Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

As a self-media master, Miss Youtiansi has a lot of experience in how to take a good photo, and she arranged everyone's positions.

"Hai Ling stands on the left, Chu Hua, you stand in the middle slightly to the left, Mu and Xiao Xiang..."

"Come on, everyone, come closer."

The girl adjusted the angle of the selfie stick while giving instructions.

"Xiao Mu, come forward a little."

Sanjiao Chuhua tugged at Ruoye Mu's hand and asked her to stand in the front row:

“This is our common commemoration.”

Wakaba Mu nodded reluctantly, but when Kujo Renji's hand gently rested on her shoulder, her body stiffened noticeably.

"don’t worry."

Jiujo Renji said softly:

"We are the only ones here."

These words seemed to work. Ruo Yemu's shoulders gradually relaxed, and the tension in his golden eyes also eased a little.

"Okay, are you ready? Smile." Yutenji Wakamu raised the selfie stick and gently pressed the shutter button with his finger, "3, 2, 1..."

Just as the shutter was about to be pressed, Yutenji Wakami staggered forward. Her movement was too hasty and she accidentally stepped on Hachiman Kailing's foot.

Hachiman Kailing's body leaned forward unconsciously and bumped into Sankaku Hatsuka.

Sankaku Hatsuka subconsciously grabbed Wakaba Mutsu's shoulders to support himself, while Wakaba Mutsu retreated in panic and bumped into Toyokawa Shoko's chest.

In this chaotic moment, the shutter was pressed.

"Click"

A picture froze on the phone screen: Yutenji Wakamu's face was blurred and full of panic; Hachiman Kailing's expression was also a little surprised, and her body leaned forward. Sankaku Hatsuka supported Wakaba Mu's shoulders. The latter's golden eyes were wide open, and his long light green hair fluttered in the air; and 'Toyokawa Shoko' was the only one of the five who looked elegant. Although his body also leaned back slightly, his amber eyes still looked at the camera, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Ah! The photo is bad!" Yutenji Wakamu shouted in frustration as he looked at the photo on the screen.

"I think it's pretty good." Sanjiao Chuhua came over to take a look and couldn't help laughing: "It feels very lifelike."

Hachiman Kailing also took a look and nodded silently: "It's better than the staged photos."

Ruoye Mu stood aside, silent.

"Just this one."

After seeing this, Kujo Renji couldn't help but laugh.

Yutenji Wakamu looked at the photo on his phone and sighed: "Okay, let's keep this one."

"I'll post the photos in the group so everyone can save them."

She suggested while operating her phone:

"Would you like another one?"

"Click"

The second photo captures a more harmonious side of Ave mujica - the five girls stand in front of the night view of Yokohama, with flashing lights and the sparkling sea behind them. Everyone's expression is relaxed and natural, as close as real friends.

The five of them stood by the sea for a while, enjoying the rare moment of peace after the successful performance.

The sea breeze blows gently, carrying a salty taste.

Just then, Kujo Renji's phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and saw that the sender was "Yamamoto Ryuichi," so he opened the message and checked it.

"Ms. Toyokawa, thank you for this opportunity. The NEO STARS incident was handled very smoothly and was completed according to your expectations. I must say that this cooperation has benefited me greatly. Xinghui Entertainment urgently needs financial support after this crisis, and I have acquired 10% of their shares through a third-party company at a 40% discount to the market price. In addition, several of their exclusive venue contracts in the Yokohama area have been transferred to my name. I am truly grateful for your trust and support. I will certainly value our cooperation even more in the future and be at your service at any time."

Kujo Renji understood what was going on. Yamamoto Ryuichi hadn't wasted this opportunity, and had profited handsomely from the NEO STARS incident. He'd capitalized on Star Entertainment's crisis, acquiring shares at a low price and simultaneously seizing control of their Yokohama venues—a sophisticated and effective tactic.

In the entertainment industry, venue resources, performance schedules and even exclusive agreements with venues are extremely valuable intangible assets.

Now that these resources have fallen into Yamamoto Ryuichi's hands, it means that his influence in the Yokohama area will be greatly enhanced.

