After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 75

Emotionally, she found it hard to accept this contradictory arrangement, but rationally, Hachiman Kairin could understand Toyokawa Yuu's behavior.

After all, he had made a major mistake at work last night and was still under investigation, so it was inevitable that his abilities were not trustworthy.

She pursed her lips, and Yawata Kairin's fingertips continued to dance on the phone screen.

Hachiman Kairin: [Mr. Yuu, where are you now? I think we need to talk.]

Having obtained the address from Toyokawa Yuu's reply, Hachiman Kairin didn't hesitate and headed straight for the school gate.

Seeing Hachiman Kairin's actions, Shiina Tatsuki knew that she must have received some kind of answer, so she immediately followed her.

"Wait, you still haven't told me where Xiao Mu is."

"I have a duty of confidentiality regarding commercial matters, so I cannot tell you."

Hearing Shiina Tatsuki's voice as he caught up, Hachiman Kairin quickened her pace.

Under the afternoon sun, the girl with emerald-like eyes left the school gate without even informing the teacher.

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

Mizumoto Park, Katsushika Ward, Tokyo.

As a sizable waterside park in Tokyo, the scenery here is quite beautiful. The thousands of dawn redwoods planted here have even earned the place the nickname "Dawn Redwood Country".

This place is both a park and a habitat for migratory birds. Countless birds call out from time to time, adding a touch of liveliness to the tranquil park.

Looking at the message sent by Hachiman Kairin in her hand, Toyokawa Yuu turned off her phone screen, lay down on the slightly damp grass, and lowered her eyes.

"About work?"

Holding her guitar, Wakaba Mutsu didn't lie on the grass like Toyokawa Yuu, but sat on a bench under the shade of a tree.

The greenery of the park complemented the girl's light green hair, and she occasionally strummed the guitar strings, producing a string of notes from Wakaba Mutsu's fingertips.

Unlike Ave Mujica's rock style, the music that Wakaba Mutsu plays now is softer. It did not scare away the migratory birds around her, but it did attract a lot of chirping as accompaniment.

"Yes, Hailing is on her way, and Xiangzi might be there too."

Lying in the shade of a tree with her eyes closed, Yuu Toyokawa enjoyed the last moments of calm before the storm.

The contact that Hachiman Kairin made with me just now wasn't just about asking for directions.

She also told herself that Toyokawa Shoko seemed to have been reminded by someone that "as the captain, I have the right to inquire about business matters," and that she had obtained her and Wakaba Mutsu's positions from her.

Soon, aside from Yutenji Wakana, who has signed a contract to become a full-fledged employee, and Hatsune Miku, who is unable to attend due to her Sumimi activities, the remaining four people who might influence Ave Mujica's project decisions will soon gather here.

This was something Toyokawa Yuu had anticipated.

From the moment he told Hachiman Kairin her location, Toyokawa Yuu didn't expect her to keep the secret completely.

Not to mention that Toyokawa Shoko could question her as the team leader, even without using her status to pressure her, Toyokawa Yuu had at least nine ways to get Hachiman Kairin to speak using the band's rules.

"Want to change places?"

If Ye Mu's fingertips paused as he plucked the strings, his golden eyes cast a questioning glance at Toyokawa Yuu, even though the boy, who was resting with his eyes closed, might not be able to see him.

He had skipped class and gone out with Toyokawa Yuu, so it was obvious that Sho already knew about it.

If they were caught red-handed here... I'm afraid this engaged couple would have another argument.

She didn't want to cause trouble for the band because of herself... that would be bad for Xiang.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. If we don't argue here, we'll start arguing in the office tonight anyway. Maybe we'll be more restrained here."

Upon hearing Wakaba Mutsu's voice, Toyokawa Yuu didn't even lift her eyelids.

Even if the plan to suppress Wakaba Mutsu's consciousness and release that personality that she didn't understand directly failed, it doesn't mean that Toyokawa Yuu would completely give up on meeting him.

Regardless of the circumstances, she was the instigator who would cause unexplained changes in Hachiman Kairin's mental journey ten years later, and Toyokawa Yuu could not allow this variable to slip out of her control.

If directly causing Wakaba Mutsu's mental breakdown doesn't work, then we'll try a different approach, taking things slowly.

As for Hachiman Kairin... Toyokawa Yuu reflected on it and realized that she seemed to have been too gentle with her.

In the end, she still told Toyokawa Shoko her location. How proper.

Lying in the shade of a tree, Yuu Toyokawa was bathed in the sound of Mutsumi Wakaba's guitar, silently waiting for the approaching storm.

