Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

She looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar blue-haired girl in front of her and suddenly understood everything.

"you...."

Hachiman Kailing's voice was low and hoarse, almost squeezed out from between her teeth:

"You don't care about Ave mujica at all, you only care about your own power."

Kujo Renji's expression remained unchanged. His amber eyes were as calm as still water, yet a cold fire burned deep within. He slowly stood up, his movements graceful and almost cruel.

The air froze between them, and the temperature of the entire room seemed to drop suddenly.

She leaned forward, close to Hachiman Kairei, so close that she could feel the blue-haired girl's breath brushing against her ear. That distance was both intimate and threatening, like an invisible knife at her throat.

"Are you done?"

Her voice had an eerie grace to it.

"Ms. Hachiman, you know how to seize the opportunity, but you made a mistake..."

He paused.

“No one is indispensable.”

This sentence completely cut open Hachiman Kailing's heart, leaving it bleeding.

"Finally, let me answer your question from that day..."

Her voice gradually cooled, and the shadow behind her seemed to completely swallow up her existence.

“From the beginning, Ave mujica was a one-man show.”

The girl took a step forward, approaching her private space. The oppressive feeling surged like a tide, almost suffocating her.

"And now, you can go away."

This sentence was like the last straw, completely breaking down Hachiman Kailing's defenses.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

She suddenly picked up the pen on the table and signed her name on the termination notice with such force that it almost pierced the paper.

At the same time, a line of words suddenly appeared in front of Jiujo Liansi.

[Included original sin points: 5]

[Original Sin Target: Hachiman Kairin (Greed)]

...?

No, it seems like I told you to go away too early.

...

PS: This chapter has 9,200 words, which is also four and a half chapters?

Chapter 64: Crying Hai Ling is so cute

Many of the troubles in this world arise from your obsession with solving problems within a set of rules. It's like trying to pick up a whole piece of rice cake with chopsticks. You'd be more direct if you just bit into it, but you insist on being particular about how you eat. This obsession with the "right way" is often the biggest enemy of efficiency.

What are the rules? They are just small paths filled with pits that have been stepped on by previous generations.

But there are all kinds of pits in this world, and some roads just break down while you’re walking on them.

A smart person would know that if there is a hole in the corner of the wall, they can just crawl through it. Why bother walking around the entire wall?

Efficiency is like a hidden shortcut in a game. While most people are still struggling with the first level, some have already found the secret path that leads directly to the finish line.

Kujo Renji is very fond of this kind of "cheating" method.

Although this way of thinking is efficient, it will inevitably overlook some loopholes. Efficiency and risk are often inseparable twins.

And now, Kujo Renji encountered the "risk" that he had ignored.

——If you had told me earlier that you had some money for me to collect, I wouldn’t have kicked you, right?

Looking at the bass girl with short black hair and delicate features in front of him, Kujo Renji was speechless for a moment.

But fortunately, thanks to my kind character, I always like to give people a way out.

What he asked the other party to sign was not a termination contract, but a temporary termination contract.

I think the other party should also be aware of the difference between the two different contracts...

Looking at Miss Hachiman Kailing, who is usually calm and composed and hardly shows any emotion, her lower lip begins to tremble uncontrollably and her eyes quickly turn red.

Kujo Renji thought so in his heart.

"Are you satisfied?"

Hachiman Kailing handed the termination notice back to Kujo Renji, her voice visibly choked with sobs.

"If you admit your mistake, I might consider letting you come back."

After a pause, Kujo Renji spoke seriously.

——In fact, this is already a considerable concession for him.

After all, the original plan was to let him come back only if the other party abdicated... After realizing his value, Kujo Renji lowered his standards to a great extent.

In the world of Japanese gangs, the hierarchy is like a dogma engraved in their bones.

The organizational structure is as tight as a pyramid. From the "ruozhong" (わかしゅう) at the bottom to the "younger brother" (しゃてい), to the "rutou" (わかがしら) and the top "team leader" (くみちょう), each level has insurmountable boundaries.

The word "concession" hardly exists in the dictionary.

Although it was common for the lower classes to overthrow their superiors in Japan, the fate of the losers was often extremely miserable.

If it were in the past...

Okay, let’s not talk about the past.

Because now, even such a simple request as "admitting one's mistake" sounds like a humiliation to Hachiman Kailing.

She opened her mouth in vain, but found that her throat was blocked by some emotion and no sound came out.

Then, a surprising scene happened.

Hachiman Kailing, who was always calm and self-possessed and almost never showed her emotions, suddenly burst into tears.

Not the elegant, quiet sobs that movie heroines sob when they're sad, but a cry of complete devastation.

Tears flowed from her eyes like beads from a broken string, silently sliding down her cheeks, and soon a dark stain appeared on her carefully selected black turtleneck.

