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

"Our law firm certainly offers good value options as well."

Hiroi took the business card and glanced at it.

Lawyer Mayuzumi Machiko

……

Hiroi Kikuri is the kind of person who can't contain herself when she gets good news. After parting ways with lawyer Komekado, she went straight to Haneoka Girls' Academy, wanting to tell Toyokawa Shoko the good news that "little sister, our family (maybe) be rich soon!"

It was during school dismissal time, and the students walking home together noticed a suspicious woman who reeked of alcohol suddenly appearing at the school gate.

If it were just a smell of alcohol, it wouldn't be so serious, but Hiroi Kikuri was also wearing exaggerated earrings, had tattoos on the back of her hands (actually temporary tattoos, sometimes there and sometimes not), and most importantly, she was wearing the uniform issued by her high school.

Therefore, she was mistaken for a delinquent by the well-behaved high school girls at Hanekawa Academy.

As for why Hiroi Kikuri is wearing a high school uniform...

This is mainly because formal attire is required when attending court, as a sign of respect for the solemnity and formality of the court.

Hiroi Kikuri, a perpetually poor woman, had no money to buy formal attire. She could barely afford everyday clothes for all four seasons, so she had to dig out the graduation uniform her high school had given her and wear it to court.

In short, because some students mistook her for a troublesome girl, they went to the teacher to report her.

Hiroi Kikuri was remarking, "Hanekawa truly lives up to its reputation as a prestigious entertainment school that produces many famous girl groups; the students are all so youthful and beautiful!" when she saw a middle-aged woman walking towards her.

"Which school are you from? Who gave you permission to drink? Were you forced to? If you need help, just tell me. Even if you're from another school, I'll do my best to help you."

The middle-aged woman immediately asked Hiroi Kikuri several questions, but she didn't interrogate her. Instead, Hiroi felt that she was extending goodwill.

Compared to teachers who immediately adopt a superior attitude and harshly reprimand problem students, Hiroi is less adept at dealing with teachers who are skilled at resolving issues through appeasement.

If it's the former, she'll just yell "Private Marseille" and run away. She does this when the police remind her to stop her drunken antics in the street; she's very skilled at it.

This kind of gentle teacher, who seems to want to help you, is exactly the kind of teacher that Hiroi Kikuri is not good at dealing with.

"Um... I'm not a student! I'm just waiting for someone here..."

"You can come to my office to talk. Oh, you said you're waiting for someone here, right? Can you tell me her name? If she hasn't left school yet, I can have someone call her over."

"...Toyokawa Shoko...right."

"You're Toyokawa Shoko from Class 1-B, right?" The middle-aged woman looked at her with some surprise. "Did she have friends outside of school? I thought she was the kind of introverted girl."

Make way for me: 076 Pink-haired bastard

Hiroi Kikuri was inexplicably taken to the dean's office, where she sat down on the sofa, where a cup of hot tea was placed on the coffee table in front of her.

But before she could even pick up her teacup and take a sip, there was a knock on the office door.

"I should have already left work by now, why are there still people here..."

The middle-aged woman muttered something, then cleared her throat and said, "Please come in."

Standing at the door was Toyokawa Shoko.

She was breathing rapidly and her face was flushed, as if she had just engaged in strenuous exercise.

"Provost... Good day..."

"Good morning, Toyokawa-kun... wait a minute, did you run here? I remember there's a rule in the school rules that says you can't run in the hallways."

“It was my rudeness, Dean of Academic Affairs… but I thought that if I couldn’t get here soon, it might cause you any unnecessary misunderstanding.”

"Misunderstanding? Toyokawa-kun, what do you mean?"

Shoko steadied her breathing, then walked over to Hiroi Kikuri while glaring at her.

A silent pressure descended upon Hiroi Kikuri, making her afraid to look up.

"You brought this person to the office because you probably mistook her for a student from another school, right?"

"Is not it?"

“Ha…” Xiangzi sighed and said in as calm a voice as possible, “This Miss Hiroi is my guardian.”

"What?" The dean adjusted his glasses and solemnly looked Hiroi up and down a few times. "So, you're already an adult, right?"

"Hmm... I'm 26 years old. Here is my driver's license. Please take a look."

The dean glanced at the driver's license and handed it back. "It was indeed my mistake, Ms. Hiroi Kikuri. Please allow me to apologize."

"Ha, ha... You're too kind. Actually, the main responsibility for this matter lies with me..."

