After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Gently moving her wrist, which had been gripped so tightly it was slightly red, Toyokawa Shoko looked at her fiancé's expression, which was completely unresponsive and even seemed to annoy him for causing him trouble. Her gaze lingered on his face for only a second before turning away.

"First, explain how you found me. I don't think I've revealed my whereabouts to you."

It's no wonder Oblivionis is known for his forgetfulness; he forgot his soft and sweet appearance so quickly.

"****, all you need to know is that no matter what you do, I will always be watching you."

They casually brushed him off, as if they weren't worried at all that Xiangzi would get angry, and Toyokawa Yuu showed no intention of revealing Aine's identity.

"Making a big fuss..."

He grumbled in dissatisfaction, but that didn't change the fact that the topic he had brought up was easily brushed aside.

Having lost the topic of conversation, Toyokawa Shoko had no choice but to fall silent, persistently moving her wrist, which had long since lost its red mark and could have been sprained if she continued to twist it.

The atmosphere between the two became heavy again. In addition, since this was not an office, it was not appropriate to talk about work, so the scene fell into an awkward silence.

Yuu Toyokawa walked ahead, with Shoko Toyokawa following behind, maintaining a subtle distance between them.

One was thinking about how to start a conversation, while the other was deliberately waiting for the other to do so; neither of them spoke again.

until......

"Why......"

The voice, barely audible, drifted past Toyokawa Yuu's ears, making him wonder if he had misheard.

"Why are you helping me? I can handle things between Soyo myself."

Yuu Toyokawa stopped and turned around. Although she was no longer in her soft, breezy state, which wasn't very satisfying, it was still a starting point for a conversation, and it wouldn't be related to Aine Chihaya.

"If you could really solve it, you wouldn't have been so obedient as to let me lead you away like a cat."

Take it away...

Such an adjective made Toyokawa Shoko frown; she didn't like this kind of evaluation.

"You don't trust my abilities?"

"Aside from your musical talent, are you really that trustworthy? If I hadn't helped you with Amoris that time, you probably would still be helpless against her. You also bear some responsibility for Mortis's loss of control tonight. By appearing in front of Miss Nagasaki tonight, your identity should have been exposed, right, Oblivionis?"

When questioned, Toyokawa Shoko's eyes widened, and her amber eyes, which had just calmed down, began to mist over again.

Clearly, she hadn't fully sorted out her feelings yet, but her pride wouldn't allow her to continue being led by Toyokawa Yuu.

Yuu Toyokawa took in Toyokawa Shoko's condition, but Toyokawa Yuu showed no intention of stopping her voice.

They are not a loving engaged couple, but rather two birds of a feather who exploit each other. They will not kindly lick each other's wounds when they see each other hurt; instead, they will try every means to take advantage of each other.

"Shouldn't we take a closer look at how many times I've cleaned up your messes? At least in terms of interpersonal skills, you've already lost all credibility with me, Miss?"

Her fists clenched silently, Toyokawa Shoko bit her lip, her eyes trembling as she stared at her fiancé.

These were all the truths, and she couldn't refute them, especially since she wasn't good at arguing with people.

She could actually guess that Toyokawa Yuu would most likely say such a thing, but she still held onto a certain hope.

"......Feel sorry."

Squeezing out those words through gritted teeth, Toyokawa Shoko, who had no energy left to argue, turned her back. Having experienced too much tonight, she didn't want the man in front of her, who was nominally her fiancé, to see her in such a vulnerable state.

With his back to Toyokawa Yuu, Shoko closed his eyes, already prepared for even more severe criticism to come.

Seeing that Xiangzi had already given up and was willing to be mocked, Toyokawa Yuu knew that the time was almost right.

If the suppression continues, it will hit rock bottom and rebound, and then we'll be facing another spoiled brat.

"...Never mind, we're in the same boat, so cleaning up your mess is my duty. Don't feel sorry."

He didn't touch Toyokawa Shoko's body, not even with the comforting pat on the shoulder he used on Hachiman Kairin.

Yuu Toyokawa stood with her arms crossed next to the blue-haired girl, her voice a mixture of helplessness and command.

"Now, go home and rest. Forget about today when the sun rises. Tomorrow I want to see a fully recovered Oblivionis."

