Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

He turned and walked towards the hotel, leaving Shoko Toyokawa confused in the space of consciousness.

On the way back to the hotel, Kujo Renji's thoughts kept returning to the conversation just now.

He felt an indescribable sense of loss and ridicule - not towards Shoko Toyokawa, but towards himself.

Even though he knew that she could not possibly understand the true meaning of that "story", he still held on to a glimmer of hope, hoping to find a true listener, someone who could understand him.

But this is simply impossible. Shoko Toyokawa grew up in a warm and comfortable environment. Despite experiencing setbacks and betrayals, her underlying understanding and values ​​remain pure and beautiful. She cannot comprehend the situation of those who resort to any means necessary to survive, nor can she understand the difficulties and choices faced by those struggling in the dark.

She could never understand that some people became "monsters" because the world never gave them the chance to become "human".

Kujo Renji suppressed these thoughts and smiled.

——Forget it, when did I become so pretentious?

He never had to confide in anyone.

.

The lighting in the hotel lobby is warm and soft, contrasting sharply with the cold sea breeze outside.

Kujo Renji walked into the elevator, pressed the floor button, and watched the numbers rise little by little.

"The story just now..." It was not until this time that Miss Toyokawa Shoko realized that something was wrong.

She spoke again, her tone hesitant. "Did it really happen?"

Kujo Renji smiled and said, "It's just a story."

Toyokawa Shoko seemed to want to say something, but eventually fell silent.

The elevator arrived at the floor, and Kujo Renji walked out of the elevator and walked towards the room. The moment he opened the door, he saw his figure in the mirror - long blue hair, amber eyes, delicate face, everything was completely different from what he remembered.

But what was in those eyes in the mirror, something deep and indescribable, was incredibly familiar.

........

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains onto the bed, waking Kujo Renji from his dream. He had already put last night's conversation behind him. Today was a new day, and he had to focus on the upcoming performance in Tokyo.

"Did you...sleep well last night?" Shoko Toyokawa's voice sounded hesitantly in the space of consciousness.

Jiujo Renji raised an eyebrow, surprised by her sudden concern: "I slept well, thank you for your concern, why did you suddenly think of asking how are you this morning?"

Toyokawa Shoko immediately became defensive. "I'm just worried that your condition will affect today's schedule! After all, we still have to rush to Tokyo. If you're not in good spirits..."

Kujo Renji chuckled, not wanting to expose her thoughts: "Don't worry, I'm in good shape. We will do better at Tokyo Station."

The sun rose fully, and a new day officially began. The success of Yokohama Station was already in the past, and the stages of Tokyo and Osaka were waiting for them to conquer.

As for the loneliness and darkness that no one understands? That is just an illusion of the night, which disappears with the arrival of dawn.

At least, that's the case now.

Hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa breathed a sigh of relief.

She hesitated a little and didn't say what she was going to say.

This bastard who occupied her body might be more complicated and have a deeper side than she thought.

It's just that he doesn't seem willing to show this side of himself to anyone, including her.

This realization gave her a strange curiosity, an urge to learn more about Kujo.

It wasn't to find his weakness, nor to take back control of his body, but simply to know who he was and what had happened in his past.

But perhaps only time can give answers to these questions.

Now, the success of Yokohama Station is still fermenting, the stage in Tokyo is already waiting, and Ave Mujica's journey has just begun.

Everything is still growing.

...

The train slowly left Yokohama Station, and the five members of Ave mujica each found a seat and put their luggage away.

The success of the first tour made everyone happy, but the long performances and celebrations also brought fatigue.

Kujo Renji sat by the window, her blue twintails swaying slightly with the slight swaying of the train.

Outside the car window, Yokohama's cityscape gradually receded, the outlines of high-rise buildings and the bay gradually blurred, and finally disappeared from sight.

"I'm so tired~" Sanjiao Chuhua stretched lazily, his short golden hair shining in the sun: "But I'm so happy!"

Hachiman Hailing sat opposite her, silently flipping through her phone.

Kujo Renji stared at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window.

The train entered a tunnel and the windows turned into dark mirrors.

In just a few brief seconds, Kujo Renji caught an unusual detail - at the back of the carriage, a man wearing a mask and a baseball cap seemed to have inadvertently glanced at them a few more times.

"Is someone following me?" Kujo Renji thought to himself, but on the surface he showed no signs of anything unusual.

The train pulled out of the tunnel, and sunlight streamed into the carriage once again. Kujo Renji pretended to fix his hair, his peripheral vision glancing in that direction once more.

The man was looking down at his phone with a natural posture, but Kujo Renji noticed that the camera of his phone was pointing in their direction.

"Xiaoxiang, what's wrong?" Sanjiao Chuhua keenly noticed that he was distracted.

Jiujo Renji smiled easily:

"Nothing much, just thinking about the content of the performance in Tokyo. We can make some small adjustments based on the audience's reaction last night."

This answer successfully diverted everyone's attention, and the band members immediately started a heated discussion.

However, Kujo Renji's attention was divided into two parts - one part was participating in the discussion, and the other part was continuing to monitor the suspicious man.

"Is he just an ordinary paparazzi? Or does he have other purposes?" Kujo Renji thought to himself.

As an emerging band, it was not surprising that they were being noticed by the media, but his years of experience told him that this "stalker" was a little unusual.

The train continued to head towards Tokyo, and the scenery outside the window kept changing, but Kujo Renji was certain - the man was definitely monitoring them, and his method was quite professional.

