After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 104

In Hachiman Kairin's view, while she and Toyokawa Yuu are currently only closely connected through work, they are already the closest people in the band.

She was gripped by a kind of panic and could only find some comfort and support here.

"I happen to be in the band right now and don't have any other work to do. Do you need me to be your mouthpiece and help you convey some topics to Toyokawa that are not convenient to say face to face?"

Trying to make her tone natural and casual, Hachiman Kairin didn't want anyone to know her inner unease.

If you can successfully appease someone, there's no need to bring it up; but if you can't appease them, it won't help even if you do.

However, there was a hint of unspeakable emotion in his gaze as he looked at Toyokawa Yuu.

The two stood on the overpass, looking at each other in silence, until the boy's reflection in Hachiman Kairin's eyes reached out his hand to her.

Even among people of the same age, men's hands are generally larger than women's. Hachiman Kairin felt her wrists enveloped in a warm embrace, forming an incongruous ring compared to the slightly chilly skin around her, which was exposed to the cool evening breeze.

A hint of surprise flashed in her emerald eyes, and Hachiman Kairin obeyed the force coming from her wrist, being pulled away from the railing of the overpass.

"Don't get so close to the edge. Even if it's not very high, it's still very dangerous to fall."

The boy's voice reached her ears. Even though the voice was flat and lacked any inflection, Hachiman Kairin could still sense a hint of concern in it.

“With Mr. Youyu here, there will be no danger. I think you are a reliable person.”

With her other hand, she grasped the wrist that Toyokawa Yuu had just touched, preventing the lingering warmth from cooling down too quickly in the somewhat noisy evening breeze.

As the boy pulled her back from the bridge and then turned to leave, Hachiman Kairin followed closely behind.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Youyu, have you considered my suggestion?"

The boy's pace was a little too fast.

Even with Hachiman Kairin's height, she sometimes needs to jog a few steps to keep up with his speed.

However, Hachiman Kairin didn't care about any of that; she could sense that Toyokawa Yuu was in a bad mood.

If you're sensible, you should quietly leave in this situation and not bother him.

Only friends will try to comfort and help someone when they are in a bad mood, despite the oppressive atmosphere around them.

Although she works part-time in many bands, she doesn't have many friends. If we were to use a very strict definition to select, I would probably only have Shiina Tatsuki.

But the girl who was just as efficient as him didn't need him to actively foster the relationship. The two of them simply got to know each other as classmates and then naturally became friends.

Hachiman Kairin once thought that Toyokawa Yuu, who also had an efficient work style, would be like Shiina Tatsuki, but it turns out that he might not be so.

Since that's the case, it's fine to take the initiative.

"For example, regarding Wakaba-san's matter, although I don't know the details yet, you seem to not want Toyokawa-san to worry about it. However, Toyokawa-san's personality makes it impossible for her to ignore it. If needed, I can relay messages between the two sides for you."

"Hai Ling..."

The boy in front stopped walking, and Hachiman Kairin also quickly stopped.

The two figures stopped at the entrance of a sparsely populated alley.

"Could you please get me a single-person meal from the restaurant next door? I'll pay you back later along with the cost of the celebration banquet."

Instead of enjoying the delicacies at the victory celebration banquet, Toyokawa Yuu sometimes felt like she was going crazy by buying food from the roadside to take home.

Although, it wasn't for myself either.

Yuu Toyokawa planned to buy some soda crackers or something similar so she wouldn't be too bothered by them while Hairin Hachiman went shopping.

“Helping me is no problem, but Mr. Youyu, you don’t need to bring up the matter of repaying the money.”

Having received no positive response to her suggestion, Hachiman Kairin realized that Toyokawa Yuu was probably planning to refuse.

A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, but she wasn't too disheartened.

At least for now, Toyokawa Yuu is still willing to communicate with him and ask him for help.

"I've already said this before, haven't I? You're always welcome to be capricious here."

"Hailin... I don't want to disappoint you with lies, but I'm afraid I won't do as you wish."

Just as Hachiman Kairin turned around, Toyokawa Yuu's voice came from behind her.

"In a band, it's enough if one of the manager and the leader is capricious, otherwise the band will have difficulty running smoothly."

I was rejected. Compared to the silence at the train station last time, this rejection was much more decisive.

Yawata Kairin took a deep breath, trying to use the cool evening breeze to dispel the slight disappointment in her heart.

Turning around, she looked at Toyokawa Yuu, who was still limiting the conversation to the band.