All this is undoubtedly a big blow to the Toyokawa Hidehiko faction of the Toyokawa Group.

Not bad, good dog.

Jiujo Renji commented in his mind and replied with a short message:

"Well done, looking forward to our next collaboration."

He looked up and found that the others were still immersed in the atmosphere and had not noticed his brief distraction at all.

"It's getting late."

Jiujo Liansi's voice was gentle:

"We should go back."

Although the excitement had not yet subsided, these words were immediately responded to by others.

...

After arranging for a few people to return to the hotel, Kujo Renji took a deep breath, turned and walked towards the beach.

The night in Yokohama is accompanied by a cool sea breeze. The Ferris wheel in the distance is slowly rotating in the night, and the colorful lights are reflected on the sea, like a huge dream.

Kujo Renji walked alone on the seaside trail, her long blue hair fluttering gently in the sea breeze.

The surrounding scenery was both familiar and unfamiliar - he had once been extremely familiar with every inch of land here, but those were memories from his previous life, many years ago.

Yokohama...is one of the places where he made his fortune and is also an important base of Kujo Fudo Co., Ltd.

He had walked this seaside promenade countless times; the towering building in the distance once had an office on one floor; the now-closed high-end restaurant on the right was once his favorite place for negotiations and meetings.

The cool sea breeze blew across my face, bringing a hint of saltiness and evoking many memories that I didn't want to recall.

Kujo Renji stopped in front of a bench and sat down gently.

The sound of the waves in the distance was like some distant sigh, resonating wonderfully with his inner emotions.

"You look... off."

Shoko Toyokawa's voice suddenly rang out in the space of consciousness, with a rare hint of hesitation.

Kujo Renji was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Toyokawa Shoko to take the initiative to speak.

"It's just a little emotional."

He responded, his gaze still fixed on the flickering lights in the distance.

"what's on your mind?"

Toyokawa Shoko pressed on, with a strange persistence in her voice.

"Is it... because of me? Or something else?"

Kujo Renji could feel the inner conflict of Toyokawa Shoko - she seemed to be looking for a reasonable excuse for her concern and a tenable reason for her behavior.

"Ms. Toyokawa, are you concerned about me?" he asked with a smile.

The response was a silence.

To Kujo Renji's surprise, Toyokawa Shoko did not deny it.

"You can understand it that way."

As soon as she said this, she seemed to be worried that Kujo Renji would misunderstand her, so Toyokawa Shoko quickly added

"After all...after all, you helped me a lot today."

There was a hint of artificial indifference in her tone.

"So it's... reasonable for me to pay attention to your emotions."

Kujo Renji couldn't help but chuckle. He found this tsundere behavior a little funny, but also a little cute.

"The scenery here reminds me of something." He finally spoke, his voice low and calm, "Some... stories from the past."

"What?" Shoko Toyokawa's curiosity was obviously aroused.

Kujo Renji was silent for a moment, suddenly feeling the good of having someone to confide in. For so long, he'd been accustomed to shouldering everything alone, accustomed to burying all his thoughts deep within. But tonight, perhaps it was the lingering aftertaste of the performance, or perhaps it was the familiar yet unfamiliar Yokohama nightscape that gave him a strange urge to confide.

"Have you heard the story of 'The King in the Black Tower'?" Jiujo Liansi asked softly, looking at the sea in the distance.

"No." Toyokawa Shoko answered honestly.

"Then let me tell you. This is a fairy tale I heard by chance."

Jiujo Liansi's voice became ethereal, as if it came from far away.

"Once upon a time, there was a child from the slums. Every day he could see a tall black tower rising on a distant mountaintop. People said that atop the tower lived a king with supreme power, who could overlook the entire world and control the fate of everyone."

"This child made a vow since he was young that one day he would climb that tower and become a king overlooking all living beings."

Jiujo Renji paused, the sea breeze ruffling his hair, and he continued:

"To achieve this goal, he began the long climb. He was smart enough to know that brute force alone would not get him to the top."

