After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 178

Am I really capable enough to help Mr. Yu?

This is a problem that Yawata Kairin has been thinking about since the stage accident during Ave Mujica's second performance, but hasn't been too concerned about yet.

That accident could be covered up as a chance occurrence.

However, last time, the idol named Junta Mana explained to her in front of Toyokawa Yuu the rule that team members cannot interfere with the manager's work, which exposed the so-called help she had been giving in to her desire for attention.

Yawata Kairin had to admit that this fact unsettled her.

In order to solidify her position within the band and avoid being kicked out as useless trash, she even tried to blackmail Hatsune Miku.

This feeling of having real leverage over her, as if she were truly protected, reassured her considerably.

Until... Toyokawa Yuu told himself that he had exhausted all his options and that the only person he could rely on now was himself.

But having already messed things up, do I really have that ability?

Can I really... beat Toyokawa Shoko?

Kairin Hachiman knew that she needed a teacher to teach her how to truly... work.

"this......"

She never expected that Hachiman Kairin would ask her such a realistic and materialistic question. She originally thought that the other party just wanted to send something to Toyokawa Yuu through her, or to convey some message in a subtle way.

After all, isn't that exactly what this girl in front of you is thinking?

The young girl's little thoughts could not be hidden from Ms. Nagasaki, whose daughter was already about the same age as the other girl.

As for this not hard-to-guess idea, Ms. Nagasaki didn't have much intention of interfering, and didn't even think that Toyokawa Yuu, who was favored by Yawata Kairin, was someone her daughter should stay away from.

It's perfectly normal for teenage girls to have different thoughts, especially someone like Yuu Toyokawa, who is the same age but visibly more mature than others, and with whom they spend a lot of time together due to work.

Yuu Toyokawa, who is engaged, has already proven through his actions that he is not a frivolous person.

But now there's this problem...

Ms. Nagasaki was determined to keep her business acumen a secret, but given her personality, she certainly wouldn't mind teaching this young girl a thing or two.

The principles and techniques are easy to explain, but putting them into practice requires individual ability.

But that's not something that can be explained in just a few words. I'm still waiting to enjoy the lunch my daughter brought over when she visits the set.

"...Sit down, let me explain it to you briefly first."

Ultimately, the enthusiastic Ms. Nagasaki did not directly reject the girl in front of her who seemed to have some ulterior motive and was trying hard to improve herself.

Let's talk to her briefly first. If she can really do it, we can teach her more later.

.................................................. ................

After Ms. Nagasaki left with Hachiman Kairin, Toyokawa Yuu did not recover from her previous dejected and listless state.

On the contrary, sitting in Ms. Nagasaki's office, he felt rather uneasy.

It wasn't that he disliked quiet; it was just that after learning from Ms. Nagasaki that her daughter would be returning soon, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

It felt like there was a gun pressed against my back, ready to fire at any moment. I couldn't control the exact timing, but I could clearly feel that the moment the bullet left the barrel was getting closer and closer.

What's even more agonizing is that he can't actually be sure if Ms. Nagasaki's daughter is Nagasaki Sosei, which gives him a comical feeling that the gun pressed against his back might just be a water gun.

Thinking about this, Toyokawa Yuu herself felt a sense of helplessness.

Even though he has gradually become able to make people kill him willingly, he still feels uneasy about such things.

...Well, I guess I'll just have to hide for now. It might be a bit rude to Ms. Nagasaki, who is my collaborator, but it's better than staying here and suffering.

After a brief moment of thought, Toyokawa Yuu immediately came to a conclusion and got up from the sofa.

Ignoring the two lunchboxes on the coffee table, Toyokawa Yuu strode straight toward the door, afraid that if she was late, she might be blocked there by someone she didn't want to see.

He had a premonition that could be described as excessive self-awareness, always feeling that Ms. Nagasaki's daughter's visit to the set was not a pretense, but rather a genuine attempt to get closer to him.

However, even though Toyokawa Yuu had already made up his mind and was about to take action shortly after Ms. Nagasaki left, he was still a step too late.

Before he could even grab the office doorknob and pull it open, a series of crisp knocks rang out.

Ms. Nagasaki did not lock the door when she left; the office door, which was only slightly ajar, was easily moved open with a crisp knock, and the doorknob even hit the back of Toyokawa Yuu's hand.

"Mom, where are you... huh?"

Nagasaki Sase pushed open the door and looked at the boy standing behind it, his azure eyes widening slightly in surprise.

Yuu Toyokawa was also stunned. When he saw the young girl in front of him, whose development far surpassed that of her peers, his expression turned gloomy.

After the worst-case scenario was confirmed, the agonizing anxiety in my heart disappeared, completely transforming into an unpleasant gloom.

The two stared at each other through the door, which had been pushed open halfway, and for a moment they were even speechless.

