Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

In a physical sense, of course.

..

PS: This chapter is worth 11,000 yuan. The reward will be calculated tomorrow.

After staying up for a full twenty-seven hours, I feel a little dizzy.

I proofread it once and didn't find any mistakes so far. If there are any typos, I will correct them tomorrow morning.

Chapter 79 Humph, want to escape? (1w1)

The air in Osaka seemed to have grown heavier.

Although Winwing's public relations team is working hard to put out the fire, the malicious speculation and abuse against Ave Mujica on the Internet are like a cancer that is difficult to completely eliminate.

This sudden storm undoubtedly cast a thick shadow over the hearts of the band members, and the atmosphere during rehearsal became particularly stagnant.

Sanjiao Chuhua tried hard to maintain her usual lively and cheerful self. During breaks, she would deliberately tell jokes or invite everyone to discuss where to go for a delicious meal after the performance, trying to dilute the anxiety that permeated the air.

But her occasional forced smile still revealed her inner anxiety.

Hachiman Kailing is still a silent and action-oriented person, and does not seem to be affected too much.

And Yutenji Wakamugi is undoubtedly the person most affected by this turmoil.

From the public execution for a cat ear collar that fell off a train, to the terrifying night spent staying in a "haunted" hotel, to now the band being pushed to the forefront and becoming the target of criticism from the whole city...a series of blows were like dense drumbeats, beating on her fragile nerves.

She had already placed high hopes on this Osaka tour, seeing it as a crucial battle for her to return to her "Meow Dream" identity and start anew in life.

The more you look forward to it, the greater the gap will be at this moment, and the anxiety and fear it brings will increase exponentially.

The misfortunes she experienced during the day and the terror she felt at night caused her to start to have uncontrollable wild thoughts.

Is all this... because of her? Did she bring about this misfortune?

This thought grew and spread in her heart like a vine, making her breathless.

During another sleepless night, Ruomai secretly took out his mobile phone and searched the Internet for an online tarot reading that seemed to be "effective".

With trembling fingers, she entered her basic information and the question she wanted to ask most at the moment:

"How's my luck lately?"

On the screen, virtual tarot cards are shuffled, cut, and spread out.

Finally, several cards were turned face up, with cold interpretations attached to them.

[Card Interpretation: The Tower Reversed, the Ten of Wands, the Three of Swords, and a suggestion card - Strength reversed.]

> "Querent, you are on the brink of sudden chaos and collapse (The Tower, reversed). The foundations of the past are being shaken, and the old order is crumbling. However, this destruction is not total devastation; instead, it may bring a glimmer of hope for reconstruction. However, you are carrying too heavy a burden and responsibility (Ten of Wands), leaving you exhausted and unable to cope with the current predicament. Your heart is filled with pain, loss, and a sense of betrayal (Three of Swords), making it difficult for you to trust others and see the way forward."

> "Your current predicament is not unsolvable, but the key is that you need external help to break the deadlock. Your inner strength and courage are suppressed (Strength reversed), and you lack confidence and the ability to take action. You need a strong, controlling external force to guide you, spur you on, or even force you to face reality in a harsh way."

Ruomai stared at the glaring words on the screen with wide eyes.

It feels like everything fits...

It really is her own problem? !

Is it because she has been so unlucky recently that things have become so bad?

"Spur..."

"Harsh approach..."

"Trial..."

Tarot says that only in this way can a turning point occur...

Could it be that she needs to experience Xiaoxiang's "punishment" again?

The image of myself kneeling on the ground in that room, wearing a collar and cat ears, looking up at those cold and controlling amber eyes emerged involuntarily in my mind.

The extreme feeling of shame and humiliation came over her again, but this time, it was mixed with a hint of... a strange, twisted expectation that even she herself could not understand.

The thought made her shudder and her cheeks instantly became hot.

No, no, no! What was she thinking?! That was so shameful! It was horrible!

But...what if, what if the tarot cards are right?

What if only by letting Xiangzi "torture" her again can this bad fate be changed and the band can overcome the difficulties?

At least in that way, she has paid some "price" for the band, and her inner guilt may be alleviated a little?

Can it also prove that she wants to be treated like that for the good of the band?

This thought kept lingering in her mind. She didn't dare tell anyone and could only bury this secret, a mixture of fear, shame and a hint of morbid expectation, deep in her heart.

Even when I made mistakes during rehearsal, a faint thought would flash through my mind: "If only Xiangzi could punish me more severely."

She didn't know that her distorted psychology, which was caused by extreme pressure, had already quietly sprouted.

