Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

She comforted herself in this way.

.........

the next day.

Yokohama, 7pm.

The first stop of the tour is located in the city center, a medium-sized theater with an elegant and modern interior, neatly arranged red seats, and can accommodate about two thousand spectators.

When the five members of Ave mujica walked into the venue, everyone was infected by the atmosphere of the space - this would be their first time performing on such a formal stage.

Sanjiao Chuhua had already returned to his previous state, showing no signs of abnormality, and sighed:

“What a big venue.”

Hachiman Kailing nodded silently, her calm exterior concealing an irrepressible anticipation:

“The tickets are sold out.”

Yutenji Wakamugi was particularly active. She walked back and forth, observing the lighting and sound from time to time, as if she had rehearsed her performance in her mind countless times.

There was a glint of ambition in her eyes, an eagerness that was barely concealed.

Toyokawa Shoko was also a little excited. "This is Ave Mujica's first real tour!"

Just as they were looking around and getting familiar with the environment, the theater door was pushed open and a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit walked in.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a formal smile on his face, but his eyes revealed a hint of impatience.

"Ms. Toyokawa..."

The man bowed, his voice deliberately respectful. "I'm the venue coordinator for this tour, Seiichi Fukamachi."

His gaze lingered on Kujo Renji for a moment, then swept over the other members, and then quickly retracted his gaze without greeting them, as if they were just a group of children not worthy of attention.

Jiujo Liansi nodded slightly in greeting:

"Mr. Fukamachi, we're getting familiar with the grounds. What can I do for you?"

Fukamachi Seiichi cleared his throat, his expression becoming a little awkward: "About this... I must inform you that the performance originally scheduled for the day after tomorrow may need to be postponed for a while."

These words exploded in the theater like a bomb.

The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment.

Everyone was stunned and looked at the venue manager in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

Sanjiao Chuhua was in disbelief, with anger in his tone:

"The tickets are all sold out, how can it be postponed?"

Fukamachi Seiichi frowned, clearly dissatisfied with this direct questioning:

"There are some scheduling issues. We originally planned to have you rehearse for two days, but now we've discovered there was a scheduling error... Another group needs to perform first."

There was a condescending arrogance in his tone, as if this change was the most normal thing.

Kujo Renji's eyes darkened slightly, a premonition forming in her heart. She looked around and noticed that the decorations in some areas of the theater seemed to have been recently replaced.

"How long will it be delayed?"

She asked calmly, no emotion in her voice.

Fukamachi Seiichi avoided her gaze and looked down at the tablet in his hand. "At least two weeks. Of course, we will rearrange the publicity and ticketing."

"Two weeks?"

Yutenji Wakamu repeated in disbelief, his voice rising several octaves, "That's impossible! Our tour is continuous, and the dates for the second and third stops have already been confirmed!"

Fukamachi Seiichi waved his hand:

"These can all be adjusted. If the audience base is not large, rescheduling should not be a big problem."

This statement completely enraged everyone. Even the usually calm Hachiman Kairei couldn't help but step forward, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes.

Kujo Renji gently raised her hand, signaling everyone to calm down. She walked towards Fukamachi Seiichi with a gentle smile on her face, but her eyes were frighteningly cold:

"Mr. Fukamachi, which idol group is this?"

Fukamachi Makoto paused and said:

"NEO STARS, a new boy band that's been very popular lately. Their agency suddenly asked us to arrange a performance earlier, and we... can't refuse."

Kujo Renji nodded, with a vague guess in his mind.

This situation is a major mistake... The other party looks so confident...

Clearly, this was no coincidence, but a carefully planned intervention.

"How dare they!" Shoko Toyokawa shouted angrily in her mind.

He looked at the other members, all of whom looked angry and disappointed, especially Yutenji Wakami, who was almost crying.

"Let's contact the agency first."

Kujo Renji suggested, his voice calm but firm.

Yutenji Wakamu immediately took out his cell phone and dialed their agent's number.

A few minutes later, she hung up the phone with an even uglier expression on her face:

"Mr. Nakamura said he had just received a notice and that the company asked us to cooperate with the venue's arrangements, saying it was 'industry practice'..."

"What kind of industry practice is this!" Sanjiao Chuhua couldn't help but protest, "We were the ones who booked the venue first!"

Kujo Renji took a deep breath and turned to Fukamachi Seiichi:

"Thank you for your notification, Mr. Fukamachi. We will discuss this internally and get back to you."

Fukamachi Makoto nodded slightly and said:

"I'm at your service. But please understand, this decision has already been made, and I'm just letting you know as a courtesy."

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving the members of Ave mujica standing on the stage in silence.

"Xiaoxiang, what should we do?"

There was a hint of worry in Sanjiao Chuhua's tone.

Kujo Renji slowly walked to the edge of the stage and looked down at the empty auditorium.

Each seat represents a fan looking forward to seeing Ave Mujica perform, and now, those expectations may be dashed.

"Let's go first." She finally said: "There's no point in staying here today."

The other members nodded silently and followed her out of the theater. No one complained, but a heavy sense of disappointment hung in the air.

On the way back to the hotel, there was silence in the car.

