After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

And now, what is the reason for reprimanding Youyu, this "mission"?

"Whether it's luck or mission, it's all just wishful thinking on your part, Grandfather. Even without the surname 'Toyokawa,' I could still make Ave Mujica successful."

Speaking rapidly, Toyokawa Shoko's chest heaved as if she had finally let out the words she had been holding back for a long time.

As Toyokawa Shoko finished speaking, the office fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of her breathing echoing in the background.

Neither Toyokawa Sadaharu on the other end of the phone nor Toyokawa Yuu sitting opposite her continued to speak.

Looking at Toyokawa Shoko in front of her, Toyokawa Yuu's expression was somewhat surprised.

He never expected that this blue-haired girl would be so confrontational with his elders.

Unlike herself, who had no feelings for the Toyokawa family at all, Toyokawa Shoko was doted on by Toyokawa Sadaharu from a young age, and the two actually had a very deep relationship.

If Toyokawa Kiyoko hadn't been expelled from the family, and she hadn't chosen to leave because she couldn't bear to leave her father, she would probably still be a dutiful granddaughter to this day.

Do you really think your band could succeed without Toyokawa?

After a long silence, Toyokawa Sadaharu's voice rang out again.

No longer filled with helplessness and indulgence as before, her tone gradually began to resemble that of her previous conversation with Toyokawa Yuu.

It seems that after hearing what he just said, he has begun to seriously examine his granddaughter's determination.

But adults are not as indulgent and lenient as they are with younger generations.

On the contrary, the weight it contains is quite heavy.

"Are you planning to use this as a reason to suppress Ave Mujica and make me back down? Then please do as you please... I am no longer a child. Even without the support of the Toyokawa family, Yuu and I will persevere together, and Ave Mujica will not disband."

[I never said I would stop the Toyokawa family's support for Ave Mujica, nor will I. Such spiteful behavior will only give some people an opportunity to take advantage... Since you're not a child anymore, let's consider setting a date and having an engagement ceremony with Yuu.]

To Toyokawa Shoko's surprise, the old man on the other end of the phone seemed completely unfazed. Even his voice returned to its usual gentle and calm tone, though with a hint of scrutiny.

This is not only putting pressure on Shoko Toyokawa, but also something that Sadaharu Toyokawa wants to settle as soon as possible.

The longer something is delayed, the more opportunities it gives certain individuals a chance to take advantage of it. Only by making decisions early can we nip problems in the bud.

After all, he couldn't really ignore Xiangzi; that would only give some people an opportunity to take advantage of him.

Moreover, Yu Yu's attitude... how could it have changed so much?

Never mind, whatever he's thinking, there are still some things that need to be done, at least he should understand the responsibilities and obligations of those two children.

Hearing what the other person on the other end of the phone said next made Toyokawa Shoko's amber eyes widen in surprise.

As the future head of the Toyokawa family, this is something you cannot refuse. This is neither a request nor an order; it is simply your duty as the Toyokawa family to witness this.

Before Toyokawa Sadaharu could finish speaking, the call was already disconnected.

Shoko Toyokawa placed her finger on the phone screen, watching it gradually return from the communication interface to the home screen, her chest heaving slightly.

"All this talk about Fengchuan, Fengchuan, but I'm clearly Xiangzi..."

"Shoko..."

Seeing Toyokawa Shoko suddenly hang up the phone, this time it was Toyokawa Yuu's turn to look somewhat surprised.

He never expected that Toyokawa Shoko would use this method to directly stop his argument with his maternal grandfather.

“That old man is talking nonsense. You don’t really need to care. He doesn’t dare to do anything to you. He can only put pressure on you in this way.”

Taking her phone back from Toyokawa Shoko, Toyokawa Yuu, in front of her, added the contact named "Toyokawa Sadaharu" to her blacklist.

Placing the now completely silent phone on the table, Toyokawa Yuu looked into the blue-haired girl's eyes, her voice softening considerably, the volume and tone lower than usual.

"And... thank you for speaking up for me earlier."

After hesitating for a moment, Toyokawa Yuu decided to speak and express her sincere gratitude.

Given his status, he was constantly hampered by Toyokawa Sadaharu. Having someone stand up for him and give that old guy a piece of his mind certainly made him feel much better.

