After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 165

If she could also persuade her mother, Minami Mori, to betray the Toyokawa family just as she had betrayed Hatsune Toyokawa, then the matter would almost certainly succeed, with a success rate even greater than Chihaya Aine herself had anticipated.

As the other half of Toyokawa Shoko, after Toyokawa Yuu stopped leaving the house, Wakaba Mutsu took over managing the family business for Toyokawa Shoko. While he wasn't exactly all-powerful in the family business, he still held a significant position.

(5)(2)(6)(6)(5)(2)(2)(5)(1)

After all, although Toyokawa Sadaharu and Toyokawa Kiyoko were either ousted or stepped down, they still left behind a lot of influence in the Toyokawa family's businesses that were not composed of members of the Toyokawa family. These "outsiders" in the eyes of the Toyokawa family were also their true core group.

Previously, the person in charge of controlling these powers was Yuu Toyokawa, but after Yuu Toyokawa was confined to her home, these people were taken over by Mortis.

She doesn't have the surname Toyokawa, and she's not exactly an outsider in the Toyokawa family. In a sense, she's perfectly suited for this position, even more so than Toyokawa Yuu.

While Wakaba Mutsumi and Mortis may not be able to stand up to everyone right now, if Toyokawa Yuu is willing to completely relinquish power as the head of the family, she does have a chance to leverage that power.

Mortis is currently only devastated by the news of Yuu Toyokawa's suicide pact. If she were to find out that Yuu Toyokawa is alive and has taken action again... Hachiman Kairin is really unsure whether she could compete with her head-on.

Power, ability, background, distance from Toyokawa Yuu, even the identity of being half of a deceased wife...

Hachiman Kairin has always been a confident person, but she has to admit that Wakaba Mutsumi and Mortis are better than her in every aspect.

Bringing her back into the game after she became withdrawn from the shock of Toyokawa Yuu's suicide pact was indeed much more effective than Nagasaki Sase.

However, because of his past betrayal of Toyokawa Hatsune Miku, neither Wakaba Mutsumi nor Mortis liked him, so he had to take the initiative to find her...

Since it concerns Yuu Toyokawa, they will definitely do their best.

Similarly, they would never give themselves any chance.

If you're willing to watch Youyu die like this, then I guess I misjudged you. I thought you were the same kind of person as Youyu.

Chihaya Aine's slightly indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone.

In Hachiman Kairin's ears, she seemed to still be maintaining the same attitude towards Toyokawa Yuu over the years, only unable to let go of the memories of their youth, so in the end she still chose to help.

He remembered me for ten years, and you waited for her for ten years. He would give up committing suicide because it was the guitar that Hatsune Miku sent there, but you... perhaps, you really can't compare to Mumi and Mortis. I'll find a way to contact them myself.

The comparison was made in a flat tone, but to Hachiman Kairin, it sounded like mockery and boasting.

"You don't need to provoke me like this. I'll do anything to keep Youyu alive, even if it means handing him over to someone else. I'll just keep waiting... I've already waited this long, so I'm not afraid to wait another ten years."

Her grip on the phone tightened unconsciously, and Hachiman Kairin whispered as if trying to convince herself, but worry still welled up in her eyes.

Can I really... bear to wait another ten years?

More than anything else, I'm worried about something else...

Ignoring Hachiman Kairin's seemingly self-pitying whispers, Chihaya Aine had no answer to the question either, nor did she want to waste her energy thinking about such things at this time.

As long as Yu-Yu can return to a safe life, then I'll have nothing to do with this past anymore... right?

All those tangled and tumultuous experiences of the past, in the face of life, should be let go.

only......

[Yuyu, does he really want to live?]

How long can the face of a deceased wife, who has already resolved to die for her, hold any effect on his relationship with Toyokawa Shoko?

Even Chihaya Aine doesn't know whether her current actions of "saving Toyokawa Yuu" are right or wrong.

If Chihaya Aine had known that Toyokawa Yuu planned to commit suicide with his deceased wife at the funeral, she might not have been sure she would have given her guitar to Hatsune Miku to take with her.

After calming down from the initial panic, perhaps it would have been a better choice to silently wish those two people well as they journeyed together to the ends of the earth outside the fire.

She'd had enough of trampling on other people's feelings, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

"Don't say things like that again, Aine..."

The question she least wanted to think about was so easily revealed by Chihaya Aine, and Hachiman Kairin's voice trembled slightly.

She felt that Yuu Toyokawa must want to live, otherwise why would she contact her again, why would she help Mutsu Wakaba get her guitar back? It couldn't just be that she wanted to fulfill the last little wish of her old friends before she left.

If that's really the case... then Toyokawa Yuu is being far too cruel to herself.

After giving yourself a sliver of hope to quench your thirst, are you about to throw yourself back into the desert of despair?

“He will want to live, I will make him want to live, he must live… I’m going to find Mortis.”

