My daily life is getting weird because I am caught between being in a band and being an idol.

"Eh?... Ah, actually I just wanted to ask on behalf of everyone, they're all very uneasy..."

At this moment, Aine looked around and her gaze fell on Kotone.

Xiangzi noticed that Aiyin was hesitant, so he immediately went to Qinyin's side and said softly.

"Ms. Fujita, come with me to talk to me about something."

"Ah? Okay, okay..."

Qinyin was led outside the shop by Xiangzi, and the door was closed.

Chaoyang looked at Aiyin and sighed.

"Say whatever you want, I'll try my best to be completely open and honest."

"Everyone was scared after seeing Kotone-san's PV... Is the agency planning to give up on us...? We can accept not being the main character... People who just signed with the company already have PVs, while we..."

Ai Yin only said half of what he meant, but the meaning was already clear.

"Haa..."

Chaoyang covered her head, realizing that they were unaware of how terrifying public opinion could be.

"Now that things haven't gotten out of hand, if you start publicizing it now and it's revealed that the previous incident was spread through social media, are you sure you can handle the pressure?"

I know this is very unfair to you, but I still hope you can be patient. I know you haven't really done anything wrong; you were ordered by the agency. But outsiders won't see it that way; they'll just think you're a bunch of despicable idols... Practice hard during this time. There will be a concert this month, and most of the people signed by the agency will be there, including some of them. This is your chance to clear your name, so... Aine...

"Hey?"

"Can you calm everyone down in Pastel* for me?"

"Um...producer...can I trust you?"

"You shouldn't ask me that; you should ask yourself."

Ai Yin took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

"I...I understand. Without your help, I probably would have collapsed...Actually, I heard about it from people at the school...You called me that day pretending to be a school staff member...I'm very grateful to you...But may I ask why you did that?"

"You might not believe it... but I didn't really think about it; by the time I came to my senses, I had already done it."

"..."

Huh? What's this? Does it mean he likes me? Is this a roundabout way of confessing? Is it love at first sight?

At this point, Ai Yin was unable to think straight.

Her face was already flushed with embarrassment.

"I...I understand... Anyway, thank you very much...I'll tell everyone what the producer said...I guess I don't know the producer very well, so...I'm sorry!!!"

He wouldn't have actually bought this company just for me, would he? But I'm only a first-year high school student...

At this point, Aine ran out.

Chaoyang scratched his head, still not understanding what was going on. This time, Aine's imagination was too much and too subtle, so Chaoyang didn't understand the real meaning.

"What is this child saying?"

. .

Practice room.

"...What will happen to us?"

Yamato Maya muttered to herself.

"Hmm~~ Whatever you want, ah~ Aya-chan, if the band really disbands, how about we form a band together? I'd like to observe you more."

"Sigh... I don't know whether I should be happy or not, but Hina-chan really appreciates your invitation~~"

at this time.

The practice room door was pushed open.

"Everyone! I have good news~~"

Aiyin ran back and excitedly addressed the remaining three people in the practice room.

"Nani, nani~ Tell me quickly~"

. .

late at night.

At this moment, Qin Yin had already left.

Only Xiangzi was left.

"Then I'll take my leave now."

Xiangzi bowed to the rising sun in front of the shop before turning and leaving.

"Be careful on the road... Call me if anything happens, and I'll come right away!"

Chaoyang could sense that Xiangzi had made a decision, and that her statement about moving out was not just a way to appease him.

I'm a little worried, what if her father isn't willing to let her go...? Should I go check on her? ...That seems a bit too disgusting...

Just as Chaoyang was pondering whether to secretly follow, Xiangzi, who had only taken a few steps, turned around and faced Chaoyang with a noble yet vulnerable demeanor that Chaoyang had never seen before, and smiled as he spoke.

"Goodnight, store manager... And don't worry, see you tomorrow."

"OK, good night."

Hearing this, Chaoyang also felt that he could trust Xiangzi.

After watching Xiangzi's figure disappear from his sight, Chaoyang also embarked on his journey home.

40 minute later.

Xiangzi returned to her dilapidated apartment, gently pushing open the door. The room was a mess; the floor, which had just been cleaned yesterday, was covered in a layer of dust again. She took off her shoes and stepped onto the cold floor. The only sound in the room was the noisy television.

My father was still slumped in front of the television, surrounded by cheap beer cans and liquor bottles, the air thick with the smell of alcohol and sweat.

"Father... I have something I'd like to report to you..."

Xiangzi stood at the door, his voice calm but trembling slightly.

"Spit it out! You worthless piece of trash!"

The man snorted impatiently, not even turning his head, as if her existence meant nothing to him.

Xiangzi took a deep breath and said calmly.

"I'm moving out."

"Hmph, finally decided to leave?"

The father sneered, his words full of sarcasm.

"Yes, so please take good care of yourself from now on... I will transfer the money to your account every month."

