Who says meal replacements can’t be eaten as meals?

"Xiang, are you planning to form a band?" Mu was a little surprised. The last time they met, his half was still obsessed with Crychic and even disliked the band. Now, is he going to start over?

"Well, I want to form a band with Sakuya." Toyokawa Shoko reached out to brush the hair beside her ears and said with clear and firm eyes.

"Don't say it in a proposal tone, it's embarrassing." Ms. Sakuya turned sideways and nudged the blue-haired lady with her shoulder. She was a little shy, but more happy. She was happy that she had found the same destination as her sister and Xiao Deng, but she also had to visit NyaAki and the unnamed band occasionally.

"..." Ruo Ye Mu fell silent again, and only responded a little late when Xiangzi asked her.

"So, Mutsu is coming? I'm on keyboards, Sakuya is on bass, and the tentative member is only a guitarist and lead singer. Mutsu's guitar is very explosive, and the band also needs a lead guitarist." Toyokawa Shoko took the opportunity to extend an invitation to her half who loved solo performance. Maybe it was a bit mean, but she also needed Mutsu's face and fame as bargaining chip.

"I haven't performed with Xiaomu yet. If possible, we can try to rehearse in RiNG next time." Miss Sakuya naturally knew the general plan, but she didn't expect Xiangzi's initiative to reach the level of finding a good lead singer.

"...I don't know." This was Wakaba Mutsu's final answer. She really wanted to perform in the same band with Sakuya and Shoko, but Suyo was not the only one who had not yet walked out of Crychic, and Wakaba Mutsu was the one who stayed with Suyo until the end.

"I see, I understand. Mu just needs to do what he likes." Toyokawa Shoko didn't get entangled, simply nodded, met his gaze, and stopped talking about related topics. She did need enough capital and popularity, but that didn't mean she had to borrow the power and connections of others.

After all, she already knew what she really wanted, and she would achieve her goal no matter what; it would just take more time.

"...I'm sorry." Ruo Yemu had already forgotten how many times he had said sorry today, but this could at least make him feel less guilty towards Xiang when he took action. "I don't have classes today. If Xiang needs me, I can accompany him."

"It's so rare that Ms. Morimei would give Mu a day off occasionally." Miss Xiangzi's forehead was covered with sweat. Why did the topic that she had just covered up with great difficulty become what it was before?

"My foot is injured." Mu turned his head and looked at Miss Sakuya, who knew the situation, and gave a brief explanation, but found that Miss Sakuya also turned her head away in sync with Xiangzi.

"It's not very suitable to bring Xiaomu along, and we're not prepared." Sakuya tried to explain.

"Isn't it...the workplace?" Ruo Ye Mu noticed something unusual and asked angrily with an expressionless face.

"It is indeed where my senior worked." Toyokawa Shoko replied with forced calmness.

The train home has arrived at the station, but Ruoye Mu, who was supposed to get on the train, did not move. She planned to follow the two of them and see it with her own eyes.

Chapter 244: Three Sugars in Black Tea

The same marble round table, similar dessert styles, and the same Earl Grey tea, except that there was one less chair. The sunlight on the second floor was brighter, and the time that Chihaya Aine and Nagasaki Motoyo spent alone was not much different from the time the three of them spent together downstairs.

It's a date anyway.

Chihaya Aine thought so as she bent over her cherry pink phone to edit the SNS text. It was a pity that the beautiful photos could not be immediately sent to the group chat for Xiaodeng and Rikki to appreciate, but having a little secret with Su Shi was also a good thing that made her feel happy.

"Souyo, don't you want to try the snacks here? No matter how much we look at Sakuya and the others, they are just having a simple afternoon tea." Miss Aine took a break from her busy schedule and finished the strawberry-flavored macaroon in one gulp. She cast a small part of her eyes towards Nagasaki Suyo who had been staring at the downstairs.

"I'm not as heartless as Aine-san, and don't add 'Xiao' after my name." Nagasaki Motoyo responded with a dark look, revealing her not-so-nice mood without disguising it.

