I'm not a womanizer for Chihaya Aine

The boss didn't care. Compared with the money spent on the guitar, the two picks were just a gift. He nodded and agreed casually: "Okay, just don't disappoint me."

But after that, Qing still didn't leave immediately. Instead, she pointed to a box of picks that were the same as the ones in her hand, but in addition to blue and pink, there were other colors of the same picks.

"When we confirm the live performance, we will give you the tickets. Can you give me this box of picks?"

Qing looked at the boss sincerely.

The boss was stunned at first, then he laughed heartily and said: "Haha, little girl, you are very interesting! Take it, I hope you can perform well. If your first live performance is exciting enough, I will become a fan of your band."

"Thank you for your support. Bye."

Qing picked up the box of picks, put it in her bag, and said goodbye to the boss. Then she took Aiyin away.

After that, the sound of a phone ringing was heard in the store and the boss answered the phone.

"Hello? Oh, you're the new guy. Effect pedals? Sure, do you want to send them to Circle? Oh, RING, I've been there a few times before. I'll send them there after they close."

"Haha, is it so obvious that I'm in a good mood? I met two very interesting kids. Maybe I can become a fan of their band. Well... I'm not interested in their musical ability, but they are very interesting in themselves."

"The name is Anon Tokyo. Haha, I think you can pay more attention to them, because they look troublesome. Aren't rookies the best at helping girls solve their troubles?"

"How enthusiastic! If they are in Circle activities, you should be able to meet them soon. Haha, okay, keep up the good work. Say hello to Ms. Marina for me."

……

On the street not far away outside the store, the two girls who had just been the subjects of the conversation between the piano store owner and a new employee were walking side by side, but a pink-haired girl was not very well behaved.

"Qingqing, Qingqing, why did you choose those two picks specifically?"

Aiyin approached Qing with a smile on her face and asked. It can be imagined that if she didn't have to walk, Aiyin would just lie on Qing.

Qing sighed and said, “Aine is easily carried away by success.”

Qing has never understood Yanyan's life after her fall from love so well.

Qing is not a person who does not keep his promises. Just like today's date, even if he had vowed to forget everything before, Qing would make an appointment with Aine again yesterday to go out today in order to keep the date.

When Aine gave her the pick, Qing said that she would keep it forever. Although Qing could keep this promise silently by herself, she still wanted to say it again. After all, this was an important memory between her and Aine. In order to avoid being forgotten, she had to experience it again.

However, after experiencing Qing's sudden appearance yesterday and rejoining the band and setting a date for today, Aiyin obviously guessed what Qing wanted to do, and she couldn't help but jump around Qing excitedly.

"Eh? What do you mean? I'm just curious, why did Qingqing say that I got carried away?"

However, Aiyin's smile remained unchanged as she asked with great pride, as if she really didn't know why Qing said that to her.

Qing took out the two picks somewhat helplessly, pretending to be really helpless and said: "I wanted to give it to you when the atmosphere was better, but now there is no other way, so I can only do this."

Aiyin took the pink pick from Qing's hand with a smile and said, "I am very satisfied that Qingqing can give me a gift. Thank you, I will use it well."

Hearing this, Qing took out the box of picks that the boss gave him hesitantly and said, "Ain, I'll take care of your future picks, so you can use that pick more carefully."

As we all know, a guitarist's pick is like a cockroach in a closet. Even if you seal the closet tightly, the pick will disappear inexplicably when you open it again.

So in order to prevent their important keepsakes from being lost or damaged accidentally, Qing chose to buy replacement picks. As for their two picks that had special meanings, they just had to keep them well.

Aiyin understood what Qing meant at once, and her face was filled with joy. She couldn't help but let out a silly laugh: "Hehehe... It seems that Qingqing attaches great importance to the gifts she gave. Don't worry, I will keep them well!"

The streets were filled with the laughter of young girls, and wherever they passed, they left a youthful atmosphere that was difficult to erase for a while. Among them, Zhongqing also sent Aiyin back home today.

86

Chapter 86 Visit, Truth, Investigation.

Akabane has always been a district with a strong Showa style in Tokyo, and the Showa Day around April 4 is even more intense. The residential area, which used to be a bit lifeless during the day, also held festivals during these days. Although it is not as lively as those festivals held for celebration, it also makes Akabane's daytime more lively.

