Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

For Kujo Renji, this period of time is relatively rare "calm period".

The new apartment had been settled in, and the spacious and bright space allowed him to relax his tense nerves a little. Ruoye Mu also adapted to the new environment. She went to school and came home on time every day, then stayed quietly at home, either fiddling with her cucumber potted plants or practicing with her guitar. Occasionally, she would hold a mango juice and silently observe him with her clear eyes.

A wonderful and harmonious coexistence was formed between the two.

As for Seiichiro Kimura, he has temporarily stopped making any new moves since the last "gift" and has not done anything new.

Trouble continues to brew for Toyokawa Hidehiko and Star Entertainment. While the Toyokawa family's financial backing prevents an immediate collapse, tax audits, contract terminations, plummeting stock prices, and internal panic are enough to overwhelm him and keep him busy. He likely won't have the energy to trouble Ave Mujica anytime soon, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.

As for the Toyokawa family... he has also begun to collect more detailed information through some secret channels, trying to outline the overall picture of that huge power network.

But this requires time and patience, and it cannot be achieved overnight.

All in all, everything seemed to be proceeding in an orderly manner according to his plan.

The band's popularity continues to climb, and the new "Meow Dream" account is flourishing. The next "unveiling" performance, featuring Hailing, has been planned, and promotional campaigns are about to begin...

Just when he thought that the days would continue like this, along the established track, without any incidents, until the curtain of the next performance officially opened.

An unexpected person came to his door with a problem he had never expected.

It was Nagasaki Suyo.

The meeting place was agreed to be a cafe.

Kujo Renji chose a corner seat by the window.

The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting a few dappled streaks of light across the dark wood tabletop. Before him sat a cup of iced Americano, only a few sips in it. The coffee was no longer too cold, and condensation slowly dripped from the sides of the cup.

He looked at Nagasaki Suyo who was sitting opposite him.

Today, Su Shi is wearing the summer uniform of Tsuki no Mori Girls' Academy. The exquisite tailoring highlights her beautiful figure.

Her brown medium-length hair was meticulously groomed, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks, making her look gentle and graceful.

In front of her was a cup of steaming black tea, and her slender fingers gently held the white porcelain cup handle in an elegant and graceful posture.

Kujo Renji waited patiently for the other party to speak.

Su Shi also seemed to be organizing his words.

She was silent for a moment, her eyes falling on the cup of steaming black tea in front of her, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Finally, she raised her head and looked directly into Jiujo Renji's eyes. His calm face was reflected in his blue pupils.

Then, in an extremely calm, even gentle tone, she asked a question that Kujo Renji could never have imagined, a question that could even be said to have instantly hit upon his greatest secret:

"Xiaoxiang..."

She paused, as if confirming something, and then, word by word, clearly uttered the name that should not have come out of her mouth:

"Kujo Renji, who is that?"

..

PS: This chapter has 10,000 words, five in one.

The pace has been a bit slow recently, and a lot of things need to be laid out to unfold the new plot. I will try to update more often.

The story will soon transition to Chuhua.

Chapter 89: How aware are you that you say such things?

"Kujo Renji, who is that?"

When the name "Kujo Renji" was clearly uttered from Nagasaki Suyo's mouth.

Kujo Renji felt that his brain had a brief blackout at that moment.

Kujo Renji.

This name... This is his real name that no one else could know except Toyokawa Shoko and the half-knowing Mu.

Why did it come out of Nagasaki Suyo's mouth? !

In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through his mind like lightning.

Who told her?

Wakaba Mu?

impossible.

Although Mu knew that his name was "Lian Si", he did not know his full name. Moreover, with Mu's extremely introverted and taciturn personality, the probability of him actively revealing this information to Su Shi was infinitely close to zero.

This sudden and shocking development, as if the trump card was revealed in an instant, made even Jiujo Liansi, who had experienced countless storms, feel a little panic.

However, years of "professionalism" allowed him to quickly control his expression.

He didn't deny it immediately, nor did he show undue shock.

Because when the other party obviously has certain "fragments of information" and comes to ask with a clear purpose, any attempt to completely distance oneself from the matter and act completely ignorant and confused will be more likely to arouse suspicion.

What he needs to do is to play the role of "Toyokawa Shoko" well and know how to react when he hears a name that may be related to a secret of his own.

Then, the calmness on his face was quickly broken, replaced by a just right tension and seriousness.

His brows furrowed slightly, his fingers gripping the coffee cup tightened subconsciously, and his amber eyes revealed a hint of vigilance and...imperceptible scrutiny.

"Shigasaki-san."

He deliberately emphasized the alienation in his address, and his voice was a little lower than before:

"Where...did you hear that name?"

He threw the question back.

This is a normal reaction that is consistent with the character of "Toyokawa Shoko"

——When you hear a name that may involve your own privacy or secrets, you instinctively ask the source.

While asking this question, Kujo Renji's thoughts were working rapidly.

He recalled the message that Nagasaki Suyo sent him via LINE before asking him out.

The wording was cautious and careful, with a tentative tone as if one was hesitant to speak.

At that time, he thought that Su Shi, with her keen observation, had noticed some possible connection between Ave Mujica's keyboardist and Toyokawa Shoko, or discovered other clues related to the band.

