Joker's Band Game Story

It wasn't until Amamiya's help that she was able to gradually break free from the numbness of her work and studies.

So she should be grateful to Amamiya, right?

But why... do I feel a bit of disgust towards him...?

Clutching her chest, Xiangzi knew why she loathed Amamiya.

She loathed Amamiya's privileged life, she loathed Amamiya's kindness, and she loathed the helping hand Amamiya extended to her.

There was a time when I was just as innocent and kind as him, but why did fate turn me into this...?

Everyone else is still smiling, but I am alone in my sorrow...

She knew that her thinking was wrong, but she couldn't help but loathe everything about it.

"Why...why are you all so happy...while I...and I..."

Clutching her chest tightly, she gripped it so hard that her fair skin turned red, but she paid no heed to the pain.

Or rather... she just needs to feel this pain, she just needs this pain to punish herself.

Reason told her that this was wrong, but she couldn't change the purest thought in her heart.

She knew it was jealousy; she was jealous of why others could still enjoy happiness while she was stuck in the mud.

So every time I think about Amamiya wanting to help me, every time I think about his actions, or even just his face, I feel a deep pain.

"Why...why am I so shameless..."

She hugged her arms and pinched her skin, using the pain to forgive herself.

Her conscience couldn't tolerate her being so shameless, so she needed to use this crudest method to alleviate her guilt.

But through all this time, she unknowingly developed a deeper impression of Amamiya.

The princess trapped in the mud longed for someone to rescue her completely.

Even if she is no longer innocent and pure, even if she is now full of sin.

She longed for someone to save her; she hoped someone could rescue her as soon as possible.

"Amemiya..."

Softly murmuring Ren Amamiya's name, Shoko was still punishing herself. She hated Amamiya so much, yet why couldn't she forget him?

Why, why, why! Why does she yearn for Amamiya to descend upon her again?

She needs to atone for her sins, but she is the one who is pitiful. Her pride prevents her from letting go of her dignity, yet she also hates herself for falling into darkness.

Was she wrong from the start? Was becoming a caged bird in the Toyokawa family the right thing to do?

Why...why can't she find happiness?

Yes, why can't I find happiness?

Xiangzi's eyes glazed over as she looked at her father kneeling on the ground, pounding his fist on the floor: "Enough... leave me alone... looking at such an outstanding daughter like you, I... feel utterly ashamed... please... disappear!"

Why can't I find happiness?

This question kept popping into Xiangzi's mind.

For so long, she had been taking care of her father, even leaving the Toyokawa family and working day and night, only to end up like this—Reimu Ryūrei? Is this really the kind of ending she'll get?

She felt her body stiffen involuntarily, her blood almost freezing, and she felt a sense of suffocation. The only pillar that had been supporting her had finally collapsed.

The cheerful, kind, and caring father I used to know has turned into this useless person.

She... has lost everything.

She lost her status as the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family; she lost her mother, she lost her father, she lost everything…

No, there's still Ave Mujica, there's still the band, she still has the band... all she has left is the band...

I am not Toyokawa Shoko... (Lingmeng Ouyiqi VIII? Baji Liu'Yin)

I am...oblivious...

(PS: The idea that Xiangzi is a masochist is purely a fan creation. After all, the contrast between the wealthy heiress being a masochist in secret and the fact that Xiangzi was yawning in the early episodes did warrant punishment. But is Xiangzi's punishment in this state really punishment? (Thinking))

Chapter Twenty-Four: Performance at the Martial Arts Hall

After packing her luggage, Xiangzi quickly took her suitcase and walked downstairs. She no longer wanted to live in this house.

She always hoped that her father could return to the way he used to be—the father who loved to laugh, was kind, and honest.

But he couldn't do it. That incident made him completely give up everything and fall into depravity. Xiangzi also lost all hope; she had indeed lost everything.

When she arrived downstairs, Wakaba Mutsu was already waiting for her. The two of them would go to the martial arts hall together, and then begin their martial arts hall performance for the day.

Today is their first step towards a successful Mujica; they will definitely succeed.

Sitting in the car, Xiangzi couldn't help but cover her face and cry bitterly. She was unwilling, she was really unwilling, why had her father become like this?

“That bastard dad… he has no idea how I’ve felt all this time… I’m never going back… I can’t go back…”

When she said "we can't go back," was she referring to that small family, the Toyokawa family, or perhaps the happy and fulfilling past... only she herself knew the answer.

But no matter which one it is, she can't go back. Just as she herself said, it's all in the past.

As for the future... she has no future, she only has Mujica, and Mujica's future is her future.

"Martial Arts Hall...a man?"

Seeing Xiangzi's sorrowful appearance, Mu couldn't help but ask him a question.

After all, Xiangzi said that she only had Mujica left, so for Mujica, the upcoming performance was the most important thing.

Unfortunately, this wasn't what Xiangzi needed to hear. Xiaomu's wrong response made Xiangzi's expression turn somewhat ferocious: "What problem could there be? What do you think I've worked so hard for all this time? Cut off all attachments, forget everything... I have nothing left but Ave Mujica."

