Losing money, mygo, what does it mean that I really lost money?

He glanced outside at LiveHose and saw that it had started to drizzle, the sky shrouded in a somber pale blue. He gave Nakamachi Arale an umbrella and then hailed a taxi, saying, "We'll need it on the way back."

Go check out Crychic's disbandment.

Main text: Chapter 24 (Chapter 23) Crychic: The Last Rain

Say something.

Jin Zhaozhi once wanted to invest in Crychic, so let's see how it develops after he invests in it.

Strry store manager Ijichi Seika naturally noticed Imaizumi and her companion heading straight out. She wanted to persuade them to stay and watch a game, but noticing the girl's unhappy expression, she remained silent.

The taxi stopped in front of the Momiji Cafe. Imai took out four 1,000 yen bills and handed them to the driver. Then, he and Nakamachi Arale opened the car door together.

That's why he wanted to buy a government vehicle; taxis in Japan are ridiculously expensive.

"The rain is so heavy."

Arale Nakamachi looked up at the sky.

At this moment, Toshima Ward in Tokyo was already soaked by the rain. The rain shrouded the old streets in mist, and the raindrops were so dense that it was difficult to see the road. The neon lights hung high and flickered.

She shook her head, like a wet cat trying to shake off the water droplets, and took out the coffee shop key from her bag, only to find that the lock had been opened and a water stain had spread into the coffee shop.

"Someone has come in with a key."

"Nakamachi Arale said in a low voice."

She locked the door when she left.

She and Imaizumi both had times when they left the coffee shop, so the Momiji Coffee Shop was usually closed. She gave each of the other four members of Crychic a spare key.

Second floor of Hongye Coffee Shop.

When Jin Zhao arrived, he and Nakamachi Arale happened to see Toyokawa Shoko push away Nagasaki Motoyo's hand that was offering a towel. "I'm here today to talk about something."

Hearing this, she turned around and glanced at the two of them. Her resolute gaze softened slightly. "Manager and Arale, you're here too... Let me say it again, I'm leaving Crychic."

Shoko Toyokawa was soaked to the bone. Her once neatly styled light blue twin ponytails were now dripping wet and hanging down, and her elegant dress was completely drenched.

"Huh?" Nagasaki Motoyo swallowed back the words she was about to say.

Imaizumi and Nakamachi Arale exchanged a glance.

He said, "Since it's about the band, I'll excuse myself for now."

Without even guessing, he knew it was just some back-and-forth between student bands, and he had no interest in leaving or disbanding. The only thing worth investigating was why Toyokawa Shoko wasn't in her Maybach.

"No, store manager, you're essentially Arale's manager, this matter is related to her..."

“Alright.” Imaizumi sighed softly.

He didn't actually care about Crychic's situation at all.

Even considering poaching members after Crychic disbands, only drummer Shiina Tatsuki counts as half a possibility. Toyokawa Shoko has already said she's leaving the band, but Wakaba Mutsumi is still staring out the window, expressionless. He can't imagine Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsumi becoming virtual YouTubers; he simply can't picture it.

"Wait a minute, at least sit down and talk, okay?"

Nagasaki Motoyo was finally at a loss. She looked at Toyokawa Shoko with pleading eyes, but the other woman didn't look at her directly. "Can you tell us the reason? Or are we the reason?"

He then looked at Shiina Tatsuki, but Shiina Tatsuki also turned her head away.

Toyokawa Shoko crossed her arms, avoiding everyone's gaze: "...It's my own problem."

"Why? Everyone had a great time at last week's performance..." Nagasaki Motoyo tried to persuade her to stay a few more times, but to no avail. Toyokawa Shoko rejected her coldly each time.

Toyokawa Shoko's unusual behavior caught the attention of Ima Teruyuki.

Was it because her father, Toyokawa Kiyoshi, resigned after incurring a loss of 168 billion yen that this young lady's personality changed so drastically? From a gentle monster at the beginning, she has now become a cold, prickly hedgehog.

Finally, when Nagasaki Motoyo said, "But Shoko, you are the founder of Crychic. If you quit...", Toyokawa Shoko finally reacted, looking a little aggrieved and sad.

Then, it was ruined by Shiina Ritsuki:

"Isn't that incredibly irresponsible? We've been waiting for you here every day. Even if you weren't coming, why did you only tell Nagasaki Motoyo? Now you're just casually leaving. What do you take us for?"

Her gaze was fixed on Arale Nakamachi; "we" referred to her.

The sadness in Toyokawa Shoko's eyes disappeared.

The hedgehog's quills, which it had just retracted, started sticking out again, pricking people:

"It's my freedom to do what I want, just as it's your freedom to participate or not. Besides, it's just a normal band member change. How many bands can stay with their original members forever? And you guys didn't even practice, did you? I don't see any so-called appreciation..."

