Page 167

"Alright, next... it's time to deal with another lost lamb."

……

Back in that spacious yet always somewhat aloof upscale apartment, Nanami Natsuki was greeted by a flurry of footsteps as soon as she entered.

"You actually know how to come back?!"

Shiina Ritsuki, wearing an apron and holding a soup spoon, was clearly preparing dinner. Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes, which always held a hint of anger yet couldn't hide her concern, were fixed on Nanami Natsuki. "Didn't we agree to finish at six? What time is it now?"

"Oh dear, is Riki-chan worried about me?" Nanami Natsuki leaned forward without any hesitation while changing her shoes, and gave Riki a quick peck on her cheek, which was slightly flushed with anger. "It's just a little bit of a delay. It's not like I was doing anything bad behind your back."

"You! Don't suddenly get so close!" Li hope took a half step back in a panic, her hand holding the soup spoon unsure of what to do. "Who, who's worried about you! I'm afraid you'll starve to death out there and no one will collect your body!"

"Hehe, Lixi-chan is the best after all."

Just as the two were flirting, the doorbell rang abruptly.

"Ding-dong-"

Li Xi paused, looking towards the door with a puzzled expression: "Who would come so late?"

Nanami Natsuki, however, seemed to have expected this, and the curve of her lips deepened. She put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, then walked briskly towards the entrance.

"Probably... a delivery person?"

The door opened, and standing outside wasn't a deliveryman, but a petite girl with short, dark green hair. She had her head down, her hands nervously twisting together, and Metis stood behind her.

"Xiao Mu?" Li hope heard the noise and came over. When she saw the person at the door, her eyes widened in surprise. "How could you be..."

Before Lixi could finish asking, Nanami Natsuki preemptively grabbed Wakaba Mutsuki's wrist with one hand and pulled her into the house, while pushing Lixi's back without any politeness with the other hand.

"Alright, alright, Riki-chan, now that the guests are here, why don't you go back to your room and leave for a bit?"

"Huh? Why should I avoid this? And Xiao Mu, she..."

“This is a secret between me and Mutsuki~” Nanami Natsuki blinked, her heterochromatic eyes flashing with an undeniable light. “Or is it that Riki-chan wants to eavesdrop on the girls’ late-night conversations? Only a pervert would do that.”

"Who...who's eavesdropping?!" Li hope was choked red-faced and her neck bulged. Although she was full of suspicion, she was still pushed back to her bedroom by Nanami Natsuki's half-pushing, half-yielding force. "Then...remember to call me when you're done talking!"

With a "bang," the bedroom door slammed shut, leaving only Nanami Natsuki and Wakaba Mutsumi in the living room.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Ruo Ye Mu kept her head down, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Come in, my room is inside."

Nanami Natsuki didn't say much, but gently took Mutsuki's hand and led her into the master bedroom, which was filled with her personal style and was slightly dark and mysterious.

A faint aroma of fragrance filled the room, and heavy curtains blocked out the noise from the outside world.

Nanami Natsuki had Mutsuki sit on the edge of the bed, while she pulled up a chair and sat opposite her, resting her chin on her hands and observing the taciturn girl in front of her with great interest.

"So, this is the decision you've made, Metis?"

Nanami Natsuki's gaze did not fall on Mutsuki's face, but instead looked at the "girl" behind her.

"……Yes."

Metis spoke, but his voice trembled slightly, "Xiao Mu... she needs you to save her."

“Save? Why use that word?” Nanami Natsuki chuckled, extending a finger to gently lift Mutsu’s chin, forcing her to look up. “Aren’t you two getting along well now? One of you is responsible for playing the role of a radiant doll in the sunlight, and the other is responsible for catering to your parents at home and becoming the good child they expect.”

"No...that's not how it is..."

The eyes that had once belonged to Mu were now filled with struggle and pain, tears welling up in them. "I...I don't want to go on like this anymore. Su Shi...Xiang...and Mom and Dad...I don't know how to face them. Metis said...that if I just say what's on my mind, I'll feel better. But...but I..."

