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

"Senior? And... Yizhen-ge! Are you two whispering here? Count me in too, we always do this kind of thing together before!"

"...Call me Hacksan."

"What a troublesome man! Speaking of which, the liquor I got from Abai today is really strong. It reminds me of the time when I was broke and had to go to the market to pick up rotten fruit to make my own Shimokitazawa whisky. I passed out after just two glasses of that stuff."

"...You're really lucky you haven't poisoned yourself into a mentally unstable state all these years."

"Compared to the toxins we ingest, the poison of emptiness that naturally arises in our hearts is far more potent."

It causes me pain.

The half-jin of Moutai that Hiroi Kikuri drank tonight hasn't been completely broken down yet. She's in the middle of the worst period of alcohol-induced nerve paralysis, and she feels heavy, limp, and smells terrible.

She only stood there for a short while before she clung to Aoyama's arm and hung there.

"Look, look! What's the relationship between those three people over there? Are they two-timing each other?"

"In my opinion, it's just a common case of being bothered by a drunk... Wait, isn't that Hiroi-sensei from Sickhack? He's super famous in the indie band scene!"

"If that person is Ms. Hiroi, then isn't the masked man she's hugging Ms. Hack?"

"Hack-sensei? The composer of that super popular song lately? The two of them are here at the same time, does that mean Sickhack is going to perform next?... Get me a drink, I need to call Yukari and the others and tell them to come over quickly."

"Then I'll go get your autograph first."

The few remaining spectators all gathered around.

"Hiroi-sensei, Hack-sensei, I love Sickhack so much! I missed the Yokohama concert last time because I had to stay home to take care of my younger sister, but I really liked the videos uploaded by the organizers!"

"Harker's 'Yellow' is also amazing! I've listened to it on Spotify about seventy times these past few days!"

"Mr. Hack, is there a deeper meaning to the title 'yellow'? Could it be because the song was inspired by a blonde woman? Could it be Ms. Ijichi?"

Faced with a barrage of questions from fans, Aoyama, while struggling to shake off Hiroi Kikuri's entanglement, also responded to each one.

Compared to the bizarre and unexpected events that occur during campaigns, and the need to improvise to satisfy both the media and voters, dealing with a few enthusiastic fans with kind eyes is as easy as eating and drinking for Aoyama.

"Thank you for your support. We will be performing a new song at the FOLT Shinjuku Concert Hall next week. You can bring your sister to listen. Don't worry, the new song incorporates new musical ideas from me and Ms. Hiroi, so it's perfectly fine for a child to listen."

"We have a verified channel on Spotify, and you are welcome to subscribe."

"Ms. Ijichi? But there's a lyric in 'Yellow' that goes, 'But everything you do is so shy and timid.' Could it be that in your eyes, Ms. Ijichi is actually a 'shy and timid' person?"

Upon hearing this last sentence, Iji Tomoka, who had been sitting silently to the side, couldn't help but widen her eyes at Aoyama Muka.

"Maybe I should just put you on the blacklist of the 'Starry Night' performance hall."

"Haksan, look, isn't my senior blushing now? It's the kind of shyness that's aloof and... coquettish."

"Hiroi, you come in too!"

The interaction with fans went smoothly, and the number of customers in the Starry Night Performance Hall increased. Some people were called over by people who had seen Hiroi and Aoyama's posts on Instagram, while others came to join in the fun after seeing the sudden queue at the entrance of the Starry Night Performance Hall. As everyone knows, Japanese people love queuing.

Then, the members of the heavy metal band "Skimming" who were about to perform on stage were stunned when they came out of the preparation room.

They'd been in a band for years and had never had such a large audience before. When they asked what was going on, they found out that everyone had come for Hiroi Kikuri and Hack.

Most people would be angry in this situation, but these musicians were also sentimental and immediately offered to give up the performance, with all the ticket revenue going to Hiroi Kikuri and Aoyama Muko.

After all, so many people buy tickets because of the popularity of these two. Although they are nominally buying tickets for their "self-destruction ghosts", if they were to take all the profits, not only would they feel guilty, but they would also lose favor with the audience.

The members of "Self-Destruction Ghost" calculated that even if they didn't earn a single penny, they would still profit from riding on the popularity of the two famous musicians.

But Aoyama was not about to take advantage of them. He immediately said that the performance was also for them, but after their performance, he and Hiroi could go on stage as supporting actors.

As for the ticket sales revenue, Aoyama naturally didn't want a single penny, and Hiroi Kikuri generously stated that as long as she was included in the celebration after the performance, there would be no problem.

Make way for me: 074 Disrupt and reorganize the band

Although I've decided to perform as a guest performer after the "Self-Destruction Ghosts" band's show, I still need to carefully plan out the specifics of the performance.

Sickhack is a four-person group, with a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, and Aoyama Muto as an all-rounder. Their performances cover a wide range of vocal ranges, resulting in a better performance for the audience.

