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

Hongxia's cheeks and ears turned red instantly.

"Sister, please don't tease me!"

"I didn't... and look, he didn't deny it, did he?"

Seeing that her older sister didn't seem to be lying, Hongxia cast an inquiring look at Qingshan.

"Well, I was your sister's friend in high school, so it's not strange that I hugged you when you were little, right? By the way, you heard Hiroi call me 'Yoshima-nii' just now, didn't you? Do you remember that nickname?"

Hongxia pondered for a while, then hesitated and shook her head.

"That's normal."

Qingshan shrugged.

Although I had visited the Ijichi family a few times back then, it was only a few times, which was not enough to leave a deep impression on a four or five-year-old child.

Her parents, however, had a pretty good impression of her.

The slightly special events were the times when I helped Xingge take care of Hongxia. To make Hongxia happy, I performed a few cheerful folk drum tunes for her, and judging from Hongxia's reaction, she liked them quite a bit.

"But it's okay, it's the same now that we know each other. You can call me Yoshima-nii just like I... Hoshika and Hiroi do."

Yamada Ryo then crept over furtively, "Yoshizaki-nii, can I call you that?"

"Ahem, you three are Hongxia's friends, so it's fine to call you that..."

A few minutes later, the high school girls all went downstairs to wait in the car, but Ijichi Seika had to stay behind to deal with Hiroi, the drunkard.

"Either let her stay here overnight, or call her friend... Iwashita Shima to come pick her up. That girl is quite good at doing these kinds of things. It's really tough on her."

As Xingge spoke, she sent a number to Liang Gongbaibei. She knew that it was inconvenient for Qingshan Xiang to add such an unknown contact to his phone.

"It's already this late."

Let's not bother others... Anyway, Abai and I are leaving in a little while. If we lock the door to the rest area, we won't have to worry about security.

"Then I'll be going now, Yoshishin-nii. Don't do anything strange to Kikuri."

"How can it be."

"That's true. If that kind of thing really happened, no matter how you look at it, that guy would have the better deal."

Xingge waved, but stopped when she reached the door.

"Brother Yizhen, the performance just now was truly wonderful."

"Did you see it too?"

Aoyama glanced at Hoshigo with some surprise.

He thought Xingge had just arrived, but it seems she arrived much earlier than expected.

Strangely, Suzumiya Hyakubi didn't even notice when she returned. I really hope this guy isn't so oblivious.

"I just thought my skills might be helpful to Hongxia, so I demonstrated them. I didn't mean anything else."

"Was it just a demonstration?" Xingge's face revealed a subtle smile. "Then why did you deliberately change the tune halfway through, guiding Kikuri to play that famous Guns N' Roses song with you on bass? You could have just kept showing off your skills with difficult solo pieces."

"...I'm tired from playing those difficult pieces, can't I take a break for a bit?"

Aoyama explained.

“Band performances have something that solo performances can’t replace. They can blend the characteristics of different members together to create a complex flavor. At the same time, the effect of a band performance on creating a live atmosphere is also unmatched by a solo performance. You clearly enjoy this blending process and the free and resonant band rock atmosphere. This was true twelve years ago, and it is true now.”

Ijichi Hoshika blinked, her gaze shifting to meet Aoyama Mukai's eyes, a sorrowful calm in them.

"But the difference is that now you use emotionally weak words like 'demonstration' to mask your true thoughts. If you treat music with this attitude, then no matter how far you go on the path of technique..."

"It's all so boring."

"Let's go."

……

Qingshan leaned against the wall next to the window, and through the open window, he could hear the sound of car engines gradually fading away.

He doesn't smoke or drink, otherwise he would definitely be lighting a cigarette or holding a glass of wine right now.

"Ah Bai, what do you think of what Xing Ge said?"

He didn't even refer to Hoshika as "Ijichi" anymore, perhaps because his state of mind had changed after the performance.

“I think… Young Master, you should play in a band, just like you did back then.”

"Really? But I'm already a big shot in this country. Playing rock music, especially indie rock which is considered a niche genre by the mainstream society, does that really suit my status?"

Do what is appropriate for your status.

This statement is practically common knowledge in Japanese political circles.

Aoyama's thinking was also influenced by this statement.

"So what? Dad is still the head and executive director of 'Dongshan Holdings'. If he encounters injustice on the street, doesn't he still rush in and fight like a thug?"

"Just do what you want to do! What rules, what common sense? Young Master, you've gotten to where you are today by constantly breaking rules and overturning common sense."

"If you find it inconvenient, just make all those annoying things give way to you, wouldn't that solve the problem?!"

Make way for me: 014 Still the same as always.

"...Hahaha, Ah Bai, you're such a reckless guy."

Aoyama looked at Suzumiya Hyakubi and burst into laughter.

"The same thing happened twelve years ago. Even though the other gangsters had already pulled out guns and pointed them at us, you still rushed in on impulse and almost got your head blown off."

“Young Master, aren’t you the same?! I rushed up to grab the gun from that guy’s hand, and instead of running away, you turned around and knocked out more than a dozen of his accomplices, even though the guy’s gun had already misfired several times.”

Suzumiya Hyakubi also laughed along with Aoyama.

"No matter how dangerous it is, I can't just leave you there alone, can I? Otherwise, you'd get beaten to death by those yakuza."

"Young Master, you're overthinking it. I'm tough and thick-skinned. Those guys who aren't even a third the weight of Old Man Craftsman can only give me minor injuries at most. I'll recover after a couple of days in the hospital."

"What an arrogant fellow! A kid who won't be an adult for another six months or so, do you think you're the hero from Dragon Quest who can take on a hundred enemies single-handedly?"

"Young Master, you're just an ordinary citizen. If you encounter a gang fight, you should run to a safe place and call the police. Do you think you're some kind of superhero who punishes evil?"

