A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

After the two of them sat down stiffly, Toyokawa Shoko's mother continued:

"I know you were just planning to ask the housekeeper for information, but since this is a family matter, I should be the one to talk to you directly."

After saying this, she first raised her head and carefully looked at Toyokawa Shoko in front of her, and then said:

"There's no need to be so reserved. You should have heard what Minami said, right? You're a free person now and can come back anytime."

"You should understand, Mother."

Toyokawa Shoko gently shook her head at her mother's words.

"Since I took the initiative to ask you about my father, it means that I have no intention of accepting the agreement reached between you."

"Yeah...that's true."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother was not surprised by this answer at all.

"If it was so easy for you to accept, you would never have left here in the first place."

Having said that, a hint of helplessness suddenly appeared on her extremely indifferent face.

"It's such a simple truth, but that person didn't think of it... He's acting on impulse as always."

"Although it was indeed a bit inconsiderate, my father did it for me."

Facing her mother's sarcasm, Toyokawa Shoko subconsciously defended herself:

"So, even if I didn't intend to accept it, I still understood his intentions..."

"Unfortunately, things in this world can't be solved simply by so-called intention and determination. Just like now... Not only did he fail to let you accept this false freedom as you wished, but he forced you to return here and meet the person you least wanted to see."

As Toyokawa Shoko's mother spoke, she pushed the folder in her hand to the two people in front of her.

"You came back a little early. I haven't had time to track down his whereabouts yet. I only found the source of the funds and found a company that shouldn't have anything to do with him."

"..."

Shoko Toyokawa first took the folder, opened it, and looked at it with Wakaba Mutsu.

And then, the name that was so familiar to both of them made them exclaim in unison subconsciously—

“【NozAK!】?!”

"...Well, it seems to be a fashion brand that has just emerged in the past two years. However, even though I asked someone to check the employee lists of all [NozAK!] and its subsidiary studios, his name was not found."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother said:

"In other words, although the money came from [NozAK!], he wasn't involved in this fashion brand... I don't know what kind of deal they reached."

"how so……"

Toyokawa Shoko never imagined that her father would be associated with NozAK!, Chihaya Tetsuya's biggest enemy. And what she couldn't understand the most was why NozAK! paid her father so much if he hadn't joined the brand.

"Xiangzi...could it be related to this joint exhibition?"

Ruoye Mu expressed her guess with a worried look on her face.

"After all, the most important news in the fashion industry recently... is probably the joint exhibition that serves as a preview of [TGC]..."

"..."

After hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa did not respond, but her expression became increasingly gloomy.

"...Joint exhibition?"

On the other side, after hearing the conversation between the two, Toyokawa Shoko's mother raised her eyebrows slightly.

"In other words, besides you, this matter might also involve Chihaya Tetsuya?"

"Yes...eh?"

After hearing this name that shouldn't have appeared, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly raised her head in a daze.

"Why... does Mother know this name?"

"Don't be so scared. Just because I know the name doesn't mean my family knows it too."

Seeing the lingering tension in Toyokawa Shoko's eyes, Toyokawa Shoko's mother said:

"Or do you really think I'd let you do whatever you want out there without knowing anything? Not to mention that Minami recently sent Mutsuya there too. Under those circumstances, I wouldn't even have to go through much trouble to find out about him."

"……Eh?"

Upon hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa's expression became completely dull.

She thought she had kept everything she did after leaving the Toyokawa family a secret from everyone in the family, but she didn't expect that her mother was not only keeping an eye on her every move, but was even deliberately helping to conceal it from the family...

"When you first started at KaZoKu, I thought you were just working for a normal company. But within two months, you suddenly started your own business and even took you out with you."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother tapped the armrest of the chair with her fingertips.

"I originally thought that if anything went wrong with Chihaya Tetsuya, I would definitely bring you back immediately... But now it seems that his development momentum and prospects have even surpassed his original studio. If that's the case, then it seems there's no need for me to worry."

"..."

After hearing this, Ruo Yemu hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"I understand that... you agree that Shoko should leave the Toyokawa family and join Chihaya-san's StarrySky?"

"No, I'm just waiting for the day when she can't hold on any longer."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother shook her head and denied it:

"My opinion is the same as Minami's. We both prefer to wait for you to pay a certain price for your wrong choices before accepting you back, having learned your lesson. But it seems that Chihaya Tetsu is far more reliable than we expected..."

After that, she paused for a moment, her eyes jumping back and forth between Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsuki several times, and then she said:

"Let's talk about your father. If he is simply escaping from reality, I don't need to worry about it. Since the impact of this incident will further expand, then Xiangzi."

"Yes."

"If you can investigate and resolve this matter on your own, then... I will recognize your independence and help convince the main family to truly free you from the control of the Toyokawa family. However... if you ultimately fail to resolve your father's case, and even implicate those around you, then you must obediently return to the main family. After all, this is, in a sense, a responsibility you must shoulder."

"Well, are you willing to accept this condition?"

119

Chapter 119: There is still room for contradiction.

In this way, with the joint efforts of many parties, it didn't take long before the investigation results from three different directions were delivered to Chihaya Tetsuya.

