Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Jiujo Renji looked at her, his amber eyes appearing exceptionally clear in the night:

"It must be tough out there on your own, right? You're probably working part-time to support the band's expenses, too."

This sudden concern made Taoxiang stunned for a moment. She didn't expect the other party to notice these details. She smiled a little embarrassedly:

"Ah... yeah, playing in a band always comes with a price. But it's okay, I'm used to it."

"If there's anything you need help with, please tell me." Kujo Renji's tone was sincere.

"Although I may not be able to help you much, I can at least help you keep an eye out for some safe performance venues, or, um... it's not a problem to treat you to a meal occasionally."

His words were plain and warm, without any hint of boasting or charity, just like what someone who truly cares about a friend would say.

Taoxiang looked at the gentle smile on his face and listened to his sincere words, and the tense string in her heart finally relaxed a little bit.

Yes, Miss Xiangzi is so gentle, so considerate, and speaks so nicely.

How could he be a dangerous person?

I must have been drunk just now, fell down, and my eyes must be blurry, so I'm hallucinating! Yes! It must be an illusion! That gun and everything, it's all just my imagination!

She kept telling herself this in her mind, trying to convince herself of this "reasonable" explanation.

But for some reason, it is always difficult to completely convince myself.

"Miss Xiangzi, that—"

But at this moment, Kujo Renji suddenly stopped talking.

The night breeze gently blew her blue twintails. She tilted her head slightly, her amber eyes gleaming mysteriously under the streetlight, and a gentle smile still hung on the corner of her mouth:

"Ms. Taoxiang, you actually saw it just now, right?"

The smile on Taoxiang's face froze instantly, and her heart seemed to be gripped by an ice-cold hand, almost stopping beating.

She felt her blood flowing backwards in an instant, and her limbs became cold.

“Ah, ahahaha…”

Taoxiang's mind went blank. She could only instinctively laugh awkwardly and try to play dumb.

"See, what did you see? Miss Xiangzi, what are you talking about? I just... drank a little too much, I can't remember clearly..."

Her voice was trembling, her eyes were erratic, and she didn't dare to look him in the eye. Her legs had begun to tremble unconsciously, and she was almost unable to stand steadily.

Jiujo Renji did not expose her poor acting skills, but the smile on his face deepened a little. His tone was still as gentle as a whisper between lovers, but it carried an invisible pressure:

"Ms. Kawahara Momoka, you know, rummaging through other people's things is actually a bad habit, isn't it?"

Taoxiang felt like her breathing was about to stop.

She knew it all! She knew everything!

Cold sweat soaked her back once again. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She could only stare in horror at the girl in front of her with a gentle smile and deep, unfathomable eyes.

Then, she saw the girl blink her beautiful amber eyes, and her tone returned to its previous gentleness, even with a hint of mischief:

"Of course, this time... I'll just pretend I don't know."

Taoxiang suddenly raised her head, and a hint of incredible hope flashed in her eyes.

"I also hope..."

The smile on Kujo Renji's face remained unchanged as he spoke slowly, word by word:

"Miss Kawahara Momoka, you can also pretend... not to know."

She spoke the last three words very softly, yet they carried an unquestionable weight.

"Is that okay?"

She tilted her head, still looking harmless, gentle and lovely.

But in Taoxiang's eyes, she was a hundred times more terrifying than any vicious gangster at this moment.

Taoxiang nodded stiffly, her brain completely losing the ability to think, nodding frantically:

“Hmmmm…!”

"That's good."

The blue-haired girl smiled with satisfaction, as if the suffocating conversation just now had never happened:

"It's getting late, Miss Taoxiang, you should go back and rest early. Be careful on the road."

After saying that, she turned around and walked briskly back into the shadow of the apartment building.

Only Taoxiang was left, standing there like a sculpture, shivering in the night wind.

...

"Hello!"

Toyokawa Shoko's voice, with obvious anxiety and a hint of fear, rang out in Kujo Renji's mind.

"There was something wrong with Ms. Kawaharaki just now! She's been so restless since she came out of the bathroom! Did she... did she notice what was going on in the bathroom?!"

Kujo Renji was slowly untying her apron and hanging it on the hook in the kitchen. Upon hearing this, she just said "hmm" casually in her mind, appearing very nonchalant.

"What does 'hmm' mean?!"

Xiangzi was irritated by his indifferent attitude.

"That's a gun! Not a toy model! What if she tells others? What if Nina finds out? What if the police find out?!"

"It's discovered, so what's the big deal?"

Jiujo Renji said with a smile:

"Isn't it quite interesting to see her trying to convince herself and pretend to be calm at the end?"

"Funny?! This isn't funny at all!"

Xiangzi was almost going crazy:

"She was obviously terrified! In the end, you insisted on sending her downstairs and said those words to her...wasn't that a threat to her? What if she really believed you..."

"threaten?"

Jiujo Renji interrupted her:

"Ms. Xiangzi, you think things are too simple."

