Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

And the child in her arms, could it be...?

Her and Kazama's future child?!

Before Nagasaki Motoyo could even be surprised, a series of hurried footsteps came from the doorway.

"Ah...you, what are you doing here?!"

With an extremely flustered and disheveled expression, Banami appeared at the bathroom door and rushed forward to snatch the photo from Suze's hand.

"What's going on with this photo?"

Su Shi raised her head blankly, venting all her doubts and confusion in the look she gave to Banami.

"Uh, that..."

Banami's response also became noticeably hesitant—yes, how was she supposed to answer that?

Why do I have a photo of your mother and Kazama? Or do I already know about the strained relationship between you two siblings?

No matter which answer you give, it will burn out the even smaller brain capacity inside little Banami's head.

However, before she could come up with an explanation, Su Shi, who had been staring intently at her, suddenly seemed to have figured it out on her own.

"I get it—this is that popular beauty filter that makes people look older, right?"

“………Eh?”

Banai saw that Miss was stunned.

It was obvious that Nagasaki Motoyo's own explanation was much more reasonable than what she had just come up with.

"You mean those filters that you put a photo into an app and it automatically recognizes your face and ages you up... right?"

Nagasaki Motoyo managed a weak smile. She desperately wanted Hachimi to agree with her theory, even though reason told her it was a flawed explanation.

"This kind of prank is no fun at all, Hanami-kun."

But rather than explanations like "I got your future photos, and you even married the person you hate most right now and had children," Nagasaki Motoyo prefers to believe that this was just a misunderstanding caused by the AI ​​camera.

"No, no, I didn't do that..."

Seeing that she seemed to have inexplicably become the target of a prank, Banami, unable to explain herself, could only shake her head in a completely unconvincing manner.

Of course, this explanation did nothing to lessen the suspicion in Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes.

Until a series of hurried footsteps suddenly approached and then disappeared into the distance.

It sounded like someone was running away down the corridor, and the sound of a girl sobbing uncontrollably reached their ears.

"...What just happened?"

"I do not know."

Both Su Shi and Banami simultaneously paused their truce and turned to look towards the door—

They saw the girl with long silver-blue hair running frantically down the corridor, but her figure disappeared around the corner of the hospital corridor along with her sobbing.

"Xiang... Xiangzi?"

Su Shi exclaimed in surprise, while Banami's expression was also somewhat puzzled.

No, didn't Nagasaki Motoyo just go to visit Kazama, who was bedridden, carrying bags of supplements?

Could it be...? (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the initial question.)

The detective's mind began to work again, and finally, with a slight squint, he uttered the possibility.

"That guy Kazama...did he really yell at that girl and make her cry?"

Volume Two

Who initiated the breakdown of Xiao Xiang in Chapter 1?

Okay, even Banami admits that her thoughts might be a bit off-topic.

Kazama isn't exactly the kind of gentle, loving male lead in a romantic comedy, but he's at least polite and courteous to girls. So, it's unlikely that Toyokawa Shoko left in tears because she was yelled at by Kazama.

"Yes, I'm the one who drove her away by scolding her."

The boy sitting on the hospital bed looked calm, while Banami, sitting next to him, had an incredulous expression.

Seriously? The tables have turned so quickly?

"Fa, what happened?"

Suze, who came with Banami, also had doubts and disbelief on her face. Clearly, in her eyes, Kazama wasn't the kind of guy who would treat girls so badly.

Kazama remained calm. He glanced at the two girls' curious and surprised expressions, then simply shrugged dismissively.

"Well... it's all Xiangzi's fault for saying some really ridiculous things."

Rewind to about ten minutes earlier, when Toyokawa Shoko very politely knocked on Kazama's door.

Although she came to visit with gifts, presumably to express her gratitude for Kazama saving her life, Toyokawa Shoko still didn't let go of her airs when thanking him.

"I never expected that after what happened, you would still save me without hesitation... I am very grateful for that. After all, if it weren't for your bravery, I might have stopped breathing by now."

Her initial words were polite and reasonable, but after Xiangzi placed the tonics and other gifts on the table, Xiao realized that Xiangzi's words were just a prelude to a more forceful attack.

"However... let's keep things separate. As for this life-saving favor, Kazama-kun, you can ask for whatever compensation you desire."

After being treated gently, Xiangzi's expression suddenly became serious and solemn.

"What I want to fight for, I will not give up to Kazama-kun."

I knew this guy wasn't just there to visit someone in the hospital.

"What were you trying to fight for?"

Kazama did not show much emotional fluctuation in response to Shoko's "declaration of war"; he simply calmly took a sip of the freshly brewed black tea.

"It's about Mutsu, and I also saw Chu Hua that day... Wait, this cup of black tea..."

Xiangzi, who originally intended to continue speaking confidently, was gradually drawn to the steaming cup of black tea in the boy's hand.

"Oh, it was a gift from Su Shi."

Kazama didn't intend to explain much, but simply clarified where the gift came from.

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko didn't say anything more, but her expression clearly worsened.

All of her former teammates stood beside the man in front of her—Kazama could understand her feelings to some extent, after all, he also felt bad when he saw his once close aunts only revolving around Xiangzi.

