Page 370
Page 370
Just as she wished, Xiao Mu was becoming more and more like an ordinary girl.
However, as if remembering something, Wakaba Mutsu raised her head, walked to Xiangzi's side, tied one of the bells to Xiangzi's body, and said, "This is Saki's share."
"Ah, Xiao Mu...why?" Xiangzi asked in surprise.
Isn't this a gift from Xi to you?
“SAKI’s things will all be shared with me, so my things will all have a share of SAKI’s things.”
Xiao Mu said it in a matter-of-fact tone.
Suddenly, Xiangzi's nose tingled, and he hugged Ruoye Mu's neck tightly.
"Waaaaah, Xiao Mu, you're so kind, thank you so much."
Xiangzi looked at the bell in his hand with some excitement and said to Banami, "Look, this is the bell that Mumi gave me. It sounds really nice."
Seeing that she was about to lose her composure, Banai said, "What are you bragging about? I gave it to you!"
The two bickered from time to time, while Wakaba Mutsu watched from the side, feeling a kind of happiness that she only felt when she kissed Hachina.
Suddenly, a very strange idea came to Wakaba Mutsu's mind.
“Yu, Saki-chan…” The girl stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Xiangzi asked with concern.
"If Minami hadn't been so cold to me before, and now that Yu and Saki are so kind to me, would I be unable to feel this happy right now?"
These words made Xiangzi both amused and exasperated: "Xiao Mu, what are you thinking? No matter how Aunt Minako treats you, I will always be good to you!"
As a result, Yoshiko blushed a little at Ye Mu's slightly suspicious gaze. If it weren't for Banami's reminder, Yoshiko wouldn't even know her true feelings. She was still being nice to her, and she wasn't ashamed to say such things.
Well, as my daughter grows up, she asks some really strange questions.
"Well, what Xiao Mu said isn't entirely unreasonable. After all, there's a saying that happiness is relative. Only by experiencing pain can one truly appreciate and cherish the happiness they have now."
Wakaba Mutsu looked at Hachina and nodded slightly in agreement.
***
"I'll be going now..."
Aiyin, carrying her guitar case, fled from the rehearsal room as if she were running away.
Although Aine performed better after Banami left, without the "pressure source," she went from being extremely nervous to frequently spacing out.
She knew that her performance today had disappointed everyone, but now she didn't know what to do.
Even... I couldn't feel a single bit of joy from the guitar, the music, or the band MYGO.
She even felt a sense of being torn apart, as if she were no longer herself.
Therefore, after failing to improve with Rakuna-chan, Aine decided to confront the root cause of her distress. She wanted to ask Wakaba Mutsumi how she could become as good as her.
Even if she heard something like, "You have absolutely no talent, give up. You can't compare to me in terms of talent, because I'm a genius," Aine might still give up completely.
When she got Wakaba Mutsu's contact information from Su Shi and somewhat abruptly asked where she was.
I got the address of the shopping street I usually go to from the other party.
So it turns out that Xiao Mu is the kind of person who goes to shopping streets. But now Aine doesn't care about such trivial matters. She's just rushing to where Ruoye Mu is.
Finally, she saw the petite figure with light green hair sitting alone in a chair.
It looks like he's holding a croquette in his hand.
Ai-yin couldn't help but walk over and say, "Um, Mu Zi-mi-chan!"
When Wakaba Mutsu saw Aine, she tilted her head slightly: "?"
"I know this might seem abrupt, but... but I need an answer: how... how can I become like you, able to play the guitar in a way that touches other people's souls!"
It was able to make that boy remember his guitar.
Ruoye Mu watched the girl with a tense face as she put a slightly hot croquette in her mouth.
Suddenly, Xiao Mu remembered another tall girl who, after seeing her (Metis) perform, had become like Chihaya Aine in front of her.
She doesn't want to hurt anyone, but everything about her—her acting, her guitar, everything about her—can easily hurt others.
However, Xiao Mu has now learned not to wallow in self-pity, and therefore, she has given her own answer.
"Carry a bag of rice up several flights of stairs (feel the pain)."
Ruoye Mutsu recalled those lonely times spent in the basement, sitting on the leather chair, clutching her guitar.
Only the guitar could slightly alleviate her painful emotions.
Those times were indeed very lonely and painful, but they also shaped her into the guitarist she is today.
Only by experiencing and growing through suffering can one truly appreciate the happiness of the present moment.
Xi once said this.
"Feel...pain?" Aine seemed quite surprised by Wakaba Mutsu's answer.
However, it seems that something was grasped from this sentence.
She has always been a happy, carefree person.
That's why I often feel out of place with the people in MYGO and AVE MUJICA.
When she hears them say things like "a lifetime" so easily, she only feels embarrassed and awkward.
In the words of Banami, they are all gods.
However, most of the "god-like people" that Banami mentioned had outstanding musical talents, whether it was Wakaba Mutsumi or Kotomi.
Does that mean that if... you don't experience pain, you can't... catch up with Wakaba Mutsumi musically?
After all, literature is like viewing mountains; one does not appreciate flatness.
When things are not in harmony, they will cry out.
