I became the emperor in the comic book series.

However, Toyokawa Shoko no longer intended to get entangled with her, both to avoid trouble and for her own good.

If Xiao Mu knew that her situation only meant she might be implicated, Su Shi would definitely do everything in her power to actively search for and explore the reasons behind the changes that had occurred in her.

Faced with such indescribable and unknown causes and effects, ordinary people have no room to resist.

This is her business; there's no need to involve others.

"I have something to do, so let's leave it at that. Let's try not to see each other again."

Shoko Toyokawa turned and left.

At the next table, Higashino Akira gently patted the head of the cat-like girl whose name he didn't know, left two bills on the table to pay the bill, and then got up and followed her.

Before leaving, he glanced at the tearful girl with pity.

How did such a nice girl end up joining a girl group?

Now he's become a clown.

Toyokawa Shoko is truly a wicked person.

Originally, this girl's figure, appearance, and slightly maternal personality were quite to his liking, what a pity.

Higashino Akira and Toyokawa Shoko left together.

Behind her, Ruo Yemu gently grasped Su Shi's hand, "Su Shi..."

She wanted to comfort Su Shi, but after opening her mouth, she didn't know what to say. She stood there silently for a while, and finally just softly called Su Shi's name before falling silent.

Nagasaki Motoyo bit her lip, her face streaked with tears as she watched Shoko's departing figure.

No, Xiao Xiang wasn't like this before!

What happened to Xiao Xiang...?

And that man, who exactly is he? Why is Xiao Xiang willing to leave with him instead of coming back to continue forming CRYCHIC with everyone for a lifetime?

……

As it turned out, Toyokawa Shoko was right to act decisively and decisively.

The two left RiNG and headed towards the underground parking lot not far away. However, before they even reached the parking lot, in a dimly lit area, Toyokawa Shoko transformed back into a kitten.

Higashino Akira had no choice but to pick up her clothes, which were scattered all over the ground, and carry her into the parking lot.

I couldn't resist teasing her during that time.

"Hmm, a beautiful girl's used underwear."

"Xiangzi, do you think if I took this outfit to that girl, she would kneel down and beg me to give it to her, promising to do anything if I did?"

Shoko Toyokawa, who was already somewhat unhappy, got angry when she heard this guy's heartless words. She slapped her fluffy tail across the big idiot's face and then turned around and hissed at him forcefully.

"Hmm, there's a story behind it?"

Higashino Akira was taken aback by Xiangzi's reaction, then realized what she meant, widened his eyes, and looked somewhat speechless. "I was just saying, she wouldn't actually do that, would she?"

Damn, the lesbians in this band are so twisted!

That's terrifying!

To be able to associate with such a group of extraordinary people, Toyokawa Shoko must possess some extraordinary qualities herself, and there's little chance she can be saved.

Akira Higashino made up his mind that he would never let Saki Kawasaki join a girl band.

This thing is a bit eerie.

Especially now that Japan seems to have entered the era of big girl bands, with a bunch of girls forming bands, becoming idols, even school idols, and even school clubs trying to form groups and debut.

If she's not careful, Saki Kawasaki, who's already free from the pressure of survival, might fall victim to this at any time.

.........

Night. The spacious, upscale apartment is deserted.

Nagasaki Motoyo returned home alone. Looking at her home where she was all alone again, her nose tingled and her eyes reddened.

The cold words Xiangzi had spoken in RiNG kept replaying in her mind, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

No, I was too hasty. Xiangzi might have his reasons!

That man might be spying on Xiangzi, which is why Xiangzi treated us that way.

Xiangzi used to be such a gentle person, it's impossible for him to suddenly become like a completely different person.

Nagasaki Motoyo stubbornly refused to give up, hypnotizing herself again and again, and then, as if she had discovered some blind spot, she suddenly took out her phone to check the news about the Toyokawa Group.

Then... a sudden news item caught my eye, so glaringly obvious.

The Toyokawa Group was swindled out of 168 billion yen due to a senior executive's decision-making error. The executive has since resigned, and his identity is...

Was that person Xiangzi's father?

They actually caused the group to be swindled out of so much money!

