Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

The main goal...seems to have shifted from the initial "leading Ave Mujica to the top" to...resolving the internal conflicts of the Toyokawa family, and even...the deeper mystery of his own past?

Just as Kujo Renji's thoughts were drifting away, Toyokawa Shoko's voice, with a hint of dissatisfaction and warning, sounded in his mind at the right time:

"Hey! Renji!"

Xiangzi's tone was somewhat unpleasant, with a kind of warning that said, "Don't even think about getting away with this."

"Don't think you can just brush off the Ave Mujica matter! I don't care about your chaebol infighting or your grand plans for power grabbing, but Ave Mujica is the bottom line! This is the band we created together! I won't allow it to disband because of your 'troubles', and I won't allow it to become your 'backup plan' or 'sacrifice'!"

This young lady is surprisingly persistent and...tough when it comes to matters concerning the band.

Jiujo Liansi said helplessly in his mind:

"I know, I know, young lady. That's why I said it was just a 'delay for a while', not a disbandment. Don't worry, Ave Mujica is just as important to me. I won't let anything go wrong with it."

After receiving Kujo Renji's assurance, Xiangzi's emotions calmed down a little, but he still grumbled with a hint of worry: "Humph, it's better to be like this..."

The discussion in the rehearsal room continued. The girls chattered about various autumn activities and delicious foods, trying to dilute their anxiety with a relaxed atmosphere.

As Kujo Renji looked at them, he felt an... inexplicable sense of responsibility in his heart.

It was soon evening.

After explaining some precautions regarding the band's subsequent arrangements and repeatedly assuring himself that he would resolve the "trouble" as soon as possible, Kujo Renji announced the end of today's "emergency meeting".

The members left the rehearsal room one after another.

"Xiaoxiang, be careful on the road!" Yutiansi Ruomai waved his hand reluctantly.

"Yeah, so do you."

When everyone else left, only Kujo Renji and Wakaba Mutsu were left in the rehearsal room.

Jiujo Renji walked over to Mu and, as usual, warned him, "Mu, be careful on your way home. Call me if anything happens."

Mu raised her head, her clear golden eyes looking at him quietly. She didn't answer immediately, but stretched out her small hand and gently pulled at Jiujo Liansi's sleeve.

Then, she slightly stood on tiptoe, put her little head close to Kujo Renji's ear, and asked in a soft voice that only the two of them could hear, with a hint of subtle dependence and reluctance:

"Then...where's Lian Si?"

Jiujo Renji's body paused slightly. He could feel the girl's warm breath and the faint fragrance from her hair.

He was silent for a moment, then replied in a calm tone: "I... still have some things to do."

Hearing this answer, a subtle sense of disappointment flashed across Ruo Yemu's eyes. But she did not ask further questions, nor did she make unreasonable demands.

She simply tugged at Jiu Tiao Lian Si's sleeve again, and then said softly in a tone that was so sweet and sweet that it made people feel distressed:

"...good."

.......

When Wakaba Mu's figure disappeared at the door of the rehearsal room, the gentleness on Kujo Renji's face also faded. He took out his smartphone. On the screen, in addition to the unread messages from the Ave Mujica group chat, there was also a message reminder from a contact he didn't use often.

It's Ichichi Hoshige.

I clicked on the message and found it was short, an invitation to finish a recent performance of the band.

In the message, Xingge enthusiastically expressed the hope that "Miss Xiangzi" could come again to provide guidance, and the band members were all looking forward to her arrival.

To end the band...it was a pure, beautiful band full of possibilities.

More importantly, it seems to be able to grab points.

If it were in the past, or if he hadn't been involved in so many complicated troubles, he might...really have happily accepted the appointment and appreciated the growth and progress of those girls.

but now...

Kujo Renji sighed softly, tapped his fingertips quickly on the screen, and replied with a message of tactful rejection, saying that he was busy with work recently and could not get away for the time being, but he wished them a successful performance.

Compared to the previous state where he could occasionally "take a break from his busy schedule" to experience the life of an "ordinary high school student band producer", it is obvious that Kujo Renji no longer has that much free time to waste.

The undercurrent of the Toyokawa family, and the disturbing clue about the "string scroll"... each one of them is like a heavy mountain, pressing on his heart.

He could only sigh inwardly that it was unfortunate.

After putting away his phone, Kujo Renji left the rehearsal room without a moment's delay, hailed a taxi, and drove towards a direction that was familiar to him.

