After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 103

"Didn't Xiangzi just say that he doesn't trust outsiders and therefore refuses to find a backup guitarist? Well, I'm completely tied to Ave Mujica, so there's no need to worry about reliability issues."

"Miss Yutenji, what are you trying to say?"

Upon hearing Yutenji Wakanagi's statement, Hachiman Kairin's brows furrowed deeply.

It's no secret that she also works part-time for other bands, but no one has ever questioned her reliability in this regard.

Do you think I'm not trustworthy?

"I didn't say that. I just felt that Hai Zi seemed to be a bit too busy."

Yutenji Wakana looked down at her fingernails, without confronting Hachiman Kairin.

She knew, of course, that her words were very blunt and direct, but she wasn't the only one being blunt and direct these days, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

If Mutsuka Wakaba is destined to be absent now, Misumi Hatsuka is the main person in Sumimi, so the only choice is between her and Hachiman Kairin.

At least Yutenji Wakana felt that he was slightly more reliable than Hachiman Kairin in terms of loyalty to the band.

"you......"

Seeing the two who had just finished discussing Wakaba Mutsu's issues and were about to start fighting for power internally, Toyokawa Shoko immediately frowned.

Isn't there anyone in this band who can make things easy for me?

Although there had been constant arguments and unexpected incidents before, at this moment, Toyokawa Shoko truly realized that the band she had built from scratch really lacked cohesion.

In fact, if Toyokawa Yuu hadn't forced Yutenji Wakana to sign a contract of servitude, she might be even more outrageous now.

"You can probably put your minds to business now. I never said I would redistribute the work that was already assigned to Xiao Mu to someone else."

Before Toyokawa Shoko could even open her mouth, Toyokawa Yuu's voice, which sounded somewhat angry, rang out in the private room.

Seeing the two girls who seemed to have gradually moved away from the argument and started to attack each other, Toyokawa Yuu made no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction.

The band I'm in really has a small number of members but a lot of work.

Sometimes, Yuu Toyokawa felt that Hatsune Miku was one of the few people who could make her life easier. Although coordinating schedules with Sumimi was always troublesome, at least Miku herself didn't cause much trouble.

"The place I found for Xiao Mu isn't some isolated prison. There are computers there, so I'll let Xiao Mu work remotely... Hai Ling, you'll be in charge of liaising with Xiao Mu in the office."

"...I understand. Please leave it to me with confidence, Mr. Youyu."

After a moment of silence, Hachiman Kairin nodded reluctantly, though her expression was somewhat solemn.

Although it differed from her envisioned goal, it at least proved that when she argued with others, Toyokawa Yuu still sided with her.

For Yawata Kairin at this stage, it is enough to confirm this point.

"Yes, yes, since the agent has already made arrangements, I have no objections."

Compared to Hachiman Kairin's reluctance, Yutenji Wakamu was much more easygoing.

"Now that we've finished talking about everything, let's continue the celebration banquet. I have some things to attend to, Xiangzi, I'll leave this to you."

Seeing that the argument, which had veered off course several times, had finally come to an end, Toyokawa Yuu did not linger in the private room.

Taking the phone back from Toyokawa Shoko and hanging up the call with Wakaba Mutsu, Toyokawa Yuu stood up and prepared to leave.

"Wait, Yuu, this is Ave Mujica's first victory celebration. It's fine if Mu can't come, but are you planning to skip it too?"

Seeing Yuu Toyokawa's back as he opened the wooden door to the private room, Shoko Toyokawa immediately stood up from her seat and called out to her fiancé.

However, this did not stop Toyokawa Yuu from doing her thing.

Turning her head to look at Toyokawa Shoko, who seemed to be trying to persuade her to stay, Toyokawa Yuu's voice carried a strange emotion.

"Do you mean I should leave Xiao Mu there alone at a time like this?"

Seeing Toyokawa Shoko's stiff expression, Toyokawa Yuu suddenly smiled.

"Just kidding. That's not why I left. If I had to give a reason..."

Yuu Toyokawa paused, a thoughtful look in her eyes, as if she were seriously searching for a suitable reason in her mind.

After a moment, the boy, who was already standing in the doorway, slowly spoke.

"...The way you questioned me just now made me feel a little nauseous, but wasting food is shameful. Anyway, I can't eat anymore, so you can finish it for me."

