Multiversal Friendship System-Chapter 176 - 175: You Have to “Play” with Me All Day

"Sort of," Miku nodded at Souta.

A somewhat dark expression crossed her face:

"In the end, whether it's the general public or the fans, none of them really care about the poisonous words they once said. So what if the truth is revealed? How many people even care?"

She shook her head and continued:

"I can already predict that if I appear again as 'Yoimachi Tsukino ,' even if the misunderstandings are cleared, the past stains that never existed will still be remembered forever. Very few will genuinely believe me. In their eyes, I'll always be that ugly b*tch..."

"Miku," Souta interrupted her, "At the very least, I know the truth and believe in you, don't I?"

"But you're not human, you're a god, right?" Miku retorted sharply.

"..." Souta froze.

Wait, when was he stripped of his human identity?

Though Miku's words left him feeling a bit awkward, he had to admit—she was right.

Not about him not being human.

But about... public opinion.

Once you're labeled, whether it's true or not, it sticks.

Souta thought of a movie he once watched—The Hunt.

The protagonist was accused of molesting a young girl based on a lie. As a result, he was shunned and oppressed by the entire town—angry friends, a distrustful ex-wife, his beloved dog's death, and the hatred of strangers pushed him to the edge.

Eventually, the girl confessed the truth, clearing his name.

A year passed, and life seemingly returned to normal.

But when the protagonist went hunting alone in the forest, a bullet whizzed past his face. He looked up to see someone with a rifle pointing at him, who fled when caught.

He couldn't see the attacker clearly—they stood at a high point, bathed in sunlight.

Clearly, no matter how much he explained or proved his innocence, someone still chose to believe he was guilty.

Prejudice is a mountain that can't be moved, no matter how hard you try.

That's exactly what Miku is going through.

A piece of white paper, once smudged, will never return to its original purity.

Miku must've realized that too, which is why she chose to re-debut under a new identity.

She even used her songs to hypnotize her fans, making them believe "Yoimachi Tsukino" was dead, and that the current "Izayoi Miku" had no connection to her.

She was utterly disillusioned... with everyone.

"They only want to see what interests them, only care if something is entertaining. The truth means nothing, and they won't ever repent for the wrongs they've done..."

Miku stared into Souta's eyes.

"No matter how much I trusted them, in the end, they'd still betray me over a few baseless rumors. Humans... aren't they all like that?"

Souta was speechless. He could only sigh.

"You're not wrong. What your fans did was truly infuriating. But let me ask you—have you ever seen any other disgraced idols clear their names online?"

"Sure," Miku answered, confused. "Why?"

"Well, when you saw their statements, what was your reaction?"

"Reaction..." Miku frowned, thinking.

"Was it no reaction at all?" Souta met her eyes. "Did you just scroll past and move on to the next trending story?"

"..." Miku was silent.

Souta took a sip of coffee and said, with a mix of reflection and regret:

"That's just how people are. If someone is criticized to their face, they might feel guilt and want to change. But behind a screen? Most people only have one response."

"What response?"

"Oh."

Miku was taken aback by his bluntness.

But when she thought carefully... she realized she was the same.

Drawing from his years as a seasoned "keyboard warrior," Souta continued:

"In the internet era, this is inevitable.

It costs too much to fact-check everything. Even if someone truly likes an idol, how many people are willing to spend the time and money to verify a single news story?

Most people just treat it as entertainment. But..."

He shifted his tone, trying to comfort her:

"If the same thing happened right in front of them, it might be a completely different story. At that moment, their blood might not be so cold. Can you really see them as bad people?"

"..." Miku fell into deep thought.

It was the first time Souta had ever spoken to her so directly, and she couldn't help but search for reason in his words.

"Do you think I'm wrong?"

She asked softly, looking into his eyes.

"There's no need to say who's right or wrong." Souta shook his head. "Miku, I just hope you won't see all humans with such an extreme bias. I hope... you can be a little happier."

"Happier..."

Miku stubbornly shook her head.

"Those fair-weather fans just make me sick. But you... Souta, you coming to see me makes me really happy."

"That happiness is only temporary. Once I leave, you'll—"

"Then stay with me all the time!"

Miku suddenly blurted out.

