Tokyo: They say it's just dating, but they're serious about it.

Just the day before yesterday, I had spent a long time lounging in the convenience store warehouse. I was exhausted and thought it would take several days to recover, but somehow I recovered in just a few hours.

You have to restrain yourself, you absolutely must restrain yourself, otherwise there won't be enough to go around... After all, my husband just got back from there, and I also have to consider whether he can handle it...

"Oh right, it's so late, you must be hungry. I'll make you some late-night snacks. Eat and then head back."

Mikoto quickly shifted her attention, pushed Katsuhiko onto the sofa, and then ran into the kitchen as if her life depended on it.

Soon after, milk, fried eggs, and toast were served.

Mikoto sat opposite Katsuhiko, resting her chin on her hand, blinking her eyes as she watched him eat, her eyes almost drooling.

Katsuhiko stuffed the whole fried egg into his mouth and said, "Are you sure you're not coming?"

Mikoto smiled, rested her chin on her hand, and gently shook her head, saying, "A long and steady relationship, growing old together, I need to learn to restrain myself."

Katsuhiko rolled a slice of toast into a ball, stuffed it into his mouth, and asked, "Let's open another branch. Sayuri has saved a lot of money; it should be enough."

Chapter 80: The Birth of a Superstar

"I think this is great! Once we open a branch, we won't have time to play anymore."

Mikoto has no external debts other than the 200 million yen bank loan secured by her property. She doesn't need to worry about the monthly interest payments based on the convenience store's revenue, and since the convenience store is owned, there is no rent pressure.

She has no worries about food and drink, her daughter has a father, and she has a wonderful man of her own. She has no other aspirations.

“We’ll set up a branch for Little Lily’s mother. She can manage it herself and spend the money she earns as she pleases, as a way to support her retirement.”

Mikoto understood immediately and agreed.

This is to calm her down after I reveal my wife's identity in the future.

My husband is so thoughtful...

Katsuhiko took a sip of milk and continued, "Eiya and Kotoha just told me that Sayuri charged Kotoha an annual fee of 1500 million yen. Eiya couldn't afford it, so she confiscated her salary card."

Mikoto was taken aback, then burst out laughing and said, "Little Sayuri-chan sold you out?"

Katsuhiko shrugged, indicating that he didn't care, and casually said, "You can also ask Yumi to charge you an annual fee."

"She still has 3 billion yen in debt, right?"

Katsuhiko was just saying it casually, letting Mikoto exercise her rights as a legal wife, and Mikoto seemed quite interested.

However, when the topic of the twin sisters' debt came up, Sheng Yan couldn't help but wonder who their creditors were.

He's probably of high status and not short of money. It seems like he's just playing around, but it's definitely not. It might be a contract of servitude, and his target is a woman.

It doesn't matter. The song for Kanzaki Yumi is already showing signs of becoming a hit. It has full copyright, so it'll make money quickly.

When Kanzaki Yumi was mentioned, Mikoto suddenly remembered that she had just told her about Sayuri, Eiyo, and Kotoha pranking Kanzaki Yumi.

Mikoto briefly explained the situation and then asked Katsuhiko if he wanted to know how to prank him.

Katsuhiko immediately waved his hand in refusal, saying he was really looking forward to the surprise.

After dinner, Mikoto, worried about falling for him, didn't dare to get too close to Katsuhiko.

Katsuhiko rode his bicycle back to his apartment.

It was only 12:10. I opened the door with my key and found Xiaobaihe wearing headphones, listening to music. There was also a late-night snack on the dining table.

When Sheng Yan returned, her face flushed red as she asked the first question, "Honey, did you miss me back then?"

"They kept shouting your name, and they were both furious."

Katsuhiko's sudden remark left Sayuri speechless. Embarrassed and annoyed, she burrowed under the covers, burying her face in them, and stammered, "You, you should eat now. I, I want to sleep..."

Just falling asleep in each other's arms, doing nothing, would be quite blissful... The problem is, it's impossible to control, but thankfully Katsuhiko's [Recovery Potion] is unlimited.

The next morning, Xiaobaihe got up early and went to the vegetable market downstairs to buy fresh vegetables and made a sumptuous breakfast.

What puzzled her was that it was already eight o'clock, and her in-laws next door hadn't come over yet; they were quiet and seemed to be still in bed.

Katsuhiko asked mysteriously, "Little Lily, did you hear any strange noises from next door last night?"

Xiao Baihe spent most of last night listening to music with headphones on. Of course, when she occasionally took off her headphones, she could hear the sound of the TV next door, but no other sounds.

When I lose control, I bury myself under the covers the whole time, and then I can't think about anything else...

