Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

Ijichi Hoshige was also a little curious. She asked Hiroi to sit here for a while, and she went to call Hoshikawa Taku to ask what was going on.

After receiving the call, Xingchuan Taku chuckled after hearing Xingge's question.

"As expected, when Guangjing had nowhere to go, she would run to you, a senior, for help. It seems that you mean a lot to her."

"Did I ask you that?"

Xingge snorted softly, with a hint of helplessness in her tone, "What's going on between you and Shima? Did you really sign Shima?"

"No, the person I want to sign is actually Hiroi Kikuri. This is a strategy that Shima and I have agreed on - Shima will not accept any performances for the time being and will decline any cooperation invitations, just to put Hiroi in a difficult situation with no money on hand."

"When she's borrowed money from everyone around her and finds she has nowhere else to go, she'll naturally realize that signing a contract with me is the only way out."

After learning the reason, Xingge shook his head speechlessly.

"You two are a bit too treacherous, actually teaming up to act out a trick to deceive her. However... I'm surprised that Shima is willing to cooperate with you, considering she's usually the one who dotes on Kikuri the most."

"Because this is also for Kikuri's own good. If we don't take care of her, she'll really be relying on freeloaders until she's thirty. She's currently relying on the kindness of her friends to survive. If we don't guide her back on the right track, in the end even her friends will avoid her."

Hoshikawa Taku smiled, then said in a slightly serious tone, "Since she ran to your place, it's just right. Help me add fuel to the fire and stimulate her a little more."

Xingge thought for a moment and felt that this was also a good thing for Hiroi Kikuri, so he nodded and agreed.

After conspiring to come up with a good explanation, she hung up the phone, deliberately showing a look of embarrassment, and slowly sat back next to Guangjing. As if she was choosing her words, she spoke softly:

"Hiroi... I just asked, actually... Shima has already signed a contract with Hoshikawa."

“Eh—? Ehhhh!?”

Hiroi's eyes widened like bells, and his voice rose half an octave, "Don't tease me! Didn't Shima say she was still considering it?"

"She's 'still considering', that's right, but she's actually almost done talking to Xingchuan, it's just that the contract hasn't been officially signed yet."

Xingge tried to explain in a calm tone, "Hishikawa tailored a debut plan for her. If she goes solo, she'll have a chance to go further. Shima has been thinking about this, which is why she hasn't been involved in group activities for the time being."

Hiroi stared at her blankly, his mouth slightly open, as if he had lost the ability to speak.

After a while, she asked in a hoarse voice: "Why didn't she tell me... I thought we agreed to go on together..."

Her shoulders slumped like a deflated balloon.

Xingge deliberately slowed down her speech and softly advised, "She wants to go with you, too. The reason she hasn't signed yet is because of you. But the problem is... if you choose to stay put, Shima's patience will run out. She can't always be your babysitter."

"……is that so?"

Hiroi raised his head, his eyes full of hesitation and confusion, "Am I a burden to Shima?"

Looking at Guangjing, Xingge couldn't bear it, but still nodded.

"Technically... yes."

Ichichi Xingge didn't lie about this.

Whether it is Shima or Eliza, their abilities are enough to support them to go further.

But in order to take care of Hiroi Kikuri, they indulged her willfulness, and the band was in this "can't go up, can't go down" position - it was more professional and famous than amateur bands, but the income was far less than that of professional bands.

It's a miracle that their band has persisted for so long without any conflicts while not making any money.

"It's my fault that I delayed Shima..."

After a long silence, Hiroi suddenly stood up and was about to leave.

"Where are you going?"

Xingge asked.

"I'm going to talk to Eliza about this. If Shima really wants better development, then I absolutely cannot become an obstacle for her."

She turned around and forced a smile, which was uglier than crying.

"As a friend...I should wish her to go further, right?"

Watching Guangjing leave in a daze, Xingge leaned back in her chair and couldn't help but pinch her brows.

For a moment, she almost wanted to tell Hiroi the truth, but finally held back.

If Hiroi is really stimulated by this and changes his current bad habits, it would not be a bad thing.

For seriously ill patients, strong medicines are needed.

……

In the evening, Hiroi Kikuri stood in front of the familiar door and gently rang the doorbell.

She came to Eliza's house at about the same time yesterday.

A few seconds later, the door opened with a "click" and Eliza stood at the door wearing a loose T-shirt and baggy pajamas, looking like a stay-at-home girl.

She looked at Hiroi standing there with a complicated expression on his face and suddenly laughed.

"Kiri, you don't have money to eat again? Come in and wait for a while. I'm still watching anime and will cook later."

Having said that, she turned around and walked into the house, as if it was natural for her to wait for Hiroi to catch up.

But after a few steps, she turned around and found that Hiroi was still standing at the door, not moving at all.

"Why don't you come in? You're not embarrassed, are you? I really welcome you to come and have a free meal."

Eliza quipped with a smile.

"It's not about eating for free, actually... I have something I want to talk to you about."

Hiroi lowered his head, his voice muffled.

"Come in and talk about it."

Hiroi nodded, put on his slippers and walked into Eliza's house.

Her house still looks familiar, filled with figurines, models, comics and old CDs. Most of the money Eliza earns is spent on her hobbies.

However, Hiroi soon discovered something strange - the piles of doujinshi that Eliza had just printed that were piled up like a mountain in the corner had completely disappeared after just one day.

She couldn't help but ask, "Eliza, where are all your doujinshi? Why are they all gone?"