But he never expected that... the name thrown out by the other party was "Kujo Renji", a name that went straight to the core and should have been completely buried!

How on earth did she know?!

Grass!

A detail he had almost forgotten suddenly surfaced in his mind—the books he had seen on the shelf in Nagasaki Suyo's room when he first entered her home... "Modern Reconnaissance and Counter-Reconnaissance Techniques," "Introduction to Micro-Expression Analysis"...

Could it be...

An idea came to his mind that even he himself found a little absurd and chilling.

Could it be that the name "Kujo Renji" was discovered by Nagasaki Motoyo herself?!

What the fuck... is this a joke?!

A seemingly harmless, band-obsessed high school student from an aristocratic girls' school actually possesses such terrifying investigative and information-mining abilities?!

Is this talent point too crooked?!

With such talent, why doesn't he become a famous detective and become famous, but instead becomes an unknown bassist in a girl band?

Or...

Jiujo Renji remembered another thing that frightened him even more—the letter from the Canglong Society that was in Su Shi's house.

A bolder and more dangerous guess entangled his thoughts.

For a moment, her psychology became complicated, and there was a bit more coldness in her eyes when she looked at Nagasaki Suye.

While Kujo Renji's heart was in turmoil, with all kinds of speculations and thoughts rolling around, Nagasaki Suyo, who was sitting opposite him, was also carefully observing the reaction of "Toyokawa Shoko".

When she saw the nervousness, seriousness and vigilance that instantly appeared on Xiaoxiang's face after hearing the name "Kujo Renji", her heart was relieved.

really!

There’s nothing wrong with Aine’s ability!

Xiaoxiang...she really knew the person named "Kujo Renji"!

Moreover, judging from her reaction as if facing a great enemy, this "Nine Lotus Lotuses" has definitely brought huge trouble and threats to Xiaoxiang!

She never imagined, and it was impossible for her to imagine, that the "Shoko Toyokawa" who was playing the role of the victim, whom she wanted to "save", actually had the body of "Renji Kujo" himself.

This huge information gap meant that this conversation was destined to be full of absurd misunderstandings from the very beginning.

Su Shi took a deep breath and tried to make his tone sound more sincere and earnest:

"Xiao Xiang, don't worry about how I know this name..."

She deliberately avoided the question of the source of the information because she knew very well that the fact that Chihaya Aine had the superpower of seeing other people's "labels" was too incredible for ordinary people to hear.

Even if she told the truth, Xiaoxiang would probably just think that she was making it up or making up an excuse, which would increase the communication barrier.

She leaned forward slightly, her blue eyes filled with worry and anxiety:

"You're in a very difficult situation right now, right? You're in a lot of trouble, right?"

She tried to use a caring and guiding tone to make "Xiaoxiang" let down his guard and open his heart to her.

"I want to know what kind of trouble you got into. This man named Kujo Renji...what did he do to you?"

There was some determination in her voice:

"Xiaoxiang, if you have any difficulties, I hope you can tell me. I...I will definitely help you!"

This declaration full of "justice" and "friendship" made Kujo Renji suddenly clear up his guess about the whole incident.

Trouble? Difficulty? Kujo Renji?

Combining these keywords together, and considering Su Shi's eagerness to "save" him...

It is not difficult to infer that the plot that Nagasaki Suyo is thinking about at this moment is probably

——"Toyokawa Shoko" is in trouble and is in a very difficult situation, and the mastermind behind it is a person named Kujo Renji.

Kujo Renji felt his temples throbbing.

He forced himself to maintain the surface of calmness and the appropriate "seriousness":

"Shigasaki-san, if you don't tell me how you learned this name and where your so-called 'information' came from, then there's nothing more to talk about between us."

He must find out the source of the information leak, as it concerns his own biggest secrets and safety.

Upon hearing this, Nagasaki Suyo's face showed a look of panic.

She seemed to be caught in a fierce ideological struggle, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she raised her head, her eyes filled with a desperate determination, lowered her voice, and spoke briefly but clearly about "Chihaya Aine's special ability" and her speculation based on these "clues".

"..."

After listening to Su Shi's "bizarre" explanation, a huge question mark slowly appeared above Jiujo Liansi's head.

What the fuck...?!

After all this fuss, he was terrified and came up with all sorts of conspiracy theories, but...

I was actually automatically targeted by a pink-haired girl with super powers? !

When Nagasaki Suyo saw the thoughtful expression on "Toyokawa Shoko's" face, she thought that the other party still did not believe her, or was hesitating whether to ask her for help.

She became more anxious, and her tone became more urgent:

"Xiao Xiang! I know this sounds unbelievable, but please believe me! Aiyin's ability is real! You are really in danger now! That Kujo Renji..."

"enough."

Just when Su Shi wanted to continue "persuading", the expression and tone of "Toyokawa Shoko" suddenly became cold and serious, even with a hint of... warning.

"Nagasaki-san..."

He spoke slowly, his voice low: "Although we are friends, there are some things that you should not, or should not, you have the ability to delve into."

"But..." Nagasaki Suyo was eager to refute, "It is precisely because we are friends that I..."

Jiujo Renji interrupted her, his tone suddenly becoming cold and stern: