Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

Page 93

The fine, dense rain wove a misty net that enveloped the entire city of Tokyo.

The girl, wearing a white baseball cap, a black shirt, and khaki culottes, looked down at her notebook, glancing around with a bewildered expression...

She struggled to drag her heavy, rain-soaked suitcase along the unfamiliar road. Occasionally, the wheels would get stuck in the cracks between the uneven paving stones, emitting a low, hoarse groan as if struggling.

The occasional bursts of rainwater from a crushed puddle resembled crushed dream bubbles.

"Um... Third Street, Third Street..." The girl repeatedly checked the location on the notebook and map in her hands, trying to find her way back from being lost.

"Tokyo...it's so complicated..." A barely perceptible tremor ran through her heart. A profound sense of alienation washed over her like a cold tide, silently engulfing her ankles and isolating her on this noisy island.

To avoid the rushing flow of umbrellas on the sidewalk, she instinctively retreated to the shade of a tall cedar tree by the roadside. Rainwater slid down the broad leaves, forming a fine curtain of water that briefly separated her from the world.

She tilted her head back, trying to discern directions through the layers of green leaves, glistening from the rain. Just then, a serene blackness unexpectedly caught her eye.

That was a rhinoceros beetle.

The girl's gaze froze. Her thoughts were instantly pulled back to summer nights in her distant hometown. In her memory, the rhinoceros beetles in the countryside were clumsy and enormous, like warriors clad in heavy armor, buzzing and striking the light bulbs under the eaves of the old house on sweltering nights, carrying a rough vitality.

And this rhinoceros beetle in front of us... is it starving? Or is the city too crowded, forcing even them to become so small and delicate, cautiously surviving in this world that doesn't belong to them?

...In this unfamiliar environment, how is the person she's thinking about doing? Her thoughts churned in her mind.

A faint, almost non-smile lingered briefly on her lips. In this cold, vast city, even insects exist… This faint sense of familiarity, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirred only a ripple before being swallowed by an even deeper emptiness.

Perhaps her gaze startled this tiny inhabitant of the city, for it suddenly fluttered its thin wings, took flight with a "whoosh," and quickly disappeared into the rain and the shadows of the buildings. The girl's gaze unconsciously followed that faint black trail, drifting into the distance—

Through the misty rain, the huge advertising screen in the distance stubbornly remained lit, radiating an excessively dazzling light that seemed out of place in this chilly weather. Right at the center of that light, a face unexpectedly entered her vision.

　Liu 1 Qiyi s?〈i 罒?8 That face...

Just like herself.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. The damp, cold air suddenly filled her chest, bringing a sharp, stinging pain. Rainwater slid down her cheeks, indistinguishable from rain or something else.

"Triangle?" A completely unfamiliar male voice rang in her ear, and... it was calling her by her name. She stiffly turned her head toward the source of the voice.

As she expected, it was a complete stranger. He was wearing a red coat, exuding confidence from the inside out. His handsome, angular face was not diminished by the rain. He didn't use an umbrella, letting the rain drench his body.

Needless to say, this person is Taro Momoi, who just came out of the ramen shop.

[Is this someone my sister knows...some celebrity or something...? Should I explain to them that I'm not my sister? But...if they're addressing my sister by her surname, they probably aren't very close.]

This girl, naturally, was Misaki Miku, who had just arrived in this city. She timidly opened her mouth to Taro, trying to say something: "Um... this..." In the end, she could only utter such incoherent words.

Taro, oblivious to the rain, continued to express his thoughts. Standing under the tree, he said to her, "It seems I've been seeing you quite often lately. It must be fate. I will cherish it."

[I've only been seeing this a lot lately...?] A thought flashed through Misaki Miku's mind, and she immediately smiled warmly at the other person, saying, "Since we're so destined to meet, why don't we just call each other by our names?"

Taro was slightly taken aback when he heard Hatsune's words, but then he smiled and said, "Yes, you're right. Then I won't be polite, Hatsuka."

Hearing Taro's words, Hatsune was deeply moved. This was the first time since arriving in Tokyo that someone had called her by her real name. But the other person was only addressing her that way because they thought she was their older sister…

She clenched her fists tightly… Why, why did her sister do this? Resentment filled her heart, but she still forced a smile: “Speaking of which, I don’t even know your name yet.”

Upon hearing her words, Taro paused for a moment, then calmly looked at the girl and replied, "Taro, Momoi Taro, that's my name."

The rain grew heavier, filtering through the leaves and enveloping the two of them. Taro, a head taller than Hatsune, calmly looked down at her, and Hatsune returned the gaze with a smile.

“Taro…” Hatsune’s smile widened. The person my sister had recently met had become friends with me first, and even used my own name…! She tried hard to suppress her excitement and said calmly, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Taro.”

"Hmm." Taro nodded, glanced at the soaking wet notebook in her hand, stared at her fingers in thought, but quickly snapped out of his reverie.

Taro immediately pointed her in a direction and said, "If it's 3-chome, go in that direction. Pay attention to the utility poles along the way. There will be signs on them."

