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

Page 51

"The bond with family is very special; it's an unbreakable connection. If such a bond cannot be maintained, and even feelings cannot be conveyed, it would be such a pity."

So, he really did explain everything back then...

"Mr. Momoi, could you tell me more about the misunderstanding, and also about the formation?" Her azure eyes seemed to regain a little brightness as she looked at Taro with expectant eyes, hoping to get some answers from him.

"Hmm! It's nothing special." Taro's eyelids drooped slightly as he fell into his memories, recounting, "Jin is my adoptive father. He's single and a very nice person! When I was five years old, I moved out of the street I used to live on for some reason."

Taro recounted his experiences on the street before continuing with Jin's story: "When I was six years old, Jin suddenly disappeared! After that, I didn't have any luck going to school! I've been living alone ever since!"

"Um... what does 'not doing well at school' mean?" Su Shi asked softly.

His words were casual and understated, as if he were telling someone else's story. He then recounted the school-related events he had mentioned earlier.

Su Shi's eyes were completely filled with guilt. She looked at Taro and remembered all the malice she had done to him. Her heart ached as if it were being pierced by needles. But this was the only thing she didn't want to be denied. She asked in a trembling voice, "Mr. Momoi... haven't you ever thought about finding your adoptive father?"

Didn't she ever think about winning back her adoptive father...? If the answer is yes, then her desire to win back Ku Lai Xi Xi's heart should be understandable, right? That way, she could feel a little more at ease...

"No!" Taro gave a completely different answer, calmly stating, "The formation is strong enough to handle even one person!"

"And what about you?" Su Shi blurted out, perhaps because her guilt and sympathy for Taro were mixed together. She asked the question that had been bothering her: "You were only six years old back then, how did you manage to live alone...?"

“Jin left some money, and I’m very strong! I can handle it alone!” Taro’s words were still as resolute as ever. Suze lowered her head upon hearing this: “Yes… Mr. Momoi is very strong, he can handle it alone… but I’m different.”

"I'm weak... I can't survive alone. At school, I wear a mask and try my best to fit into the group, but it's still hard to enter a stable group..."

Her eyes lost their sparkle as she stared at the messy plates on the table. Even amidst the filth, the pristine white porcelain reflected her haggard face. Her gaze seemed to be fixed not on what was in front of her, but on a more distant past.

"However, no matter how well you integrate into a group, there will always be a day when you are separated from the group. But the suffering is different... Xiao Xiang said... that the band is a community of shared destiny and that it will definitely be able to exist for a long time."

"But, I don't know why the band broke up... I'm back to being alone... So, I wanted to get the band back together, but I think I chose the wrong approach..."

"No!" Taro loudly rejected the other person's idea, saying in a deep voice, "It's fundamentally wrong! You've already got the premise wrong! You're not alone!"

"Huh?" Su Shi didn't understand the meaning behind the other person's words. She looked at the other person with a puzzled expression as they stood up, walked to the sofa where they had been lying for many days, picked up the book that was on the sofa, and waved to her, signaling her to come over.

Su Shi, puzzled, stood up from her chair and slowly walked to sit beside Taro. She watched as he slammed the booklet on the table and flipped through it page by page, until he reached the pages without cards (see chapter 11). He pointed to where the cards were.

"This is... this is the place I should have told you but didn't—" Taro's voice was unusually calm, which gave the bewildered Suze a sense of support as she looked at the location the other was pointing to.

“This space is empty, isn’t it?” Taro said calmly, inserting the small stamp he had prepared from the side. It went in almost without any resistance. Taro then pulled the stamp out: “Does this make any sense?”

"Understand what...?" Su Shi was full of questions, not quite understanding what Taro meant. She just looked at the stamp in his hand with a puzzled expression. Taro calmly said, "Only the first few pages of this book contain your memories with him, right?"

"Is that right? But is it because we don't have enough materials?" Su Shi asked softly, though she had a vague feeling in her heart, but it was like the moon's reflection in the water—visible but untouchable.