"However, in my opinion, Mr. Yuu's willfulness is no less than that of Mr. Toyokawa."

She noticed that the boy's shoulders seemed to stiffen for a moment, but Hachiman Kairin did not stop talking.

She rarely makes such comments about people; it's partly impolite, but also because the relationship isn't really that close.

But now, even if it violates social etiquette and might make people dislike her and distance themselves from her, Hachiman Kairin feels that there are some things she has to say.

Her experience with more than 30 bands told her that if she didn't do something, she would always be an outsider, and the band wouldn't last long.

Since things are bound to disband sooner or later if they continue like this, I might as well give it a try.

Even in the worst-case scenario, it's better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time.

"Mr. Youyu is very responsible. He always keeps most of the power in the band and doesn't let others get distracted by the operation. He even takes care of the band's affairs for others... He's too willful."

"what are you saying?"

Turning to look at Hachiman Kairin, Toyokawa Yuu's eyes were filled with questioning and confusion.

He could tell, of course, that Hachiman Kairin wasn't criticizing him; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so careful with her tone, laying the groundwork before giving her final assessment.

Yuu Toyokawa even suspected that Kairin Hachiman had deliberately brought up these topics.

"What I mean is, Mr. Youyu, you've always had an almost blind confidence in your abilities. You always feel that you can handle everything behind the scenes on your own, and you'll even pay out of your own pocket to clean up the mess."

Seeing Yuu Toyokawa's furrowed brows, Kairin Hachiman's gaze remained equally unwavering.

This was the first time she had ever spoken so rudely to Toyokawa Yuu since they had known each other.

"However, you should probably accept that your abilities have limits. The effort you put into getting Wakaba back into the band, the energy you put into keeping the band running smoothly during Wakaba's absence... You've almost given up all your resources just to cover up a concert mishap. Do you really think you can keep going on your own for the rest of the time?"

Although her tone was somewhat agitated, Hachiman Kairin still managed to keep her voice down quite rationally.

"Knowing that you might not be able to carry on on your own, you still plan to grit your teeth and persevere. Don't you think you're being too willful? Even if it's just for the sake of the band, please give in a little and share some of the responsibility on your shoulders with us."

In her emerald-like eyes, a glint of jealousy shone.

This jealousy wasn't directed at Toyokawa Yuu in front of her, but rather at Toyokawa Shoko, who was probably still in the celebration banquet room at the moment.

She was jealous of Yuu Toyokawa's unwavering devotion to Shoko Toyokawa. Yuu's declaration at the train station that she would never give up on Shoko Toyokawa was still a source of resentment for her.

But she was also jealous, because Toyokawa Shoko could directly ask Toyokawa Yuu to accept her help.

To outsiders, the fact that Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu were constantly bickering was exhausting to watch.

But in Hachiman Kairin's eyes, this relationship was truly enviable.

This means that they don't need to worry too much when they're together; even if they hurt each other, they can be straightforward and don't have to worry that the other person will leave them because of it.

“That’s enough, Hailing. I understand your concern, but I won’t back down on this kind of thing.”

Taking a deep breath, Toyokawa Yuu tried to restore her breathing to normal.

He knew what Hachiman Kairin was trying to say, and his emotional intelligence wasn't so low as to directly speak ill of someone who cared about him... It wasn't like he was facing Toyokawa Shoko.

However, it is difficult to convince Toyokawa Yuu to trust and rely on the girl in front of her based solely on her words that she no longer chooses euphemisms for the sake of superficial propriety and politeness.

To be honest, he can't do it.

Lowering his eyes, the image that appeared in his mind was not an empty darkness, but a vision blurred by blood, and the beautiful woman's long, light green hair stained with blood.

Sometimes, Yuu Toyokawa also wished that she could be strong enough to forget the shadow of death, or even just lose some of her memories.

Unfortunately, he was not an Oblivionis.

"Are you worried about my reliability with the band? It's okay, I can sign a contract with enough binding force, just like Ms. Yutenji. I told you a long time ago that you can trust me."

"No, it has nothing to do with you, it's just that I have my own stubbornness."

Yahata Kairin talked a lot today, more than she had in the previous few days combined.

As a result, Toyokawa Yuu became more talkative.

"I just... don't want to bow down. I'm worried that it will make some of the sacrifices I've made go to waste."

"So, even if you choose to persevere, even if it might put the band in a difficult situation, you don't intend to rely on me even a little bit... I understand."

Although I was rejected, at least we had some open communication.

Yawata Kairin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled slightly.

