mygo, but Cthulhu

"Maybe it's not a big deal, but I just can't understand what the Toyokawa family is doing now."

Ruomai shrugged, then turned the notebook towards Xiangzi, showing her the photos of many beautiful women with different appearances and nationalities.

"what is this?"

"Hmm... I just checked. The Toyokawa family is currently collecting beautiful women from Japan and around the world. They range in age from 6 to 26. And they only want them. They even arranged for a doctor to examine them."

Ruomai thought for a moment, then silently looked up at Xiangzi.

"Well, Xiangzi, according to your

"I wonder if the Toyokawa family has some, how should I put it...not very good living habits?"

"No, at least not that I know of."

Xiangzi shook his head in confusion, thought for a while, then leaned over to his notebook and began to look through the information of these women.

But just like Ruomai said, they have nothing in common except being beautiful. Although their families are not very good, if their family conditions were good, they would not be likely to be brought here by the Toyokawa family.

"That's really strange... Ruomai, could you please investigate in more detail how the Toyokawa family brought them here? Was it forceful or gentle?"

"Okay, wait a minute,"

Ruomai nodded and quickly manipulated the computer. After glancing at the displayed information, he raised his eyebrows.

"There was almost no coercion. These women all entered into deals with the Toyokawa family for various reasons. The terms of the contracts were like slavery agreements. Their bodies had been sold to the Toyokawa family... but the compensation was surprisingly generous."

"Honestly, I'm getting more and more confused. These women come from all over the world, there are hundreds of them. What on earth is the Toyokawa family trying to do? If they just want to have fun, this is too much trouble. And they care too much about this, right?"

"It's indeed strange... But since the Toyokawa family also possesses forbidden knowledge, we can't view their actions in the usual way."

Xiangzi nodded thoughtfully.

"There must be something fishy going on here. We need to investigate. Ruomai, can you continue to investigate the intelligence?"

"Of course I can, but I'll definitely be discovered. Although I'm better than the hackers from the Toyokawa family, there are too many of them. I won't be able to erase the traces in time."

"Forget it then. We still need to figure out the situation with Mu. Now is not the right time to attract the attention of the Toyokawa family."

Xiangzi shook his head, and Ruomai spread his hands helplessly.

"But there's absolutely no information on Mutsuko's internet. She basically browses things about cucumber farming every day. She has no entertainment apps at all, and she rarely makes phone calls. Even if I wanted to check, I wouldn't know where to start."

"Mu has always been like this,"

Xiangzi shook his head slightly.

"She didn't have any hobbies other than growing plants. Her facial expressions changed very subtly from childhood to adulthood, and sometimes I couldn't guess what she was thinking."

"Yeah, Mutsuko is really like a doll... Xiangzi, I've discovered something!"

Ruomai was halfway through her words when an audio window suddenly popped up on the screen, and she couldn't help but scream in surprise.

"This is a call from Toyokawa Nobuo to Wakaba Ryohei. My monitoring software just happened to capture it. What do you think? Do you want to monitor it? I can guarantee at least one minute of untraceable time."

"Of course I have to listen. What they are talking about must be related to harmony."

Xiangzi nodded without hesitation, and Ruomai pressed the key directly. After a moment, Nobuo's voice rang out.

"Ruoye, how are your preparations going? Xiaomu seems to have been involved in Xiangzi's affairs recently. Will she also attend the banquet at the Meizhu family this time?"

"Of course, Mr. Toyokawa, she can't have any objections."

Wakaba Ryohei immediately responded enthusiastically, and then tried his best to promote Wakaba Mutsu, with a tone like a salesperson praising excellent products to a big customer.

"Oh, right, she's almost grown up now. She went to an all-girls school since she was little, and hasn't had much contact with men. She's completely innocent. Plus, her looks are pretty attractive. If you're interested..."

"No, I'm not interested in a kid whose hair hasn't even grown out yet. Besides, I don't want to be killed by Xiangzi. If she really goes crazy, no one knows what the consequences will be."

Nobuo replied indifferently,

"However, Ruoye, you also have to be careful. Mu is Xiangzi's friend after all. Although she has a special physique, you should not go too far recently. You know Xiangzi's temper. If she finds out, I can't protect you."

"I understand, I understand. I will definitely control it."

Wakaba Ryohei smiled accompanimently, and at this time the one minute was almost up. Ruomai turned to look at Xiangzi, and when he was about to ask, he found that the latter's hands were tightly gripping the corner of the table, and his face was terribly gloomy.