.........

On the other side, Jiujo Renji in the suite naturally had no idea what kind of shocking and "perverted" drama was going on in his drummer's mind at this moment.

All his energy was put into this silent contest with Seiichiro Kimura.

After confirming the other party's identity and intentions, Kujo Renji's plan quickly unfolded.

He first formally responded to the Osaka Culture and Fashion magazine through his agent Nakamura, agreeing to accept their written interview and providing carefully prepared response content and official photos.

This response, as designed before, cleverly expressed "concern" and "respect" for local issues, initially "picking" Ave Mujica out of the vortex of controversy and creating the image of an "innocently implicated cultural communicator."

This is just the first step: cooperate on the surface and make plans in secret.

Immediately afterwards, Kujo Renji instructed Ishikawa to mobilize Vortex's resources - including some newly recruited gray teams that are good at network operations, to begin implementing the second step of the plan - self-directed and self-acted to divert attention.

Soon, a new wave of negative public opinion targeting Ave Mujica appeared on the Internet, but this time the point of attack was no longer the sensitive "social issue" as before, but turned to another seemingly more "reasonable" direction - resource occupation.

Some anonymous accounts began posting:

"Ave Mujica stays in such a nice hotel, uses so much electricity for rehearsals, and even uses up police resources for security. What have they brought to Osaka? Aren't they just here to make money? They're simply encroaching on our public resources!"

"I heard they asked the venue to provide all kinds of special equipment, which made it impossible for other local activities to proceed normally!"

"Concert tickets are so expensive, but aren't they all being pocketed by people in Tokyo? What benefits do we in Osaka get?"

These remarks deliberately avoided the sensitive points that could easily trigger "regional protectionism" and "class confrontation", and instead focused on the perspective of "public resources", which seems more objective and more likely to make ordinary citizens feel "unfair".

This wave of rhythm, secretly instigated by Jiujo Renji and led by the internet troll army, quickly triggered a new round of discussion, even overshadowing the previous rumors about "developers" and "people's livelihood".

Just when this wave of "resource encroachment theory" reached its peak and some citizens who did not know the truth began to feel that "it seemed to make some sense", Kujo Renji played his third card, using data to fight back and confirm the identity of the victim.

Almost "just" at this time, a few "civilians" who were well-known in Osaka and seemed to have nothing to do with the entertainment industry

An independent blogger who frequently publishes city observation reports, a university economics lecturer, and a citizen group focused on local tourism development all released their respective "survey" or "analysis" results almost simultaneously:

An independent blogger published a post with pictures and text, pointing out that the room booking rate and dining consumption in the hotel where Ave Mujica stayed and the surrounding area have increased significantly in recent days. The blogger also attached anonymous interviews with several nearby store owners, who said that "there are indeed a lot more young customers who look like fans."

A university lecturer published a brief analysis report, estimating the direct and indirect economic benefits that the Ave Mujica concert might bring, including ticket revenue, transportation, accommodation, catering, and peripheral product sales, and compared the "public resource" costs it might occupy (such as security and electricity consumption estimates). The conclusion was that "the economic benefits far outweigh the resource consumption, and it has a clear positive stimulus effect on local short-term tourism and service industries."

The civic group issued a statement clarifying the rumors about "special requirements for the venue" and attached a screenshot of the venue's official response, proving that Ave Mujica's requirements were within a reasonable range and did not affect other activities.

This information released by seemingly "neutral" and "professional" third parties quickly reversed the direction of public opinion.

The large amount of data and facts before us make the previous accusations of "resource encroachment" seem pale and powerless, and instead expose the deliberate smearing behind them.

Soon after, Winwing's official account "appropriately" released a heartfelt statement, thanking the citizens of Osaka for their attention and expressing regret for the recent controversy. It also cited the data released by the aforementioned "civilian" and euphemistically stated:

"We believe that the people of Osaka have sharp eyes and can discern the truth. Ave Mujica comes here with a love for music and respect for Osaka. We hope to present a wonderful performance for everyone, rather than getting involved in unnecessary disputes."

This self-directed and self-acted textbook-level public relations counterattack had an immediate effect.

The people of Osaka were beginning to realize something was amiss. First, they were inexplicably incited to boycott a band, then another wave of seemingly well-founded accusations emerged, only to be immediately contradicted by professional data. The contradictions and signs of deliberate manipulation were so obvious that even a fool could see that someone was behind it!