After leaving those words, Yuu Toyokawa was about to turn and leave when she found herself being grabbed by the wrist by Shoko Toyokawa.

This posture is exactly the same as when I dragged her out of Asuka Mountain just now.

"Turn around."

Before Yuu Toyokawa could figure out what this young lady, who was finally showing her soft and gentle side, wanted to do, she felt a face pressed against her back.

Warm breath seeped through the suit and climbed up Toyokawa Yuu's back, seemingly still slightly damp.

"Thank you for helping me escape from there..."

His voice was muffled because he had his face buried in his back, and he was breathing warm air.

"Take me home..."

Chapter 64 Hailing: I am trusted (9k)

"Is this right here?"

In the dimly lit and cramped rental building, Yuu Toyokawa and Shoko were squeezed into a stairwell that was barely big enough for two people to walk side by side, looking at the small, shabby rental room with the "Toyokawa" sign hanging in front of them.

Clearly, this is where the father and daughter, Toyokawa Kiyoko, are currently living after he was expelled from the family and Toyokawa Shoko left with him.

"If Ave Mujica's fans knew that their idol, Oblivionis, lived in a place like this, they would probably feel disillusioned."

"After I learned about my father's whereabouts from my maternal grandfather, I came looking for him. By then, my father had already fallen into a deep depression."

Stopping in front of her own "house door," Toyokawa Shoko took out her house key.

When her father was mentioned, Toyokawa Shoko's amber eyes dimmed.

She knew very well how different her current father, who was depressed and relied on alcohol to escape reality, was from the man who used to gently say, "Dad will try his best."

The ambition I once had is completely gone.

"come in."

As she inserted the key into the lock, Toyokawa Shoko, not wanting to continue the topic, simply called out softly.

Yuu Toyokawa watched as Shoko Toyokawa inserted the key into the lock, placed her hand on the door frame, and pushed the door open before Shoko could turn the bolt.

An unpleasant scraping sound rang in her ears, and Toyokawa Yuu even felt some resistance when she pushed the door open.

Clearly, the living conditions in this place are extremely poor; even the door panels seem to be deliberately designed to resist people.

Shoko Toyokawa did not refuse Yuu Toyokawa's thoughtful gesture of opening the door for her and walked straight inside.

Following Xiangzi into the narrow entrance hall, the pungent smell of alcohol hit her nose, causing Toyokawa Yuu to frown.

The cramped rented room was filled with beer cans, the dim light flickered due to unstable voltage, the tiny bathroom had only a single showerhead, and the living room couldn't even fit a dining table.

Besides the living room, there was only one place that could barely be called a room, containing a quilt and countless beer cans. The smell that made Toyokawa Yuu frown earlier came from there.

Clearly, that was Toyokawa Kiyoko's territory.

But at this moment, the man who usually passed out drunk here was nowhere to be seen.

This is not surprising. If I'm not mistaken, he probably went out to buy alcohol again, and he might even get drunk and cause trouble on the way, ending up in the police station.

As for where Toyokawa Shoko rested...

Yuu Toyokawa noticed a small area enclosed by a curtain in the corner of the living room, which occupied a significant portion of the small space.

Fortunately, no one ever visits this godforsaken place on ordinary days.

"Laugh if you want. The young lady who used to boss you around now lives in such a poor place."

Even without turning around to look at Toyokawa Yuu's face, Shoko could roughly imagine the look of disgust on the face of that always-dressed young man when the pungent smell of alcohol hit his nostrils.

Yu Yu, who is opportunistic, ambitious, and willing to do anything for personal gain, should never be here. The spacious office of the agency would be a much better place for him.

Using the name of the Toyokawa family to intimidate others and then binding everyone's interests together with various harsh contracts, this is the impression that Toyokawa Yuu usually leaves on people.

Shoko Toyokawa crouched down, picked up the empty wine can from the ground, and threw it into a trash bag. She pursed her lips, her amber eyes filled with complex emotions.

In fact, even she herself couldn't rationally explain why she had let Toyokawa Yuu take her home.

Maybe it's just because so many things happened today that I subconsciously want to find someone who, even if I hate them, I can't escape from my side.

For Toyokawa Shoko, who has always hidden her embarrassment and awkwardness, displaying it in front of others is an act akin to self-torture.

However, a rare sense of ease even rose in Toyokawa Shoko's heart at this moment.