Realizing her inappropriate remarks, Hachiman Kairin took a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat.

Before I go, I'll tell Soyo that you've convinced me and that she should wait for me at home.

Chihaya Aine on the other end of the phone spoke with a hint of self-deprecation, it was unclear whether she was teasing Hachiman Kairin or mocking herself for becoming less and less like herself.

You probably don't have the good habit of being honest, trustworthy, and never lying.

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

"Lord Youyu, please take your time."

Carefully helping Yuu Toyokawa off the bed, Hatsune Toyokawa looked at the man whose body was still trembling and who coughed occasionally, her purple eyes filled with worry.

Compared to himself, who had just rushed into the fire and was immediately driven out by a combination of persuasion and expulsion, Toyokawa Yuu, who deliberately set herself on fire to commit suicide for love, clearly suffered more severe damage.

Not only did his voice become hoarse, but he would also occasionally cough up small amounts of black blood.

It's likely that it's not just the surface burns; even if Toyokawa Yuu's trachea and internal organs haven't been completely destroyed, they are probably already overwhelmed.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't be staying here at all in this situation. From a rehabilitation perspective, Nagasaki Sase should have taken Toyokawa Yuu directly to the hospital.

Leaving behind only a first-aid kit and then just walking away is really...

Completely ignoring the objective fact that Toyokawa Yuu's current identity is something that cannot be seen in the light of day, Toyokawa Hatsune took out the medicine prepared by Nagasaki Sousei from the medicine box while silently complaining in her heart.

He poured a cup of hot water, held the cup against his cheek to test the temperature, and then brought the cup, along with the medicine, to Toyokawa Yuu, who was suppressing a cough.

"Take some medicine first, Lady Yuu. It will at least make you feel better. Once Soyo brings Aine over, they should be able to take us away."

Carefully offering advice, Toyokawa Hatsune stood beside the bed, her eyes lowered.

Twenty-four hours ago, she was leisurely catching up on her unfinished studies in Switzerland, living a life that was not luxurious but certainly affluent, with the support of the Toyokawa family.

Less than half an hour ago, she also had the option to leave this small house and return to the Toyokawa family to become a puppet in place of Toyokawa Yuu.

Although it is estimated that he will be forced to step down soon, he will no longer be targeted after he has lost his threat and usefulness, and it is highly likely that he will return to his previous life.

But now, she still chose to give up what could have been easily obtained, but Toyokawa Hatsune preferred to believe that the abundance that was rightfully hers was rightfully hers, and squeezed into this small house with Toyokawa Yuu.

It's wonderful to be able to stand with Lady Youyu through thick and thin. If Xiaoxiang could see from heaven that I've never abandoned Lady Youyu and that I'm no longer just watching from behind like before, he would surely be pleased.

"These medicines were brought by Soyo, weren't they...?"

She neither accepted the water cup that Toyokawa Hatsune offered her nor reached for the medicine.

I still remember the scene when I first woke up, when Nagasaki Sase came in carrying a medical kit.

I'm taking the medicine Nagasaki Sase gave me...

Toyokawa Yuu was at a loss for words. She should have wanted to die, not be so resistant to this kind of thing... if Nagasaki Sase still poisoned her this time.

"Come on, let's go out."

With great effort, Toyokawa Yuu managed to stand up and walked to the wardrobe, opening the cabinet she knew so well.

This place is indeed well preserved, but unlike Yawata Kairin's Ave Mujica office, where she immediately replaced it with an identical item as soon as it showed any signs of aging.

Sase Nagasaki seems to prefer simple cleaning and maintenance when it comes to preserving this place; most of the things here are still from ten years ago...including her own old clothes.

She picked out a set of clothes from the closet that were obviously a few sizes too small and looked rather awkward, and put them on. The clothes that Toyokawa Yuu originally wore to the funeral were covered in ash and could not be worn for the time being.

"Go out? Lady Yuu, it would be very dangerous for you to go out now..."

Upon hearing Yuu Toyokawa's plan, Hatsune Toyokawa's eyes widened immediately.

She had just seen the news broadcast on the screen of a distant building through the window: Toyokawa Yuu had been declared dead by the Toyokawa family as having committed suicide for love, and the Toyokawa family would definitely do their best to make this news a reality.

She couldn't understand how Toyokawa Yuu, who had just seemed to have regained her spirits, could have such suicidal thoughts.

The Yuu Toyokawa that Hatsune Toyokawa knew was not the kind of person who hesitated and wavered at all.

"Staying here is just waiting to die. Before they figure out how to divide the spoils, and before anyone takes the lead, there's still a chance in broad daylight."

Forcing herself to fasten the already tight clothes, Toyokawa Yuu brushed off Toyokawa Hatsune with a correct but useless remark.

He knew, of course, that leaving this place would be dangerous, but staying here would soon become unsafe as well. At least he didn't want Toyokawa Hatsune to walk down a dead end with him... He didn't think that this golden retriever, who still had Xiangzi on his mind, was qualified to die with him.

