Joker's Band Game Story

Hearing Miaomeng constantly arguing with her, Xiangzi's voice rose two decibels. She had to stop her from continuing to undermine the worldview of Mujica.

They need to maintain their mystique now; they are different from other bands, so they need to present themselves in a more unique way.

But Miaomeng countered with a question to Xiangzi: "Will we... also have to wear masks from now on?"

"Ave Mujica won't lower its standards; we need to accumulate achievements first, especially in terms of musicality..."

Xiangzi wanted to dissuade Miaomeng again, as she sensed that Miaomeng seemed to be up to something.

Seeing that Xiangzi and Miaomeng were about to start arguing again, Hailing ignored everyone else and went backstage alone to take off her clothes.

Only Chu Hua and Xiao Mu continued to watch the two women's argument. Faced with Xiangzi's so-called 'musical evaluation,' Miao Meng directly interrupted her:

Even if you liked it yesterday, you're tired of it today.

Miao Meng read aloud the comment she had once seen, unaware of just how much that comment had affected her.

She craves and pursues popularity, but now she's being rejected. If this continues, she can forget about ever becoming famous again.

Miaomeng's account has stopped posting videos as frequently. If this continues, the promotion of her videos will decrease, her income will drop, and her fans will gradually unfollow or become inactive followers.

All of this was because she was working hard for Mujica, but this young lady was still clinging to her so-called worldview, which seemed utterly foolish to Meow Dream.

Indeed, mystery can be a way to attract the public, but the popularity of a label is ultimately limited. If the mystery continues to be maintained, people will get tired of it.

The gunshot in the first act must be fired before the third act; otherwise, the audience will forget about the gun, and even if it is fired again, they will not find it amazing.

So, is he really going to reveal his true identity at the Budokan?

Miao Meng couldn't help but think about her conversation with that person.

Since Xiangzi can no longer generate more buzz for her, she should make the appropriate choice to cut ties with him.

She is Yutenji Wakana. Her purpose in coming to Mujica is to gain traffic. Pigs should be slaughtered once they are fattened up, instead of being kept here until they are old, tough, and unpalatable.

She no longer trusted Xiangzi.

Chapter Twenty-Three: I am not Xiangzi, I am oblivious

"To take off the mask, you have to be on the best stage."

"Ha~"

Hearing Xiangzi's words, Miaomeng had no intention of saying anything more to her and slowly left on her own.

The best stage? Isn't that the Budokan? Besides the Budokan, where else is the best?

After a month of building popularity, they unveiled their true colors, revealing the band's two trump cards: Minami's daughter, Wakaba Mutsumi, and Sumimi's triangular Hatsuka.

Miao Meng was unaware of Xiangzi's relationship with Chu Hua and Xiao Mu. After all, Xiangzi had been acting very businesslike at work lately, so how could she possibly tell who her friends were? Therefore, she assumed that Xiangzi had called Chu Hua and Xiao Mu over for the same reason as her: for the sake of face and numbers.

That appearance actually boosted their popularity, which was exactly what she planned, right? The national tour is right after the Budokan, and they can only get the purest traffic when they take off their masks.

Miao Meng had her own agenda, and with the encouragement of some people, she dared to betray Xiangzi.

After all… Xiangzi is indeed the boss when it comes to the band, but outside of the band, she's also someone who needs to be obedient. Since the person in charge said it was no problem, of course she'd do it.

'But if you fail, don't blame us for being ruthless~'

But when she recalled the smiling fox-like man's additional words, Miao Meng couldn't help but click her tongue.

Indeed, no one can be relied upon except myself.

I am Ruomai, and I can only thrive by relying on myself.

Leaving aside Miaomeng's inner journey, Xiangzi looked at Xiaomu and Chuhua beside him.

Xiao Mu was relieved to see that the two hadn't completely stopped arguing. She went backstage to change her clothes and remove her makeup. Her driver had already come to pick her up, and she had other plans after she got home.

Therefore, only Chu Hua accompanied Xiangzi.

"What you just said really touched me. You let me give the lecture. You really care about Ave Mujica."

After leaving the firm, the two walked side by side, and their relationship seemed quite good.

"Of course, after all, I'm responsible for your lives."

Xiangzi answered with a smile, but she had no idea how much her words affected Chuhua.

Hearing this, Chu Hua was deeply moved. She never expected that Xiangzi would actually be willing to take responsibility for his own life.

But... but she doesn't know what her real life is like...

Chu Hua was excited for a moment, then calmed down and continued chatting with Xiangzi: "You've only just debuted and you already have such high popularity. Xiao Xiang is really amazing."

It's amazing that Mujica has managed to gain such high popularity without revealing the true identities of all five members.

Hatsuka also started from scratch. When she and Mana formed sumimi, it took them a lot of time to gradually gain their current popularity.

Of course, the main credit goes to Junda Mana, who was a five-time national amateur singing champion and was thus scouted, leading to the discovery of Mitsumi Hatsuka, who was also scouted.

