Soyo instantly switched into battle mode.

"So if I don't bring it up, are you planning to forget about it?"

"Of course not. But if you're in a hurry, you can handle it yourself while I'm not around," Touma said.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo gave a soft "Hmph."

"If you still haven't settled this matter within a month, then I'll personally put an end to it when the time comes."

What an arrogant thing to say.

Touma no longer knew where to begin complaining.

So he simply didn't respond.

A few minutes later, when Nagasaki Soyo saw that Touma still hadn't said anything, she couldn't help but start another conversation.

From black tea in the living room to the food in the kitchen, then from household matters to school gossip.

Touma had never realized that this little widow could talk so much.

He remembered that she hadn't been this talkative some time ago. She would often go an entire hour without saying a single word.

But now, she could talk even more than Anon and Togawa Sakiko.

His ears were practically getting calluses from listening.

And what was worse, she used that cutesy voice the entire time.

Before long, it was noon. Under the relentless stream of that cutesy voice, Touma left the apartment and arrived at a recording studio inside SPACE.

Although it hadn't opened yet, since the manager was Shiina Taki, taking a little break from work was perfectly normal.

"Soyo-chan, good afternoon."

Takamatsu Tomori was the first to come over and greet her.

She raised her head, her eyes staring openly and intently at the girl before her.

Recently, she had discovered a pattern.

Soyo during the day and Soyo at night were different, at least as far as she was concerned.

It seemed that only during the daytime, meaning the Soyo she was seeing now, was she the one who could truly understand her.

Anon was also secretly observing them from the side.

Through her interactions with "Nagasaki Soyo" during both the day and night over this period, she had already begun to notice something.

There was a 99% chance that the "Nagasaki Soyo" standing before her was Touma!

She had already decided that after today's live ended, she would confront him and make him explain everything!

As for Shiina Taki, she paced back and forth a few times, rubbing her chin, a trace of worry in her heart.

With only one song, they might not be able to completely fill the gap in time, so they could only stall for a little while.

Of course, the best-case scenario would be to perform one more song.

And that song... could only be "Haruhikage."

Aside from Stray Cat and Anon, the other three were extremely familiar with "Haruhikage," to the point that they could perform it anytime, anywhere.

As for Stray Cat, her talent was exceptionally high, and she had already seen the sheet music for "Haruhikage," so she could definitely keep up.

As for Anon, she could probably keep up as well. Even if she couldn't, it wouldn't matter, since they had another guitarist whose skills surpassed the professional level to back her up.

Just then, a catchy electric guitar melody suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

It was Kaname Raana practicing the guitar.

As for the melody, it came from the beginning of "Haruhikage," and it was even the improved version.

The first person to become alert was Nagasaki Soyo.

Her brows immediately knitted tightly.

"What is she trying to do? Is she planning to play 'Haruhikage'?!"

Touma didn't answer.

The others simply looked at Kaname Raana curiously.

Shiina Taki was particularly happy.

Because there was a very good chance that her earlier idea would actually come true.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Kaname Raana stopped playing and asked curiously.

Finally, her gaze shifted toward Touma.

Touma responded with a faint smile and an affirming look.

Seeing this, Kaname Raana froze for a moment, then immediately gave a small nod.

Seeing the two exchanging glances, Anon was just about to ask something when Shiina Taki interrupted her.

"All right, it's getting late. Let's do our final practice before the live. Come on, give it your all."

With that, Shiina Taki sat down at the drums.

The others also took their respective positions one after another.

"Touma, what did it mean when she suddenly played 'Haruhikage' just now?"

Nagasaki Soyo was still questioning him.

"You're asking me? I don't know either. Maybe you just heard wrong," Touma said.

"No, that's impossible. I couldn't have heard it wrong. That was 'Haruhikage.' The melody was exactly the same."

Nagasaki Soyo's tone became slightly more emphatic.

"Mm. She probably just suddenly felt like playing it and played a short section."

Nagasaki Soyo couldn't think of anything else to say, so she could only respond, "I hope that's the case."

However, the thought of the live coming that afternoon still made her feel somewhat uneasy.

After about four hours of rehearsal, the group went to the dressing room and began waiting for their turn to go onstage.

At this moment, Anon suddenly took out a small notebook and spread it out in front of everyone.

There were some English and Japanese words written on it, along with a bunch of messy notes.

"The live is about to start, but our band still doesn't have a name or outfits. We can put the outfits aside for now, but we can definitely decide on the band name already, right?"

"These are all names I carefully selected, so everyone can take a look."

Everyone turned their attention toward it almost simultaneously.

Takamatsu Tomori and Kaname Raana didn't say anything.

Shiina Taki crossed her arms, looking somewhat speechless.

"Do we really have to discuss this right before the live starts?"

"It's the perfect time to let everyone relax a little."

Anon scratched the back of her head as she spoke.

Touma looked over the list and discovered that there wasn't a single band name related to MyGO or anything with a similar meaning.

If the name wasn't right, would they still form "MyGO!!!!!"?

So he suggested, "Isn't this a little too rushed? How about we discuss it next time?"

Hearing this, Anon looked at the smiling "Nagasaki Soyo" before her. She blinked blankly for a moment, then nodded at lightning speed.

"You're right, it is a little rushed. Then let's listen to Soyorin and talk about it next time."

As she spoke, she put the notebook away.

She even secretly glanced at the "Nagasaki Soyo" opposite her and let out two quiet little giggles.

Seeing this, Touma felt somewhat helpless.

Obviously, this little Anon had already figured out his identity, and was even deliberately letting him know that she knew.

But there was nothing he could do about it. After all, Anon often interacted with the real Nagasaki Soyo. Combined with his unusual behavior toward Takamatsu Tomori, it was perfectly normal for her to become suspicious and eventually reach this conclusion.