Hiroi Kikuri wiped the sweat from her brow and said somewhat guiltily.

To determine whether a young woman is a student, besides checking if her clothing conforms to student attire, one must also observe whether her eyes convey a kind of "clear naiveté," and at this moment, Hiroi perfectly fits both of these criteria—

The school uniform that only high school students wear, and the unique silly demeanor that comes with being drunk.

Although the dean of academic affairs is an experienced teacher, she may have felt sorry for Hiroi after seeing him. In addition, with people coming and going at the school gate and her eagerness to take Hiroi away, she did not observe carefully enough and made a misjudgment.

"Toyokawa-kun, please have a seat. Although the misunderstanding has been cleared up, if it's alright, I'd like to talk to you two about the issue of guardianship."

Instead of sitting down as instructed by the dean, Toyokawa Shoko flatly rejected her concern and nudged Hiroi's ankle with her leather shoe, signaling her to keep quiet.

"Dean of Academic Affairs, please forgive my rudeness, but family matters are my personal privacy, and I hope the school can at least show some respect for my privacy."

This is why Xiangzi immediately confessed that Hiroi was her guardian, so that she could limit her relationship with Hiroi to the scope of "family matters" and thus refuse further questioning from the dean.

If she only said that Hiroi was her friend, then as a teacher and dean of academic affairs...

There was actually a reason to ask detailed questions. Xiangzi didn't think Hiroi Kiku would be as cautious as she was. She was afraid that the dean of academic affairs could easily expose all the secrets of the Toyokawa family with a few verbal traps.

"So, what do you think, Miss Hiroi?"

"Me? Me? I was just asked to help take care of Xiangzi's little sister. I don't really know the specifics."

"Oh dear, is that so?"

“That’s right!” Xiangzi pulled Hiroi up from the sofa and pressed her back to make her bow with him. “Thank you for your concern. We’ll take our leave now.”

After saying that, without waiting for the chairman to react, she grabbed Hiroi and rushed out the door.

But to their utter surprise, the two bumped into a pink-haired girl as soon as they stepped outside.

"Um, Toyokawa-kun, I just happened to be passing by. It was definitely not because I saw you running so fast that I followed you to eavesdrop..."

The pink-haired girl waved her hand somewhat awkwardly.

Xiangzi glared at her through gritted teeth, then pulled Guangjing around her and downstairs.

After going downstairs, she let go of Hiroi's arm and simply slowed down so that he could keep up with her.

"So, why did Ms. Hiroi come to my school? And why was she wearing such clothes that could easily lead to misunderstandings?"

"I just had some good news and wanted to tell you as soon as possible."

"Good news? I'd like to hear it. What good news could make you so impatient?"

"Xiangzi's little sister, our family is rich now!"

"What? Our home? Please be more specific, is it your home or my home?"

Having endured nearly a year of hardship, Xiangzi was very sensitive to the word "money," and upon hearing Guangjing's words, he wanted to ask for clarification.

"What do you mean 'your family' and 'my family'? That's too formal. Little sister Xiangzi, I'm your guardian! Legally speaking, we're family!"

"...Alright, Ms. Hiroi, please stop your nonsense and get straight to the money."

"The matter of Shimakaze Financial's financial compensation to Mr. Toyokawa has been resolved. In at most another week, Ms. Shoko, your personal account will have an extra 3000 million yen. Now you can enjoy fine wine, gourmet food, and a grand mansion!"

Kikuri Hiroi said excitedly.

Toyokawa Shoko was not particularly happy to hear this. The excitement in her eyes was fleeting. More than the compensation, she cared about whether her father could come home.

"Since Shimakaze Financial is willing to pay compensation, does that mean the court will find them guilty of all crimes related to counterfeiting currency, and my father will be released?"

If her father could return, and with the 3000 million yen in compensation, even if she couldn't recreate the life of the Toyokawa family's eldest daughter, she could at least live a peaceful daily life like any ordinary Japanese family...

If I work harder then, I might be able to rebuild my life at Hanekawa Academy.

“I don’t know about this either… but according to the lawyer, Mr. Toyokawa’s case involves a very wide range of issues, and it’s probably not going to be resolved anytime soon… but from another perspective, the lack of a result also means that the possibility still exists.”

"Is it possible? No, we can't place all our hopes on a 'vague' possibility! I have to try my best... If I can't count on the lawyer, then I'll seek help from someone more powerful."

