After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Page 61

Suddenly, the doll-like girl felt a blur in the scene before her eyes.

The luxurious but definitely not cozy bedroom in the Toyokawa family home has been transformed into a classically decorated wooden loft, except that the floor of the loft has been completely destroyed, leaving only a small foothold.

Wakaba Mutsumi tiptoed, her movements as graceful as if she were performing a ballet.

But this was not a pose by the beautiful woman; it was simply because there was only a tiny space left to stand on, barely an inch wide enough for her toes to touch.

The rest of the area collapsed, revealing a bottomless abyss below.

The doll's golden gaze slowly lowered, looking into the dense darkness, where the face of Toyokawa Yuu was reflected in the shadows.

But in those eyes, Ruoye Mu saw... the spirit she had buried ten years ago.

He instinctively hugged himself tightly, but his arms were already empty.

Whether it's a green doll or a guitar.

"Guitar......"

In Toyokawa Yuu's view, the beautiful woman in front of him, who was already like a doll, seemed to become even more wooden and dull for a moment, and then, as if belatedly realizing it, she hugged her chest tightly.

"My guitar...where's my guitar?"

The beautiful woman, who had been as inorganic as a doll not long ago, now looked like a child who had lost her birthday present, constantly searching for something in her empty arms.

The voice was somewhat panicked, carrying the intense emotions that Toyokawa Yuu felt for the first time since returning ten years ago.

Even though this sentiment is far from positive, in Toyokawa Yuu’s view, it is a huge step forward.

With her hands on Wakaba Mutsu's shoulders, Toyokawa Yuu's seemingly concerned but actually questioning voice kept reaching Wakaba Mutsu's ears.

"Xiao Mu, calm down, I'm right here. What's wrong with you?"

I'm right here...

The auditory hallucination rang in Wakaba Mutsu's mind again, and the golden-eyed beauty seemed to react by slapping away Toyokawa Yuu's hand.

She scrambled onto the bed that belonged only to Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu, wrapped herself in the blankets, and curled up.

"Guitar...guitar..."

Broken murmurs came from the rolled-up blankets. Looking at Wakaba Mutsu, who seemed to be afraid of something, Toyokawa Yuu felt that she was more human than before.

However, Yuu Toyokawa doesn't care about these things right now.

He was more concerned about what Hachiman Kairin had done than about Wakaba Mutsumi's mental state.

That is an ally who may not be reliable but is definitely useful to me at the moment, and in some ways even more useful than Hatsune who temporarily obeys me.

"Xiao Mu, what's wrong with you?"

"Lord Yuyu, what happened? I just heard some noise outside."

The dormitory door opened again, and Hatsune Miku, who had returned with a cup of coffee, poked her head into the room and saw a rather bizarre scene.

Originally quiet and reassuring like a doll that could be placed anywhere, Wakaba Mutsu curled up in the corner of the bed, shivering as she wrapped herself in layers of blankets, with only her soft, light green hair exposed.

Yuu Toyokawa leaned out from the bedside, making a move to pull off the blankets covering Mutsu Wakaba.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Hatsune's purple eyes, and her expression turned somewhat frightening for a moment.

That bed, that set of bedding... that was a realm that even I had never set foot in.

They were originally planning how to gradually take advantage of the situation and occupy the sacred territory left behind by Xiao Xiang.

But before they could even begin planning, someone else beat them to it.

After the displeasure came a touch of sadness.

Why is it that the things I long for are always so easily obtained by others...? Well, after all, Xiao Mu is Xiao Xiang's other half, while I am just a servant.

I... deserve to be treated like this.

Suppressing the surging emotions in her chest, Hatsune Miku spoke somewhat awkwardly.

"Lord Youyu, are you... with Xiaomu...?"

Hatsune hesitated for a moment, as if organizing her words to make them more tactful.

After a moment's thought, the blonde, purple-eyed beauty was about to use the word "remember" instead of her original words when Toyokawa Yuu interrupted her.

"Hatsune Miku, where's Mutsu's guitar?"