"His first companion was another child from the slums. They agreed to climb to the top of the tower together and share the throne. With each other's strength, they overcame the first few difficulties of the Black Tower."

"As they continued to climb, they met more like-minded partners—a craftsman proficient in mechanisms, a learned scholar, an agile hunter, and an eloquent merchant. Each with their own strengths, this team climbed together, moving forward step by step."

Jiujo Renji's eyes grew deep, and his voice was filled with subtle emotional fluctuations:

"During the long climb, they endured countless hardships. Sometimes there were traps within the tower, sometimes there was a lack of food and water, and sometimes there were disputes and suspicions among the team members. But every time, they persevered and continued to climb."

"That child—now grown into a young man full of wisdom and strength—became the leader of the team. He always made the best decisions in critical moments and always pointed the way forward when his companions were lost. They trusted him and followed him, heading towards the top of the Black Tower together."

Jiujo Renji's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the bench, the rhythm slow and steady:

"He exploited everything he could—his connections, relationships, even people's weaknesses and desires. He calculated every aspect meticulously, never leaving himself any chance of failure. Of course, he didn't consider his companions 'his own people,' but rather tools."

"He thought he had considered every possible betrayal and danger."

"Finally, on a stormy night, they reached the last floor of the Black Tower. The door to the top of the tower was right in front of them. It was said that there was a power there that could grant any wish."

"As long as they push open that door, everything they obtained during their attack on the Black Tower will become real. The last floor is also the hardest to climb. Some people have already wanted to leave, but he didn't care."

Kujo Renji's voice dropped to a whisper.

"He overestimated his own prestige and underestimated the egos of his 'tools'. Just as he was about to push open the door, a tremendous force pushed him from behind. Before he could turn around, he was pushed off the edge of the Black Tower."

"At the moment of falling, time seemed to stretch. He tried to see who had pushed him, but saw only a vague outline in the darkness. It could have been his first companion, the craftsman, the scholar, the hunter, or the merchant. Even more terrifying, perhaps it was all of them who pushed him together."

"He once thought he knew every one of his companions, their motives and ambitions. But at that moment, he realized that he had never really understood anyone, not even the childhood friend who set out with him in the beginning."

Jiujo Renji was silent for a while, then said softly:

"Just when he thought he was going to be smashed to pieces, he found himself landing on a soft grass."

After Kujo Renji finished speaking, he smiled and asked, "What do you think of this story?"

"Huh? It's a little different from what I thought? Why didn't he die from the fall?" Toyokawa Shoko was a little confused.

Hearing this, Jiujo Renji fell silent. He asked speechlessly, "Why do you want him to fall to his death?"

Toyokawa Shoko's tone was somewhat matter-of-fact.

"This person is a pure egoist. If he wasn't so selfish, if he didn't only think about stepping on others to climb up, he wouldn't have ended up like this."

"Wouldn't it be more fitting for a fable if someone like this fell to their death in the end?"

When Kujo Renji heard this answer, he was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

He shook his head, stood up, put his hands in his pockets, and looked at the sea in the distance.

"It seems we have different understandings of this story."

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice: "But it is true, it's just a fairy tale after all."

Kujo Renji laughed a little out of anger. He had thought that Toyokawa Shoko might be able to hear some hints in this "story" and understand the meaning behind his words, but he obviously overestimated the insight and empathy of this young lady.

Obviously, Toyokawa Shoko also noticed Kujo Renji's silence.

"If you're worried about the NEO STARS..."

Toyokawa Shoko hesitated. "Although I don't approve of such extreme measures, at least the result is good, right? They took our place first. This is just... retribution."

There was a hint of tentativeness in her tone, as if she was looking for a morally tenable explanation for Kujo Renji's behavior, a reason that would not let her conscience condemn her.

Jiujo Renji just shook his head slightly, deciding not to have any more conversations with this brainless young lady. He stood up and glanced at his watch: "It's getting late, I should go back."

"Wait, our conversation isn't over yet..." Toyokawa Shoko protested somewhat dissatisfiedly.

"It's over." Kujo Renji's tone turned funny: "The story is over, there is no more content."