In the end, it was Nagasaki Sase, who came from the Moon Forest, who was the first to react.

"Greetings, Mr. Youyu, I never expected to meet you here."

She bowed slightly to Toyokawa Yuu, her manners, taught by Tsukimori, were indeed impeccable. Nagasaki Sōse exuded the composed demeanor of a young lady in every gesture.

"I never expected to run into you here."

Whether she genuinely didn't expect it or not was no longer important, Toyokawa Yuu responded with similar words, but her attitude was much more direct than that of the girl in front of her.

He stepped aside from the door so that the door, which was only half-opened but blocked by his toes, could be opened properly, thus giving Nagasaki Sose the opportunity to enter.

"Are you here to visit your mother on set and bring her food?"

Looking at the insulated bag that Nagasaki Sase was carrying, Toyokawa Yuu voiced her suspicions, which had already been confirmed by Ms. Nagasaki.

"It seems that Miss Nagasaki is quite lucky. If you had been any later or if Hailing hadn't come looking for us, Miss Nagasaki and I would have started our lunch soon."

Perhaps because she had already clearly expressed her dislike, Toyokawa Yuu, while not directly speaking ill of Nagasaki Sase, did not use a kind tone.

Returning to her previous seat on the sofa, Toyokawa Yuu opened one of the lunchboxes that Yawata Kairin had loosened.

He originally intended to slip away before the other party arrived, but now that the other party was here, he couldn't just slink away like that.

Yuu Toyokawa had no intention of showing weakness to the person she disliked.

"If you come to visit the set in the future, it's best to arrive as early as possible. When adults are working, their mealtimes are not as leisurely and regular as students'. They may eat earlier or later, or faster or slower than usual."

My mother will have dinner with Mr. Youyu...

Upon hearing these words, Nagasaki Sase's fingertips trembled slightly, and a complex emotion welled up in his azure eyes.

Moreover, when adults are working... Mr. Yuu is really good at giving advice.

Clutching the insulated bag tightly in his hand, Nagasaki Sase forced his fingertips to stop trembling, and put on his usual smile.

"Then it seems I'm not too late after all."

After placing the food he brought on the table, Nagasaki Sase opened the insulated bag, revealing food that was clearly much more refined than the lunchboxes in the company cafeteria.

"Although it was originally prepared for my mother, I think she wouldn't mind sharing it, given her personality... Mr. Yu, would you like to give it a try? I believe I can surpass the chef who made the meal you're holding."

Chapter 163 Frank and Indecent? (9k5)

When Nagasaki Sase opened the lunchbox she brought, revealing dishes that looked far more refined than anything in the company cafeteria, Toyokawa Yuu's expression visibly darkened.

Even his previously somewhat gloomy but generally polite attitude was hard to maintain.

The aroma, so enticing it could whet the appetite, kept wafting into Toyokawa Yuu's nostrils. It didn't feel like food in a bento box at all; it tasted more like it had just come out of the pot.

Nagasaki Sasuke was not exaggerating; her cooking skills are truly excellent.

If it were anyone else, they might feel a little embarrassed by Nagasaki Sase's gentle smile, but they would probably find it hard to refuse his invitation.

But Toyokawa Yuu... he feels a little nauseous right now.

This was not the kind of emotionally charged talk he used when he was angry with Toyokawa Shoko in the past.

Rather, it refers to a purely physiological sensation in the literal sense.

Gently biting her inner lip, Toyokawa Yuu tried her best to make her face look less unpleasant.

Stomach acid seemed to be churning, and her throat began to tremble slightly and unnaturally. Toyokawa Yuu felt a sense of long-lost repulsion towards food, a feeling she hadn't experienced before being forcibly fed by Toyokawa Shoko.

And this psychological shadow, which is most easily triggered and has caused him the most trouble, comes from the woman in front of him who seems to know nothing about everything.

Being stared at by those deep blue eyes, and especially by the almost habitual smile on the other person's lips, Toyokawa Yuu's vision became dazed for a moment.

The girl in front of me, whose development and temperament far surpassed those of her peers, seemed to have become more mature. Not only had the last trace of childishness on her face completely disappeared, but even her body, which was already more mature than that of a high school student, had developed even more perfectly.

The lunchbox in her hand seemed to turn into a teacup, and Toyokawa Yuu began to experience hallucinations. The business-like office of Ms. Nagasaki gradually overlapped with the lavishly decorated reception room of the Toyokawa family home.

Even now, Toyokawa Yuu doesn't dare to take Metis, who is controlling his body, across the rooftop. Even when he occasionally passes by the edge of the sky with Wakaba Mutsu himself, he has to use the excuse of being careful to hold the girl's wrist tightly.

And this was under the condition that his relationship with Metis was still acceptable, and that Metis still had a certain dependence on him as a friend.