Among them, a man in a suit, a hat and sunglasses stood out. What was even more eye-catching was that the man walked to the low-rent housing area, which is almost equivalent to a slum in Tokyo, and finally knocked on the door of an old apartment. This scene can only be described as out of place.

The first time he knocked on the door, there was no response from the inside. The man was not in a hurry, nor did he intend to leave. Instead, he knocked on the door patiently for the second time. However, this time there was some subtle movement from the inside, but the door was still not opened. The man knocked on the door calmly for the third time, and this time someone finally came to open the door.

After the door was opened, a middle-aged man with a dejected face looked at the man in a daze and asked: "Who is it?"

The man took off his hat and sunglasses, revealing a face that was not young but still handsome. He nodded to Toyokawa Tokiomi and said, "Mr. Tokiomi, I am Wakaba."

Toyokawa Tokiomi first said "Oh" casually, then as if he suddenly remembered something, he forced himself to be enthusiastic and asked: "Ruoye, did you bring any wine today?"

Ruoye gave a polite smile, and then picked up the bag of wine in his hand, all of which were expensive famous wines, which made Shichen's eyes shine.

"Haha, come in quickly!"

Tokiomi immediately greeted Wakaba with a smile and warmly invited her into the dark and cramped house. Fortunately, before sending Xiangzi away, Xiangzi had taken away all the empty bottles that were scattered on the floor, otherwise it would have been difficult to move around the only low table that could accommodate guests.

Wakaba did not hesitate because of the less than ideal reception environment. He followed Tokiomi into the house without hesitation and closed the door.

Just at the moment the door was closed, the expressions of the two people in the room changed drastically. Ruoye's serious and polite face, which had been tense all the time, suddenly collapsed and became relaxed and casual. He took off his shoes in a flash and walked quickly to the low table and sat down, casually putting the wine aside.

The flattery and dejection on Tokiomi's face disappeared instantly, and turned into a calm expression. He sat down very naturally at the low table opposite Wakaba.

Tokiomi glanced at the wine placed aside, sighed and said: "Drink a little more or less. It's not appropriate for you to come to my place without drinking a little."

Ruoye shrugged and said, "That's true, but I won't be able to drive later."

Having said that, Ruoye opened a bottle of wine as Tokiomi suggested, and Tokiomi also went to get two glasses and placed them in front of the two of them.

After they both took a sip of the wine, Tokiomi spoke first: "I don't know when Xiangzi will come back, so you'd better keep it short."

Ruoye shook her head helplessly and said, "You and Xiaoxiang haven't reconciled yet?"

Tokiomi just shook his head and said, "We didn't quarrel in the first place, and you have time to worry about our father-daughter relationship. You might as well care about Xiaomu."

Ruoye smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm usually too busy and don't have much time to take care of Mu, and the servants can take good care of Mu. I'm worried about you. It's been almost a year. If you continue like this, your body will collapse. By then, even if Xiaoxiang returns to the Fengchuan family as you wish, can you still survive on your own?"

Tokiomi sighed and said, "Now Xiangzi is just like me when I was young, very stubborn. We can only let her hit the wall of reality."

Ruoye couldn't help but take a big sip of wine when he heard this. Feeling the spiciness flowing down his throat, he frowned and said, "Will this be too cruel for Xiaoxiang?"

Tokiomi shrugged indifferently and said, "Anyway, we have the support of the Toyokawa family. Even if Xiangzi encounters setbacks, he will have a way out. It is better to give up the fantasy as soon as possible and return to the Toyokawa family honestly. This way, he will encounter fewer setbacks and I won't have to pretend to be so hard."

Yes, Toyokawa Tokiomi pretended to be decadent and drunk in front of his daughter. His purpose was to make Shoko disappointed in him, so that she would leave him and return to the Toyokawa family.

Although the Toyokawa family's decision was a bit excessive back then, it did not have much impact on Shoko in the final analysis. Shoko chose to leave the Toyokawa family and shoulder the responsibility of her own and Tokiomi's life as a high school girl because she was disappointed with the Toyokawa family.

