After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

After confirming who the contact was, he turned away as if nothing had happened, creating some distance between himself and the contact, seemingly to leave enough privacy for his communications.

But in Wakaba Mutsu's eyes, it was more like... placing the power of a certain choice in front of him.

After a moment's hesitation, a hint of struggle appeared in Ruoye Mu's golden eyes, but she still chose to hang up the phone call from Toyokawa Shoko.

Then, the girl with light green hair followed Toyokawa Yuu's example and turned off her phone, putting it back in her pocket.

Holding his guitar, he returned to Toyokawa Yuu's side. Wakaba Mutsu looked at the boy with a somewhat complicated expression, his golden eyes remaining indifferent as always.

"Where to go next?"

Chapter 81 A Secret That Belongs Only to You and Me (5k5)

Inside a flagship store of a mobile phone brand in Tokyo, Yuu Toyokawa casually pointed to one of the phones displayed in the cabinet.

"Please wrap this up for me."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Upon seeing a salesperson with a business opportunity, she smiled commercially and nodded politely to Toyokawa Yuu.

Ruoye Mutsu, holding his guitar, stood behind Toyokawa Yuu. His golden gaze lingered on the sales clerk's smile for a moment before subtly shifting away.

She didn't dislike the business-like smile; she just felt the expression was somewhat familiar.

When she first met Yuu Toyokawa in Ave Mujica's office with other people, he had the same expression on his face.

The perceptive Wakaba Mutsu had always been aware of the expression on Toyokawa Yuu's face.

Neither the smile he usually shows to everyone, nor the argument he has with Xiang in the office before the concert, are his true emotions.

In Wakaba Mutsu's eyes, Toyokawa Yuu seemed to always be wearing a mask, and neither her joy nor anger was genuine.

Compared to the Ave Mujica members who wear masks and act as puppets on stage, Yuu Toyokawa is the one whose face is truly impossible to see.

That's why she created Yu Mu, and copied that mask along with it.

But unexpectedly, after peeling away the surface of that gentle facade, that personality revealed a desire that Wakaba Mutsuki could never understand.

As for now...

If Ye Mu shifted his gaze to Toyokawa Yuu's face, although the boy's lips still habitually curved into a smile, there was no trace of genuine joy on his face.

Whether it was Wakaba Mutsu's imagination or not, it seemed that Toyokawa Yuu no longer intended to maintain even the most hypocritical formalities in her eyes.

It didn't feel like taking off a mask; it felt more like the mask on my face had been worn for too long and was starting to rot.

Through the slightly damaged holes, Ruo Yemu could vaguely glimpse a bit of the truth beneath the mask.

Even with just a glimpse, Ruoye Mu felt that she was one step closer to understanding the boy who had suddenly appeared in Xiang's world.

Unaware of what Ruoye Mutsu was thinking beneath her calm expression, Toyokawa Yuu, with a polite smile, took the new phone from the sales clerk.

Hanging up on Toyokawa Shoko and turning off his phone seemed very cool, and doing it did give Toyokawa Yuu a sense of satisfaction.

However, Toyokawa Yuu is not the kind of person who would lose her mind because of a moment of pleasure.

His instinct to feel a chill run down his spine whenever someone puts their hand on his shoulder had already warned him what the consequences would be if he only sought momentary comfort without considering other things.

This isn't about ten years in the future where imperfect rewinding is possible, but rather ten years in the past where we don't know what we'll do to change the future.

Yuu Toyokawa didn't know what would happen if she died here, nor did she want to know, and she certainly wouldn't abandon the only factor she could definitely influence—Ave Mujica—because of anything.

His mission remains unchanged: to control Toyokawa Shoko, ensuring she lives to be ten years from now.

This snub is simply serving this purpose.

At least make her understand that even if they are accomplices in the same boat, there are some things you can't meddle in too much of... that's all.

However, certain connections with others should not be easily severed.

After all, he is still Ave Mujica's manager, and the discussions surrounding the band's concert are still ongoing, or rather, have only just begun.

No one stipulates that agents only have to work during working hours.

She inserted the secondary SIM card from her original phone into the slot of the new phone, but before Toyokawa Yuu could contact anyone, a phone call came in.