In the end, he was expelled from the family.

Moreover, this incident occurred precisely around the time when Xiangzi proposed to leave CRYCHIC!

No wonder Xiangzi became so difficult to talk to later on, and unwilling to communicate with us anymore. No wonder Xiangzi, who was once like an angel, became so indifferent in the end, and even gave up continuing his studies at Tsuki no Mori.

In an instant, connecting all the causes and consequences, Nagasaki Motoyo seemed to understand everything.

She, who could never bring herself to hate Xiangzi, couldn't help but feel pity for him.

He desperately wanted to be by Xiangzi's side the next second, to give her a warm hug, to tell her his encouragement, and to give her his support.

And that man.

Those kinds of plots, like business marriages, also came to mind for Nagasaki Motoyo.

Nagasaki Motoyo opened the social media app, found Xiaomu's profile picture, and sent her a text message.

Su Shi: 'Xiao Mu, thank you for spending time with me today.'

Mu: 'Hmm. '

Su Shi: 'After I came back, I kept thinking...did I do something wrong? I brought up the band the moment we met, without considering Xiao Xiang's current situation at all.'

Mu: '…'

Su Shi: 'I want to see Xiao Xiang again, not to mention CRYCHIC, but just... to apologize, to apologize to Xiao Xiang for my rashness today.'

Mu: 'Do I have to apologize too?'

Su Shi: 'Yes, let's go find Xiao Xiang together and explain things properly.'

Mu: '…'

Su Shi: 'Xiao Xiang is kind-hearted. If we explain things properly, she will definitely understand. If she refuses to forgive us... we'll kneel down and beg her; she'll surely soften.'

Mu: 'Do I have to kneel too?'

Su Shi: 'Yes, let's kneel together, that way Xiao Xiang will know we're sincere.'

On the other end of the social media app, there was a long silence before a reply popped up.

Mu: 'Okay. '

Su Shi: 'Okay, it's settled then! I'll pick you up tomorrow.'

After logging out of the social media app, Su Shi clutched her phone tightly to her chest, the screen black, and looked out at the night with a resolute expression.

"Xiao Xiang...I will save you! I will definitely bring you back!"

"No matter what method you use!"

Chapter Thirty-Two: This is what professionalism is all about (Thanks to the generous donor 1A748 for the donation)

The next day, Shinkansen.

Akira Higashino, carrying some luggage, gifts, and his cat, boarded the train back to his hometown.

Taking advantage of the convenient route, he cleared out another house.

The main method is to go inside the house, provoke the evil spirit with words, lure it to your side, and then hit the place where you feel that disgusting, cold feeling. Then catch the dead ghost and beat it hard, killing the little devil with three punches.

He originally planned to clean up the haunted house himself, bit by bit. After all, haunted houses are indeed worthless. They are hard to sell, and they can't be mortgaged to banks for much money. Apart from the land, which can be used to get a fixed reward from the system, they are hard to generate any other value.

But the cleared-out haunted houses are different. Since there are no evil spirits, no one will die. So they can be rented out, and the rent is a continuous source of income. After someone lives there for a year or two without any problems, they can take it to the bank and mortgage it for a large amount of cash, just like a normal house.

The reason why Higashino Akira didn't choose to buy cheap land or even mountain land in the countryside at the beginning was because his initial funds were too limited. Although the land in the countryside was cheap, it was difficult to use it as collateral to raise a lot of money to continue snowballing.

Even though a haunted house is only slightly more expensive than a barren hillside in the countryside, and many people have died in it, it is still a house in Tokyo. You can get a lot of money from the bank to buy a new house and land.

Originally, this set of measures eventually became increasingly ineffective and harmful.

Higashino Akira planned to wait until Kongming made his move and went to Xi Yi for a while to raise money before continuing to expand his territory.

But now the turning point has arrived!

Of course, it wasn't because Higashino Akira took action himself. He could only defeat a few. He had to work hard before becoming emperor, and he still had to fight desperately after becoming emperor. Otherwise, wouldn't the system have been a waste?

Akira Higashino sat on the train, wearing a wireless Bluetooth earphone in his left ear. Under the seat beneath him was Shoko Toyokawa, who was in the form of a cat named Y. As a small pet, she could be brought on the train with a ticket.