As the night deepened, the car finally stopped in the Roppongi area, where every inch of land is valuable, in front of a heavily guarded, single-family mansion with a low-key and luxurious appearance.

Kujo Renji paid the fare, walked straight to the heavy metal door, and skillfully entered a string of numbers on the combination lock.

With a soft "ding--" sound, the door opened.

Looking at the mansion in front of her that was obviously worth a lot of money, and the familiar demeanor of Kujo Renji as if he was returning home, Toyokawa Shoko once again felt deeply confused and... a little uneasy.

"Where is this...?" Xiangzi's voice was filled with confusion. "Is this the house you bought before? What are we doing here?"

"No, this isn't my house." Kujo Renji pushed the door open and replied calmly in his mind, "This is... someone else's house."

"Someone else's house?!"

Xiangzi was even more surprised

"Then...then how did you know the password to someone else's front door?! And, we...we're not welcome here, isn't it a bit inappropriate? What are we actually doing here?"

She felt that her moral bottom line was being tested wildly by this guy.

"Didn't you ask me before which 'old friend' I was going to look for?"

Jiujo Renji chuckled and explained

"The owner of this house is the first target we need to 'visit' this time."

"As for the password..."

There was a subtle hint of teasing in Jiujo Renji's tone.

"Because some people always lack imagination when it comes to things like setting passwords. She basically only uses a few number combinations that have special meaning to her. With a little thought, it's easy to guess."

"But... do we really need to use this method... of breaking into a house?" Xiangzi still felt something was wrong.

"It's necessary."

Jiujo Renji paused and explained patiently

"Because this 'old friend' we're meeting... is no pushover. She's shrewd and cunning. Once you play by her rules and she figures out your intricacies, you'll essentially be wiped out, leaving nothing behind."

"Only when you consistently hold a card she's unaware of, and when she feels you possess the power to engage in a dialogue with her on an equal footing, or even to threaten her, will she put aside her unnecessary scheming and become... a relatively qualified, exploitable partner."

Hearing what Kujo Renji said, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but shudder.

She began to wonder what kind of person could make Lian Si take it so seriously that he would even resort to this almost "infiltration" method to gain the upper hand.

The "quite difficult to deal with" partner that Kujo Renji mentioned was Kitamura Chiaki.

Chiaki Kitamura, this name is known to everyone in certain circles of Tokyo's upper class society.

But unlike the Genjumaki family, which is almost mythical and shrouded in mystery, the Kitamura family's reputation is more based on real business achievements and... some not-so-glorious iron-blooded tactics.

Although the Kitamura Group may not be on the same level as the Toyokawa Group in terms of overall scale and influence, it still holds a vital position in the real estate industry in Japan.

Chiaki Kitamura is the actual controller of this huge real estate empire and the current president of Kitamura Real Estate Co., Ltd.

Chiaki Kitamura was not from the direct line of the Kitamura family, but an inconspicuous member of the side branch.

Her childhood and adolescence are filled with memories of neglect and marginalization.

However, it is precisely this experience of surviving in the cracks that has forged her tenacity and keen insight far beyond her peers.

In the brutal battle for inheritance rights of the Kitamura family, Chiaki Kitamura, who was only in her early twenties at the time, relied on her extraordinary wisdom, decisive measures, and accurate grasp of human nature to seize control of Kitamura Real Estate from a group of male elders who were eyeing her covetously, becoming the youngest and first female head of this traditional family business.

After ascending to the helm, Kitamura Chiaki demonstrated her remarkable business talent and iron-fisted approach. She implemented sweeping reforms, eliminating redundant family influence and introducing modern management concepts. With her precise investment vision and unscrupulous competitive strategies, she led Kitamura Real Estate to rapid growth within just a few years, expanding its territory and becoming a formidable force in the Japanese real estate industry.

However, alongside her brilliant business achievements came countless negative rumors about her ruthlessness, cold-bloodedness, and willingness to step on the corpses of her own family to rise to power. Some called her a business prodigy, while others denounced her as a cold-blooded "Iron Lady," even privately calling her the "poisonous spider of the real estate world."

Kitamura Chiaki never cared about these comments. She only believed in strength and pursued results.

In her opinion, business competition is a war without the smoke of gunpowder. Being kind and weak will only make you a fish on the chopping board of others.

......

The night is dark.

Chiaki Kitamura dragged her slightly tired body back to her private residence in Roppongi.

