Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

After only a few months, the two had become well-known among the islands.

It was at this time that the scouts found them.

"Would you like to debut at our agency, Honeycomb?"

The business card handed over showed that this was a company in Lezhi City.

City of joy.

This name made Chuhua's heart start beating violently.

That summer in my childhood was the opportunity for me to start singing.

That unforgettable girl from the Toyokawa family.

Chuhua wants to go to the City of Music. Mana agrees of course—she's even more excited than Chuhua.

"I don't want to live like this anymore!" Mana said, "I want to go to the city! At least there, I don't have to worry about whether I can have enough to eat every day... I don't have to worry about my life every day!"

Chu Hua didn't think that he wouldn't have to worry about his life in the City of Joy. But the idea of ​​"wanting to enter the City of Joy" was the same.

So, the two immediately agreed to sign the contract with the agency.

They sold their boat at a low price, saved up money for the journey, and came to the City of Joy. They did not work in the surrounding bad lands first, but jumped directly into this bottomless dye vat.

Both of them tried very hard.

During the six-month training period, Mana continued to take on various jobs in the entertainment industry, familiarizing herself with the rules of the entertainment industry in Lezhicheng and expanding her network of contacts. Chuhua, on the other hand, took on mercenary tasks one after another underground to support their daily living expenses.

And just like that, the day of debut finally arrived.

Mana's efforts had a significant effect, and Honeycomb really invested a lot of resources in these two helpless young singers as they promised.

...After all, when the contract was signed, the profit split between sumimi and Honeycomb was 3:7.

sumimi takes 3 and Honeycomb takes 7.

Other artists who have family support get a 5:5 split in the contract.

Honeycomb, who had more meat to eat, cultivated this wild money tree without reservation in the following year. And this money tree really lived up to everyone's expectations and began to rain gold.

Soon, sumimi became one of the second-rate bands below the seven bands in the city of music, and was quite well-known among the second-rate bands.

Mana was very happy with the deal.

"This is the life I want to live! Although the money is a little less, I can make a living by singing every day and live in such a good place... Chuhua, don't you think this is great?"

She wanted to get rid of her past life so much. Now she is very happy every day.

Chuhua was quite happy having achieved some results.

But behind this happiness, there is always a hidden worry.

She had this concern before her debut.

"(City of Joy.)"

The City of Joy is definitely not a utopia of singing and dancing, nor is it a promised land flowing with milk and honey.

Law of the Jungle.

Chu Hua saw that this iron rule that she had been taught since she was a child was still applicable under the glamorous appearance of Lezhi City.

The rules of the entertainment industry, the rules of mercenaries. The underground transactions in the city of music. The black eats the black, and is swallowed by the greater darkness.

Honeycomb took 7%, not because there was a rule that stated "taking an extra step" meant taking 7%, but because they assessed that this number was the minimum required to keep Sumimi's two people working.

In other words, although Sumimi now appears to be in a cooperative relationship with Honeycomb, in fact, the performance, income and exposure are all in the hands of the other party.

It can be said that you are handing your lifeline over to someone else.

This passive state aroused the vigilance of Chu Hua, who was a child soldier.

Honeycomb might treat itself well because it can make money.

But what if there is a greater danger that forces them to cut ties with themselves?

Honeycomb is just an agency. In the food chain of the City of Music, it is at most in the middle.

There are too many things that can threaten them.

I am just a chip that is still increasing in value. I haven't been sold because the time has not come yet.

Chu Hua was very aware of this.

There is no point in continuing to climb up the musical path.

Sumimi has reached the top of the second-rate, but this does not mean that the next step will be the "first-rate".

Seven bands of top notch quality.

Between Sumimi and them, there is a chasm called "initiative".

[Seven Bands] are the owners of the agency.

It's not that the agencies control them, but they let the agencies manage their schedules.

Because there is really "power" in their hands.

Funds, weapons, attribute points, combat skills, territory, followers.

Their fame was not exchanged for money by the agency, but by the girls themselves.