"Okay, okay, Suyo-san, it's just that my sister has met someone she likes. Why do you have to go to so much trouble to follow her secretly? Although I am a little surprised that Sakuya-chan likes girls." Chihaya Aine added sugar cubes into her tea nonchalantly and complained sarcastically.

"What do you mean by just?" Su Shi was furious and blurted out without any manners. "She's not your sister, and the other party..."

“And?” Miss Aine thought about her aching arm and spoke sincerely.

"Forget it, it has nothing to do with Aine." Nagasaki Suyo angrily snatched the snack in front of Aine and ate it in small bites as if to vent her anger. She should have been straightforward and decisive in the clothing store just now. It would be better to be suspected of stalking her sister and affect their relationship than to watch her sister being kissed by Toyokawa Shoko in person.

"Love is a process where both parties have feelings for each other and try to support each other. Sakuya just happened to meet the right person and exchanged feelings earlier." Chihaya Aine thought that Suyoko couldn't accept that her sister liked girls, and was trying to sort out the love concept she learned from Meow Mengqin, gesturing with her hands to comfort her. "Now it seems that you are getting along very well, right? Even if the other person is a girl, it's no big deal, right?"

"That's not the reason." Su Shi was depressed and began to regret why he brought such a funny guy with him when he went out today. Even if he went to invite Li Xi... Li Xi would refuse by saying that he didn't have time to play the song, right?

After realizing this, Nagasaki Suyo became even more desperate. It seemed even less likely that Xiao Deng or Xiao Lenai would help her bring her sister back.

"Is it because of Toyokawa-san?" Miss Aine continued to ask carefully. She knew that Kozue and Toyokawa-san from the next class had formed a band with many Cs in its name.

"..." Nagasaki Suyo was silent for a while, squinted her eyes, raised her head, and smiled kindly. Without saying anything, she successfully shut up Miss Aine who wanted to gossip. She sat down obediently with her hands on her knees.

Nagasaki Suyo took a sip of red tea without much interest, and lightly stroked the rim of the cup with her fingertips. After thinking for a while, she realized that she could only rely on the unreliable pink-haired guitarist in front of her to carry out the plan.

"Aine, do me a favor." Nagasaki Suyo spoke, speaking her mind decisively.

“Hmm?” Miss Aine, who didn’t hear the word ‘classmate’, leaned back tactically and asked quietly. “Can I… refuse?”

"...If you don't want to, forget it." Nagasaki Suyo rolled her eyes and then lowered her eyes again. Her mind was full of complicated thoughts, so she didn't want to say anything more.

Shoko probably did speak up for Sakuya today, otherwise the three of them wouldn't have spent so much time on the road. But even so, in her heart, today's test was still unqualified. Even if they were in the passionate love period, they couldn't be so shameless... Anyway, she would never hand her sister over to Toyokawa Shoko so easily.

The worst result would be that Sakuya would find out that I was being followed and become annoying, which would further deteriorate the relationship between me and Xiaoxiang that had just been eased with great difficulty. Anyway, I am not a pure and kind "good person", so I will just go to the door to pick up Sakuya to take her home after dinner.

It was Chihaya Aine who took the initiative to stand up, closing the distance and breaking the dull atmosphere.

She took the sugar cube jar and without asking any more questions, she dropped sugar cubes one by one into the red tea cup in front of Su Shi. Ripples naturally appeared on the warm tea surface, scattering the sunlight and bubbling, sinking the sugar cubes to the bottom of the cup.

Nagasaki Motoyo frowned and moved away her teacup when Chihaya Aine added the fourth sugar, looking up at the self-willed pink-haired lecher in confusion. "Earl Grey tea is already sweet with only two sugars, and adding sugar without calculation will definitely make you fat."

“Xiao Sushi is very mean. She didn’t stop me from adding sugar before.” Aine smiled and moved her chair to the same side before sitting down again. “But she didn’t refuse my service from the beginning, did she?”