"Huh? I practice with Arale every day. How can someone who never practices at all so casually imagine situations they've never even seen before?"

"Then why don't you just continue practicing with her! Your statement is contradictory. Isn't it fine without me? To make things more convenient for you, I can just quit!"

Toyokawa Shoko's voice was high-pitched and shrill.

“Xiao Xiang…” Ruoye Mu finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

Toyokawa Shoko's emotions were far more intense than she and everyone else present had imagined.

Jin Zhaozhi couldn't stand it anymore:

"Stop for a second! You're not communicating anymore, you're just arguing! Arguing won't get you anywhere, especially since it's completely irrational."

Toyokawa Shoko gave three reasons, which were entirely based on her emotional state. Simply put, she was provoked by Shiina Tatsuki's words. She was unwilling to admit that she was wrong, and coupled with her feeling that she was the wronged party, she exploded emotionally after being reasonably criticized, and started attacking everyone she saw.

Shiina Tatsuki was also the trigger for Shoko's emotional outburst. Even if she hadn't said a word, Shoko might have been slowly comforted by Nagasaki Motoyo, but she chose to confront Shoko head-on!

"and!"

Toyokawa Shoko's gaze swept across the practice room, like a gambler who had lost everything and finally found something new to sell. "Mutsu, you give your opinion on the band's level! They're completely unqualified to stand on stage, right? Crychic, they're not good enough!"

"What are you saying, you idiot!"

Shiina Tatsuki couldn't hold back any longer; he was clearly furious.

The pale green-clad girl, upon hearing her question, seemed to feel a tangible sting.

She closed her eyes in pain, involuntarily clutching her head with both hands: "Xiang, I don't know... No, it wasn't me... I never felt happy playing in a band..."

"...Mu?"

Toyokawa Shoko subconsciously took two steps back, as if she had regained her usual clarity.

She suddenly realized that the practice room had changed.

Shiina Ritsuki gritted her teeth, Nagasaki Motoyo nervously hugged her shoulders, and Wakaba Mutsu covered her head tightly. Even Hatsuka, who had always supported her, looked at her with an indescribable gaze.

Noticing her gaze, she timidly stepped aside and stood behind Jin Zhaozhi.

Toyokawa Shoko successfully tormented everyone, taking less than 10 minutes to go from Crychic's team spirit to the other extreme, with heartwarming scenes from Crychic flashing back and forth.

"...!"

And so, Toyokawa Shoko ran away.

Main text: Chapter 25 (Chapter 24) You know, I have high hopes for Xiao Xiang.

There is an old Chinese saying.

Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.

As Toyokawa Shoko hurriedly fled, leaving the practice room in a mess, Ima Teruyuki pulled out a business card from his sleeve—a card he had prepared while watching a play. "Take this. It's the agency's contact information."

The way a person disbands their band reveals a lot about their character, and Toyokawa Shoko's current state is utterly disastrous. Whether it's her perfectionism or her pride, she has destroyed her own creed and relationships in a near-self-destructive way.

Toyokawa Shojiko is currently experiencing a low point and a difficult period that may be hard to imagine in the entire career of the four young ladies, and she may also be implicated because of her father, Toyokawa Kiyoko. Others may avoid her like the plague, but Teruyuki believes that this is actually the best time for him to enter the market as an angel investor.

You know, he has always admired Xiao Xiang.

Jin Zhaozhi was happy to invest in her, given her musical talent that he admired. Besides, how could he make money if he wasn't bold? Would the Toyokawa family really cheat him a second time?

Therefore, he boldly extended an olive branch to Toyokawa Shoko.

The eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family hesitated, her aloofness making her instinctively want to shake off the offer. However, her hand honestly accepted the business card from ExElio Agency's president, Teruyuki Imaizumi, and placed it into a rare dry pocket on her clothes. She glanced back at Imaizumi and Arale before hurrying away.

Their subtle actions went unnoticed by the others.

"Xiao Xiang!"

Nagasaki Motoyo reached out her hand, but she couldn't stop the figure that was hastily fleeing.

She wanted to pull her hand back, but didn't know what to do.

She pursed her lips, glanced back at Wakaba Mutsuki, who was clutching her head, with a broken look in her eyes, slung her bass over her shoulder, and was clearly preparing to leave. As she passed Imaizumi, she lowered her head slightly.

"Sorry... I'm being laughed at."

Jin Zhaozhi said, "This often happens in bands, and I'll get over it later."

"I know, but I can't do it."

Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes were red, and her voice was completely different from her usual deliberately aloof tone; perhaps this was her true voice. "I'm sorry, manager. I'm sorry, Kore... I'll go and talk to her..."