But Shoko will eventually return to the Toyokawa family, and this is not determined by Shoko's personal will. Because the Toyokawa family wants Shoko to go back, Tokiomi also wants Shoko to go back, and even Wakaba hopes that Shoko can return to the Toyokawa family.

Therefore, Tokiomi could only do more extreme things than the Toyokawa family, making Shoko even more disappointed in him, and finally returning to the Toyokawa family.

Ruoye nodded in agreement, but then shook his head seriously and said, "But even with the support of the Toyokawa family, we are not completely safe. You should be able to guess why I came here today, right?"

Tokiomi did not think twice before answering, "Is it because of what happened a few nights ago? Those guys actually dared to attack Xiangzi. They really didn't want to live!"

Ruoye shook her head and said, "They actually knew that Xiaoxiang was someone they couldn't mess with, but it was you who had the conflict with them. When they threatened Xiaoxiang, you had already beaten him up and made him lose his mind."

Yes, the reason why Shoko could live peacefully in Akabane, a place with a bad security environment, was that the Toyokawa family was behind him. But of course, Tokiomi was not under the protection of the Toyokawa family, so those gangsters fought with Tokiomi unscrupulously.

Strictly speaking, Tokiomi was also involved. The gangsters' real target was Yanagisawa Ao, so it was purely an accident that Xiangzi was kidnapped by the gangsters that day.

Afterwards, the Toyokawa family also found the group of gangsters, learned some information from them, and gave them a beating. This was also the reason why they cooperated so well at the police station later.

However, Tokiomi, an uncontrollable factor for the Toyokawa family, was also involved in this matter, so they sent Wakaba, who has been on the side of the Toyokawa family for many years and has some connections with Tokiomi on the surface, to inquire about the information.

But the Toyokawa family didn't know that the relationship between Wakaba and Tokiomi was much deeper than they thought. It can even be said that Wakaba was Tokiomi's spy planted in the Toyokawa family.

Of course, Tokiomi had no intention of taking action against the Toyokawa family. He had only three requests to the Toyokawa family: first, he hoped that the Toyokawa family could train Shoko well and let Shoko live a stable life; second, he wanted to let him go, but if they were really worried about him, he could also take the initiative to leave Tokyo; third, he wanted to have the right to visit his daughter and pay tribute to his deceased wife.

However, the Toyokawa family did not believe Tokiomi. In fact, because Shoko followed Tokiomi, they even thought that Tokiomi had always been coveting the inheritance rights of the Toyokawa family.

You should know that in Japan, sons-in-law and adopted sons have high inheritance rights. In fact, there would be no problem for the Toyokawa Group to be managed by Toyokawa Tokiomi, who married into the family. However, the old man always felt that his daughter was deceived by Tokiomi's sweet words and did not have a good impression of Tokiomi, so he did not want Tokiomi to have the inheritance rights and even drove Tokiomi out of the Toyokawa family.

In fact, Tokiomi had no attachment to the Toyokawa family. The only people he cared about were his deceased wife and daughter Shoko. However, in order to give Shoko a better future, he was willing to leave the Toyokawa family.

However, at that time, Xiangzi was hit too hard by the death of his mother, and the old man was eager to train Xiangzi, so Xiangzi saw many unclean things in the family. In addition, Tokiomi was driven away. Xiangzi, who inherited the innocence and kindness of his mother, could not accept it for a while, so he followed Tokiomi and left the Toyokawa family.

But Tokiomi knew that it was impossible for Shoko to escape from the control of the Toyokawa family, and he didn't want his daughter to leave her mother's favorite home, so Tokiomi deliberately pretended to be drunk and decadent, hoping that Shoko would take the initiative to return to the Toyokawa family.

However, after suffering a series of blows, Shoko showed the stubbornness and strong self-esteem that she inherited from Tokiomi when he was young. She relied on scholarships, part-time jobs, and the secret protection of the Toyokawa family to shoulder the lives of both father and daughter.

Tokiomi knew very well how stubborn Shoko was now, who was very similar to himself when he was young, so the current situation was almost a dead end. Either he stretched out his forces and waited for Shoko's spirit to be exhausted bit by bit, just like Tokiomi who married into the Toyokawa family, and then he returned to the Toyokawa family honestly and accepted the family's education and arrangements.

