After being elected as the governor of Tokyo, he will debut as a band!

"I understand, I misspoke..."

A fleeting look of regret crossed Ruiya's eyes.

"Red bean paste, private Marseille".

"No need to apologize, Ms. Hachishio. Mistaking someone's back for their own is quite common, both in entertainment and in real life."

Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it was this somewhat rigid and reasonable girl who doubted her identity. If it were a girl like Yukino Yukinoshita, who appears reasonable on the surface but is actually incredibly emotional, then it would be a disaster. No matter how much she presented the facts and reasoned with her, it would be useless.

The conversation between the two ended, and just then, the manager of the Butterfly Group arrived and told Rui Yashio to go back and prepare, as the performance was about to begin.

Ruyuu Yashio returned to the backstage area first, while Mukoro Aoyama and his manager walked slowly behind.

“Mr. Hack, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Yui Yuigahama. Please take care of me from now on.”

"Well, please take care of me."

"..."

Yui Yuigahama walked side by side with Aoyama, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't speak.

"Ms. Yuihama? Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Huh? Is it that obvious?"

Yuihama gave a slightly nervous smile, but quickly regained her composure. "I do have some things I'd like to discuss with Mr. Hack, but our priority right now is the performance. To avoid my words affecting your performance, let's talk in detail after the show."

……

Both SIDEROS and Morfonica gave outstanding performances.

In particular, SIDEROS' lead vocalist and guitarist, Yuyuko Otsuki, seemed to have developed a antagonistic attitude towards the members of Monica. She put on an extra effort during the performance, and her electric guitar produced a metallic sound. With the support of effects pedals and amplifiers, the sound almost lifted the roof off.

This broadened the horizons of Monica's young ladies. Although there are quite a few rock musicians in idol bands these days, it's rare to see anyone playing heavy metal.

Prestigious girls' schools like Tsukinomori, though inspired by a wealthy heiress's idol career in recent years and now allowing students to form their own idol bands, still maintain a resistant attitude towards heavy metal rock.

Monica's performance was decent, but Kurata Mashiro's dreamy voice calmed down the audience who had been agitated by SIDEROS, and they quickly became engrossed in it, their light sticks swinging rhythmically, creating a completely different scene from SIDEROS' performance.

SICKHACK, who came on last, immediately gave everyone a jolt of energy.

"I didn't write today's piece, so please don't be too enthusiastic! Otherwise, I might as well sing the song terribly and make our brother Hak lose face, so he'll stick to my pieces from now on."

"

"But speaking of which, Brother Hack's song is really amazing! Even if I deliberately sing it badly, it still has a unique flavor. You guys might like it even more! Alright, I'll sing it both ways. Don't be surprised if my voice changes halfway through. It's not that I'm being lazy, but so that everyone can hear two styles of songs for the price of one!"

"I'm such a kind person!"

Make way for me: 036 Counterfeit money

Sickhack's performance officially began, and Kikuri Hiroi only stayed serious for about two minutes before she started singing in a unique tone.

This tone was completely different from what Qingshan had told her before, but combined with the resounding drumbeats and Eliza's clear voice, it created a unique charm.

Kikuri Hiroi remained as eccentric and unconventional as ever, but thanks to a more powerful drummer lineup than before, even if her singing was unorthodox and even led Eliza, who wanted to sing seriously, astray, she could quickly be brought back to normal by the steady and powerful drumbeats.

During this process, the two drummers worked together and demonstrated amazing professionalism. Shima Yamashita was responsible for grasping the general direction of the music, while Muto Aoyama provided excellent support for Kikuri Hiroi when her impulsive and flashy virtuoso ideas had a positive effect.

Hiroi Kikuri's free spirit quickly inspired everyone present. Even the idol fans who came for Monica felt a surge of rock spirit at that moment, wanting to become a boulder rolling down a cliff, crushing everything in its path before smashing it to pieces on the ground.

Then, the Rolling Stones really came.

Kikuri Hiroi kicked over a speaker placed at the front of the stage. The distorted sound produced by the surge of electricity resounded throughout the venue. Many audience members covered their ears, but many more shouted along with this extremely destructive and penetrating sound that no instrument could produce.

Then, Kikuri Hiroi grabbed the speaker and lifted it high above her head.

"Hey you over there, move aside! Your favorite rock 'n' roll bomb is here!"

The audience tacitly made way for a small space, and Hiroi Kikuri didn't hesitate for a second before throwing the speaker out.

With a loud "bang!", the speaker shattered into eight pieces, but the audience's excitement only intensified.

Yui Yuigahama, who was backstage, had just been telling the members of the Butterfly Group, "Now you've seen what 'god-level' audience engagement looks like, haven't you? Everyone should learn from her..." But seeing Kikuri Hiroi's antics, she immediately changed her tune, "Of course, not everything needs to be learned. For example, this is something you can't even learn just for fun... Actually, I think SIDEROS' experience is more suitable for us than Sickhack's. You're all around the same age, so let's exchange ideas more often in the future!"