However, this sincere gratitude only lasted a short while before Toyokawa Yuu quickly looked away from Toyokawa Shoko.

This is simply because... I don't want to owe her too much...

"...It's nothing. There are some things I've wanted to say for a long time."

Faced with Toyokawa Yuu's unprecedented gratitude, Toyokawa Shoko was momentarily at a loss for words.

She hadn't expected that her usually stubborn accomplice would be so candid about such a matter.

This is just... I don't want Yuu to leave like this. If he leaves, Ave Mujica's administrative affairs will become a mess again.

"Speaking of which, what Grandfather just mentioned about the engagement..."

When this topic was brought up, Toyokawa Shoko's expression became somewhat strange.

Although she had revealed to the band members that Toyokawa Yuu was actually her fiancé, she was actually quite unsure how much she truly accepted this identity, having only known him for less than a day at the time.

At that time, she didn't even have any feelings for Toyokawa Yuu, and the two of them weren't even familiar with each other.

And now...

She had to admit that when Toyokawa Sadaharu brought up the topic and it became an unavoidable issue, she had to revisit this thought that had long been shelved.

There is no doubt that I am quite dependent on Yuu Toyokawa.

He needed him to maintain Ave Mujica's operations, to help coordinate relationships among team members, and even to help him withstand pressure from the Toyokawa family.

But...feelings...

"What's wrong? Are you very resistant to this?"

Seeing Toyokawa Shoko's somewhat bewildered expression, Toyokawa Yuu was puzzled.

Yuu Toyokawa actually had no objection to this so-called engagement arrangement.

After all, he already knew that he would be Toyokawa Shoko's widower ten years later, so the timing of his engagement and marriage seemed somewhat insignificant.

"I don't know... what I think..."

She wasn't sure if she had any other feelings for Toyokawa Yuu besides dependence and possession.

Birds of a feather, accomplices, vampires... no matter how you look at these relationships, none of them are as pure and sincere as the relationship between one's own parents.

Rather, can they really develop any pure feelings for each other in just a few days of knowing each other?

No, the answer should already be obvious the moment you start thinking about it, rather than immediately getting the answer from your heart.

Raising her hand to gently cover her chest, Toyokawa Shoko's expression was somewhat bewildered.

If the sound of a heartbeat is the language of the soul, then Toyokawa Shoko felt that at this moment, her soul had become mute.

It throbbed meaninglessly, without making a sound.

"It's alright, you have plenty of time to think. I'll take care of dealing with the pressure from the Toyokawa family."

Looking at the expression on Toyokawa Shoko's face, Toyokawa Yuu immediately understood.

Originally, no one expected any genuine feelings to develop between the two, so Toyokawa Yuu was not surprised by the outcome. Moreover, what initially connected the two was not a simple hormonal surge.

"How can this be? How can we let you face this alone?"

Upon hearing Yuu Toyokawa's decision, Shoko Toyokawa immediately expressed her opposition.

If it were him, his grandfather might have given him some leeway, but if it were Youyu, he probably wouldn't have received such a gentle attitude.

"No need to refuse. These are terms that were agreed upon long ago. You create the future for me, and I will maintain the present for you."

When asked for help by Toyokawa Shoko, Toyokawa Yuu gently shook her head, her attitude gentle but firm.

He knew very well that bringing Toyokawa Shoko into the picture would indeed make things easier.

However, Toyokawa Yuu was not someone who lacked self-awareness.

After realizing that a few years from now, if Toyokawa Shoko wanted to, she could take away his assets without him having any power to resist, he understood that he could not continue to depend on her and leech off her.

Only by doing things yourself can you truly possess something that belongs to you.

He never minded using Toyokawa Shoko, leveraging her status as the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family, but that was mostly for his own benefit.

But now he understands that the benefits gained in this way are like rootless duckweed, easily blown away and causing him unnecessary emotions.

If you owe too much, you'll never be able to pay it back...

"Since you prefer this band, I'll do some of the things you don't want to do."

With Yuu Toyokawa's words echoing in her ears, Shoko Toyokawa's brows furrowed into a complex arc.

This was clearly just a deal that had been agreed upon long ago... that's all.

Chapter 86 Help Me, Yu Mu (8k)

Inside the Toyokawa family mansion, an elderly man with graying hair stood in his study, a vintage landline telephone on his desk that had been disconnected.