They are the ones who can gain a foothold in the City of Joy.

They are the ones who can master all the rules of the game here.

If they wanted, they could even become the rules themselves.

【Big shot】

In the City of Music, people call such people "big shots".

Chu Hua certainly wanted to become a "big shot". It was the instinct of every living thing to move up the food chain.

But at the same time, she realized one thing as they spent time together.

Mana doesn't want to be involved in the underworld anymore.

"I never want to go back to my old life!"

Mana said this countless times.

Mana's attitude made Chuhua both painful and sad.

On one hand, you cannot betray the only remaining companion who has walked side by side with you all the way.

At the same time, he knew that if he wanted to move forward in the City of Joy, he had to take on both good and bad things from now on, and he couldn't continue to muddle through and enjoy every day.

The days of struggle between heaven and man continued.

In this dilemma, Chu Hua noticed another thing.

One of the Seven Bands, Pastel*Palettes, which controls Honeycomb, is preparing to launch a covert operation.

They used a military-tech encryption machine to encrypt the information and paralleled the information to the communication lines used by the artists.

Chuhua was sure that ordinary artists would never find out about this.

But Chu Hua, who has been dealing with military technology for ten years, is no "ordinary artist".

In short, Chuhua got this information.

This is the information that Pastel*Palettes is preparing to attack Roselia.

Chu Hua had no interest in getting involved in this mess. She just wanted to protect herself and understand every piece of information she found.

The disputes between the territory controllers have nothing to do with her.

Chuhua is more concerned about Xiangzi's affairs.

I have been in Le City for more than half a year.

Chuhua came here because he wanted to see Xiangzi.

But when it really came, I didn’t dare to see him again.

The closer I get, the more scared I become.

She was a mercenary and a pirate, and had plundered many of the Toyokawa family's goods. Of course, the Toyokawa family had also killed their people.

I don't care about this matter.

But doesn’t Xiangzi care?

Xiangzi is a child of the Toyokawa family. This identity means that she cannot treat herself the same way as when she was a child.

Faced with my appearance, she might hate me or be afraid that I was here to seek revenge.

Chuhua didn't dare to infer Xiangzi's attitude.

If we become distant or even break up, it is better not to meet.

When she was little, Chuhua felt that Xiangzi was different from everyone else around her. She knew a lot, was always serious, and had a lovely side.

Chuhua didn't want to ruin the good memories.

...Although he thought so, when it came time to debut, Chu Hua still steeled himself and made the courtesy call.

Long time no see, just a few words.

Xiangzi blessed her.

Just this is enough to satisfy Chuhua.

Maybe one day, I will be able to muster up the courage to take it a step further and ask her out for a date...

Just as Chuhua was thinking about these things.

She met Xiangzi again.

That meeting was completely beyond Chuhua's imagination.

Chapter 5 You are still my light ( rewards plus more)

Xiangzi called suddenly.

Without any prior contact, using a noisy public phone on a rainy night.

"Please, Chuhua."

On the other end of the phone, Xiangzi spoke in a tearful voice that could be heard even through the sound of the electric current.

"Let me forget everything."

what happened?

"Xiao Xiang, what happened?"

"..."

"I see."

Without any hesitation, Chuhua sent Xiangzi an address.

That is Chuhua’s home.

When they first came to Lezhicheng, Chuhua and Mana had no money and could only live in a junk car that no one wanted. After a few months, they saved up money and rented a short-term rental house near the company.

Later, they made their debut.

As their income rolled in, their accommodation was upgraded. They changed houses several times through their company, and finally bought this large and luxurious apartment in Roselia's territory.

The apartment has two floors, Mana lives on the lower floor and Chuhua lives on the upper floor. They are not connected to each other and have independent access control.

"This is the first time I have my own independent space! And I can go up and down the stairs with Chuhua, it's great!"

Mana said this excitedly when she first entered the apartment.

This is also the first time that Chuhua has his own independent space.

Then, now in this space.

For the first time, we welcomed a guest other than Mana.