Mygo? Bandori Girls? The goal is The Idolmaster!

Xiangzi still wanted to refuse, but her body wouldn't allow it. The "gurgling" sound made her cheeks flush with shame, and she wanted to leave. But Saki's hands were firm and strong, and she couldn't break free at all.

Xiangzi could only be shameless for once and continue to bother her for a while. However, compared to the shame she felt, she felt a warm feeling in her heart, and she was very grateful for Saki's thoughtfulness and tenderness. It's hard to say whether this kindness completely dispelled the girl's fatigue and sadness over the past few days, but it definitely made her feel relieved. Xiangzi liked this random friend even more, and she felt a lot happier.

Until I get home.

There were a bunch more beer cans.

"Father..." His golden eyes trembled slightly. Xiangzi could never have imagined that the man who had promised her just last night, who had said to her, "Dad will work hard," could not persevere for even a single day. No, only about twelve hours had passed since then. How could he have forgotten?

Xiangzi pursed her lips tightly, trying not to let the moisture that blurred her vision condense into tears. She wanted to become strong, set an example, and make her father realize one thing: I will be strong, so her father must also come out of the shadow of failure.

The Toyokawa family's mansion is just a bright and beautiful house. It is a real home where family members gather together to care for and support each other. This is also the direct reason why Xiangzi took the initiative to leave the Toyokawa family. She did not recognize that place as her home. Therefore, no matter how difficult her life is now, she will not give up!

The tormenting rainy nights are over, and life must go on, right?

Perhaps it was because she had made new friends? Even though she missed the morning paper delivery schedule and had her salary deducted for that, Xiangzi didn't feel particularly bad. She just redoubled her efforts.

In a blink of an eye, three days had passed. Saki tapped away at Line's interface, looking at the chat messages marked "unread," feeling a bit gloomy. While it was true that the two of them had met by chance, and the little blue hedgehog was a bit irritated, it was just a casual chat. Didn't he have the time for that?

Looking at the gray sky and listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the glass, Saki looked at the time displayed on his phone which showed 05:58. He then saw that the messages from ten hours ago, including the day before yesterday and the day before yesterday were all in the "unread" state. Saki breathed a sigh of relief.

"It can't be helped. You have to keep looking forward." She decided to get up. She hadn't slept well in the past two weeks, and she had gotten used to it: she couldn't sleep anyway, so getting up and doing something meaningful would be a good idea. She had to transfer to Hanasakigawa later, so she couldn't fall behind in her academic studies.

Today, the Konoe family's house was brightly lit again early in the morning.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. Just when Saki prepared breakfast and decided to start a new life, she seemed to hear the sound of a bicycle falling to the ground with a "thump", followed by the sound of the wheels spinning.

The girl looked at the still gloomy sky and saw the plants and trees in the courtyard bowing to the intimidation of the wind and rain. She felt that she was just hallucinating. That sound wasn't loud, so the wind and rain could completely drown it out, right? This was obviously an illusion.

But after thinking it over again and again, Saki decided to go out and take a look. It would be bad if someone really fell down near her house or something went wrong. She hated such things, she hated them very much.

Surprisingly, the muffled sound was not Saki's illusion, but reality.

Even more surprisingly, Saki saw a familiar blue figure and asked softly, "Shoko?"

Chapter 4 4. Xiangzi Cries

Saki was a bit surprised to see a familiar blue figure. The hood had fallen off, revealing a delicate, childish face. The blue-haired girl ignored it and tried to lift her bicycle.

Yes, the person who fell near Konoe's house was Shoko.

Because of the strong wind and heavy rain, Xiangzi lost his balance and fell to the ground with his bicycle. It took him a while to struggle to get up, and then he limped to pick up the bicycle.

She was a little worried because this place was not far from Konoe's house. It would be bad if Saki's family saw her. Saki was a gentle person, and Saki's family must be gentle too. If they noticed her, she would probably be taken away for emergency treatment, and then Saki would see her in her current state.

Xiangzi doesn't want this to happen.

Therefore, she felt a little fortunate because the Konoe family was about

She had cancelled her subscription to the morning paper a week ago, so she would rarely see Saki. Also, because of the strong wind and heavy rain today, although the lights were on in the Konoe residence, the people living in the mansion probably wouldn't notice the little hedgehog drowned here.

Xiangzi felt a little aggrieved because she actually wanted to see Saki and she still owed her a thank you gift. But now, she really couldn't go see Saki.

But at this moment, Xiangzi heard a familiar voice behind her. The voice called her: "Xiangzi?"