"You're completely wrong! What Mr. Ichinose means is that the years he can spend with you, the memories he can give you, end here!" His tone became solemn: "From now on, you will walk the road ahead carrying the memories of him with you. He doesn't want you to be forever immersed in the past!"

"Dad...is that what you think?" Su Shi looked uncertainly at the meticulously crafted book, her fingers gently sliding across the empty slots on the cards. "But, such beautiful memories...why let them go? Everyone is telling me to let them go, Dad, Xiao Xiang, they all..."

"Letting go doesn't mean forgetting." Taro leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the living room light, which had been on ever since Su Shi returned. "If it's really that wonderful, then just carry those memories into the future. Right now, I can't let go either, but I absolutely cannot stop moving forward, and I certainly can't back down. That's what I wanted to tell you."

“Besides…” Taro lowered his head and said in a deep voice, “You are different from me. Your parents actually care about you a lot. You know that, right?”

Su Shi looked like a student being scolded by a teacher, fiddling with her fingers with her head down. Of course she knew this, but she still wanted tangible care... she wanted to be needed by everyone.

"If you want it, go get it yourself!" Taro seemed to see through her little thoughts, making Su Shi look at him in great panic. Taro looked at her with a serious expression: "Just like me, I have band members that I can trust. You can also form a band with Takamatsu and the others, and fill this book with your memories."

"Aren't Takamatsu and the others going to be in a band for life?" Taro finally relaxed a bit and smiled. "She seems serious—there must be something you're looking for there."

Su Shi remained silent for a long time, looking intently at Taro. Although she didn't understand why Momoi Taro could treat her, who had made so many mistakes, with such composure, she also wanted to do something bold, something she had never done before, and expose her true nature.

She said firmly, "Mr. Momoi, I will probably never forget the bitterness of this experience."

"Hmm! It's alright!" He smiled and said, "Put it on the first page of your book, and remember it for as long as you want. After you're done remembering it, just move on!"

“Mr. Momoi…” Su Shi’s eyes welled up with tears again. She was inexplicably moved. She looked at Taro, stood up, bowed, and said in a trembling voice, “I’m sorry, Mr. Momoi. I have slandered you like this, and you are still willing to come and see me like this.”

Seeing Su Shi's serious demeanor, Taro also stood up and calmly said, "Then be a good person, and I will forgive you."

"Mr. Momoi... Waaah!" She could no longer suppress her emotions and threw herself into Taro's arms, bursting into tears. Taro froze, raising his hands in bewilderment.

Two soft mounds collided with Taro's body with a thud, and he gradually felt warmth and moisture on his chest. He looked up at the living room light. He felt a little uneasy; what should he do?

He wondered if he should push her away, but after thinking about it for a while, he gave up the idea. After all, she was just a sixteen-year-old girl; she probably didn't mean anything by it.

Amidst Su Shi's wailing, he felt the clothes in his arms gradually becoming damp. He tried to place his hand on the back of her head, but did not make any further moves. After the wailing stopped, he pressed down on the top of Su Shi's head and pushed her away.

Su Shi's beautiful face was a mess of tears. This was the first time Su Shi had revealed her true nature and her deepest feelings to someone. She gave a sly smile and softly asked, "Mr. Momoi, I still have a little doubt about whether you really can't lie. Could you try saying this: 'I am a woman,'"

"Okay!" Taro nodded without hesitation, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "I am... a... woman..."

Taro's face flushed red as he tried to utter the last word, but before he could, his eyes rolled back and he was about to faint. Su Shi, who was prepared, caught Taro's body first and let Taro's head rest in the crook of her arm.

The heartbeat, the breathing… it really felt like it had stopped. Suze wasn't panicked; she knew Taro would recover soon, so she had things to do before that. "I'm sorry, Mr. Momoi, this is the last time I'll try to play tricks."

She closed her eyes, lowered her head, and pressed her lips to Taro's face, a fleeting touch...

