After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 190

Unlike the blond guitarist she mentored, who looked exceptionally refined but secretly caused one problem after another.

Unfortunately, the personnel composition of Ave Mujica is not under her control. Whether adding or removing people is the right of Toyokawa Shoko. Otherwise, Toyokawa Yuu would really like to bring this person in as well, so that those troublesome girls can see what an industry role model is.

However, if he did that, Sumimi's manager would probably kill him.

It would have been better if this idol hadn't acted so suspiciously.

Although her thoughts were somewhat scattered, it did not hinder Toyokawa Yuu's work.

"Is Ms. Lena here? I need to speak with her about something."

"It's about the show tomorrow, right? Lena takes it very seriously, so she specifically asked me to take the next two days off from school to practice and prepare more."

Junta Mana narrowed her eyes, stepped aside from standing behind the office door, and invited Toyokawa Yuu in.

Strangely, Sumimi was the only person in the entire office; the idol group's manager was nowhere to be seen.

"However, Sister Lena just went out and probably won't be back until the afternoon. If Mr. Youyu has anything urgent, I can call her now."

"No, it's just routine coordination before the joint appearance. It's nothing urgent, otherwise I would have called her myself."

Yuu Toyokawa was somewhat surprised that the person she was looking for wasn't there.

However, since that agent isn't here...

Turning her gaze to Junta Mana beside her, Toyokawa Yuu noticed that the popular idol had already sat back down on the sofa, holding a small booklet in her hands.

If Toyokawa Yuu is not mistaken, then it seems to be the plan for this joint appearance at the event.

"However, it's one thing that Ms. Lena isn't here, but why don't I see Dolor... no, why don't I see Chu Hua?"

Yuu Toyokawa casually sat down on another sofa, seemingly having no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Looking around, Yuu Toyokawa seemed puzzled as to why she didn't see another member of Sumimi.

Since Sumimi's manager attaches so much importance to this event, there is no reason to only call on Mana Junta while ignoring the other guitarist.

"Lena originally planned to invite Xiao Chu over as well, but after I persuaded her, she gave up the idea. After all, Xiao Chu has to take care of two bands at the same time, so if it's not necessary, we should try not to take up her time at school anymore."

Picking up the booklet she had placed on the coffee table, Junda Mana squinted, using the top half of the paper to cover the bottom half of her face, a sly smile playing on her brown eyes.

"However, Mr. Youyu should know that Xiaochu is not in the company, right? Her attendance record is also sent to you."

Although she pointed out Yuu Toyokawa's intention to deliberately find a topic of conversation, Mana Junda's lively tone did not feel offensive.

"Given Mr. Youyu's work ethic, the fact that he specifically sought me out for a chat suggests that he might have something he wants to discuss with me."

"When I came to the company today, I saw Ms. Hachiman Kairin rushing upstairs. Does Mr. Yuu want me to persuade her to go back to school like last time?"

With a bright, almost blinding smile, Junta Mana immediately guessed half of Toyokawa Yuu's thoughts, leaving him feeling somewhat powerless.

This girl, who is actually around the same age as me, knows too much about the workplace of a talent agency.

It's not just about the operational system, but also about the way these agents conduct themselves.

This kind of social behavior, which breaks through normal politeness but is just right so as not to offend people, made Toyokawa Yuu narrow her eyes slightly.

He suddenly felt uneasy. Junta Mana's sense of propriety was too good, so good that he suspected she had done some research beforehand.

Combined with the occasional unusual behavior the other person had displayed in front of her in the past, Toyokawa Yuu was convinced that the other person was hiding a secret.

Even though this popular idol was hiding a secret, there were some things that Yuu Toyokawa could only ask him to do in private.

Of course, he was also prepared to be bitten back.

"If possible, I would also like to ask Mana to help me persuade Hailin not to let the band's affairs interfere with her duties as a student. However, I am deliberately making conversation with Mana today, not for her sake."

Yuu Toyokawa openly admitted that she did have something to discuss with Mana Junta. Since her thoughts had already been noticed, stubbornly denying it would only make it harder for them to communicate.

His relationship with Junta Mana hasn't reached the point where he would stubbornly persist even knowing what he's doing.

"Mana, can I ask you for a favor? It would be a favor to Hatsuka."

When her highly valued partner was brought into the conversation by the boy in front of her, Junda Mana's originally sly smile faded, and a hint of seriousness appeared on her face.

If her partner needs help, she will certainly do so without hesitation.

