Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

He paused and uttered a word that was unfamiliar to Xiangzi:

"Some things, like...Veritaserum, or other similar drugs and methods, cannot be overcome by one's own will alone."

"Veritaserum?!" Toyokawa Shoko was stunned. "Isn't that illegal?"

After hearing this, Kujo Renji felt that he should really take back his original comment that "he's becoming more and more like me".

Xiaoxiang's innocence always emerges in unexpected places.

Although Kujo Renji made various predictions about the chain reactions that might be triggered by Toyokawa Hidehiko's death and secretly increased his vigilance, to his surprise, Tokyo seemed unusually calm in the next few days.

The news of Hidehiko Toyokawa's "suicide" did not cause as much uproar in the media as expected. Even the financial pages only mentioned vaguely "personnel changes in the senior management of Star Entertainment" and there was no further news.

It was as if this person, who had been stirring up the business world not long ago, had disappeared quietly without causing any waves.

There seemed to be no news of the arrest of Bai Shihuye from the police department, and the Canglong Society was unusually quiet, with no news of any fighting or power struggle.

All was eerily quiet.

It was like the dead silence before a storm, with not a single ripple on the sea and the sky so gloomy that water seemed to drip out of it.

This abnormal calmness made Jiujo Liansi even more alert.

He knew that this did not mean that the matter was over. On the contrary, it might indicate that there was a more powerful, invisible hand suppressing the spread of information and controlling the development of the situation behind the scenes.

This pool of water was deeper than he had initially imagined.

However, Kujo Renji is the kind of person who is extremely difficult to be affected by external environment or negative emotions.

Even though he had already deduced countless possible crises in his mind, and even though he knew that he might be on the edge of a huge vortex, he was still able to maintain his normal life on the surface.

Ave Mujica's rehearsals went on as usual, and preparations for the performance progressed as planned. He maintained minimal necessary communication with Ishikawa, Kimura and others, as if Toyokawa Hidehiko's death was really just a piece of news that had nothing to do with him and happened in a distant place.

In his spare time, he would even patiently guide Mu to practice new guitar fingerings, or discuss the arrangement direction of the next song with the band members.

But what puzzled him was that the Shoko Toyokawa in his mind didn't seem to be panicked at all?

Logically speaking, although the relationship between the two sides was bad, his death would inevitably have an impact on the power structure of the Toyokawa family, and might even affect her, the "exiled" eldest daughter.

What's more, this incident may involve her with dangerous underworld forces and put her in unknown risks.

Given Xiangzi's sensitive, delicate and anxious personality, facing such a major change, even if he didn't panic, he should have felt worried and uneasy.

But these past few days, Xiangzi's mind was unusually quiet. He neither asked about the progress of the matter nor expressed any concerns, as if he had really put the matter behind him.

Finally, late one night after a rehearsal, when Kujo Renji returned to his apartment alone and reviewed the details of the day in his mind, he couldn't help but ask:

"Xiao Xiang, are you not worried at all about Toyokawa Hidehiko?"

There was a moment of silence in my mind, and then came Toyokawa Shoko's slightly lazy, even matter-of-fact voice:

"What are you worried about? If the sky falls, won't you hold it up?"

Kujo Renji: "..."

"This is such a troublesome thing."

Xiangzi's voice was cunning and relaxed, like a hands-off boss.

"Why don't you just handle it? Aren't you the best at handling these things?"

Listening to Toyokawa Shoko's words that were full of "trust" but also revealed a strong sense of "mind your own business", Kujo Renji felt speechless.

He suddenly realized that, since when, the girl had already been content to push all the troubles and responsibilities onto him, while she herself stayed comfortably in the corner of her consciousness, happily enjoying herself?

Isn't this your body? Your family! Your future! Are you so confident in leaving it to an "outsider" like me?

Kujo Renji complained silently in his heart.

But on second thought, Xiangzi's ability to maintain this "stay-out-of-it" mentality...maybe it's not entirely a bad thing?

At least, she wouldn't let excessive anxiety affect his judgment and actions.

Forget it, just eat the melon. As long as she doesn't come out to cause trouble at the critical moment, it's fine.

...

Although the external environment was turbulent, there was no apparent disturbance in Kujo Renji's life.

He is still the popular Miss "Toyokawa Shoko" at the Yugaoka Girls' Academy.

Walking on the campus paths dappled with autumn sunlight, there would always be girls, familiar or unfamiliar, who would glance at him, or nod and greet him with a smile.

"Good morning, Toyokawa-san."

"Xiaoxiang, you look so good today!"

Greetings like these are heard everywhere.

Kujo Renji has long been accustomed to this level of attention. He would nod politely in response, with a perfect, faint smile that belonged to "Toyokawa Shoko" on his face. He didn't say much, but he didn't keep people at a distance either.

This kind of quiet, excellent and mysterious quality is particularly attractive in the environment of a girls' school.

He handled his studies in an orderly manner, participated in necessary club activities, and used his spare time to deal with band affairs or make personal plans. Everything seemed so orderly, as if the turmoil in the outside world had not affected him.

However, there are always some unexpected episodes in the peaceful daily life.

During lunch break that day, I was about to go to the rooftop to get some fresh air, but at the corner leading to the atrium from the teaching building, I almost bumped into a reckless figure.

The other person seemed to be completely immersed in his own world, with his head lowered, holding a comic book in his hand, reading it with relish while walking, and didn't even notice that there was someone in front of him.

Kujo Renji reacted extremely quickly and dodged to the side, thus avoiding a "traffic accident".