However, there are only Hiroi Kikuri and Aoyama Mukoto at the moment. Aoyama Mukoto is wearing a mask and cannot play the guitar with his mouth while playing the drums, so they still need to find another guitarist or drummer to give the audience a complete band performance.

Hiroi Kikuri tried calling Shimizu Eliza and Iwashita Shima over, but the reply she received was—

"Sorry, Kikuri, I found a pair of Kamen Rider Ea goggles on a secondhand website, but the seller requires me to pick them up myself, so I'm in Hachioji City right now and won't be able to get back for at least two hours..."

(Hachioji City is located in western Tokyo, further from Shimokitazawa than Saitama.)

There was no response from Shima. It wasn't until the next day that I learned Shima hadn't slept well for the past two days because of the seminar, so she took sleeping pills and went to bed early that day, and didn't hear the phone ring.

Left with no other choice, Hiroi Kikuri could only cast a pleading look at Iji Tomoka.

"Senior, if I remember correctly, you were a guitarist when you were in a band, right?"

"So what if it is?! Don't think about unrealistic things. I've stopped playing in the band for many years. If I were to go on stage now, I would definitely play a terrible game."

"But surely you haven't forgotten everything, have you?"

"Well, if you ask me to play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' I can play it too..."

"Then let's play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'."

"Impossible! If people knew I was performing this on stage, I'd be laughed at for a whole year! These days, even kindergarten kids wouldn't perform 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' on guitar at a family gathering!"

"This is really troublesome... Hakusan, can you give me some ideas?"

Still slightly drunk, Hiroi leaned weakly against the bar, supporting his round face with his hand, looking like his brain cells were completely exhausted.

"Ichichi, when was the last time you played the guitar...?"

After thinking for a while, Qingshan asked.

"It must have been last month, right? What's wrong?"

Which song was it?

"Hmm, it's 'Caracara' by the Bond Band. I thought it sounded pretty good when they played it at 'Starry Night.' After they left, I played it according to Boqi's sheet music..."

At this point, Xingge's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

Aoyama could tell what she was thinking at a glance.

"And then, did it bounce down?"

"You're so long-winded..." Xingge looked away, somewhat annoyed, but after a brief silence, she still answered, "No... the first part of that song..."

The technique wasn't easy, so I could only manage about a third of the way through before I couldn't continue, and then I unconsciously switched to flicking sand..."

"So you've switched to playing 'Girl on the Sand' now?"

Aoyama told her the full name of the song she hadn't mentioned.

This is a piece he composed in high school for his band "Izumi" (泉水), which consisted of himself, Iji Tomoka, and Hiroi Kikuri. The three of them practiced this piece for a long time, and it received a good response when they performed it for the first time.

But not long after that, a mass violence incident occurred that led to Suzumiya Hyakubi's imprisonment and Aoyama Muko's departure from the country. After that, Aoyama Muko and the two of them parted ways and went down completely different paths.

"Girl on the Sand" thus became the last shared memory of the three.

"Well..." Xingge scratched her cheek a little embarrassedly, then turned her head away so that Hiroi and Aoyama could not see her eyes. "When I played that piece, it was the first time in my life that so many people cheered for me at the same time. So whenever I encountered a new piece that I couldn't play smoothly, or when I had no inspiration while composing, I would play this piece to adjust my state."

So, you can play "Girl on the Sand"?

"Just give it a try."

"Then the problem is solved, Hiroi. Let's play this when the three of us go on stage later... Wait, Hiroi, what's with that expression?"

Just as Aoyama was about to make a decision, he noticed that Hiroi Kikuri's face had become somewhat gloomy.

"Um... I'm sorry, Hack-san, I probably can't play 'Sand Maiden' right now... After all, I make a living with a band, so over the years, I've focused all my energy on playing Sickhack's own songs, and I've completely forgotten the tune of 'Sand Maiden'..."

"That's understandable."

Aoyama was still in no hurry. He had been with Sickhack for about a month and was already aware of Hiroi Kikuri's musical talent, so he didn't think that Hiroi forgetting the playing techniques of "Girl on the Sand" was a big obstacle.

He asked Ms. PA for paper and pen and wrote down the sheet music for the bass part of "Girl on the Sand".

"Can you play the piece in ten minutes?"

“…Let me see,” Hiroi Kikuri took the sheet music, looked at it for about ten seconds, and her face turned red with excitement. “Oh! I have the music in my head! Ten minutes is enough, senpai. Is there a practice room over there? I’ll be right back.”

"Why bother going to the practice room? Just play it on the street in front of 'Starry Night' and you can attract more viewers for 'Suicide Squad'."

"Makes sense!"

Hiroi Kikuri's sense of pitch is indeed extraordinary, and her bass playing skills have reached a level of perfection. She clipped a sheet of music to a writing board and placed it on the windowsill at the entrance of the Starry Night Performance Hall, and the music flowed out from the strings under her fingers like water.

The initial awkwardness only lasted a small part, followed by smooth music.

Originally, the number of people buying tickets to enter the venue had already stopped after the self-destruction group's performance began, but her street performance attracted a lot of people again.