Kujo Renji sat in the passenger seat, gazing at the night view outside the window, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.

After returning to the hotel, Kujo Renji briefly comforted the other members, promised to find a solution as soon as possible, and then returned to his room.

As soon as the door closed, he immediately took out his laptop and began searching for information about NEO STARS and Star Entertainment.

Information quickly appeared on the screen: NEO STARS, a six-member boy band with an average age of 20, debuted at the end of last year and was produced by Starlight Entertainment. Starlight Entertainment, founded ten years ago, is a mid-sized Japanese entertainment company. Its largest shareholder is indeed the Toyokawa Group, holding a 35% stake.

——As expected, it’s the Toyokawa Group.

Why did the Toyokawa Group intervene? Was it because of Shoko Toyokawa's identity? Or was it simply because they didn't want their precious daughter to be exposed to the public?

Whatever the possibility, it shows one thing - someone is closely watching Ave Mujica's movements, and this person has enough power and resources to interfere with their development.

"It must be Grandpa!" Toyokawa Shoko paced back and forth angrily in her consciousness. "He's always like this, interfering in my life in various ways!"

Kujo Renji remained silent, just slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

The intervention of the Toyokawa family should have been a trouble, but for him, it was a great opportunity - an opportunity to make Toyokawa Shoko more dependent on him.

What is more noteworthy is that one of the directors of Star Entertainment is a member of the Toyokawa family - Toyokawa Hidehiko, who is considered to be Toyokawa Shoko's cousin.

This discovery makes things clearer.

As the head of the group, Toyokawa Sadaharu may not deal with such a small matter personally, but other people in the family who are responsible for the cultural industry have enough motivation and ability to interfere with the development of Ave mujica.

Kujo Renji continued searching and discovered that NEO STARS was indeed planning a nationwide tour, but the original date was supposed to be next month. The sudden move up of the date was clearly a deliberate move targeting Ave Mujica.

He turned off the computer, walked to the window, and looked at his own reflection on the glass under the lights of Yokohama's night scene.

"This is an interesting development," Kujo Renji thought to himself. "The Toyokawa family's intervention gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our strength."

"What do you mean?" Toyokawa Shoko asked in confusion.

"If I can solve this problem and prove that I am capable of protecting Ave Mujica from outside interference, then everyone's trust and reliance on me will only deepen."

Kujo Renji explained

"Especially Hachiman Kairei and Yutenji Wakami, they will be more convinced that I am the key to moving the band forward."

Toyokawa Shoko was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "So, what are you going to do?"

He picked up his phone and dialed Yamamoto Ryuichi's number. When the other party answered, Kujo Renji's voice became unusually calm:

"Mr. Yamamoto, I need your help. Regarding NEO STARS and Xinghui Entertainment..."

Yamamoto Ryuichi on the other end of the phone seemed stunned for a moment, then quickly responded: "Ms. Toyokawa... This is the Toyokawa family..."

"Do you still remember the premise of our cooperation, Mr. Yamamoto?"

The silence lasted for a few seconds, and then Yamamoto Ryuichi sighed:

“I understand. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. But please understand, this will take some time.”

"Time is precious, Mr. Yamamoto."

"After the matter is done, you can deal with what you have taken away from Xinghui Entertainment on your own."

Jiujo Liansi paused:

"The Toyokawa family won't cause you any trouble."

——Anyway, the loss was suffered by the Toyokawa family, it had nothing to do with him.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Yamamoto Ryuichi's tone immediately became excited and respectful.

"Don't worry! Tomorrow! Things can be handled tomorrow!"

The other members of Ave mujica returned to their rooms, feeling down.

Sanjiao Chuhua felt a little lost.

She had put so much thought and creativity into this tour, and it seemed like all her efforts were going to go to waste.

Hachiman Kairei paced back and forth in the room, her calm appearance hiding an unquenchable anger.

She hated the feeling of being looked down upon, hated having plans changed at will, and even more hated the contempt in the eyes of the venue manager.

Ruoye Mu sat quietly by the window, his golden eyes gazing at the night scene in the distance.

Her expression remained calm, but her heart was filled with worry and expectation.

In fact, she had an inexplicable trust in the "new Xiaoxiang". Although it was impossible for her to admit it, the sense of security he gave her was much stronger than the previous Xiaoxiang.

She believed that the other party could find a solution, but she was also afraid that she would take extreme measures.

And Yutenji Wakamugi was the most anxious one.

She paced back and forth in the room, occasionally picking up her phone to check reactions on social media.

Although the news of the postponement has not been made public, she can already imagine the disappointment of fans after hearing the news.

This tour meant so much to her—Kujo Renji had promised her a chance to take off her mask for one final show and regain attention and exposure. Now that opportunity looks set to be delayed, or worse, scrapped entirely.

"No...it can't end like this..."

Yutenji Wakamu murmured to himself, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

She sat down on the bed, turned on her phone, and started typing a message.

The recipient on the screen is "Xiaoxiang".

Is there anything I can do to help? Regarding the tour...what can I do to keep it on schedule?

She hesitated, then pressed send. The message showed as delivered, but was not immediately read.