Although the two met by chance, just as Saki remembered Xiangzi's face and back, Xiangzi remembered Saki's voice very clearly, so she didn't dare to look back. She was worried that if she turned around and saw Saki, she would burst into tears.

Because this fall really hurt.

If everything was an illusion, she could have endured the pain and pushed her bike home. There was no other way. The morning paper was soaked, so she couldn't deliver it today. She could only continue to deduct her salary.

But Saki didn't know what Xiangzi was thinking. She only knew that Xiangzi had fallen and seemed to be limping. She thought Xiangzi needed treatment. Even if it wasn't serious enough to go to the hospital, wouldn't it be necessary to use a home first aid kit? Just do a preliminary examination first.

So Saki walked over slowly and used an umbrella to shield Xiangzi from the rain. "Xiangzi, are you okay? I should have come out earlier. Xiangzi, it's so windy and rainy now, why don't you go to my house to take shelter for a while and have a cup of hot tea or something?"

Saki doesn't like the feeling of being wet, so she went out wearing a raincoat, holding an umbrella, and wearing rain boots. Going out on a rainy day takes more time than normal, which is why she feels a little guilty.

If she had known someone had really fallen, she should have come out earlier.

Hearing Saki's voice, Xiangzi didn't know how to respond. Because it happened so suddenly, she was a little dazed. She didn't even feel the pain of her knee.

She only felt a chill rising from the depths of her soul. She subconsciously pursed her lips and tried to force out a smile that was uglier than crying. She really didn't want to appear weak in front of Saki.

Xiangzi almost forgot what happened afterwards.

No, it’s not that she doesn’t remember. She knew clearly what happened, but her emotions were “frozen” and she felt numb, as if she was watching a first-person movie: she knew what happened, but had no sense of being there at all.

Whether she was drinking tea or eating, it was the same. She even felt that the world had become gray, until she felt a tingling sensation in her knee.

From Xiangzi's perspective, the crimson color brings fresh colors to this gray world and makes the world come alive.

Hearing Xiangzi gasp, his golden eyes finally becoming alert and less panicked, Saki breathed a sigh of relief and continued the previous topic: "Xiangzi, just be patient for a while. After the poison is disinfected and a band-aid is put on, you will be fine. However, if you feel uncomfortable, don't force yourself not to go to the hospital. Your health is the most important thing."

However, at this time, she lowered her head and concentrated on treating the wound, so she did not notice the change in Xiangzi's expression.

Saki asks about the newspaper delivery and Shoko's family life, but Shoko remains silent and doesn't respond. Saki assumes he doesn't want to talk and simply ignores the topic. However, judging by the girl's solo newspaper delivery, Shoko is clearly in a difficult situation. Saki wants to recommend some relatively easy part-time jobs that won't be affected by bad weather.

It’s not that we can’t provide direct help, but from previous interactions, Xiangzi is obviously not the kind of person who would easily accept help; besides, it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

"Okay, done. Next time, be more careful, like stay indoors in extreme weather, or something like that? Uh..." Saki straightened up, wanting to lighten the mood with a small, harmless joke. Unexpectedly, he was suddenly hugged by Shoko.

"Xiangzi?" Saki was wondering, and Xiangzi burst into tears with a "wow".

Yes, falling from the clouds to the dust, from a wealthy lady who had no worries about food and clothing and couldn't even use a beverage machine, to a low-income girl struggling on the poverty line, having to start working from scratch and even have to take care of her alcoholic father. She suffered continuous setbacks in a short period of time and had her salary deducted. Even adults can't withstand it, let alone a girl who is in the third year of junior high school?

Saki didn't ask any questions, but hugged Xiangzi, patted the girl's back gently, and comforted her: "It's okay, everything will pass, it will be fine."

"So, if you want to cry, just cry. Let all your unhappiness and sadness melt into your tears and vent them. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"So, cry." Saki's voice was soft. But unlike before, this time, every word and every syllable pierced deeply into the girl's heart, as if truly piercing and shattering all the hardships she had endured.

"He ended up falling asleep," Saki spread his hands to express his frustration, then said, "So, do we have to leave right away this time, Miss Xiangzi?"

"I..." A lovely blush immediately crept onto her round, delicate face, leaving Xiangzi at a loss for words. She hugged her knees, curling up into a tiny ball, like a hedgehog in danger, or a cat in an unfamiliar environment, her fur instantly rising at the slightest sign of trouble.

But the reality is different.

