Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

After a while, Lupa replied: [The manager should be in the gym on the third floor now.]

"Hey, he actually goes to the gym?"

Aiyin looked at the message in surprise and pulled Sushi, "Come on, let's go and take a look."

"Eh? Wait... isn't it too sudden to go now..."

Su Shi tried to break free from her hand, but was no match for Aine's strength, and was half-dragged and half-pulled upstairs.

"It's okay, Mr. Xingchuan won't mind!"

Although there is a gym in the office, few people come here during working hours, so it is particularly quiet.

In the spacious and bright space, there are only two people using the equipment here.

Taku Hoshikawa was sitting on a piece of training equipment, stretching his muscles in a sleeveless shirt while watching Kikuri Hiroi doing squats next to him.

After she finished her exhausting set, Hoshikawa Taku said coldly, "You can take a break, adjust your breathing, and wait until your heart rate stabilizes before doing the next set."

Hearing this, Hiroi Kikuri felt as if she had been pardoned and collapsed on the yoga mat in exhaustion.

At this moment, she was covered in sweat, lying like a defeated kitten, with her hands on her chest, gasping for breath, and her hair sticking to her face in a mess.

"I... I can't take it anymore... Why are you so inhumane and so strict with me..."

She whined in protest.

Hoshikawa Taku said expressionlessly, "When dealing with lazy people like you, we have to be strict like this, otherwise there will be no training effect at all."

Takuya Hoshikawa tried to let Kikuri Hiroi stay here alone to work out, but as soon as he left, this guy started to slack off.

If it wasn't for Taku Hoshikawa taking out the gym video, this guy would still be stubborn and continue to "pull" with him.

There was no other way, so Takuya Hoshikawa had to practice with her. When he didn't have time, he asked Lupa to supervise her practice, to ensure that she had at least one hour of exercise time every day.

"Hiroi, your practice is paying off. At first, you couldn't even run for ten minutes. Now, can you last twenty minutes?"

Hoshikawa Taku encouraged, "Come on, if you keep practicing, you might even get a six-pack. Then you can show off to Eliza, Shima, and the others."

"That makes sense. I want to show off to them. I want them to envy my good figure!"

Hiroi Kikuri is also easy to coax, but her fighting spirit is rekindled after a little provocation from Hoshikawa Taku.

Hiroi is not stupid and she realizes that fitness is for her own good. She just lacks willpower and needs someone to force her to exercise.

However, what "motivates" her more is actually something else.

"Hey, Xingchuan, it's been another week. Can we two indulge ourselves tonight?"

Hiroi Kiuri winked at Hoshikawa Taku and hinted.

Hiroi Kikuri has now "tasted the marrow and gotten used to it". Rather than the slightly tipsy feeling brought by beer, she now wants the pleasure of having her body filled up and the relaxation after being exhausted.

If she hadn't thought about this, she would never have been able to follow Taku Hoshikawa and train here obediently.

"It depends on your attitude. If you behave well, it's not impossible..."

As Hoshikawa Taku was speaking, the door of the gym was suddenly pushed open from the outside with a "click".

"Excuse me~"

Aine poked her head in and greeted the two with a smile, "Mr. Hoshikawa, Mr. Hiroi, I see you're really here."

Hoshikawa Taku turned his head slightly and saw Aine and Suyo walking into the gym.

He glanced at Guangjing, signaling her to keep her mouth shut and not talk nonsense, then smiled and waved at the two of them.

"Come here, is there anything you want to talk to me about?"

"It's still about Su Shi and Xiang Zi..."

Aiyin grabbed Sushi's hand and pulled her over, encouraging her, "Don't be afraid, just tell Mr. Xingchuan about your concerns, he will help you!"

Just as Sushi was about to speak, Hoshikawa Taku suddenly glanced at Hiroi Kikuri, who was beside her like a curious baby ready to eat a melon, and said calmly, "Hiroi, it's time to rest. Go do three sets of squats."

"Eh!? You should at least wait until I finish eating the melon!"

"Don't be lazy. If you don't want to do it, then go outside and rest. Don't think about eating melons."

"Ahhh, Hoshikawa, you devil!"

Amid Hiroi's wailing, she reluctantly got up and started doing squats.

Although she wanted to rest, her curiosity made her want to eat more melons.

"One, two... uh... you must not be human, Xingchuan..."

She repeated the movements tremblingly, cursing under her breath.

Xingchuan Taku ignored her chatter, but stood aside and looked at Su Shi, his tone calm: "Tell me, what's going on?"

Su Shi hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "During rehearsals, I couldn't let go of Xiangzi's concerns, and problems kept occurring. My technique was clearly fine, but we just couldn't coordinate well. Xiangzi, Taoxiang, and the others were getting a little annoyed, and some even felt that I wasn't suitable to be in a team with them..."

"Did you try your best?"

Su Shi nodded seriously: "Well, I really have tried my best, but I just hesitated subconsciously and couldn't cooperate with them..."

"That's it..."

Xingchuan Taku stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "In that case, let's change people, and you don't need to practice anymore."

"……Eh?"

Su Shi raised his head, looking surprised.

Hoshikawa Taku said calmly, "Since you can't practice with Xiangzi, there's no need to force it. A band should rehearse in an orderly and unified manner, not to accommodate each other."

"If you can't do it, I'll bring in another bassist."

Chapter 272 I am willing to “work for a fee”!

When Aine heard that Hoshikawa Taku was going to change his bassist, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Eh? Wait... Mr. Hoshikawa, you're not really going to replace me, are you?!"

"Of course I'm serious. I've already given her a chance, but she failed the test."

Hoshikawa Taku's expression was very formal, without any hint of joking.