The wooden door was slowly pulled shut, and the boy's figure completely disappeared from the girls' sight.

Sitting in her seat, Hachiman Kairin glanced at Yutenji Wakanagi, who had returned to a state of complacency, and then turned to look at Toyokawa Shoko, whose expression was stiff.

After hesitating for a moment, he followed Yuu Toyokawa out.

Toyokawa Shoko did not stop Hachiman Kairin from leaving. Anyway, the celebration banquet was already a mess, so she didn't care about losing one more person.

With the familiar words of Yuu Toyokawa echoing in her ears, Shoko Toyokawa gritted her teeth, her face turning ashen, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

"Xiao Xiang, is Mr. You Yu angry? Should I apologize to him for you?"

Seeing Toyokawa Shoko's somewhat ashen face, Hatsune cautiously approached.

Although the engaged couple had often argued before, this time their tone wasn't even that intense compared to previous arguments.

However, Hatsune could still sense that Toyokawa Yuu's emotions seemed even more intense than before.

Meanwhile, Toyokawa Shoko was in the same situation.

"After all, Mr. Youyu has been carrying a heavy burden during this period."

"It's not necessary."

Taking a few deep breaths to calm her expression, Toyokawa Shoko picked up her chopsticks and stuffed the grilled meat that Toyokawa Yuu had just given her into her mouth.

"I've troubled him with so many things, it doesn't matter how many or how few, and besides, he's not angry with me, otherwise..."

After swallowing the grilled meat in her mouth, Toyokawa Shoko began to put all kinds of food on the table into her own bowl, always taking two portions at a time.

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have said a word to me, let alone carried out this symbolic punishment."

Although she said it was symbolic, Toyokawa Shoko's expression was unusually serious.

Who do you think you are? Just eat.

Shoko Toyokawa chewed her food forcefully as if venting her frustration, her amber eyes filled with a hint of resentment.

Let that guy feel nauseous all he wants; I'll starve him to death sooner or later.

Seeing Toyokawa Shoko's behavior, which seemed to be sulking with the departed Toyokawa Yuu, Hatsune's worry deepened.

Is it really okay for things to continue like this? Can this band really last forever, allowing me and Xiaoxiang to stay together forever?

Thinking back to the phone call she received before attending the celebration banquet, Hatsune's worries grew stronger.

She still had things she hadn't told Toyokawa Shoko and the others, such as... that some people wanted to use Ave Mujica as a target, and that wasn't just about Wakaba Mutsu.

But now that Mr. Yuyu has left, it's not the best time to bring this up.

Somewhat hesitantly, Hatsune picked up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks. For some reason, she found that her appetite seemed to be better than usual today.

However, this state of mind did not last long, as the vibration of her phone in her pocket interrupted her actions.

Hatsune took her phone out of her pocket, glanced at it, and her expression became even more stiff than that of Toyokawa Shoko before.

Toyokawa Sadaharu

The sender's name was reflected in Hatsune Miku's beautiful purple eyes.

P.S.: 1.3 words, 9 words to pay, 88 words remaining... I feel like I'm about to burn out. I took a day off yesterday to ease my sleep schedule a bit... However, seeing that the number of words I owe has decreased so much, I feel quite accomplished. If all goes well, maybe I can pay it off within a month?

Chapter 100 Hailing: I'm going to start being willful too (6k5, edited)

Tokyo may not be a city that never rests, but its streets are even more bustling at night than during the day.

As she hurried through the somewhat crowded flow of people, Hachiman Kairin's gaze remained fixed on the suit she was looking at.

"Mr. Youyu, please wait for me."

Following in the footsteps of Yuu Toyokawa, leaving the izakaya, Kairin Hachiman finally stopped on a bridge after crossing the bustling streets.

Standing not far away, Hachiman Kairin watched Toyokawa Yuu stand by the bridge, looking down at the traffic below, a hint of hesitation flashing in her emerald eyes.

Taking a deep breath, the girl, dressed like an adult in a black leather jacket, quietly approached Toyokawa Yuu.

"You prepared such a lavish celebration feast, but you didn't eat a single bite yourself. Is that really okay?"

Standing beside the boy, Hachiman Kairin was slightly ahead of Toyokawa Yuu, her hands gripping the railing of the overpass, her tone carrying a hint of teasing complaint.