At least, when facing Saki, Xiangzi could no longer deliberately keep a distance, because she woke up shouting "Mother, don't go!", which was not only heard by Saki, but also seen by her; what was even worse was that the hand of her mother that she was holding tightly in her dream was actually the hand of Miss Saki in front of her.

Realizing this, Xiangzi's face became even redder, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into immediately.

ps: Ask for some recommendation votes qaq

Chapter 5 5. The road of hope is right before our eyes

After such an embarrassing incident, Saki and Shoko's relationship made "leaps and bounds" of progress: the two were not just casual friends, but could now communicate about things that were not very "private".

For example, Xiangzi's family encountered difficulties and he had to go out to work early, but because he was still a junior high school student, the road to work was full of difficulties.

"Yes, I only found a job delivering newspapers, and then, as Saki saw..." Xiangzi encountered bad weather, which resulted in his work for the day being in vain and his salary being deducted. This series of experiences directly made the already difficult family's situation even worse.

Saki didn't ask Xiangzi why the adults in his family didn't care about this, because Xiangzi always avoided this matter.

After thinking for a moment, Saki took the initiative to say, "I do have a suggestion, but I'm not sure what Xiangzi thinks of it."

Because of some things, she has an idol agency named i83 under her name. I dare not say that it is thriving, but at least it can be said that it is stable in income. She will not promote an amateur without any bottom line, but if it is just odd jobs like serving tea and water, she can certainly afford the salary.

Considering that Xiangzi was willing to do the job of delivering newspapers, Saki felt that he would not refuse such a job.

But if I tell him directly, Xiangzi probably won't accept it, right? After all, this kid didn't dare to go forward and ask for help when he fell near his friend's house, and he didn't even know how to speak at first. He must have some self-esteem.

Thinking so

, Saki decisively used the window theory: "I saw an idol agency recruiting people before, and I feel that Xiangzi has all the qualities. Can I give it a try?"

"This is..." Xiangzi subconsciously hugged his arms and shook his head gently, "I'm sorry, I know Saki means well, but this may not be suitable for me. I... I need to take care of my family."

High emotional intelligence: taking care of the family

Low EQ: Worried about my alcoholic father

Xiangzi is very confident in her appearance and talents (piano playing, composition and arranging), and she doesn't think there is any possibility of her being rejected.

The problem is, with her father's appearance, she is completely unable to show the most important smile for an idol. She...she doesn't think that an idol who can't show a sincere smile can bring smiles to the audience, nor does she think that such an idol can be successful.

Furthermore, there's the worst possible scenario: What if her father continues to drink? Will there be some terrible news about idol trainees being bailed out by the police?

Xiangzi didn't want to cause trouble to anyone, so she felt that this path was not feasible.

"Is that so? But there's no need to completely dismiss it. Idol agencies don't just recruit idol trainees. There are other temporary jobs as well. The pay is good, and the work usually doesn't have to be too late. Plus, you might be able to get extras on variety shows, TV series, or anything like that."

"With makeup on, no one will recognize you~" Saki said patiently.

How could an ordinary girl, completely unaware of the industry, resist such temptation? No need to show your true face, short working hours, and good money? Such a good thing could possibly exist?!

Xiangzi had to admit that she was shamefully moved.

Not to mention, Saki also brought up terms like "extras of extras", "idol substitutes" and "substitutes of substitutes", indicating that the actual working hours might be more flexible than Xiangzi imagined.

Besides, she had already refused once, so how could she refuse again now? Wouldn't that hurt the heart of the girl who cared about her so much?

Xiangzi let out a low "Woo!" and said in a not very confident tone, "Well...would you like to go and have a look later when you have time?"

Why not today? She had just fallen in a puddle this morning, and her clothes were soaked, so there was no way she could get across.

"It's better to do it today than to wait for another day. Look, the sky is clearing up after the rain." As he said this, Saki patted Xiangzi's shoulder and spoke in an encouraging tone, and asked Xiangzi to look out the window.

Yes, the strong winds and heavy rain were a thing of the past. The heavy clouds gradually dispersed, and a dreamy halo of light blossomed in the sky. Although the sun couldn't be seen yet, as Saki had said, everything would be fine.

"But, clothes..." Xiangzi had actually been persuaded, but she still struggled out of habit. She really didn't want to rely completely on someone, because she had always been the one who gave help, not the one who received it.

It’s not that I can’t accept it, it’s just that I feel a little awkward for a while and can’t get over it.

