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

"Calm down. You don't want Hongxia to not see her sister for the next few years, do you?"

"Using Hongxia to threaten me, huh? I don't know if you've ever heard the saying, 'The wind can enter, the rain can enter, but the king cannot enter.' Be careful, or I might put you on the 'Starry Night' performance hall's unwelcome list."

"Watch out, or I might revoke your business license."

"cut."

Faced with overwhelming power, Ijichi Seika, an ordinary citizen of Tokyo, ultimately succumbed and turned to check on Pochi and the others' guitar lessons in the practice room.

"Oh!" Ichiji Nijika looked at her sister's back with a surprised expression. "I don't know why, but my sister seems to have gotten softer!"

When she looked at Aoyama again, her eyes held a newfound kindness... the look of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.

"Finally, I've found someone I can entrust my sister to! Mr. Hack, would you like to come to my house tonight? I can cook red bean rice for you two~ Ah! I can't wait to see my sister become a gentle wife! Just thinking about it makes my hands feel so strong, I could play drums all night long!"

“…Nijika, this is progressing way too fast,” Aoyama waved his hand quickly in response to Nijika’s enthusiasm. “Let me and Hoshika spend more time developing our relationship.”

"Then you'd better hurry up, I want to become an aunt within three years!"

"No problem, no problem, three years is a long time. Oh, by the way, Hongxia, if you feel you have plenty of energy tonight, I'll teach you a drum tune. Generally speaking, this tune can only be played by adults with a long-term exercise habit, but you might be able to tonight."

Faced with his sister-in-law's (hypothetical) pressure to get married, Aoyama was also a little overwhelmed and could only cleverly divert Nijika's attention with topics related to rock music.

Shoko Toyokawa, who witnessed the entire event, was stunned.

Do all the bigwigs of the Shigure Party these days have this kind of taste? What did he just say, "macho voice"? Should I practice that in private too?

The phone rang again after being ignored for a while, but this time the other person's voice was tinged with anxiety, so it wasn't as strained as before.

"Xiao Xiang, are there many people with you? I even heard a man's voice... Xiao Xiang, you didn't go to a marriage agency, did you? And with Chihaya-san no less! No, that kind of place is too dangerous. Xiao Xiang, get out of there quickly. Although we're of legal marriage age, it's too early to be thinking about this! Besides, no matter what, I should be the one accompanying Xiao Xiang to that kind of place for the first time, not that outsider..."

Because Hongxia had turned on the speakerphone on Aiyin's phone, everyone present heard the above content.

Cat ears instantly sprouted on Liang and Hongxia's heads, and they had an expression that said, "I think I've stumbled upon some juicy gossip today."

Aoyama's hand holding the glass trembled slightly.

I'm a little worried about Tokyo's birth rate in a few years.

Toyokawa Shoko's face also turned red. She was a little worried that her words would cause Aoyama Muto to misunderstand and affect her impression of him. After all, she had heard that this governor was not very supportive of same-sex marriage.

This is actually a misunderstanding. The main reason is that Aoyama has never been married or even had a stable romantic relationship, which has been controversial among conservative voters. In order to avoid losing these votes, he is more cautious when facing this topic in public and generally leans towards opposition.

After all, it would be troublesome if they were mistaken for members of the Nantong group.

Japanese politics, including neighboring South Korean politics, is relatively conservative on this issue; even the left wing doesn't tend to promote it.

The first country in East Asia to legalize same-sex marriage was actually a large country further west, since that island is part of their territory.

cough cough.

In short, to avoid any misunderstanding, Toyokawa Shoko quickly put on a stern face and spoke into the phone in a self-consciously cold voice.

“Nagasaki Motoyo, please have some self-respect.”

"I said it out loud... One loved but couldn't have the other, and the other coldly rejected me. I never thought I would see this scene in real life."

"What do you think about me saying the same thing to Kita in the same way?"

"I don't care about Kita, but after you said that, I suspect she'll get even more excited."

"Then Nagasaki-san might have the same reaction."

“That makes sense. Let’s continue and see how Nagasaki answers.”

The two cats were whispering to each other, but luckily their voices were low enough that Nagasaki Motoyo on the other end of the phone could hear them.

But how could Toyokawa Shoko, with her extensive customer service experience, not even hear such a subtle whisper? Doesn't she know what professionalism is?

She felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into Nagasaki Motoyo's trap.

Then even more explosive words came from the phone.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Xiang, did what I said just now embarrass you? But my intentions were sincere. If you need any help, please let me know, I'll do anything!"

Shut up.

One person has been blacklisted for a private seat!

……

This is a well-known fact, right?

The legal marriage age for women in Japan is 16, which means that anyone except cats can get married.

Igomachi Music Awards: 006 She's clearly here for you.

Just as Toyokawa Shoko was about to call Nagasaki Motoyo off the hook, she realized before she could make the move that it was Chihaya Aine's phone and that the caller was actually Takamatsu Akari.

She could only sigh, then turn off the speakerphone and hold the phone to her ear.

"Could you please return the phone to Deng? I have some questions about composing that I need to discuss with him."

"Ah, I'm so sorry, I was too hasty. It's understandable that Xiao Xiang is angry..."

"Hurry up. (No mercy)"

"Okay, Xiaodeng, here's the phone."

"Xiao Xiang?"

The sound of Gao Songdeng returned, which reassured Xiangzi considerably.

Although Xiaodeng gives the impression of being difficult to communicate with, she is still much easier to deal with than Su Shi, who is prone to emotional outbursts in front of her.

I really hope she can get over crychic soon, after all, there's a path she has to walk next.

She really wasn't suited to be a companion on the road.

In the world of those who are merely tools, there's no need for such a heavy sense of belonging.

