I Am an Emperor in a World of Mixed Anime

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl blushed noticeably. Her face turned bright red, and she looked like she wanted to explode but couldn't bring herself to speak. In the end, she could only puff out her cheeks and mutter her story in a slightly resentful tone.

"I've already entered high school!"

"Oh..." Raising an eyebrow, after a moment's thought, Higashino Akira looked at her, "You have something to say to me in person?"

Upon hearing this, the girl did not speak immediately, but instead glanced at the other people present, namely Kongming and Miyamizu Mitsuha.

Seeing this, Higashino Akira reassured him, "Don't worry, there are no outsiders here. If it's really something important, you definitely won't tell anyone."

Only then did the girl feel comfortable speaking.

“Two days ago, someone came to my father’s hospital room and offered a lot of money as payment, hoping that my father would give false testimony to smear Yunmeng Group. My father did not agree, so the other party threatened him with us and my mother.”

"Dad could only pretend to agree for now, because he was worried that the other party might use other methods to deal with you, so he tried to tell me about this and asked me to convey it to you. Please be careful."

Upon hearing this, Higashino Akira frowned slightly. What a lowly scoundrel! He does things so crudely, without any skill whatsoever.

Because the Embroidered Uniform Guard had limited manpower and not many new members trained locally, the focus of the mission was on investigating the people who had been instigated by him. They didn't pay much attention to the survivors after the attack on the construction site. They didn't expect that the other side would focus their attention on them.

"Kongming, make the arrangements. Send someone to verify the facts and see if we can capture the other party. Make a special effort to protect the families of our employees."

After saying that, Higashino Akira looked at the girl again, "I'm not sure if anyone followed you on your way here, so don't go back today. We'll talk about it when we get some news."

"By the way, what's your name?"

Having received Akira Higashino's thoughtful arrangements and hearing that he was willing to send people to protect her family, the girl's eyes reddened slightly, her expression grateful, and she spoke with a touch of excitement, "Ruri Gokou."

Upon hearing the name, Akira Higashino nodded.

In reality, she was lost in memories, feeling that she seemed to have some recollection of it. After searching through her memories, she finally remembered where it came from.

Isn't this a character from a certain anime about a sister complex?

Then he thought about his current situation and finally felt relieved.

Chiba is indeed known for its strong siscon (brother complex) culture.

Moreover, the female protagonist of that anime was even used as a profile picture by a certain Uncle Chen, who said the famous quote, "What you love is your life."

Ruri Gokou also seems to have a nickname, something like Black Cat.

In my memory, she seemed to be quite good at gaming.

Do you play online games?

"what?"

"Since we're just killing time anyway, come on, log in, I'll teach you how to play."

Before he could even mourn the fall of his former rival, the bridge-blocking prodigy Takatsuki Eiko, Higashino Akira had already found an even more formidable new ally.

After a few rounds of getting used to the controls, Higashino Akira decisively switched out of his sniper rifle, grabbed a large red bag and a steroid gun, and went into the map naked.

"Great gun! Ruri-chan, great gun! One bag for each of you!"

"Xiao Liuli is so handsome!"

"Holy crap! You actually had a heart! Mom... Mom..."

"You! You!" The girl blushed deeply, her pretty face turning bright red. Just a moment ago, he seemed like a perfectly serious and mature adult, but how did things turn out like this? "Fine, take it, take it!"

Why are you acting all cute and spoiled?!

Really!

"As expected of the woman who can become my mother, Little Liuli's mom, I love you!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? You're a disgrace!"

The difference between her and Kawasaki Saki is that, although both are shy and blush, as a veteran of the anime and manga world, Gokou Ruri is able to catch on to jokes.

Chapter 105 Going Home

RiNG.

After being separated for several months, the members of CRYCHIC reunited.

Right outside the shop, Toyokawa Shoko stood there for a long time, her heart churning with mixed emotions, before finally going inside.

Inside the store, Nagasaki Motoyo's gaze kept sweeping towards the store entrance. She took the initiative to chat quietly with Tama and Riki, especially Riki, who tried her best to dispel her hostility towards Xiaoxiang.

Upon seeing the girl she had been longing for, she immediately stood up with delight, smiling gently as she greeted her, "Xiao Xiang!"

Beside her, the somewhat withdrawn and taciturn Wakaba Mutsu agreed and quietly called out, "Sho."

Upon hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko glanced at Su Shi with a complicated expression, sighed silently in her heart, nodded to Xiao Mu, and walked past the two of them directly to Takamatsu Akari.

Upon seeing this, Shiina Tatsuki immediately tensed up and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Ignoring Riki's hostility, Toyokawa Shoko's gaze fell on Akari. "Aki...I have something to say to you."

Upon hearing this, Gao Songdeng hugged her notebook tightly, her body trembling slightly. Her eyes held a mixture of joy and self-reproach. Even now, she still felt that it was because she was so incompetent that CRYCHIC had become what it was today. "Xiang...Xiangzi..."

Toyokawa Shoko silently took a deep breath, walked to the lamp, and bowed deeply, saying, "I'm sorry."

The scene immediately fell silent.

Shoko Toyokawa remained bowing. "That night... I said some very hurtful things to you. I'm sorry."

Her voice trembled slightly, "That wasn't true. I just... back then, I encountered some bad things, and because of my immature pride, I wanted to escape everything and cut off everything, including my past."

Upon hearing this, Gao Songdeng's eyes reddened, and tears silently streamed down his face. "Xiangzi..."

Toyokawa Shoko straightened up, her eyes slightly red. "Your lyrics have always been about expressing your true feelings, an echo of your soul! You have been trying so hard to convey your inner thoughts, but I chose to escape and shut myself off. It was me who should have been practicing. I'm sorry, Toki."

