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

……

Momiji Cafe, Toshima Ward, Tokyo.

A Maybach was parked on the side of the street.

"Earl Grey tea. Please enjoy."

Arale Nakamachi served Toyokawa Shoko a cup of black tea, then covered the wooden tray to her chest.

The elegant young lady with pigtails, dressed in light blue, politely thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Desw."

Arale Nakamachi felt a little overwhelmed by the way Arale's amber eyes were staring at her. There was no mistake, she looked exactly like the young lady Toyokawa she had known since childhood.

As for why I brought her to the Red Leaf Cafe...

When her vocal lesson ended, Arale Nakamachi originally planned to go home to rest, but she wanted to contact Shoko Toyokawa to see if she could offer any help to the manager's talent agency.

Although she appears shy and insecure like a typical islander in front of the shop manager, she's a completely different person when she's with people she knows well. On her hometown island, Misaka Chuka is a sunny and cheerful girl, loved by the vast majority of the islanders.

As it happened, Toyokawa Shoko seemed to remember her and wanted to get to know her, so she accepted her invitation.

After elegantly taking two sips of Earl Grey tea, she couldn't wait to speak with delight: ○‖

"Chu Hua, I didn't expect you to come to Tokyo!"

"I've always wanted to meet you, Xiangzi."

"Just call me Xiao Xiang!"

Toyokawa Shoko's eyes sparkled.

She has a warm and accepting temperament, and she might even be able to influence autistic children who only pick up stones. This made Nakamachi Arale, who is also positioned as a "little sun", feel awkward seeing her past self.

So this is what she felt like on the island?

Toyokawa Shoko pulled her down to sit, and couldn't wait to speak: "Hatsuka, do you remember the night before I left? It was the first time I had ever known so many new things, and I was so happy to meet you..."

"..."

Arale Nakamachi didn't know how to describe the feeling of this little sun shining indiscriminately.

And at night? She thought about it; she should have only taken the young lady around the island during the day. After all, that was a long time ago; the young lady was probably mistaken. Tokyo was much more exciting than the cramped island.

Unlike her older sister, who tends to keep things to herself, Arale Nakamachi is straightforward and outspoken. Fortunately, the big city of Tokyo helps her overcome this flaw and become more like her older sister.

"To work for the shop manager's agency, and to befriend the young lady..." she silently pondered, repeating her goal.

She navigated through Toyokawa Shoko's layers of memories, and it seemed to her to be the same Hatsuka who had spent such a wonderful night with her.

Finally, Toyokawa Shoko brought up the two of them:

"Chuhua, are you going there to form a band too?"

"There" refers to that overly luxurious private vocal school.

"Huh? Xiao Xiang, do you have a band?"

"Yeah! I'm planning to form a band called Crychic. We currently have a bassist who switched from cello, a guitarist (my good friend), and I'm the keyboardist! We don't have a vocalist or drummer yet."

Shoko Toyokawa happily introduced her friends, then cast an expectant look at Arale Nakamachi, "Hatsuka, are you in the vocal class? Are you going to join my band Crychic and become the lead singer, Hatsuka?"

Main text: Chapter 7, C-group lead vocalist, Mitsuba Hatsuka.

"Want to join your band? I..."

Arale Nakama instinctively tightened her grip on her phone.

Joining the band would mean deepening her connection with Toyokawa Shoko. But she had already agreed to become the shop manager's performer; wouldn't joining the band abruptly disrupt the manager's plans?

Therefore, she spoke cautiously:

"Um, I'd like to ask the store manager first. It seems he's still at the firm."

"A firm?" Toyokawa Shoko blinked.

"Yeah, it's an idol agency. I'm a trainee artist at their agency. Maybe they're planning to let me join another band or something. I want to check first."

"Wow, that's amazing! I knew you'd become an idol, Chu Hua!"

Toyokawa Shoko didn't care at all that Crychic was an option; instead, she continued to praise Arale, her words brimming with excitement, practically ready to wave a glow stick at WTA.

Arale Nakama was somewhat surprised; she actually remembered her childhood dream of becoming an idol? Not only was she the daughter of a powerful conglomerate, but her personal charm shone through in every little detail—it was simply…

Just like the bewitching monsters in the story.

Arale Nakama excused herself to the light blue monster, gave her a pastry, and then slipped into the coffee shop's break room to call Teruyuki Ima.