"This performance is very important for Youci Wuci. They will be facing off against their old enemy. I won't give such a crucial role as bassist to someone with a grudge."

He spoke calmly, but Su Shi froze in place, his face pale.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but couldn't even utter a word to defend herself.

She knew that Xingchuan was right.

She certainly didn't impress everyone with her performance, she really...didn't do well enough.

At this moment, Hiroi Kikuri, who was squatting nearby, suddenly stopped.

Sweat was dripping from her forehead and her breathing was rapid, but she raised her hand excitedly and shouted:

"Hishikawa, the temporary 'bassist' you're looking for... isn't that me? You want me to perform with those girls, Youpi and Wupi? Sure! I only need to practice for a few days before I can go on stage!"

Xingchuan Taku turned his head and glanced at her, then said calmly: "You think too much, the person I'm looking for is not you."

"Your personality is too strong. If you go on stage, your sharp edge, whether thorny or not, will be covered up. You have worked with Momoka before, so you should be aware of this."

That’s right…

Hiroi was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that it was because his performance was too outstanding that they were replaced by Lupa and the others.

Hoshikawa Taku paused, then said mercilessly, "Also, finish your squats first before you talk. Don't even think about slacking off."

"Wuwuwu devil..."

Hiroi started squatting again with a sad face.

It may seem like Taku Hoshikawa is being unkind, but this guy only made sixty or seventy at most.

This guy can obviously do one or two hundred in one breath when the woman is on top, but now he can't bear it after only dozens. It's obvious that he is deliberately being lazy.

Are you planning to make up for it tonight in bed?

When Hoshikawa Taku thought of this, he couldn't help but reveal a slightly troubled expression, but Aine thought that Hoshikawa Taku had made up his mind to "abandon" Su Shi.

She hurried forward, hugged Xingchuan Taku's arm, and begged anxiously:

"Mr. Xingchuan, please give Su Shi another chance. Today is only the first day. Maybe they will get used to each other after a while!"

"Maybe, but neither I nor anyone else has that much time to get used to each other."

Aiyin persisted and pressed her whole face against him: “Mr. Hoshikawa, please~!”

Hoshikawa Taku's brows twitched slightly, and looking at her big watery eyes and the way she was trying so hard to act coquettishly, he finally sighed softly and spoke in a slightly slower tone.

"How about this? Let Su Shi continue to rehearse with them today. If her performance is still poor, I'll find another bassist tomorrow and have her compete with Su Shi for the position... This should be fine now, right?"

Aine could tell that Hoshikawa Taku had already made a lot of concessions and couldn't ask for more.

"Mr. Hoshikawa, you're the best!"

Aine happily gave Hoshikawa Taku a tight hug.

Hoshikawa Taku did not stop Aine's affectionate behavior, and even touched her head with a smile.

How should I put it? I enjoyed being hugged mentally, but physically I didn't feel much softness or comfort...

Seeing this scene, Hiroi Kikuri couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.

What's going on? How could little Aine be so close to Hoshikawa Taku?

Could it be that...she wants to be her love rival?

……

For the next half day, Nagasaki Suyo returned to the practice room and continued to rehearse "With Thorns and Without Thorns".

She tried her best to focus on every beat and every melody. However, no matter how hard she tried to cater to and integrate into the overall rhythm, that subtle "disharmony" still followed her like a shadow.

Although this deviation is tiny, it is stuck in the bite of the entire performance like a sawtooth.

I tried to adjust it several times, but all ended in failure.

Even though Momoka, Nina, and even Xiangzi stopped accusing her, the increasingly awkward silence in the practice room still poured into her heart like ice water.

Su Shi lowered his eyes silently, feeling like an unnecessary piece of a puzzle, unable to find his place in this band.

And Taku Hoshikawa did not give her more opportunities. During the practice time the next day, Taku Hoshikawa brought a replacement bassist as promised.

Accompanied by the crisp rhythm of "ta, ta" of high-heeled boots tapping on the floor, a short-haired girl wearing a black leather jacket walked in.

She is tall and has brisk steps. Her black skirt outlines her curvy figure, and she exudes a rebellious air as if she had just walked down the stage.

She stood in front of the "Thornless" crowd and nodded slightly to them.

"I'm Hachiman Kairei, the supporting bassist for this performance... Long time no see, everyone."

Kairei Hachiman once served as the backup bassist for Momoka and her friends at a music festival. The collaboration was very pleasant and left a deep impression on everyone.

"Ms. Hachiman, long time no see!"

Taoxiang smiled and took the lead in stepping forward to shake hands with the other party. "I'm sorry to bother you this time as well."

Jinna's eyes sparkled with joy and unconcealable excitement, and she immediately added, "We were thinking of you as the backup bassist from the beginning. It's great to have the opportunity to work together again!"

After she said this, she realized that Su Shi was standing next to her. Her tone suddenly paused, and she secretly turned her head to glance at the other person, looking a little uneasy.

Su Shi's face was slightly stiff, but she tried hard to force a smile, but the smile was somewhat forced.

Xiangzi looked at Su Shi thoughtfully, then at Hachiman Kailing, without saying a word, his expression as calm as ever.

It's like she doesn't care who is the bassist between the two of them.

"I heard from Mr. Xingchuan that this is a competitive job, right?"

Hachiman Kailing glanced sideways at Nagasaki Suyo beside her, raised her eyebrows slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes.

But she didn't say anything, just raised her hand to unbutton her jacket and put Beth on her back, "Then let's get started quickly."

She exuded a calm confidence, and Su Shi, standing beside her, felt a slight chill in her body.

That didn't come from the air conditioning in the room, but from the undoubted "strong aura" of Hachiman.

However, Su Shi had no intention of backing down.