Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Insert a coin, press the button, and a can of ice-cold black coffee falls with a clang.

He pulled the ring, tilted his head back, and took a sip. The slightly bitter liquid slid down his throat, bringing a hint of refreshing coolness.

The seemingly relaxed and casual "heart-to-heart" with Chihaya Aine just now, which was actually full of undercurrents, although the outcome was under his control, also consumed a lot of his energy.

After all, in front of a sensitive girl who is wary of you, you have to show "goodwill" while cleverly concealing the "truth", and at the same time guide her to make the choice she wants. The balance between these is no less than dancing on a tightrope.

"Miss Xiangzi, what do you think?"

As he sipped his coffee, he asked the real "owner" who shared this body with him in the depths of his consciousness.

What he was asking about was, of course, the "heart-conquering" method he had used on Chihaya Aine just now.

After a moment's silence, Toyokawa Shoko's voice finally rang out, with a barely perceptible hint of...suppression.

“The ramen is not good.”

Jiujo Renji was a little amused when he heard this:

"I thought... you were going to say 'despicable', or 'shameless' or something like that."

It was obvious that Miss Toyokawa was deliberately avoiding his question and using such irrelevant words to change the subject.

Toyokawa Shoko seemed to be provoked by his slightly teasing words and sneered with a strong sense of sarcasm in her tone:

"Haha, after the NTR is over, you still want to go back and humiliate the victim? You guys are really evil to the core."

"Pfft-cough cough cough!"

Jiujo Renji, who was walking slowly on the sidewalk, heard this comment in his mind and couldn't help choking on the coffee he had just drunk.

He coughed awkwardly several times, attracting the attention of several passers-by on the side of the road. They probably wondered why this "girl" who was dressed quite refreshingly behaved so rudely.

He finally stopped coughing, his face still flushed, but his heart was in turmoil.

After a while, he spoke in his mind with a somewhat strange and... unbelievable tone:

"Ms. Xiangzi...you really know a lot."

Toyokawa Shoko seemed to realize that her words, spoken in a moment of panic, were somewhat...inappropriate, or rather, seriously inconsistent with her usual "personality." Her voice faltered for a moment, and then she frantically added:

"It's just some random words I stumbled across while surfing the internet."

"Really?"

A mischievous smile appeared on the corner of Jiujo Renji's mouth. He said slowly:

"Ms. Xiangzi, I remember looking through your memories... well, just a small part, so don't worry. I discovered that you didn't encounter 'common' food like taiyaki until junior high school. The Toyokawa family's 'education' clearly didn't allow you to easily come across this kind of... well, 'bad information' while casually browsing the internet."

Although Jiujo Renji's words were euphemistic, the implication was obvious.

——It was you who took the initiative to search for and learn about this “bad information”, but now you want to put it on the blame of “accidentally seeing it”?

After he exposed her like this, Shoko Toyokawa's pitiful disguise collapsed in an instant.

The feeling of anger and shame exploded in her heart like a lit fuse.

"Shut up!"

Kujo Renji felt a little happier when he heard her angry yet helpless look.

The two of them exchanged a few words in their minds.

As expected, after a somewhat childish verbal battle, Shoko Toyokawa's voice gradually subsided.

The only sounds in the air were the unhurried footsteps of Jiu Tiao Lian Si and the peculiar hustle and bustle of the city at night coming from afar.

After a long while, Toyokawa Shoko's voice sounded again, but this time, her tone was less sharp and angry than before, and had a hint of... a complex meaning that was hard to tell whether it was fatigue or resignation.

"Although... it's very frustrating."

She spoke slowly, as if making a difficult summary:

"But the previous incident with Yutenji Wakami also made me understand some things."

Her voice was a little low, with a hint of barely perceptible loneliness.

"The one who truly established and deepened the 'bond' with them...with Wakamugi, and with Aine...was you, not me."

When saying this, Kujo Renji could clearly feel the unspeakable loss and... unwillingness deep in Toyokawa Shoko's heart.

"They made this choice... whether it was Wakamai's 'loyalty' or Aine's 'maintaining the status quo'... to some extent, it's... understandable."

She paused, as if to encourage herself, before continuing:

"After all, when they needed help the most and felt the most lost, it was you who appeared by their side, giving them strength and direction. And I... at that time, it seemed like I could do nothing but bring them trouble and disappointment."

She spoke these words slowly and with great difficulty, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

But Kujo Renji knew that this was her truest thought. After experiencing this series of misfortunes, this once proud young lady finally began to face her own shortcomings and began to understand some people and things she once could not comprehend.

"To be despicable..."

Suddenly, Toyokawa Shoko's tone took on a hint of her unique, Toyokawa Shoko-style harshness:

"You're truly despicable. Exploiting others' weaknesses, playing with their emotions, and controlling everything... I can't think of a more appropriate word to describe your tactics than 'despicable.'"

"But I already knew this."

Toyokawa Shoko's voice suddenly became somewhat weak:

"Ever since you used my body to do those...those unimaginable things, I've known about it. So, there's no point in bringing it up every time."

She seemed to be sighing, or laughing at herself.

"Besides..."

Her voice suddenly took on a hint of cunning and a hint of pride:

"You, you asked me this on purpose just to see me lose my temper and rage? Humph, I won't do what you want!"

As Kujo Renji listened to her childish "declaration", the smile on his face deepened.

Yeah, he does have a bit of a...bad taste.

However, what interested him more was her complex mentality at the moment... which seemed to have "figured it out", but was actually still full of contradictions and unwillingness.

"I'm very happy that Miss Xiangzi thinks so."