Eliza poured herself a glass of water and said nonchalantly, "Ah... that's what happened. Mr. Xingchuan moved it away."

"what?"

Hiroi didn't react for a moment, "Who are you talking about?"

"Mr. Hoshikawa."

Eliza said with a smile, as if she was talking about something very ordinary. "There's a comic convention tomorrow. Mr. Hoshikawa helped me get a booth. He's already loaded the magazines into the car. I'll go with him to set up the booth at the comic convention tomorrow."

"When did you two become so close?"

Hiroi asked in surprise, his tone unconsciously becoming a little nervous.

"I talked a lot with Mr. Hoshikawa when we borrowed the office for practice."

Eliza said as she sat back on the sofa, picked up a cushion, and said happily, "You know, Mr. Hoshikawa likes animation just like me. We have a lot in common and talked a lot!"

Eliza said excitedly, noticing Hiroi's subtle expression, and quickly explained:

"Don't get me wrong, I don't have that kind of feelings for Mr. Xingchuan. We're just like fellow enthusiasts with common topics, like drinking buddies!"

Here are the pictures, which can be viewed after the updated version.

Chapter 225: I am the only ghost.

I didn't expect that even Eliza realized her feelings for Hoshikawa Taku...

Is my disguise so bad?!

Hiroi blushed a little, but she knew that was not what she came here to talk about.

She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and finally said, "I didn't come here for these things... I wanted to discuss something with you about Shima."

Eliza raised her head while hugging the cushion and tilted her head: "What's wrong with Shima?"

"She...she's considering signing with Hoshikawa Taku's agency and leaving our band to pursue a solo career."

Hiroi's voice was very soft, as if every word he uttered was so heavy. "I don't know whether I should let her go, so I want to hear your opinion."

"As a bandmate, I don't really want her to leave, but as a friend, I hope she can have a better development..."

Before Hiroi could finish his words, Eliza's eyes lit up as if she had just remembered something, and she slapped her thigh: "Ah! That's right, Mr. Xingchuan also mentioned this to me!"

"He said he wanted to collaborate with an animation company to launch a 2.5-dimensional girl band project. The animation company would produce a storyline animation related to the band, and he would select some real people to play these characters in real life, form a band, and hold concerts."

"He said that as a British nerd who came to Tokyo to form a band because she loves anime, I have a unique personality and would be a perfect fit for this band project, so he strongly invited me to join!"

Guangjing raised his head suddenly, and nervousness instantly appeared in his eyes: "...You agreed?"

"Neither agreed nor refused."

Eliza said cheerfully, "I was planning to talk to you about this, but I didn't expect Shima to want to join, so I have no worries. Maybe the two of us can reunite in that band and sing anime songs together!"

"…What about me?"

Hiroi heard his voice tighten, as if something was about to slip away from him.

Eliza looked at her, her expression softening. She said seriously, "Of course you can join us. Don't you like Mr. Hoshikawa? Then you should come. This way you can get closer to him."

She saw Hiroi's resistance, paused, and then said sympathetically, "But...even if you don't want to go, we are still friends."

"Can we still form a band together?"

Hiroi asked, almost pleadingly.

"That should be possible, right? Mr. Hoshikawa didn't say no."

Eliza tried to comfort her, "It's just... if Shima and I both join the agency, we'll have more work to do, and I might not be able to spend as much time with you as before. So you have to take good care of yourself, and don't drink every day."

Hiroi suddenly felt that the world in front of him became unfamiliar.

She nodded, said goodbye, thanked him, and then walked out the door like a wandering soul.

She doesn't remember how she got home.

Originally, she wanted to tell Eliza that even if Shima went solo, they could still continue to form a small band. As long as the two of them were still there, they had nothing to fear.

However, Eliza also has other ideas and may want to leave.

Hiroi suddenly realized that, just like their band's famous song "I'm the Only Ghost", it seemed as if she was the only one left.

The night wind blew in through the window, causing Guangjing to sit on the edge of the bed in a daze for a long time.

She didn't drink, and rarely did she touch a drop. She just stared at the ceiling in a daze, her mind in a mess.

She is not a fool.

She knew that all this was pressure from Taku Hoshikawa - Shima, Eliza, one by one "naturally" transferred to his company, except for her.

He wanted to use emotions, friendship, loneliness, and even dreams to trap her in circles.

She understood this, but she couldn't help but be shaken.

Because she was also afraid - afraid that she would really be left alone.

She was afraid that Eliza and Shima would shine brightly on the stage in the future, while she would be like an old bass left behind, lying in a dusty corner.

However, Hiroi didn't want to join Hoshikawa Taku's agency like this. If she really joined like this, she would feel like she had lost.

She doesn't know what the definition of winning or losing is.

Is it the direction of career choice? Is it the emotional initiative? Is it the opportunity to stand on the stage?

Or... self-esteem?

Although I don’t know where I lost, I just lost.

Hiroi knew that she was competing with herself, but she just didn't want to join in so naturally.

Maybe... this is an opportunity.

Does that mean I won't be able to survive if I leave Eliza and Hiroi?

Can't I live as an independent person, uprightly, without relying on anyone?

Hiroi did not drink that night. She just sat in the corner of the room, curled up under a dim light, looking at the wall quietly, and carefully examining her life.

Then on the next day, she came to the [Stars] exhibition hall again.

"Sister Xingge, are you still short of people? I want to work here."