This bonus worked just like the affinity bonus: grinding experience was fast, smooth, and almost effortless.
Ever since her body had been taken over, Wakaba Mutsumi had remained in a state of mental drift, as if her consciousness were floating somewhere far away.
It wasn't until just now—when she snapped back to awareness and saw Yu watering the bitter melons—that she suddenly felt something familiar, something strangely close.
That feeling was extremely strong.
It was as if she had seen Yu somewhere before… and not only that, but they had even been on fairly good terms...
No, that couldn't be right. Yu was a newly born personality—how could she possibly have met him before?
Wakaba Mutsumi shook her head, forcefully throwing that unrealistic thought out of her mind.
When she saw Yu walk into the classroom, she immediately searched through the shared field of vision for a familiar figure.
Found her—Saki!
But on the seat, there was only a single back facing her...
And Yu didn't seem to have any intention of going over to her.
After hesitating for a long while, Wakaba Mutsumi finally spoke in a pleading tone:
"Um… Yu, could you go say hi to Saki?"
"No."
Asai Yu rejected her without the slightest hesitation.
Even meeting Togawa Sakiko while using Wakaba Mutsumi's identity wouldn't violate the rules, but right now he genuinely had no intention of having any contact with her.
Mortis immediately chimed in as well:
"Yeah, Sakiko's never been nice to us at all. There's no reason to get involved with her."
Hearing that, Wakaba Mutsumi turned her head and looked at Mortis beside her.
Mortis was puffing out her cheeks, completely unfazed by Wakaba Mutsumi's gaze.
Mortis, you didn't used to be like this—
Wakaba Mutsumi let out a deep sigh, feeling a little down.
What she really wanted to know was which Sakiko was present today...
During class, Asai Yu occasionally observed Togawa Sakiko.
Her condition didn't look great—she spent almost half the lesson spacing out.
Alright, alright. He caught her in the act.
Before long, it was time for school to end.
Judging from how Black Saki treated Wakaba Mutsumi with a façade of "best friends," she wouldn't take the initiative to approach him.
However, just after Asai Yu finished packing his bag, something completely unexpected happened.
Togawa Sakiko actually came over to him on her own.
No—there was another possibility.
Dai-Saki-sensei might be here to discuss matters related to Ave Mujica with Wakaba Mutsumi.
And indeed, it matched Asai Yu's guess perfectly.
Even though Togawa Sakiko really didn't want to talk to Wakaba Mutsumi right now, when she thought about Ave Mujica's guitarist, she still decided to try repairing their relationship.
"Mutsumi, would you like to go to a café together and talk?"
Togawa Sakiko asked, her tone noticeably softer as she put on a smile.
Seeing that it was the original Sakiko, Wakaba Mutsumi's interest inside the personality space instantly dropped by more than half. She slumped weakly back into her chair.
Mortis, on the other hand, watched the scene with great interest, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.
Since the other party had already taken the initiative, Asai Yu had no reason to avoid it.
"No, that won't work. I have something to do this afternoon," he replied.
"Ah, then let's—"
Togawa Sakiko's sentence stopped halfway through.
What… did she just hear?
Mutsumi rejected her?!
Shock flashed across Togawa Sakiko's eyes.
And that tone—why did it feel so familiar?
Her gaze sharpened as she carefully examined the green-haired girl in front of her.
Gradually, her brows knit tightly together. With a confused, almost unbelievable tone, she asked:
"Yu?"
Good grief, Radar Saki.
This time, Asai Yu was genuinely startled.
She figured him out just by looking a few times?!
Was it because she was too familiar with Wakaba Mutsumi… or too familiar with him?
"Yu? What Yu? Sakiko, what are you talking about?"
Asai Yu immediately mimicked Wakaba Mutsumi's tone and posture, throwing the question back at her.
Seeing this, Togawa Sakiko stroked her chin, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied the green-haired girl with a thoughtful expression.
So what if the expression and tone matched Mutsumi?
That aura—just standing there—was impossible to hide from her eyes.
Yu. It was absolutely Yu!
Even if she didn't know how Yu had managed to enter Mutsumi's body, she could guarantee it in the name of Oblivionis—this "Wakaba Mutsumi" was undoubtedly Yu!
Heh. Trying to fool her? Too naive.
As that realization settled in, Togawa Sakiko's emotions gradually surged, her mind filling with excitement.
So this is how I finally get to see you again, Yu!
Even if it's not your original body, it's enough. As long as I can get one step closer to you, that's a victory!
But since you want to keep acting, then I'll play along.
Togawa Sakiko instantly switched to her gentle White Saki expression.
"Sorry, Mutsumi. I suddenly remembered something just now."
"Did you forget? We already talked on LINE about discussing Ave Mujica together."
This face-changing speed—wasn't it faster than flipping a book?
Asai Yu felt that she had recognized him.
No, not "felt." She definitely had.
Inside the personality space, Wakaba Mutsumi and Mortis exchanged glances, clearly seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
"Why did Sakiko directly call out Yu's name?"
Mortis voiced her confusion first.
Wakaba Mutsumi frowned slightly, as if she had thought of something but couldn't quite grasp it.
"I don't know..."
"Strange. Really strange. I can't figure it out."
Mortis swung her legs lightly, her pale-golden pupils filled with confusion.
"But if that's the case, then Sakiko probably already knows about our multiple personalities, right? Otherwise, there's no way she'd just call Little Mutsumi 'Yu' like that."
"I'm not sure…"
Wakaba Mutsumi replied absentmindedly, still lost in thought.
At that moment, Asai Yu's voice suddenly cut through her train of thought:
"Wakaba Mutsumi, do you want to become the guitarist for Ave Mujica?"
"Mm, of course I do," Wakaba Mutsumi answered without hesitation.
Looks like the worldline hadn't changed at all.
Asai Yu looked at the blue-haired girl in front of him and spoke in his own tone:
"I'll become the band's guitarist. Once the band is officially formed, we can discuss the details."
Hearing this, Togawa Sakiko instantly became displeased.
"But didn't we already talk about this? You're breaking our agreement."
At this point, most of the classmates had already left the classroom. Only he and Togawa Sakiko remained.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Asai Yu asked back.
Upon hearing that, Togawa Sakiko wanted to continue arguing, but the moment she met his gaze, she unconsciously took two steps back, her momentum instantly deflating.
"Of course… there's a problem," she muttered stubbornly under her breath.
Where did this soft, squishy Saki come from?
Asai Yu was a bit speechless.
"I'm leaving first."
With that, he walked out of the classroom.
Left alone inside, Togawa Sakiko squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her fists tightly, gritted her teeth for a moment—then quickly chased after him.
He just straight-up rejected Togawa Sakiko?
That's amazing, Yu.
He did what she had always wanted to do, but never dared to.
Mortis's small mouth fell slightly open, her pale-golden eyes flashing with a hint of admiration.
Then she glanced at Wakaba Mutsumi beside her, who still seemed to be thinking about what had just happened.
"Um, Yu—there's only half an hour left before ballet class. If we go home now, we might not make it in time," Mortis reminded him.