After saying it, she lowered her head, her cheeks faintly flushed—probably out of embarrassment.

The confession-like words made Souta feel a bit awkward.

He cleared his throat.

"Even though I wouldn't mind spending more time with you... sorry, I have a lot of things to deal with and might not be able to visit often."

Miku looked a little disappointed at that.

But she didn't complain.

In her eyes, Souta was the kind of person who was either "saving the world or on his way to save it."

She understood. She might be wistful, but she wasn't angry.

In fact... she felt kind of proud and admired him.

"Don't worry. I'll try to visit whenever I can," Souta smiled. "But when I'm not around, I hope you won't live so closed off. Try opening up to others, okay? It's hard to be happy without friends."

"Friends..."

Miku's face showed obvious reluctance.

If it were anyone else saying this, she might've thrown her coffee in their face.

"Alright, looks like your prejudice is pretty deeply rooted. In that case..."

Souta suddenly stood up and raised his voice:

"Miku, come with me. I'll take you to meet someone—a true fan of 'Yoimachi Tsukino .'"

—

Yoimachi Tsukino —or rather, Izayoi Miku—does have real fans out there.

And this fan... was actually a popular idol.

The original story mentioned this detail—Souta used his divine powers to recall the memory, and remembered that the fan was none other than Asakura Hiyori, an idol as famous as Miku is now.

She was a cute girl who had entered the idol world out of admiration for Yoimachi Tsukino .

Using his divine power to gather intel, Souta found out where this girl was now and teleported there with Miku.

Backstage at a convention center in Tengu City, Souta and Miku saw Asakura Hiyori just after she had finished a fan handshake event.

The girl looked about 16 years old, with soft hair and a sweet-looking face.

She wore a sun-shaped hair accessory with a trademark on it, oddly cute in its own way.

Taking advantage of the emptiness, Souta and Miku entered Asakura Hiyori's dressing room.

Souta temporarily sealed the entrance, creating a chance for Miku to talk to her one-on-one.

When Miku appeared, Asakura Hiyori widened her eyes.

"You...? What are you doing here?"

"I came to attend your handshake event," Miku smiled. "You did great today. You worked really hard."

As top idols, the two had met several times before and knew each other.

"Hmph... Even if you say that, Izayoi Miku, my opinion of you won't change!"

Asakura Hiyori spoke irritably.

She showed very clear annoyance toward Miku.

Miku was taken aback.

What's going on?

Didn't Souta say she was a fan?

"Hiyori, could it be..." Miku asked, puzzled. "Did I do something to make you dislike me?"

"Of course you did! You totally underestimate what it means to be an idol!"

Asakura Hiyori suddenly stood up, clearly agitated:

"You replaced all the staff in your music store with women, you only let a handful of female fans attend your concerts, you never reveal your true face, and you even take advantage of your female fans behind the scenes... You're so selfish as an idol! Do you think this is all just a game?!"

Standing at the door, Souta gave Miku a strange look... taking advantage of female fans? Wasn't that just like in the original story?

Thanks to Souta hiding his presence, Asakura Hiyori hadn't noticed him.

Only Miku caught his gaze and looked a little embarrassed... That was the one thing she didn't want Souta to know about.

"And another thing!"

As if she had found a way to vent, Asakura Hiyori kept going:

"If the things I said earlier were just selfishness, then the fact that your performances are complete rip-offs is just unacceptable! Where's your pride as an idol? Your shame? You seriously lack any awareness!"

Asakura Hiyori held her head and murmured:

"Ugh, why can't my CDs outsell someone like her..."

"Completely copied performances?" Miku was surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! Just because you slightly change the performance style doesn't mean I can't recognize who you're copying!"

Asakura Hiyori glared at Miku, showing no kindness:

"There was an idol I really liked—she was new, had a beautiful voice that tugged at your heartstrings just by listening... She was my inspiration, the reason I became an idol. But..."

A visible sadness appeared on her face:

"She got caught up in scandals, was abandoned by her fans, and committed suicide. Looking back now, I'm not sure if the magazines were telling the truth, but even a single uncertain rumor can ruin a promising new idol..."

"Wait, Hiyori..." Miku interrupted, "Are you talking about... Yoimachi Tsukino ?"