Furthermore, she "inadvertently" mentioned the identity of Toyokawa Shoko.

On the other side, Jin Zhaozhi understood her unspoken meaning and chuckled inwardly, but did not show it.

Arale's contact with the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family was indeed somewhat unexpected for him, but his approach to the Toyokawa family began with Toyokawa Real Estate. Toyokawa Seika was criticized for his incompetence, and in his view, he was merely the mastermind behind the old man's schemes. He wanted to directly invest in Toyokawa Shoko's father.

He said, "Of course you can join. Student bands usually don't last long, so just treat it as a learning experience and a chance to gain experience. Besides, you'll need the company of peers in Tokyo, so even if you're not an artist, I would recommend you join a band where everyone is your age."

"I understand!" Arale nodded.

After informing Toyokawa Shoko of the results, Toyokawa Shoko was overjoyed and held her hand tightly, saying, "That's wonderful! With Hatsuka, the Crychic puzzle is now complete! Welcome to Crychic, Hatsuka!"

"I'm so happy too. That's great!"

Arale Nakama propped her chin on her hand and smiled politely.

Just like what Toyokawa Shoko saw when she was a child.

Completely disregarding the unladylike residue of pastries still on her lips, she excitedly discussed:

"These seven things: lead vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, and I can also find a drummer... If we all come together, we'll be a five-person band, a community of shared destiny! Chuhua, you have a foundation in island songs, and I can even add Ryukyu-style scale passages to let you showcase your unique voice!"

Island singing style is a unique singing style that originated in Okinawa, Japan. It can be simply understood as a folk singing style that relies on technical skill. It sounds ethereal and melodious, leaving a lasting impression.

Kousuke Atari, who sang for the anime "Natsume's Book of Friends" many times, became famous for his island-style singing. Jay Chou's "Flower Sea" also uses the island-style singing.

Arale laughed:

"As long as I can be with Xiao Xiang, that's enough."

Shoko Toyokawa ignored the strange undertone in her reply and tapped her phone: "I'll message the others right now! Hatsuka, if this coffee shop has a stage for live music, does it have a rehearsal room?"

"Yes. This coffee shop was originally used as a rest area for the band from LiveHose next door, so there is a rehearsal room on the second floor that PoppinPrty also used."

Arale Nakama brought Shoko Toyokawa to the rehearsal room.

Pushing open the door reveals a window facing the street's greenery, offering views of the street, traffic lights, and the now-closed SPCE.

“It’s really beautiful.”

Shoko Toyokawa first sighed, then became very interested, "Are there any reserved spots in the practice room? And there's a LiveHose, so the band performance could be held there?"

"LiveHose has decided to close down, so there aren't many people coming to the coffee shop anymore. If you want, this practice room can be left to us indefinitely."

Arale Nakama, who is also in charge of scheduling practice rooms at the store, said.

Without giving it much thought, Toyokawa Shoko busied herself sending messages on her phone to contact other people, while also arranging for a delivery truck to help them transport their instruments, such as the drum set.

All she knew was that her band had completed the last piece of the puzzle and now had their own base.

Some time later, the rest of Crychic arrived, including Imaizumi, who looked somewhat tired after finishing up many things at the firm.

He was quite interested in the first artist's band.

Unfortunately, he couldn't fit into the group of young female students in the band, and he didn't feel comfortable directly asking for investment. Commercially successful student bands are extremely rare, and it would be a shame if he broke up a few members' bands.

"Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please come to the lounge to find me."

He casually glanced at the band members, a smile on his face, and offered them pastries.

A quiet girl with long, light green hair, carrying a guitar on her back.

The drummer, arms crossed, scrutinized Nakama Arale.

A brown-haired bassist wearing the same school uniform as Shoko Toyokawa and the guitarist. Part Two

Hmm, they all look pretty good, with a different feel than ordinary student bands. Even Ima Teruyuki, who was meeting them for the first time, could tell that they were brought together by Toyokawa Shoko.

A student band with a wealthy heiress like Toyokawa Shoko probably survives much longer than other more playful bands. What problem couldn't she, the heiress, solve? (Sugi)

"These are practice pieces. If you have any questions, you can ask Ps*Ple. They are also your colleagues and seniors." He handed several practice pieces to Nakama Arale, then left the coffee shop to go home and rest.

He's worked enough for today; it's time for the working class to take a break. Initially, for convenience, his residence was also in Toshima Ward, Mejiro 2-chome, not far from the Chitose Pedestrian Bridge.

