They are really too low!

“Mana also wants to practice more, but her schedule is packed every day, and she can’t squeeze out much time.” Junta Mana said with some distress, “I have to go to the dance studio to prepare for dance rehearsal later, and I have programs to record tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”

Shoko Toyokawa had heard about the hardships idols endure, but she was surprised to find that it was no exaggeration at all.

"But Mana will do her best!" Junta Mana immediately recovered, raising her little fist to cheer herself up, her radiant smile somewhat infectious to Toyokawa Shoko.

Before Toyokawa Shoko could say anything, her cell phone suddenly rang.

Upon seeing the familiar number, Toyokawa Shoko froze, while Junda Mana looked over curiously.

"Excuse me, Ms. Mana, I have something to take care of, so I'll stop here for today."

Shoko Toyokawa forced a smile, holding her phone. She knew her reaction was strange, but she couldn't care less about that now.

Junda Mana was somewhat surprised, but she didn't say anything, only wearing a sweet smile.

"Well, see you next time!"

……

Toyokawa Shoko arrived at the familiar police station and soon saw the middle-aged man who reeked of alcohol.

"I clearly told you that today is my first time working at someone else's house, so why did you drink so much on the way?"

The man looked at Toyokawa Shoko, seemingly aware that he was ashamed, and turned his head away, unable to meet Toyokawa Shoko's gaze.

"Sorry……"

"What's the use of saying sorry!" Toyokawa Shoko interrupted him loudly. "You're my father! Seeing your daughter trying so hard, can't you pull yourself together?"

The man looked pained: "Go back, don't worry about me anymore..."

“I don’t want to. If Dad doesn’t go back, I won’t go back either.” Toyokawa Shoko bit her lip. “As long as we work together, there will definitely be a way to solve this. I believe in Dad’s abilities.”

"Enough, please stop talking." The man began to plead. "Just go back and let me disappear. Don't worry about me."

"I won't abandon Dad, I'm your daughter!" Toyokawa Shoko tried to reach out and grab the man's hand, forcibly taking him away.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you don't need a father like me anymore!" The man slapped Toyokawa Shoko's hand away, and Toyokawa Shoko looked at the man in disbelief.

The man was taken aback; he realized he had spoken too harshly.

Toyokawa Shoko felt a lump in her throat and her eyes reddened. Before the man could react, she had already run out of the police station.

Chapter Twenty: Will You Come to My House?

The afternoon sun was bright, and the sky was cloudless, a deep blue color.

Shoko Toyokawa sat on a park bench, staring blankly at the sky, not knowing where she was going.

She had just started working hard and found her first part-time job besides delivering newspapers, and she was finally starting to improve her life little by little.

She thought this would change the situation, but her father, on whom she had placed high hopes, remained unmotivated.

It was as if the father she knew, the once gentle, considerate, and optimistic man, had completely disappeared from this world, replaced by a middle-aged man who drowned his sorrows in alcohol and was only immersed in his own world.

No matter what she does, it seems like nothing has changed.

She clearly didn't have high expectations of her father. She never thought he could repay the 168 billion yen debt, nor did she think he had to achieve anything.

As long as her father can live a normal life, going to get off work and leaving work regularly every day, even if he can only find a low-paying and hard job, she will not complain.

Because she will also work hard, she will try her best to get scholarships at school, eat less, not buy unnecessary things, and only do housework at home. She doesn't even need to socialize, and she will also go out to do some part-time work to help her father share the burden of life.

She would cheer her father on as long as he could get back on his feet. That was all she asked for. Why couldn't even that be done?

As she thought about it, Toyokawa Shoko's eyes started to burn again, and tears started to fall uncontrollably once more. However, she refused to admit defeat and stubbornly suppressed her grievances.

She's no longer a child who only knows how to whine and throw tantrums; she won't allow herself to show such weak emotions anymore.

There is no one left in this world she can rely on anymore; she must become stronger.

Shoko Toyokawa recovered and shook off her previous state. She wanted to take out her phone to see if there were any part-time jobs available for her.

Because Junda Mana told her that she could only spend four to five hours a week learning piano with her at most, in other words, she earned about 10 yen a month.

Although the hourly wage was a bit high, the hours were too short, so the money couldn't fully cover her monthly expenses. Therefore, Toyokawa Shoko had to continue looking for work.

Toyokawa Shoko took out her phone and found that Hoshino Mi had replied to her message a long time ago.

