Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

She wore delicate earrings and a black necklace, and a uniquely designed dress, exuding an alternative and fashionable vibe.

"Ah."

Ijichi Xingge nodded, her voice filled with undisguised fatigue. "He said he'd come for an inspection again, but then canceled it at the last minute. This is the third time."

The light from the bar cast a soft halo on Ijichi Xingge's outline, but it couldn't hide the worry in her eyes.

Since her mother passed away, as Hongxia's sole guardian, she has been bearing the dual pressures of family living expenses and Livehouse operations.

At the beginning, my younger sister Hongxia refused to go to school because of her mother's death and fell into depression.

In order to maintain his family's livelihood and the operation of the Livehouse, and to pay for various expenses such as venue rental and equipment maintenance, Yidizhi Xingge was forced to borrow money from a lending company.

"I'm such an idiot."

Ichichi Xingge laughed self-deprecatingly. "I didn't realize there was something fishy going on with that loan company. That contract was filled with traps. Now that I think about it, it was just rife with them."

"Who would have thought?"

The black-haired woman wiped her wine glass while comforting him, "You just wanted to keep this place and protect Hong Xia."

"They recently transferred their shares and management rights to another person."

Ijichi Seige sighed, "I guess that guy is also a member of the mafia."

"Don't worry so much."

The woman with long black hair neatly arranged the cleaned wine glasses on the shelf and said in a relaxed tone:

"Maybe they're just like the last few people, not interested in STARRY's operations? They might just want a place to launder their money, or they might just care about the numbers on the books."

She walked over to Ichichi Hoshige and patted her shoulder gently.

"Besides, there's no point in worrying. At worst, we can just hand this place over to them. We've made enough money anyway, and if things don't work out, we can always open another livehouse somewhere else."

"No!" Yidizhi Xingge suddenly raised her head. She said irritably, "This isn't about opening another one. You...you don't understand."

The lights on the stage were still on, illuminating the empty performance area, as if waiting for the next performer to arrive.

The walls are covered with posters and photos of past performances, each of which records the history and memories of STARRY.

"What if they change the style of STARRY or turn this place into something weird?"

There was a hint of emotion in Ijichi Hoshige's voice: "I can't let my hard work be destroyed like this."

Thinking about all the contributions I have made to this livehouse called Stars.

Ichichi Xingge gritted his teeth and said fiercely:

"If there's really no other way, just kick them out."

The black-haired woman's voice was filled with obvious worry as she reminded him, "They are gangsters."

Hearing this, Yidizhi Xingge also felt a little scared.

Although she looks quite tough on the outside, that's just the ordinary person, and she's not on the same level as the real gangsters.

Even if she said that she would kick them out if there was no other way, she would still choose to give in if a conflict really broke out.

There is no way. If something really happens to her, what should Hongxia do?

Thinking of this, Yidizhi Xingge rubbed his hair again in annoyance.

"Ahhhh-"

.......

PS: A little-known fact: Ichichi Seika was three years older than Kujo Renji before he was killed.

This chapter is 5500, which is about three chapters when rounded up? But this chapter doesn't count as an update, after all, we agreed to start updating on Friday.

Chapter 44 Vortex (Please pre-order, six in one!)

It was almost late at night when we left the large flat in Nagasaki Suyo.

The night in Tokyo is as dark as ink, and the stars are obscured by the city lights, leaving only a few stubbornly twinkling in the sky.

Kujo Renji dragged his slightly tired steps back to the downstairs of the apartment building, his conversation with Su Shi still replaying in his mind.

Tonight's "emotional exchange" was unexpectedly sincere, which made him a little uncomfortable - after all, he rarely needed to use real emotions to complete tasks.

Thoughts were swirling in his mind, and when he walked up the stairs, the sight that came into his sight made him slightly stunned.

Jing Qinrencai was sitting on the floor at the door of his house, with her arms wrapped around her knees and her face buried in her arms.

Her twin ponytails were a little messy, and the hem of her school uniform skirt was spread on the ground like a crumpled flower.

Hearing footsteps, she suddenly raised her head, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Eh? Eh! Senior Xiangzi!"

The girl rubbed her eyes quickly, as if to wipe away some of the tears. She stood up, feeling a little surprised and happy, but soon replaced by embarrassment.

"Good evening--"

The girl said "good evening" because she really didn't know what to say and she came up with it on the spur of the moment.

It's really embarrassing to be seen in such a miserable state by the person you admire.

"Nina?"

Kujo Renji asked in the gentle voice of Toyokawa Shoko:

"Why are you here so late?"

Hearing this, Jing Qinrencai blushed, twisted her fingers nervously together, and hesitated for a long time before saying, "I...I locked my key at home."

She pointed to her door, her voice getting quieter: "I called the property management, but they said it was so late and we had to wait until tomorrow..."

Kujo Renji looked at his watch and it was almost midnight.

During this period, he was busy with various affairs and went out early and came back late almost every day, and had very little interaction with this neighbor.

"How long have you been waiting outside?" he asked, pulling his keys from his bag.

"About... two hours?"

