Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"I will take them back with my own strength! I will become a leader that everyone recognizes—"

"And then what? Do you let them entrust the rest of their lives to you, and let you become their god?"

"...Yes, that's it."

Although Ms. Toyokawa bravely nodded and admitted her theism, it was still a little embarrassing to hear these words from someone else, and her ears turned slightly red without any backbone.

How can you say something so self-righteously when you know it's a declaration of adolescent delusions? Xiao Xiang, you rascal.

The ideal is wonderful, but unfortunately, this theory of divine intervention will not work.

Chapter Forty-Five: A Husband-and-Wife Shop? A Divorced Husband-and-Wife Shop

In conclusion, this was not the development that Shoko Toyokawa had anticipated.

She's already stolen all her former teammates, yet she's still not satisfied; she's even extending her wicked hand to her current teammates whom she values.

Kazama's crimes are too numerous to count.

It is also certain that we must completely defeat him.

"Originally, Kazama-kun wasn't included in my proposal. So I don't need to be responsible for your life, you understand that, right?"

Xiangzi's gaze was aggressive; she practically had "you weren't invited" written all over her face.

"The merciful gods are determined to take responsibility for the rest of mortal lives—but am I not even among these mortals? Interesting."

Instead of being angry, Kazama laughed and even clapped his hands with great interest.

"But if it weren't for me, those two wouldn't have accepted your invitation, Xiangzi."

Xiangzi was as trembling as a feline about to have its prey snatched away by its own kind, while Kazama seemed much more at ease in comparison.

"If I were even more of a jerk, I might as well just kick you out."

"This……"

Xiangzi's exaggerated gestures were somewhat stiff.

"This is the newly established Ave Mujica. The one who should get out is you, Toyokawa Shoko, right?"

"This plan of yours is something I've poured my heart and soul into!"

"Thank you for your planning. It's very easy to use."

"Ugh—you're so unreasonable!!"

Miss Xiangzi, who was well-mannered but not good at arguing with others, almost burst into tears.

She simply couldn't understand how such a shameless and proud person could exist in the world.

Oh dear, you're just teasing them.

Hailing and Miaomeng, standing to the side, immediately saw through Kazama's smiling face, realizing he was just teasing Xiangzi. The two of them tacitly avoided getting involved in the confrontation between the two.

"No, I can't allow you to ruin my plans! Go back to where you came from. I don't need your help; I can earn Hai Ling and Miss Miao Meng's recognition of my abilities on my own!"

Ms. Toyokawa Shoko is so engrossed in her own thoughts that she can't extricate herself.

Just as she was asserting her dominance like a divorced woman fighting for custody, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang, as if it had read her mind.

"……Hey."

Upon seeing the caller's name, Xiangzi's expression changed.

The person who got through to her on the phone was none other than her maternal grandfather, Toyokawa Sadaharu.

"Since you've made up your mind to continue playing house, you have to pay a price, don't you think, Xiangzi?"

Grandpa didn't spell it out directly, but he still subtly indicated the purpose of his call.

"...Do you know what I'm doing right now?!"

Xiangzi's pupils contracted slightly. She looked at Kazama, then at Hailing and Miss Miaomeng, and finally scanned the room several times with a somewhat frightened gaze.

“I know what you’re doing. If Kazama is watching over you, I can tolerate your freedom for a while longer, but don’t take my turning a blind eye as a license to continue being willful.”

The call was very short; Sadaharu hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.

"........."

Xiangzi gritted his teeth in frustration for a long time before finally putting down his phone, his face pale.

"So what? Are you going to slam the door and leave again, leaving Ave Mujica for me to manage, or are you going to pretend to be at peace with me for now, and try to take back everything that originally belonged to you one day?"

Kazama waited until she had adjusted her mindset before shrugging and asking the question—he believed he had already shown Shoko enough tenderness and consideration.

"Why did he know you existed...?"

Little did anyone know that Xiangzi would follow suit and directly avoid this incisive question, answering the question with a question, just as Kazama had done before.

When he looked up again, Xiangzi's bright amber eyes were filled with indignation and confusion—and even a little bit of grievance.

"So, Kazama-kun, you're actually someone sent by your clan to obstruct me?!"

She originally thought that the conflict between herself and Kazama was merely a disagreement or incompatibility between individuals.

But if Kazama was sent by his grandfather, then the nature of their conflict becomes completely different.

They had agreed to a fair and real duel, but the guy who agreed to the duel suddenly pulled out an authoritative figure who could vouch for him and use that to his advantage—this was something Xiangzi couldn't accept at all.

"If that's the case, then you can't even refute my theory as openly and honestly as you claim, can you?"

Xiangzi no longer cared about his image in Miaomeng and Hailing's eyes. With his face flushed, he spoke his true feelings in a strong and resounding voice.

For some reason, she still felt an indescribable sense of betrayal.

Although she had always considered Kazama an adversary within the enemy camp, she had never connected the boy in front of her with the Toyokawa family's power.

If I had to say, Kazama is the enemy that Toyokawa Shoko must defeat if she wants to live her own life.

It is also the benchmark she uses to evaluate the results of her efforts.

Xiangzi had never imagined that his "arch-enemy," who was only his own, would have such an inextricable relationship with the family he wanted to escape.

This is why, in addition to her resentment, she felt somewhat lost and "betrayed."