Meanwhile, a video was playing on Akira Higashino's phone.

In the video, in the pitch-black night, a young woman leads a little girl to a secluded phone booth and makes a call. Suddenly, several bloody handprints appear on the glass of the empty booth. The young woman, her eyes vacant, walks towards the phone booth without realizing it. Just as she is about to enter, a scroll she has been holding suddenly explodes, hovers in the air for a moment, and then shatters and scatters. The young woman's eyes, which were just moments before vacant, also... Coming to her senses, she quickly ran back a couple of steps. Then, the little girl who had come with the young woman suddenly jumped out from behind the bushes not far away. She pulled out a crowbar from behind her back and smashed open the phone booth lock with a bang. She then threw a plush toy inside and started smashing the phone. Just as the phone was almost destroyed, the toy suddenly trembled a few times, trying to escape. The little girl quickly picked it up and grabbed it by the neck.

At the end of the video, it was the same young woman driving away with the little girl and the doll. Before leaving the video's range, the doll in the little girl's arms suddenly turned its head and glanced in the direction the camera was secretly filming.

At the end, Akira Higashino noticed that the video footage visibly shook, indicating that the person secretly filming was quite frightened.

The Luan people had only learned modern common sense and how to use various technologies. Their job was not to fight demons and monsters, and they had never seen such things before. They had killed quite a few people who fabricated the existence of ghosts and gods to do bad things. If Higashino Akira had not personally informed them in advance that there were such things as evil spirits and wandering souls in this world, they might not have believed it.

Even if they knew, they were still quite frightened by seeing something so unconventional for the first time.

Akira Higashino recognized that scroll.

The words on it were written by his own hand; it reads "A person has something to do".

So, his calligraphy could actually have this effect?

No, it should be a calligraphy copybook stamped with his personal seal.

Although the effect is not significant, it can at least serve as a slight warning. If the target is not particularly powerful, it can save them once when they are blinded.

The woman in the video is none other than the junior student, Hozuki Eiko, who had repeatedly bought Higashino Akira's calligraphy books and even actively approached him at the social gathering, adding him as a friend.

For a while, this woman had frequently contacted him, but at the time, because he was still investigating her motives for approaching him, Higashino Akira didn't pay much attention to her until the results were in. He just gave her lukewarm responses every day.

I never expected it to end like this.

There is no doubt that Hōgetsu Eiko deliberately went to encounter ghosts with a purpose. In fact, the main combat force and the person who took the lead in the operation was not her, but the little girl who was with her.

Higashino Akira pulled the progress bar back a bit, and his right eyelid twitched as he watched the little girl leap high into the air and smash the phone booth door lock.

Subconsciously, she brought out another professional she knew, Makoto Higa, to compare with this little girl.

Then, he shook his head.

The difference between people can sometimes be greater than that between a person and a dog.

This kid is only a few years old, probably still in elementary school, yet he can take down an evil spirit in no time. Meanwhile, Makoto Higa is an adult, but not only is she not skilled in exorcism, she doesn't have much magic damage, and her physical attacks are also weak. She's even weaker than a little girl. When she entered that haunted house, if it weren't for Akira Higashino, she would have been severely injured by an ordinary evil spirit on their first encounter with it by dropping a vase.

What is professionalism?

That's what professionalism is all about!

Higashino Akira didn't care what Hōgetsu Eiko's purpose was in taking a little girl to encounter and catch ghosts.

All he knew was that his collection of haunted houses was likely to appreciate in value.

It seems I can't be so cold to my dear junior anymore; she deserves it!

My properties are full of evil spirits. They like to encounter ghosts. My junior and I are such a perfect match?

Next time I go back to Tokyo, I'll proactively support their hobby.

Support every reckless dream!

Tokyo is so strange. First there was the band genius, then Tanya the Evil, and now my hometown is still so simple and honest.

With the rapid pace of version iterations, Akira Higashino, as a normal person, sometimes felt somewhat out of place in this world.

Fortunately, he doesn't like the world, so if he doesn't want to join, then so be it.

He likes girls.