If even Ye Mu can't enjoy such treatment, why should she get it?

As for Toyokawa Yuu himself... even after being rescued from the fire, he had no intention of continuing to live a life of ignominy.

If Toyokawa Hatsune is unwilling to take action, does that mean I have no other options?

Her body, already ravaged once when she attempted suicide by self-immolation in the funeral hall, suffered severe burns not only on the surface but also continued to experience a tearing pain in her chest.

Even if she could survive, Toyokawa Yuu would not want to live a miserable life with such a body.

He's died so many times, and he's never experienced true success. Now he has to live with this illness for the rest of his life... If he could even endure this, he wouldn't have been so stubborn all this time.

only......

Turning her head to glance at Toyokawa Hatsune, who seemed to have been persuaded by her, Toyokawa Yuu felt a strange sense of anticipation.

He didn't intend to run away with Toyokawa Hatsune; on the contrary, he planned to send this loyal golden retriever back to be a puppet, a caged canary.

After causing so much trouble for myself, it's time for me to get my revenge.

For this blonde beauty, who was immersed in self-satisfaction and was even fanatical about death, as long as she could give everything for Toyokawa Shoko, there could be no better punishment than watching helplessly as everything happened.

I just... didn't want to see her self-absorbed expression, reveling in her sacrifices and tragedy.

Anyway, she wasn't really doing it for herself; it was more out of her feelings for Toyokawa Shoko, so there was no need for me to let her have her way.

Oh, and there's Nagasaki Souse... Hoping to win Chihaya Aine's forgiveness through her own efforts, since she didn't intend to live anyway, Toyokawa Yuu felt she didn't need to be so generous and let her have her way.

Thinking of this, a slight smile involuntarily appeared on Toyokawa Yuu's lips.

Toyokawa Yuu's emotions towards the person she had never considered forgiving were much more genuine, and she was better able to find a reason to convince herself of her actions.

Toyokawa Yuu thought about many things, but in the end she still couldn't figure out what the meaning of her actions was, apart from the desire for momentary revenge and the afterthoughts that she couldn't see and were unlikely to happen.

But her mind wandering only lasted until she finished putting on the clothes that were now much smaller than her body size. Toyokawa Yuu took a deep breath in front of the full-length mirror and called Toyokawa Hatsune to go out.

This is the only time I can be willful. Next time... I have to win no matter what, otherwise my body will probably be tormented by the pain of fire forever.

After taking one last look at the house that she knew so well, Toyokawa Yuu closed the door and left with Toyokawa Hatsune.

Just as they stopped by the roadside, a car slowly drove up and stopped in front of them.

"You guys are moving so fast! How impatient are you?"

They grabbed Toyokawa Hatsune, who seemed to sense something was wrong and took two steps back as if she wanted to leave.

Having already accepted her own death, Toyokawa Yuu now even has the leisure to joke with the people inside the car.

"There's no other way. If we don't hurry, I might not even get to see you one last time... Manager."

The car window rolled down, but the person inside and their response made Toyokawa Yuu pause slightly.

This doesn't seem to be someone sent by the Toyokawa family.

Purple hair, a beautifully dressed woman, and that familiar face.

"Meow Dream Kiss!"

Toyokawa Hatsune exclaimed in surprise, she hadn't expected to run into an old friend at this time.

"Hatsuko, help the agent into the car, we should go."

After greeting Toyokawa Hatsune, Yutenji Wakana signaled to her to ignore everything else and take a hard line.

Then, she took off her sunglasses and looked intently at Toyokawa Yuu in front of her.

“Mr. Agent, I don’t know what you’re planning to do by leaving this place, which is barely safe, at this time, but Hai Zi asked me to tell you… she’s not prepared to wait for you for another ten years. If you die, she won’t even hesitate for ten seconds.”

In what was almost a form of moral blackmail, words were uttered to Yuu Toyokawa that were neither a warning nor a piece of advice.

After Toyokawa Hatsune forcibly pulled Toyokawa Yuu into the car, Yutenji Wakana immediately locked all the doors using the control buttons on the driver's seat and drove away.

Looking at the person sitting in the back seat in the rearview mirror, Yutenji Wakame's palms, which were gripping the steering wheel, gradually became sweaty.

Fortunately, everyone knew that Hai Zi had feelings for his agent, and with such a coincidental timing and such a simple lie, he shouldn't have been suspected.

Chapter 152 A Person Who Has Always Been Helping Others Achieve Their Goals (5k)

Yutenji Wakame drove the vehicle, leaving a light trail on the highway.

The car windows were not completely locked, and some gaps were left open, allowing the afternoon breeze to blow into the car and lift the hair of the men and women inside.

The sweltering heat was occasionally tempered by a slight coolness, making Yutenji Wakana and Toyokawa Hatsune both think of a country afternoon.