"Lamp, what are your thoughts on the new piece?"

"Is there... something wrong with the lyrics I wrote?"

“The lyrics of ‘The Lamp’ have never disappointed me, but I want to know the feelings you had when you wrote these lyrics. Only then can I create the tune you want to sing.”

"My feelings... I feel very happy to be able to form a band with everyone, it's like going back to the days of Crychic..."

The mystery is solved! The reason why I always veered towards "Spring Shadow" when composing music is found: the lyricist wrote the lyrics based on the feelings he had when writing "Spring Shadow"!

"Light, can you forget about 'crychic'? Write down your current mood, your current feelings, and the voice you want to sing in the lyrics."

"...My feelings? My feelings after forgetting Crychic? Xiao Xiang...I...I don't quite understand..."

"Think about how you felt when you watched the Sickhack predecessors perform. That freedom from being bound by everything is what you should be pursuing now... Besides, didn't you already understand the value of this pursuit back then?"

"Xiao Xiang, of course I also want to pursue freedom... But if you, Su Shi, Li Xi, and Xiao Mu cannot be free, then how can I sing about our freedom?"

Takamatsu's voice carried a hint of a sob.

"What should I sing..."

A clattering sound came from the other end of the phone; someone had taken Takamatsu Akari's phone.

"Xiangzi, what did you say? You've made the lamp cry."

"Lixi."

Xiangzi didn't know what to say.

"I'll hang up the lamp here. We can talk about it when we meet."

The call was disconnected. Xiangzi looked at the words "Call Ended" displayed on his phone screen and sighed softly.

Because she had turned off speakerphone, the onlookers had no idea what had happened during the call.

Hongxia awkwardly approached and asked somewhat shyly.

"Xiao Xiang, how's the communication with Nagasaki Motoyo... and the lyricist in the band going?"

"Yes, thank you, Ijichi-senpai."

Xiao Xiang smiled and thanked Hong Xia.

"Huh? I didn't do anything, did I? There's no need to thank me."

"No, thanks to this phone call, I've figured some things out..."

"Have you thought it through and accepted Nagasaki Motoyo's confession?"

Liang also leaned over and suddenly said something like that.

"What?!" Toyokawa Shoko's cheeks flushed slightly, and there was a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "Yamada-senpai, please don't make such silly jokes. My relationship with that person is not that close."

"Sigh..." The cat ears that had materialized on Liang's head collapsed. "It seems that poor Nagasaki-san has no chance now. She'll probably be crying under the covers tonight."

“Let’s talk to Aine about this and ask her to comfort Nagasaki-san more often… She seems to be quite good at this kind of thing.”

The two onlookers left, muttering to themselves.

Toyokawa Shoko put down her pen and returned the laptop to Ms. PA.

He seemed to have no intention of continuing to compose.

After doing all this, Toyokawa Shoko stood in front of Aoyama Mukei and bowed deeply to him with ladylike manners.

"Um, Mr. Huck... can I ask you for a favor?"

……

Ten minutes later, Toyokawa Shoko walked to the entrance of the Starry Night Performance Hall carrying her bag.

At this point, she already had a photo saved on her phone of herself and "Mr. Hack".

In the photo, she is all smiles, with one hand on Hack's arm, and the two seem to be quite intimate... Even though Toyokawa Shoko presents a dignified young lady demeanor, the rock-and-roll style decor of the background stars, as well as the two-year age difference, still give this photo an indescribable... sense of immorality.

Why did Xiangzi take such a photo?

Because she had just figured something out.

Deng isn't a professional lyricist, so she only writes her own feelings into lyrics.

Xiangzi herself is not a professional composer, so she can only create high-quality music by reproducing the lyricist's thoughts.

But her goal in leading this band was not, like with Crychic, to have Lights express the feelings of the entire band, but to enable the new band to deliver high-quality performances and gain popularity.

So she decided not to use the lyrics for "The Lamp" or compose the music herself, but instead to seek outside help.

Besides Takamatsu Akari, who is Toyokawa Shoko's favorite lyricist and composer?

Only Kurata Mashiro and Yashio Rui from the Butterfly Group.

Xiangzi is a big fan of the Butterfly Group, but the four senior members of the group don't know her. When she asks the two seniors to help her write lyrics and compose music, she is ruthlessly rejected by the president of the Eight Tide Group.

However, Toyokawa Shoko knew that Yashio Rui should know the true identity of "Mr. Hack". Therefore, by using this photo and giving Yashio Rui some hints about the true identity of "Hack", she should be able to get Yashio Rui's help.

With the help of Yashio, Kurata Mashiro's help came naturally.

Toyokawa Shoko squeezed her phone and decided to stake out the entrance of Tsukimori Girls' School tomorrow.

I hope I don't run into Su Shi...

……

In the Starlight Performance Hall, Qingshan tilted his mask slightly and sipped the Pu'er tea that Ms. PA had brewed for him.

The tea was a premium product he had entrusted to Fanxing; it was a gift from a chamber of commerce in a sister city of Tokyo.

Ideally, spring water should be used for brewing, but we don't have that option here, so we can only use bottled purified water.

However, the taste wasn't that different, and Aoyama found it quite pleasant to drink.

After finishing his tea, he put the mask back in its proper place and saw Ichiji Hoshika sneering at him.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You had a great time taking photos with high school girls, didn't you?"

"...Oh, this matter? Anyway, it's not a big deal for me to take a picture with Toyokawa while wearing a mask. Besides, she obviously needs something from me, so she wouldn't dare to spread that picture around."

"In my opinion, she doesn't need your help; she's clearly here for you."

"What kind of talk is this, coming from a first wife...?"

"Hey! I was trying to give you some good advice, and you're just making fun of me like this?!"