When Yuu Toyokawa's urgent voice, which was almost questioning, reached Hatsune's ears, Hatsune's expression had to turn serious again.

The complex emotions in my heart were forcibly interrupted, replaced by a sense of helplessness.

Under the probing gazes of Yuu Toyokawa and the expectant gazes of Mutsu Wakaba, Hatsune slowly opened her mouth.

"Xiao Mu's guitar was lost seven years ago after she participated in that graduation live. Although Xiao Xiang found it later, Xiao Mu never wanted to play again, so Xiao Xiang never mentioned it again."

Hatsune Miku shifted her gaze slightly upwards with her purple eyes, seemingly recalling the events carefully before finally shaking her head helplessly.

"Xiao Xiang dealt with that guitar himself in the end. I don't know where it is now, but I'm sure it's not in this mansion. It may have already disappeared from this world."

The blonde woman paused, as if a hint of bitterness had crept into her voice.

"After all, back then, Xiao Xiang just wanted to return the guitar to Xiao Mu, but she was very resistant. Now where is that guitar? I really... Xiao Mu, if you really want the guitar, can I use the one I used before?"

Upon hearing Hatsune's words, Wakaba Mutsu's trembling body calmed down, but this was not because he felt relieved after accepting Hatsune's suggestion.

On the contrary, the once somewhat vibrant gaze gradually returned to its lifeless state.

"Master Yuyu..."

Hatsune looked at Yuu Toyokawa with some embarrassment, her eyes appearing somewhat innocent.

This was the best remedy she could think of.

Somewhat embarrassed, she pinched the bridge of her nose. The clue she had finally found had gone cold again. Toyokawa Yuu waved her hand helplessly, indicating that she should put the coffee on the table.

With her back to Toyokawa Yuu, Hatsune Miku tried her best to suppress the corners of her mouth.

Although she didn't want to admit it, she genuinely felt that Toyokawa Yuu's somewhat helpless state was becoming more and more like Xiaoxiang's old self, racking her brains to figure out the future.

"Since Xiaomu is so eager to find her guitar, let's at least make an effort... Hatsune, do you know anyone else besides Xiangzi who might have had contact with that guitar?"

Yuu Toyokawa's voice came from behind Hatsune. Her quick regrouping after a brief moment of weakness made her purple eyes narrow slightly.

These two people really look alike...

"Perhaps... Hailing might have some clues. She has been doing business with Xiaoxiang all these years. Of all the people in Ave Mujica back then, besides you and me, she probably had the most contact with Xiaoxiang."

Should I ask about Yawata Kairin?

Upon hearing Hatsune's suggestion, Toyokawa Yuu hesitated.

According to the notes left by Toyokawa Kiyotaka, there are many suspicious points surrounding Hachiman Kairin now, and she may have already become a member of some interest group.

However, given the discrepancy between the diary's contents and Hatsune Miku's account, what Toyokawa Kiyoko wrote in his diary may not be so regrettable.

The most ridiculous thing is that Toyokawa Kiyotaka, who spent almost all his life doubting Yahata Kairin, actually chose to believe Yahata Kairin in his last diary entry before his death.

Why should we believe her? What exactly does "believing" mean?

While obtaining some intelligence, they also uncovered more suspicious points.

But... we can't just sit here and wait to die, so let's treat this as a trial and error process.

Having found a reason to convince herself, Toyokawa Yuu took out her phone and hesitantly entered Yawata Kairin's number.

But just before he was about to press the dial button, a phone call suddenly came in.

The finger that was about to dial the number landed precisely on the answer button.

【Love Sound】

Looking at the name displayed on the caller ID, Toyokawa Yuu's eyes widened slightly.

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

A little earlier.

Chihaya Aine, carrying her guitar, walked through the streets that had changed a lot in the past ten years, but still felt somewhat familiar, and arrived in front of a small house that wasn't particularly tall.

Looking at this place she hadn't visited in ten years, but which she had called home for a long time, Chihaya Aine's expression was somewhat complicated.

I used to have a lot of laughter here, but unfortunately things have changed.