She gently touched Taro's cheek, a tempting blush rising to her own. She probably really had fallen for Momoi Taro… Although she and Momoi Taro had only met a few times, saying she liked him seemed a bit too promiscuous.

But the way Momoi Taro was trying so hard to convince himself just now really made Suze's heart open up to him.

But having done such a wrong thing, how could I possibly stand beside Momoi Taro?

She took out her phone, snapped a picture of Taro who looked like he was asleep, and smiled.

I can only use some tricks here to express my feelings. Only after I can truly make up for all my mistakes can I truly express my feelings to Momoi Taro.

As for whether Momoi Taro might be faking his death... at this moment, Su Shi actually hoped that Taro was faking his death. If he was, wouldn't that prove that Momoi Taro also had feelings for her? As long as she could be a decent person... wouldn't that be...?

Unfortunately, Taro didn't seem to be faking it, she thought with some regret. Taro opened his eyes in her arms and saw Su Shi's gentle, azure eyes. Before he could think any further, Taro straightened up from Su Shi's arms.

"Mr. Momoi, is everything alright now?" Suze looked at him with a puzzled expression. Taro shook his head and said calmly, "It's getting late, I'll be going now!"

"Shall I see you off?"

"No need!" Taro walked firmly to the door, turned around and said, "Beth, you've been practicing hard lately. I look forward to seeing your progress."

Su Shi paused for a moment, then smiled as she watched Taro walk out of the room. She then turned around and went back to the bathroom to wash herself, change into clean clothes, and then went to the convenience store to print out two photos.

Afterward, she placed the two photos on the table, and put Taro's photo and the photo of Kulai Xiku together into the pages of the book one after the other. Looking at the two photos, she smiled wistfully, then sighed and closed the book.

I should go to sleep... I still need to apologize to Xiaomu tomorrow.

Chapter Fifty, It Begins Again

The next day, at Tsukimori Girls' Academy.

"Su Shi, are you alright? We heard you took sick leave and everyone was worried about you." The members of the string orchestra were excited to see Su Shi come to school as usual and surrounded her.

"Thank you everyone for your concern. Actually, I had a little problem and that's why I couldn't come to school. I'm so sorry." Su Shi maintained her usual smiling face, but her heart clenched slightly. Suddenly taking off her social mask seemed to be a difficult thing, so she could only answer her classmates' questions in a roundabout way.

She thought about what she should do. After all, her classmates must be worried because she had suddenly become cold. After thinking for a long time, she decided that if she could completely turn this social mask into her real face, it would be a way of fulfilling her promise to Taro.

"Everyone, please don't crowd around here, class is about to start." Su Shi's voice was still so gentle. She didn't know if what she was doing was right, but she wanted to try to move forward, even if it was just a little bit at a time.

Hearing Su Shi's words, everyone dispersed a little. Before class started, Su Shi quickly took out her phone and pressed a few buttons.

Seeing that Su Shi had returned to class normally, Wakaba Mutsu breathed a sigh of relief. She secretly thought to herself, "As expected, if it were Momoi Taro, there wouldn't be any problems."

Seemingly noticing that Ruoye Mutsu was looking at her, Suze turned her head and smiled slightly at Mutsu.

When Ruoye Mu took her phone out of her pocket, she saw a LINE message from Su Shi that she hadn't heard from in a long time.

"Xiao Mu, can we meet up after class?"

Looking at Su Shi's message, Ruo Ren Er I 彡 Wu Qi Jiu Liu 厁 E ye Mu felt anxious again. Had Su Shi not given up yet? What should he do?

"Mumu, don't worry too much. Didn't we say we should trust Momoi Taro?"

Yes... I have to trust Taro. Although Mutsu comforted herself with these words, the anxiety in her heart could not be dispelled.

During break, when Ruo Yemu wanted to find Su Shi, she discovered that Su Shi was surrounded by her classmates. She could only stand there dumbfounded. Su Shi, as if sensing her gaze, looked over and gave her an apologetic smile.