"Ha, that little bit of money isn't even enough to buy a few bottles of wine! Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

Her father's tone grew increasingly harsh, as if he was deliberately trying to provoke her.

Xiangzi remained calm: "Whether you use it or not is your choice... Goodbye, I'll be waiting for you at the Toyokawa family mansion next time we meet."

"You? Dream on. Let's talk about it while you're still alive."

He sneered, not even glancing at her.

Goodnight, I'm leaving tonight.

After Xiangzi finished speaking, he turned around, walked back to the entrance, put on his shoes, opened the door, and resolutely left the suffocating place.

The door slowly closed, and the room fell into darkness again.

The television screen flickered on the father's face. He lowered his head, picked up an empty beer can, and drank it down as if there was still some beer left. In the dim light of the television, you could see his tears silently streaming down his face.

"Finally gone...? Finally given up on this good-for-nothing...?"

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of pain and loneliness.

After a long while, the sound of a man in pain finally came from inside the room.

Meanwhile, in the apartment corridor... Xiangzi hadn't actually left.

She leaned tightly against the door, and could hear her father wailing inside the room.

Biting her lip and clenching her fists, she finally left the dilapidated apartment building with unwavering resolve.

And he made up his mind that he would never live in such a place again in his life.

Chapter 67: Preparing troops and training horses to await the opportune moment for battle.

The next day had arrived. Xiangzi had spent the day in an internet cafe when she received a message from Chaoyang early in the morning, saying he would help her find an apartment.

Because Chaoyang District considered that Xiangzi was a minor, and legally, minors need their guardian's permission to formally rent a house.

Therefore, if you want to rent a house for Xiangzi, you should look for a place where the landlord rents directly to you without signing a contract and with a verbal agreement.

Of course, the risk is that the landlord may break the contract and evict the tenant at any time.

As it happened, Chaoyang also knew this method.

After returning home last night, Chaoyang searched for a long time on the Japanese Chinese website Xiaochun.com and finally found a place to rent in a place called Kanamecho near Ikebukuro. The landlord was naturally Chinese, and looked to be in his thirties. Chaoyang guessed that he probably had spare money in China and came to Japan to buy a house for investment immigration. When Chaoyang brought Xiangzi, who was wearing a JK school uniform, to her, the landlord was quite surprised. After all, usually it was poor international students who came to her, but this time someone had brought a JK to check in.

"Uh, is this your sister?"

"no......"

"Japanese?"

"Correct."

"Wow, that's awesome! You're planning to keep a mistress? That's illegal, don't get caught."

Since the entire conversation was in Chinese, Xiangzi naturally couldn't understand it. However, seeing the other person's eyes constantly glancing at him and their furtive conversation, it was clear that they weren't saying anything nice, and he was probably being misunderstood.

However, Xiangzi was too lazy to explain. If she had to admit it, she did have a problem. She hadn't acted in a proper manner, so it was normal for her to be misunderstood.

"Aren't you talking too much nonsense? Are you going to rent it or not...?"

Chaoyang was actually getting a little impatient, and it wasn't that he had to find this particular company.

"Rent, rent, rent. Hey, no, I just want to get a little information. Don't rush me. If any neighbors ask, don't say you're renting. Just say you're my friend and I'm lending you the house for a while so you can watch it for me. Although probably no one will ask."

Since it's currently the off-season for rentals, this Chinese man seems to value this business very much.

"I understand, thank you."

After a brief thank you, Chaoyang signed the contract for the house in his own name and paid in cash.

You can move in the same day with just your belongings.

"Toyokawa, is this place alright?"

"...I have no objection."

This is actually an old apartment, but it's much better than before. At least it's an apartment that a normal family can live in. It's less than a 10-minute walk to Kanamecho Station, only one stop from Ikebukuro, and very close to her school. The apartment isn't big, about 30 square meters. Of course, since there's no shared area in Japan, 30 square meters is considered quite large for one person.

Upon entering, you'll find the living room/kitchen, with separate bathrooms and showers. There are two Japanese-style rooms, and the layout consists of three rooms arranged in a straight line.

"Dude, just give me 18, 9 for rent and 9 for deposit. The Japanese office worker next door is a bit eccentric; he likes to call the police at the slightest noise. So please keep it down."

"Okay. I'll transfer the money to you via mobile banking. Please tell me the branch numbers of your bank..."

While Chaoyang and the landlord were transferring money, Xiangzi looked around his new place.

I'll be living here from now on.

After a silent sigh, Xiangzi picked up his phone and started buying furniture, instantly conceiving the layout in his mind.

When she came out of the inner room, the entrance hall had already quieted down. Chaoyang handed the key she had just received to Xiangzi.

"I didn't expect you to speak Chinese."

Xiangzi took the key and said something indifferently.

"Yes, I took it as a second foreign language in college."

Of course, Chaoyang was actually talking nonsense.

"So you actually went to university?"

"How rude of me, of course I have."