He looked carefully and saw that the reckless person who was so engrossed in reading the comics was none other than Chihaya Aine.

“Aine?”

He reminded her, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Wow!"

Chihaya Aine was startled by the sudden voice, and the comic in her hand almost flew out of her hand. She hurriedly hugged the comic tightly, looked up, and saw that it was "Shoko". Two red clouds instantly flew up on her face, and she looked a little at a loss:

"Xiang, Xiaoxiang! S-Sorry! I didn't see you!"

For some reason, ever since their last "date" by the river, Aine had become obsessed with a particular type of manga—the soul-swap genre. The more she read, the more addicted she became, especially those with elements of naive romance.

She always felt that the plots in these comics seemed to vaguely explain some of the inexplicable confusion and subtle feelings she had about "Xiangzi". Now that she was caught by the real owner of these comics and almost bumped into someone, she was extremely embarrassed.

Jiujo Renji's gaze lingered briefly on the girl's comic book with a fancy cover in her arms. Without asking any further questions, he simply said calmly:

"It's better not to read while walking. It's dangerous."

"Yes! I get it! I'm so sorry!"

Aine immediately stood at attention, like a primary school student who had made a mistake, and hugged the comic book tightly to her chest, trying to hide the cover.

Looking at her nervous yet cute appearance, a barely perceptible smile flashed in Kujo Renji's eyes.

"Want to go get lunch?"

Kujo Renji asked casually, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

"Ah, yeah! Just about to go to the cafeteria!"

Aine nodded quickly and added:

"Where's Xiaoxiang?"

"I just finished my work and am ready to go."

As Kujo Renji said this, he walked forward.

"Then, then together?"

Aine’s eyes lit up and she asked tentatively.

Kujo Renji nodded without comment.

The two walked side by side towards the cafeteria. Aiyin stole a glance at the profile of "Shoko" beside her. In the soft autumn light, the lines on his face looked exceptionally clear and sharp, with a calmness that transcended his age.

She thought of the comic book in her arms again, and her face couldn't help but get hotter.

"Um...Xiao Xiang?"

Aine hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist her curiosity and asked quietly:

"Do you...read comics?"

"Occasionally."

Kujo Renji's answer was concise. He did read, but they were mostly "hardcore" manga about battles or science fiction. They weren't likely on the same level as the pink, bubbly girls' manga in Aine's arms.

"Huh? Really?"

Aiyin was a little surprised, but then she became excited again: "What kind of movies does Xiaoxiang like to watch? There's a movie recently about..."

She almost brought up the soul-swap romance comic she was reading, but luckily caught herself in time and changed the subject, "...the comic about a band's growth is really popular. Has Xiaoxiang read it?"

“I haven’t paid much attention.”

Kujo Renji shook his head: "I've been busy lately."

“Oh…” Aine felt a little disappointed, but she quickly cheered up again.

"Then next time I'll recommend some good ones to Xiaoxiang! I guarantee they'll be fantastic!"

"it is good."

Jiujo Liansi responded, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curl up slightly.

Seeing his rare expression, which could almost be called a "smile," Aine's heart skipped a beat. She felt that although Xiaoxiang was still a quiet man, he was really... so gentle!

This tenderness made her feel at ease, but also made her...more confused.

The absurd speculation about "soul exchange" in my mind popped up again at an inopportune time.

She secretly held the manga's hand and tightened it. Although deep down in her heart she was highly alert to Toyokawa Hidehiko's death and the chain reaction it might trigger, on the surface, there was no sign of any disturbance in Kujo Renji's life.

......

The cafeteria of Hanegaoka Girls' Academy is always bustling with people during lunch break.

The air was filled with the aroma of various foods and the chattering of girls.

Kujo Renji and Chihaya Aine each carried a plate and found an empty seat by the window and sat down.

Aiyin ordered fried chicken curry rice, while Kujo Renji chose a Japanese set meal that looked nutritionally balanced and light.

"Wow, what Xiaoxiang is eating looks delicious!"

Aiyin's eyes sparkled as she looked at the exquisite grilled fish and vegetables on Kujo Renji's plate.

"Well, it tastes okay."

Kujo Renji picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with an elegant movement:

“The cafeteria’s set menus occasionally have nice surprises.”

"Hey, I'll try it next time!"

Aiyin smiled happily, scooped a large spoonful of curry rice into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up like a satisfied little hamster.

The two chatted idly, with Aine doing most of the talking, sharing anecdotes from MyGO's recent rehearsals, like Riki getting mad again over a particular sequence and Lenai suddenly disappearing mid-rehearsal. Kujo Renji listened quietly, occasionally responding.

Aine quickly devoured her curry rice while excitedly trying to open the limited edition strawberry milk that looked so gorgeously packaged.

However, the seal of the cup seemed to be particularly tight. She scratched it with her fingernails for a long time and twisted it hard. Her little face turned a little red, but the lid didn't budge at all.

"Hmm... Why can't I open this..."

Aine complained in a distressed tone, her fingers turning slightly white from the force.

Jiujo Renji quietly finished a small piece of grilled fish. He looked up and saw that she was still struggling with the small cup lid. He put down his chopsticks, stretched out his hand, and said in a calm tone:

"give it to me."

"Huh? Ah, okay..."

Aine subconsciously handed over the stubborn cup of strawberry milk.

Jiujo Liansi took the cup, pinched the edge of the cup lid with his fingers twice, found a certain force point, and then gently twisted it.

——With just a soft “pop” sound, the cup lid that had left Aine helpless was opened so easily.

He handed the opened strawberry milk back to Aine.

"Wow! Thank you, Xiaoxiang!"