After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

After saying that, Toyokawa Yuu tilted her head and glanced at the blue-haired girl in the office, seemingly implying something.

“I had already thought it through before you came back, Mr. Yuyu.”

Facing Toyokawa Yuu's almost aggressive gaze, Yutenji Wakame neither flinched nor avoided it, though she was somewhat timid, she always met his gaze.

"In fact, the conditions offered by Mr. Youyu are much better than the worst-case scenario I had imagined."

"After all, my life has failed. I have nothing left except Ave Mujica."

A smile actually appeared on her lips. Yutenji Wakana raised her head slightly, her expression even looking somewhat relaxed, as if she had resigned herself to her fate.

"Don't say things like that. Just because you've experienced one failure doesn't mean you can't start over. Life is so long, you won't be able to keep going..."

The sound suddenly stopped, and Toyokawa Yuu abruptly raised her head, releasing her hand from the paper after a moment.

He himself didn't understand why he suddenly said such a thing.

Chapter 55 Good Cop and Bad Cop

Although he didn't understand why he had said something wrong, it was a good thing that Yutenji Ruike had backed down.

As long as she is tied to Ave Mujica, Toyokawa Yuu doesn't think that vain young lady can rival him in his ability to exploit others without any scruples.

Even though this cat has already been adopted by Toyokawa Shoko.

"Wait, Miss Yutenji, I will make Yuu give in... Once you sign this name, there will be no going back."

Seeing the determined look on Yutenji Wakana's face, Toyokawa Shoko wanted to dissuade her again, but she gently shook her head to stop her.

Upon closer examination, and realizing that she seemed to have reached a dead end, Yutenji Wakame's mind felt clearer than ever before.

She was indeed frightened by the argument between Toyokawa Yuu and Toyokawa Shoko, but despite her fear, there were still some things she had to do.

Perhaps Toyokawa Shoko could really help him force Toyokawa Yuu to give in, but it seems there's no need for that anymore.

In any case, it seems that he can only place his hopes on the "protection" that Toyokawa Yuu mentioned, and the "burden of life" that Toyokawa Shoko spoke of.

She realized she might as well have been more obedient. After being blacklisted, she finally understood what insatiable greed meant.

“So, Mr. Yuu, from now on I will belong to Ave Mujica completely. You will protect me as before, right?”

After lightly signing her name, Yutenji Wakana took a few deep breaths, a sense of relief appearing on her face, though a hint of hope lingered in her eyes as she looked at Toyokawa Yuu.

"...As long as I still call you Amoris, I will not give up my power as your agent, and Xiangzi will help you."

"Then I'll go to rehearse now."

Asahi Toyokawa Yuu bowed slightly, and Yutenji Wakanagi put the pen back in the pen holder.

The office door was gently closed, at least for the time being, there was no need to worry about her causing trouble within the team.

Yes, in the short term.

For a moment, only three people remained in the office, and no one spoke first.

"Hachiman-kun, I need to speak with Yuu alone. Could you please excuse me for now?"

Toyokawa Shoko's voice broke the brief silence. The blue-haired girl glanced at Hachiman Kairin, who was standing by the desk, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and her words carried a hint of force.

Her drooping eyelids and slightly unusually undulating shoulders indicated that she was holding back something she could only say when she was alone with Toyokawa Yuu.

"...Call me anytime if you need anything."

After hesitating for a moment, seeing that Toyokawa Yuu also nodded slightly to her, Hachiman Kairin stopped insisting and turned to walk out the door.

The moment she grasped the door latch, the girl's lower face, hidden by the mask, pursed her lips slightly, and even her movements slowed down a beat.

I really dislike this feeling, a secret that only the captain and manager can share.

Despite managing Ave Mujica's operations together, he excluded himself from the process.

She exhaled softly through the mask, and for the first time, Hachiman Kairin felt that the mask's material was of poor quality.

I feel a bit stifled, and I can't seem to get rid of all the unhappiness in my heart.

The door closed gently, leaving only Yuu Toyokawa and Shoko Toyokawa in the office, speechless.

After exchanging a few silent glances, Toyokawa Shoko deftly walked around the desk and stood in front of the boy.

"What are you doing?"