Then, while chatting with his classmates to ease their worries, he sent a message to Wakaba Mutsu on his phone.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Mu, as you can see, I'm not very available. Are you free during your lunch break?"

After looking at the message from Su Shi, Xiao Mu thought for a long time before finally typing on her phone and sending a message.

"Um."

Finally, lunch break arrived. Facing classmates who wanted to invite her, Su Shi said apologetically, "Sorry, I made plans with someone else." Hearing this, the classmates could only say that there was nothing they could do and dispersed.

This also demonstrates just how popular Su Shi's social persona truly is. She walked up to Ruoye Mutsu and asked with a smile, "Mutsu, are you free?"

Ruo Yemu also stood up and nodded slightly. Whether it was just her imagination or not, she felt that Su Shi's smile was less fake and more sincere: "Yes, Su Shi, move."

The two moved to the location of the Wakaba Mutsu Horticulture Department. Wakaba Mutsu looked at Su Shi, feeling a little uneasy, wondering what Su Shi would say.

The two remained silent. Su Shi looked at the small cucumber that was about to bloom, her heart filled with unease. The two girls, both with the same unease, waited anxiously for the silence in the air to be broken.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, Su Shi turned around and bowed to Ruo Ye Mu to apologize: "I'm sorry, Xiao Mu, I did a lot of wrong things."

“Su Shi…” Xiao Mu stared blankly at the other person, unsure of how to begin.

"I'm so sorry for making you act as a messenger pigeon all this time. It must have been tough being caught between me and Xiaoxiang. I'm really sorry for saying bad things about Mr. Momoi to you. Xiaomu trusts Mr. Momoi so much, and Mr. Momoi is such a good person. I'm so sorry for following Xiaomu, but I'm really worried about you... Even though my explanation sounds blank right now, I'm really sorry!"

Su Shi let out all the words that had been stuck in her heart in one breath. Ruo Ye Mu stared blankly at her, and finally, a faint smile appeared on her lips: "Su Shi, it's fixed."

Su Shi was taken aback by Ye Mu's words. If it were in the past, she would have been angry because of Ye Mu's seemingly indifferent attitude, but now... she seemed to be able to understand Ye Mu's thoughts a little.

Xiao Mu seemed genuinely happy that she had improved, and that's why she said that, since she wasn't very good at speaking. So she smiled and said, "Yes, thank you for always caring about me, Xiao Mu."

As for why she had become able to understand Ruoye Mutsu's meaning, Su Shi had a vague guess.

Perhaps it was because she truly took off her social mask when facing Xiao Mu that she completely exposed her vulnerabilities to her. By treating others with sincerity, she was able to feel their sincerity in return.

Although I always felt that Xiaomu was by my side, she was actually very far away from me. It was because I wore a social mask, which pushed Xiaomu away.

"Thank you, Xiao Mu," she said emotionally, embracing the petite and well-behaved Ruo Ye Mu. Ruo Ye Mu nestled in Su Shi's arms and closed her eyes. She felt that Su Shi's embrace was warmer than before.

After a long while, Su Shi separated Xiao Mu from Su Shi, thought for a moment, and whispered, "Xiao Mu, what about Xiao Xiang..."

Upon hearing Su Shi's words, Ruo Ye Mu felt a sudden jolt in her heart. Before she could react, Su Shi said, "Please apologize for me... I promise I won't do it again, okay? If you're unhappy about it, be sure to refuse."

"Yes, it's alright." Ruoye Mu finally felt relieved, nodded, and said, "I will pass it on."

"Um, Xiaomu, want to eat lunch together?" Su Shi picked up her lunchbox, which she had made with two layers, hoping to share it with Xiaomu. Ruoye Mu nodded slightly, accepting Su Shi's invitation, and the cucumber flowers beside her seemed to bloom even more beautifully.

Haigaoka Women's College, Astronomy Department.

"Here it should be like this, and then like this!" Aine corrected Takamatsu Akari's posture from behind.

"Like this...?" Takamatsu Akari pressed her finger heavily on the character, looking at Aine for confirmation.