Hiroi Kikuri went mad, and Aoyama Muto wasn't much better. He moved the microphone closer to the drum kit, amplifying the drum and cymbal sounds coming from the speakers, making the drumbeats more aggressive, provocative, and inciteful.

The audience was in a frenzy. They even took out lighters to try and set the speaker's remains on fire, then danced around the bonfire like cavemen. Fortunately, the speaker's casing was made of fire-resistant materials, and several audience members gave up after a few attempts.

But the atmosphere at the scene really turned into a spectacular explosion.

Yui Yuigahama was a little flustered. She was really afraid that the members of the Butterfly Group would be corrupted by Sickhack. At the same time, she also regretted bringing the Butterfly Group to this concert today.

This band is going overboard with the rock!

"Everyone, let's go and exchange experiences with the SIDEROS team now... I think Sickhack and Hiroi's performance was still too advanced for you."

“Um… Ms. Yuihama, we’d like to stay here a little longer… and besides, look at Mashiro’s condition…”

The only one still conscious was the drummer, Futaba Tsukushi. She smiled apologetically at Yuihama and then pointed to Kurata Mashiro, who was completely absorbed in her fantasy world.

"...A miscalculation."

Yui Yuigahama covered her face; now, she truly understood the meaning of "regret."

……

After the performance, the venue was a complete mess.

Hiroi, who had drunk the wine given to him by the audience, lay sprawled on the ground, sleeping soundly.

As Shima looked at the wreckage of the speakers, microphones, and lighting rigs destroyed by Hiroi, her tense face was filled with an expression of "unbearable pain."

"We're going to lose a lot of money again... I thought that with so many tickets sold, the performance fees would give us some financial security for a while, but it seems like it's still the same old story."

She sighed, composed herself, and prepared to apologize to the concert organizers, just as she had done dozens of times before.

But the person in charge of the event had already come over and handed her an envelope filled with 10,000 yuan.

"Mr. Iwashita, this is the performance fee we agreed on before. It includes the fees for all three of you. Please check it."

Shima instinctively took the envelope, only to find that the contents were much thicker than she had expected, which made her feel uneasy.

The equipment destroyed by Hiroi Kikuri was all high-end, and even considering depreciation, the compensation would not be low. If this cost were deducted, the thickness of the contents of this envelope would be at most half of what it is now.

Does this mean that the organizers are not planning to pursue compensation, but instead intend to take legal action and send Hiroi Kikuri to jail on charges of "damaging public and private property"?

Thinking of this, Shima couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

How can I apologize in a way that will save Hiroi's life? A deep bow, a deep bow might do the trick!

Although performing this grand gesture would severely damage a person's self-esteem, Shima decided to give it a try in order to preserve her best friend's last shred of integrity (to prevent him from falling into criminality).

"As for the equipment that was damaged by Professor Hiroi, Ms. Iwashita, you don't need to worry. Professor Hack has already compensated for it."

"what?!"

Iwashita Shima suddenly looked up.

“How can we let Yoshima… Professor Hack spend money on the mistakes Hiroi made? Where is he now? I have to go and return the money to him.”

"I just saw him say a few words to Monica's manager, and then he left in a hurry. If Iwashita-sensei wants to go find him now, he probably won't be able to catch up."

"This……"

This was the first time someone had taken the initiative to handle the aftermath for Hiroi Kikuri before Shima did, which made Shima very uncomfortable. However, since the person had already left, she could only wait until later to find a way to return the money to them.

……

The reason why Aoyama rushed out in such a hurry was because he heard some shocking news from Yui Yuigahama.

It turns out that when Yui Yuigahama went to the ticket office to check on the ticket sales, she happened to witness the man carrying a large sum of money buying a ticket. The man initially took out two thousand-yen bills from his pocket, but one of the bills had about a third of its surface blank.

The man noticed this, which is why he hurriedly reached for the money in his wallet. As a result, the money accidentally fell out, leading to the scene that Aoyama had witnessed earlier.

Normally, if a banknote issued by a national bank has large areas of blank space,

It is a major error banknote and would never circulate in the market, so the identity of that banknote is almost certain.

Counterfeit money.

Make way for me: 037 How can you go on an incognito visit without getting into a fight?

Yui Yuigahama was, after all, just a manager of an idol group, and she didn't fully grasp the seriousness of someone carrying counterfeit money. In addition, she was worried that if the matter escalated, it would negatively impact the concert and Monica's idol activities. Therefore, she didn't choose to call the police immediately, but instead discussed the matter with Aoyama, who seemed to be the most reliable member of the band, after the concert.

Besides Yui Yuigahama, the ticket seller who was hired temporarily must have also seen the counterfeit bill.

Unlike Yuihama, this ticket seller knew how many shady dealings were behind a counterfeit bill, not to mention that the man was unusually carrying a large amount of cash, which practically screamed "I'm connected to a counterfeit money operation." So, let alone calling the police, she didn't want to get involved in the matter at all.

Aoyama wanted to find him to ask about the situation, but the man had already disappeared. He got the phone number from the concert organizer and called, but the phone was switched off.

