"Soyo?"
In the living room, the girl with light green long hair tilted her head slightly, a trace of confusion just right showing in those golden foil-like translucent eyes.
"Why are you here?"
"I heard from Kaito-kun that it seems like you're feeling a bit unwell, Mutsumi," Nagasaki Soyo still maintained her faint smile, making it impossible to read her thoughts, "So, I was a bit worried."
"I see," Mortis suddenly understood, her beautiful fine brows curving into the shape of crescent moons, her smile innocent and radiant, "Soyo was worried~ But actually, I'm in a super good state right now, you know? In fact, I've never felt this good before~"
Looking at her friend's dazzling smile, one so bright it could be called radiant, Nagasaki Soyo froze for a moment.
'How long has it been... since I saw Mutsumi smile like that?'
The last time she saw Mutsumi smile might have been when CRYCHIC hadn't disbanded yet, and everyone in the band went to karaoke for team bonding.
But the girl quickly shook her head, throwing those random thoughts aside. She didn't come here today to reminisce about the past.
She met Wakaba Mutsumi's gaze, her tone gentle, yet inexplicably sharp, "Speaking of which, I really didn't expect that Mutsumi has been living under the same roof with Kaito-kun all this time. There wasn't even the slightest rumor before. I was shocked when I found out."
"Is Soyo very concerned about this?", Mortis put her hands behind her back. Although it was a very playful gesture, it made Nagasaki Soyo unconsciously frown slightly.
"Just a little surprised, that's all."
'Is it just an illusion...'
'Why does this Mutsumi in front of me feel so... off?'
'If I have to say it... it seems a little too lively?'
Nagasaki Soyo knew her friend's personality very well.
Introverted, emotionless, clearly born with good looks and background, yet lived like a marginal person in class.
Ever since Sakiko left, she became Mutsumi's only friend in Tsukinomori.
But even when facing Soyo, Wakaba Mutsumi's expressions and words were never considered rich.
Most of the time when they were together, it was Soyo who talked, while Mutsumi played the role of the listener. Even when she occasionally responded, it was just with simple words like "Mm," "Oh," "I know," "Not going."
But... the Mutsumi today, was like a completely different person.
That radiant smile, that playful gesture, all fell into Soyo's eyes as a strong sense of discord.
Clearly... just yesterday during class in the Tsukinomori, she hadn't changed this much.
The brown-haired girl's hands resting on her knees couldn't help but twist together.
This was her unconscious gesture whenever she felt anxious or thoughtful.
A friend she knew so well, suddenly changing personality and doing things completely unlike her usual character.
This kind of scenario gave her an odd sense of déjà vu, reminding her of that horror movie she watched not long ago.
"Hey hey, Soyo?", A slender little hand suddenly waved in front of her, "Why did you suddenly zone out?"
This sudden movement startled Soyo, making her instinctively shrink back a little.
When she came back to her senses, she realized that at some point, Mutsumi had already walked up to her, tilting her head slightly and casting a curious gaze.
"J-just thought of something else...", Soyo's smile was a bit forced. She had come with some anger, feeling quite displeased about Mutsumi supposedly stealing her boyfriend.
But when actually facing her friend who was nine out of ten acting completely out of character, she felt a kind of suffocating pressure.
"Sorry for making you wait a while," A reassuring voice broke the heavy atmosphere in the living room.
Bending down to place the brewed black tea and mango juice on the coffee table in order, Kaito stood up, just about to say something else when his arm was suddenly hugged tightly.
"It's mango juice!", Mortis' pretty face had a dazzling smile, bright like a small sun full of life, "Thank you, Onii-chan! Love you!"
"It's just a cup of mango juice, no need to be that happy, right?"
Looking at the satisfied girl clinging tightly to his arm, Kaito casually helped tidy up the messy hair beside her ear, though he felt a bit puzzled inside.
In his memory... Mutsumi's emotions weren't usually this expressive.
Although the girl had always been clingy to him, most of the time she just stayed quietly by his side, rarely taking such intimate initiative.
Moreover, with Mutsumi's personality, even as a joke, it would be hard for her to say the words "love you" out loud.
'Could something have influenced her emotions?'
Kaito released his divine sense for a brief check, but didn't find anything out of place.
The girl's aura was perfectly normal, completely consistent with her soul's root and origin, no trace of foreign interference.
'Could it really be just an illusion?'
'Wait!'
He suddenly froze, having grasped the source of that sense of anomaly.
"Who are you?"
"Hmm?"
The girl in front tilted her small head, her gaze seemingly innocent and puzzled, "What's Onii-chan talking about? Mutsumi doesn't understand~"
"You're not Mutsumi," Kaito furrowed his brows tightly, but didn't act immediately.
He initially thought some reckless evil spirit had possessed Mutsumi's body... but even after sweeping through countless times with his divine sense, he couldn't detect any presence of an outsider.
Though he was not at his peak, he still had the vision of a Nascent Soul.
Moreover, this world was already in a Dharma-ending era, with strict power limits.
An evil spirit capable of hiding inside Mutsumi under his nose without leaving any trace would at least be on his level, highly unlikely.
Since it's not external interference...
'Then it must be internal?'
'Something wrong with Mutsumi herself?'
This kind of thing wasn't rare. Even cultivators have what's called a "heart demon", once it takes over, even the closest sect companions can turn on each other mercilessly.
But Mutsumi wasn't a cultivator, and had not the slightest demonic energy on her. So this could also be ruled out.
"Geez, Onii-chan, seriously," The light green-haired girl sighed as if troubled, her pretty face looking a bit helpless, "I thought I could enjoy being happy a little longer, didn't expect to be found out so soon..."
As she spoke, she glanced at her friend nearby and pouted pitifully, "Soyo, is my acting still not good enough?"
Nagasaki Soyo didn't answer, only instinctively clutched her boyfriend's sleeve tighter, her throat trembling slightly, "Mutsumi... where is she?"
"That question... let me think, how should I answer it better?", Mortis raised her hand and gently tapped her lips, as if considering her wording.
But she quickly smiled, spreading her arms open, revealing a radiant yet mischievous grin that gave off the vibe of a "bratty little devil."
"Mutsumi, you see, is actually right here, using these eyes, looking straight at you~ Soyo~"
[🎉 Shoutout to Steven for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y