"Well, that's the best option I chose after comparing several stores. Mr. Youyu, please respect my hard work."

Yuu Toyokawa did not respond to Hairin Hachiman's teasing.

He hadn't planned to eat anything at the celebration banquet.

He was initially troubled about what excuse he could use to successfully leave the private room. Even using taking care of Ruoye Mu as a reason was not convincing enough.

To some extent, taking the opportunity to argue with Toyokawa Shoko and then leaving the table would be a good idea.

He just didn't expect that Hachiman Kairin would come out with him.

Yuu Toyokawa's silence left Hairin Hachiman's words hanging in the balance, and the atmosphere between the two unconsciously became somewhat awkward.

However, Hachiman Kairin was not discouraged and changed the subject to other topics.

"By the way, Mr. Yuu and Mr. Toyokawa always argue so fiercely, is that really okay?"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Hachiman Kairin steered the conversation toward the argument between Toyokawa Yuu and Toyokawa Shoko.

"Although everyone knows that you two are engaged and won't easily break up, this kind of behavior will still have some impact on the atmosphere within the band."

Turning around, Hachiman Kairin braced her back and hands on the railing, seemingly thinking purely about the band's future.

Looking into Toyokawa Yuu's eyes with her emerald-green eyes, Hachiman Kairin suddenly felt a little lonely.

She was very professional and reliable – that was her first impression of Toyokawa Yuu, and one of the reasons why the two were able to quickly become close.

However, now that they've known each other for a while, they hardly have anything else to talk about besides work.

The relationship between the two seemed to have remained at the level of being decent colleagues, without any progress.

Especially at tonight's victory celebration.

Aside from work-related topics, whether it was concern for Wakaba Mutsu or the argument between the engaged couple, she seemed unable to get a word in edgewise.

Of course, Hachiman Kairin knew that those were private matters, but if someone was truly a reliable friend, they would have the right to step in and smooth things over, even if it was a private matter.

However, no, at that time, Hachiman Kairin just sat quietly in her seat, watching Toyokawa Shoko argue with Toyokawa Yuu as always, feeling no right to interfere, just like before.

No, it wouldn't be accurate to say there's no difference at all.

Although Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu are still arguing, seemingly because of Wakaba Mutsumi, Toyokawa Shoko has even started to care about Toyokawa Yuu.

Even though she expressed concern, Toyokawa Shoko was unwilling to soften her stance and remain firm, even though Toyokawa Yuu chose to refuse as always.

But Hachiman Kairin still saw the possibility of their relationship progressing.

After all, as Toyokawa Shoko said, she could have asked Toyokawa Yuu to accept her help, and Toyokawa Yuu had indeed never really refused Toyokawa Shoko's request.

Yawata Kairin had no opinion on the improvement in their relationship.

A harmonious relationship between the band and its manager is highly beneficial for the band's long-term development.

After all, the boundaries of a relationship are inherently blurry. If these two continue arguing, they might take each other's stubbornness seriously at some point, turning their personality clashes into genuine hostility.

She just... felt a little anxious.

Even Toyokawa Yuu and Toyokawa Shoko, who were originally on the verge of falling out but gradually became irreconcilable enemies, have shown signs of easing their tensions.

On the contrary, she remained at the level of a colleague from beginning to end, and even a colleague she wasn't very familiar with.

If she hadn't been Yuu Toyokawa's deputy at the time, Yuu Hachiman believes she might not have known that Yuu Toyokawa's financial situation was already quite tight.

So, is Ave Mujica really any different from any other band I've ever been in before?

They have neither the authority to command others, nor the relationship with everyone is that of familiar strangers, and they may even be dissatisfied with the fact that they are juggling multiple bands at the same time.

At least when Yutenji Wakana used that reason to fight for power, no one refuted it.

If this continues, I will become an outsider who doesn't fit in with everyone, and then be abandoned by everyone like the first band I formed.

It was in the private room just now that Hachiman Kairin thought of this, which is why she chose to leave with Toyokawa Yuu.

Ave Mujica is the second band I've chosen to invest my emotions in after a long time.

Don't... abandon me again.

Looking at Toyokawa Yuu standing to her side, a suppressed plea flashed in Hachiman Kairin's emerald eyes.