"Hoshino Mi: Sorry, my sister was keeping me playing games, so I forgot to reply to you."

Shoko Toyokawa was slightly taken aback, and then intended to ignore his message, but her finger remained on his chat page, not moving for a long time.

Soon, there was more news.

"Hoshino Mi: Hello, is there any concern about not replying after I've read your message?"

Hoshino: Let me think about it.

"Hoshino: Did you get Mana to sign hundreds of albums, and then plan to sell them to those crazy fans with her signatures?"

"Hoshino Mi: Toyokawa-san, please be sure to take me with you."

"Shoko Toyokawa: I didn't do that!"

By the time Toyokawa Shoko came to her senses, she had already angrily sent out the message.

Toyokawa Shoko realized she had been tricked; she had absolutely no intention of facing Hoshino Mi at this time.

"Hoshino Mi: I know, I just want you to reply to me."

Toyokawa Shoko bit her lip lightly, and the emotions she had just managed to suppress surged up all at once. This boy was indeed a bit annoying.

"Toyokawa Shoko: It's not that I don't want to reply, I'm just a bit busy right now."

Hoshino: Are you looking for another job?

"Toyokawa Shoko: Hoshino-senpai guessed right. I really do want to find a job; being a piano tutor alone isn't enough."

Toyokawa Shoko: You're not allowed to help. I don't want to owe someone another favor.

"Hoshino Mi: I haven't said anything yet, but what I want to say is, if you find a job, don't forget that I'm waiting for your sundae."

Toyokawa Shoko: I'm a little surprised. I thought you would refuse.

Hoshino: Why should I refuse? If I was too embarrassed to even eat your sundae, I wouldn't have become friends with you in the first place.

Toyokawa Shoko: So, can I understand that you're urging me to treat everyone soon?

"Hoshino: It's not that I'm urging you, but I'm looking forward to Toyokawa-kun being willing to treat me. That would make me very happy."

Even though he wasn't there, Toyokawa Shoko still felt her face burning. Even though she knew he was doing it on purpose, she felt a sense of relaxation and peace, like chatting casually with a friend, without the oppression she had felt earlier.

For no apparent reason, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly felt a strong urge to confide her troubles to him.

"Toyokawa Shoko: Can I tell you something?"

Hoshino: What?

"Toyokawa Shoko: I have a friend who had a fight with her father today because he keeps drowning his sorrows in alcohol. She got very angry and they had a fight. She ran outside and now she doesn't know what to do, whether to go back, or how to face her father when she gets back."

Hoshino Mi: Where are you?

Toyokawa Shoko was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red.

Toyokawa Shoko: I was talking about my friend, not myself!

Hoshino Mi: I understand. Would you and your friend be willing to meet me now?

Upon seeing this message, Toyokawa Shoko fell silent.

About half an hour later, Hoshino appeared in the park and soon spotted Toyokawa Shoko.

Toyokawa Shoko also saw Hoshino Mi. Sunlight fell on the boy's shoulder, making her hesitate to speak, because she didn't know why she wanted to meet Hoshino Mi.

Is it because she feels lonely that she wants to see what Hoshino Mi looks like?

Toyokawa Shoko bit her lip. Just as she thought Hoshino Mi was going to ask about the reason for the argument, she heard Hoshino Mi ask in an uncertain tone.

"Want to come to my house?"

Toyokawa Shoko's originally tense face gradually showed a look of confusion, as if a question mark had suddenly appeared above her head.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but you don’t want to go back right now, do you?” Hoshino explained. “I have a game console at home. Instead of staying here and spacing out, constantly thinking about those terrible things, why don’t you come back with me and play games?”

"Are you trying to kidnap me?" Toyokawa Shoko was both amused and exasperated. Hoshino Mi had once again redefined her understanding of men.

“I call this visiting a friend’s house.” Hoshino said without batting an eye. “Of course, if you’re wary of me, this guy with ulterior motives, I can stay here with you until dark.”

Toyokawa Shoko looked at Hoshino Mi, and Hoshino Mi was also looking at her.

"Okay, I'll take care of you today, senior." Toyokawa Shoko smiled slightly. She didn't think there was anything scary about the place; it was just a visit to a friend's house.

To be honest, she was quite curious about Hoshino, this shameless guy.

Chapter Twenty-One: Picked Up Outside

"Look, who is this girl?"