Jing Qin Rencai said uncertainly, then hurriedly added as if to defend herself:

"I wouldn't have come back so late! I just met a singer I really like on the way, and then a lot of things happened, so I..."

Kujo Renji noticed that the girl's tone was obviously full of interest when she said this, and it seemed that what happened to her today really made her very happy.

Unfortunately, too much joy turns to sorrow.

"Come in." He opened the door and made an inviting gesture: "Stay here with me tonight."

Jing Qinren's ears turned red: "Isn't this a bad idea? Disturbing my senior..."

Even though the other person might be younger than her, she still used to call him "senpai"...

There's no way around it. Kujo Renji's aura is so much like that of a gentle older sister that it's impossible to resist her.

"You're welcome." Kujo Renji smiled and said, "I can't let you spend the night in the corridor."

Hearing the other party say this, Jing Qinrencai no longer refused and agreed with a blushing face.

The interior of the room is neat and tidy, without any unnecessary decorations, but it does not look deserted either.

Kujo Renji poured a cup of hot water for Jing Qinrencai, then took out a set of clean pajamas and placed them on the sofa.

"Go take a shower first..." he said, "This pajamas should be your size."

Jing Qin Rencai took the pajamas, said thank you quietly and went into the bathroom.

When the sound of water rang out, Kujo Renji sat on the sofa in the living room, his thoughts once again lost in what had happened today.

Half an hour later, Jing Qinrencai came out of the shower with wet hair. She was wearing pajamas that were obviously a little too big, making her look particularly petite.

She sat cautiously at the other end of the sofa, her hands on her knees, as if unsure how to start a conversation.

"Are you used to school?"

Kujo Renji took the initiative to break the silence and poured a cup of hot tea for each of them.

When the school was mentioned, Jing Qinren's eyes lit up: "Yeah! It's much better than I thought. Senior, do you remember the pink-haired girl I told you about before?"

Kujo Renji nodded and recalled the previous chat records.

"It turns out she really just has social anxiety!"

Jing Qinrencai said excitedly, gesturing with her hands:

"Her name is Goto Ichiri, and she's amazing at playing guitar! And she's actually a very nice person, she just doesn't have a good way of expressing herself."

Looking at the gleam in Jing Qin Ren's eyes, Kujo Renji couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

——Is the proportion of high school students who can play musical instruments too high nowadays?

Not to mention the friends around Toyokawa Shoko...just look at the people she's currently in contact with, almost all of them are related to music, bands, etc.

"Senior?" Jing Qinrencai tilted her head and looked at "Xiangzi" who suddenly fell into deep thought with confusion.

"Ah, sorry." Kujo Renji smiled, "I was just thinking it's great that you're making new friends."

"Yeah!" Jing Qinren nodded vigorously: "Thanks to the seniors, although Ichiri looks cold, she is actually very cute! When she plays the guitar, she is a completely different person, as if her whole body is glowing..."

Listening to Jing Serina's vivid description of her new friend, Kujo Renji couldn't help but relax.

"Where's Senior?" Jing Qin Rencai suddenly asked, "Where have you been these days? Every time I come back, I can't see you."

Kujo Renji paused slightly, then replied in the gentle tone of Toyokawa Shoko: "There are some family matters that need to be taken care of."

"Business?" Jing Qinren's eyes widened. "Senior, are you from a big family?"

In fact, she had always had some guesses. After all, the senior's temperament was so elegant, graceful and generous, just like a young lady who walked out of a TV drama.

She was not surprised at all to hear that Senior Xiangzi was the daughter of a wealthy family.

When Renji Kujo said this, all the plots about the 8 o'clock drama in Jingqin Ren's story came to his mind at once.

Like disputes among wealthy families, the eldest daughter running away from home, the dark side of the big family...

"I guess so..." Kujo Renji answered vaguely, then cleverly changed the subject: "By the way, I remember Nina said before that she wanted to learn self-defense. If I have time, I can teach you some basic moves."

"really?"

Jing Qinren was immediately attracted by the new topic, her eyes flashing with anticipation: "Just like what you did to that drunk last time?"

"Well, the basics will do."

Kujo Renji nodded: "After all, in a big city like Tokyo, it is important to learn to protect yourself."

The two chatted for a while, and Jing Qinrencai's voice gradually became unclear and her eyelids began to twitch.

What happened today obviously consumed a lot of her energy.

"Are you sleepy?" asked Kujo Renji.

Jing Qin Rencai forced her eyes open and shook her head: "No... I still want to chat with my senior for a while..."

Before she finished speaking, her head began to tilt forward unconsciously. Kujo Renji sighed softly, stood up, fetched a blanket, and gently covered Jing Qin Rencai with it.

The girl had fallen into a deep sleep, her breathing even and calm. Moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains onto her face, outlining an innocent expression.

Kujo Renji stood aside, looking at the girl.

A character like "innocence" was considered a luxury in his previous world.

But it is very rare and common here.

"Good night."

He said softly, then turned off the living room light.

...

The early morning sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a golden line on the floor.

Kujo Renji opened his eyes, and his consciousness quickly switched from sleeping state to full wakefulness.