Or... meet someone who can change her fate like her mother. This person needs to be able to hold on even after being hurt by Xiangzi's overly strong self-esteem, have the gentleness that can influence Xiangzi, and the strong strength that can help Xiangzi out of trouble. Just like when Tokiomi met Xiangzi's mother.

But, can Xiangzi really meet such a person? Tokiomi doesn't think so. It was a miracle that he met Xiangzi's mother in the first place, and he doesn't believe that miracles will favor his daughter again.

Looking back to this point, Tokiomi has already explained to Wakaba the details of what happened that night, emphasizing a point that the Toyokawa family had not cared about before - Yanagisawa Ao.

"She was able to fight several criminals alone? And for a high school girl, that's amazing!"

Wakaba sighed after listening to the description from Tokiomi's perspective.

Tokiomi nodded and said, "That's right. That's why I hope you can investigate Yanagisawa Ao carefully. Use your own channels to investigate, and don't use the connections of the Toyokawa family to investigate."

Unlike traditional wealthy families like the Wakaba family and the Toyokawa family, the Wakaba family is an emerging wealthy family that has entered the celebrity class by relying on the rapidly developing entertainment industry in the new era.

The Wakaba family's foundation was not solid, so it depended on the Toyokawa family. It just so happened that the Wakaba family had Mu, a child who was about the same age as the future heir of the Toyokawa family. At that time, Wakaba and Tokiomi were also friends, so the Toyokawa family was happy to accept this younger brother.

Therefore, many of the means that the Ruoye family can use actually require the use of the relationship with the Toyokawa family. It is not difficult for Ruoye to avoid the eyes and ears of the Toyokawa family to inquire about a person's information, but it is definitely not easy.

Ruoye asked curiously: "Why do you want to investigate this person? Have you figured out anything about this person?"

Tokiomi said with a serious face: "I heard that some powerful old and wealthy families would secretly find some orphans to train, especially those who are close in age to the future heirs of the family. They would instill in their children the idea of giving everything for the family from an early age, and use very inhumane means to force the children to study, and then when the heir of the family takes the throne, these children will become the heir's most loyal dogs."

"And that Yanagi Aoki is an orphan, and her police file is very interesting. I suspect she has received professional combat training. Not only that, she gives people a very mature feeling, not like a child of this age at all. And I think her meeting with Xiangzi is a bit coincidental. She seems to be forming a band with the members of Xiangzi's previous band. Also, do you remember the scholarship I asked you to secretly invest in Yuqiu?"

Wakaba was stunned when he heard Tokiomi asking him a question. He quickly came to his senses and answered, "Remember, you asked me to provide financial assistance away from the eyes and ears of the Toyokawa family in order to allow Xiangzi to receive this scholarship."

Tokiomi nodded, sighed, and continued, "But Xiangzi did not get the scholarship. According to the rules we tailored for Xiangzi, the school ultimately believed that Yanagisawa Aoki was more qualified for the grant."

Obviously, Tokiomi didn't expect that Xiangzi didn't even want her teachers to know her situation, so Xiangzi didn't apply for a scholarship. But even if Xiangzi applied for a scholarship, he probably wouldn't be able to compete with Yanagisawa Ao, who had a more miserable life.

Wakaba obviously didn't know about this either. He lowered his head and pondered. Tokiomi drank a glass of wine in big gulps and then continued: "Anyway, there are too many coincidences about this person. It's worth investigating anyway. If she is really a loyal dog trained by the Toyokawa family, you will inevitably arouse the Toyokawa family's suspicion of you if you use the Toyokawa family's methods to investigate her, so this matter can only be investigated by your own methods."

Ruoye couldn't help but ask: "What if we find out that this person is really from the Toyokawa family? What if he is not?"

Tokiomi seemed a little drunk, shaking his head and saying, "Anyway, I can't do anything, let Xiangzi decide. It wouldn't be surprising if the Toyokawa family did anything excessive, so the best way to deal with it is to tell Xiangzi the results of the investigation so that she can be prepared."

Ruoye looked embarrassed and said, "How do I tell Xiangzi? I can't do it now, from an open standpoint."

Tokiomi stood up and walked to Wakaba, patted his shoulder, and whispered: "Tell Xiaomu the results of the investigation, and let Xiaomu decide whether to tell Xiangzi."