She bit her lip, trying to control her voice, but all she could come out were broken sobs.

The originally neat black hair became messy because of the sudden movement, and a few strands of hair stuck to the tear-soaked cheeks, making her look both pitiful and embarrassed.

Kujo Renji obviously hadn't expected this reaction.

The blue-haired girl opened her eyes slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her amber eyes.

The girl in front of him who was crying uncontrollably was completely different from the calm, self-controlled and calculating Hachiman Kailing who usually was.

Hachiman Hailing seemed to suddenly realize her own loss of composure. She hurriedly wiped her tears with one hand, but because of her haste, she knocked over the water glass on the table. The water splashed on her skirt. She stood up in panic, but accidentally stepped on the strap of her bag and almost fell.

There were tears on her face, her eye makeup was smudged, and the tip of her nose was red. She looked both pitiful and a little funny.

"Say, are you done?! I'm leaving now that I'm done."

The moment she said this, she seemed to realize how embarrassed she was at the moment.

The usually cold Hachiman Kailing could only speak such loser words at this moment like a little girl whose toy was taken away.

In the end, the bassist, who is usually calm, rational and elegant, ran out of the cafe with red eyes and sobbing, and even forgot to take his beloved black handbag.

She looked both panicked and ridiculous as she ran out the door - she tried to wipe her tears while running, but ended up bumping into the glass door with a dull bang.

She staggered back two steps, rubbed her red forehead, then found the correct exit and left as if escaping.

After the other party left completely, Kujo Renji slowly picked up the handbag that Hachiman Kailing had forgotten.

He glanced out the window and saw that Hachiman Hailing's chaotic figure had disappeared around the corner.

However, he didn't have too many thoughts in his mind.

The only thought may be...

Miss Hachiman looks cute when she cries?

......

"She cried."

"I know."

After leaving the cafe, Kujo Renji strolled through the streets of Tokyo, carrying the handbag that Hachiman Kairei had forgotten.

The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps between the tall buildings, casting dappled shadows on the sidewalk.

"I told her before...please ask her to leave her life to me." For some reason, Toyokawa Shoko's tone was a little depressed.

This sentence was a bit incoherent, but Kujo Renji knew what the other party wanted to express.

He spoke softly:

"It's none of your business..."

"I know, but..."

——Rustle

The wind blew through the leaves, making a rustling sound.

Kujo Renji walked into a quiet park and chose an empty bench to sit on.

He put his handbag beside him and looked up at the sky. His amber eyes reflected the passing clouds, and he seemed to be thinking about how to explain this complicated situation.

After a moment, he spoke:

"Want to hear a fairy tale?"

In the consciousness space, Shoko Toyokawa was obviously stunned for a moment, not expecting such a turn.

"A fairy tale? Now?"

"Yeah." Kujo Renji smiled: "A fairy tale about oaths and betrayal."

"What kind of story?"

"Long ago, there lived a kingdom. This kingdom was not built on a mountain, but hidden in the shadows. The kingdom's ruler was not a king wearing a golden crown, but a general holding a sword."

When Shoko Toyokawa heard the beginning of the story, she reacted almost immediately.

Thinking of the scene when I told stories last time, subtle guesses began to sprout in my mind.

But she did not interrupt, but listened quietly.

"This general was young and promising, acting decisively. He expanded the kingdom's territory in just a few years. He had many loyal warriors under his command, the bravest of whom was his lieutenant named 'Wolf'."

Jiujo Renji's gaze fell on the treetops in the distance, as if he saw the scene from the story there:

"'Wolf' was a warrior the general had rescued from a bloody battle. He was wounded and abandoned by his own companions. The general bandaged his wounds himself and said to him: 'Please give me your life, and I will give you a kingdom worthy of your loyalty.'"

--Huh?

Hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa was a little surprised.

——Why does this sentence sound so familiar?

This suddenly shook her guess a little.

I originally thought that the other party was using the name of "storytelling" to talk about his past, just like last time, but these familiar lines were obviously what I said to the members of Ave mujica.

Could it be that this time it is not the other person's story, but a story that the other person made up based on his own experience?

It was unclear what Toyokawa Shoko was thinking. As Kujo Renji narrated, he seemed to be lost in memories.

"'Wolf' agreed, and he became one of the general's most capable subordinates, responsible for managing the most core affairs of the kingdom."

The sound gradually became ethereal.

"The General and 'Wolf' were as close as brothers. Together they had hunted great beasts in the wilderness, kept each other warm in the ice and snow, and even drank each other's blood to become blood brothers. The General was never stingy in sharing his glory, and 'Wolf' indeed possessed extraordinary talent."

Toyokawa Shoko thought of what Kujo Renji had said at the beginning.

This is a story about vows and betrayal.