Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

that's enough.

She took another deep breath, as if using up all her strength, raised her head, and met Kujo Renji's gaze. Her eyes were still timid, but this time, they were filled with an unprecedented determination and sincerity.

"Xiao Xiang..." she began, her voice still soft but remarkably clear, "I know... I... can't keep up with you."

She paused, as if trying to organize her words, trying to express the complex emotions in her heart:

"It was my fault before. I always...caused trouble to everyone." Her voice lowered, filled with remorse. "Now...seeing Xiaoxiang become so powerful...I, I'm actually...very happy."

She raised her hand and carefully handed the ugly and cute stone in her palm, which was shaped like a star, to Jiujo Liansi.

Her head was lowered, and her long bangs covered her eyes, making it impossible to see her expression at the moment.

"This... is for you." Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were offering her most precious treasure, or performing some kind of farewell ceremony. "Although... it's not perfect... but I hope, Xiaoxiang, that you will continue to shine like a star in the future."

"I wish you...a better future."

After saying this, she seemed to have exhausted all her courage and no longer dared to stay for a second. She stood up suddenly and ran towards the school gate without looking back. Her small figure soon disappeared into the twilight.

Only Jiujo Liansi was left, squatting there, holding the warm, star-shaped, ugly-cute little stone with the girl's body temperature in his hand, watching her fleeing back.

Is this considered a phased progress?

Or is it a farewell declaration in some sense?

This strategy is really difficult to conquer the autistic girl.

........

PS: This chapter costs 8,500.

It's so hard to go back home.

Take a day off

I've been so busy lately that I have to take a day off today. I'm so sorry.

.......

Chapter 101: Triangle Hatsune: She is not Xiaoxiang?

The star-shaped stone in her hand, which looked a bit ugly and cute, seemed to still retain the warmth of the girl's fingertips.

Gao Songdeng's farewell blessing, "I know... I can no longer keep up with Xiaoxiang... but... I hope you... will have a better future...", still lingers in Kujo Renji's heart.

Although it's not entirely clear what exactly Ms. Takamatsu Deng misunderstood, or rather, what kind of drama she imagined about "abandoned past" and "drifting present"...

But Kujo Renji suddenly became acutely aware that his "gentle and considerate" offensive, which was always effective and could easily soften other people's defenses, seemed to have...backfired this time?

He originally wanted to narrow the distance by showing goodwill and pave the way for subsequent "observation" and "contact".

But the result?

The other party seemed to interpret this tenderness as a "final farewell" or "mercy from a higher position", which instead strengthened her determination to "keep distance and be well on their own".

The atmosphere just now, the parting gift of the stone, the look that was filled with blessing yet also with a sense of alienation...

If it were placed in a dating game or visual novel, it would definitely end up as an "ordinary friends ending" or even a "forgotten in the world" side storyline, right?

Jiujo Liansi thought to himself that something was wrong.

This went against his original plan.

What he needs is a "special talent" who can be observed and even used in the future, rather than a "former teammate" who completely withdraws from his life.

Just as Kujo Renji was secretly reflecting on his strategic mistake, Toyokawa Shoko in his mind took the initiative to make a rare comment.

"This..." Her voice was filled with relief, yet also with an indescribable sense of melancholy and nostalgia. "...this is also quite good."

The tone was like finally letting go of a heavy past. Although there was still reluctance, one had accepted the reality.

Upon hearing this, Kujo Renji was even more speechless.

——Hey, don’t just let it go. If you are so carefree, then my “investigation” and “approach” during this period will become quite ridiculous, right?

I was hoping to dig out some information about her "special abilities"...

He complained in his heart, but ultimately did not say anything to Xiangzi.

After all, now is not the time to dwell on this, and... Xiangzi has complicated feelings towards his former teammates in CRYCHIC, and as an "outsider", he really has no right to comment.

Although it was a pity that his first attempt at "heart-to-heart communication" with Takamatsu Touma failed, Kujo Renji was not the kind of person who would stop moving forward because of a setback.