Anon alone wasn't enough to pose any kind of "threat."

Nagasaki Soyo, meanwhile, frowned.

Why was that pink-haired girl smiling at her? Did she think that coming over to her house a few times at night meant the two of them were already close?

Just then, a staff member pushed open the door and entered.

"Manager, you're up next. You can head backstage and get ready."

Hearing the word "manager," Shiina Taki looked slightly embarrassed.

She gave a couple of light coughs before saying, "Mm, got it. Let's go."

With that, the group left the dressing room and arrived backstage, standing behind the curtain on the right side and waiting for the band onstage to finish before taking their turn.

Seeing that Takamatsu Tomori seemed somewhat nervous, Touma went over and encouraged her.

"Don't be nervous. It's fine. Do your best."

Hearing this, Takamatsu Tomori's tense mood gradually relaxed. She looked at the brown-haired girl beside her and nodded, softly answering, "Mm."

Of course, the person who was most nervous there wasn't actually any of the people about to go onstage.

It was Nagasaki Soyo herself.

"Touma, do you think Saki-chan will come to watch our live?"

"She should. She said before that she'd come watch."

Touma answered.

Of course, Togawa Sakiko was originally the performance manager at SPACE. Even though she had recently reduced her working hours and workload because of forming Ave Mujica, and was basically only holding the position in name now, she would definitely still be there.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo became even more anxious.

"Then if the live is really amazing, could Saki-chan misunderstand something? And then, about rebuilding Crychic..."

At this point, the girl's voice trailed off.

"Don't think about all that. Let's finish this live first and worry about the rest afterward."

Touma said.

"Mm....."

Nagasaki Soyo answered softly.

Touma would solve everything.

She believed in Touma.

At this thought, the uneasiness in Nagasaki Soyo's heart gradually faded until it almost completely disappeared.

Just then, a staff member suddenly informed them that they could go onstage.

Shiina Taki took a deep breath and looked at everyone.

"Let's go."

Chapter 166: Is She Provoking Me?

With that, Shiina Taki led the way forward, and the others followed behind her, while Touma walked at the very back.

Soon, the five of them were standing in their respective positions on the stage.

The next second, the darkness faded, and dazzling spotlights shone down on them.

Touma shifted his gaze toward the audience below and swept his eyes across the crowd.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two familiar figures.

Without a doubt, they were Togawa Sakiko and Wakaba Mutsumi.

"Saki-chan seems... not to be here."

Nagasaki Soyo also desperately tried to recall the scene she had scanned from the audience just now, but that blue-haired figure hadn't appeared anywhere.

Hearing this, Touma said nothing.

Instead, he noticed Anon to his front right secretly turning around to peek at him. She looked somewhat nervous.

Touma responded with a smile.

Seeing this, Anon's eyes instantly lit up. She quickly nodded lightly, her face filled with confidence.

Touma smiled at me!

Hehehe...

Touma was still very reassured by the pink-haired girl's current guitar skills.

He then spoke into the microphone in front of him and introduced them.

"Nice to meet you. We're the replacement band. We're all feeling pretty nervous too, so we hope everyone will be kind to us."

Hearing the familiar voice coming from behind her, Takamatsu Tomori, who had been slightly curled up and somewhat frightened, gradually calmed down.

The nervousness in her heart slowly transformed into determination.

Two seconds later, Shiina Taki lightly tapped the sticks in her hands twice, setting the rhythm.

Immediately afterward, the sounds of all the instruments rang out together, and the melody of the intro began to echo throughout the hall.

Although it was their first time performing on stage, there were no mistakes or restarts, and the live proceeded very smoothly.

After the opening melody came the lead vocals from Takamatsu Tomori.

When the first line of lyrics came out, perhaps because she hadn't controlled her strength properly, her voice wasn't very loud, and the audience below could only barely hear her.

But Takamatsu Tomori seemed to realize this very quickly.

She tightly gripped the microphone with both hands, suddenly exerted force from her chest, and the second line burst forth at an extremely high volume.

It startled the audience below.

Is the vocalist trying too hard?

Seeing this scene, Touma thought it was actually quite good.

Being able to adjust her state so quickly and sing loudly in an environment like this was already almost perfect.

Nagasaki Soyo, meanwhile, was also completely immersed in the live performance.

Although she wasn't participating personally, her sense of involvement was still at its peak.

At the same time, in the audience, Togawa Sakiko stood with her arms crossed, watching the band's performance onstage with a serious expression.

Beside her, Wakaba Mutsumi stood quietly, likewise watching Takamatsu Tomori and the others onstage.

Somehow, this band seemed quite a bit better than CRYCHIC had been in the past.

Tomori actually managed to overcome her difficulties just like that....

Togawa Sakiko pursed her lips and clenched her fists slightly, seemingly feeling somewhat unwilling to accept it.

But she soon relaxed again.

No matter how Tomori's band was doing, it had nothing to do with her anymore.

With that thought, she began watching the live with her usual state of mind.

Wakaba Mutsumi, on the other hand, didn't have nearly as many thoughts.

Right now, she had already lost interest in both CRYCHIC and Ave Mujica.

She had only chosen to join Ave Mujica because of her childhood friendship with Sakiko, who had grown up with her since they were young, as well as Touma's encouragement.

Her primary goal now was to find Touma.

Her secondary goal was to get Touma to come to her.

Even if he could only come for one day, one day was better than nothing.

Touma hadn't come for a long time recently, and she felt... terrible.

In every possible way, it felt terrible.

"Little Mutsumi, do you think there's a possibility that Little Touma is inside the body of one of the women in that band up there?"