He said slowly in his consciousness:

"For someone like Kawahara Momoka, who's straightforward and simple-minded, but also has a terrible drinking habit, simple psychological reassurance is the most unreliable thing. You can give her reassurance today, but tomorrow, when she's drunk, she might tell others about 'My neighbor is so cool, he even has a gun hidden in his house,' as a drunken anecdote. That would be the real problem."

Xiangzi was stunned: "Then, then you just..."

“This is the best way to deal with it.”

Jiujo Renji paused and continued to explain:

"Fear is the best shackle and the deepest scar. It constantly reminds her that some things are taboo, secrets that must never be spoken, whether sober or drunk. Letting her leave with this fear is far more effective than letting her leave with a false sense of security."

Xiangzi fell silent. She had to admit that although Kujo Renji's method sounded a bit... risky, logically speaking, it did seem to be the most effective way to handle the situation. But...

"But... it's a gun after all! What if... what if she gets really scared and calls the police?"

Xiangzi still couldn't help but raise his final concern.

Kujo Renji was too lazy to pay attention to her.

So what if I really called the police?

Not to mention the people in the police system or the resources he currently has.

The surname Fengchuan alone is enough to make this matter disappear automatically.

"Go to sleep, don't think too much, just shut up and choose to believe it."

"All right.."

Thinking that she had been going through the same thing for a long time... Toyokawa Shoko compromised with some grievance.

Just as Kujo Renji expected, the "little secret" discovered by Kawahara Momoka did not cause any waves.

The days passed calmly, Momoka Kawahara didn't reveal anything, and Nina was still the energetic and occasionally reckless schoolgirl next door, who enthusiastically shared with "Shoko-senpai" the interesting things about her new school and the progress of her friendship with the "socially anxious guitarist" Goto Ichiri every day.

Life seemed to be back on track.

The internal integration of Winwing Agency is proceeding in an orderly manner under the control of Kujo Renji, although the outside world knows little about it. Even the other members of Ave Mujica only vaguely feel that the agency's attitude towards them seems to have become more...positive and cooperative?

But they didn't know what earth-shaking changes had taken place, and they had no time to delve into it.

Because another more exciting and important thing has been officially put on the agenda - the upcoming Osaka tour!

This is Ave Mujica's first large-scale tour since its establishment, and it is also a key step for them to truly bring their mysterious music to a wider stage.

It means a lot to every member of the band.

Hai Ling longs for a bigger stage; Mu may also be looking forward to some changes, and Chu Hua, well, Jiujo Rensi is a little unsure what Chu Hua is expecting.

The person who is most looking forward to this trip to Osaka, or even eagerly awaiting it, is undoubtedly the band's drummer. Although his account is currently banned... he is a famous beauty blogger.

——Yutenji Wakamugi, Miss Meowen.

why?

Unveil the mask!

These two words mean so much to Yutenji Wakamu.

It means she is no longer just “Amoris,” the mysterious drummer of Ave Mujica, hiding behind the mask.

It means that she can stand in the spotlight again as "Meow Dream" and accept the cheers and screams of her fans.

This means that the beauty blogger account with hundreds of thousands of followers that was banned due to some "accidents" finally has the opportunity to see the light of day again, and may even usher in an even more prosperous state than ever before with the popularity of Ave Mujica and the opportunity of this tour!

Fame, traffic, attention...and the feeling of regaining control of your life!

All of this depends on this Osaka tour, on that moment of “unveiling”!

How could Yutenji Wakamu not be excited? How could she not look forward to it?

The great joy and anticipation almost diluted the shock that Ruoye Mu's abnormal and disturbing dependent behavior had brought to her some time ago.

Although she would occasionally recall the strange scene of Mu secretly smelling "Xiangzi's" coat and her own ridiculous imagination about the "Harem Band", these small doubts and worries seemed insignificant in the face of the huge temptation of "unveiling".

who cares!

As long as the mask can be removed, as long as "Meow Dream" can return, other things... are not important for the time being!

With such excitement, Teacher Da Miao showed unprecedented enthusiasm and dedication to the rehearsal of Ave Mujica.

Her positive attitude even infected other members of the band, except for Mu who still had a blank expression, and the entire rehearsal room was filled with an upbeat and hopeful atmosphere.

Osaka's sunshine, delicious food, enthusiastic audiences... and most importantly, the highly anticipated unveiling stage.

Yutenji Wakamu could almost imagine the scene at that time.

When she takes off her mask and reveals her carefully made-up, confident and beautiful face, there will surely be deafening screams from the audience!

Her name, "Meow Dream", will once again resound on the Internet!

So, with much anticipation.

The Osaka trip has begun.

...

PS1: Entered the Osaka Line.

A lot of prelude stories about the Osaka line have been laid out before. I believe everyone can vaguely guess what will happen on the Osaka line. After this story... the Mygo line and the mujica line will be connected from then on, and the impression of each character will change from "Toyokawa Shoko" to "Kujo Renji".

PS2: This chapter is 11,500 words.

Currently, the total amount of words owed is 90,000, and 39,000 words have been paid back.

The reward is still there, please vote, please vote, please vote QAQ

Chapter 76: Kujo Renji's Spring Shadow (Thanks to the indescribable river crab boss for the treasure chest)

Osaka.