His brows furrowed slightly, forming a small wrinkle between the boy's eyebrows.

Not many people know this number as a backup contact method; it's mostly used for work-related communications.

Even among the members of Ave Mujica, only Hachiman Kairin knew, and even Toyokawa Shoko was unaware.

However, the person who dialed this number at this moment was one of the last people who should have known that the number existed.

Looking at the string of numbers that appeared on the phone screen, even without a note, Toyokawa Yuu could remember the owner of this number.

Wakaba Mutsu's mother – Mori Minami.

Yuu Toyokawa can guarantee that she has never revealed the existence of this number to the other party.

Perhaps that old woman had a way of getting the number from the president of the agency, but Yuu Toyokawa didn't believe that was the way she did it.

If Minami Mori wants to obtain her own information, there is an easier way—Sadaharu Toyokawa.

He answered the phone with a frown, and soon a sweet, even somewhat affected voice came from the new phone.

[Oh my, I really didn't expect this number to actually go through. Yu-kun, you actually turned off your usual phone, that's really unexpected. You must be very busy with work right now, is it really okay to do this?]

Her words, though feigned concern, always made Toyokawa Yuu feel as if the actress on the other end of the phone was being sarcastic and sarcastic.

This voice was naturally heard by Mutsumi Wakaba, who was very close to Yuu Toyokawa.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Ruoye Mu subconsciously lowered her gaze and hugged the guitar in her arms even tighter.

"I believe the relevant team at the agency is professional. Since there was almost a performance accident due to poor quality control before, they should pay more attention this time. Otherwise... I don't think the company wants rumors to spread about bullying or ostracizing the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family."

Seeing Wakaba Mutsu's reaction, Toyokawa Yuu's brows furrowed even deeper, and the lines between her brows became increasingly complex.

The fact that she reacted so strangely just from hearing a voice suggests that I need to conduct a further assessment of Wakaba Mutsu's family situation.

Thinking of this, Toyokawa Yuu's voice became more direct.

"I think Ms. Minami contacted me specifically for more than just small talk about work matters that have nothing to do with you."

[What happens within your band is none of my business, but I have some questions for you about Xiao Mu.]

Despite being so bluntly interrupted by Yuu Toyokawa, Minami Mori on the other end of the phone didn't seem angry at all; in fact, her smile grew even wider.

However, Toyokawa Yuu could easily tell that the laughter contained no goodwill, but rather a kind of schadenfreude.

[Xiao Mu should be with you right now... The teacher from Tsukimori just contacted me, saying that she has skipped class without reason and hasn't returned yet. Thinking about it carefully, besides Xiao Xiang, the only one you can barely use under the guise of work is You Yu. However, You Yu, with her phone turned off, doesn't look like she's in a work state at all...]

Thinking about it, Xiao Xiang is really pitiful. His mother died early, his father finally managed to pull himself together, and then his fiancé and his own health took another turn for the worse... I don't intend to interfere with Xiao Mu's thoughts, but getting past Grandpa Dingzhi won't be easy. Do you want me to help you?

Without hesitation, Toyokawa Yuu hung up the phone. She had no intention of listening to the old woman's ramblings any longer.

I have extracted a considerable amount of information from her words, and that is enough.

Ruoye Mu's phone is probably being monitored.

Otherwise, Minami Mori, who rarely appears in front of her daughter, wouldn't be so well-informed about Mutsumi Wakaba's situation.

Moreover, this situation likely continued for another ten years.

Thinking about it carefully, the fact that almost all of my whereabouts were known to certain people ten years later might also be related to this.

Her expression turned somewhat gloomy. This feeling of being constantly monitored made Toyokawa Yuu quite unhappy.

The so-called shadow had already begun to quietly loom over the area a decade ago.

But how could Toyokawa Shoko, who had been the head of the family for so long, allow this situation to continue for ten years?

Her mood grew increasingly heavy, a feeling that even made Toyokawa Yuu feel somewhat frustrated. She pondered how to get out of this situation, but she didn't know where to begin.

Feeling troubled, Toyokawa Yuu felt as if someone was gently tugging at her sleeve.

Turning my head, I met those golden eyes.

"Yuyu... Is the phone okay?"