At that moment, Mortis's voice suddenly came from within the personality space.

"I don't know, and that's not important. Finding Touma is the key."

Wakaba Mutsumi replied calmly.

"If we can never find Little Touma, will Little Mutsumi break down?"

Mortis asked again.

Hearing this, Wakaba Mutsumi remained silent for a long time without answering.

"Not answering means yes, you know."

Mortis teased her.

At that moment, the instrumental sounds onstage stopped.

The performance of "Hekiten Bansou" had come to an end.

A wave of applause erupted from the audience below.

Togawa Sakiko and Wakaba Mutsumi also raised their hands and lightly applauded.

Onstage, Anon let out a long breath. She then raised her right hand high, smiling happily as she waved at the audience below.

"Thank you, everyone!"

She immediately turned around again, placed her guitar on the ground, and jogged forward a couple of steps before pressing herself against the bass in front of Touma.

She threw her arms around Touma.

"Hehe, how was that? Wasn't I amazing?!"

Anon didn't call out his real name and simply asked excitedly.

Although Touma was using someone else's body, this definitely still counted as hugging Touma, right?!

Touma was being hugged by her, ehehe, this was great!

Nagasaki Soyo, meanwhile, was still savoring the performance from moments ago, remaining immersed in it for a long time.

When she realized that her body had been tightly hugged by Anon, she instantly snapped out of the atmosphere of the stage, her brows furrowing tightly.

What is this pink-haired girl doing?

Let go of her!

Let go of her Touma!

Nagasaki Soyo wanted to scold and protest, but since the live had just ended and everyone was in such a good mood, she could only express her dissatisfaction internally.

Touma reached out and patted Anon's back, giving her his assessment.

"Mm, you were amazing."

Receiving his praise, Anon immediately felt refreshed from head to toe.

It had been so long since Touma had praised her.

A few seconds later, she finally released Touma reluctantly and returned to her position.

Finally, she's gone.

This Anon hadn't been nearly this close when she came to her house some time ago. Why had she suddenly hugged only her?

In theory, Anon should have had a better relationship with Tomori.

Could it be that she had noticed Touma's presence?!

Although Touma's behavior was almost exactly the same as hers in daily life, aside from that, there didn't seem to be any other possibility.

No. Next time, she absolutely had to warn this pink-haired girl. She couldn't let her suddenly get so close to her again.

At this thought, Nagasaki Soyo took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She then swept her gaze around with her body's eyes.

This live... had been very good.

It also seemed to have been well received by the audience.

The corners of Nagasaki Soyo's lips unconsciously curled into a faint smile.

However, just then, two figures so familiar that she couldn't have mistaken them suddenly appeared in her pupils.

It was Mutsumi-chan, and....

Saki-chan!

How could this be? Had the two of them already watched the entire live?

Seeing the two of them applauding below the stage, even looking directly at her.

Nagasaki Soyo's pupils contracted.

"Touma, Saki-chan and Mutsumi are here, and they're even applauding. We need to explain the situation to them."

"And I think the first live of this band has ended successfully. This is the perfect time to rebuild CRYCHIC. We can't drag this out any longer."

"We need to go find Saki-chan immediately afterward!"

The more she spoke, the more agitated the girl's voice became.

But before Touma could respond.

The next second, a familiar and beautiful electric guitar melody suddenly rang out on the stage.

It instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Everyone turned to look at the same time.

They saw Kaname Raana's fingers holding a pick as she played the guitar strings.

Only two notes were enough for Togawa Sakiko in the audience to recognize it.

This was the song she had composed, "Haruhikage"....

Her pupils contracted slightly, and a dry bitterness slowly spread through her tightly closed throat.

Beside her, Wakaba Mutsumi was surprised for a moment, but then made no further movement, simply staring quietly at the stage.

As Kaname Raana played, she turned her head and looked toward Touma.

Their eyes met.

Kaname Raana smiled faintly.

The others were all startled when they heard the melody.

Shiina Taki hadn't expected what she had been hoping for to actually happen. Good job, Stray Cat.

Takamatsu Tomori immediately tightened her grip on the microphone.

Only Anon hurriedly picked up her guitar again and hung it around herself.

This was so sudden. No one had told her they were going to perform "Haruhikage."

Fortunately, she had practiced this song while practicing guitar.

Seeing everyone quickly adjust their states, Touma also withdrew his gaze, placed both hands on the bass strings, and began playing along with the melody of "Haruhikage."

Only Nagasaki Soyo felt her heart skip a beat when she heard the melody of "Haruhikage."

She immediately asked anxiously:

"Touma, what's going on? Why did you suddenly start playing 'Haruhikage'? We never practiced this with the band before!"

"I don't know. It suddenly started. Just play along," Touma replied.

"No... No... We can't..."

Nagasaki Soyo murmured softly at first.

Then her voice gradually grew louder.

"Saki-chan is still down there. Saki-chan is watching. 'Haruhikage' belongs to CRYCHIC. Seeing this will definitely hurt her, and she'll misunderstand!"

"Touma, stop. Hurry and make everyone stop. Don't play 'Haruhikage' anymore!"

"Don't make it sound so simple. Does it look like we can stop right now?"

Touma asked in return.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo still refused to give up.

"We have to stop. We can't keep going."

"For example, what if the bass strings suddenly broke? That should work, right?"

Touma ignored this unreasonable demand and continued playing "Haruhikage" along with the band.

After waiting several seconds without receiving any response, Nagasaki Soyo became even more anxious.

"Touma, Touma, why are you ignoring me?"

"Why... You clearly understand. Why do you have to play 'Haruhikage' along with everyone else..."

There was a slight choked quality to the girl's voice.

Touma still didn't respond.