"Xiangzi, should we continue? If we keep listening, we might be noticed."

Ruomai pursed her lips and asked softly, while Xiangzi gritted his teeth, hesitated, and shook his head.

"Let's disconnect it first. If they're discovered now, it will make them alert. Anyway, we know where Mu will go, so the most important thing is to meet Mu first."

"it is good,"

Ruomai cut off the monitoring, and Xiangzi closed his eyes at this time, increasing the strength of his hands, and never stopped even if the corner of the table pricked his palms.

She had met Mu's father several times and thought that although he was strict, he should still care about Mu. She didn't expect him to be such a damn guy.

...Toyokawa Nobuo told him not to go too far recently. Does that mean he's been treating Mu badly all along? And she didn't realize it until today.

For a moment, the painful guilt made Xiangzi a little breathless, but then she felt Ruomai pat her shoulder, and her helpless voice rang in her ears.

"Don't be sad, Xiangzi. I probably know what you're thinking, but this is certainly not your fault."

"When my family was in trouble, I felt guilty that I couldn't do anything, but later I realized that I was completely clueless at the time and it was natural that I couldn't change anything."

"In that case, I need to protect my remaining family even more. Although my brother is now mentally ill and addicted to drugs, at least he is still alive. As long as he is alive, there is still hope. We don't know what Mutsuko has been through, but at least we can help her now. This is the most important thing."

“…You’re right.”

After a moment's silence, Xiangzi nodded vigorously, feeling a little better.

There was really no point in blindly indulging in sadness, and the danger she faced now did not allow for such leeway. She needed to meet Mu as soon as possible.

"Let's go together to help Mu and find out how much pain she has endured. Then we can find an opportunity to return it many times over to that Wakaba Ryohei."

Chapter 97 Under the Same Starry Sky

At the same time, the call on the other side was still going on. Toyokawa Nobuo looked at the list in his hand and spoke thoughtfully.

"By the way, Ruoye, the women this time will also be arriving in Tokyo. Remember to pick them up when the time comes."

"That's absolutely fine. May I ask how many people are there this time? And how is the quality?"

"Over three hundred people, of all ages, each one of them is highly sought after. The most outstanding among them is a stunning woman from Shanghai, China. Her looks are even comparable to Xingzi's... If the Lord chooses someone as his bride this time, I think it will be her."

But even though Toyokawa Nobuo said this, he couldn't help but sigh.

"However, the Lord's judgment criteria are beyond our comprehension. Xingzi was not chosen back then. Even though her beauty was impeccable, the Lord still did not respond to us."

Toyokawa Nobuo shook his head silently, and Wakaba Ryohei also hurried to comfort him.

"It's okay, Mr. Fengchuan, isn't there a very nice woman this time?

He would be interested in her.”

"hope so,"

Toyokawa Nobuo shrugged, then suddenly remembered something and spoke softly,

"By the way, you just mentioned Xiao Mu as well, right? She's never taken a test before. Let her take part after the banquet."

"Ah? That's probably not a good idea. After all, she's just an experiment. How can she be qualified to be the Lord's bride..."

"Ruoye, I have to remind you that whether you are qualified or not is not up to us to decide."

Nobuo interrupted him calmly, and Wakaba hurriedly apologized.

"Um, I'm so sorry, sir. I'm just worried that she might displease the Lord. If you think it's okay, then of course she'll go for the test."

"Displeased? Ha, how could such insignificant creatures as us have the power to displease the Lord?"

Nobuo Toyokawa smiled and hung up the phone. He picked up the list on the table, stared at it for a moment, and shook his head slightly.

The reason why the Toyokawa family has its current status is entirely because of the Lord they believe in. Learning forbidden knowledge is extremely dangerous. It is because of the Lord's protection that the Toyokawa family has not gone crazy and can continue to enrich their magical knowledge.

It is also because of the magic they mastered that they never had to worry about the struggles between the chaebols. Although the Toyokawa family could not expand too much for the sake of secrecy, if there were seemingly powerful mortal forces that came to provoke them, they would often disappear mysteriously or go crazy and commit suicide.

Nobuo Toyokawa was very grateful for the Lord's gift, so he tried his best to complete the task assigned to them by the Lord... Unfortunately, his efforts had been fruitless.

Although the Lord is far greater than they are, He is still willing to choose His brides from among human girls. The Toyokawa family is not the first force in history to believe in Him, but they have not been able to find a candidate for the Lord until now.

