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

"Don't worry, Utsunomiya. This isn't my first time in this industry. I know how to behave properly."

Aoyama shrugged, indicating that Utsunomiya Takuya could rest assured.

"Yes, Governor, I hope you can truly understand the seriousness of this matter."

Utsunomiya instinctively wanted to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, but he had to give up because he was still holding the documents in his hand.

"Therefore, I don't plan to touch the salaries and benefits of civil servants, but we can reduce investment in education and culture a little."

"That's what Aoyama said."

"Uh, what aspects are you referring to?"

Utsunomiya's nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again.

“My cultural, arts and science advisor submitted a report to me showing that more than 2000 symphony concerts and more than 600 large-scale art exhibitions are held in the Tokyo metropolitan area every year, and that about 60% of these performances and exhibitions require funding and subsidies from the metropolitan government.”

A plan to instill a sense of crisis among Tokyo Metropolitan Government staff quickly took shape in Aoyama's mind, and he began to articulate his ideas methodically.

"So my initial plan is to reduce the number of these performances and art exhibitions, and rent out the vacant state-owned venues to organizers of events such as rock music performances, pop star concerts, exhibitions and autograph sessions of works by well-known cartoonists. This will reduce expenditures on cultural and educational subsidies, and the venue rental will bring in a considerable amount of revenue."

"Furthermore, rock music, concerts, exhibitions and autograph sessions of manga artists are all cultural and educational activities. We don't need to worry about being accused of 'reducing cultural and educational activities and causing Tokyo residents to suffer from a lack of cultural entertainment.' In the future, when submitting the annual work report to the Metropolitan Assembly, we will not face too much pressure from questioning in this area."

At first listen, this

The plan seems to have little to do with public officials.

But what is the actual situation?

How many ordinary people enjoy listening to symphonies or viewing oil painting/watercolor exhibitions? These are hobbies of the elite.

In particular, middle and upper-level public officials working in Tokyo are keen to separate their personal entertainment from that of ordinary people. On the other hand, they can more easily obtain discount coupons and free tickets for such performances and exhibitions through various channels. These discount coupons and free tickets are not only used by themselves, but are also given away as favors and gifts.

This doesn't even qualify as a violation or unspoken rule; it's a legitimate employee benefit.

In other words, Aoyama's proposed series of measures, ostensibly aimed at reducing education and cultural funding unrelated to Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials, are actually a roundabout way of reducing their welfare.

Unfortunately, Takuya Utsunomiya could no longer oppose Aoyama's idea by arguing that "reducing benefits would lead to a decrease in the work enthusiasm of Tokyo Metropolitan Government employees."

...It seems we can only go along with the governor's wishes for now, at least until he feels there is resistance to implementing this measure, before trying to persuade him to give up.

However, it shouldn't be a big problem, since the vast majority of people in the public institutions under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government still enjoy symphonic music and fine art.

Oh, no... the vast majority of people should be those who enjoy symphony performances and exhibitions of fine art.

Although he thought this way, Utsunomiya outwardly maintained a "do-as-you-go" attitude.

"Understood. I will draft the documents as soon as possible and communicate the relevant details with the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Life and Culture."

……

Back in his office at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Aoyama finally had a chance to be alone, so he made a phone call to Suzumiya Takumi.

"Ah Bai, could you please go find Detective Yagami in Kamurocho? I need his help investigating something."

He wanted to hire a private investigator named Takayuki Yagami to investigate the drones, at least to determine which organization the drone operators belonged to. Only by identifying the enemy could he take countermeasures.

Yokohama is not under the jurisdiction of Tokyo Metropolitan Government, so it would be inconvenient for Aoyama to conduct an investigation through official channels, and it would also give others something to talk about. Moreover, although Yagami Takayuki is not well-known, his ability as a detective is outstanding. Most importantly, Yagami Takayuki is, in a sense, a special talent directly under Aoyama Yuki, and is more trustworthy than the public officials in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government who belong to complicated factions.

In the following days, Aoyama's daily work schedule remained very tight. It wasn't until Monday night of the second week that he had time to go to the Hyakubekatsu company and meet with Suzumiya Hyakubi.

However, today, there were a few more lovely guests in the company's rest area.

When Aoyama heard the chattering of the girls, he had already pushed open the door to the rest area and even stepped one foot into the room. It was too late to turn back, so in a moment of quick thinking, he had no choice but to use the file folder in his hand to cover his face and hide his identity.

