I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

"Long time no see, and... it's quite rare to hear you call my name."

"The meaning of that word is somewhat heavy, and it's too far removed from us."

"But I'm right in front of you right now, aren't I? And you're holding me."

"...That's right."

Yin smiled for once, then returned to his expressionless face. He gently patted Xi Wang on the back, then released him, took a few steps back, turned around, and led Xi Wang forward.

"Come with me, [Jacques Player], don't forget this time... What are your plans after we get here? Or are you going to wander around and perform like you did before?"

"Pretty much. After all, the main purpose of this visit is to see you. Afterwards, I'll wander around the Far East and see if I can find some inspiration or hear some stories... Oh, by the way, Gin, do you guys prefer digital albums or vinyl records?"

“I prefer digital albums, since they’re convenient, but vinyl records are great too, they’re very meaningful and I like them a lot… What? Are you releasing an album? Come to think of it, all the videos you’ve been uploading lately are songs you wrote yourself, that’s enough for an album.”

"Hmm... more or less. I was thinking of releasing an album, so I specially sent you a copy... To be honest, I prefer CDs, since you always call me 'the record player,' but at first I was a little worried that you wouldn't like CDs... But since you don't mind, I'm relieved."

"You guy..."

Yin looked helpless.

"The most important thing about giving gifts is the sentiment; what you give is secondary... You even had to ask me before giving the gift, I really don't know what to say to you."

"hey-hey……"

Xi Wang chuckled twice, but did not refute. She then followed Yin forward to a place that seemed to be used to receive guests. However, they encountered some people there.

"Miss."

"Hmm, everything's ready?"

"Yes."

"Then let's follow, [record player]... [record player]?"

Yin called out twice, but when she found that Xi Wang did not respond, she turned around and looked back with some curiosity. She found that his gaze was fixed on a figure not far ahead.

Following his gaze, one could see a girl as delicate as a cherry blossom, with long pink hair like falling cherry blossoms, a beautiful face and light purple pupils. Her temperament was slightly weak and reserved, yet also somewhat ethereal, just like a cherry blossom that is easily scattered.

Moreover... Yin noticed that not only Xi Wang herself, but also the girl, had their gazes fixed on Xi Wang, their expressions showing some surprise and confusion.

"...You guys go ahead, I want to talk to my friend."

"Yes."

Yin pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling his men to leave first and make room for a quiet place... The others naturally obeyed, and even the cherry blossom-like girl quickly composed herself and followed the others to leave.

As she passed by Xi Wang, she subconsciously lowered her head and looked away, as if to avoid letting her gaze and thoughts linger on Xi Wang again.

"........."

Xi Wang turned her head slightly to look at the pink figure that was walking away quickly, then looked down at the cherry blossom she was holding in her hand, as if she had something in mind.

"...What, are you captivated? Or do you have some other ideas?"

Yin closed the door, gestured for Xi Wang to sit down, and said expressionlessly.

"Hmm...it just feels somewhat familiar...I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

"Although I really want to say that your reason for hitting on me is too cliché and old-fashioned, I'll just assume it's true since you're the one who said it."

"...Thank you so much for your trust."

Xi Wang felt somewhat helpless. He could hear the teasing in Yin's words, but what he said was indeed true. When he saw the girl, he did feel a sense of joy called reunion, but this should have been their first meeting...

"But... Gin, could you introduce her to me?"

"What? You want to contact her? You must have a boyfriend, right?"

"No, it's not about that... I just wanted to clear up some of my doubts."

"...Her name is Sakura. She's a talent I discovered, so she's one of my subordinates. Hmm...I can tell you, she's quite strong in combat and her swordsmanship is excellent. I advise you not to provoke her. Even if you're a celebrity now, not every girl will throw herself at you."

Yin thought for a moment, then simply explained it to Xiwang.

"I already said it wasn't like that... I just felt she looked familiar, and... she's trained in martial arts, no wonder she has such a great figure, um... Eden would probably be quite satisfied... Hmm? Yin, what's with that expression?"

Xi Wang noticed a hint of surprise in Yin's eyes as she looked at her, and asked with some confusion.

"...May I ask what your partner is satisfied with?"

"Eden and I aren't exactly lovers... are we... are we? No, it's not that. It's just that Eden was passionate about designing clothes for a while, so he wanted to find a girl with a good figure to model for women's clothing... Don't ask me why she doesn't try them on herself. Dressing up pretty girls and even designing clothes is Eden's own hobby."

Xi Wang tilted her head, pondering her relationship with Eden... Although they hadn't officially confessed yet, their way of getting along was enough to call them "lovers." It was just that neither of them had broken through that barrier yet, after all... they each still had their own ideals and desires to pursue.