Ruoye Mu looked at Toyokawa Yuu with some concern. When the call was connected just now, she could tell that Toyokawa Yuu's expression had become very unpleasant.

"What could possibly happen? Why do you think I was raised to this age?"

Seeing the girl who, despite it being her own thing that had a problem, still asked if she was alright first, Toyokawa Yuu lowered her voice and whispered to Wakaba Mutsu.

"On the contrary, do you even know that you don't belong to yourself when it comes to your own phone?"

The low, almost clenched voice reached Wakaba Mutsu's ears, causing the girl with light green hair to shrink her pupils.

After a moment, Ruoye Mu spoke timidly, her voice hesitant.

"I...don't have anything that belongs to me."

Lowering her head again, Ruoye Mu hugged her guitar, her fingertips gripping the neck trembling slightly, as if afraid that even this only thing that made her aware of her existence would be taken away by someone else.

Seeing the dejected Wakaba Mutsumi, Toyokawa Yuu felt a pang of sympathy, as if they were in the same boat.

But after realizing that his sympathy was useless, he immediately thought of something else.

If Ye Mu didn't have anything that truly belonged to her, even Toyokawa Shoko never gave her what she truly craved.

And now, this vulnerability is right in front of us.

By exploiting this loophole, he might be able to make Wakaba Mutsuki, ten years from now, useful and not betray him.

Because he had given her something that even Toyokawa Shoko, who was only half a human, could not satisfy.

"No, you can have this kind of thing."

After saying that, Toyokawa Yuu turned around and walked back to the mobile phone store behind her. A moment later, she returned with yet another new mobile phone in her hand.

"This is......"

Looking at the device in Toyokawa Yuu's hand, which was almost identical in style to the phone he had bought before, except for its more feminine color, a hint of confusion appeared in Wakaba Mutsu's golden eyes.

"Take it. This is something that truly belongs to you, unaffected by anyone else."

Upon hearing Toyokawa Yuu's words, Wakaba Mutsu couldn't help but part his lips slightly and take a breath.

Something that truly... completely belongs to me...

The simple words stirred a ripple in Wakaba Mutsu's heart.

Ruoye Mutsu had always suspected that her phone had been tampered with.

My mother is a very controlling person... or rather, a very calculating person, and she also has a strong desire for fame and fortune.

For Senmin Nami, who has reached the pinnacle of the entertainment industry, this is an indispensable quality.

It's likely that she has already planned out her own future trajectory.

But Ruo Yemu doesn't want this kind of thing.

She wanted the guitar to sing, she wanted to own something of her own, instead of something forced into her arms, something temporarily stored away.

However, the girl did not know how to resist; all she could do was express her silent resistance through silence.

And now...

Looking at the new phone that Yuu Toyokawa handed him, Mutsuka Wakaba hesitated.

She didn't know if this also counted as someone stuffing something into her arms, temporarily storing it, something that could be taken away at any time.

Hesitating for a moment, Ruoye Mu's expression suddenly became somewhat conflicted, with longing and hesitation intertwined in her golden eyes.

After closing her eyes for a while, Ruoye Mu slowly released her grip on the guitar, only letting it hang on her shoulder with the strap so it wouldn't fall off, and then reached out her free fingertips to take the phone that Toyokawa Yuu handed her.

Seeing Wakaba Mutsu's actions, Toyokawa Yuu revealed a slightly genuine smile.

In this way, the half of Toyokawa Shoko had always felt at ease with also had a part that was no longer under her control.

"By the way, don't tell Xiangzi about this... You must cherish the few things that belong to you, and don't let others take them away so easily."

Upon hearing Toyokawa Yuu's highly purposeful request, Wakaba Mutsu's previously infatuated gaze immediately cleared.

His golden eyes scrutinized her slightly, but he ultimately nodded gently.

"...Yes, I won't tell Xiang."

Holding the new phone tightly in her hand, Ruoye Mu's voice was ethereal and fleeting, and even Toyokawa Yuu couldn't decipher the emotions contained within it.

"This... belongs to us, and has nothing to do with Xiang."

.......................................................................

Inside the mental space, Xiao Mu, who was sitting on the sofa with her guitar in her arms and her eyes down, suddenly opened her eyes.