Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

"No, no, no! Enough! Absolutely enough!"

Kimura had a strong desire to survive, and immediately raised his hands in surrender again, with a flattering smile on his face:

"Just pretend I didn't say anything! You're teaching me a lesson! I was the one who spoke too much!"

After some negotiations, he retrieved the backup of the key evidence of the exchange of interests between Kimura and Kishimoto Yuya and transferred it directly to his own email.

Then he took out his cell phone, dialed a number, and whispered a few words.

Soon, footsteps were heard outside the door. They were two men in black suits, obviously the men that Kujo Renji had arranged in advance.

"Take him away," Kujo Renji ordered, "and make sure he fulfills his promise."

Kimura did not resist, and even gave the two men in black a smile that said "thank you for troubling them", and happily prepared to be "escorted" away.

Before leaving, Kimura Seiichiro seemed to remember something, stopped, and looked back at Kujo Renji with a complex expression that was a mixture of seriousness and playfulness on his face:

"Ms. Toyokawa, although 'he' and I don't completely agree on many things, we can even say...we've parted ways."

He carefully considered his words, as if trying to avoid touching any sensitive nerves:

"But considering... well, considering that you performed so well this time, if you encounter really difficult trouble in Tokyo or other places in the future, the kind of trouble that is beyond your current control..."

He paused, a slightly cunning smile on his face:

"You can try asking me for help. Think of it as... a hidden reward from the system after you defeat me, the 'Novice Village Boss.'"

His words were half true and half false, as if he was trying to show goodwill, but also as if he was trying to maintain his last bit of dignity, implying that he was not completely powerless to fight back, but was just "letting go" this time.

Upon hearing this, Kujo Renji's expression remained unchanged. Instead, he uttered a very light sneer, filled with undisguised contempt.

"Boss?"

She raised her eyebrows slightly, amber eyes filled with cold sarcasm, "You dare call yourself a boss when I just kicked a stray dog ​​to death?"

This was an extremely impolite statement, which directly shattered Kimura's little thoughts and self-consolation.

"Hey hey..."

Kimura's smile froze for a moment, and then he showed a somewhat hurt expression, although it might have been fake:

"Ms. Toyokawa, that's too much. It's really hurtful. After all, I did... carefully prepare it."

"is it?"

Kujo Renji had a blank expression on his face:

"Then your 'careful preparation', in my opinion, is not even a warm-up."

"..."

Kimura was completely speechless and could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

Well, it seems this "heir" not only inherited that man's wisdom and skills, but also his sharp tongue and ruthlessness. No, maybe even better than that, after all, "he" sometimes still cares about superficial demeanor.

"take away."

Kujo Renji ignored him and waved to the two men in black.

The men in black stepped forward and held Kimura on the left and right.

Kimura didn't say anything else, but just looked at Kujo Renji deeply one last time, with a complicated and incomprehensible look in his eyes, and then he was obediently taken out of the room.

The door was gently closed, blocking out the sound of rain and footsteps outside.

Only Kujo Renji was left in the room.

As the door closed, Kimura Seiichiro's figure completely disappeared, and the room returned to temporary silence, with only the sound of continuous rain outside the window.

Kujo Renji stood there, and just as he was about to turn his attention back to the next plan, the voice of Toyokawa Shoko, with its obvious sarcastic tone, suddenly rang in his mind.

"Tsk..."

Xiangzi's voice was filled with a hint of disgust and helplessness.

"Are all of you in the Soryukai this way, talking to yourself and making up your own stories? That Kimura was like that, and that Ishikawa before that was also like that..."

Upon hearing this, Kujo Renji's brows furrowed subconsciously. He was about to retort coldly in his heart, "He and I are not of the same kind," or mock Xiangzi's obsession with the name "Canglong Society"...

But when the words came to his lips, he suddenly stopped.

and many more.

He captured the key words in Xiangzi's words.

"You" Canglong Society?

"What do you mean... 'you' Canglong Society?"

He asked in his heart, with a barely perceptible inquiry in his tone.

Toyokawa Shoko hummed softly in the depths of her consciousness, as if she was somewhat dissatisfied with his "late realization", but also a little proud, as if she had caught him with some handle.

Xiangzi's voice had a matter-of-fact tone.

"From time to time, you tell some inexplicable 'little stories' in my mind, recalling fragments of fighting or intrigue, mentioning things like 'the past', 'subordinates', and 'rules'..."

She paused and continued:

"Also, every time I try to ask for more details, you change the subject with an expression like 'It's not important' or 'You don't need to know'. I want to talk to someone, but you refuse to be honest and keep things secret..."

There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"You're trying so hard to talk but are desperately trying to avoid it. If anyone were to think about Mr. Ishikawa's attitude and what Kimura just said... who wouldn't guess you're connected to that 'Soryu Kai'?"

"..."

Kujo Renji was suddenly speechless.

He really didn't try to hide his past. On the one hand, there was no need to be completely defensive against the original owner of this body, and on the other hand, perhaps subconsciously, he needed someone to listen, even if it was just in his mind.

Although the guess is not completely correct, the direction of the core identity is already very clear.

Of course, this also gave rise to a strange idea in Kujo Renji's mind.

Have I been assimilated by Xiaoxiang? Why am I starting to feel awkward?

...

PS: This chapter is only 4,000 words. I just adjusted my work and rest schedule and took a day off.

Chapter 81 Meow Meow Meow? Cat girl? ! (9K)

Seiichiro Kimura was "asked" to leave, just like a stone thrown into a lake. Although it caused some ripples in certain events, it did not leave any trace on the other members of Ave Mujica.

The so-called "compensation" from Mr. Kimura arrived very quickly, with an efficiency that was somewhat abnormal.