Well, you could only say that fortunes change.

He calmly took another sip of tea, ignoring Xiangzi's alternating pale and flushed face.

"Ahem, in short—what I want to say is that I am very grateful to Kazama-kun for saving my life, and I will do my best to meet your needs, no matter what it takes to make amends."

Xiangzi tried her best to regain her usual calm and composed expression, and waved her hand to express her opinion.

"However, whether it's Mutsu or Hatsuka... I've already decided to include them in the new band's lineup. If you want to play in a band with them, I'm sorry, but I'll be your competitor."

Toyokawa Shoko wasn't stupid; she had personally witnessed Hatsuka arrive from who-knows-where that day and embrace the dying Kazama right in front of her.

Then there's the matter of how I tried to contact Chu Hua to get her to join the new band, but Chu Hua kept dodging the question and didn't give me a direct answer—

Toyokawa Shoko roughly understood the relationship between the two people.

To put it in a worse light, could it be that Hatsuka's failure to respond to her request was because she was instructed by Kazama?

Regardless of the outcome, Toyokawa Shoko will not give up trying to make Hatsuka Kazumi her new teammate.

"I know it's somewhat inappropriate to say this now, but I think it's better for both of us to state our position in advance."

That's why she chose to make it clear to Kazama beforehand when she came to visit him in the hospital that she would absolutely not back down regarding the "ownership" of Mutsu and Hatsuka.

The boy on the hospital bed remained expressionless. He didn't respond to Xiangzi's words until he put down his teacup, which made her somewhat uneasy.

Kazama took the last sip of his black tea and put it back in its place.

"The compensation you're talking about, do you mean bringing the supplements and gifts your family bought on your behalf, having your elders reimburse you for this medical malpractice—and then using the Toyokawa family's wealth to give me material rewards in the future?"

He didn't show a serious expression; in fact, his expression was somewhat unserious, as if he had heard something funny.

"If I said that the compensation I want is Mutsu and Hatsuka, you definitely wouldn't be happy, Shoko. So what kind of compensation can the now-fallen heiress Toyokawa Shoko offer?"

Of course, Xiangzi's expression became increasingly unpleasant as he was teased.

"I'm developing a new plan... to launch a new band and make a splash in the market. If we succeed, their commercial value will definitely be just as high."

"I understand, so it's a pie in the sky."

Xiangzi's face darkened further.

I always felt that Kazama was contradicting her.

Okay, actually, Kazama has no doubt about Shoko's abilities. After all, someone who can make his aunts dream about him for decades must be no ordinary person.

In addition, no matter what she does, the Toyokawa family will always be there to bail her out.

"What about the rest of your companions?"

"I... I'm still looking... but these things don't take long, and I've pretty much got someone in mind..."

"In other words, they haven't agreed yet, it's not even close to happening."

"Woo..."

Kazama didn't know when he had become a complete denialist of Toyokawa Shoko, but all he knew was that Shoko's expression was getting uglier and uglier.

What was the initial band theme concept?

"I hope we can discuss these things together once the personnel are finalized..."

"What about the start-up capital?"

"I...I will try my best..."

　Yi Qi Liu yi Shan II Er 9 Er "Hey..."

Looking at the stubborn girl in front of him, Kazama sighed helplessly.

"You know that you can ask your family for help in times like this, there's no need to try to handle it all by yourself, right?"

Kazama wasn't really feeling sorry for Toyokawa Shoko's persistence when he said those words—he just felt that this guy would eventually need his family to bail him out.

"You always have to make mistakes, but that's not the case for others."

In Xiao's memory, neither Aunt Miaomeng nor Aunt Hailing were people who could act willfully or arbitrarily—this was determined by their family background.

"I just came to visit you in the hospital. What do you mean by saying these things, like you're lecturing or scolding me, Kazama?"

Perhaps annoyed by the constant questions, Xiangzi finally couldn't help but ask aloud.

"Who was it that tried to intimidate me from the start, trying to stop me from having any designs on her teammate's substitute?"

Kazama's smile remained calm, and seeing Shoko's angry, slightly itchy expression only fueled his playful side.

"Even if everything you just said succeeds, there's no guarantee your new band won't break up again like before—Miss, stop playing house and listen to your grandfather, get in your Maybach and go home."

"These things... are none of your business!"

Seemingly unable to bear the humiliation any longer, Toyokawa Shoko stormed out of the door with tears in her eyes.

Okay, Kazama admits that some of what he said was indeed a bit excessive.

But looking at Xiangzi's self-righteous and arrogant attitude, he really couldn't resist giving her a good beating—especially when he thought about how she would return to the Toyokawa family mansion with a long face after her business failed, which would only make the whole thing more ridiculous.

Besides, it was really interesting to see the arrogant Toyokawa Shoko suddenly turn into a soft and clingy little Shoko and run away with a mournful face. He couldn't give up this excellent choice at all.

"In short... that's the gist of it. If either of you wants to criticize me for not being gentle enough with her, feel free to say so."

Kazama shrugged, already mentally prepared to be judged by the two.

To everyone's surprise, when Hachiman saw Anzu nod to him, he then gave her a thumbs up without hesitation.

"Great...you did a good job, Kazama!"