"I'm just thinking about something." Nagasaki Motoyo turned her head away impatiently, but let Aine sit next to her. "Aine-san, please go home after afternoon tea. I don't want Sakuya to misunderstand that I secretly went out on a date with you."

“Are you afraid that Sakuya will find out that I’m secretly following you?” Miss Aine propped her chin up with one hand, leaned on the tea table, and looked at Suyo’s profile with her head tilted, teasing. “You’re really not frank, Suyo-chan.”

"It's none of Chihaya-san's business, right?" Su Shi lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers, speaking unhurriedly.

"I've already guessed what Sushi-chan wanted to ask of me just now." Aiyin continued to smile.

"No evidence at all." Su Shi closed his eyes and snorted coldly.

"Then if I guess correctly, Xiao Su Shi will accompany me out to play again... or three times, how about that?" Miss Aine continued to talk to herself.

"Why?" Nagasaki Suyo opened her eyes and glanced at the pink-haired girl who was raising the price.

"Hey, compared to my sister who knows everything and is very close to me, it's better for a good friend in the same band to meet by chance, right?" Chihaya Aine swiped her index finger across the screen of her phone slowly, as if she was sure that the other party would agree. "Rikki also said that she has opened a recording studio at RING today and asked everyone to practice on their own. Now we have a reason."

Nagasaki Suyo drank the black tea in the cup, which was too sweet for her, with a slightly annoyed look on her face, and pushed away the pink-haired scoundrel who was taking advantage of the situation.

“What? If you don’t want to, forget it~” Aine chuckled.

"I didn't say I didn't want to." After a long time, Su Shi reluctantly agreed and refilled his cup of tea.

She was still not used to the taste of black tea with sugar. Three sugar cubes were too sweet for her.

Chapter 245 Girls Band Challenge

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Written in advance, this chapter mainly paves the way for the subsequent main plot of the band's formation, and also allows Xiangzi's mother to make an appearance. Those who just want to see beautiful girls sticking to each other can skip it directly.

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Different walnut round tables, exquisite snacks, and the same Earl Grey tea. The Toyokawa family's manor had not prepared afternoon tea, a social activity that the younger generation liked more, for a long time. The secondary reason was the departure of the heir, and the main reason was that there were few people with enough status to attract Toyokawa Chizuru's interest, let alone sitting at the same table to drink tea and chat.

The sky-blue single braid fell from her neck to her chest, and Toyokawa Chizuru's light golden pupils naturally glanced at the other two people at the same table.

As a famous musician who led the music trend of the last era, Tsuzuki Shifune was naturally qualified, but their concepts were different, or even completely opposite. If Miraculou Scarlet still had the influence it had back then, Mrs. Chizuru might have looked up to this old man with gray hair that was still dyed light pink. But now, the other party was just an ordinary partner who was dedicated to cultivating the younger generation and had some connections in the music industry.

In contrast, the slightly immature black-haired beauty on the other side actually interested her more. At first, she accepted the other party's business card just because of the same pronunciation of the last name, but later, whether it was her conversation, style of doing things, or the most ruthless capital operation, this Miss Togawa Haruna was very much to her liking. She was calm and rational, and always prioritized benefits and risks, but she would not be timid, and even took the opportunity of the setback in investment to boldly go directly to the competitor's home for a meeting.

At the age of 24, she has not yet graduated from her master's degree, but she already has a dignified demeanor and shrewd and efficient methods. With a little effort, she will be the most ideal heir to the chaebol group, and this is what Toyokawa Chizuru wants to cultivate Shoko into. Unfortunately, she is the daughter of a rival family.

"This is the first time we have received guests from the Togawa family. We have never registered their tea preferences, so we chose the mildest Earl Grey tea, hoping it will suit Miss Haruna's taste." As the host, Chizuru Toyokawa took the lead in opening the topic, with a gentle tone, but with the leniency of an elder and a person who has been in a high position for a long time. This is not the first time the two have met, but it is the first time they have sat together to drink tea like now.