As a five-time champion, she naturally has a certain fan base. Her first performance was at the opening ceremony of a commercial building constructed by the Toyokawa Group, where she and Mana sang the song "I'm Sorry for Being So Cute," written by Akira Kurusu, after which she gradually gained popularity. Now, she and Mana have become popular idols.

The naive Hatsuka thought their popularity was purely due to their own talent, but in reality, the promotion by their agency and the Toyokawa family was the key factor.

That's why she praised Xiangzi for being so capable, becoming famous so quickly. These words made Xiangzi smile wryly.

She knew why she became famous so quickly: it was because she had once signed an agreement with her grandfather.

Therefore, this band formation can only succeed; it cannot fail. She must meet the results stipulated in the agreement, otherwise…

Without dwelling on it any longer, Xiangzi looked at Chuhua again: "This is all thanks to you. There's no one more suitable than you to be the face of Ave Mujica."

Xiangzi wasn't wrong about that. She invited Chuhua to be the lead singer because of her strong abilities. As for fame, she really didn't care that much.

However… when she invited Chu Hua, Chu Hua agreed without asking any questions, which still made her a little worried…

"Are you really okay with not asking any questions?"

"Ah."

Chu Hua nodded confidently and admitted that she really didn't mind, and she would be happy to do anything Xiangzi did.

After all... she so admired Xiangzi, longed for Xiangzi, wanted to have Xiangzi... and became Xiangzi.

"You're definitely the kind of person who's easily tricked into buying crystals."

“That’s too much~”

Hearing Xiangzi say that he was naive and easily deceived, Chuhua couldn't help but say something coquettishly.

But in her heart, she felt something else entirely.

She wished she could be as innocent and naive as Xiangzi described, but she couldn't.

She was ultimately a dark person...

While the two were chatting, Xiangzi's phone suddenly rang. She looked down at the caller ID and her expression changed.

"Work?"

"Um, I'm sorry, I'll have to go first... I'm Toyokawa."

Xiangzi left quickly, and watching her hurried departure, Chu Hua couldn't help but show a worried expression on her face.

But after Xiangzi left completely, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

They looked so...joyful.

Although she didn't see it, she knew who had called Xiangzi... it was the police station.

Her father must have been drunk and causing trouble again, and then he was detained by the police. His family will take him away after he sobers up.

This wasn't the first time Xiangzi had encountered something like this, so she quickly went to the familiar police station and picked up her father.

Back in his dilapidated home, Xiangzi couldn't help but purse his lips again.

She is no longer oblivious, but Toyokawa Shoko.

She pushed open the door, looked at the empty wine cans scattered on the floor, sighed helplessly, and began to collect them.

Because she had to go to school during the day, she always left money on the table so that her father wouldn't go hungry.

But each time he was given money, it was only enough for food, and no one knew where he got so much beer.

He tossed his father onto the mat, then returned to his room and lay down on the mat to prepare for sleep.

There was no bed in the house, and the poor family didn't even have much furniture. Apart from the necessities of tables and chairs, there was basically nothing else.

But those tables and chairs were usually not needed, because Xiangzi never ate at home. She ate breakfast and lunch at school, and dinner immediately after work. She didn't have time to cook a meal for herself at home.

As for his father, who always stays at home... he has even less chance of cooking.

Xiangzi, who was still a minor, entered the adult world at a young age, but because she was still a minor, she suffered more discrimination than adults.

Many jobs were not given to her. When she was looking for a job, she could only find low-paying jobs with few requirements. She delivered newspapers and hauled packages to every household, rain or shine.

Despite being a pampered young lady, she was able to let go of that airs and live in a dirty and chaotic environment, doing manual labor that ordinary students wouldn't do. At that time, she really felt like she was living in the darkest days, but... she was too tired to think about these things.

Lying on the mat, Xiangzi wasn't very sleepy. Compared to usual, she went to bed a little earlier today. But she had to go to bed early because she had more work to do tomorrow and would have to get up even earlier.

But she just couldn't sleep, and her mind started wandering. She thought about the difficult path she had walked before, and she knew that she would soon have to say goodbye to this path in the future.

There wasn't much for her to reminisce about on this journey. She was enduring it all, silently charging forward in her life, determined to prove that she wouldn't be crushed by life.

So looking back on this path, her eyes are cold. She sees those difficulties as torture and trials, and only by enduring these trials can she be baptized, only then can she...

For some reason, Ren Amamiya suddenly came to mind.

His appearance was a turning point, a turning point that changed his life.

He took himself to the stars and became a waiter, earning a substantial salary every day, and the work pressure wasn't too high.

She was very grateful for Amamiya's help, because without him, she wouldn't have had the energy to think about how to build Mujica.

but……

Now, when she thinks back to Amamiya, she feels a pang of sadness.

Ultimately, the other person was not her kind of person. She could recall the happy times he spent with the End Band, and her heart would ache whenever she saw the End Band.

She once had a similar band... but she ended it all herself.

No matter how reluctant she was, she knew she no longer had the energy to run this make-believe band. She needed to spend more time studying to earn scholarships and working to make sure she wouldn't starve.