Toyokawa Shoko stopped in her tracks, looked at the stone slabs beneath her feet, and made a decision.

"Ms. Hiroi, Sickhack's next performance..."

She wants to meet Aoyama at the next Sickhack live, and then help him form a popular girl band with the goal of winning votes in exchange for his help to her father.

But before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a voice coming from behind Hiroi Kikuri.

"Um, you must be Hiroi-sensei from Sickhack, right?!"

Xiangzi looked in the direction of the sound and saw the same pink-haired girl who had been eavesdropping on their conversation outside the dean's office.

Make way for me: 077 There are conditions to keeping this a secret!

I got Hiroi-san's autograph, lucky me!

Chihaya Aine held the notebook with a happy expression.

Chihaya Aine is the name of a pink-haired girl who has been a transfer student at Hanekawa Academy for only three days and is working hard to form a band (centered around herself).

Unlike Pochi, who is socially awkward, Chihaya Aine possesses social skills that most Japanese high school students can hardly match. After confirming Hiroi Kikuri's identity, she made Hiroi feel ecstatic with just a few words.

Although she has never heard of a single live Sickhack performance, that doesn't stop her from calling herself a fan of Kikuri Hiroi.

Even online fans are still fans!

Having frequented the music section of Instagram for many years, she knows the names of many popular band members, especially those bands that have recently gained popularity; she can even name them by heart.

After all, when talking about music with others, occasionally interspersing some niche anecdotes about famous bands can make her seem both professional and trendy, which is a necessary condition for becoming a popular person.

Moreover, with this signature, when forming a band in the future, you can use it as evidence to tell your teammates, "Ms. Hiroi told me that she thinks highly of my voice." In this way, you can rightfully take the lead singer position and become the center of the band.

The plan goes through!

"What exactly do you want to do (drop the stockings)?"

Shoko Toyokawa's voice interrupted Aine Chihaya's daydream.

"I just wanted to say hello to Ms. Hiroi..." Chihaya Aine stared at Shoko for a while, somewhat puzzled. "Toyokawa-san, why are you so nervous?"

"It has nothing to do with nervousness, it's just a self-protective instinct. You should try to cultivate this instinct more."

"I don't quite understand what you're saying. This is school, is it really necessary to be so wary of each other?"

Chihaya Aine tapped her chin with her finger, tilting her head back with a thoughtful expression.

"Put that aside for now, Toyokawa-kun, are you really not considering forming a band with me? With a professional musician like Hiroi-san as your older sister, you'd definitely shine if you joined a band."

"I already answered that question yesterday... Besides, Ms. Hiroi is not my family."

"Huh? But I heard you admit it to the dean of academic affairs yourself..."

"Please be careful what you say," Xiangzi interrupted Aiyin. "How can you be sure that I was the one who said those words if you didn't see it with your own eyes?"

"Ah this..."

Aine thought to herself, "This guy is resorting to shameless tactics just to avoid revealing his relationship with Ms. Hiroi..."

But this seems like an opportunity.

"Careful? But I don't seem to be a careful person... What should I do, Toyokawa-kun? I want to become more careful too, can you help me?"

"What are your conditions? Let me make this clear beforehand: if you still want me to join the band, then don't mention it again. But this is the one thing I will never agree to, no matter what."

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko had already considered forming a band, but that would only begin after she met Aoyama Muto and received his approval.

But before that, she still wanted to reconnect with the past.

Say goodbye properly to yourself.

Say goodbye to the self that once hoped to create a place through the band that would accept, need, and bring comfort to oneself and others.

Then I can settle down and be a tool.

If this is the goal of forming a band, then Chihaya Aine definitely does not meet her requirements for choosing teammates. Her skills are average—the marks of years of playing instruments on her hands—and she loves to show off—when Aine invited her in the music room yesterday, she could tell at a glance that Aine wanted to form a band just to show off. Her voice is also very strained—with that kind of vocal quality, she shouldn't even think about being the lead singer; she has no future. So, whether now or in the future, she is destined not to become Chihaya Aine's bandmate.

"Hmm... let me think... Ah, I've got it!"

Chihaya Aine didn't intend to convince Shoko in one go. She had her own plan. The first step was to get Shoko to play with her. After that, she would invite more talented and popular girls to join her group. Over time, Shoko would find that she would have nowhere to go without this group. At that time, she wouldn't even need to invite her. Shoko would automatically become her accompaniment person.