Although young girls are generally not very interested in politics, Aoyama Muto himself has an extremely high level of public exposure. For example, last Friday he visited the largest voice actor school in Japan and was featured on the morning news of six major television stations.

Even if they themselves don't pay attention to themselves, their fathers might recognize them by glancing at them while watching the morning news.

At the moment, Aoyama Xiang does not really want to reveal his identity to unfamiliar people.

"Senior Hongxia, it seems someone is here. Is it the drum god that Sister Xingge mentioned?"

"I don't know... I can't see his face. My sister said that he held me when I was little, so I'll definitely recognize him if I see him."

“Then I’ll go see what he looks like and then come back and describe him to you.”

"Don't do that, Liang. He's dressed in a suit and tie, he might be a very serious person. If you offend him, he might kick us out right away."

"Makes sense."

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Little Lonely since when Brother Suzumiya brought over the drinks."

"Let me look... behind the speakers, behind the sofa, and under the coffee table, but not there. Ah, I found it! Little Lonely is hiding behind the door. Wait, speaking of which, from that spot, it seems like I can see the profile of the file folder uncle."

Upon hearing the unusually lively and cheerful girl's voice, Aoyama realized that behind the door to his right, a girl in a pink tracksuit was huddled up.

However, this girl seems to be acting a little strange.

His face was pale, his eyes rolled back, and his limbs were trembling uncontrollably, giving the impression that he was about to faint.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, what if the girl I'm sharing a room with suddenly dies? Even if I haven't done anything wrong, my hard-earned political career will come to an end!

Make way for me: 010 A resilient little loneliest person

"Suzumiya Hyakubi, call an ambulance immediately, or someone here might die."

After saying this, Aoyama approached the pink-haired girl in sportswear, wanting to check her pulse, heartbeat, and body temperature to see if he could take some first aid measures.

As for the possibility of his political reputation being tarnished by girls seeing his face during the emergency... when lives are at stake, who cares about that!

There was still no sound from Suzumiya Hyakubi, but that lively and cheerful voice from before appeared again.

"Um, excuse me, Uncle, it's really not necessary to go to such lengths. Don't let Little Lonely's appearance fool you, she has a very strong will to live."

Uh... the phrase "resilient to life" sounds like it's used to describe a plant, insect, or mollusk, so it's a bit odd to apply it to a high school girl.

Moreover, judging from the girl's current appearance, she was even weaker than Lin Daiyu on her sickbed, and she didn't seem like someone who could be associated with the words "tenacious vitality".

"In fact, if you had called for an ambulance, Little Lonely's condition might have worsened due to the increased social anxiety."

“...Indeed, I heard that now they are charging a large ‘selected convalescence fee’ to patients who are dispatched by ambulance but do not stay in the hospital. So instead of letting Little Lonely give the money to the hospital, he might as well give it to me directly.”

The girls' voices rang out one after another, and the girl in the sportswear seemed to be awakened by their words, slowly getting up from her curled-up position.

It's simply a medical miracle!

"Go for it, Lonely One! Senior Liang just secretly told me that if you can get back to us within five seconds, she will return the money she borrowed from you last week."

"Wait a minute, Kita, your lie is way too unrealistic. I've known Ryo for so many years and I've never seen her pay back money so quickly. You'd only be somewhat believable if you said she would pay back the money she borrowed last month!"

"Then last month..."

"Wait a minute, why are you devils making up debts out of thin air for me? I didn't borrow any money from Little Lonely last month."

"No... Senior Liang... you borrowed it last month too."

The last sentence was spoken by the pink-haired girl, but because she spoke so softly, no one except Aoyama Muko heard it.

Incidentally, along with the girls

As the conversation continued, the girl in the sportswear looked pale again, and she seemed to shrink in size.

To put it bluntly, it's a bit like a slug that's been sprinkled with salt.

However, judging from her behavior just now, she should be in no danger at the moment, just as her friends said.

Wait a minute, why have I only heard the girls' voices for so long? Why hasn't Suzumiya Hyakubi said anything?

Aoyama adjusted the position of the file folder and glanced into the lounge.

Oh, there's a girl who looks a lot like Ijichi Seika, with her distinctive blonde hair and red eyes. It must be Ijichi Nijika. I can still vaguely see what she looked like when she was little. It really brings back memories.

There was also a blue-haired girl with a cool demeanor and a bright, energetic girl, who were probably Hongxia's friends.