But Nagasaki Sosei in front of me... he showed no intention of being friendly, and I had no desire to get along with him.

Faced with Nagasaki Sase's actions, which were almost identical to those before, Toyokawa Yuu felt only a series of discomforts, in addition to physical discomfort.

Subconsciously wanting to lower her eyes and cover her forehead, Toyokawa Yuu wanted to stop this hallucination brought on by the person involved, but she was unwilling to show that kind of weak posture in front of Nagasaki Sase. Instead, she could only stiffen her neck and forcibly stop her movements, but her eyebrows were trembling involuntarily.

"What's wrong, Mr. Youyu?"

Bathed in Toyokawa Yuu's strange gaze, Nagasaki Sase suddenly felt a little nervous.

It seems that I am being disliked even more.

Yuu Toyokawa disliked this outfit of hers, and Sase Nagasaki was not unaware of it.

Moreover, even the most obtuse person, after experiencing the other party's bluntness in [RING] last time, should understand what kind of feelings the other party has towards them.

But this sense of disgust is precisely the root of Nagasaki Sase's long-standing incomprehension.

She knew that she had never had any good intentions towards Toyokawa Yuu from the very beginning.

It was only after I learned that he was Toyokawa Shoko's sworn brother that I began to have the idea of ​​getting in touch with him, from that morning when we met by chance at [RING].

Later, he even managed to get several VIP movie tickets that should have been sold out long ago by using the other party's identity as Ave Mujica's agent.

It's only natural that someone like me, who started with such a snobbish mentality, would be rejected and disliked after being seen through.

What truly puzzled Nagasaki Sase was the sudden and unexpected change in the other party's attitude towards him.

Mingming, during those two previous meetings, when the other person handed her the concert tickets, they had that gentle smile on their face that seemed to be reserved for everyone.

But just a short time later, on the night of Ave Mujica's concert, the other party never gave him a kind look again.

Nagasaki Sōse wasn't sure whether it was his act of inviting Toyokawa Sōko out that night that aroused her disgust, or whether she had seen through his little scheme from the beginning and was just putting on a smiling face out of maturity.

But what she was certain of was that the boy in front of her, who was nominally Toyokawa Shoko's sworn brother but whose actual relationship with her was that of an engaged couple, was an obstacle she had to overcome no matter what if she wanted to reconnect with Toyokawa Shoko.

In fact, it wasn't just Toyokawa Shoko, but also Wakaba Mutsu.

The girl who, according to the teacher, had taken a long leave of absence due to health problems, was the last person I saw at [RING], next to Toyokawa Yuu.

If she wanted to see them again, she probably wouldn't be able to avoid the boy in front of her no matter what.

Even now, the two people who both work for the band Ave Mujica are very likely in this building right now, or even in a room on the same floor as you.

"...It's nothing, it's just that I feel Miss Nagasaki and her mother are really in sync. Miss Nagasaki just told me that her daughter is a very good cook, and maybe we can share it at lunch later."

That's what he said, but Toyokawa Yuu had no intention of reaching for the lunchbox that Nagasaki Sase had brought. Even he himself was a little unsure whether his words were sarcastic or flattering.

"However, even though I am a guest to Ms. Nagasaki, I am not so ignorant as to be completely without any sense of distance."

Putting down her chopsticks, Toyokawa Yuu seemed to have completely lost her appetite because of Nagasaki Sose's behavior.

"When a daughter comes to visit her mother, she prepares a meal with great care, but I start eating first. If I really did such a thing and Xiangzi found out, she would probably teach me a lesson about manners."

Almost habitually, they resorted to this excuse that couldn't really be called a lie.

Yuu Toyokawa felt that just being with Sosei Nagasaki made the passage of time feel agonizing.

He began to hope that Ms. Nagasaki would return soon, so that he could get up and say goodbye, leaving the so-called warm time of sharing lunch between mother and daughter to them, while he would first find a place to relieve his physical discomfort.

As if the excuse of being rejected merely out of courtesy reached his ears, Nagasaki Sase gently bit his lips and fell silent.

Deep within his azure pupils, a complex phosphorescence flickered, a mixture of confusion and disappointment, along with a hint of displeasure at the boy's unyielding attitude and... a touch of self-reproach.

Nagasaki Sōse didn't know how to break down the barrier that Toyokawa Yūu had built up under the guise of politeness. Even the other party's words sounded like a meaningful mockery to him.

A meal carefully prepared for mother...

These foods were indeed the result of a lot of thought and effort on my part. I genuinely wanted to make my mother, who was busy with work, happy because of my thoughtful behavior, which seemed quite considerate to others.

But one fundamental truth, like a thorn, was deeply embedded in Nagasaki Sase's heart, and the occasional stinging sensation made it impossible for her to truly deceive herself.

These things were indeed prepared for my busy mother, but my fundamental purpose in preparing them was not for my busy working mother.