Page 166

But this was the first time Wakaba Mutsu had ever lost his composure like this.

"You've been seeing her, haven't you?" Mutsu stood up, her usually even tone now trembling with brokenness. "Using this fake body to see Natsuki-neechan..."

She approached Metis step by step, her eyes flashing with a mad fire called "jealousy".

"Xiao Mu..."

“Sister Xiaoyue… her warmth, those hugs, even the way she looked at you… why wasn’t I included…” Mu screamed hysterically, her fingers gripping Metis’s silicone shoulder so tightly that her nails almost dug into the realistic skin. “Waaah… what’s wrong with everyone… why is this happening…”

Metis silently watched the distraught girl before him.

“Xiao Mu, you’re wrong.” Metis spoke calmly, his voice echoing in the empty basement. “I never intended to abandon you.”

She raised her stiff hand and placed it on the back of Mu's hand that was gripping her shoulder. The cold silicone touch made Mu flinch.

"Because I am you."

Metis's eyes, made of glass beads, shimmered with a deep blue light.

“I said what you dared not say to Nanami Natsuki; I did what you dared not do to her. You longed to possess her, but were bound by morality and cowardice; and I, as ‘Wakaba Mutsumi’ who was freed from these constraints, faithfully carried out your deepest desires.”

"..."

Metis leaned forward, his flawless silicone face close to Mu's, their noses almost touching—just like Natsuki had done to Hatsuka.

“You’re jealous of me, you’re jealous of that ‘honest self’,” Metis whispered. “Admit it, Mu. You created me, you sent me to her for help, and you wanted me to leave your body.”

Now that everything is done, are you afraid?

Mu's pupils contracted sharply. Her hands fell limply to her sides, and she slumped against the piano behind her, as if her spine had been removed.

Yes, she couldn't refute it. Every word Metis spoke was like a scalpel, precisely dissecting her hypocritical shell and revealing the cowardly soul within.

“We are one person,” Metis continued, his tone softening. “Without you, there would be no me, Xiao Mu… Actually, from the beginning, some things could have been resolved simply by speaking them out, but why were you always afraid?”

"No one will think you shouldn't sing. They will only accept your ideas after they know why you are 'unhappy', but you always feel that you will be disliked if you say one more word."

"So do you think... after you've poured out all your true feelings and complained to me, I'll hate you?"

"I...I don't know..."

"Do you think Sister Xiaoyue will dislike you?"

"..."

If Ye Mu did not answer, her body would honestly shake her head.

This was an instinct, because Wakaba Mutsu, who had long lacked affection, found someone who could easily solve the problems she had previously been unable to solve, and this person had never thought that her shortcomings were anything bad.

Metis extended his hand, palm up, in an inviting gesture.

"Then come with me to find Sister Xiaoyue."

The basement fell into a long, deathly silence. Only the light from a few spotlights on the ceiling crackled in the air.

After a long while, Mu slowly raised his head.

"...When?" Mu asked softly.

“Tomorrow night,” Metis replied, “we’ll go find her together.”

Mu nodded, her breathing gradually calming down, and she returned to being the expressionless doll girl, but a chilling dark color appeared deep in her eyes.

"Okay. Let's go together."

After reaching a consensus, Metis seemed to remember something.

"By the way, Xiao Mu, do you have any cucumbers at home?"

"Huh?"

“It’s the kind of… firm cucumber, about this size.” Metis held out his hand, indicating the approximate thickness to the other person.

"Hmm..." Mu frowned, puzzled, and asked, "What do you need that for?"

"Oh, don't ask anymore. Anyway, it's Sister Xiaoyue who wants it. She probably wants to eat it."

Metis followed Xiao Mu to the room where the cucumbers were kept, took the cucumber from her, and examined it as if it were some important mission item.

"I don't know what Sister Xiaoyue really means."

Metis pouted. All she knew was that Sister Xiaoyue had specifically mentioned this before asking her to go find Xiaomu, and had also said something like, "You'll find out when the time comes," and something about not being afraid of the dark and damp.

That's so strange...

Chapter 147 You call this a threesome?

The following afternoon, the setting sun after school painted the streets of Ikebukuro with an ambiguous orange-red hue.

Nanami Natsuki held the hand of the girl beside her and walked through the noisy crowd.

Although the girl beside him wasn't wearing her eye-catching performance outfit today, but just ordinary casual clothes, her obviously stiff body movements and slightly trembling fingertips still betrayed the turmoil in her heart at that moment.

"Hatsune-neechan, looking like this, people who don't know you might think I'm going to sell you to some weird shop."

Natsuki stopped and turned to look at Mitsuki Mitsuki, who was looking down and trying to bury her face in her scarf. A playful smile appeared on her lips.

"Natsuki... I still feel..." Hatsune's voice was barely audible, her eyes, usually carrying a hint of melancholy, were now filled with panic. "When I see the real Hatsuka, I... I don't know what expression to make when I face her. After all, I'm a thief who stole her name..."

"Since you're a thief, you should go and meet the owner, shouldn't you? Hiding in the shadows won't make your name change back automatically."

Natsuki didn't give her a chance to back down, and half-forced her into a hidden coffee shop deep in an alley.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, the crisp sound of the wind chimes sent a shiver down Hatsune's spine.

Natsuki's gaze swept across the store and quickly locked onto the figure that had been waiting for a long time in the corner.