However, as her good friend who personally brought her into the industry and then spent a year with her becoming an industry legend, Junda Mana has recently not found anything about her partner that requires her help.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that in the areas where she truly needed help, I was actually completely unable to get involved.

Her brown eyes were somewhat dim, but Junda Mana maintained her smile, waiting for Toyokawa Yuu to continue.

She was also curious about what it was that required her help from the band manager, who, in some ways, even knew her bandmates better than she did herself.

"It's a little embarrassing to say, but Chu Hua seems to have been bullied in my band."

Bullying...

When this concept came out of Toyokawa Yuu's mouth, the atmosphere in the entire Sumimi office froze instantly, and even Junda Mana's smile froze.

"Are you telling the truth?"

A serious expression appeared on the face of this popular idol, and his original smile had vanished.

Workplace bullying is not uncommon in the idol industry; in fact, it has become so common that it has evolved into an unspoken rule.

It's not hard to imagine that one's partner, being the only one in the band with two full-time jobs, would receive some strange looks.

But... it's truly a reversal of the Heavenly Stems!

Given Sumimi's current popularity and status in the industry, if they were really going to do something immoral, they'd be lucky if they didn't bully others. How could a rookie band like that be allowed to do such a thing to their partner?

Although she was a little angry, Junda Mana did not lose her temper.

She knew that since Toyokawa Yuu used this reason to talk to her, it was either because the matter had become critical, like a bomb with a lit fuse that could explode at any moment, and she had no choice but to seek outside help.

Or perhaps this matter is just, as he said, a preliminary sign, a way for him to communicate with me in advance.

“Mr. Yuyu, may I ask if I may ask, in Ave Mujica, who has a rather strained relationship with Xiaochu? I understand that as a woman and also as a superior, you don’t have a good perspective on this kind of matter. I might actually be able to help.”

"Unfortunately, I don't know who has a conflict with Chu Hua."

However, to Junda Mana's surprise, when faced with such a perfectly reasonable question, Toyokawa Yuu, who had taken the initiative to approach her, shook her head, indicating that she knew nothing about the details.

“I also find it strange. The atmosphere within the band is quite harmonious. When we went to Ms. Nagasaki’s place for filming on the weekend, there was nothing disharmonious. But I would occasionally see Hatsuka looking at the others with a forlorn expression. She also became more and more cautious in her interactions with people.”

As she recounted all the "suspicious points" she had discovered to the popular idol before her, a strange glint flashed in Toyokawa Yuu's eyes.

Was Hatsune Miku bullied in Ave Mujica?

In a broad sense, there is no doubt about it.

From the moment Hachiman Kairin learned of her identity, she was already under someone else's control.

Even in the future that Toyokawa Yuu knows, she will be used and then abandoned by Hachiman Kairin because of this, and eventually leave for a distant land.

To put it bluntly, this goes beyond workplace bullying; Hachiman Kairin is practically Hatsune Miku's downfall.

But similarly, at least for now, these things haven't happened, and not even these signs have appeared.

Yuu Toyokawa specifically told Mana Junta about these things that haven't actually happened yet, of course, in order to... find some answers that haven't been found yet.

He knew that Hachiman Kairin knew Hatsune's identity, but he didn't know from whom that identity had been leaked.

He knew that there must be some secret hidden behind Junda Mana, and that it was related to Hatsune Miku, but he didn't know exactly what it was.

However, there is one thing that Yuu Toyokawa is certain of: once these two know what the other has done, they will definitely have a conflict because of Hatsune Miku. All Yuu Toyokawa needs to do is provide a bridge to connect this conflict, and then wait for them to reveal their true colors.

Yuu Toyokawa was certain that this act of using one wolf to devour another would be effective, but doing so also made him feel... disgusted.

Through this, he might be able to truly seize on Hachiman Kairin's weakness, find the source of Hatsune Miku's leaked identity, and uncover the secrets hidden by Junda Mana...

But... as Ave Mujica's manager, he actually wants to bring in outsiders to deal with his own team members.

Just thinking about this makes Toyokawa Yuu feel disgusted with herself for neglecting her duties.

Strange, when did I start caring about this band?

But they couldn't do nothing. Ave Mujica couldn't be maintained by subjective factors like a harmonious atmosphere anymore. With resources being targeted and members consistently absent for long periods, as the manager, they had to find a way to break the deadlock.

Not only do they need to solve the problem of Wakaba Mutsu not being able to return, but they also need to ensure that the band has the resources to survive in the short term.