Shoko Toyokawa deliberately lowered her voice, knowing full well that the soundproofing of the office door wasn't very good and that she would have to replace it sooner or later.

But now, there's one thing she needs to figure out first.

What's wrong with Toyokawa Yuu's brain today? She's like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest touch.

As a community with a shared destiny, the two of them may not know each other well enough.

But as accomplices, having used the Toyokawa family's name to swindle and cheat the Starlight Plaza shopping center, they had essentially pledged their loyalty to each other.

That's why Toyokawa Shoko doesn't understand what's going on with her accomplice and fiancé tonight.

Why force Yutenji Wakami to sign that harsh contract that was practically a slave contract?

To distract herself and prevent herself from stopping him immediately, she even brought out MyGO!!!!! in an attempt to disrupt her thoughts and get her to the rehearsal room quickly.

The more he protected Yutenji Wakana, the more aggressive Wakana became.

Toyokawa Shoko couldn't see any benefit to this other than making Yutenji Wakana dislike the manager even more.

She was the most direct beneficiary of that contract, not Toyokawa Yuu.

"I see you really want that cat, so I'll go along with it."

With an indifferent shrug, Toyokawa Yuu showed no trace of her earlier anger, and even ignored Toyokawa Shoko who rushed in front of her.

"I've played all the bad guys. Now, just give me a little something sweet, and I should be able to make you completely devoted to him."

Rising from her office chair, Toyokawa Yuu gestured with her chin toward the small restroom attached to the office, indicating that Shoko should go there to talk.

Whether it's an inherent design flaw or intentional, Toyokawa Yuu no longer trusts the soundproofing of the office door.

Seeing Yuu Toyokawa's behavior, Shoko Toyokawa frowned, but ultimately said nothing and followed him into the restroom.

"You mean, you did that on purpose?"

With two layers of soundproofing in place, Toyokawa Shoko was finally able to stop suppressing her voice and openly question him.

"Yes, it was intentional. You don't really think that just being tolerant will make someone devoted to you, do you, Miss?"

The two of them squeezed into the not-so-large bathroom, and had to keep their backs pressed against the wall to ensure that their bodies did not come into direct contact.

But at this moment, no one cares about the potentially close distance.

"Only those who fear power will cherish virtue. Yutenji Wakana's talent is indeed worthy of your band, but to properly care for this cat, simply feeding it cat food is not enough."

"But she already knew she was wrong, and she even asked me how to apologize to you... although in the end, what I taught her was not used."

Somewhat unwillingly, Toyokawa Shoko lowered her head. She never expected that her conversation with Toyokawa Yuu in the conference room would be overheard by Yutenji Wakana and exposed in this situation.

"Is that so? I think she doesn't know she's wrong, she just knows she's cornered. If she's not bound with the strongest chains, she'll continue to cause trouble when she has the energy."

Toyokawa Yuu neither confirmed nor denied Toyokawa Shoko's statement.

Now, he's long been accustomed to speculating about others' thoughts with malice, an experience he gained through three deaths.

This time, Toyokawa Shoko unusually did not immediately refute his statement, but instead lowered her head and fell into deep thought.

A moment later, the blue-haired girl raised her head, her amber eyes looking at her fiancé, whom she had only known for a few days and with whom she had a relationship that was more of a mutual exploitation than affection.

"So, Yuyu, would you want me to trap you in the same way someday?"

You're trapped...

Such a thought arose in her mind, but she quickly swallowed it back down.

He refused to bow down to Toyokawa Shoko, the culprit who had brought him to this undeserved misfortune: "...You can't do it."

"Now, you should prepare properly so as not to embarrass yourself in front of your former band friends at the upcoming concert."

Upon hearing Toyokawa Yuu mention this, Toyokawa Shoko, who was already somewhat sentimental, immediately frowned again.

Clearly, Toyokawa Shoko was quite dissatisfied with his backdoor ticket-giving behavior.

"Yuyu, we need to have a serious talk after the concert."

Chapter 56 Is this trust?

After carefully putting away the two copies of the contract on her desk, Toyokawa Yuu turned to look at Hachiman Kairin, who had entered the office on her own initiative after Toyokawa Shoko left.