Ruoye's face changed when he heard this, knowing that Tokiomi wanted to use his daughter, but after a while, he regained his composure, nodded and said in a deep voice: "I understand."

87

Chapter 87 Observation, chance encounter, work.

Shoko Toyokawa was left homeless.

To be precise, Xiangzi didn't want to go home before his bastard father got drunk and fell asleep at home. Because of the argument he had just had with his father at home, Xiangzi didn't want to see his father again for the time being.

She thought that she could communicate well with her father as long as he was not drunk, but the fact was the opposite. Even when he was sober, he was still such a jerk, which made Xiangzi a little upset. Where did the father she once respected go? Did he die like her mother and the weak self?

Putting aside these unpleasant thoughts, Xiangzi fell into a new round of confusion - she didn't know where she should go.

Killing time is not a difficult task for an ordinary female high school student. However, whether she was a young lady in the past or a customer service worker who works part-time to support herself, Xiangzi is not an ordinary female high school student.

The main reason is that Xiangzi is reluctant to spend money now, otherwise she still has plenty of ways to kill time. In Xiangzi's current concept, time should be exchanged for money, and there is no reason to spend money to kill time.

Oh, if only I could play the piano.

Due to the Golden Week holiday, Xiangzi cannot use the piano in the wind instrument room to play during this period. Playing the piano is not just a way for Xiangzi to practice and maintain his level, but also a way for Xiangzi to express himself through music and shout out through playing. It can relieve Xiangzi's stress and adjust his mood, but it's a pity that he can't play the piano for the time being.

If she went to a musical instrument store, she should be able to play the instruments for fun under the pretext of testing them, right? However, Xiangzi still had the reserve of a young lady, and she couldn't get over the idea of simply testing the instruments when she had no intention of spending money in the first place.

Xiangzi sighed, then looked at the time, and suddenly remembered that Qing seemed to have said that the time for posting half-price lunch labels was approaching. Thinking of this, Xiangzi went to the convenience store where Qing worked without much hesitation, not to buy half-price lunches, but to witness the so-called half-price lunch war.

When Xiangzi came to the store, she did not see Qing, which made her feel relieved but also a little regretful. Xiangzi did not get the answer she wanted to know in the conversation with Qing after leaving the police station, so she has been brooding over it these days and wants to see Qing again to ask him about it. But now Xiangzi is here to watch the half-price bento war, and she doesn't really want Qing to know that she is interested in this. So she has such a contradictory mentality.

Then, bringing the atmosphere of the store into the context of the Half-Price Bento War, Xiangzi actually felt an indescribable sense of solemnity.

I never paid attention to it before, but now I see that there are indeed a few people eyeing the bento area, some of them are checking the products, some are reading magazines, and some are replying to messages on their phones. These are all very normal behaviors, but they give people an invisible sense of oppression.

There is no doubt that they are the "wolves". The half-price lunch war is real.

Then Xiangzi noticed an uncle who was dressed elegantly and decently. He wore a valuable watch on his wrist and one of the keys hanging around his waist was obviously a car key. At this time, he was also observing the other wolves, flipping through the magazine in his hand from time to time.

This man clearly didn't seem to be short of money, and could even be said to be wealthy, so why was he scrambling to buy the half-price lunch box? Xiangzi was puzzled.

There was another person who was gentle and polite, wearing a pair of thick glasses, and didn't look like someone who would participate in the half-price bento war. Perhaps because Xiangzi's action of observing the "wolf" was too conspicuous, this person also noticed Xiangzi's observation and looked at Xiangzi warily, and the expression on his face did not relax because Xiangzi was a girl he met for the first time.

Any potential opponent should not be underestimated. This is the feeling that this person gave Xiangzi.

At this time, the automatic door opened, and the automatic welcoming device automatically made a beeping sound, bringing a strong gust of wind from outside. In an instant, the wolves who were doing their own things all looked towards the door. Xiangzi also looked towards the door belatedly.

A girl with waist-length golden hair walked in slowly with a winner's smile on her face. Although her clothes did not give people any visual impact, her whole body exuded an overflowing confidence and assertiveness.

This girl is very strong. This is Xiangzi's first feeling after seeing the girl, and this feeling is probably correct, because the wolves in the store are now looking at this girl as if they are facing a great enemy.