“But you don’t dare, do you?” Nanami Natsuki picked up where she left off, her tone becoming soft and seductive. “Because you are Wakaba Mutsumi, the good child who will never refuse and will only ever say ‘yes.’ How could those ugly, jealous, possessive thoughts come out of your mouth?”

"Ugh..." Mu's body trembled violently, as if his most hidden wound had been touched.

“It’s okay, Mutsuki.” Nanami Natsuki stood up, slowly walked to Mutsuki, and opened her arms to embrace her. “You can tell me. Here, it’s just you and me… and the real you. Tell me, what do you want? What do you really think about Suze, about Shoko, and even about me?”

In Nanami Natsuki's warm embrace and her enchanting whispers, Wakaba Mutsumi's psychological defenses finally crumbled.

“I…I’m jealous of Xiang…I’m also jealous of Su Shi…”

Intermittent sobs came from her arms, like a flood bursting its banks, "Why...why does everyone only look at Xiangzi? Why did Su Shi only see Crychic's resurrection before? What about me? What about my feelings? No one has ever asked me if I wanted to...no one has ever asked me if I was happy..."

“Metis is right… I actually… really want to destroy all of this.”

Mu raised her head, her usually indifferent face now streaked with tears, her eyes gleaming with an almost crazed light. "If only Crychic would never come back to life... If only everyone would become unhappy... Then, would I be the only one left to stay by their side? Would they... only look at me?"

"And Natsuki-neechan..."

Mutsu gripped Nanami Natsuki's clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. "That day in the locker room... I saw it too, through Metis's perspective... What you and Riki did... I'm so envious... I want that feeling of being possessed, of being valued..."

"And Metis... I want to stay with you by Natsuki-nee's side..."

"Hehe...that's right."

Nanami Natsuki stroked Mutsumi's long hair with satisfaction, as if comforting a wounded little animal. "See? It's not as scary as it seems when you say it. This is the real you, this is the voice from the depths of the soul of the one named 'Wakaba Mutsumi'."

She gently pushed Mu aside and turned her gaze to the Metis projection, which had been silent all along but now seemed somewhat restless.

"Now that Xiao Mu has spoken her mind, then... Metis, you've completed half of your mission, haven't you?"

Nanami Natsuki's lips curled into a strange smile. "Staying in this doll's body all the time must be tough for you, right? Perhaps you also want to embrace me and Mutsu in a deeper way, don't you?"

"Sister Natsuki... what do you mean?" Metis's voice was filled with a mixture of anticipation and confusion.

"How about I help you find a 'new home'?"

Nanami Natsuki turned and walked to the bedside table, where she picked up a bright green cucumber from the gift bag that Mumi had just put down.

"...Huh?"

Both Mutsu and Metis were stunned when they saw the ordinary vegetable in Nanami Natsuki's hand.

"Don't make that face." Nanami Natsuki toyed with the cucumber in her hand, her eyes flashing with an almost insane playfulness. "Even though it's just a cucumber, once it's infused with a soul... it can become something very interesting."

Just then, Metis suddenly felt a powerful suction coming from the cucumber in Nanami Natsuki's hand. Immediately afterwards, she felt her body lighten, as if something had been forcibly pulled away.

"what--!"

With a faint scream, Metis's phantom transformed into a streak of light and plunged straight into the emerald green cucumber.

The next second, the cucumber, which had been lifeless, trembled slightly, as if it had come to life.

"This...this is..." Wakaba Muku stared wide-eyed at the scene before him in disbelief.

She could clearly feel that Metis, who had once resided within her but had now left, yet was ultimately both her protector and her "nightmare," was now truly... inside that cucumber.

"How are you feeling, Metis-chan?" Nanami Natsuki asked softly, looking at the cucumber in her hand.

Although cucumbers cannot speak, their slightly curved shape and the eerie sheen on their surface seem to be responding to Nanami Natsuki's words—it is excitement, novelty, and a wildness that comes from breaking free from constraints.

"Okay, now..."