He quickly lowered the priority of the "Takamatsu Light Observation Project" temporarily and prepared to re-evaluate and adjust the strategy.

Life seemed to have returned to a temporary calm.

He still handled his studies and band affairs step by step.

Occasionally in the apartment, you would see Wakaba Mu holding her new favorite - a huge plush cucumber pillow that was almost half her height, sitting quietly in the corner watching TV, or playing with those ugly and cute dolls.

There is no need for too many words between the two of them, but there is a strange tacit understanding between them, as they are accustomed to each other's existence.

However, this apparent calm didn't last long. Just when Kujo Renji thought he could take a breather and refocus his "side quests," the alarm for the "main quest" sounded without warning.

That evening, Nakamura, the nominal head of Ave Mujica and Winwing Entertainment's agent, called with an encrypted call in an unusually serious tone.

"Ms. Toyokawa...."

Nakamura's voice was filled with undisguised anxiety and confusion:

"Today... a lot of people came to the company. They were from the tax bureau, and... officials from the cultural department."

Kujo Renji's heart moved slightly, and he gestured for him to continue.

"They conducted a very detailed audit of Winwing's tax affairs and asked a lot of ... very detailed questions."

Nakamura's voice tightened. "Furthermore, the people from the cultural department seem to be paying special attention to Ave Mujica. They've repeatedly questioned the band's sources of resources, partnerships, and even... they've checked the details of the venue rental contracts for our previous performances."

At the end of the message, Nakamura vaguely stated that this kind of joint inspection by multiple departments with clear targets seemed "very abnormal", and hinted that it might be related to the surname "Toyokawa", but he himself was of low position and did not dare to investigate further, so he could only report the situation truthfully to "Miss Xiangzi".

Jiujo Renji looked at the information, his mind working rapidly, analyzing the key points.

First, this isn't a unified government policy adjustment. If it were, rumors would have leaked ahead of time, and it wouldn't just target a small, unknown agency like Wingwing; entertainment companies across the industry would be affected.

Secondly, this doesn’t seem like a simple business competition.

Wingwing is too small and has almost no capital to create direct conflicts of interest with other large entertainment companies.

What's more, the ability to simultaneously mobilize the tax bureau and the cultural department, two seemingly unrelated but powerful government agencies, requires energy that is far beyond the reach of ordinary business rivals.

Using such a large force to deal with a tiny Wingwing?

This is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut and is completely illogical.

Then, the only explanation is that the other party's target from the beginning was not Wingwing, but... Ave Mujica, or more precisely, "Toyokawa Shoko" herself, and the "mysterious resources" behind her that may have supported the rapid rise of this band.

The other party is particularly concerned about the "resources" used by Ave Mujica...

Combined with Nakamura's cryptic statement that "it might be related to the Toyokawa family"...

The answer is already obvious.

When these clues are connected together, the answer is almost obvious.

Oh my, the darkness of the Toyokawa family has finally arrived.

This precise and secretive "investigation" conducted with the use of official forces is by no means an ordinary business tactic, but rather the prelude to some kind of high-level power struggle.

The goal is clear, which is to dig out the support behind "Shoko Toyokawa" or Ave Mujica.

Of course, this kind of investigation is inherently risky. After all, while Ave Mujica has utilized numerous resources since its founding, many of them have been disguised and transferred. Following the clues is not easy.

Everything else is fine, but what Kujo Renji is most worried about is...if the traces of him mobilizing the resources of the Soryukai through Ishikawa Shunya and Kimura Seiichiro are discovered, then things will be really troublesome.

This is a very clear and dangerous chain of logic:

Finding out that "Toyokawa Shoko" has connections with Ishikawa and Kimura leads to the conclusion that "Toyokawa Shoko" has a cooperative relationship with the "Soryukai". Then, combined with the previous public conflict between "Toyokawa Shoko" and Toyokawa Hidehiko and Toyokawa Hidehiko's "accidental" death, it is not difficult to draw the following conclusion:

Toyokawa Shoko, or the forces behind her, most likely hired Shiraishi Toraya of the Soryukai to kill Toyokawa Hidehiko!