Kasugano Sora stared blankly at Hoshino Mi. This guy only went out for a short while, and he managed to bring home a beautiful girl.

Are all the beautiful girls in this world mass-produced?

"The friend I told you about before, her name is Toyokawa Shoko, she's here to hang out today." Hoshino introduced the girl next to him without any sense of propriety.

Because she saw Toyokawa Shoko's contact name on Hoshino Mi's phone today, Kasugano Sora quickly remembered that idiot who got caught in the rain on the street, and glared at Hoshino Mi with even more dissatisfaction.

As she glared at Hoshino Mi with displeasure, Toyokawa Shoko was also curiously observing Kasugano Sora, who was clearly a delicate and cute girl, holding a rabbit doll in her hand.

Is this the younger sister he was talking about?

It's strange, the two don't look very alike.

"Hello, I'm Toyokawa. I apologize for bothering you today." Toyokawa Shoko bowed slightly, and she could tell that Kasugano Sora was somewhat displeased with her.

Kasugano Sora's reaction reassured Toyokawa Shoko considerably.

Because that's what a normal person does. People like Hoshino Mi are quite rare. It's not like children are making friends. How can someone visit someone they've only known for a short time?

"Does she even know what social distancing is?" Toyokawa Shoko thought to herself, completely forgetting that Hoshino Mi was the one who wanted to come along.

Kasugano Sora listened, feeling somewhat unhappy, because Toyokawa Shoko hadn't noticed her dislike and dissatisfaction towards her.

She finally gets to enjoy the beauty of life with the person she likes during spring break. No normal person would bother her at this time, right?

“This is my younger sister, her name is…” Hoshino Mi was only halfway through his introduction when Kasugano Sora suddenly interrupted him.

"Let me tell you in advance, Jian and I are not related by blood at all. More than siblings, we are childhood sweethearts who grew up together!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Toyokawa Shoko looked at the tough-looking girl, then gave Hoshino Mi a very strange look.

“She and I are indeed not biological siblings, we are not related by blood.” Hoshino said with some helplessness, “Her name is Kasugano Sora, and she is temporarily staying with me because her parents are not in Japan.”

Toyokawa Shoko glanced at Kasugano Sora, then at Hoshino Mi, her eyes blinking rapidly. Although she had never experienced love, the girl's reaction was all too obvious.

Does this mean they consider her an enemy?

So this guy not only has a beautiful idol who is suspected to be his girlfriend, but he is also living with a cute girl?

Shoko Toyokawa felt she shouldn't have come along, but she also found it very interesting.

"As expected of Hoshino-senpai." Toyokawa Shoko gave him a meaningful look.

Hoshino suspected that she was secretly criticizing her, but more importantly, Kasugano Sora was clearly angry, and seemed particularly angry.

Hoshino asked Toyokawa Shoko to sit in the living room for a while, then pulled the reluctant Kasugano Sora aside, and the two whispered to each other in a corner.

Toyokawa Shoko looked at this scene and felt strangely familiar, but she still sat obediently on the sofa.

“Something might have happened at her home, and she probably doesn’t want to go home, so I thought I’d bring her here.” Hoshino said in a low voice. When he saw Toyokawa Shoko in the park, it felt as if she was the only person left in the world, all alone.

Although Toyokawa Shoko didn't say anything, Hoshino Mi could still notice that her eyes were a little red and her face was expressionless, yet she gave off an extremely repressed feeling.

She might not think there's anything wrong with her, but Hoshino felt that her current mental state was very strange, even more pitiful than when she saw her getting soaked in the rain on the street before.

Like a child who has accidentally gotten separated from their parents, even though their eyes reveal a sense of confusion, helplessness, and panic, they stubbornly pretend to be nonchalant and refuse to ask anyone for help.

“Brother, there’s a word called ‘meddling in other people’s business,’” Kasugano Sora kindly reminded Hoshino Mi. “Whatever happens in her family should have nothing to do with us.”

"I just met her, I can't just leave her out alone, can I?" Hoshino felt a little guilty.

"She can follow a strange man to his house so easily. She's probably a seemingly naive and innocent woman, but actually a very bad and troublesome one. My brother was fooled by her." Kasugano Sora harbored deep malice towards every girl who approached Hoshino Mi.

"I'm your brother, not a stranger. Am I that dangerous?" Hoshino's face darkened. He wondered if he should spank the girl's bottom.