"Thank you, Mr. Taro. I'll take my leave now." Hatsune bowed gratefully to Taro, then pulled her suitcase and walked away.

Taro stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "That's strange. The calluses on my fingers from playing the guitar have completely disappeared, replaced by marks from farm work. Has Sumi been doing any rural work lately?"

However, Taro didn't mind, since the other party wasn't doing anything wrong.

Hatsune left with a slightly flushed face, walking through the rain. She hadn't expected to make her first friend so quickly in Tokyo, but it was a pity that she made the friend as her older sister... What a shame.

But... there are such kind people in Tokyo too... that's nice.

Episode 44, Xiangzi's Bizarre Adventure (Part 2)

Let's go back a little earlier:

Xiangzi emerged from the bathroom with his hair still damp and wearing a white shirt that Sanjiao Chuhua had bought from a shopping website. Incidentally, the shirt was a matching couple's set.

The other identical outfit was currently being worn by Chu Hua, but she had put on an outer garment over it, cleverly concealing it from Xiangzi.

Xiangzi came out of the bathroom, her cheeks flushed from the steam, and she looked a little uneasy. She said hesitantly, "Chuhua, I... I didn't bring any spare underwear. Could you please go to the convenience store and buy me some?"

"Yes! I'd be happy to help!" Chu Hua's eyes were practically overflowing with laughter. She forced back the corners of her mouth and tried her best to maintain a normal tone of voice.

She seemed to have thought of something and suggested casually, "By the way, Xiaoxiang's school uniform got stained with mango juice, right? It's hard to wash off. How about I take it to the dry cleaners to get it cleaned?"

"Eh? There's no need for that...?" Xiangzi seemed very hesitant, his voice filled with doubt as he politely declined.

“It’s no trouble at all.” Chu Hua took a step closer, her voice softening, her eagerness obvious. “Besides, look, it’s already so late.” Observing Xiangzi’s expression, she extended an invitation at the opportune moment: “How about… staying here for the night?”

Xiangzi was silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his overly long shirt, before finally replying softly, "Alright... then, thank you, Chuhua."

"No need to be so polite to me, Xiao Xiang." Chu Hua hummed a light melody as she walked briskly towards the bathroom. She packed Xiangzi's clothes into a bag, then picked up the bag and walked out without looking back.

Xiangzi watched Chu Hua's figure disappear outside the door, and his heart suddenly tightened. He remembered that Chu Hua didn't seem to have asked about his measurements... Was it really okay?

Xiangzi sighed softly. She looked out at the empty doorway and felt that Chuhua was being a bit careless.

However, now that Chu Hua has gone out, what should Xiangzi do...? Thinking this, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the towering mountain of packages in the corner. Indeed, she really cares...

She swallowed nervously, her throat dry and tight. She first looked around warily, and only after confirming that no one was around did she quietly slow her pace and inching her way to the front of the express delivery hill.

She held her breath, strained her ears to catch any slight sound outside the door, and only after confirming that Chu Hua had no sign of returning did she cautiously reach out her hand, her fingers trembling slightly as she began to rummage through the most inconspicuous corner of the express delivery pile.

White Bear Express... White Bear Express, White Bear Express, and more White Bear Express... Xiangzi's heart sank as he flipped through the packages, his fingertips growing slightly cold. Sure enough, the entire mountain of packages belonged to White Bear... To call it a coincidence would be a bit of a stretch.

Xiangzi raised his hand to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead, a strange panic rising in his chest. He had a feeling... something was wrong.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and tried her best to restore the packages to their original state according to her memory. Then, she stood on tiptoe and nervously peered around to make sure Chu Hua had returned.

Seeing no sign of Chu Hua returning, Xiangzi breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Her gaze, once again, involuntarily fell upon the mountain of express delivery packages, the question still lingering in her mind: Why did Chu Hua do this?

Hmm...XG异陵⑴霓四舞揪罒9岜...?

Xiangzi's gaze suddenly froze, and she carefully moved around the mountain of packages. This corner was already dimly lit, and was completely blocked by the pile of packages. Xiangzi had only just noticed that in the shadows behind the mountain of packages, there was a whiteboard hanging out of nowhere.

The whiteboard's presence here seems very unnatural. Most homes don't have whiteboards, and even if they do, they certainly wouldn't place it in such an inconvenient corner, making it difficult to view or write on.

She held her breath, gently grasped the edges of the whiteboard on both sides, and carefully moved it aside. Just as Xiangzi had expected, there was something hidden behind the whiteboard. However, the moment she saw what was hidden, Xiangzi's pupils suddenly contracted—the back of the whiteboard was densely covered with photos of Momoi Taro-senpai!

Among them, the most numerous were photos of herself, followed by photos of his teammates and some women she didn't recognize. They seemed quite intimate. But that's not the point; Shoko trusted Taro-senpai's character. The point is—

Why? Why does Hatsuka know Momoi Taro-senpai? No, more importantly, why does Hatsuka have so many photos of him... and these angles look like clandestine, candid shots!