When Katsuhiko asked her with that strange expression, Sayuri understood what was going on. She blushed and covered her mouth to laugh.

Xiaobaihe welcomes the idea of ​​her in-laws having another child, because then they won't have the time or energy to manage her affairs...

Katsuhiko asked Sayuri to knock on the door. Although Sayuri was very embarrassed because of what happened last night, she couldn't be disrespectful as a daughter-in-law, so she gritted her teeth and knocked on the door.

"Ah? Little Lily, just a moment, I'll be right there..."

Xiaobaihe seemed a little flustered when she heard her mother-in-law's voice, but she calmed down on her own. Of course, she couldn't tease her, so she just chuckled and ran back to her room.

Breakfast was eaten very peacefully, taking the principle of "not speaking while eating" to the extreme. The only sound was the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, which was quite cozy. No one made eye contact with anyone else.

After the meal, Xiaobaihe and her mother-in-law cleaned up the dishes and went into the kitchen.

Sayuri was planning to prank Kanzaki Yumi today, and she had also made plans to go to the company with Eiyo and Kotoha.

Then I definitely can't go out with Katsuhiko, but it's not convenient to say it outright, so I just said I'd go out a little later.

Sheng Yan could tell something was wrong from her mischievous grin, so he ignored her.

"Ahem!" Sheng Yan's father slammed his hand on the table, wiggled his toes, and tilted his head to say, "Um... where did you buy that bottle of mineral water last night?"

Katsuhiko's father was very satisfied with what happened last night, in every way! Especially the sounds from next door last night, which made him feel that Katsuhiko was responsible for Sayuri.

However, I still can't accept Sheng Yan's relationships with those women. Of course, since I was in a good mood last night and still am in a good mood this morning, there's no need to chase after him to beat him now. After all, he's a filial son! He's so thoughtful, and I'm very gratified as his father.

“It’s made in-house. Sayuri’s dad works at the factory. You can talk to him. Oh right, he’s not working today. You can meet at Mikoto’s convenience store.” Katsuhiko grabbed a shirt, put it on, opened the door, and called to the kitchen, “Sayuri-chan, I’m going to the factory.”

"Okay, honey..."

Katsuhiko went to Mikoto's convenience store again, and Kanzaki Yumi was also there, sitting at the long table next to the glass window reading comics.

Mikoto greeted him at the door, first glancing behind Katsuhiko before pressing herself close to him and asking with a smile, "Honey, where's Sayuri-chan?"

Katsuhiko casually placed his hand on Mikoto's lower back, gently sliding it up and down. He glanced at Kanzaki Yumi, who was looking over, and said, "I'm at home figuring out how to deal with her."

Kanzaki Yumi shrugged nonchalantly, then glanced at the door with her lips, signaling the two to turn around and look.

Mikoto was startled and instinctively jumped back a step.

Mrs. Kudo rolled her eyes at Mikoto, seemingly annoyed, and then said to Katsuhiko, "Katsuhiko-kun, when is your mother coming over? I want to take her shopping."

"Please sit down for a while, there's no rush," Sheng Yan said, stepping aside to let her pass through the doorway. Then he turned to Mikoto and said, "Quickly pour Mom a glass of water, and then we can discuss opening a branch for her."

Mrs. Kudo's face froze for a moment. She glanced at the two of them, amused and annoyed, and walked straight to the long table.

Mikoto lowered her head, pursed her lips, smiled slightly, and went around to the cashier to get her coffee.

Kanzaki Yumi, who was holding a comic book, saw Mrs. Kudo standing next to her, so she moved over to make room and said, "Good morning, Mrs. Kudo. Congratulations on adopting another daughter. Do you think I have the potential to be your daughter?"

Mrs. Kudo raised an eyebrow, sat down, and said irritably, "Do you have any money?"

“Never mind then,” Kanzaki Yumi shrugged, tucked the manga into her back pocket, stood up, and gestured with her chin towards Katsuhiko, saying, “Big manga artist, going to the company?”

Katsuhiko bid farewell to Mrs. Kudo and Mikoto, and together with Yumi Kanzaki, drove Mikoto's silver-gray Mazda.

After getting into the car, Kanzaki Yumi turned on the car radio, which was playing her own songs, and laughed so hard she was shaking.

She laughed for a while, then her eyes started rolling around.

Little Lily is going to prank her today. She's a little unwilling to give up, after all, it's her first time, and she wants a perfect experience.

So last night, she went to see Yuma Kanzaki and first strongly condemned her for framing her. Then she talked about her "failed" manga career and brought up Katsuhiko's manga.

They asked Yuma Kanzaki mysteriously, "What level is a manga artist whose debut work was selected for a magazine?"