For a time, the public opinion on the Internet began to turn to sympathize with Ave Mujica, and pointed the finger at the "masterminds behind the scenes" who maliciously spread rumors and tried to incite confrontation.

"I told you! How could it be such a coincidence!"

"So someone is deliberately smearing me! How vicious!"

“I feel bad for Ave Mujica, who was dragged into this for no apparent reason…”

"Support Ave Mujica! Make sure the show goes smoothly!"

In just one day, Ave Mujica was successfully stripped from the position of "perpetrator" or "controversial person" and firmly labeled as "victim", winning the sympathy of most of the public.

.....

With the improvement of online reputation and a series of successful public relations operations by the agency, the haze hanging over Ave Mujica has finally dissipated a lot.

The air in Osaka seemed to be freshening up again, at least as far as the band members could sense.

The atmosphere in the rehearsal room was noticeably more relaxed. Although everyone still had a hint of fatigue on their faces after experiencing all the previous twists and turns, the tense and panic-stricken feeling of everyone being in danger had been greatly alleviated.

Sanjiao Hatsuhua had really recovered 80% of his energy, chattering about where to go for "revenge consumption" after the performance and eat all the snacks in Dotonbori.

Although there was still some uneasiness and dark circles under Yutenji Wakamu's eyes, at least he was no longer as absent-minded as he had been in the past few days, and he could occasionally join in everyone's laughter. However, when he looked at "Xiangzi", his eyes would occasionally become a little complicated and difficult to understand.

So, there seems to be only one trouble left in front of us.

——The previous experience in the "haunted" hotel, although he himself did not believe in ghosts and gods, did affect the state and sleep of some members.

"Mr. Nakamura, please rearrange the hotel."

He said to the agent on the other end of the phone:

"Find a hot spring hotel with better security, better facilities, and clean reviews."

"Hot spring hotel?"

Nakamura was a little surprised, but he immediately agreed:

"Okay, Ms. Toyokawa, I'll do it right away."

So, two days before the performance, Ave Mujica moved again and stayed in a high-end resort hotel located in the suburbs of Osaka, which has a quiet environment and is famous for its natural hot springs and top security.

The hotel environment is truly impeccable, with a Japanese-style courtyard, open-air baths, and exquisite kaiseki cuisine, exuding tranquility and elegance everywhere.

Chuhua and Ruomai cheered a little when they saw the cypress bathtub in the room and the bamboo forest outside the window. The gloom of the past few days seemed to have been completely dispelled by this comfortable environment.

But unfortunately, there is no so-called girl hot spring segment.

For Kujo Renji, the so-called "hot springs" and "relaxation" are not on his agenda.

He didn't even step into the open-air bath that was said to wash away all fatigue.

In his opinion, the trouble was not over yet. Relaxing at this moment would be disrespectful to the enemy and a blasphemy to his own plan.

At this moment, Kujo Renji was alone in the spacious Japanese-style suite, processing various messages sent through encrypted channels.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko's voice, with a hint of curiosity and relaxation, sounded in his mind.

"This hotel is really nice. The air smells much better."

Xiangzi's voice sounded much more relaxed

"Also, the online criticism has mostly died down. Everyone's supporting us... So, we can say we got through this smoothly, right?"

Renji Kujo was looking through a document about the Osaka Nishi Ward councilor. Upon hearing this, he simply said "hmm" in his heart.

"It just calmed the surface disturbance."

"Eh? Still having trouble?"

Xiangzi's voice became a little nervous.

"Isn't it already..."

Kujo Renji did not explain immediately, because at this moment, his communicator vibrated. It was the latest information sent by Ishikawa.

He clicked on the message and scanned it quickly.

Ishikawa: "Ms. Toyokawa, regarding the mastermind behind the incident you inquired about earlier, it's almost certain to be Kimura Seiichirō. He was once a highly trusted subordinate of the Boss, particularly skilled in handling affairs in the Kansai region. After the Boss's accident and coma, Kimura has been active within the Soryukai, attempting to expand his influence and even appear to be attempting to seize power. His targeting of Ave Mujica this time is likely more than just a business move; it's likely related to his desire for power within the Soryukai and... your 'successor'. Please exercise extreme caution!"

Kujo Renji looked at the information sent by Ishikawa, which was full of various wrong premises and imaginary inferences, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"...." He was speechless.

"So, what does this mean?" Xiangzi asked curiously.

"Nothing, some expected nonsense." Kujo Renji responded briefly in his mind and quickly replied to Ishikawa.

He had already locked onto Seiichiro Kimura as his target through analyzing the modus operandi.