The three of them had the demeanor of normal high school girls, completely different from the "slug" next to him.

However, Suzumiya Hyakubi was not in this room.

Aoyama frowned.

Where did this guy go? He left four high school girls here and went to do his own thing? When did he become this kind of person?

Could it be that he's not good at dealing with young girls?

Aoki was considering whether to go to the corridor to call Suzumiya Hyakubi when he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind and then putting something cold and cool on his face.

When Qingshan touched it, he found it was a half-face mask.

"Senior Yizhen, why don't you go in and talk to them? Hongxia and her friends came here today specifically for you. If you act too coldly, these lovely girls will be disappointed."

It was Kikuri Hiroi's voice.

And then there's her ever-present smell of alcohol.

Why is this drunkard here again?

And... what's with this half-face mask? Wearing a half-face mask while playing with cute girls, huh? That's torture, really torture!

However, with this thing, I no longer need to cover my face with the file folder.

Aoyama turned around with a headache and met the gaze of Hiroi Kikuri, who was nearly 30 centimeters shorter than him.

"Good evening. What's up today? If it's the same topic as last time, my answer will remain the same."

"We're not here to invite you to a public performance today. You just need to show off your drumming skills a little in front of Hongxia and the others."

Kikuri Hiroi emphasized the word "slightly," as if to express how "insignificant" her request was.

"I'm sorry, I'm very busy with official duties. You'd better find someone else."

Aoyama flatly refused.

"Just for a little while, please, senior Yizhen. In return, I'll help you get votes! For example, if they vote for you, they can attend the live performance of Sick Hack for free. If I can get even more votes, I can spray alcohol in their faces!"

Hiroi clasped his hands together and bowed to him like a puppy begging for food.

"This kind of campaigning isn't necessary. Besides... you were drinking while you were performing on stage?"

And what's with "spraying alcohol in their faces"? Is that even considered a reward?

"Performing on stage doesn't really matter. Just like a car needs gas to start, alcohol is the fuel that keeps me going!"

"..."

Okay, when you develop cirrhosis in the future, you can come and ask me to help you contact the best surgeon in all of Japan to remove your liver, which is as hard as a rock in a stinky ditch.

"Kikuri-nee, is this uncle your friend?"

Hongxia ran over with small, quick steps, first helping the weak girl in sportswear to her feet, and then looking at Qingshan Xiang with curiosity.

"He's more than just a friend; when I first got into rock music, he was my idol!"

Hiroi Kikuri hooked her arm around Aoyama Mukai's shoulder. Due to the significant height difference, she almost had to hang herself on Aoyama Mukai to maintain the position.

"I would call myself the King of Drumming in Shimokitazawa!"

"Oh oh oh!"

Hongxia's crimson eyes, which were similar in color to Xingge's, suddenly lit up. She stared at Qingshan Xiang with great enthusiasm, like a treasure hunter looking at a mine full of gold.

Make way for me: 011 Memories Reappear

Aoyama was somewhat dazed.

He hadn't seen Ijichi Hoshika for twelve years, and in his mind, she was still the girl whose eyes shone when she looked at him.

At this moment, Hongxia was exactly the same as Xingge in his memory.

Would you like to hear me play?

As if possessed, Aoyama uttered these words, words he thought he would never say again in his life.

"Huh? Can I? Is it the same dazzling performance as the audio my sister played for me last Wednesday?"

Not only Nijika, but her three friends also became interested in what Aoyama had to say.

"Are you the performer in that audio recording? That's incredible! Are you perhaps the ace drummer of some popular band? No wonder you're wearing a mask to hide your identity. Um, I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Kita Ikuyo, currently the guitarist and lead vocalist for the band 'Bond'."

"No, it could also be an expert who focuses on studying percussion techniques, and because he doesn't want his life to be disturbed, he always appears in public wearing a mask, abandoning the temptations of worldly fame and fortune, leaving only music as his whole life... Pfft, spare me, does such a person really exist in the world? Just kidding, I'm Ryo Yamada, the bassist of the band 'Bond'."

"I think he might just be socially awkward like me... Gomenase gomenase! You must be holding a grudge against me for saying weird things! I'm just a useless guitarist, my knowledge of drums is worse than that of a stray dog ​​on the street, and I dare to talk so arrogantly, it's really pathetic... Eh? Name? Um, I'm Goto Doku, shin masai!"

The girls' successive speeches left Aoyama a little embarrassed.