He doesn't intend to share the burden, but he'll keep pushing himself through, which is reassuring.

But why do I feel a little angry? It's as if all my efforts have been in vain.

"Then you can continue to be willful like this and carry the band forward, but I don't plan to continue to be so obedient."

Her emerald-like eyes revealed the disappointment of not achieving her goal, as well as a stubborn unwillingness to give up.

Forget it, it doesn't matter anymore. Since Toyokawa Yuu always rejects and ignores my good intentions and needs, there's no need for me to keep persisting.

There's no need to keep insisting on considering his feelings.

"You're not the only one who has poured their heart and soul into the band and hopes that Ave Mujica can continue to operate smoothly and exist. I also have feelings for this band, and I don't want my hard work to go to waste."

Although the band Ave Mujica has not been around for long, for Hachiman Kairin, it is the only band besides her first band in her life that she has placed her hopes on and invested her emotions in.

And the root of all this is Toyokawa Yuu, who once gave him a certain illusion.

She would not give up on the band, even if it was just to avoid wasting her efforts. Hachiman Kairin would not let the band collapse under the unbearable pressure that Toyokawa Yuu might bring.

“From the very first day I joined Ave Mujica, I knew that the future of this band would not be smooth sailing. Even without the unexpected situation like Wakaba-san, the other members of the band, with their self-centered personalities, would have caused trouble sooner or later. Yutenji-san’s unauthorized actions last time are an example.”

Taking a few steps back, Hachiman Kairin walked to the entrance of the alley, standing on the boundary between bustling and desolate, looking at Toyokawa Yuu standing in the alley.

“I never had the idea of ​​wanting to be a part of this band until you joined as their manager. That made me see the possibility of this band lasting for a long time and try to see it as my home.”

Although Yuu Toyokawa and the band members have never been particularly close, Kairin Hachiman knows that he is actually quite tolerant.

Not only towards his fiancée Xiangzi, Toyokawa Yuu, while not as endlessly accommodating towards others as Xiangzi, was still quite tolerant.

Not to mention Mitsumi Hatsuka, who holds a primary position in two teams and is often absent from events, and Wakaba Mutsumi, who is being protected despite immense pressure.

Even Yutenji Wakana, who had almost caused a major disaster, was allowed to have the matter forgotten by Toyokawa Yuu after the contract was renewed.

This almost universal harmonizing agent is exactly what the band needs most, making up for the band's last weakness: "cohesion."

After all, the best way to settle down a group of people with different personalities is not to get everyone to reach a consensus, which is almost impossible.

The best solution is to find someone who is willing to make quiet sacrifices and compromises to act as a mediator for everyone.

"All along, everything I've done as your assistant has been in the hope that this band can last under your guidance, but now that you yourself have become one of the destabilizing factors, I have to start going against your wishes."

Looking back now, Hachiman Kairin feels that she was really rash back then.

But now that things have come to this, she doesn't intend to let all the emotions she's invested in the band go to waste.

Although she was quite confident in her talents, Hachiman Kairin believed that she did not lack something called self-awareness.

The band that betrayed him back then still haunts him to this day.

If this band, Ave Mujica, which she poured her heart and soul into for the second time, also disbands, Hachiman Kairin doesn't know how long she'll be resentful about it.

Even if it's just so she can sleep at night, she won't let Toyokawa Yuu bear it all alone.

The streetlights, radiating a down-to-earth, everyday atmosphere, shone on the girl, making her, dressed in a cool-toned black leather jacket, appear even more unapproachable than usual.

"They always think they can make the best arrangements, but they basically don't consider their own capabilities or the feelings of others. They're a bit like me back then... I know best how to deal with this kind of person."

Her voice carried an undisguised sense of loss, but she quickly regained her strength.

Even Hachiman Kairin herself didn't know how long it had been since she had adopted this mindset.

Just like when they formed their first band, they disregarded other people's feelings, thinking they were doing what was best for them, and even put their ideas into action.

She had been suppressing her feelings, but now that even her most reliable friend, Toyokawa Yuu, had chosen to be willful, she might as well join in.

Even if she is accused of doing things her own way, she will still maintain the band.

"Wait here for me. I'll pack up the food you requested, but it will be double... Don't even think about refusing, or you'll find double portions on your desk tomorrow. You don't want the documents on it to be stained with spilled oil, do you?"

Watching Hachiman Kairin's departing figure, Toyokawa Yuu simply listened quietly to her series of remarks without offering any opinion.