Chapter 83 Seizing Power (7k, edited)

Night falls, and the stars hang high in the sky.

It was well past dinner time, and long past the usual time for Ave Mujica to gather.

Shoko Toyokawa sat on the sofa in Ave Mujica's office, holding a cup of Earl Grey tea, occasionally taking a small sip.

But even as the tea in the cup gradually cooled down, the liquid inside had not yet run dry.

The blue-haired girl lowered her eyes, concealing her amber gaze.

Even though her expression remained normal, the other people in the office could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere emanating from her.

Yutenji Wakana huddled on another sofa, feeling the somber atmosphere in the office. She couldn't help but shrink back and turn her gaze to Hatsune Miku beside her.

"Chuzi, what's wrong with Xiangzi? Is she still angry about what happened last night?"

With a hint of curiosity and pleading in her purplish-red eyes, Yutenji Wakana, who had no idea what was going on, instinctively asked Hatsune Miku, who was theoretically the most senior member of the group, trying to get some inside information from her.

As for why they didn't ask Hachiman Kairin, Toyokawa Yuu's right-hand woman who was in charge of the team's schedule...

This was naturally because the bassist was radiating an aura almost identical to that of Toyokawa Shoko, leaning against his desk without uttering a word.

"I don't know either. I was dealing with Sumimi's affairs today and just got back."

Faced with Yutenji Wakana's questioning, Hatsune could only give him an innocent look.

She also sensed the unusual atmosphere in the office, but not understanding what was going on, she didn't even know how to start a conversation to lighten the mood.

"However, it seems that Mr. Youyu and Xiaomu are both late today. Judging from the schedule, he should have taken Xiaomu to see a psychologist."

Although it's unclear what happened, anyone with even slightly normal eyesight could notice that two people were missing from the office.

"Is Xiaoxiang and Hachiman waiting for them?"

Just as Yutenji Wakana and Hatsune finished whispering, everyone heard a soft footstep outside the door.

Hearing the footsteps, Toyokawa Shoko, who had been resting with her eyes closed, finally opened her eyes. Hachiman Kairin, who was leaning against the desk, also turned her head and looked at the office door.

Only in situations like this would someone realize that the office door's terrible soundproofing might not be such a bad thing.

At least some things can give people some psychological expectations.

Sensing the subtle shift in the atmosphere of the office, Yutenji Wakana instinctively shrank into the corner of the sofa, anticipating an impending storm.

Finally, the footsteps stopped in front of the office door, and the sound of the door latch being turned rang out. A young man in a suit and a girl in light green holding a guitar appeared before everyone.

The girl holding the guitar looked slightly nervous, but her relaxed brows made it clear that she was in a very good mood.

It seems that the psychological counseling arranged for him by Yuu Toyokawa has been very effective.

As for Yuu Toyokawa, although her expression remained normal, she had already signed a contract of servitude, and as a hard-working woman, she could still vaguely sense it.

This agent, who always handled things in a businesslike manner, seemed to have lost some of his usual dull and lifeless demeanor.

Unfortunately, people's joys and sorrows are not shared, and not everyone is like Toyokawa Yuu and Wakaba Mutsu, who had a pleasant afternoon out playing.

"It's really high and mighty."

The moment the door opened, a cold, emotionless voice reached Toyokawa Yuu's ears.

Turning her head, the blue-haired girl's expressionless face was reflected in Toyokawa Yuu's eyes.

Slender eyebrows furrowed on Toyokawa Shoko's forehead, forming an inverted V-shape that Wakaba Mutsuko had been intimately familiar with ever since Ave Mujica was established.

"Auspicious..."

Seeing his own half-body in such an attitude, Wakaba Mutsu hugged his guitar, looking somewhat uneasy.

She could tell that Toyokawa Shoko was definitely not in a good mood.

Even though he skipped class and went out to play with Yuu Toyokawa for an afternoon, when he returned to this office and faced the other half of himself that he had stood up, Mutsuka Wakaba still couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

After all, he had hung up on Xiang earlier, and his original phone was still switched off.

Not knowing how to face Toyokawa Shoko's gaze, Wakaba Mutsu could only silently look at his own upper body, and finally chose to remain silent.

However, she subtly moved closer to Toyokawa Yuu, as if she wanted to hide behind him.

However, to Wakaba Mutsu's surprise, Toyokawa Shoko seemed to completely ignore him, her amber eyes fixed on Toyokawa Yuu.

“You unilaterally cut off all contact with me and took Mu away from school without telling anyone... She's just a student. Do you really have any sense of responsibility?”