When Aoyama and his two companions officially took the stage to perform, the small audience seats in the Starry Night Auditorium were completely full.

"Thank you all for supporting the 'Self-Destruction Group'. Next, Hakusan, the manager of Fanxing, and I will present Hakusan's previously unreleased work—"

""The Girl on the Sand""

Hiroi lowered his raised hand from the air, sweeping the first note of the song across the bass strings.

……

The performance was quite good.

Although Hiroi only practiced this song for ten minutes from receiving the sheet music to going on stage, and although Iji Tomoka hadn't played guitar on stage for several years and the strumming sound was regrettable, the temporary band and the subtle unfamiliarity during the performance gave the whole song a fragmented feel that a regular band could hardly achieve.

The fragmented music, the vocals that were sometimes clear and sometimes indistinct, were more captivating than a flawless, effortless performance at this juncture between midnight and dawn.

As the audience gave her a warm round of applause, Hiroi Kikuri suddenly turned to Aoyama and said something.

"Haksan, I have some ideas for my presentation at the seminar."

"Let all the independent bands in Tokyo reorganize and take the stage with a fresh new look!"

……

Aoyama's character is 30 years old, 188cm tall, and has two souls, one of which is a musical genius. You should be able to tell who the character is based on.

Make way for me: 075 Sister, our family is rich now!

Hiroi Kikuri was called to a court hearing today by Komikado Kensuke, but the hearing only lasted for twenty minutes before inexplicably ending.

The reason is that Kensuke Komikado submitted evidence to the court, which was a list of clients written by Kiyoko Toyokawa under the supervision of police in the detention center. The list involved transaction records and account information of more than 20 large-scale companies that Shimakaze Financial Services had served.

The contents of this list were naturally a mixture of truth and falsehood, but when the Shimakaze Financial representative, who was sitting in the defendant's seat, saw the list, he immediately asked his lawyer to request a recess from the judge. After both parties left the courtroom, he immediately expressed his willingness to accept an out-of-court settlement to Kensuke Komikado.

When Komikado Kensuke demanded over 40 million yen in compensation, Hiroi Kikuri was completely stunned. She didn't even notice the heated debate between the two lawyers advocating for their respective clients; only one thought remained in her mind—

I might be rich this time.

Hahaha... When I first took over the job of taking care of Xiangzi from Brother Yizhen, I thought it would be a troublesome thing, but I didn't expect there would be such great benefits later!

Yi-zhen is still on my side! Knowing I'm in financial straits, he specially arranged for me to have such a wealthy adopted sister.

As a law-abiding citizen who never evades taxes, Hiroi Kikuri has a basic understanding of the law and knows that a guardian can use the property of the ward to a certain extent, as long as it can be proven that it is used for common living or is beneficial to the ward.

In fact, Hiroi Kikuri wasn't thinking about taking too much advantage. She was content as long as she could get a few meals a week and use the bathroom a few times a month... Any more than that would require avoiding some legal risks and exploiting legal loopholes. The only thing in her mind that was music was straight; the rest was a complete mess, and she couldn't think about such delicate things at all.

Komekado Kensuke argued vehemently with the lawyers from Shimakaze Financial, and without much effort, he had already cornered them. In the end, the defendant agreed in principle to the amount of compensation proposed by Komekado, but they still needed to go back and negotiate with the relevant person in charge about the specific amount. However, they believed that they should be able to come up with a result when they met for a formal settlement negotiation at the next meeting. Komekado then set a negotiation date with the other party and left with Hiroi Kikuri.

On her way home, Hiroi Kikuri asked Komikado for information—

"Sir, give me a straight answer. How confident are you that you can get the 4000 million in compensation?"

"Ten percent! By the way, according to the agency contract I signed with Mr. Toyokawa Kiyokazu, 4000 million of this 1000 million is my agency fee."

"...1000 million? You guys make that money way too easily!"

Hiroi Kikuri clicked her tongue in amazement; she could only manage to huff and puff all night, and that was about it.

They can earn 5 to 8 yuan, not including compensation for damaged equipment.

"You flatter me. Ms. Hiroi Kikuri, if your legal rights are violated, such as your songs being plagiarized or your music company breaching a contract, you can also contact me for representation."

Komekado wore a professional fake smile.

When he took on Toyokawa Kiyoko's case, he also investigated Hiroi Kikuri's identity and found that she was a well-known independent musician. Recently, her band had sold the copyrights of several of their works to a music company. Considering that these big music companies often abuse copyrights in subsequent business activities, Komekado felt that Hiroi Kikuri was a potential client.

It's quite necessary to expand your customer base appropriately.

To everyone's surprise, Hiroi shook his head frantically after looking at his business card. "Forget it, your fees are too expensive, I can't afford them. Do you know any cheap and good lawyers you can recommend?"

Komekado Kensuke thought to himself, "He really doesn't know what's good for him," but out of respect for her being Ms. Toyokawa Shoko's guardian, he smiled and put away the business card. Then, he pulled out a crumpled business card from an inconspicuous corner of his briefcase.