A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Chihaya Tetsuya answered without hesitation:

"After this joint exhibition, we both confirmed our feelings for each other and became lovers."

For Chihaya Tetsuya, more than her unclear attitude and her intimidating presence, he was more concerned with her most visible and visible identity: Shoko's mother. Having already decided to shoulder his responsibilities, he naturally felt obligated to clarify his relationship with Toyokawa Shoko's parents.

"!"

Hearing Chihaya Tetsuya's answer without hesitation, Toyokawa Shoko was slightly surprised at first, then immediately showed an extremely happy expression and put her arm around Chihaya Tetsuya's arm again.

"That's it."

Faced with Chihaya Tetsuya's frankness and his daughter's undisguised intimacy, Toyokawa Shoko's mother's expression and tone remained unchanged.

"Since Xiangzi has already left her family, I have no right to comment on her choice. But, at least from my point of view, you are indeed a man worthy of her."

"Eh!?"

Faced with such an unexpected response, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but exclaim subconsciously:

"So, you... don't object to Xiangzi and I being together?"

"After all, whether it's the results of this joint exhibition or the many forces supporting you, they're all sufficient proof of your reliability and potential. Even putting these factors aside... I personally don't have the right to object."

Having said that, she raised her head again and looked at the man who seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"What do you think about Chihaya-san and Shoko being together?"

"...Of course I support Xiangzi's decision."

Toyokawa Shoko's father said in a deep voice:

"Putting aside the help he provided me... even from the perspective of the Toyokawa family, Chihaya-san is an excellent man who would not bring shame to Shoko. Publicly or privately, I have no reason to object."

"You mean...from the perspective of the main family?"

After hearing this, a look of disdain and sneer appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's mother's face.

"Forget it. You should know better than anyone that if the decision was really left to the family, Xiangzi would have been engaged to another family long ago. Since you have already left the family, there is no need to mention them anymore."

"Ah, you're right. If it were up to the family, then Xiangzi wouldn't have had the chance to meet Chihaya-san."

Toyokawa Shoko's father sighed.

"But even so... Mr. Chihaya's presence can still give you the confidence to deal with the main family, right?"

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother did not reply immediately. She drank the tea in her cup silently, and then said:

"If you hadn't paid off those debts, no matter how outstanding Chihaya-san was, they would have still used that debt to make trouble for you. But thankfully, you paid off the debts with Chihaya-san's help. Now... they won't have any reason to bother you anymore."

After that, she put down the teacup and said in an extremely cold tone:

"Congratulations! From now on, you can freely enjoy your own life."

"..."

After hearing these words, Chihaya Tetsu, who had remained silent from the beginning, finally gradually realized something from the superficial coldness.

However, before he could think further, Toyokawa Shoko, who had already arranged this meeting with a clear purpose, spoke up:

"Mother!"

She looked at her mother and uttered the words she had always longed to say:

"Please leave the Toyokawa family with us!"

154

Chapter 154 The future belongs to the Toyokawa family.

Before this, Shoko Toyokawa had only one impression of her mother, and that was indifference deep in her bones.

No matter what achievements she made in studies and music, she never showed how happy she was and only gave her the minimum recognition.

Even as the conflict between her father and her family intensified, her attitude remained as calm and indifferent as usual.

Even when she decided to leave the house with her father, she did not step forward to stop her. Instead, she sat there as usual, watching her walk out of the gate of the villa with an expressionless face.

In Toyokawa Shoko's impression, she seemed to have no expression that a human being should have, and her expression always made it impossible to tell what she was thinking. Because of this, she had a deep-rooted misunderstanding in her heart - her mother didn't care about her and her father at all.

However, after she herself experienced her father's sudden departure and went through an extremely long period of entanglement and worry, she finally realized a fact that was taken for granted -

"Not only have you always been keeping an eye on my situation and work, you even stepped in to investigate as soon as my father was in trouble... If you truly didn't care about us, you wouldn't have paid so much attention to us, let alone contacted me after my father's accident."

Toyokawa Shoko looked directly at her mother and said in a very serious tone:

"As for your apathetic demeanor, besides being innate, it's also intended to lull our family into a state of alertness... and thereby provide us with protection, right?"

After hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko's mother frowned, and then immediately turned to look at Toyokawa Shoko's father, with a look of inquiry as if asking him if he had said anything unnecessary. But facing her extremely cold and sharp gaze, Toyokawa Shoko's father shook his head, saying that he had not said anything to Shoko.

"Not only are my father's debts and new job now settled, but I also have someone important enough to entrust my life to, and a career path that you don't need to worry about... So, if you want, you can always leave the Toyokawa family with us!"