"Hachiman, please work hard lately to resume Amoris's activities. I'll talk to the partners."

Since Yutenji Wakana might back down, there's no need for Toyokawa Yuu to dwell on that private matter that's already been resolved.

While such frequent policy changes might give outsiders the impression that Ave Mujica is poorly managed, the band itself is not exactly well-organized.

Moreover, the other party's behavior tonight also made Toyokawa Yuu see a possibility.

It seems there's a possibility that the cat that Toyokawa Shoko intercepted halfway through might be brought back by himself.

It seems that Yutenji Wakana overheard his fabricated "protection" story to Toyokawa Shoko and actually believed it.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought up "protection" so many times.

Ave Mujica only has these few members; controlling these people is equivalent to controlling the entire band.

As long as Toyokawa Shoko still cares about this band, she will be manipulated and exploited by herself.

That young lady said she would use any means necessary, but in reality she hadn't made up her mind. Otherwise, she wouldn't have obediently listened to me and left first.

This is an opportunity for Toyokawa Yuu to bring out a Toyokawa Shoko who listens to him.

He didn't want to go to great lengths to revive Toyokawa Shoko, only to discover that she was a tyrant who left him helpless and at the mercy of others.

Did Toyokawa Shoko control him?

No, it's Yuu Toyokawa who wants to take over Shoko Toyokawa's control.

It's not the superficial kind of feigned compliance that leads to enmity once exposed, but rather the helpless situation of knowing that each other will be exploited and still having no choice but to tolerate it.

Even though he hasn't even managed to revive Toyokawa Shoko yet, some things still need to be carefully considered from the beginning.

"I understand."

Startled awake by Toyokawa Yuu's voice, Hachiman Kairin's mind was brought back from confusion and contemplation.

Her gaze swept over the tightly closed door, and a complex look flashed in her emerald eyes as she looked at Toyokawa Yuu.

"It seems that Miss Yutenji is much more carefree than we imagined."

"Amoris's willingness to remain loyal to the band is a good thing for Ave Mujica's future development."

After putting the two contracts away in the drawer, Toyokawa Yuu verbally agreed with Hachiman Kairin's words, but in her heart, she did not believe for a second that Yutenji Wakana's actions were genuine.

In Toyokawa Yuu's view, it was nothing more than a last resort when all other options were exhausted.

When people are desperate, they will do anything for a glimmer of hope, a sentiment that Toyokawa Yuu deeply understands.

However, the glimmer of hope that Toyokawa Yuu seized was not given to him by others, but rather found by himself.

If in the future, someone else offers Yutenji Wakami a more tempting offer, as long as the benefits outweigh the losses from breaching the contract, this cat will probably choose to betray without hesitation.

Ultimately, Toyokawa Yuu didn't believe in loyalty born of desperation, just as he didn't think he would develop any feelings for Toyokawa Shoko.

That was simply a helpless situation when there was no other way out.

"But Miss Yutenji has changed quite a bit today. She kept saying 'protect' and such. Mr. Yuu and Mr. Toyokawa must have put in a lot of effort behind the scenes to resolve her situation."

Turning her gaze away, Hachiman Kairin tried to make her voice sound as natural as possible.

She knew she shouldn't pry into other people's private affairs. Now that the matter was resolved, she, as Toyokawa Yuu's deputy, only needed to obediently complete her work.

However, she couldn't help but want to find out what exactly Yutenji Wakana meant by "heard".

Even though she knew that Yuu Toyokawa didn't need to share everything with her, the feeling of not being able to know the full picture of the band's affairs made Kairin Hachiman feel uneasy.

That feeling was as if I had always been excluded and distrusted.

He glanced at Hachiman Kairin, who was looking away. From this angle, Toyokawa Yuu could only see the back of her head, but he still noticed something was off about her unusual tone.

Presumably, the bassist's emerald eyes don't quite match the naturalness of her demeanor.

People who crave trust are starting to feel distrusted...

With a slight brow twitch, Toyokawa Yuu felt she should do something now.

The cat that was supposed to be his was snatched away by Toyokawa Shoko. As Shoko's other half, Wakaba Mutsu couldn't possibly be on his side. He still had to lure Metis out.