Nobuo Toyokawa closed his eyes, recalling his failed attempts, and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

What was noble and beautiful in the eyes of mortals was not worth mentioning in the eyes of the Lord. They searched all over Japan but failed, and finally had to search worldwide.

I hope that the woman holding the fan can become the Lord's bride. If successful, then the Toyokawa family will have finally done something for the Lord.

As Nobuo Toyokawa was thinking about this, he saw that the sky had darkened. He looked up and gazed at the brightest star in Taurus, at the Eye of the Bull, and could not help but clasp his hands together devoutly.

"Lord, your servants are working hard. Please forgive our ignorance and slowness. We hope to find a bride that satisfies you."

Under the same starry sky, Gao Songdeng was also staring intently at Aldebaran, which was exceptionally bright tonight. She gently raised her hand and tried to touch the light spot, but instead of immersing herself in appreciation as usual, she lowered her head.

Xiao Ai will transform into a monster in a year or two... Is this true? Can she help Xiao Ai? Or is there nothing she can do?

Gao Songdeng smiled bitterly. She began to feel weak again. She couldn't help but curl up her body, close her eyes, slow down her breathing, and try hard to suppress the urge to cry.

If Xiao Ai hadn't helped them today, they would have all been in danger, right? She also wanted to protect everyone like Xiao Ai, but she had no power.

If only she could bear Xiao Ai's pain. Why does power always come with a curse? Is this world truly cruel? Is progress impossible without paying a price?

Gao Songdeng didn't understand why this happened. Everything around her was changing too fast. Even though she tried to run, she couldn't get back to her original track. Instead, she was getting further and further away from normal life.

"jingle,"

Just when she was silently grieving, her cell phone suddenly rang. She was startled for a moment and quickly took it out. The caller's name was unexpected to her.

After hesitating for a moment, the light was turned on, and then Toyama Kasumi's somewhat tired voice was heard.

"Hello, are you Takamatsu-san? I'm so sorry for calling you so suddenly. Did I disturb you?"

"I'm not disturbed, senior, don't worry about it... Um, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Hmm... Actually, I don't know why, but I always feel that you look familiar."

Xiang Cheng pursed her lips and spoke softly following the strange feeling in her heart.

"When I got home today, my mind was completely confused, and the person I thought about the most was you, Takamatsu-san. That's strange, isn't it? If you find this confusing, I can only apologize again..."

"No, it's okay."

Deng shook his head slightly and looked up at the starry sky.

"To be honest, I actually feel that you, Senior, have an inexplicable sense of familiarity, so, Senior, you don't need to apologize."

"Really? Then maybe we've met before? But even so, I have no memory of it at all, which is quite a headache."

Xiang Cheng smiled helplessly, then suddenly remembered something and spoke softly,

"By the way, Takamatsu-san, do you like stars?"

"Yeah, I like them because I think they're beautiful... Is that the same for you, Senpai?"

"Me too. When I was little, I once looked at the stars with my sister. I fell in love with them then. They were so sparkling that they made my heart beat faster."

Xiang Cheng smiled with some emotion, and the depression in her heart was slightly relieved. She looked up at the bright Aldebaran, thought for a moment, and spoke seriously.

"Deng, can I call you that?"

"Well, that's fine... Can I call you Kasumi-senpai?"

"Of course,"

Kasumi nodded slightly, but when she caught sight of the message from Saaya from the corner of her eye, the smile on her lips quickly disappeared.

"Light... Do you know Yamabuki Bakery?"

"Is it that particularly delicious bakery?"

"Yes, it's really, really delicious. I always like to eat one after practice. Saaya's mother also likes to let us try the newly developed bread. She is a very nice person."

As she spoke, Kasumi suddenly felt her vision blurry. She tried to wipe away her tears, but her cheeks were soon wet.

"But... today, Sha Ling told me that her mother has been diagnosed with advanced brain cancer. Although she's a very good person, she still has such a serious illness... This world is actually very cruel."

"...Can she recover?"

"The doctors can't do anything, so we can only rely on Lan's father. She told us that he has amazing abilities."

Kasumi sighed softly.

"Deng, I called you because I hope you won't hold a grudge against Lan for what she said before. She was indeed very harsh, but I can assure you that she's not a bad person. She just couldn't understand you at the moment and said that because she was too anxious."

"We will attend the secret banquet at Meizhu's house with Aftergrow later. Lan will apologize to you then. Deng, are you willing to forgive her?"

"No, it's not that I can't understand Mizuki-senpai. We hid something important back then, so it's only natural that she'd be angry."