"Hmph, stop pretending! You copied her and now you're acting like you don't know who she is?"

Asakura Hiyori pointed at Miku, her tone scornful:

"You, Izayoi Miku, your performances are nearly identical to Yoimachi Tsukino's. You just took someone else's achievements and used them for yourself. As an idol and as her fan, I can't forgive such disgraceful behavior!"

"..."

Miku looked shocked.

After a while, she let out a string of laughs:

"So that's it... That's what's going on..."

She laughed so hard that tears appeared at the corners of her eyes.

She wiped them, then suddenly hugged Asakura Hiyori.

"Wha...?! What are you doing?!"

Asakura Hiyori struggled, but Miku's strength as a spirit made it impossible to break free.

"Thank you... Thank you, Hiyori."

Miku held her for a while, then let go and looked into her eyes:

"Take a closer look—who do you see?"

As she spoke, she removed the hypnotic suggestion she had once placed on Asakura Hiyori through her singing.

The moment it lifted, Hiyori looked at Miku and gradually overlaid her with the idol from her memory, revealing a look of deep surprise:

"You... You're..."

Hiyori couldn't process it all at once:

"Wait, you're... Yoimachi Tsukino ? But you committed suicide..."

"I didn't succeed. So, I just kept on living."

Miku smiled gently:

"Thanks for remembering me. Not even magic could make you forget me... Hiyori, you're really something."

Seeing this, Souta quietly left the room and found a quiet corner to wait.

Those two needed time alone—he wasn't clueless.

"That should just about do it."

Souta let out a breath, happy for Miku and hoping this would help her move on.

Otherwise, living in your own obsessive world for too long could only bring more pain.

Hopefully, Miku could open her heart and step out of that world now.

About half an hour later, Miku and Asakura Hiyori exchanged contact information and said a brief goodbye. Miku left the room.

She scanned the event hall and quickly spotted Souta in a corner, walking quickly toward him.

Hearing footsteps, Souta turned to see Miku.

He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but her eyes seemed brighter than before—like she was glowing with joy.

"Half an hour..." As Miku approached, Souta asked suspiciously, "You... didn't do anything to that girl, right?"

Since he brought Miku there, he would feel guilty if Asakura Hiyori got taken advantage of.

"Really... Do I have zero credibility in your eyes?" Miku replied with a helpless tone.

"It's just... Asakura Hiyori said you've taken advantage of your female fans before." Souta asked seriously, "Is that true?"

"Ah... That... We just had 'tea' together, nothing more."

Miku looked a bit stiff, quickly changing the subject:

"Anyway, Souta, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" Souta asked.

"You know I have a fear of men. Lately, I've been trying different ways to overcome it."

Miku looked troubled:

"But since I've had no contact with men, I don't know how well I've improved. If possible..."

She looked at Souta with hopeful eyes:

"Could you help me test it out? Just a hug will do."

"Not a handshake?" Souta asked skeptically.

"A handshake's not intense enough to test it," Miku said firmly.

"Alright then." Souta opened his arms, "If you don't mind, go ahead."

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"Mm..."

Miku took a deep breath, gave herself a mental pep talk, and hugged Souta tightly—arms wrapped around his back, chin resting on his shoulder.

She was tall and in heels, so the pose wasn't difficult.

Souta felt two soft sensations press against his chest, and he started to feel a bit hot inside.

Two minutes passed, and Miku still hadn't let go.

"Did you get the results?" Souta asked.

"Not yet... Almost. Hang on."

Two more minutes passed.

"Still not done?"

"Almost... Almost..."

Soon, ten minutes had gone by.

People inside the venue had started looking their way.

Souta felt the burning stares of jealous men and looked slightly awkward.

"Miku..."

"Yes?"

"Still not done?"

Souta had been suppressing his inner heat with divine power... Honestly, it was getting tough.

"Okay."

Miku suddenly looked up, gazing slightly upward at Souta:

"Thank you... darling..."

Her eyes shimmered like summer dew, soft and tender.

Souta, locking eyes with her, felt as if he was drowning in honeyed warmth.

"Did you just call me..."

"Darling."

Miku smiled, then hugged him even tighter.

She rubbed her cheek against his chest like a kitten:

"You're going shopping with me today, all day long. No refusing."