Faced with Xiangzi's expression, as if she had been severely betrayed by a scumbag and a heartless man, Kazama could only shake his head helplessly.

“I’ve noticed that you two, grandfather and grandson, both like to impose your own views and wishes on others.”

He cleared his throat and then answered Xiangzi's question directly.

"I have no interest in or desire to meddle in the Toyokawa family's trivial matters. If you can't accept your own incompetence, turning around and leaving now would be the best outcome, wouldn't it?"

"...You're using reverse psychology!"

"Oh dear, I thought Miss Xiangzi, who's so angry she's throwing a tantrum like a child, wouldn't even realize this is a provocation. It seems you still have some sense left. Can you use your remaining rationality to think about this: if I really did reach a cooperation agreement with your dear grandfather, wouldn't it be a win-win situation if we just kicked you out of the band?"

"Well………"

Xiangzi pouted. She had finally calmed down a little and had a moment to think about what her grandfather had just said.

Shoko Toyokawa is now like a duck forced onto a shelf, forced to choose between "obeying her grandfather and going home" and "becoming friends with Kazama".

"Have you calmed down? Then make your choice, Miss Xiangzi."

The boy, whose smile remained bright and handsome, tilted his head, his smile calm as if he had long anticipated that Xiangzi would encounter such a dilemma.

Hai Ling, who had been standing beside the two observing from beginning to end, remained silent, but her expression shifted slightly.

"Was this part of your calculations, Akatsuki-chan?!"

Instead, Miss Meow Dream suddenly made a surprising statement, getting herself involved in the mess.

Chapter 46 Your Chu Hua and Xiao Mu are mine.

"Was this part of your calculations, Akatsuki-chan?!"

While tilting her head and asking a question in her signature sweet voice, Meow Dream poked Kazama's shoulder with her finger, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Hey, now we only have two options left for Xiaoxiang~ Xiaojiang, you're really wicked."

Miss Meow Dream toned down her cloyingly sweet voice and shifted her intrigued gaze from Kazama to Shoko's face.

Her beautiful face was filled with complex emotions that shifted between light and shadow, and it seemed that reason was gradually taking over from indignation.

Now is the moment for Toyokawa Shoko to demonstrate her determination once again.

Unable to bear this humiliation any longer, he slammed the door and stormed out, severing all ties with Feng Jian once more.

We should endure the humiliation for now, believing that even when we seem to have reached a dead end, a new path will open up before us.

Actually, there's nothing difficult to choose.

"……I see."

After suppressing the churning emotions in her stomach, the silver-blue-haired girl took a deep breath.

“I will make full use of your assistance, Kazama-kun.”

Toyokawa Shoko is not one to beat around the bush or scheme against others, so she speaks her mind directly and brings her blatant warnings to the forefront.

"However, don't even think that you can undermine my control and management of this group."

This is not a provocation, but a solemn declaration.

“I need this team, so I will absolutely not relinquish control of it to you.”

Faced with Xiangzi's straightforward warning, Kazama simply listened patiently to her words before a smile appeared on his lips.

"Oh my, your customer service training courses teach this?"

"you--"

With just a sarcastic remark, he effortlessly defused the aggressive warning from customer service representative Xiao Xiang.

"I think you should refrain from making these kinds of promises, Miss Xiangzi. Real weapons are always more intimidating than empty talk, aren't they?"

"Hmph, what do you want now? If you want to compete with me, I'll be happy to oblige in any aspect!"

Even if the situation had just eased up a little, Kazama and Shoko, who couldn't stand each other, could always make the atmosphere tense again in the next second.

Seeing that the two were still at odds, Hachiman Kairin sighed deeply.

"I felt like we were in a courtroom where a middle-aged couple was going through a divorce."

She was, of course, making this remark to Miaomeng, who was watching the show with great interest.

"Who do you think we'll be sentenced to?"

"Pfft, is she comparing herself to Xiao-chan and Xiao-xiang's child? Hai-ling-chan seems so serious, how could she make a joke like this?"

　 Er Yi 3 [ (V) 卄琦久柳珊'倭越.漪喵梦老师 was so happy that she almost burst out laughing.

"No, actually, I think Kazama-kun is more like an old father who is using reverse psychology to educate his daughter."

"Oh, actually, I feel the same way. But Xiao Xiang definitely wouldn't like it if she heard me say that, so let's just keep this to ourselves in private~"

"Of course I know about this."

"Oh dear~ I actually think their relationship might be pretty good. If we're talking about middle-aged couples, they'd feel nauseous for three months just from kissing, how could they keep bickering like this?"

Teacher Miaomeng's understanding of the relationship between Kazama and Shoko seems to be a little different from that of ordinary people... Maybe she just likes this kind of thing?

"Ah~ that's the taste of a fierce rivalry."

A nemesis... a nemesis is a nemesis, how can a nemesis become a wife...

"Ha... I hope so."

Hai Ling raised an eyebrow, somewhat speechless. She knew that Teacher Miao Meng was unreliable.

Meanwhile, the argument between Kazama and Shoko seems to have pointed in a clear direction.

"Fine, since you, Kazama-kun, think I haven't made any effective contributions and don't deserve to be the captain of Ave Mujica—"

"Hold on, did I just say that?"

"Please don't interrupt me! And even if you didn't say it that way, that's the meaning you're getting!"