Tokyo Station was bustling with people, and the five members of Ave mujica were dragging their luggage across the crowded platform.

Kujo Renji walked at the end, making sure no one was left behind while constantly observing the surrounding environment.

The suspicious man was still following behind. If Kujo Renji had not trained similar personnel before, he might not have noticed him.

Sankaku Hatsuka's tone was filled with reluctance: "It feels so bad. I've been in Yokohama for a long time, but after coming back, it still feels like it went by in a flash."

——Maybe this is why happy times are always short-lived?

Hachiman Kailing nodded slightly in agreement.

Of course, what makes Chuhua of Sanjiao even more reluctant is that he will have to separate from Xiaoxiang again.

As if sensing the other party's thoughts, Jiujo Renji pondered for a moment and suddenly spoke:

"We can go to the rehearsal room first. Make sure the equipment is ready and discuss the final adjustments for the Tokyo station."

Ruo Ye Mu raised her head slightly, a hint of doubt flashed in her golden eyes, but she did not speak.

Sanjiao Chuhua clapped his hands excitedly: "Great! Stay a little longer!"

The decision was made, and the five of them changed direction and headed towards the rehearsal room.

Kujo Renji walked at the end of the team, looking around seemingly casually, but he already had a plan in mind.

Walking out of the station, the Tokyo sun shines directly down and the streets are bustling with people.

Kujo Renji watched his companions' relaxed and happy backs, his eyes gradually becoming sharper. The stalker was still not far behind, like a patient hunter.

"Everyone."

Jiujo Renji suddenly spoke:

"It just occurred to me that the equipment we ordered may have already arrived. Let's split up—you four go to the rehearsal room first, and I'll go get the equipment. We'll be back soon."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Sanjiao Chuhua suggested enthusiastically.

Jiujo Renji smiled and shook his head: "No, you guys go get ready first, I'll be there soon."

After parting, Kujo Renji did not immediately turn to the so-called "equipment store", but continued walking along the street for a while, and then suddenly turned into a sparsely populated alley.

As he expected, the follower followed in, and at this moment, Kujo Renji moved.

He turned with incredible speed and covered the distance between him and his pursuer in just a few steps.

Before the other party could react, Kujo Renji had already grabbed the other's wrist, and at the same time, with lightning speed, he grabbed the other's throat with his other hand and pressed him to the ground.

"Who sent you?"

Kujo Renji's voice suddenly became icy cold, completely different from the previously gentle "Toyokawa Shoko".

The man's eyes widened in horror, obviously not expecting that a seemingly petite high school girl could have such amazing strength and speed.

He struggled in vain, but Kujo Renji's hands were like steel and did not move at all.

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about-” the man stammered, horror written all over his face.

Jiujo Liansi sneered and slightly increased the strength in his hands:

"Followed me from Yokohama to Tokyo. Do you think I'm blind? I'll ask you one last time. Who sent you here?"

The man's face began to turn pale, and beads of sweat slid down his forehead: "I... I just took a job... taking some photos..."

"Who gave you this job?" Kujo Renji pressed.

"It's... a man named Tsuda... Tsuda Seiichi." The man finally confessed, his voice trembling. "He said that if I just took some pictures, especially... especially pictures of you... and gave them to him, I'll just have to do it."

Tsuda Seiichi.

Kujo Renji narrowed his eyes. "Where is Tsuda Seiichi now? Why does he want my photo?"

"I really don't know about this!" the man explained anxiously, "He just paid me to follow him and take pictures, without telling me why! I'm just a small-time photographer, taking on some private work!"

Kujo Renji examined the man's expression to confirm that he was not lying.

But the alarm bells in his heart were ringing louder and louder. What did Tsuda Seiichi's move mean? Was Ishikawa Shun behind it? Or was it Tsuda's own idea?

"Give me the phone."

Kujo Renji ordered.

The man handed over his cell phone tremblingly, and Kujo Renji took it with one hand and skillfully flipped through the photo gallery.

Sure enough, there were a lot of photos inside, all of which were members of Ave Mujica, especially close-ups of "Toyokawa Shoko." He deleted all the photos and then found a contact marked "Tsuda" in the address book.

"Interesting..." Kujo Renji memorized the number and threw the phone back to the man.

"Is it the person from last time?" Toyokawa Shoko's voice sounded in his mind, with obvious worry.

"Ah."

"Then what should we do?" Toyokawa Shoko sounded a little worried.

Kujo Renji was silent for a while, and finally sighed.

"Since he wants to see me so much, I'll satisfy him."

He hadn't originally planned to connect this line so early.

But since the other party has come to us on his own initiative... we can only move the meeting forward.

...

PS: Alas, the later I sleep, the later I update.

This chapter costs 8,500 yuan. I'll just take a day off today. Sorry.

Chapter 57: Ishikawa Shunya, come over here and see me!

Ryuichi Yamamoto is working on documents in the study of his high-rise apartment in Tokyo's Shinjuku district.

It was late at night, and the neon lights outside the window shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled colors on the floor.

There was only ice and a little amber liquid left in the whiskey on the table, and next to it was a stack of contracts that needed to be signed.

Just as he was considering whether to end his work for the day, his cell phone suddenly vibrated.

The name displayed on the screen made his heart beat faster.

——Shoko Toyokawa

Yamamoto Ryuichi quickly put down the pen in his hand and adjusted his collar, as if the other party could see him through the phone.