After advising Yui Yuigahama to leave with the members of Monica as soon as possible, Aoyama said goodbye to the organizer and found a safe place nearby to call Takumi Suzumiya.

"Uncle Jiang, how are things on your end? Have you found out anything about the Changgu grain supply?"

“Young Master, there might be something wrong with Changgu Logistics. I asked members of a local gangster organization in Yokohama to investigate several of Changgu Logistics’ cargo warehouses in the dock area, but after the people I sent entered those warehouses, we couldn’t contact them for a long time… I’m afraid something has happened to them.”

So-called rogue organizations are those unregistered and illegal yakuza organizations. Their main members are mostly of foreign descent. Although these people have long since obtained Japanese citizenship, they still face discrimination in some matters, such as being barred from becoming yakuza.

These groups often exist within specific communities, such as areas with large Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese populations. Their social relationships with the outside world are relatively simple, and entrusting them with tasks offers greater confidentiality.

Liang Gongjiang also chose the Vietnamese people who received the least attention among this group.

“Tsk, I knew it... Uncle Jiang, listen to me, I suspect that Changgu Logistics is involved in large-scale counterfeiting of currency.”

Aoyama briefly explained the situation to Ryoumiya, who immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.

Counterfeiting currency is a serious crime in any country, and those with severe offenses can even be sentenced to life imprisonment. Therefore, people who dare to participate in this crime often take risks to avoid being exposed and even kill those who investigate them.

Although the Vietnamese involved in organized crime deserve to die, their appearance has certainly alerted the enemy, and it will be much more difficult to find evidence of their counterfeiting after tonight.

Yokohama Port is currently under the influence of the Neon Purification Group. This counterfeit currency organization is unlikely to be completely unrelated to the Neon Purification Group. If evidence of collusion between the two can be found, it will greatly help Aoyama to seize more resources from the organization. As for the security of Japan's own currency, he doesn't really care too much about it.

Anyway, Japan's economy hasn't grown for over twenty years, and its currency depreciation was very slow until 2023. The fact that they print more counterfeit money might actually drive up inflation and boost economic development.

As Suzumiya Hyakubi said before, Aoyama Mukai, despite being the governor of Tokyo, is a daring and audacious man. On one hand, he hides his identity and forms a rock band with Hiroi Kikuri. On the other hand, if he really encounters violent elements, he will not follow the rule of "a rich man should not sit under a dangerous roof." Instead, he will follow the example of a colleague named "Michael Hag" and personally teach them a lesson.

"Uncle Jiang, how about it? Interested in coming with me?"

“Young Master, you want to… However, your current status doesn’t seem suitable for you to take action personally… How about I call Ah Bai over?”

“It’s too late, Uncle Jiang. More than an hour has passed since you sent people to investigate Changgu Logistics, and two hours have passed since their members were noticed carrying counterfeit money. Even if the counterfeiters are stupid, they should have realized it by now. If we continue to delay, they will probably dispose of the counterfeit money machines and raw materials. This is a dock; it’s easy to deal with these things here.”

Evidence? Just haul it onto a boat and throw it into the sea a few miles away, and it's all gone.

Salvage? Go ahead and try to salvage it. With the efficiency of the Japanese police, they won't find anything in a year or two.

"Alright, then let this old body of mine do one more thing for the young master..."

Ryoumiya Takumi was fundamentally opposed to Aoyama's adventure, but he also knew that once Aoyama made a decision, it would be difficult to change it, so he could only do his best in this matter.

Under no circumstances should the young master be allowed to suffer any harm.

he thought.

“In that case, Uncle Takumi, why don’t you come over wearing that Cao Cao mask from the car… the one I wore when I performed at Shinjuku Fold. Save the reputation of the Crocodile of Aoyama for another occasion.”

Aoyama said in a somewhat serious tone.

Two people alone cannot stand up to an entire criminal organization. After all, they are not Batman and Alfred. So he needs to call in reinforcements. However, it is not appropriate for these reinforcements to appear in the same place as the notorious "Alligator of Green Mountain".

After ending his call with Suzumiya Takumi, Aoyama traveled to several places before finally arriving at a deserted beach.

The place is very deserted and empty. The coastline is made of concrete and granite. There is nowhere to hide within a hundred meters. The surveillance cameras are also more than a hundred meters away.

He took out another phone, his publicly known private phone, which contained the contact information of his public friends.

After a moment's thought, he dialed a number.

"Good evening, Chief Prosecutor Mitsurugi. I've received some concrete intelligence about a counterfeit currency ring. Would you be interested in investigating it?"

"You asked about the location? Since I called you instead of Director Hori, it's definitely not in Tokyo. It's in the Yokohama port area. I'll tell you the exact address later. Anyway, please get there as soon as possible, otherwise those criminals will destroy the evidence. Remember to bring plenty of people with you."

After hearing a short, crisp reply and the rustling sound of packing on the other end of the phone, Aoyama put down the phone, touched the mask on his face, and turned to walk towards the road.

Suzumiya Takumi's car was already parked there.

Make way for me: 038 Night Raid on Long Grain Flow