The study was dark, but the dim moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the gold patterns on the antique landline phone on the desk.

Toyokawa Sadaharu turned to look at the bright moon outside the window, his expression stiff and serious, lost in thought.

The dappled moonlight cast the reflections of the garden plants outside the window into the room, making the elderly man's already somewhat frail figure appear even more tired.

[Crack--]

The soft click of a switch being triggered spread through the quiet study, and the magnificent crystal chandelier lit up, its warm light swallowing the silvery sunlight streaming in from the window.

“I’m telling you, Mr. Dingzhi, you’re not that old. Don’t trust your eyesight so much. If you bump into something in the middle of the night without the lights on, Xiangzi and Youyujun will probably have to take over the reins sooner.”

A green-haired figure stood by the door, her fair fingertips resting on the light switch, her tone of voice ambiguous, whether it was a friendly reminder or a playful teasing.

The moon was already high in the sky, and even Tokyo office workers who often worked overtime should be heading home by now.

In any case, this is not a good time to make a visit.

In other words, since Minami Nami is here at this time, it's definitely not a normal visit.

"Although Xiangzi has moved out for the time being, it's too early for some people to try to seize power... Sen, there are some things I need you to do."

Turning around, Toyokawa Sadaharu looked at Mori Minami, who hadn't even knocked on the door, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness.

Ever since Toyokawa Kiyotaka was kicked out of the family and his most trusted helper was eliminated, Mori Minami, this junior, has become increasingly presumptuous in front of him.

Although the behavior just now could be explained by familiarity, Toyokawa Sadaharu, who had walked on thin ice his whole life, was more inclined to believe the former.

After all, with Mizuho's death, Qinggao's departure, and Xiangzi's runaway, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he, as the head of the family, is now all alone within the clan.

If it weren't for the fact that he himself distrusted those who had separated from the family over the years and had cultivated many of his own confidants within the various family businesses, the situation would probably be even more dire.

Even so, it didn't stop some people from having ulterior motives. Even Senmina, a junior who had received a lot of support and favors from him, started to become less polite.

However, Toyokawa Sadaharu is not worried that Mori Minami will rebel.

Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu were very close friends, and this relationship, cultivated since childhood, meant that the Wakaba family would never be able to leave Shoko in the future.

Moreover, even setting that aside, the relationship between Minami Mori and Mizuho Toyokawa is actually quite similar to that between Mutsumi Wakaba and Shoko Toyokawa now, except that their ways of getting along are different.

Even though Mizuho has passed away, it doesn't mean that the alliance of interests built up in the past will collapse in a short time. At most, it just means that some concessions will be made during the transition period before Shoko officially takes power.

As long as Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsuko don't run into any trouble in the future, the alliance of interests between the two families will not be a problem, and some concessions are not intolerable.

After all, even a family-level organization experiences ups and downs in its development. It's better for Ruoye to benefit from things that will eventually be used up than for others.

However, the benefits didn't come for free; Toyokawa Sadaharu also needed Mori Minami to do some things for him.

"So you're planning to personally arrange the work after so long. So, what can I do to help you, Mr. Sadaharu?"

Minami raised her hand to lightly cover her lips, her golden eyes, almost identical to those of Mutsuka Wakaba, narrowed with a slight curve of surprise.

However, this somewhat exaggerated demeanor seems to have an element of performance.

After all, she knew very well that Toyokawa Sadaharu hadn't invited her over for dinner; he definitely had some work for her to do.

“I just spoke with Yuu on the phone and told him to stop working with Xiangzi on that band and come back to the Fengchuan house… But he refused to obey my orders and insisted on staying with Xiangzi in that band.”

Toyokawa Sadaharu didn't take Mori Minami's somewhat exaggerated performance seriously.

The young man in front of me had indeed shown impeccable acting skills on screen, but his performance in real life was always a step behind.

Or rather, she is adept at using this kind of attitude, where the obvious flaws make it difficult to judge whether it is genuine or feigned, thus making it impossible for people to figure out what she is thinking.

"Oh my, this is really unexpected. You used to occasionally praise Yu-Yu-Jun's well-behavedness in front of me. Xiangzi's charm is really surprising. If he were to enter the entertainment industry, he would probably make me pale in comparison very soon."

This time, the surprise in Minami's eyes seemed much more genuine.