Chapter 2580 - 1725: The Rain Keeps Falling

The rainstorm poured down.

Duanmu Huai and Ruoya Mu sat in the chair by the window, watching the curtain of rain outside. Illuminated by the streetlights, the surroundings were pitch black, and the raindrops hit the glass with a disordered rock rhythm. Duanmu Huai sipped his coffee, while Ruoya Mu held her mango juice; neither of them spoke.

But surprisingly, this feeling wasn’t bad.

Staring at the mango juice in her hand, Ruoya Mu remained silent. She wasn’t someone who enjoyed talking, nor did she like interacting with strangers. However, next to Duanmu Huai, Ruoya Mu felt relaxed, because she sensed that Duanmu Huai was different from others; he didn’t seem to care about her as much.

To be honest, for Ruoya Mu, this was rather liberating.

Ruoya Mu didn’t really like being overly noticed, whether by classmates or friends. Even if they were just kindly wanting to know her situation, for Ruoya Mu, it was a kind of shackle. Sometimes, she really wanted to escape it all and start anew in a place where no one knew her.

That’s why Ruoya Mu chose heavy metal, hoping to use it to vent her inner emotions and relieve pressure. Only when playing guitar did she feel that the overwhelming pressure of life eased, as if she were a drowning person surfacing for air.

But it was only a brief respite. Soon, school studies, piano, ballet, performance classes, and even her mother’s sharp laughter all transformed into invisible shackles, pulling her back into the bottomless abyss.

So Ruoya Mu really envied Duanmu Huai. He could do whatever he wanted, completely unconcerned about what others thought. Of course, it wasn’t that no one tried to obstruct him. But Duanmu Huai could ruthlessly defeat any obstacles daring to stand before him, never doubting his choices, never wavering.

This made Ruoya Mu very envious.

If she could face everything as resolutely as Duanmu Huai, would things be different?

But.........

"By the way."

Duanmu Huai suddenly spoke, interrupting Ruoya Mu’s thoughts.

"I don’t think I’ve ever asked you why you joined the band in the first place?"

It wasn’t surprising that Yahata Miru joined, a Working Warrior juggling jobs. But why Ruoya Mu joined his band intrigued Duanmu Huai.

".........Because Xiang invited me."

"So you agreed?"

"Mm."

Ruoya Mu nodded slightly, while Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes.

"Are you that close with Xiangzi?"

"We’ve......grown up together since we were young."

"Oh, I see........."

Duanmu Huai nodded.

"So you used Xiangzi as a shield, huh."

"............Huh?"

Duanmu Huai’s sharp question came too suddenly; everything was normal courtesy and small talk up to this point, but he suddenly drew a Sharp Blade, piercing deeply into the unsuspecting Ruoya Mu’s heart. At this moment, Ruoya Mu’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Duanmu Huai, her normally expressionless face showing astonishment for the first time.

"I know something about your situation; I’ve long been curious about how you managed to endure it until now."

Duanmu Huai fixed his gaze on Ruoya Mu, revealing a grim smile. At this moment, he seemed nothing like the Holy Woman on stage, radiating light and loving everyone equally, but rather a Demon from Hell’s abyss trying to devour another’s soul.

"Now I understand; you’ve been using Fukawa Shoko as your shield. No matter how painful something is, as long as it’s for Shoko, you can endure it. You’ve kept enduring like this, persisting until now, haven’t you."

"I............"

Ruoya Mu opened her mouth, wanting to say something but couldn’t utter a word, only hearing Duanmu Huai’s mocking tone echoing in her ears.

"What a beautiful friendship, always staying by your friend’s side, always supporting her, always thinking of her. No matter what you encounter, you can quietly endure, as long as your friend is fine, everything is fine......isn’t that a bit selfish."

"......Selfish........."

"That’s right, ultimately, you’re just using Fukawa Shoko as your excuse."

Duanmu Huai placed his coffee cup down, fixing his gaze on Ruoya Mu.

"She asks you to do something, and you do it because she is your important friend, you want to meet her expectations, you want her to be reassured. Because as long as Shoko is happy, you’ll be happy too......is that really what you think?"

"I........."

Duanmu Huai’s voice wasn’t loud, but each word was like a Giant Hammer smashing into the depths of Ruoya Mu’s heart.

"Don’t get it wrong, young girl. Fukawa Shoko’s sadness and joy belong to her. And you, your sadness and joy also belong only to yourself, not to others........."

"So what!!!"

The scream shattered the SPACE’s silence; if Fukawa Shoko were here, she wouldn’t believe her childhood friend could make such a sound.

"What’s wrong with doing it for Shoko?!"

Ruoya Mu pressed her hands on the table, her mango juice already toppled over. She stared at Duanmu Huai, her normally expressionless face twisting for the first time.

"I want Shoko to be happy; I’m her friend, that’s what I should do! No, that’s what I must do! Because, because........."