Beside her, Shiina Tatsuki frowned, a nameless anger rising within her as she saw Akari's tears streaming down her face. "What kind of apology is this, coming only now? Do you know how long Akari cried that night? Do you know—"

Gao Songdeng gently tugged at Li hope's sleeve, "Li hope..."

The black-haired, purple-eyed girl bit her lip, turned her face away, and made an annoyed sound, "...tsk."

Toyokawa Shoko turned to Riki and bowed again, "I'm sorry, Riki, I was always avoiding you back then and didn't seriously respond to your feelings for the band."

Faced with this sudden situation, Shiina Riki paused for a moment, still not turning around, but her tone softened noticeably. She was no longer as wary as a prickly hedgehog, and her tone became much gentler, "I don't care, just don't hurt Akari again."

Silence descended once more.

Su Shi stood up from the sofa, her lips moved but she didn't say anything. She just watched everyone make up, her pupils gradually moistening, her heart filled with happiness.

Holding her notebook, Gao Songdeng walked step by step to Xiangzi, tears streaming down her face. "I...I've been...I've been thinking, is it because my lyrics are too strange...is it because I'm bad at speaking and singing that Xiangzi is in so much pain..."

Shoko Toyokawa's tears finally fell, and her voice suddenly rose as she loudly denied, "No... the lamp is not wrong! The fault lies with me, with my weakness."

Gao Songdeng shook his head, crying, and suddenly rushed forward to hug Xiangzi. "I'm so happy to see Xiangzi again. Welcome back!"

She has never blamed Xiangzi, neither before nor now after hearing his apology.

In her heart, Xiangzi was still the girl who pulled her out of her monotonous, gray, and lonely world, who didn't find her strange, who seriously cared for her, encouraged her, and led her to understand the world and become a human being!

On the contrary, Toyokawa Shoko froze after hearing Takamatsu Akari's words, then gently hugged him back and shook her head.

“I am no longer qualified to return to CRYCHIC. I just... want to apologize to everyone properly. I don’t want you to be trapped in guilt and self-blame because of me and unable to move on.”

Upon hearing this, the smile on Nagasaki Motoyo's face, which had been filled with satisfaction, gradually disappeared. She pursed her lips and looked melancholy.

Shiina Riki looked at the two embracing each other and scratched her hair in annoyance. This girl, she was the one who hurt Akari the most back then, but she came back and made up with Akari so easily.

"I'm going to buy a drink," she said, getting up from her seat and walking towards the counter, out of sight, out of mind.

After Shiina Riki left, Su Shi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, finally stepped forward, came to Xiangzi and the others, opened her arms and hugged her and Xiaodeng together, her voice choked with emotion, "Let's not talk about these things now, it's good that you're back, Xiao Xiang, you're finally willing to talk to us, we've finally made up, that's more important than anything else."

"........."

Upon hearing Su Shi's words, Toyokawa Shoko knew that Su Shi still hadn't given up on bringing her back to CRYCHIC. Her heart sank slightly, and she felt a strange increase in gravity around her.

Beside them, the taciturn Mu Tou Ren was left behind, left to watch his three teammates huddled together, his eyes downcast.

Perhaps, she shouldn't be in RiNG right now.

In the evening, after saying goodbye, Toyokawa Shoko left RiNG with Wakaba Mutsu.

After a long silence, she finally took Xiao Mu's hand, looked at her seriously, and asked a question.

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

Where are we going next?

Sitting in the high-end-looking van, the shyness from being teased while playing games and the pleasant experience of old anime tropes gradually faded with time. As she watched the unfamiliar street scenes receding outside the window, Gokou Ruri's heart finally began to tremble with unease.

Although this person is also a fan of anime and manga, there's no rule that people who like anime and manga can't be bad people, right?

Moreover, he is the owner of a large conglomerate. Such a person might have many lovers in secret and is most skilled at using sweet words to deceive or buy the feelings of young girls.

She asked in a low voice, her eyes fixed on the scenery outside the window, but actually looking at the face of the person next to her through the blurry reflection in the car window mirror, not daring to turn around.

With a mental attribute of 30 points, Higashino Akira, who can already vaguely perceive the overly active surface emotions of ordinary people, can naturally sense the girl's tension.

However, instead of offering comfort, he stared at her!

While watching, he mischievously teased her, saying, "Go home."

The moment she heard that word, Gokou Ruri's heart jumped into her throat and started pounding wildly.

Chapter 106: Perhaps she's someone who lacked maternal love.

Disappointment? Or disgust?

Ruri Gokou couldn't quite explain what emotions she was feeling. Her nature told her that at times like this, she should give this guy a good scolding, preferably with a sharp and sarcastic remark!

But the reality that she had reached a dead end prevented her from speaking.

She knew very well that her family had been dragged into a terrible mess, and she couldn't go with the flow or stay out of it. No matter what she chose, the outcome would be the destruction of her family.

Those thugs who targeted her family were the most unreliable. She had tried calling the police, but the Japanese police were equally unreliable. What followed was not a police inquiry, but a second warning from the thugs.

If what this person says is true, and he really wants to protect his family, then even if he wants to do something, she will find it difficult to say no.

Ruri Gokou couldn't bear to let go of her family's hope for survival.

On the bright side, if this person is a little more generous, he might be able to help her family improve their financial situation. At worst, this playboy might not care about a woman for long, and she might be free after a while and be able to return to a normal life. It's not a big deal, right?

The girl's eyes were slightly red, and she wrinkled her small, cute nose, feeling a strange soreness in her eyes. She stopped talking.

More than half an hour later, the vehicle drove into a mid-range residential area and slowly came to a stop.

Higashino Akira opened the car door and got out. Gokou Ruri followed silently behind with her head down, until they reached the door of the detached house next door and rang the doorbell.

Ding-dong-