She dared not look at Arale Nakamachi, nor at anyone else.

The brown-haired bassist also disappeared into the practice room.

The practice room was a complete mess, and it was Jin Zhaozhi who cleaned up the mess.

"Is Miss Wakaba over there alright?"

As he spoke, Jiu Ruo Ye Mu, like a puppet connected by strings, slowly stood up, her limbs moving like a machine. Maintaining this movement, she moved step by step.

"..." Jin Zhao stepped aside to make way.

He was truly amazed.

He had never seen a scene like this before, with the girls in the band arguing and breaking up. It was truly a rare and precious sight.

Although he lacked empathy, he felt that if he were to use the first generation of his agency to film a short drama in the future, he could completely imitate the plot he had seen to create the script and generate a lot of hype.

The last one left in the practice room was Shiina Tatsuki.

She was silent for a moment, then explained and apologized, "I'm sorry, I just can't stand this person's attitude. She was clearly in the wrong first, yet she's making baseless accusations here. Is this the attitude of a band leader? Criticizing the band for not being good enough is even worse...it's just awful."

"I can understand you."

Jin Zhaozhi slowly nodded.

He said, "Sometimes, people's behavior when they get angry is completely unpredictable. Toyokawa Shoko was just in that situation and that kind of person. She may have had her own difficulties, but that is not a reason to hurt other people. She even almost attacked Nakamachi Arale."

Arale Nakamachi played with a strand of golden hair on the side of her cheek, gazing at the traffic lights in the distance.

"...Thank you, I'm glad you understand, there's nothing more to say."

Shiina Ritsuki's voice was deep as he looked at Nakamachi Arale, "Your real name is Hatsuka, right? I've heard that guy call you that... Fine, I'll call you Arale too. This band must have ended by now, are you going to form a band with the others from the manager's agency?"

"It should be 7●驷←韭≮）+ˉ!￥扒,→蒐索〗n: right? Let's wait for the official announcement from ExElio's agency."

"Keep it up, don't let that guy look down on you. Even if she's not good enough, the one who's not good enough is definitely herself."

Shiina Tatsuki gave Nakamachi Arale a word of encouragement before leaving.

Jin Zhaozhi called out to her, "Come and help me tidy up. This practice room probably won't be rented out again in the future. The equipment will probably be dismantled and used for my future investment in LiveHose."

“Okay.” Arale Nakamachi nodded, and after a long pause, she managed to utter a metaphor that she wasn’t sure was appropriate, “This group of people is like a school of lost fish; I completely can’t understand how things got to this point. Whether it’s Toyokawa Shoko or anyone else…”

“It started when Toyokawa Shoko didn’t explain why she left the team.”

"Hmm... so, what could her reason be?"

"I don't really understand it either. Chu Hua, you've seen the news about the Toyokawa zaibatsu. It's just that Toyokawa Shoko's father was defrauded of 168 billion yen and resigned. For him, he can make up for the money himself. Resigning doesn't mean he's fallen out of the rich class, and this loss has nothing to do with Toyokawa Shoko. Maybe there's something else going on."

Ima Teruyuki is analyzing things for Nakamachi Arale.

No matter how pathetic or incompetent Toyokawa Kiyoko may seem, he's still a son-in-law, and he'll still receive the treatment he's entitled to. The real world isn't a short drama; as the president of Toyokawa Real Estate, he certainly has ample funds at his disposal.

Moreover, the Toyokawa zaibatsu has a very special way of succession. According to their rules, Toyokawa Shoko is a sure-fire successor, and even if Toyokawa Kiyoshi falls from grace, it should not affect her status.

As Jinzuru put the stool back in its place by the window, he noticed that Wakaba Mutsu was still downstairs in the rain. Her pale green hair was plastered to her cheeks, and it was clear that something in her heart was broken.

She didn't get on the bus until she was soaked to the bone, just like Toyokawa Shoko, with rain streaming down her face.

"Forget it, I won't speculate about the chaebols anymore. Who knows what these young ladies and actresses' daughters are thinking?" Jin Zhaozhi gave up thinking and focused on tidying up the various things in the practice room, as well as the water stains.

Anyway, he's business-minded. Toyokawa Shoko has high commercial value, but his character is questionable.

He only wanted to make money off Toyokawa Shoko.

He opened the Tokyo Stock Exchange software and saw that Toyokawa Real Estate's stock price was gradually stabilizing. After so many days, it had only depreciated by 40%, and he had lost about 20 million yen, which wasn't a lot.

Ps*Ple earned over a million yen with their first limited-time B-series release, and then their popularity began to rise.

Moreover, he hasn't even played his virtual streamer card yet.