There was no way she'd unconsciously called out "Mom" and Saki had taken it seriously, right? But there wasn't a huge age difference between them, was there? Judging by her appearance, Saki was at most... two years older than her?

Because Saki's gentle radiance was so dazzling, Xiangzi, who had a keen sense of judgment, was confused. Only one judgment remained in her mind: just like her mother.

In fact, she is far more reliable than her mother, Mizuho Toyokawa.

However, the "mother" that Xiangzi thought of at this time was an abstract concept. She felt that Saki satisfied all her fantasies/beautiful hopes about "mother", and she felt warm in her heart just thinking about it.

At this time, Xiangzi was only a little over 1.5 meters tall, and Saki's clothes looked too big for her. Saki had to take out her junior high school clothes to fit her.

But that wasn't the most important thing. After Xiangzi changed, Saki gently shook her phone and reminded her, "Oh, and one more thing. Although the working hours are relatively flexible and there are usually backups as a backup, it's even more important to maintain smooth communication. If you can't get in touch for a while, you'll easily be replaced by the backup, and your subsequent priority will be lowered."

"No, idol-related, but anything related to film and television, being punctual and trustworthy is the best virtue."

"Well..." This time, facing Saki's friendly reminder, Xiangzi hesitated for a moment, because her cell phone "dive" two days ago: when she was washing clothes by hand, the cell phone fell into the basin.

Although Xiangzi immediately fished out the phone, and luckily it didn't freeze, it was completely disconnected from the Internet, and the call and text messaging functions were also disabled. It only had an existential function left.

But Xiangzi didn't say anything. She thought she had already troubled Saki enough and didn't want to bother her anymore. She planned to try her luck at the recycling station and pick up some scrap to at least raise enough money to repair the phone in the short term.

There was still some money in her passbook, but it was used to pay rent and utility bills. She didn't want to use it easily if possible. Besides, she hadn't found a job yet. If she wasn't selected, wouldn't she be able to save money on repairing her phone?

So Xiangzi forced a smile and replied, "I'll notice it."

However, Saki keenly caught Xiangzi's hesitation, and a faint light flickered in her magenta eyes.

ps: Thanks to Shuke879479 for the two monthly tickets. Thank you for your support.

Chapter 6. Investment, Advice, and the Little Blue Octopus

Shibuya, the sky clears up after the rain.

Looking at the bustling crowd and the various billboards sparkling in the sunlight, the immature blue hedgehog felt as if she were in another world, and then she turned into a blue octopus; she carefully grasped Saki's wrist, showing her soft and tender appearance.

On the one hand, she was wearing Saki's junior high school clothes, and she couldn't help but feel shy. Every time the clothes touched her skin, she would think of Saki who was so close to her.

Xiangzi couldn't help but think: [Two years ago, was this the dress Saki wore? ]

On the other hand, Xiangzi was really nervous, she was worried, even a little scared, so much so that she regretted it a little. She regretted her greed, not wanting to disappoint Saki, but also wanting to try this kind of job that could make money, and then she set herself up.

Just think about it, ordinary part-time jobs wouldn't hire a junior high school student, so how could a more formal idol agency let a junior high school student get in? It really is impossible, right?

If she were older, Xiangzi would definitely not have such worries, but she has accumulated a lot of experience of being rejected for jobs, and subconsciously feels that if she continues like this, it will end in a miserable way.

But now that I'm here, going back like this would only waste the round-trip tram fare. It would be better to embrace failure and let Saki give up this idea.

Thinking of this, Xiangzi felt a little better and felt that she could face failure head-on.

At this moment, Saki stopped and pointed to the sign in front of him and said, "That's it, i83. I work there now. If Xiangzi is successful in the application, we can become colleagues~"

The girl let out a silver bell-like laugh.

Xiangzi subconsciously looked in the direction of the girl's finger, but her attention was not on the office at all. Instead, she turned back halfway and secretly looked at Saki's profile.

Xiangzi Notes

I noticed that the sunlight was shining brightly at this moment. If it fell on the fair thighs of the passing girls, it would reflect a different kind of white color. But what if it fell on Saki's face?

Xiangzi didn't know, so she took the initiative to look over.

But because it was his first time and he lacked experience, Saki immediately noticed the girl's little movements. Saki raised his eyebrows slightly and showed a half-smile, which made Xiangzi subconsciously shrink his neck and dared not look anymore. He felt nervous as if he had been caught doing something bad.

At this moment, Xiangzi didn't know that in the next moment, her nervousness would increase exponentially.

"Huh?!" the girl exclaimed accidentally.