Yuma Kanzaki immediately shook her head, indicating that it was impossible; every successful manga artist has climbed out of countless failures...

Yumi Kanzaki recommended Katsuhiko's "Naruto" manga, but Yuma Kanzaki still didn't believe it.

Then Kanzaki Yumi made a bet with her that if the Naruto manga was published in tomorrow's magazine, she would have to act in a play with me.

Then, Kanzaki Yumi explained the specific process of the act: she was going to steal Sayuri's husband the next day, but Sayuri would gather some of her friends to catch them in the act. Kanzaki Yumi didn't want the experience to be flawed, so she wanted Kanzaki Yuma to dress up as her. After she and Katsuhiko finished their work, Yuma would take the blame and be whipped by Sayuri and the others, and she wouldn't be allowed to resist.

Yuma Kanzaki was fearless about her shameless sister's plan. She didn't believe that Katsuhiko's debut work would be published. After all, in her memory, Katsuhiko was a guy who was obsessed with women. He spent all his time dating, dating behind his wife's back, dating behind his girlfriend's back... How could he have time to polish his work?

Yuma Kanzaki's manga has been polished for three years and rejected more than thirty times, but this time it wasn't rejected. The editor was so moved that they gave it a good review: "I've never seen anyone so persistent. Give it a try..."

Yuma Kanzaki suddenly felt like she was at the top of the manga food chain, while Katsuhiko Takenaka, humph! A newcomer, go back and hone your skills for another three years!

Because Yuma Kanzaki agreed too readily, Yumi Kanzaki felt that she was unreliable and might go back on her word. So she decided to act first and ask questions later. After Yuma fell asleep, she secretly cut off her hair, left a note early in the morning, and ran away.

Of course, the reason I dared to cut her hair so brazenly was because she had cut my hair once before when I was in college...

To Kanzaki Yumi, this little plan was harmless and didn't matter whether she told Katsuhiko or not, since the sisters looked exactly alike and Yuma was a karate practitioner.

As for what Mikoto said, as long as they can make Sayuri happy, that's all that matters. After all, Sayuri is very open-minded and has accepted so many hats, which is truly admirable.

Forty minutes later, we arrived at the factory. There were seven or eight reporters with cameras and signs with the music channel logo hanging around their necks. They were obviously reporters who had caught wind of something and were there to get the first scoop.

Then, they were all stopped at the door by Tanaka Yutaka's henchmen, who had changed into matching uniforms and looked imposing.

In addition, the factory's iron gate was replaced with a sheet metal gate, the walls were painted, and the guardhouse with its broken windows was renovated and replaced with new, clear glass.

They even erected a large sign at the main entrance: Xia Ying She Co., Ltd.

Yumi Kanzaki's smile never stopped from the moment she got into the car. When the car arrived at the gate, she rolled down the window, waved to a group of reporters, and said, "Are you looking for me? I'm Yumi Kanzaki, the singer Yumi Kanzaki."

After a moment of stunned silence, the group of people instantly became excited and rushed forward, surrounding the car.

Seven or eight microphones were practically shoved in Kanzaki Yumi's face. The gist of it was: reporters from a certain radio station, newspaper, or media outlet were requesting a private interview… Of course, while requesting the opportunity, they didn't forget to ask a few questions, such as: When did you start singing? What did you do before? I've never heard of so many original songs charting simultaneously, and they've all made it into the top ten—is there a plan? Are there any other songs? What's your relationship with the songwriter?

When asked about the songwriters, Kanzaki Yumi got excited, leaning half her body out of the car window and shouting, "All six songs were written by my boyfriend, Takenaka Katsuhiko! The handsome guy driving this car, we're dating! Wish me luck, please wish me luck!"

The flashes of light were like lightning, snapping and banging on Katsuhiko and Kanzaki Yumi.

A reporter banged on the car window next to Katsuhiko's and shouted, "Mr. Takenaka, could you please open the window?"

Katsuhiko remained silent with a dark expression.

A small door opened through the factory's large iron gate, and Tanaka Yutaka rushed out with a group of his underlings. He was holding a megaphone and shouted, "Our Xia Ying Society has decided to hold a press conference tomorrow at noon. Please spread the word and remember to come. Don't be late! The first ten people will receive a small gift..."

As Tanaka Yutaka shouted, his underlings had already pushed aside the reporters who were blocking the car and then led the car through the gate.

The huge photography studio has been topped out, and only the interior decoration remains... The current photography area is still the fourth floor of the office building.

After Katsuhiko got out of the car, Tanaka Yutaka's excited eyes were filled with a strange look as he asked, "Are those the songs added to the videotape?"