The two laughed and criticized each other for their youthful irrationality, but gradually their words and laughter faded, and silence descended upon the room.

Finally, it was Aoyama who broke the silence.

His gaze swept over the 100-inch LCD TV placed against the wall; the unlit screen perfectly reflected his entire face.

He straightened his somewhat messy hair, revealing the aura of an elite individual.

“But I’m different from you, A-Bai. Compared to twelve years ago, I’ve completely changed.”

His voice sounded somewhat flat.

"Is that so? Then, young master, may I ask you a question?"

"what?"

"If one day I were held at gunpoint again, would you leave and call the police, or stay and beat them up?"

"Of course I'll call the police first..."

After saying this, Aoyama paused for a moment, and then he saw Suzumiya Hyakubi's exaggerated smile and a mouthful of white teeth.

He spat, then stepped forward and punched Liang Gong in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Then let's go beat them up!"

"Haha, young master, in my opinion, you haven't changed at all!"

Suzumiya lay on the ground, her hearty laughter even startling the stray cats outside the window.

"You're such a scoundrel!"

……

"Pah, pah, pah!"

Hiroi Kikuri, who should have been sleeping like a log, woke up at some point and even sat up, watching Aoyama Mukai and Suzumiya Hyakubi clapping.

"Waaaaah, what a touching brotherly bond! Should I write a song about this wonderful conversation...?"

Aoyama also blushed.

He hadn't felt anything when he was talking about it, but now that Hiroi Kikuri had "reminded" him, he suddenly felt a little ashamed.

"Are you sober now? If you can walk around on your own, go and rest in the next room. There are beds prepared for those who stay overnight."

It was actually a bed prepared for Aoyama. Sometimes he would handle some personal matters at the Hundredfold Repayment Company, and if it got too late, he would just stay here to rest.

"What do you mean by sobering up? I'm not drunk at all... Don't believe me? Look how strong and powerful my steps are..."

"boom."

Hiroi Kikuri staggered to her feet from the sofa, but after only two steps, she fell hard to the ground. Luckily, there was a carpet on the floor, otherwise the impact would have given her a big bump on the forehead.

She remained motionless for a long time afterward. Aoyama flipped her over like he was turning a fish over while frying it, and found that the girl who had just said she was "not drunk at all" had fallen asleep again, and this time she was sleeping even more soundly. She was completely unaware of being moved around so much.

Aoyama tossed her back onto the sofa, covered her with a blanket, and then planned to lock the door and leave with Suzumiya Hyakubi.

But when he threw the mask he had taken off onto the coffee table, he saw the file folder he had left there, which suddenly reminded him that he had come to see Suzumiya Hyakubi that night to discuss something important with him.

Fearing that they might encounter Hiroi Kikuri resurrected while discussing serious matters, the two moved their conversation to the corridor.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask, where did you go for so long tonight?"

Green hills lead to the cool palace.

"It's like this, young master. Detective Yagami's investigation has made some progress, but it has also attracted the attention of the other party. Three hours ago, he called me for help, so I went to Shinagawa Ward to help deal with it."

"So what did Detective Yagami find out?"

"it is this."

Suzumiya Hyakubi took out several photos from her shirt pocket and handed them to Aoyama Mukai.

"The problem lies with the Ijin-shu in Yokohama. The young leader of the Hoshiryū-kai, one of the Ijin-shu, has colluded with the Shijō family. The drones that were tracking you were also launched by this young leader."

(The young leader (or "wakagashira") in a Japanese yakuza organization is equivalent to a prince.

"The Shijo family, huh? I knew it..."

Aoyama nodded slightly, took out several documents of the councilors from the file bag he had brought, and placed them on the windowsill in front of Suzumiya Hyakubi.

“There are also voices in the parliament that are at odds with the plan I proposed a few days ago, and the members of parliament who are making these voices all have the name ‘Shinomiya’.”

"Shijo and Shinomiya... is there some kind of relationship between them?"

"...Now that you're the president of a medium-sized corporation, you should be well-versed in basic interpersonal relationships in the political and business worlds. I'll talk to Ms. Shiraishi about this, and she'll find a way to give you some extra lessons."

Ms. Shiraishi is Suzumiya Hyakubi's secretary. She graduated from Meiji University, which, while not as prestigious as the University of Tokyo, Keio University, or Waseda University, is still a close second.

She would be more than qualified to serve as the president's secretary at the company that pays back a hundredfold.

Most importantly, she is trustworthy, and... she has a good relationship with Suzumiya Hyakubi.

"...Sigh, I really don't want to bother her."

Suzumiya Hyakubi touched his neck sheepishly, but he didn't object to Aoyama's arrangement.

“Alright, let me explain this to you this time,” Aoyama frowned and said in as calm a voice as possible, “The Shijo family is a branch of the Shinomiya family, but the Shinomiya Zaibatsu usually does not directly intervene in politics. The Shijo family is the Shinomiya Zaibatsu’s stand-in in politics.”

“...Oh oh oh oh oh, Siguo-Siguo-Siguo.”

"...Judging from your reaction, you don't even know about the Shinomiya Zaibatsu, do you? You good-for-nothing president."

The way Aoyama looked at Suzumiya Hyakubi at that moment was similar to the way Ichiji Seika looked at Hiroi Kikuri.

Thanks to @CurrentlyLaunchingArcStar for the blade~

In the second chapter, the male protagonist was given the setting of being a time traveler.

Make way for me: 015 Shinomiya Zaibatsu

The Shinomiya Zaibatsu is one of the four major conglomerates in Japan, with total assets exceeding 200 trillion yen and thousands of subsidiaries. It is no exaggeration to say that it "controls the lifeline of Japan's national economy."