Perhaps Kujo Renji specifically instructed the people who were "guarding" Kimura to "show no mercy"?

In short, over the next two days, some local media resources and publicity channels in Osaka began to report positively on Ave Mujica in a relatively mild but continuous manner.

Riding on the afterglow of the previous successful "whitewashing" PR campaign and this wave of well-timed "follow-up promotion", Ave Mujica's popularity in Osaka has increased instead of decreased, and even attracted a group of new listeners who were curious about "what kind of band could cause such a stir".

The band's social media accounts have seen a steady increase in followers, and ticket sales for their upcoming concerts have seen a small surge.

Of course, all of this is under the control of Kujo Renji.

He is very clear about the principle that "everything will turn into its opposite when it reaches its extreme."

If a company has just experienced a smear campaign and successfully "whitewashed" itself, and then starts a massive, crazy publicity campaign at all costs, any discerning person will know that there is something fishy going on, and it will instead raise new doubts.

Fortunately, the "compensation" resources that Kimura could mobilize, especially when operating under the limited channels of Nakamura as the "middleman", were relatively controllable in scale, and in the end, there was no embarrassing situation of overdoing it and causing "indigestion".

Everything is maintained at a delicate balance - enjoying the dividends after the storm without appearing too deliberate.

Of course, in order to deal with the mess left by Kimura and ensure that his former subordinate would "willingly" pay a "satisfactory price", Kujo Renji had to be "absent" from the last two days of rehearsals before the performance.

He did not explain the specific reason to the members, but only conveyed the message of "dealing with some urgent matters" through his agent Nakamura.

But after going through so much, the band members more or less guessed that Xiaoxiang's absence was related to recent events.

From being inexplicably caught up in the public opinion whirlpool at the beginning, to the dramatic reversal of the situation in the middle period, to the current positive reputation...

All this clearly points to one fact: Ave Mujica was involved in an extremely troublesome and even dangerous matter, and the one who finally solved this big trouble and saved the band from danger was their captain who always turned the tide at the critical moment.

——"Shoko Toyokawa".

This realization triggered a rather subtle chemical reaction among the band members, especially Hachiman Kailing.

Hai Ling sat alone in the corner of the rehearsal room, her fingertips unconsciously plucking the bass strings, making a low, muffled sound.

Her eyes fell on the music sheet, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

She recalled her mindset when she first joined Ave Mujica.

With her rich experience and confidence in her abilities, she subconsciously positioned herself as the "behind-the-scenes controller" of the band, the "powerful official" who could guide the direction and ensure success.

Because of her excessive desire for control, she even tried to interfere with Xiangzi's decision-making, but ended up being severely "tortured". After going through the "maid outfit" incident and obedience test that still made her blush when she thought about it, she reluctantly restrained her minions.

At that time, she believed that only by following her ideas and experience could Ave Mujica truly succeed and be different from those ordinary bands that were short-lived.

But now, and the series of events that happened before, have completely shaken her inherent cognition.

Hai Ling asked herself about all this. If it were her, she would never be able to do it so flawlessly and with such ease.

Whether in her calm and composed attitude, her ability to mobilize resources and use her connections, or her methods of handling complex crises and controlling the overall situation, "Toyokawa Shoko" has demonstrated an image of a leader that is almost perfect and something she had never imagined.

Admitting this made Hai Ling feel an extremely rare and wonderful emotion, a mixture of frustration and recognition.

The frustration stemmed from a reassessment of her own abilities. The experience and control she had always prided herself on seemed, in front of him, a bit... immature? Or perhaps, perhaps lacking in perspective?

A sense of identity, on the other hand, is a more complex emotion.

In her life and band experience, she had never met anyone like "Toyokawa Shoko"

— Someone so powerful that she willingly gave up her need for control, willing to follow and trust his judgment. This feeling was unfamiliar, even a little unsettling, but also vaguely tinged with a hint of...relaxation?

Perhaps, handing the steering wheel to a better helmsman is not a bad thing?

Hai Ling suddenly thought of what the other party had said at the beginning.

"Give me your life."

Now, this seems to be a very good choice?

Of course, she hadn't forgotten the... rather bad aspects of Ms. Toyokawa's character.

For example, last time he forced her to wear that shameful maid outfit, and he even enjoyed conducting various "obedience tests" while doing it.

It was definitely not a pleasant experience.

Hai Ling saw clearly the coldness, controlling nature, and even sadistic tendencies in Xiangzi.

but...

Hai Ling's gaze finally fell on the schedule printed with the final performance process.

It is undeniable that under the leadership of "Xiangzi", no matter how tortuous the process is or what the means are...especially, Ave Mujica is moving towards the goal she has always dreamed of at an unprecedented speed.

A bigger stage, more audiences, and a purer musical environment.

All this seems to be just around the corner.

For the sake of the ultimate goal, perhaps... temporarily enduring the control of this "evil" captain, or even occasionally cooperating with her strange "tests", is not... unacceptable?

........

the other side.

It is not clear what new idea Miss Hailing has come up with.

Kujo Renji returned to this hot spring hotel in the suburbs and finally allowed himself a moment to breathe.

The tense nerves were relaxed, and the fatigue accumulated from days of running around, calculating and dealing with crises surged up like a tide.

He did not choose to go to the public bath, but instead chose the "private bath" in his room that drained natural hot spring water, and slowly sank into the warm water.

"what……"

Almost at the same time, deep within their bodies and consciousness, both souls let out a sigh of satisfaction and relaxation.

The two were stunned for a moment, and then chose to ignore this expression of "tacit understanding" at the same time.

The warm spring water wraps around the body, the delicate water flow caresses the skin, and the air is filled with a faint smell of sulfur and the fragrance of cypress.

The rising water vapor blurred the vision and seemed to blur the boundary between reality and consciousness.