"No, I'm already honored that Madam Chizuru has given me a chance to discuss the plan in person." Togawa Haruna, with black hair and black eyes, responded calmly, using polite words that have been used for many years and have almost become muscle memory. "I deeply resonate with Toyokawa Bussan's business philosophy. We have also cooperated in the fields of data analysis and imaging equipment in the past. Although there have been occasional frictions recently, I believe that there is still a rich foundation for cooperation between the two sides..."

"It's nice to hear nice words, but let's skip the politeness for now. Let the people below take care of the details of the plan." Toyokawa Chizuru used three fingers to pick up the teacup and took a sip of the tea before continuing to ask. "I'm actually very curious about how you're going to convince me. The Toyokawa family has shrunk its assets in the past two years, and most of the market share has been seized by Togawa Technology using its technological advantages. Just last week, our two companies were still competing for the surveillance renovation of Tokyo City. In theory, we should be business competitors now."

"Mrs. Chizuru was also thinking the same thing and was willing to let me in because of greater benefits and rewards, wasn't she?" Togawa Haruna asked back.

"Not necessarily. I'm actually more interested in you than insignificant business competition." After all, they were on different levels. Toyokawa Chizuru was more optimistic about the young lady in front of her than the project worth hundreds of millions. "Of course, it's okay to briefly talk about your plan."

Togawa Haruna, who failed to get the ideal answer, paused, quickly adjusted her rhythm, and introduced her plan. "Mrs. Chizuru should have heard about the spontaneous event called BangDream Girls Band Challenge held in Tokyo last October? Thanks to the support of the boss and various LiveHouses in Tokyo, the final was a performance of three bands at the Budokan. Although it was only a short three weeks, the fan base and traffic attracted in the end were very close to the national level. The number of fans of the band RAS alone reached tens of millions. It can be said to be a music festival collectively participated in by Tokyo citizens."

Tsuzuki Shifune, who was concentrating with her eyes closed, briefly opened her eyes when Miss Haruna mentioned the word "boss", which was the reason why she appeared here today. Haruna wanted to hold the second band challenge, and for the better development of LiveHouse and the era of big girl bands, this retired senior still accompanied her to visit Toyokawa Chizuru, who she didn't get along with.

"Of course I've heard of it. After all, my daughter was once addicted to it. But in the final analysis, this is just a short-term idol band activity. Three weeks is far from enough to convert traffic into actual revenue. Miss Haruna's plan is not just this, right?" Chizuru Toyokawa narrowed her light golden eyes slightly, staring at the calm surface of the red teacup, and said with a little nostalgia.

"Of course, so the time will naturally be extended, and the trend of girl bands is far from just Tokyo. The nearest ones are Kyoto, Osaka, and Nagoya, and the slightly further ones are Yokohama, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido. The Live Houses and equipment stores that have opened in recent years are not much smaller than RiNG or Yamano Rakugi in Tokyo because of their latecomer advantage, and the bosses have enough connections to integrate them, as long as there is corresponding sponsorship and a suitable name."

Togawa Haruna finished her words calmly, and immediately added something that was enough to impress the other party before he could refute her.

"Toyokawa Bussan has been actively shrinking its market since its failed investment last year. In theory, it should not continue to spend a large amount of money and goods to update equipment for LiveHouse or performance venues. But this is also a suitable opportunity, an opportunity to reintegrate the previous asset chain and move out of Tokyo again."

"You have great ambitions, but what if the Toyokawa family can't come up with enough funds? Why should they accompany you to take such an uncertain risk?" Toyokawa Chizuru asked back without comment. Miss Haruna's naive idea of ​​spreading all over Japan did arouse her interest.

"The Togawa family can bear part of the funding, and the rest can be passed on to local equipment suppliers and musical instrument stores. As long as we have a phenomenal reputation, suppliers will naturally follow suit and sponsor." Togawa Haruna analyzed quickly, probably because she had done her homework long before coming.