That was a girl whose face was exactly like Hatsune Miku's, but who exuded a completely different aura—the real Mitsuba Hatsune.

She sat there, quiet as a painting, out of place with the noisy surroundings, yet seemingly possessing an own kind of attraction.

Hatsune was almost simultaneously pushed into the opposite seat by Natsuki.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

"Long time no see, sister."

The first to break the silence was Chu Hua on the other side.

She looked at the older sister in front of her who had lived under her name for so long. There was no anger or disdain in her eyes that Hatsune had expected. Instead, there was a sense of relief and calm, and even... a faint sense of guilt.

"Chu...Chu Hua...I'm sorry!" Hatsune seemed to have finally found an outlet, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice trembling with sobs, "I used your name without permission, I...I'm a despicable liar..."

"It's alright." Chu Hua gently shook her head, interrupting Hatsune's confession. She reached out and covered Hatsune's tightly clenched hands, the warmth of her palm calming Hatsune's trembling slightly.

"Actually, I've never cared about this. Rather, I feel like I owe you something."

"Huh?" Hatsune was stunned, tears clinging to her eyelashes, her face blank.

“Because Mom gave me all her love.” Chu Hua’s lips curled into a bitter smile, her voice soft yet firm, as if telling a long-ago, untold story. “During those days on the island, I monopolized all of my mother’s attention and care. As her younger sister, I stole the motherly love that should have belonged to my older sister.”

"So... it's just a name. If it helps you find your place in this city, what does it matter?"

"But……"

“Sister, you don’t need to feel guilty. Really.” Chu Hua’s eyes were clear and bright. “More than a name, I hope you can be happy. Consider this… my little bit of compensation for taking Mom away from me.”

Watching the two sisters go from initial awkwardness to now pouring their hearts out to each other, Nanami Natsuki, who was stirring her coffee on the side, did not say a word.

She simply observed quietly, as if watching a drama whose ending she had already foreseen, her eyes gleaming with a meaningful light.

About half an hour later, the misunderstanding was resolved, and the long-standing estrangement melted away in tears and smiles.

"Then I'll be going now, sister. Phew... I still need to enjoy my two days in Tokyo. Oh, and thank you for your sponsorship, Xiaoyue~" Chu Hua stood up, straightened her clothes, glanced at Natsuki beside her, nodded slightly, and then turned and left the coffee shop. She left decisively and without any hesitation.

Watching her sister's departing figure, Hatsune was still a little dazed. The feeling of relief and exhaustion made her slump on the sofa, as if she had just gone through a long battle.

"She...she's gone already?" Hatsune murmured to herself, a hint of reluctance in her eyes. "Will we...see each other again?"

"Don't worry, she's just in Tokyo for a visit and to see you. It's not like we're going to be separated forever."

"Also, I'm quite curious, do you want to see her or not?"

"..."

"Hehe, don't worry, whether you want to see her or not, she won't run away. Besides, sometimes it's better to just talk things out, isn't it? I really don't understand why you people always like to keep secrets in your hearts and then drive yourselves crazy."

"Look at me, don't I feel comfortable?"

Nanami Natsuki rested her chin on one hand and reached out with the other to gently wipe away the remaining tear stains on Hatsune Miku's cheek.

The warm touch on her fingertips made Hatsune flinch, and then her cheeks flushed.

"Xiaoyue... thank you." Hatsune lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion. "If it weren't for you, I might never have dared to face Chuhua, nor that false version of myself. Now... should I return the name to her? Then who am I...?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Natsuki suddenly leaned closer, her eyes, which seemed to see right through people, staring directly at Hatsune Miku, and a signature, slightly aggressive, devilish smile appeared on her face.

"A name is just a label. For unimportant people, whether you're 'Hatsuka' or 'Hatsune' might matter, since they only care about the glamorous idol label. But—"

Natsuki stretched out her finger and gently touched Hatsune's chest. The pressure from her fingertip was just right, hitting the spot where Hatsune's heart was beating most violently.

"That name doesn't matter to me at all."

"Huh?"

"What I like is not the false identity of 'Triangle Chuka', nor the idol that everyone idolizes."

Nanami Natsuki's voice was deep and magnetic, like a sweet temptation, slowly spreading in Hatsune's ears, each word like a tap on her heart.

"What I love is you sitting in front of me right now, the one who cries and laughs, who is a little timid but tries hard to live, the one whose real name is 'Hatsune'."

The afterglow of the setting sun had been completely replaced by the neon lights of the bustling city. The two walked out of the coffee shop side by side, and Hatsune Miku, who was next to Nanami, gently exhaled a breath of white air.

"...Oh right, what about Meow Dream..."

"Hmph, don't worry, I'll take care of her matter soon. Although I've forgiven Hatsune Miku, her attempts to frame me aren't over yet!"

"..."

Hatsune was speechless, after all, in her opinion, this was clearly Nanami Natsuki's own doing.

However, she knew very well that this girl cared about her reputation more than anyone else, so after thinking about it, she decided not to expose the other girl's untenable reason for revenge.

The two quietly enjoyed the subtle happiness of going home together, and finally waved goodbye at the apartment door.

Watching Hatsune Miku take out her key, open the door, and walk inside, Nanami Natsuki's smile gradually faded, replaced by a playful expression, like a hunter waiting for its prey to take the bait.