Because he knew that in the original story, Nagasaki Soyo had also remained silent and played "Haruhikage" to the very end with the band.

So no matter what reason she gave, he wouldn't stop.

At the same time, Togawa Sakiko in the audience clenched both fists and tightly pursed her lips. The more she listened to the familiar song, the worse she felt inside.

What exactly did they mean by this?

They were performing a song from the already disbanded CRYCHIC right in front of her.

Were they provoking her?

At this thought, Togawa Sakiko tightly closed her eyes, trying to drive all these emotions away, but that sour bitterness in her throat still surged up from the depths of her heart.

However, at that moment, Touma's voice suddenly rang out in her mind.

It completely drowned out the sound of "Haruhikage."

Togawa Sakiko took a deep breath, then slowly opened her eyes again.

At this moment, her eyes held nothing but anticipation and determination for the future.

CRYCHIC was already dead.

Just like her weak former self, it had been buried in the past.

There was no need to feel sad over those things from the past.

During the most difficult and darkest period of her life, someone far more wonderful and important than CRYCHIC had appeared.

Whether in the past, present, or future, nothing else could compare.

Touma was the person who mattered most to her now!

At this thought, Togawa Sakiko's mood gradually settled until she became completely calm.

Beside her, Wakaba Mutsumi clearly sensed the change in Togawa Sakiko's emotions, and she couldn't help feeling somewhat surprised.

Usually, she couldn't really tell. She only knew that Touma was very important to Sakiko.

But now, she realized that she seemed to have underestimated just how important he was.

As long as Touma existed, Sakiko would never break down....

Even if the band onstage rushed right up to Sakiko and mocked her by playing "Haruhikage," it probably wouldn't be able to affect her anymore....

A trace of worry arose in Wakaba Mutsumi's heart.

Could she defeat someone like this Sakiko and take Touma for herself?

"Come on, Little Mutsumi. Don't lose heart. You still have me!"

Mortis seemed to have sensed Wakaba Mutsumi's emotions and immediately encouraged her.

Wakaba Mutsumi softly answered, "Mm."

At this moment, Togawa Sakiko suddenly said, "There's nothing more worth watching. Let's go. It's time to go back and prepare for Ave Mujica's first live."

With that, Togawa Sakiko swung her twin tails and turned toward the exit.

Seeing this, Wakaba Mutsumi also began walking after her.

Meanwhile, Nagasaki Soyo, still onstage, saw this scene. Her pupils contracted slightly from the tension, and she tightly gripped her own hands until her knuckles turned white.

"They're leaving. Saki-chan is leaving! Hurry and chase after her, Touma. Go after her! There's no time!"

Nagasaki Soyo's voice trembled.

Hearing this, Touma made no move and continued playing "Haruhikage."

However, he suddenly discovered that his feet had taken a step forward without his control.

There was no doubt about it. Nagasaki Soyo's emotions had become too intense, causing her body to lose control, just like when Togawa Sakiko had taken over during their mixed doubles match.

Now it was his turn to have a headache.

But the next second, he discovered that his body had returned to normal.

He heard Nagasaki Soyo softly murmuring:

"Saki-chan left. She's already gone. Is everything coming to an end?"

"Touma...."

Her voice trembled, the final note carrying a hint of unwillingness and the slightest trace of despair.

Sigh.

Touma sighed inwardly but didn't reply.

Without going through all of this, how could she break through and rebuild herself from the ruins?

The rest of the time passed quickly. The song continued until the very end, with the audience filling every seat and erupting into thunderous applause.

Nagasaki Soyo didn't say another word.

She didn't make a sound at all, maintaining a frightening silence from beginning to end.

Chapter 167: Why Play Haruhikage?!

"Thank you, everyone! Thank you, thank you!"

The temporary burst of brilliance had Anon incredibly excited, and she kept waving both hands at the audience below.

Seeing this, Shiina Taki was at a loss for words.

The next live was about to begin, so she hurriedly pushed the only person still onstage, Anon, behind the curtain.

"Wait, I haven't said goodbye to the audience yet."

As she spoke, Anon was pushed toward the small staircase backstage.

At this moment, all the members of the band were gathered here.

With everything finally settled, Shiina Taki let out a long sigh.

For her, and for this band, it had been a very perfect beginning.

"Rikki, your drumming was really good."

"And Tomorin, you started singing right away. It sounded super good!"

Anon was so excited that she could not help praising everyone indiscriminately.

"Raana's guitar kept up with me perfectly, too."

Her confidence had even swelled to the point where she felt she could stand shoulder to shoulder with Kaname Raana.

Finally, she turned her gaze toward "Nagasaki Soyo" standing to the side, walked up to her, and said with a big smile, "And Soyorin, you're the best of everyone!"

"Hehe."

After saying that, Anon covered her mouth and giggled twice.

The others were in high spirits as well, apparently still immersed in the excitement of the live they had just performed.

Seeing this scene, Touma smiled and gave a slight nod.

However, his attention remained focused on Nagasaki Soyo, who was saying nothing inside her body.

At the same time, seeing how happy her bandmates were, Nagasaki Soyo was suddenly overwhelmed by an intense sense of loneliness and disconnection.

Anger, resentment, and fear gradually began to take root.

She clenched her teeth, desperately suppressing emotions that had become unbearably complicated.

Just then, Kaname Raana came over and squeezed herself into the space in front of Touma.

Looking at the girl before her, a trace of concern flashed through her eyes, but she did not think much of it and simply asked softly, "How was it this time?"

"Of course it was great. Thanks to Raana suddenly playing Haruhikage. Otherwise, there was no way this live could have been this amazing."

Anon nudged Kaname Raana aside and answered first.