Leaving the former aside, the quickest way to deal with the latter right now is to take advantage of the popular idol group Sumimi, so we need to find a way to drag Mana Junda into this mess.

So... how disgusting. He approached Junta Mana just to exploit her value, and what did he take her so-called friendship for?

This feeling of approaching someone only to take advantage of them reminded Toyokawa Yuu of someone he disliked intensely.

"I see. Because Xiao Chu seems to be in a bad mood, Mr. Youyu suspects that she is being bullied in the band and hopes to find a solution through me, is that right?"

Junda Mana touched her chin with her finger, a thoughtful look on her face, the seriousness and solemnity she had shown earlier had vanished.

She didn't think that Toyokawa Yuu was lying to her; there was no value in deceiving someone about something that could be easily verified.

On the contrary, Junda Mana is even somewhat happy now, feeling delighted that Toyokawa Yuu came to her specifically to bring up this matter.

I had previously asked Yuu Toyokawa to take good care of my partner, and this manager seems to have really taken it to heart.

Regardless of whether the other party considered their own band's interests, it doesn't change the fact that he was indeed making efforts to protect his partner.

“Mr. Yu, thank you for telling me all this. I think... we might really be able to become friends.”

With her hands clasped together, Junda Mana's smile returned to its usual lively state.

"So, let me do you a favor... You took that rhythm guitarist from Ave Mujica out today, right? I just saw her downstairs, sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree with her guitar, glancing in the direction of your office every now and then."

Mana Junda lowered her voice, placing the back of her hand to her lips, feigning mystery.

"I actually have a way... to sneak her in."

Junda Mana's words caused Toyokawa Yuu's eyes to widen in disbelief.

It wasn't that Junda Mana said she had a way to bring Wakaba Mutsumi into the company, but rather...

He didn't take Wakaba Mutsu out at all today.

Chapter 174 Ms. Minami, you've broken the rules!

The morning sun was quite bright, and the temperature, which was not yet noon, did not feel too hot.

Ruoye Mu sat on a bench by the roadside, holding her guitar in her arms, her golden eyes occasionally looking up at the tall buildings not far away.

More accurately, it means looking at a specific room on a specific floor.

From this angle, she could see part of the room's layout through the window, whose curtains were already drawn.

If you could still make out the ceiling of that room and some of the decorations inside.

That was her workplace, Ave Mujica's office, which she hadn't been able to set foot in for almost a week.

If nothing unexpected happens, the boy who just finished breakfast and said goodbye to her not long ago is now sitting behind his desk, working hard, in a blind spot where she can't see him.

[Mu, let me out for a moment. Can we see Mr. Yu from this angle...? Hmm, I can't. I can only see the ceiling and the air conditioner...]

The voice of another self in my mind seemed particularly active today, urging me to temporarily relinquish control of my body to her.

Ever since Toyokawa Yuu took her out for a day yesterday, Metis has been in a pretty good mood. Even when she returned the body to him that night, she didn't feel the reluctance she usually does.

Although Ruoye Mu felt somewhat conflicted about this, she did not criticize it.

She wouldn't think that Toyokawa Yuu was being biased towards Metis because of this. She had participated in yesterday's outing, which was just the two of them without Xiang. Ruoye Mu wouldn't distance herself from the event just because it was Metis's way of being affectionate.

It's just... a bit too noisy.

Ruo Yemu isn't the type to enjoy crowds, but these past two days, her mind has been almost constantly occupied with thoughts other than sleeping.

Stop fooling around, Metis, we'll wait here.

I glanced down at my phone; it was just past eight o'clock, almost four hours before our usual lunchtime.

Carefully putting away her only cell phone, Ruoye Mu raised her gaze again to Ave Mujica's office.

Ruoye Mutsu didn't tell anyone about her coming here, not even Toyokawa Yuu.

Ruoye Mutsu did not want Toyokawa Yuu to have her original work schedule disrupted because of her.

The boy had already wasted another day of the weekend trying to appease Metis, and I couldn't continue to hold him back.

Continuing to cater to and indulge yourself like this will only make the already difficult job even more troublesome.

Moreover, there's no particular reason why she's here.

No one asked her to do this; she simply wanted to come here to wait.

Even Metis, who has recently become increasingly fond of contradicting her, chose to wholeheartedly support this proposal.

Anyway, even if I don't come here to wait, I can only stay at home obediently, standing by the window and looking out at the street.