"Then Togawa Technology can use Toyokawa Bussan's connections and funds to take advantage of this phenomenal event to promote your self-developed 3D projection technology throughout Japan, and quickly eliminate the original LCD industry and related equipment, thereby making my already tight life even more miserable. Isn't that a bit too good a calculation?" Chizuru Toyokawa, who was spending more than she earned, would of course not believe the enemy's good intentions. She simply calculated for a few seconds and then pointed it out bluntly, saying with her beautiful eyes slightly turned up.

"...I don't deny that Togawa Technology does have such a motive, but this can also convert the goods squeezed by Fengchuan into actual traffic, and the introduction of new technologies will inevitably be accompanied by the emergence of a supporting industrial chain. It is indeed difficult for us to do it alone. The specific distribution of benefits..."

"Ms. Haruna, let me interrupt you. Your dream is indeed interesting enough. It's not as naive as a lady who starts to run a business. Instead, it's a bit like a disgusting idealist." Toyokawa Chizuru glanced at the silent Tsuzuki Shifune before turning her head to look at the black-haired and black-eyed Haruna and asked. "So, can you tell me why you chose a girl band as the theme?"

"I used to be a keyboard player in a band, and I often performed and rehearsed in Shimokitazawa. I still miss it now, but the band eventually disbanded because of my withdrawal. It was not pleasant to be forced to end someone else's dream." Togawa Haruna thought for a while, and for the first time in her life, she spoke in a shy tone. "So, out of selfishness, I want to give children who take music seriously an opportunity and stage to realize their dreams. To borrow the words of my predecessors, it should be 'If you want to make your dreams come true, make the biggest dream come true.'"

"Tsk, it's too sweet." Madam Chizuru complained to the black tea, but her eyes turned directly to Tsuzuki Shifune. It was rare for her to have a junior whom she admired, but she was spoiled by an outdated singer. "Then, Mr. Boss, what is your attitude?"

Ms. Haruna tactfully stopped talking, and Tsuzuki Shifune calmly opened her eyes and met the gaze of her former sponsor. "I am just making suggestions, and young people have their own ideas. There is only one thing I want to mention, whether you agree or not, Haruna will do her best, right?"

"I haven't heard this in a long time. You are still the same."

Just as boring. Toyokawa Chizuru thought so, put down the teacup, and answered in the direction of Haruna.

"Ms. Haruna's proposal is very valuable for reference. Whether or not to participate will depend on future calculations. Of course, my personal opinion also has a small influence."

"So, what do you think?" Haruna asked curiously, not understanding the subtle tone of the other party that sounded like both a rejection and a hint.

"That depends on your attitude, Miss Haruna." Toyokawa Chizuru stroked her ponytail with her hand and said with a smile. "I admire your previous style and capable manner. Your father must have trained you very well and put a lot of thought into it."

"...Thanks for your appreciation."

"So, would you consider coming to Fengchuan Bussan and leading this event?"

======

"What a pity! I quite like that girl and I've even considered adopting her as my daughter." Chizuru Toyokawa picked up her tea with regret and complained to the assistant who came to report on her work.

"Please stop joking, ma'am. Although I understand your longing for Miss Xiangzi, if you really ask it, it will hurt the reputation of the Toyokawa family." The assistant responded calmly, leaning over and gently placing two printed documents on the walnut tea table. "So you don't plan to agree to this plan?"

"Naturally, the income and expenditure are not proportional, and we have no experience in organizing competitions. It would be better to invest all the money in welfare lottery than to hope to make a profit from planning a girl band similar to idol groups." After commenting on Togawa Haruna's fantasy, Toyokawa Chizuru shook her head and set her eyes on the documents next to the teacup.

The upper one had a plain white cover with Toyokawa Shoko's name and the date written in the corner. The lower one was slightly larger, with a distinctive dark red font visible from the uncovered portion.

"There is no document about Xiangzi's child in today's schedule. I think I remember it correctly." Chizuru Toyokawa was a little confused, but still reached out to take her daughter's investigation report.