Holding the cucumber infused with Metis's soul, Nanami Natsuki slowly approached Wakaba Mutsuki, who was sitting by the bed.

"Xiao Mu, you just said... you also want that feeling of being possessed and valued, right?"

"Natsuki-neechan..."

As Ruoye Mu watched the cucumber approaching, seemingly radiating some kind of dangerous aura, her body instinctively wanted to retreat, but the inexplicable anticipation and heat surging deep within her made her rooted to the spot, unable to move.

"Don't be afraid."

Nanami Natsuki had already walked up to her, kneeling on one knee on the bed, looking down at her. Her heterochromatic eyes reflected Mutsuki's expression of shame and longing.

"This is your own wish."

Nanami Natsuki gently touched Mutsuki's cheek with the cucumber in her hand, the cool touch sending a shiver through Mutsuki. The cucumber, as if possessed, slowly slid down her cheek, past her neck, collarbone, chest, and…

"It's too late for you to regret it now~"

Nanami Natsuki's voice, like a devil's whisper, echoed in Mutsuki's ears.

Chapter 148 Hatsune Miku: I'm coming clean.

The midday sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the floor, but it couldn't dispel the cloying, heavy atmosphere that seemed to have been frozen in the room.

Toyokawa Shoko sat next to Nanami Natsuki, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the sofa cover next to her.

Since regaining her talent, establishing a relationship with Nanami Natsuki, and completely shedding her disguise in front of her, this once fierce little wildcat has become exceptionally docile.

“Hey, Natsuki.” Shoko looked up, his eyes reflecting the girl’s image, gleaming with an almost fanatical light. “Let’s form a band.”

"……what?"

That's not what I meant...

She paused, seemingly savoring the weight of the word, then a hopeful smile curved her lips. "Not like those big bands from before, it's just you and me..."

"Oh?" Nanami Natsuki raised an eyebrow, enjoying the constant flow of [dependence] and [possessiveness] emanating from her. "Sounds interesting. However, it might be a little lonely if it's just the two of us."

She reached out, picked up the phone, and called Xiao Mu.

The call ended shortly afterward.

“Mutsuya, come along too.” Nanami Natsuki used a declarative sentence, not an interrogative one.

Xiangzi showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever; on the contrary, it was as if he had expected it all along. "Fine," he said.

"Now that everyone's here, where are the positions?" Nanami Natsuki asked casually, toying with Shoko's loose blue hair.

“I’m the keyboard, and Xiaomu is the guitar,” Xiangzi said matter-of-factly. “But… what about the lead vocals? Natsuki, do you want to sing? Or should I do it?”

Looking at the two girls in front of her who were so devoted to her, Nanami Natsuki suddenly had a wicked thought.

Having a haughty empress sing is nothing new, and having a demon whisper behind the scenes isn't exciting enough.

Since this is a twisted combination, then the person least likely to speak out should unleash the most deafening roar.

“No.” Nanami Natsuki reached out and lifted Mutsu’s chin, looking at her delicate, doll-like face. “Lead vocalist… let Mutsu do it.”

"Huh? Mu?" Xiangzi was taken aback, clearly somewhat surprised.

"What? Don't you want to hear it?" Nanami Natsuki chuckled, her fingers tracing Mutsu's lips. "Mutsu, who usually suppresses all his emotions and even has Metis say 'I like you' for him, what if he put on a mask online and let out all the love and madness in his soul by screaming... Don't you think that scene is beautiful, Shoko?"

Xiangzi imagined the scene, his breathing quickened, and a blush rose on his face: "Indeed... if it's that style... no one in the world is more suitable than Mu."

She knew that Mu wanted to sing, but she subconsciously ignored the other person's true feelings. However, it didn't matter to Xiangzi, because she was a selfish person by nature.

Admitting to selfishness is far better than being unconsciously selfish.

Moreover, she is no longer entirely selfish. After getting rid of many problems and "cleaning up" her interpersonal relationships, Toyokawa Shoko realized that she actually had nothing left.