Chihaya Aine has always been an ordinary person. Although she has experienced some setbacks, they are nothing compared to those of Wakaba Mutsu and Toyokawa Shoko.
So how exactly can she catch up with them?
At this moment, Chihaya Aine even felt like she was being excluded by others.
Xiaodeng could easily understand Xiaomu Xiangzi and the others' pain because they were people from the same "planet".
But she was just an ordinary "Earthling".
Just as Aine seemed to have grasped something, she heard Wakaba Mutsu say in a light voice, "Yu!"
Aine subconsciously turned her head and saw Yanami Yu and Toyokawa Shoko holding hands. Just seeing this scene made the girl's heart tighten.
However, to Aine's surprise, Wakaba Mutsumi, who lightly jumped off the chair, ran over and then hugged Hanami tightly in front of Toyokawa Shoko.
Then, right before her eyes, Wakaba Mutsu gently tiptoed and kissed Hanami's lips.
Aine's head buzzed, as if she had been hit hard.
But isn't Banami's fiancée Miss Shoko?
She looked at Xiangzi beside her in shock, and Xiangzi also looked at her instinctively.
Their eyes met, but Xiangzi awkwardly looked away, though... he didn't stop them.
In other words... Miss Xiangzi... tacitly approved of Banami's two-timing?
Not only did Hanami choose Ms. Shoko, but she even... also got together with Wakaba Mutsumi...
At this moment, Aine felt like she couldn't breathe, and even felt as if her impression of Hanami had been shattered.
Then, in Aine's mind, she seemed to hear the words that Wakaba Mutsu had said to her earlier.
How can I catch up with your guitar skills?
Feel the pain, just like the pain you are feeling right now.
Chapter Thirty: Japanese Deserters
What were Aine's feelings when she saw the person she liked holding his girlfriend's hand and kissing another girl?
My feelings are awkwardness...helplessness...wanting to cry, and not even a trace of anger.
She wanted to run away, but she hadn't done anything wrong. If she ran away, it would seem like she had done something wrong.
Ai Yin was somewhat bewildered, not knowing how long she had been standing there. Her whole face had turned red. Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
"Anon-chan".
Aine turned her head and found it was Nagasaki Motoyo.
Why is soyorin here?
And... why wasn't she surprised at all by Wakaba Mutsumi and Hachimi's situation?
What exactly did I miss?
The next moment, Su Shi took Aine's hand and said, "Anon-chan, we've had enough shopping, it's time for us to go home."
Why would Su Shi say that? Ai Yin quickly understood: Su Shi was trying to save face for her.
She didn't come specifically to see Banai and the others; she just happened to run into them while shopping with Suze.
Perhaps it was Su Shi's gentleness that brought Aine back to her senses. She quickly followed the girl away, not even having the courage to look at the three people behind her.
Su Shi pulled her away, and after walking for an unknown amount of time, she heard her say, "We can't see them anymore. Don't worry, Banami didn't chase after us."
"Now, you can cry."
Hearing Su Shi say this, Aine's previously stiff body slowly recovered. Then, her nose inexplicably stung, and tears seemed to flow uncontrollably down her face.
All she wanted was a dignified ending. Even if her first love failed, she just wanted a beautiful memory. But why did it end like this?
Could it be that the intelligent, gentle boy who liked to play pranks on her in her memory was just a figment of her imagination?
The image of Banami kissing Wakaba Mutsumi was seemingly deeply etched into her mind.
So, that night, the guitar that Wakaba Mutsumi played, the one that harmonized so perfectly with the bass, was originally meant for Hanami?
Thinking of this, Ai Yin seemed even more heartbroken, and cried even harder, sobbing uncontrollably, not even caring about the stares of passersby.
When someone curiously looks at her, Su Shi will glare back at them with a stern look.
"What's it to you? What are you looking at?"
Then, those who were just watching the show will quietly leave.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, Soyorin, I'm..."
I just can't stop crying right now.
"It's okay, cry if you want to, I'll be here with you."
Su Shi said in a calm tone.
But at this moment, Aine was incredibly grateful to the other party.
***
When they returned to Chihaya's house, Mrs. Chihaya was surprised to see her daughter's red and swollen eyes. Kaoru didn't know how to explain for a moment, when she heard Sose say, "Um, Aunt Chihaya, could we use your bathroom?"
As if realizing something, Mrs. Chihaya quickly prepared hot water for them.
"Soyorin?" Aine's voice was hoarse from crying.
Su Shi said, "When you're in a bad mood, just take a good bath and you can relax no matter what happens."
After saying that, Su Shi pulled the girl into the bathroom. She even helped Aine tidy up her clothes while she was taking them off.
"Sit down, I'll wash your hair for you," Su Shi said softly.
"Huh?!"
But before she could react, Su Shi pressed her down onto the small stool. The warm water from the showerhead touched her skin. Although she was still feeling terrible inside, for some reason, she felt a little better physically.
Su Shi applied shampoo and then gently stroked her hair.
"Hey, Soyorin, why aren't you surprised at all about Mu Zimi and Bana kissing? Did you... already know all along?"
Finally, Aine revealed her guess.
"So, your impression of Xi has been shattered. He's no longer the perfect shoujo manga protagonist in your heart?" Su Shi said calmly.
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