First up is the one from Sakurakouji's family—

[After verification from multiple sources, it was confirmed that Toyokawa Shoko's father is currently working for Jean-Pierre Stanley. The specific job description is unknown, but it falls somewhere between "translator," "assistant," and "assistant."]

Next, it comes from Xiangzi himself——

The funds my father used to repay the Toyokawa family's debts came from "NozAK!"

And finally, it was from Director Hasegawa——

"NozAK!" suddenly changed its exhibition strategy, switching from "Autumn Special" to "World Trends." It's worth noting that this is likely the theme of the exhibition.

So, what is the significance of these three pieces of information?

First of all, Toyokawa Shoko's father is ostensibly working for Rang, and his work involves direct contact with Rang.

Secondly, the funds that Toyokawa Shoko's father used to repay his debts did not come from Jean, but from [NozAK!]

Finally, [NozAK!]'s exhibition strategy suddenly changed, and they reached an agreement.

In summary……

"That should be it, right?"

Toyokawa Shoko put down the other two investigation reports and said with disgust:

"My father... is probably working undercover for Mr. Jean, stealing designs for NozAK!"

"..."

Chihaya Tetsuya was also quite shocked by this.

He never imagined that these seemingly unrelated people and events would be connected in such a situation, in a way that no one wanted...

"I remember that Maid Yamabuki knew Mr. Jean, right? If that's the case, then it should still be in time to notify them now!"

After coming to this shocking conclusion, Shoko Toyokawa picked up her phone almost without hesitation.

For her, who already extremely hated such improper behavior and had also been involved in the clothing industry, her father's actions at this time were unacceptable in any way.

However, before she could hold the phone steadily, Ruoye Mu beside her hurriedly stopped her.

"Wait a minute, Xiangzi!"

Wakaba Mutsu grabbed Toyokawa Shoko's arm tightly.

"Have you forgotten what your aunt said before?"

"Of course I remember. She asked me to investigate and resolve my father's case, right? If that's the case, directly reporting it can definitely be considered a solution!"

Toyokawa Shoko gritted her teeth and said:

"If he hesitates for just one more second now, he might steal even more from Mr. Jean! So this can also be considered as stopping him from committing further sins!"

"But what about the consequences?"

Even though Toyokawa Shoko's attitude was so firm, Wakaba Mu still refused to let go of his hands.

"A case of this magnitude is enough to send Uncle to jail, right? Even so, is it okay, Xiangzi?"

"..."

Hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko's expression was stunned.

And then, Ruoye Mu continued:

"...I think Auntie wants you to do more than just 'judge' Uncle... Otherwise, over the course of this year, she would have had countless opportunities to find you and Uncle, and use the power of the family to take even more drastic measures! However, not only did she not do that, she's even deliberately helping you conceal your whereabouts..."

"But didn't she say that at the time? She was just waiting for the day when I couldn't hold on any longer—"

"If that's the case, why would she secretly investigate my uncle's whereabouts, and why would she make such an offer to you?"

Wakaba Mu shook his head.

"So, give it some more thought, Xiangzi... maybe there are other solutions we haven't thought of yet..."

"There's no such thing!"

Toyokawa Shoko gritted her teeth and said:

"Don't you see? NozAK! has already started adjusting its strategy, which means Father might have already started plagiarizing! And since he's already accepted the reward... no matter what you say, it's too late..."

Why did it have to be that [NozAK!], why did it have to be now, why did it have to be the worst plagiarism that Tetsuya-kun had ever encountered?!

Shoko Toyokawa felt extremely conflicted and depressed.

She certainly didn't want to send her father to jail, but what he had done was the most taboo and despicable thing in this industry. Even if she could truly overcome her integrity and pride and completely obey the compassion that stemmed from family and blood ties, Zhe Ye, who had already suffered plagiarism and was even fighting against it, would never forgive his father's actions...

Then, just as Toyokawa Shoko looked up at Chihaya Tetsuya with this thought, the expression on the other's face was completely beyond her expectations.

At this moment, Chihaya Tetsuya's face didn't show even a trace of anger or dissatisfaction. Instead, there was an expression of confusion and curiosity, as if he had heard a difficult joke.

"That is to say, [NozAK!]

Are you planning to plagiarize Mr. Jean this time?"

Chihaya Tetsuya first pinched his chin and thought carefully for a long time, then raised his head and asked sincerely:

"I'm not looking down on them, but can they really copy it?"

"……Eh?"

After hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko was stunned for a moment, then said:

"If I were to plagiarize...is there any chance that I wouldn't be able to understand it?"

"Of course, just like when they copied my design before, not only did they fail to understand my concept, but they also added a lot of unnecessary and redundant designs."

As Chihaya Tetsuya spoke, he recalled the design drawings from Jean that he had seen at that time.

Even the simplest waistcoat can integrate the culture and history of many countries and nationalities in the world. As for the production process and specific fabrics used, if you don’t have the owner’s instructions, even if you make it according to the design drawing, I am afraid it will not be possible to completely restore it.

"They couldn't even fully grasp my simple and easy-to-understand design... If they were to use Mr. Jean's design, they would probably only make an even bigger mistake."

Having said that, he thought for a moment and then nodded.