However, he quickly put aside this meaningless thought and instead explained to Yin what he had just been muttering to himself.

“We even said before that if we didn’t want to sing on stage anymore, we would open a clothing design shop and live out the rest of our lives in peace.”

"........."

Yin really wanted to complain, since you two have already thought about how to live a stable life in the future, this can be considered to be at the stage of discussing marriage, how can you not be lovers... But in the end she held back.

This is the record player's own business; let him handle it himself.

But... models...

"Let's assume you're telling the truth... If you really want them, you can come and ask me for them, provided they're willing... And you, [Jacques Player], have to give me some compensation for poaching people from me."

"Okay, um... Silver, what do you want?"

"...From now on, give me a copy of every album, one digital copy and one physical copy, and the physical copy must be signed."

“…Is this all right?”

?

Seeing Xi Wang's somewhat surprised expression, Yin tilted her head and slowly typed a question mark.

"You [record player], do you even have any self-awareness? You're already a big celebrity online, and your fan base is steadily growing. You know, these are fans you've attracted solely through your music... I can't even imagine how many copies of your album you can sell. If you include autographs, I don't know how much they'll fetch, but at least I can guarantee their value won't be low."

"Probably not..."

"...Never mind, I can't explain this to you...It's just that simple."

Yin was somewhat helpless. Anyway, with Xi Wang's ever-increasing value, as long as Xi Wang agreed, she would make a profit no matter what.

And this guy is really something, he actually gave Xi Wang compensation when he said he would... I can't stand him at all.

"Let's talk about other things later... [Journal] Here, I want to request a song."

"Okay, but... would you be okay with singing a cappella?"

“A cappella? What do you want? We have instruments here.”

"Shamisen... Gin, you haven't given up yet..."

"You jukebox, shut up and start playing!"

Perhaps because there was no one else around, Yin's tone and attitude became more pronounced, making Xi Wang recall the days when he and everyone played around together... Speaking of which, he had heard from others that Yin had initially thought of giving him a shamisen. It seemed that Yin really liked this instrument, but for various reasons, she didn't give it to him directly.

Now that's great, she can have Xi Wang play the shamisen directly, and she can even request songs, which fulfills one of her long-held wishes.

Moreover, Xi Wang could sense that Yin's expression carried a hint of anxiety and frustration. Clearly, she had encountered many things and experienced a lot of pressure since returning... Well, it would be a good opportunity to comfort her a little.

So, after briefly familiarizing himself with how to play the shamisen and testing the notes, Xiwang slowly began to play the piece that Yin had specified.

Time passed slowly, and Yin gradually stopped talking, simply enjoying Xi Wang's performance in silence.

???~

Everything around became peaceful, leaving only the music played by Xi Wang, the soft singing of Xi Wang, the occasional breeze, and the occasional falling cherry blossom petals.

But... Sakura...?

While still playing her instrument, Xi Wang glanced at the pale pink petals that occasionally drifted down outside the window, then looked at the complete cherry blossom she had placed on the table. She subconsciously thought of the girl who resembled a cherry blossom and whose name was also "Sakura".

That name is quite fitting...

Xi Wang's lips curled up slightly—he had another spark of inspiration.

However... the production of this piece will have to be postponed for a little while.

…………

………………

That night, after seeing Xi Wang off, Yin sat silently in his seat.

“…Someone come here.”

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Yin seemed to have sorted things out, and then spoke expressionlessly.

"Miss."

"I remember that organization wanted people from us... right?"

"Yes, they have their eyes on some of our people, so they want to trade with us..."

“We’re not going to trade. We’ll use money to make a deal with them. We’ll tell them we’re willing to help them invest in a new training facility and arrange some safe houses for them in the Far East.”

"Oh? Miss, but isn't that... a bit too much of a bargain?"

"You are questioning my decision?"

Yin glanced at him briefly, her tone completely flat, and her gaze barely changing.

"Don't dare."

The man immediately lowered his head.

"Find our publicly available products, not the inferior or defective ones, and then go to the record player company. Ask them for an endorsement and advertising deal; they'll take it... They'll help us earn back the money we lost in that area."

"……Is it really possible?"

"Heh... Just wait and see, his value will only increase in the future."

Yin chuckled lightly, a rare occurrence for him. Then, his previously calm eyes turned cold in an instant, and his tone became dangerous.

"I'll say it again, don't question my decision. Since I took over, when have I ever let the family suffer losses?"

"……Feel sorry."

Go do your own thing.

"Yes."

After casually waving his hand to dismiss his subordinates, Yin shifted his gaze back to the computer in front of him, letting his mind wander for a moment.