Anyway, he's already seen my pathetic and weak self, so it's no big deal if he sees my pathetic side too.

This devastating situation that led to the band's breakup can now finally be revealed to someone who will absolutely keep it a secret.

Youyu might laugh, he might pity, or he might even feel disgusted by this terrible environment.

But no matter what, he could never leave me.

Even if they laugh, they can't let go because of the complicated contract between them.

Even if they feel pity, those who are birds of a feather who exploit each other will not trample on their self-respect with purely benevolent charity.

Even if you hate him... he can only ever belong to you, and there's no way he can escape from you.

Thinking about it this way, Toyokawa Yuu, who always makes me angry, disagrees with me, and is constantly vying for power, is actually the person who is most compatible with me.

With her head down, Toyokawa Shoko, as she had done countless times in the past year, tidied up the room filled with the smell of alcohol alone, silently waiting for Toyokawa Yuu's reaction.

Is it sarcasm? Or ridicule? Or feigned pity?

Until she saw a hand pick up the empty wine can in front of her.

"It seems that Qinggao, that wine barrel, is in pretty good shape. He drinks like that every day and he's still alive. I wish you had such good physical condition."

Grabbing the wine can from the ground and throwing it into a nearby trash bag, Toyokawa Yuu cleaned up the messy room while letting out a strange sigh.

Unlike Toyokawa Shoko, a young lady with a slight obsession with cleanliness, who would carefully find the part of the wine can without wine stains before gently pinching it and then gently putting it into the garbage bag.

They simply grabbed the wine cans from the ground, not caring whether the liquid inside was finished, and threw them directly into the bag, which was naturally much faster.

“Youyu, in terms of relationship, you should call your father ‘father’ like I do.”

Upon hearing Yuu Toyokawa's assessment of her father, Shoko Toyokawa frowned, instinctively wanting to correct him.

Even though they weren't married, and even though he was raised and educated by Toyokawa Sadaharu, in terms of family relations, Toyokawa Yuu, as the adopted son-in-law, was nominally also Toyokawa Kiyoko's adopted son.

To Toyokawa Shoko, calling him "father" was a matter of course.

"What does it matter? He's already been expelled from the family anyway. My social connections are registered under the Toyokawa family, not him."

Tossing the last wine jug into the bag, Toyokawa Yuu tied the bag shut to prevent the remaining liquid from spilling out.

"So, I haven't had an adoptive father for a long time, and my adoptive mother is even less so..."

Yuu Toyokawa paused for a moment when her gaze inadvertently fell on the doll placed on the cabinet.

The doll was wrapped in a long red dress, and her golden hair and red hair ornaments complemented each other, creating a unique aesthetic.

Both the workmanship and the materials reveal a level of sophistication that is quite different from the cheap rental apartment.

He could sense that when the topic was brought up, Toyokawa Shoko's expression, which had gradually recovered from her soft and cuddly state on the way home, darkened again, and her gaze quietly turned to the doll.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her amber eyes unconsciously welled up with tears.

It looked somewhere between soft and sticky and steamy.

"You are the only person who can directly connect me with the name 'Toyokawa,' so there's no need for me to try to get close to you in other ways."

Yuu Toyokawa didn't want to presume to be romantic with someone she'd never even met.

However, the fact that Toyokawa Shoko asked him to take her home today reminded Toyokawa Yuu of something.

That man named Toyokawa Kiyoshi was also someone who could be used.

Whether it's aimed at Toyokawa Shoko or the Toyokawa family.

Having spent so many years in the Toyokawa family, and even having the authority to "lose" 168 billion yen, Toyokawa Kiyoko's understanding of that family is definitely much better than that of himself, a parachuted-in head of the family with little memory.

Moreover, given Toyokawa Kiyotaka's physical condition—being able to drink for a year straight without any problems—how could he possibly not live to see ten years from now?

Toyokawa Yuu didn't believe it; he had died of natural causes.

Perhaps... I could ask him to help me avoid the minefield.

As Toyokawa Yuu turned on the tap in the sink, she rinsed her hands, which were slightly stained with alcohol, while pondering something in her mind, completely unaware of Toyokawa Shoko's expression behind her.

just me?

Upon hearing Yuu Toyokawa's response, Shoko Toyokawa was slightly taken aback.