Setting down the tea that had slowly gone cold, Toyokawa Shoko stared directly at her fiancé, who had entered the room as if nothing had happened, her eyes revealing a slightly sharp gaze.

This guy not only ignored my messages and hung up on me, but he also made Mu skip class.

If it were just that, it wouldn't be enough to cause such a strong emotional reaction.

What's most infuriating is that this guy gave a false address. When I and Hachiman Kairin arrived at Mizumoto Park, he was nowhere to be found. Even the last number Hachiman Kairin could contact him with was switched off.

"You must know how many people are worried because of your willfulness. Even Ms. Minami contacted me and said she was very worried about the situation."

Upon hearing Toyokawa Shoko mention her mother, Wakaba Mutsu instinctively lowered her head.

Perhaps in Toyokawa Shoko's eyes, her mother was indeed very worried about her skipping school without reason.

However, the phone call between Minami Mori and Yuu Toyokawa just now actually reached Mutsuka Wakaba's ears word for word.

The so-called worries and tensions never existed from the beginning. I was under my mother's surveillance from the very beginning and had no freedom of my own.

Thinking of this, Ruoye Mu couldn't help but hug the guitar tighter, using one corner of the guitar to hold the new phone in her pocket, making this newly acquired item, which belonged only to her, even closer to her body.

"You believe everything she says? I could also say that the old woman praised my behavior, would you believe that?"

The rhetorical question came from Yuu Toyokawa, but it always sounded strangely sarcastic to Shoko Toyokawa.

With her slender eyebrows furrowed and her amber eyes narrowed slightly, Toyokawa Shoko felt a surge of anger as she looked at Toyokawa Yuu, who was standing in front of the door holding Wakaba Mutsu's wrist.

"Don't joke like that. Why did you turn off your phone and cut off all contact? If you're just unhappy with my behavior this morning, you can just tell me directly. There's no need to deliberately cut off contact with me and even take Mu around with you."

With a slight bite of her lip, Toyokawa Shoko made no attempt to hide her thoughts from Toyokawa Yuu.

In her view, the only reason Yuu Toyokawa would do such a thing is to express her dissatisfaction with her power grab this morning.

Otherwise, why would Yuu Toyokawa, who has always presented himself with a professional attitude and is almost never ambiguous about his work, deliberately ruin Mutsumi Wakaba's already arranged schedule?

A sense of grievance welled up in my heart.

I just wanted to show concern for the other person's mental health, but before I could even get the conversation going, they cut off all contact with me.

If you're just dissatisfied with yourself, why can't you just say it directly instead of resorting to this method?

Does he think I don't care about him at all?

"You lead your team to skip class and arrive an hour late without reason. Do you really have any sense of responsibility as Ave Mujica's manager?"

As Toyokawa Shoko finished rebuking him, the already tense atmosphere in the office became even more rigid.

Yuu Toyokawa did not immediately respond to Shoko Toyokawa's accusations.

He simply took Wakaba Mutsu's wrist and sat down on the sofa opposite Toyokawa Shoko, facing his fiancée.

It was precisely this seemingly indifferent attitude towards Toyokawa Shoko's words that made the already tense atmosphere even more oppressive, and even the breathing of others seemed to be frozen outside the scope of the two's discussion.

"Auspicious..."

Seeing the subdued atmosphere in the room, Wakaba Mutsu opened her mouth, wanting to persuade Toyokawa Shoko, who seemed to be a little emotional.

After all, she was also partly responsible for hanging up on Xiangzi, a worrying act.

"Mu, you don't need to protect him..."

"I did this to meet your request, Miss Xiangzi."

The boy's voice reached Toyokawa Shoko's ears, interrupting her conversation with Wakaba Mutsu in a slightly rude manner.

Looking directly into Toyokawa Shoko's eyes without a trace of remorse, Toyokawa Yuu's gaze remained unwavering, seemingly unaware that her act of standing him up and disappearing that afternoon was anything to be ashamed of.

"What do you mean? Are you trying to say that I asked you to help Mu skip class?"

Seeing that Toyokawa Yuu was actually trying to shift the blame onto her, Toyokawa Shoko's eyes widened in surprise.

"You said to me this morning that I couldn't take Mu to see a psychologist. I was just going along with your request."

Yuu Toyokawa shrugged and picked up what Shoko Toyokawa had told him that morning.

"In that case, I have no choice but to comfort her myself. After all, judging from the previous results, Miss Xiangzi, your ability to comfort others is not very good."