Hearing this, Touma was just about to respond.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, he discovered that his body had suddenly fallen out of his control once again.

Without a doubt, the other person inside his body had taken control again.

Haruhikage...

That's right.

If Kaname Raana had not suddenly played Haruhikage, how could things have developed like this?

Why...

"Why did you play Haruhikage?!"

Beneath her slightly disheveled hair was the girl's twisted, furious expression.

Her roar without warning startled all four of the others.

Especially Kaname Raana, the "culprit" standing closest to her. Nearly ninety percent of Nagasaki Soyo's anger was directed at her.

But Kaname Raana merely stood there and blinked twice, saying nothing.

Anon, standing to the side, was stunned for a moment. She looked somewhat bewildered and failed to understand what was happening.

Takamatsu Tomori was the first to recover. She looked at Nagasaki Soyo with concern and confusion.

"Huh?"

Shiina Taki folded her arms across her chest, looking somewhat puzzled.

Seeing this, Nagasaki Soyo did not stop questioning them. She continued loudly accusing them, "You knew full well that Saki-chan works here!"

"Why did you continue to let everyone play Haruhikage?!"

"Huh? What does that have to do with us?" Shiina Taki frowned.

What the hell was wrong with her all of a sudden?

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo turned her head and looked at the other four.

Everyone was watching her with concern and confusion in their eyes.

"That's too much. This is too cruel..."

After saying that, Nagasaki Soyo turned around and fled.

Only after her figure had completely disappeared from their sight did Anon slowly come back to her senses.

Just now... what was that?

Was Touma yelling at her?

Was she angry?

At the thought of this, she could not help feeling a little down, but she quickly rejected the possibility.

She did not know why, but that definitely was not Touma's way of doing things!

Could it have been Soyo herself?

"Oh, right, Raana..."

Anon looked at the catlike girl beside her, a hint of concern in her eyes.

After all, Soyo had practically been shouting at her just now.

Kaname Raana, however, simply yawned and said, "Boring woman," before leaving on her own.

That left Anon and the other two standing there, looking at each other.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Nagasaki Soyo had already left SPACE and run all the way back to her apartment.

Touma was given a firsthand demonstration of the superhuman physical abilities of a band girl.

It was not until Nagasaki Soyo closed the apartment door and sat down against the wall that Touma regained control of the body.

But what came with it was the sound of the girl's sobbing in his mind.

"Everyone could have been fine... Why did they suddenly play Haruhikage..."

"Why..."

Touma stood up and was about to say something.

However, before he could speak, Nagasaki Soyo interrupted him.

"Touma, what should I do?"

"Is everything going to end?"

Nagasaki Soyo's voice was hoarse, and there was a hint of collapse in her tone.

But she quickly contradicted herself.

"No, that's not right. It isn't over yet."

"Touma, you said you'd help me find Saki and rebuild CRYCHIC."

"Can you do it now?"

"You can definitely do it. I have no one left but you now. Please, Touma..."

Nagasaki Soyo's voice was filled with pleading.

"Find Togawa Sakiko and Wakaba Mutsumi, kick out Anon and Kaname Raana, and rebuild CRYCHIC?"

Touma did not agree simply because she was pleading. Instead, he asked her a question.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo froze.

She wanted to answer YES, but when she opened her mouth, it was as though she had lost her voice. She could not bring herself to answer for a long time.

The pain brought about by this contradiction nearly drowned her.

After a few seconds, seeing that the girl still had not answered, Touma understood that her determination to rebuild CRYCHIC was no longer as firm as it had been before.

Or rather, rebuilding CRYCHIC had now become nothing more than an attachment to the past for Nagasaki Soyo.

And helping her rebuild CRYCHIC had itself been a lie told by Touma.

He had already anticipated and prepared for everything happening now.

From the very beginning, he had decided to become a villain who lied.

"I'm sorry, but I refuse to help. There is no possibility of rebuilding CRYCHIC."

Touma no longer hesitated and decisively refused.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo instantly broke free from the painful contradiction that had tormented her. After a moment of stunned silence, deep confusion followed.

"Why?"

"Why would you say that, Touma?"

"Didn't you promise from the beginning that you'd help me rebuild CRYCHIC?"

To this, Touma replied, "Don't worry. Once I take you somewhere, you'll understand."

A place?

At this moment, Nagasaki Soyo's heart was filled with unease, panic, and confusion.

Was Touma hiding something about CRYCHIC from her all this time?

As for Touma, the moment he finished speaking, he immediately set out and left the apartment.

Following a route so familiar that he knew it by heart, he traveled for some time before arriving at a dilapidated, old residential area.

Finally, he climbed a rusty iron staircase and stopped in front of a shabby rental apartment.

"What is this place?"

The journey had allowed Nagasaki Soyo's emotional breakdown to subside considerably.

Seeing Touma suddenly bring her to a place like this, the unease in her heart gradually deepened.

Touma did not answer immediately. Instead, he reached into a gap at the top of the doorframe and pulled out a key, then used it to open the door to the rental apartment.

Looking inside, the lights were not on, but the sunlight made it easy to see the bottles scattered across the floor, along with the dust.

It looked as though no one had lived here for a long time.

"This used to be Togawa Sakiko's residence," Touma answered.

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo's pupils contracted, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"No, no way. Saki couldn't possibly have lived in a place like this. Isn't she still attending Tsukinomori?"

"And I remember that Saki's family is very wealthy. No matter what happened, there was no way she would live here!"

Just as the other party objected, Touma was about to present some other compelling evidence.

But then a middle-aged woman suddenly approached.

"Huh? How did the door to this room get opened?"

The woman looked puzzled, then turned toward the brown-haired girl standing in front of the door.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Touma recognized her at a glance. She was the landlord here.