Saying this, Ruoya Mu gradually lowered her head.

"That’s all I have......"

"Guitar, cucumber, Shoko?"

"..............."

Facing Duanmu Huai’s inquiry, Ruoya Mu didn’t speak, essentially admitting it.

"These little girls, why are their emotions so heavy?"

Duanmu Huai snorted lightly, shook his head, and sat back in the chair. They’re so young, what are they thinking about with all these heavy topics? Look at Ruby, so carefree, and Banai just eats and sleeps all day. They’re all the same age, why is Ruoya Mu thinking about these boring things every day?

"Of course, if you think it’s good like this, it doesn’t matter, but do you really think it’s good?"

"...I don’t understand..."

"What I mean is, you might hate Xiangzi."

"I..."

Faced with Duanmu Huai’s words, Ruoya Mu’s chaotic mind suddenly froze.

Hate Xiangzi? Her?

Impossible!

Ruoya Mu instinctively wanted to refute. From a rational standpoint, she and Xiangzi grew up together, their families are relatives, she always thought of herself as Xiangzi’s other half, she needs Xiangzi, Xiangzi needs her. They are two in one, absolutely inseparable.

But... just as Ruoya Mu opened her lips, her inner instincts stopped her.

Hate Xiangzi? Really impossible?

Seeing Xiangzi as her other half, selflessly contributing to her, thinking it was all good. But is it really good? Xiangzi sees her existence as a matter of course, and she sees Xiangzi’s existence as a matter of course. Ideally, things should continue this way, but... what if Xiangzi betrayed her?

If she was only thinking about herself, not caring about Ruoya Mu at all, what would happen?

Would she really not hate her?

At that moment, all that once supported her, would it not turn into poisonous fangs to harm her?

"I... I feel I tried my best..."

Coming back to her senses, Ruoya Mu found her words spilling out of her mouth as if beyond her control.

"I know Xiangzi’s situation is difficult right now, I always wanted to fully support her. So, when Xiangzi came to me and invited me to join the band, I agreed. Because I felt I could help her, really make us happy. But..."

"But?"

Duanmu Huai poured another cup of coffee, squinted eyes looking at the suffering girl before him with interest.

"...Xiangzi is necessary for me, but am I necessary for Xiangzi?"

Indeed, the nauseating feeling deep inside her transformed into words, flowing from the trembling lips of Ruoya Mu.

For Ruoya Mu, Xiangzi was all that remained.

So how is it for Fukawa Shoko?

"I wouldn’t know, I’m not a worm in her belly."

Duanmu Huai shrugged, adding a sugar cube to his cup. His calm and indifferent voice, like the gradually fading rain outside, extinguished the burning fire within Ruoya Mu, allowing her blank mind to quietly calm down.

"Duanmu, why did you tell me this?"

"Oh, because I’m bored."

"...Eh?"

"You came here because of something on your mind, didn’t you?"

Duanmu Huai glanced at Ruoya Mu.

"I’m idling anyway, it’s a way to pass the time, so I chat with you. I really didn’t expect a little girl like you to have such heavy thoughts... do all musicians think this way?"

"..."

Ruoya Mu bit her lip in dissatisfaction, staring at Duanmu Huai. Even a usually emotionally indifferent person like her felt a trace of anger at this moment.

Mercilessly exposing the deepest secrets hidden within her, and then playing with them, just because of boredom?

I’m not a piece of wood, I can get angry too!

Ruoya Mu knew she was often viewed as silent, but right now, she felt that compared to Duanmu Huai, she was already quite articulate!

"...I’m going to rest."

Withholding her inner dissatisfaction, Ruoya Mu quietly stood up and walked toward the rest area, while Duanmu Huai watched her silhouette disappear into the darkness, shaking his head.

"As expected, I knew this little girl wouldn’t be so easy to deal with."

One reason Duanmu Huai provoked Ruoya Mu was indeed to pass the time out of boredom, another reason was his intention to resolve internal team issues. Yahata Miru is a Working Warrior, impeccable professional ethics. Hei Chuan Chi Yin was also no problem, but Fukawa Shoko and Ruoya Mu’s relationship, in Duanmu Huai’s view, was a ticking time bomb.

Especially since, unlike heavily committed Ruoya Mu, Fukawa Shoko seemed to have significantly lighter feelings towards her.

How should I say, it’s like air; when it’s there, it’s taken for granted. Only when lost does one realize its value... it’s roughly that feeling.

If it were other people, they might quietly watch and guard, but Duanmu Huai is impatient. Rather than waiting for a sudden explosion later, might as well ignite it himself, at least he can control it, right?

From the current perspective, the effect is acceptable.

Thinking this, Duanmu Huai chuckled.

He was looking forward to seeing what kind of chemistry would occur when Fukawa Shoko and Ruoya Mu met again.

It’s bound to be interesting.