As I walked, I saw a girl gazing at the spring scenery from the bridge, holding a notebook in her hands. As if sensing that Jin Zhaozhi was watching her, she timidly glanced at me. Their eyes met for only a very short time before she looked away and ran home as if fleeing.

She went home in the exact same direction as Jin Zhaozhi.

"..."

Jin Zhaozhi fell into deep thought. Would it be a bad idea to just follow them like that? But his home was indeed in that upscale apartment building; he couldn't just not go home.

So he waited until the hamster-like girl disappeared before slowly walking back.

He had already memorized the neighborhood when he moved into his new apartment and gave gifts to his neighbors. He could find out where the girl lived anytime he wanted... though it probably wouldn't do him any good anyway.

You could try contacting them; maybe you could become an artist under their agency?

Main text: Chapter 9, Chapter 8 was amazing, desw

When Jin Zhaozhi returned to the apartment building, he happened to hear the door close.

Following the sound upstairs, I saw the nameplate on the door read "Gao Song".

If he remembered correctly, when he visited this family, he also learned by chance that Mr. Takamatsu had a daughter named Takamatsu Akari, who was studying at Hanasakigawa Junior High School and was preparing to go on to study at Haneoka.

Is this the same person, Akari Takamatsu, who lives in Mejiro 2-chome, Toshima Ward, and whose house overlooks the Chitose Hover Bridge?

He casually skimmed through her information, then continued upstairs to his rented apartment, contemplating changing his address. He had his eye on a high-end duplex apartment in Roppongi, with a hefty rent. Once he made some money with Toyokawa Realty, he could finally move in comfortably.

He envisioned a bright future and began searching for Toyokawa real estate.

And on the other side.

Inside the Red Leaf Coffee Shop.

"Ah! It's out! It's out!"

A delicate gasp came from behind the bar.

Shoko Toyokawa stood around Arale, watching with curiosity as she skillfully prepared a cup of pre-made Earl Grey tea, which she then served to a brown-haired lady named Tsukimori.

"So there's a coffee shop like this not far from Moon Forest."

She smiled politely, "It would be so convenient to use this as a rehearsal room. Circle is always fully booked, this place is much better."

The brown-haired Miss Tsukimori seems to possess even more of Tsukimori's aura than Toyokawa Shoko; her voice is very refined. If Arale were to describe it, she could only think of the Tsukimori accent.

What's wrong with the people in Moon Forest? One young lady has a verbal tic, and the other just doesn't know how to speak properly...

Arale Nakamachi felt a little figure swaying in her heart.

Shoko Toyokawa introduced her, saying, "She's a classmate of Motoyo Nagasaki, and she plays bass. She plays double bass in the brass band, and I saw her perform at the Tsukinomori Music Festival before..."

Arale Nakamachi glanced at the cool girl next to her. Her eyes were unique, a deep purple color—perhaps what the shop manager meant by "star quality." She was a natural-born star.

However, the way she looked at me was somewhat unfriendly.

"...Well, it's less about being unfriendly and more about wanting to improve and therefore doubting whether your teammates might be holding you back...No, that's what being unfriendly is..."

Arale Nakamachi's facial expression remained unchanged, but her right hand under the table was actually making a crazy sarcastic remark.

"This is Shiina Tatsuki, the drummer..." After introducing Nagasaki Motoyo, Toyokawa Shoko then introduced the drummer Shiina Tatsuki and the guitarist Wakaba Mutsumi.

“Ritsuki’s older sister is a remarkable person, she…” Nagasaki Motoyo chimed in, immediately eliciting a yawn from Shiina Ritsuki.

Does it have anything to do with the present?

When Shiina Tatsuki's older sister was mentioned, she became even more upset, which was noticed by Nakamachi Arale. Nagasaki Motoyo realized what she had said wrong and quickly apologized.

As for Wakaba Mutsu, nothing could be discerned, because she didn't speak or show any expression. Her only physical gesture was shaking her head when Toyokawa Shoko praised her guitar skills as trustworthy.

Then came a speech by Toyokawa Shoko about a shared destiny, with each person displaying a different expression.

"...I hope that one day, we can play our own songs together!"

"You can compose music, but what about lyrics?" Shiina Tatsuki asked.

“Lyrics…” Toyokawa Shoko fell silent.