Still, he asked, "Excuse me, are you the landlord here?"

"That's right. Are you here to rent the place?" The woman nodded and asked.

"No. I just wanted to ask, was the previous tenant of this apartment Togawa Sakiko? I'm her classmate. A teacher asked me to bring some things over."

Touma said this.

Hearing that, the woman did not suspect anything and answered, "Yes. Togawa Sakiko and her father, Togawa Kiyotsugu, used to live here."

"But Togawa Sakiko moved out three months ago, and her father moved out two weeks ago."

"You're probably not going to find anyone here."

Hearing these words, Nagasaki Soyo, inside the body, froze.

Saki... had actually lived here for a while.

Three months ago...

That was not long after CRYCHIC had disbanded...

"Why? Why did Saki live in a place like this? Did she run into some kind of trouble? It had something to do with CRYCHIC disbanding too, right?"

"Tell me, Touma!"

Nagasaki Soyo said anxiously.

Touma no longer chose to hide the truth.

"It is a very obvious fact. Three months ago, Togawa Sakiko chose to live in a place like this because she had no money."

"After CRYCHIC's first live, Togawa Sakiko's father made a mistake that resulted in the Togawa Group being defrauded of 16.8 billion yen. He resigned to take responsibility and was expelled from the family."

"Because Togawa Sakiko was worried about her father, she left the Togawa family with him and was forced to take on part-time jobs."

"While supporting herself, she also had to take care of Togawa Kiyotsugu, who had already fallen into a state of despair."

"Under those circumstances, she simply did not have the energy to keep playing in a band, so in the end, Togawa Sakiko chose to leave CRYCHIC."

After hearing this explanation, Nagasaki Soyo was stunned.

"How could this... How could it be like this..."

But then she understood everything.

She murmured softly, "So that's how it was. No wonder... Saki always seemed so busy during that period. She was often late, and she wasn't as energetic as she used to be..."

"So this was the reason CRYCHIC disbanded..."

After saying this, Nagasaki Soyo remained dazed for a long time.

The confusion that had lasted for several months was finally resolved at this moment, leaving her with complicated feelings.

If that was the case, then it seemed that there really was no possibility of rebuilding CRYCHIC...

But for some reason, she did not feel particularly desperate, angry, or helpless.

Instead, she felt a sense of relief and acceptance after learning the truth, along with a trace of regret.

CRYCHIC...

After a long while, it was not until Touma returned to the apartment that Nagasaki Soyo finally came back to her senses.

Thinking about the person who was still controlling her body, as well as everything that had happened just now, a surge of anger instantly rose within her.

She felt that she had been deceived.

She immediately began questioning him.

"You knew about all this from the very beginning, didn't you?! You knew from the start, whether it was about Saki or CRYCHIC..."

Touma sat down on the sofa and nodded.

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you tell me about this sooner?!"

Nagasaki Soyo continued questioning him.

"You knew perfectly well that these were the things I cared about most."

Touma shook his head, clearly disagreeing.

"Cared about?"

"These things actually never needed me to tell you."

"Although the Togawa family deliberately tried to suppress coverage of the incident, as long as you searched for it, you would definitely have been able to find out about it. From there, you naturally could have figured out why Togawa Sakiko left CRYCHIC."

As he spoke, Touma took out his phone and searched for a while.

He quickly found a news report about Togawa Kiyotsugu being defrauded of 16.8 billion yen.

After showing it to her, Touma put his phone away.

"But you never did that."

"So what exactly do you care about? Togawa Sakiko? CRYCHIC?"

"Or the version of yourself that would stop at nothing to rebuild CRYCHIC?"

Touma no longer used Nagasaki Soyo's voice. Instead, he asked the question in his own voice.

Hearing these words, Nagasaki Soyo froze.

Was Touma suspecting that she had never truly considered Saki and CRYCHIC, and that she was instead a selfish person who only thought about herself?

At this thought, Nagasaki Soyo's lips trembled slightly before she immediately retorted.

"No, that's not it! It's not like that at all!"

"It's just that I never considered things from that perspective!"

"It's true. I don't even know why... During that period, all I could think about was sitting down and having a proper talk with Saki. But Saki kept avoiding me, and she never told me about any of this..."

"I thought Saki must have had some other reason, so I never actually investigated it..."

At this point, Nagasaki Soyo fell silent.

The atmosphere instantly sank into a suffocating silence.

After a long while, Nagasaki Soyo finally spoke again. Her voice was strained and slightly trembling.

"So, Touma... from the very beginning... is this how you've always seen me?"

Chapter 168: I Hate You!

Touma did not know why the other party had suddenly shifted the topic onto him.

If he were to speak honestly about what he thought, he certainly did not see her that way.

If Nagasaki Soyo really were someone who only thought about herself, she would not have hesitated so much over kicking out Anon and Kaname Raana.

Nevertheless, he answered without hesitation, "Isn't that the case?"

Hearing this, Nagasaki Soyo froze.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked. Instead, her eyes reddened first.

So this was how Touma had seen her from the very beginning.

He had never truly trusted her, from beginning to end.

Even the promise he had made at the start to rebuild CRYCHIC had been nothing more than a lie meant to deceive her!

And yet she had chosen to believe him again and again. Even until just a moment ago, she had still held on to a sliver of hope.

She had fantasized that Touma must have had some reason for doing all of this.

But that was not the truth. It had only been her own fantasy.

At the thought, Nagasaki Soyo felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around her chest, and even breathing brought a dull ache.

But then those feelings of pain instantly transformed into anger, burning fiercely within her.

After remaining silent for a long time, she clenched her teeth and asked, word by word, "Tell me, you've been lying to me from the very beginning, haven't you?"