This conclusion does not even require conclusive evidence. Just putting these conditions out there is enough to become a powerful weapon for certain factions within the Toyokawa family to attack Shoko's lineage.

By then, no matter what the truth is, it will be difficult to wash away the dirty water once it is poured out.

Thinking of this, Jiujo Liansi wanted to immediately pull Baishihu out and give him a good beating.

This idiot is more of a hindrance than a help.

Just as Kujo Renji was quickly thinking about the response strategy, a message from Ishikawa Shunya came at the right time.

The message was concise and to the point, but it made Kujo Renji's tense nerves relax a little.

Ishikawa said that he had always been very secretive and cautious when using the resources of the Soryukai to help Ave Mujica.

Most resources are transferred through second or even third hands, erasing the direct source.

Apart from a few secret channels that only the core members of the Soryu Society may know about, and some venues and security resources used during the initial tour in Yokohama, it is basically difficult to trace it directly to him or the Soryu Society.

The incident at Yokohama Station can also be explained as being a normal business cooperation that was arranged through the matchmaking of Ryuichi Yamamoto.

Ishikawa mentioned at the end of the message that the reason he was so cautious was because he had never known who had attacked the "boss" within the Soryukai, so he never dared to easily reveal his direct connection with "Miss Toyokawa".

After reading the message, Kujo Renji finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Ishikawa has always misunderstood that she is "his" daughter, and has imagined a drama of grudges and inheritance...but at least in terms of ability to get things done and loyalty and prudence, he is indeed impeccable and much more reliable than others.

The clues of things have emerged, and undercurrents beneath the surface have begun to surge.

The internal conflict within the Toyokawa family had obviously spread to his side.

Just as Kujo Renji was tapping the table with his fingers, thinking about how to respond next, the doorbell of the apartment rang at an inopportune time.

He glanced at the video doorbell screen.

What appeared on the screen was a picture of a beautiful girl with short golden hair and a baseball cap.

——Triangle Chuhua

Why did she come here suddenly?

.

The time goes back a few hours.

In the apartment, the blonde girl is staring at her phone

On the mobile phone screen, the avatar of "Xiaoxiang" was still gray, and the message she sent a few minutes ago with tentative and expectant feelings: "Xiaoxiang Xiaoxiang, are you home? ('▽`)ノ" fell on deaf ears, with no response.

Sanjiao Chuhua's mood was like riding a roller coaster, from the initial expectation and nervousness, slowly sliding down to the bottom of disappointment.

Could it be that... Xiaoxiang simply doesn't want to pay attention to her?

Ever since she keenly noticed the unusual closeness between Xiaoxiang and Miaomeng in the restaurant last time, an inexplicable sense of crisis and...inexplicable jealousy has been lingering in her heart.

She always felt that her originally stable "special status" in this place called Ave Mujica seemed to be under threat.

She must take the initiative to rebuild her relationship with Xiaoxiang!

But...Xiaoxiang doesn't reply to the message, and she can't even find him, what can she do?

Sanjiao Chuhua frowned.

Go directly to the office or rehearsal room to block people?

No, that would be too deliberate. What if Xiaoxiang is not around or is busy, it would make me look immature.

We must come up with a more natural and clever way...

Suddenly, a name popped into her mind—Yutenji Wakamu!

Although asking for information from my "rival in love" is a bit...embarrassing, but in order to achieve my goal, this small sacrifice is nothing!

Thinking of this, Sanjiao Chuhua immediately switched to the chat interface, found the avatar of Yutenji Ruomai, took a deep breath, and sent a message:

"Wakamai~ are you there?"

The message was replied almost instantly:

"What's up?"

Seeing Miao Meng's somewhat surprised and wary reply, Chu Hua decided to get straight to the point:

"Um... Ruomai, do you know where Xiaoxiang lives now? I wanted to send her something, but she didn't seem to see my message..."