At this point, Xiangzi had completely fallen into darkness; she was no longer the Xiangzi that Xiaomu had known before.

She has come to her senses; she no longer trusts anyone. The Xiao Xiang she once cherished has been killed by reality.

At this moment, Mu stopped talking. She sensed that Xiangzi was different from before, but... she didn't know how to say it.

Because she is not good at expressing herself.

Many spectators had already arrived at the Budokan. As a fan of Ave Mujica, Chihaya Aine was also queuing in the crowd, looking forward to entering the Budokan to enjoy the performance.

She was so excited at the thought of watching their performance live that she almost jumped up on her knees.

Meanwhile, Nagasaki Sase glanced at Aine helplessly, not understanding what made Aine so excited.

But Aine came here to chase after a star, and she felt that Amoris might be the same person she was chasing, which is why her enthusiasm was so high.

If the other party wasn't Nekomushi... she might be disappointed. This kind of situation is all too common for her. Her feelings for Mujica are a case of loving the house because of the house; it's precisely because Amoris is Nekomushi that she likes Mujica.

"Well?"

Suddenly, Shuangshi looked up at the distance and felt as if she saw Ren Amamiya in the distance.

"What's wrong? What happened? Did you find something? Is it Amoris?"

Aine noticed that Sōse's attitude had suddenly become a little strange. She immediately looked at Sōse and found that Sōse was looking in a certain direction, so she followed her gaze.

"I think I saw a lotus..."

"Eh~ Teacher Lian? Should we just ask him directly?"

Ai Yin took out her phone and pointed at it: "How about sending a message to Teacher Lian?"

"Won't this bother him..."

"Oh, it's okay~ If it's not him, just say you miss him~ Have you been intimate these past few days?"

Aine looked at Souse with an "I understand" expression, her little tiger teeth looking incredibly arrogant.

"Why are you so concerned about our affairs? Really."

"I'm genuinely curious, really curious about how you two are all lovey-dovey when you're together~"

It can only be said that Aine's love of gossip is really strong; she's even curious about things like this.

However, Sōse did not intend to tell Aine about this; she simply turned on her phone, preparing to send a message to Amamiya.

"Oh~ I saw it~"

Ai-yin tiptoed and peeked, and she immediately noticed that Sosei's phone background was a picture of Ren Amamiya.

I must say, the photos are quite handsome. Ren Amamiya, wearing glasses, looks knowledgeable and refined, leaning against the bed and looking out the window with his head turned to the side, exuding an artistic vibe.

"Hate!"

Souse patted Aine to stop her from being silly, then sent a message to Amamiya, asking where he was.

However, the message remained unread and received no response.

After all, Amamiya was too busy to reply to messages right now; he was chatting with Akechi Goro.

As the person in charge of managing Ave Mujica within the agency, Goro Akechi wields considerable authority within the firm.

However, he did not abuse his power. Instead, he delegated a large part of his authority to Toyokawa Shoko, while he himself was only responsible for various odd jobs or as a backup.

This was the order from the head of the Toyokawa family, and also the plan of Shido Masayoshi behind him. While Akechi Goro had some speculations about their intentions, he wasn't entirely certain and dared not make any rash guesses. So he simply did his job obediently, waiting for the right moment when he was needed.

His current task is to find a way to get Ren Amamiya involved in the Ave Mujica event—this is Masayoshi Shido's idea, and has little to do with the Toyokawa family.

Coincidentally, the Toyokawa family also thinks highly of Ren Amamiya, especially Toyokawa Sadaharu, who is already planning to have Ren marry into the Toyokawa family, with Toyokawa Shoko as his prospective son-in-law.

Shido Masayoshi's idea of ​​pulling Amamiya Ren into Ave Mujica was simple: to use someone else's resources to his advantage.

He was not satisfied with Amamiya's current situation. The name Akira Kurusu was only known to people in the industry, and few people outside the industry knew him as a famous lyricist and composer. So he planned to push Ren Amamiya from behind the scenes to the forefront, and not just simply to the forefront, but to make him the most popular national star.

So how can we make him famous the fastest? With the full support of big names? With him appearing in various bands?

In Shido Masayoshi's view, using Ave Mujica to make Amamiya famous was a two-pronged approach: it could both suppress the Toyokawa family and make Amamiya famous as quickly as possible.

That's why he put Goro Akechi in charge of Mujica, so that Amamiya could later use Mujica to become famous. Compared to other well-known bands, Mujica's fans are mostly new fans; their fanbase isn't very cohesive and they're easily manipulated.

Amamiya was unaware that he had been caught up in a storm; he was simply a friend of the Mujica band and felt he should pay more attention to Mujica.

Of course, if Mujica is willing, he can also prepare some lyrics and music for them to play.

But all of this is predicated on... Toyokawa Shoko having to be willing, after all, she is the band's leader.