There was a hint of a sincere smile in Kujo Renji's tone:

"After all, we are now a 'community of shared destiny'. Your understanding of my 'hard work' will be of great benefit to my future plans."

"Hmph, stop flattering yourself!"

Toyokawa Shoko retorted bluntly: "I just don't want to be unhappy because of your affairs anymore!"

Although she was still harsh in her words, Jiujo Rensi could tell that the sharpness in her tone had subsided a lot.

Kujo Renji drank the last sip of coffee and threw the empty can into the trash can on the side of the road.

The night wind seemed to be getting cooler.

.......

PS: Ten thousand words, five in one, continue tomorrow, at least eight thousand.

Back to normal, the bad state is over! ! (Should be)

Chapter 117: The opportunity to return to the original body.

The chaos is like the sudden rain in late autumn, which comes quickly and goes away quickly.

After cleverly resolving the "identity exposure" crisis that might have been caused by Miss Chihaya Aine, Kujo Renji's life, like a street washed by rain, temporarily regained a certain "seemingly calm" appearance.

Of course, beneath this "calmness", there are still undercurrents.

Things seem to have quieted down a lot over at Toyokawa Group recently.

According to information he learned through some secret channels, the huge business machine was in a desperate situation due to the huge losses it suffered some time ago.

I think that Mr. Toyokawa Sadaharu, who is usually dignified and has the final say, is probably also overwhelmed at the moment. In the short term, he probably doesn't have much time to "take care" of his granddaughter.

Of course, there is a deeper reason, which Kujo Renji also knows.

That is, the side branches of the Toyokawa family, who seemed to be submissive on weekdays but actually had their own ulterior motives, finally found a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Toyokawa Sadaharu's mistake was undoubtedly a piece of fat rotten meat in their eyes, attracting them like sharks smelling blood, swarming in and biting fiercely, trying to get a share of the pie from the master's weakness.

As a result, Toyokawa Sadaharu was too busy taking care of himself and dealing with internal strife to take care of anything else.

Logically speaking, as the "direct descendant" of the Toyokawa family, Shoko Toyokawa should share the same fate.

It was definitely not a good thing for her if Toyokawa Sadaharu's interests and prestige were damaged.

If we follow the usual path, the wisest choice at this moment would be to temporarily join forces with Toyokawa Sadaharu, unite against the outside world, suppress those covetous side forces, and wait until the internal situation is stable before making gradual progress and competing with Toyokawa Sadaharu for power.

This is the reasonable and conventional way of playing.

However, after experiencing the almost humiliating "confinement" incident last time, Kujo Renji already scoffed at this "conventional fighting style".

Whether it is a side branch or a main branch, for him, there is no essential difference.

His goal from the very beginning was to uproot and completely destroy the corrupt Toyokawa family.

As for those internal power struggles, in his view, they were nothing more than the last struggles of the dead bones in the grave and were not worth mentioning.

Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about the major crisis for the time being.

As for that idiot Bai Shihuye, he once made some vague and disturbing statements about the "Xianjuan Family".

Kujo Renji would rather this was just a misunderstanding.

Putting the big troubles aside for the time being, some small, trivial matters that need to be dealt with pop up like mushrooms after rain.

Miss Ichichi Xingge sent another message.

Kujo Renji looked at the familiar avatar and the slightly cautious wording on the phone screen, and suddenly remembered that he seemed to have not paid attention to the affairs of the "End Band" for quite a while.

[Miss Xiangzi, I'm sorry to bother you. I wonder if you are free recently...?]

Between the lines, there is a kind of temptation and expectation that is difficult to conceal.

Kujo Renji's fingertips tapped lightly on the screen.

"End of the band"...

Speaking of which, he still remembers vividly the "authenticity points" he unexpectedly gained in that small Live House last time.

Although, until now, he still didn't understand what the specific use of that thing was, but his intuition told him that this energy, which was completely different from the "Original Sin Points" and carried a certain pure aura, should... probably... perhaps... be helpful to him, right?

Better than nothing.

What's more, Miss Ijichi Xingge's... well, slightly clumsy attentiveness made him feel a bit... interesting.

So he quickly replied to the message.

[Ms. Xingge, I'm truly sorry. I was delayed by some personal matters some time ago and was unable to pay attention to STARRY's situation. Now that the matter has been handled, I wonder if Miss Xingge is looking for me about something?]

He deliberately lowered his posture, and there was just the right amount of apology in his words.

Not long after the message was sent, Yidizhi Xingge's reply popped up, so fast, as if she had been guarding the phone all the time.

Ah! Miss Xiangzi, you're so kind! I'm so grateful for your reply! Well, STARRY is planning a major renovation soon, and I was wondering... if Miss Xiangzi has time, could you come over and give me some guidance? After all, you're a STARRY shareholder... and after the renovations, the band will have a fixed performance time, so I thought... you might be interested?

Renovation? Fixed performance?

Since the other party is so "generous", it would seem a bit unkind if I don't go.

What's more... there is the temptation of "authenticity points".

"I see. I'm naturally very concerned about STARRY's renovations. I'm also looking forward to the band's scheduled performances. Don't worry, Miss Xingge, I'll make sure to be there."

He agreed without hesitation.

...

Meanwhile, behind the bar at STARRY.

Ijichi Hoshige looked at Toyokawa Shoko's affirmative reply on the phone screen, and the corners of her mouth rose uncontrollably, revealing an irrepressible bright smile.

Those eyes, which usually had a bit of laziness and sharpness, were now sparkling with joy, as if they were filled with stars.

She couldn't help but hum a tuneless little song, tapping her fingers on the bar to keep the beat. Her whole body exuded a kind of... well, sweet aura like a girl in love.

"Finally got a date? What excuse did you use this time?"