Her suppressed voice trembled continuously.

"Yes, that's right."

Touma nodded without the slightest hesitation and admitted it.

Although she had been mentally prepared for this, when she heard that answer, the last trace of fantasy in Nagasaki Soyo's heart still shattered.

"I HATE YOU"

The girl's voice fell, filled with anger.

The next second, Touma suddenly found everything before his eyes going black.

Immediately afterward came a dizzy, disorienting sensation.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing right outside his own apartment.

Obviously, Nagasaki Soyo had kicked him out.

The dizziness had still not disappeared. He held his head and took two steps backward.

"Touma-kun, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

At that moment, a familiar girl's voice suddenly reached his ears.

At the same time, someone supported his right arm, helping him steady himself.

Touma quickly recovered, however.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Mana."

Seeing that the boy had recovered, the concern in Sumita Mana's eyes faded somewhat, and she nodded lightly.

"Mm."

Her hands, which had been supporting his right arm, only reluctantly let go several seconds later.

"Sorry, I still have some things to take care of. I'll go inside first."

With that, Touma returned to his apartment.

Meanwhile, Sumita Mana, standing outside, still had a worried look on her face.

Did something happen to Touma-kun?

His expression and mood... both seem to be rather bad...

On the other side, after returning to his apartment, Touma first drank a glass of water. Only after he had completely settled himself did he begin carefully reviewing everything that had happened today...

Including everything that had happened while experiencing Nagasaki Soyo's life.

In fact, from the moment he saw that his new experience target was Nagasaki Soyo, he had already planned everything out.

From the lie about rebuilding CRYCHIC that he told at the beginning to stabilize her, to helping promote the formation and unity of MyGO, and finally to revealing everything today.

Everything had gone smoothly.

Even being kicked out of the body at the very end had been a perfect result for him.

After going through this entire process, he had not only completely resolved Nagasaki Soyo's obsession with CRYCHIC, but could also allow MyGO to continue forming normally.

While ensuring that he could complete the relevant missions, he had not fallen behind in obtaining the experience bonuses from the two bonuses either.

Finally, by revealing everything and ending it all with his own confession, he could also completely reverse Nagasaki Soyo's impression of him.

Just like the last words he heard from her before being kicked out of her body.

"I hate you."

Combined with the fact that he had indeed been kicked out,

these were enough to prove that Nagasaki Soyo's disgust toward him had reached its peak at that moment.

He no longer had to worry about Nagasaki Soyo "hounding" him afterward.

She would not be like his previous experience targets, with each of them trying to find him and saying all sorts of pointless things. It was troublesome.

Touma thought about this while pouring the Earl Grey tea he had brewed into a cup, then took a small sip.

After setting the cup down, he stared at the tea in silence for a long time before finally letting out a slow sigh.

The only unfortunate thing was that the Agent bonus was still on Nagasaki Soyo.

His current Agent ability level was only Lv. 3, which was rather ordinary.

It seemed that he would have to wait until he obtained a Bonus Solidification Card before transferring the Agent bonus from Nagasaki Soyo.

Touma was thinking about this when a notification suddenly appeared on his phone.

He opened it and saw that it was a message from Shimada, saying that they had found accurate information about Nagasaki Hekiru, that is, Nagasaki Soyo's mother.

For the past two weeks, he had been having Shimada investigate this matter while also gathering information himself through Nagasaki Soyo.

Just as he had expected, Nagasaki Hekiru was the general manager of business operations at a music company under the Haneoka Kokoro Group.

Her salary and commissions were extremely high, but correspondingly, her workload was also enormous.

After personally asking about it during this period, he learned that Nagasaki Hekiru actually wanted to make things a little easier for herself, at least enough to be able to go home and spend some time with her daughter every day.

Unfortunately, Nagasaki Hekiru was already effectively tied to this position. The others needed her, so she could not easily abandon the job.

Touma was considering how to solve this problem.

Then another new message arrived.

Shimada Chiyo: I have a good relationship with the CEO of this company. If there's anything you need, Asai-san, just let me know!

As expected of you, Shimada.

Touma first asked: Does Ms. Nagasaki want to transfer to another position?

Shimada Chiyo: That's right. Ms. Nagasaki wants to transfer to a less demanding position, but because she is too capable, transferring her rashly would inevitably cause the company some losses, so her requests have all been rejected.

Shimada Chiyo: Of course, you don't need to worry about that. The compensation would be an increase in Ms. Nagasaki's salary.

Touma: I want you to help Ms. Nagasaki transfer to a less demanding position, at least one where she won't have to work overtime at the company every night.

Shimada Chiyo: I see. However, helping Ms. Nagasaki transfer positions may still be somewhat difficult...

Touma: What conditions are required?

After sending this message, Touma waited for a while before the other side finally replied.

She had probably gone to discuss it with the CEO of that company.

Shimada Chiyo: We need something of roughly equivalent measurable value, such as songs on the same level as "Renai Circulation" and "Uchiage Hanabi."

Touma: No problem. Do you have time to discuss it now?

Shimada Chiyo: Of course. If Asai-san is interested, we can meet and discuss it right now.

Touma: Mm. Then let's do it now.

The two of them then agreed on a time and place.

An hour later, it was still the same café.

Touma arrived with a USB drive.

Shimada Chiyo, meanwhile, had brought a laptop.

The two sat down across from each other.

"This song is called 'Senbonzakura.' You can listen to it first."

Touma was still very confident about this song.

Although this world did not have Hatsune Miku, and thus lacked some of the extra boost that came with her, the quality of "Senbonzakura" itself was enough to make it a huge hit in this world for several years.

Hearing this, Shimada Chiyo was also extremely interested. He clicked on the song and began listening to it attentively.