After all, the people he could call family were now all in the UK.

No matter how warm and cozy this place once was, it is now just a house that carries a few memories.

Inserting the key into the lock, turning the bolt, and pushing open the door, Chihaya Aine instinctively reached for the button next to the door frame.

【despair--】

After a soft sound, light filled the long-abandoned house.

Chihaya Aine carefully examined the familiar furnishings in the house. What surprised her even more than the fact that there was still electricity was that every table and chair was exactly the same as it had been ten years ago, without even a speck of dust.

Time seemed to stand still during those ten years; the house ceased to exist, waiting for its true owner to return.

"She cleaned it so thoroughly! She actually remembered something so small. I thought she'd forget about it after I left, after all..."

Chihaya Aine paused, then didn't continue.

She discovered that although the house was almost exactly the same as it had been ten years ago, as if it had been frozen in time, there were actually some changes.

A pink guitar hung silently on the wall, looking just as old as the guitar in the case behind Chihaya Aine, quietly serving as a decoration on the wall.

But looking at the strings that still gleamed under the light even after ten years, Chihaya Aine was certain that someone had recently given them careful maintenance.

"That Xiangzi guy actually left this thing with me, even though I never explicitly agreed to it..."

She took down the guitar hanging on the wall, and Chihaya Aine's fingers flowed smoothly across the strings, producing a series of energetic and rock-and-roll notes.

After a moment, Chihaya Aine, somewhat melancholy, hung the old guitar back on the bed after confirming that it was still usable, and took out her phone.

"Since you've already said you want to sever ties, just return this to Youyu... It's simply returning it to its rightful owner, not helping him..."

Chapter 74 Hailing, Youyu is not what you think (8k)

Starlight Plaza shopping mall in Tokyo.

After ten years of operation, the shopping center has long since been separated from its original owner.

Subsequently, due to the decentralization of power by Yuu Toyokawa and the death of Kiyoko Toyokawa, the shopping center has now become the property of Kairin Hachiman.

From a bassist in a commercial band that only had a few concerts, to the actual controller of Starlight Plaza, Hachiman Kairin has long since achieved worldly success.

Yawata Kairin's office is not spacious. Although the area is not small, neither the layout nor the decoration is grand.

A desk, an office chair, and several sofas with coffee tables around it are almost all the furnishings here.

If a former member of Ave Mujica came here, they would immediately recognize that this place is a direct replica of Yuu Toyokawa's original office.

Moving her chair to the window, Hachiman Kairin gazed at the brightly lit city.

Although it is far away and difficult to see with the naked eye even during the day, this glass does indeed face the direction of the Toyokawa family mansion.

With her emerald-like eyes gazing into the depths of the night sky, Hachiman Kairin's gaze was somewhat unfocused.

Trust is mutual; stop being so self-righteous...

Chihaya Aine's admonition echoed in her mind, causing this sophisticated woman in a suit, who had been navigating the business world for nearly a decade, to unconsciously fall into deep thought.

If someone else had said those words to her, Hachiman Kairin probably wouldn't have taken them to heart at all.

She got to her current position not just because of any so-called promotion. If she didn't have the ability to match her position, she would have been kicked down by others just as easily.

Kairin Hachiman knew very well how to act as if she trusted someone and how to make others feel that she trusted them.

However, if Chihaya Aine said these words to herself, it would make Hachiman Kairin take them to heart.

This might sound ridiculous, but in fact, she couldn't guarantee that she understood Toyokawa Yuu better than Chihaya Aine.

The other party had indeed been away from Tokyo for ten years, but she had hardly seen him since Toyokawa Shoko began to take back Toyokawa Yuu's assets.

She gently clenched her teeth, her molars lightly pressing against her inner lip. This was a little habit of Hachiman Kairin's; she would unconsciously make this small gesture when she was caught in a dilemma.

opinionated......

No, this is not arrogance, nor have I acted on my own initiative; I have been making the right decisions all along.

I've been trying my best for everyone's benefit, going to great lengths to take care of each and every one of them, but...

...Everyone is against my will.