"Chuhua..." Xiangzi covered his mouth in disbelief, his fingers trembling slightly from the tension, his pupils contracting in shock.

Why...what is the reason for all this? Xiangzi's thoughts spun rapidly in chaos, trying to piece together a reasonable explanation. Suddenly, a clear and terrifying idea crashed into her mind—

Could it be...? Is Hatsuka the kind of yandere character described in light novels?!

Hatsuka secretly took so many photos—she must have a crush on Taro-senpai, right?

In that case... that mountain of packages can be explained. It must be because Hatsumi went on a shopping spree in order to see Taro-senpai...!

Hatsuka already knew that she knew Taro-senpai... Could it be that she therefore saw her as a rival in love that had to be eliminated?!

As Xiangzi recalled the obsessive behavior of the yandere characters in those stories, a chill instantly spread from the soles of her feet to her entire body, causing her to involuntarily shiver violently.

That must be it. It can't be that Chu Hua has a crush on me and wants to get rid of her senior, right? No, it's too unsafe to stay here overnight.

She seemed to hear a noise outside, and a chill ran down her spine. She quickly restored the whiteboard and then hurriedly returned to the sofa to sit up straight.

Sure enough, the crisp sound of a key turning in the lock came from outside. The next second, the door was pushed open, and Chu Hua appeared in the doorway. Her face was shrouded in the shadows of the entryway, making it impossible for Xiangzi to see her expression. He could only hear her still gentle voice:

"Xiao Xiang, I'm back."

No, I must stay calm, I absolutely must stay calm! Xiangzi desperately suppressed his wildly beating heart, forcing himself to calm down, and then forced a smile onto his face: "Chu...Chuhua? You, you came back so quickly...!?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xiangzi immediately realized how abrupt and unnatural her statement was, and she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand. Hearing Xiangzi's obviously flustered words, Chuhua paused almost imperceptibly, but then continued walking towards the living room as if nothing had happened.

"Xiao Xiang, I bought the underwear." Chu Hua said with a nonchalant smile and a gentle tone. However, the pale light from the overhead lamp made her smiling face look strangely eerie.

She casually handed him the underwear and said softly, "Xiao Xiang, try them on to see if they fit."

"Um... umm! Thank you, Chuhua!" Xiangzi forced a smile as he took the bag of clothes, his voice trembling slightly, and said in a perfunctory manner, "Well... I'll go try them on and see if they fit."

Before she finished speaking, she had already jumped up from the sofa like a startled deer and almost ran towards the stairs leading to the attic.

Chu Hua maintained her smile, her gaze calmly following Xiangzi's retreating figure as he disappeared down the stairs, her expression unchanged. However, her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly to the mountain of packages piled up below the attic stairs, a fleeting, almost imperceptible hint of disappointment flashing across her eyes, but it vanished in an instant, and her expression returned to its usual gentle and natural state.

Xiangzi quickly checked the clothes Chuhua had brought and, without thinking about anything else, put them on. However, when she put the clothes on, she was surprised to find that the size was surprisingly perfect for her body.

She quickly put on all her clothes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her wildly beating heart before stiffly walking down from the attic.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Xiangzi forced a smile, saying, "Chu...Chuhua, I suddenly realized it's really late! Dad...he'll definitely be worried about me! I think...I think I'd better go home first!"

Upon hearing Xiangzi deliberately mention "Dad," Chu Hua's words of persuasion caught in her throat, and her body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

Immediately, her gentle and polite smile returned, and her voice remained soft: "Since Xiao Xiang has said so... let's go back first."

"Then, I'll be rude." Xiangzi maintained his clean smile after hearing Chu Hua's reply.

With her hands lightly resting on her waist, she smiled and gave a perfect 90-degree bow.

However, this graceful farewell contrasted sharply with her subsequent decisive and efficient actions—

Almost as soon as she straightened up, she turned and left quickly, her figure disappearing into the entrance hall without even noticing where her school uniform had gone.

Chu Hua watched Xiangzi leave her house with a smile until he was out of sight. Then, dejected, she slumped onto the sofa, hugging her knees. She murmured sadly, "Xiangzi...why..."

"Huff..." Leaving Chu Hua's house, Xiangzi ignored the heavy rain in Tokyo. Although Xiangzi knew that what she was doing would hurt Chu Hua deeply, and she also knew that these were just her own assumptions...

She knew all too well that if she wanted to keep the band going, it would be difficult to leave Chuhua and go independent...

But rational as she was, driven by emotion, she still ran away. Xiangzi shook his head slightly, muttering self-deprecatingly, "This is terrible... I..."

Xiangzi shook his head slightly, realizing he had hurt someone again.

After seeing the band's performance, her first reaction was that it was revenge on her. But after calming down, she realized... it was a way for them to let go of their own feelings and move forward.

This is a good thing, even though it's hard for Xiangzi to accept... She will still be willing to offer her blessings to everyone as they go their separate ways on their own futures.