Today, in order to win an important commercial real estate project in the eastern part of the city, she dealt with several tough competitors for a whole day, exchanging verbal battles, fighting wits and courage, and finally reached a preliminary agreement that was beneficial to Beicun Real Estate.

She took off her high heels, casually threw her expensive custom-made coat on the coat rack in the entrance hall, rubbed her swollen temples, and prepared to go to the bathroom to take a hot bath to relieve her physical and mental fatigue.

However, the moment she pushed open the door to the living room, her steps suddenly stopped.

I saw... a strange girl sitting on the expensive Italian leather sofa in the middle of the living room!

The girl looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, her long, beautiful blue hair tied into playful twintails. She was wearing a uniform that looked like it belonged to an all-girls high school. She was watching her attentively, a calmness that belied her age and... a hint of amusement on her face.

Kitamura Chiaki's pupils suddenly contracted!

"Who are you?!" Kitamura Chiaki's voice was cold, with a barely perceptible hint of murderous intent.

Upon hearing this, the blue-haired girl with twintails gave her a polite yet distant smile, and in a calm, almost provocative tone, she slowly spoke:

"Ms. Kitamura, I've long heard of you. Nice to meet you. I'm Toyokawa Shoko."

...

The air in the living room instantly became stagnant and tense because of the sudden uninvited guest.

Chiaki Kitamura's eyes were fixed on the blue-haired girl on the sofa who called herself "Toyokawa Shoko".

Toyokawa Shoko? The eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family?

The recent events in the Toyokawa family have caused a lot of controversy, and she has been paying close attention to it.

But why did the other party find me here?

"Ms. Toyokawa?"

Kitamura Chiaki's voice was deliberately lazy, as if she didn't care much about the uninvited guest in front of her:

"What a rare visitor! Miss Toyokawa, what brings you to my humble abode so late at night? Or... is this how the Toyokawa family's upbringing teaches you to barge into other people's homes?"

However, Kujo Renji seemed not to hear the sarcasm in her words and spoke slowly:

"Miss Kitamura, you're joking. If I didn't have something 'important' to discuss with you, why would I bother you? As for tutoring... I think, rather than discussing that, perhaps we could first discuss... the commercial real estate project in the eastern district?"

Kitamura Chiaki frowned.

The project in the East City District was the one she had just negotiated with her competitors today. It was still in a highly confidential stage. Apart from the core personnel involved in the negotiations, it would be difficult for others to know about it.

"Oh?"

Kitamura Chiaki still had a calm smile on her face, but her eyes became sharper:

"It seems Miss Toyokawa is quite well-informed. What's going on? Could it be that the Toyokawa family is also interested in that piece of land in the eastern part of the city? However, as far as I know, the Toyokawa Group's main business doesn't seem to be real estate development, right?"

"The Toyokawa family's business scope may not be as narrow as Miss Kitamura imagines."

Kujo Renji smiled noncommittally. "However, I didn't come here today to compete with Miss Kitamura for that piece of land. On the contrary, I wanted to... discuss a 'cooperation' with Miss Kitamura."

"Cooperation?" Kitamura Chiaki raised an eyebrow:

"Miss Toyokawa wants to cooperate with me? I'm flattered. But I don't know what kind of 'sincerity' Miss Toyokawa can show to impress me."

She said, trying to regain control of the conversation.

Kujo Renji's gaze fell on Kitamura Chiaki's beautiful yet heroic face:

"I think the greatest 'sincerity' for Miss Kitamura might be... an opportunity to completely break free from the constraints of those old men in the Kitamura family and truly control the entire Kitamura Group."

Kitamura Chiaki frowned even deeper.

Although she controlled Beicun Real Estate with an iron fist, the power struggle within the Beicun Group has never really subsided.

The elders of her family who were suppressed by her still had evil intentions and wanted to pull her down from her current position at any time. This was her biggest worry.

This eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family seems to have a very deep understanding of herself...

However, what surprised her even more was the next sentence:

"From what I've heard, several of the elders at the Kitamura Group seem to be getting a little restless recently. They've secretly contacted a number of collateral shareholders, seemingly planning to make trouble for you at next month's board meeting. Perhaps, for example, they'd propose removing you from your position as president, claiming you've acted too aggressively, leading to excessive debt."

"What do you want to do?" she asked after taking a deep breath.

“It doesn’t matter what I want to do.”