About a minute later, the singing abruptly stopped, yet Shimada Chiyo seemed to still be immersed in the song and remained silent.

Another half minute passed before Shimada Chiyo suddenly stood up and said excitedly, "A work of art! Another work of art has been born!"

"Thank you, truly, thank you so much, Asai-san. Thank you for letting me witness such an incredible piece!"

Touma had long since grown accustomed to this personality of his.

"If you think it will work, then let's sign the contract. I'll transfer the copyright to this song to the music company. My only condition is that Nagasaki Hekiru be transferred to a lighter position."

Touma said.

"Of course. Absolutely no problem."

With that, Shimada Chiyo contacted the relevant person in charge.

A few minutes later, the person in charge of the music company arrived with the contract.

The two parties quickly signed the agreement.

In fact, one could say that the other party had gotten an overwhelmingly good deal from this transaction.

The value of this song was far greater than this.

However, this could also be considered his way of repaying Shimada for all the help he had given him.

Whether it was helping sign Ave Mujica or spending the past two weeks helping search for information about Soyo's mother.

Moreover, this whole arrangement would also deepen his connection with Shimada.

After all, he had never expected this man's network and influence to be so vast.

It was better to let the other party take a little more advantage.

As for Shimada Chiyo, he was somewhat amazed that Asai-san had transferred the copyright to such a highly valuable song away almost without hesitation and practically unconditionally.

So, what exactly was the relationship between that Nagasaki woman and Asai-san?

What kind of relationship could make him go this far?

Thinking about this, Shimada Chiyo felt somewhat moved.

Without a doubt, he was the second biggest beneficiary of this transaction.

With this song alone, the CEO of that music company would owe him a favor.

He had never expected Asai-san to trust him so much.

"Asai-san, thank you so much. If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to tell me. As long as it is something I can do, I'll do everything in my power to help!"

Shimada Chiyo sincerely promised.

"Thanks. If I need anything, I'll definitely come to you first."

The two shook hands once again.

Touma then left and returned to the apartment.

He lay down on the sofa.

The problem with Nagasaki Soyo's mother should be considered solved as well. The mission to improve Nagasaki Soyo's family situation should be completed soon too...

At the same time, elsewhere.

Time rewound to more than an hour earlier.

Inside the Nagasaki family's apartment.

"I hate you!"

"I almost hate you to death!"

"Touma, you liar! You clearly said you would help me rebuild CRYCHIC!"

"It was all lies. Everything was a lie. You bastard who can only deceive people, I never should have trusted you from the beginning!"

"I knew it. You never truly considered me from the very beginning..."

"So, why exactly did you choose to deceive me? Tell me. Hurry up and tell me!"

Nagasaki Soyo waved her arms and shouted loudly at the empty air around her.

However, it was not until her right hand accidentally knocked a cup off the coffee table, shattering it on the floor, that she finally came to her senses from her earlier state of emotional collapse.

Her breathing gradually changed from rapid to steady, and the rise and fall of her chest also became much less pronounced.

What was going on?

Why could she suddenly control her own body?

It should not be seven o'clock yet, right?

Thinking of this, Nagasaki Soyo was bewildered and stood frozen in place.

The anger in her heart instantly dissipated by more than half.

At the same time, an inexplicable sense of unease arose within her.

"Touma?"

"Touma?"

"Are you still there?"

When no one answered, Nagasaki Soyo immediately began to panic.

She hurriedly took out her phone and checked the time. It was only around six o'clock. Only eleven hours had passed since Touma entered her body.

It was clearly nowhere near twelve hours yet.

Why had Touma suddenly left?

What exactly was going on?

Had some accident happened?

Various possibilities instantly flashed through Nagasaki Soyo's mind, and she could not help becoming worried as she paced back and forth.

For a moment, she almost completely forgot about the unpleasant events that had just occurred.

But the next second, she froze again, seemingly recalling what had just happened, and the worry on her face instantly disappeared.

Pressing her lips together and furrowing her brows, she dropped herself back onto the sofa.

So what if he left!

That liar who filled his mouth with lies, nine out of ten things he said were just meant to deceive her...

Rather, wasn't it better that he had left an hour early?

At least she would not have to listen to those infuriating words anymore!

The more she thought about it, the more the anger in Nagasaki Soyo's heart was rekindled.

"That bastard. Since you've run away, don't come back ever again!"

After standing up and venting her anger for a while, she took several breaths before weakly sitting back down on the sofa.

Looking at the Earl Grey tea on the table, which had already gone cold, Nagasaki Soyo lowered her eyes and let out a deep sigh, falling into silence.

Images of the two of them spending the past twenty days together and talking kept flashing through her mind, along with the cold words Touma had just spoken.

So why?

Why had things turned out like this?

Nagasaki Soyo's eyes gradually dimmed as she stared at the cup in front of her without making another sound.

And so, she sat silently on the sofa for several hours, without even knowing how much time had passed.

She did not even hear the sound of the apartment door opening.

It was not until a familiar voice suddenly sounded beside her that Nagasaki Soyo was pulled back to her senses.

"Soyo, what are you sitting here thinking about? Mommy's home! Isn't it a surprise!? Did you miss me, Soyo?"

Nagasaki Hekiru happily wrapped her arms around Nagasaki Soyo's neck from behind.

Nagasaki Soyo took a moment to recover before finally emerging completely from her silent state. She turned her head slightly and saw the familiar face.

A hint of surprise flashed through the girl's eyes.

"Mom?"

"Looks like you really did miss me."

As she spoke with a smile, Nagasaki Hekiru sat down beside Soyo.

"Mom, didn't you say you've been really busy with work lately and wouldn't be coming home?"

Nagasaki Soyo asked in confusion.