"It is indeed different from the date you set, madam. It's just that Miss Xiangzi recently contacted me and submitted a plan to form a band, so I acted on my own and looked through Miss Xiangzi's recent situation and sorted it out together." The assistant didn't dare to say the content of the report clearly, but she had a hunch that madam would most likely be angry about it.

"Xiangzi finally came to his senses and is willing to go home?" the divorced single mother asked in surprise.

"The situation is not very clear. Madam, please take a look at it yourself." The assistant was very professional and did not leave early. She just changed the way she said it and hinted.

There was not much in the report, and Chizuru Toyokawa read it quickly. She closed the cover and read it again from the beginning before drinking a sip of red tea in silence.

"Madam, do we need to conduct some basic investigation on Miss Xiangzi's girlfriend?" The assistant asked in a low and steady voice. Although it was a bit overstepping, she still wanted to find out the parents' attitude for Miss Xiangzi.

"What girlfriend? That's just a female classmate, right?" Toyokawa Chizuru glared at the assistant in anger and spoke word by word. Then he turned to the second report, which had a second-year worldview setting, dark-colored Gothic-style clothing, an incomprehensible hollow mask, and a combination of stage play and music. The last part was quite interesting.

"So, Xiangzi came to you to ask for help on behalf of her female classmate?"

"Miss Xiangzi didn't mean that. She just hopes to find time to meet with you in two weeks to discuss relevant issues." The assistant changed the subject harmoniously and said with a glance away.

"... Clear your schedule in advance." Chizuru Toyokawa said simply. After all, she did not deduct all of the assistant's bonus for this month because she was in a good mood at the moment.

His silly and stubborn daughter finally became more interesting.

Chapter 246 Chihaya Aine's Wild Thoughts

The green tram rumbled along the track to the next platform.

Ichinose Sakuya got off the bus, along with three other friends of the same generation with different hair colors.

Before we knew it, the original date for two had turned into a date for three, and then evolved into a band building, and we could even just grab a passing drummer on the street and turn it into an impromptu street band on the spot.

In one hand, she was carrying the warm yellow dress that Xiaomu had chosen for her and the solid color T-shirt that Xiangzi had disliked. The logo printed on the outside of the hard paper bag was coincidentally the same as the one in Xiao Aine's hand. From an outsider's point of view, they were just four companions who had returned from shopping in a clothing store. If the other three hadn't tacitly wrapped her in the middle, Miss Sakuya might have felt more relaxed.

They went to the front of the station and lined up to swipe their cards to exit. Before the encirclement formed again, Ms. Sakuya finally found the right opportunity to get between Shoko and Aine-chan, holding her phone with a map open and walking in front to lead the way.

The gathering place is the bathhouse where the band’s predecessors worked. There are also live houses and antique shops nearby. There is also a long street of supporting restaurants, which is a good choice for daily relaxation and after-meal strolling without spending a lot of money.

When I think about it carefully, I realize that Xiao Ain and I are really destined to be together. We always meet by chance when playing with other girls. The atmosphere when we were eating hotpot at the Sukiyaki restaurant last time was a bit heavy. My sister was very angry, and I could only compete with Xiao Mu in burping to liven up the atmosphere.

But things are different now.

If Xiangzi and he took the lonely Ruoye Mu with him, the atmosphere would inevitably become awkward. If Xiao Mu stared at him with pitiful eyes, he might not be able to refuse and take the initiative to take care of the disabled little cucumber. Although Xiangzi would not say anything, he would definitely be jealous and kiss him back.

So, with the addition of Xiao Aiyin, who is just an ordinary friend, the group of four finally had a normal atmosphere of friends hanging out together. Apart from feeling a little sorry for Lixi who urged everyone in the group to practice more, there's nothing wrong with that, right?

After all, humans need a sense of security.

Chihaya Aine, who was the one who provided the sense of security, was now typing a report on the situation uncomfortably on her phone. After finally finishing a sentence with trembling hands, she quickly pressed the backspace key to delete it all, thus severing her connection with the clever idea she had come up with not long ago.