When she said this, there was a hint of expectation and pleading in Toyokawa Shoko's tone.

"As long as you leave the Toyokawa family, you won't have to stay in this villa all alone like you are now, right?"

That's why she took the initiative to facilitate this conversation.

After experiencing this incident with her father, and clearly realizing that her mother still cherished her, she still hoped to repair the relationship between them and return to normal family relationships.

"..."

Faced with Toyokawa Shoko's sincere invitation and proposal, Toyokawa Shoko's mother was silent for a long time before she said:

"Unlike you and your father, I've been a member of the Toyokawa family since the day I was born. Because of this, whether it's my lifestyle, my way of thinking, or even my values, I'm undeniably 'Toyokawa'."

This was the first time that Shoko Toyokawa's mother took the initiative to mention her past to Shoko Toyokawa.

"The first person who made me want to change myself and leave this place was your father. Although it's completely invisible now, he was much more confident when he was young..."

Having said this, she paused for a moment before continuing:

"And I was attracted to him because of this, and I believed that he was the one who could free me from this cage. As for what happened after that, you probably know."

"..."

The father failed to successfully meet the mother's expectations. Not only that, this failed self-proof even forced him to become a debtor of the family and was removed from the Toyokawa family.

"Although Minami always says that he ended up like this because of his impulsive behavior, in fact, that is not the case."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother shook her head.

"I misjudged our abilities, and I arbitrarily turned this unrealistic expectation into an unbearable burden for him. While his self-degradation was certainly a mistake, I also bear an unshirkable responsibility."

So even after the two left home, she still tried hard to play her identity as "Toyokawa", mediating with the main family and preventing them from taking tougher measures against Toyokawa Shoko and her father.

According to her original idea, even if Toyokawa Shoko's father was ultimately unable to handle the debt on his own, at least she could leave Shoko a respectable way out.

Until this young man named Chihaya Tetsuya began to come into her sight.

"He first provided you with a job that was enough to cover rent and daily expenses, then took you in as his assistant and taught you about fashion design. At first, I just thought he was a kind fashion designer, but just two months later, that idol concert completely changed everything."

The explosive popularity of Summer Zodiac boosted the value of Chihaya Tetsuya, the key costume provider for the live show. And then, with the sudden launch of Chihaya's personal brand StarrySky, the story unfolded beyond her expectations.

"After that disappointment, I shouldn't have held onto any more expectations for a nineteen-year-old. But the reality is, not only did he achieve unimaginable results at the joint exhibition, he even received an interview invitation from an overseas fashion magazine, becoming a rising star that the fashion industry is paying attention to. If it were this young man, perhaps handing Xiangzi over to him wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Mother……"

After listening to her mother's helpless past and mental journey, Shoko Toyokawa's expression was moved.

"In that case, shouldn't you leave the Toyokawa family with me next?"

Toyokawa Shoko spoke again:

"You just said that you insisted on staying in our family for my sake and my father's. Now that our problems have been solved, there should be no reason for Mother to stay here any longer—"

"not that simple."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother shook her head.

"The Toyokawa family isn't so easy to come and go as you please. While my management and operations over the years have certainly given me my own resources and faction, it also makes it difficult for me to escape easily... So, don't overthink things about me. You've finally gotten away from the family and found the right person to entrust your life to. From now on, you just need to enjoy your life to the fullest."

Her tone remained flat, but the words she spoke were no longer cold.

"Congratulations! You have completely fulfilled the conditions I set forth earlier and have gained true freedom. Thank you for still acknowledging me, a mother who has failed to fulfill all my responsibilities."

After that, she turned her gaze to Chihaya Tetsuya who was standing beside her, and bowed slightly to him and said:

"Mr. Chihaya, Xiangzi is now in your care. Please be sure to give her the happiness that I never had."

"Mother……"

Having failed to convince the other party, Shoko Toyokawa immediately lowered her head with an unwilling expression.

By now, Toyokawa Shoko had completely understood her mother's thoughts and the efforts she had made. However, as she herself said, in order to repay the price of her impulsive youth and to fulfill her final responsibility, even though her father's debt problem had been resolved and she had completely left the family, her mother still could not cut off ties with the Toyokawa family as cleanly as she did, nor could she get everything she had been pursuing since her youth -

"Um, please wait a moment."

Just as the three people present were immersed in this helpless sadness, Chihaya Tetsuya suddenly spoke:

"Although Ms. Toyokawa, as a separate faction, you are still subject to the control of the Toyokawa family...but what if your faction becomes so powerful that it surpasses the main family in the future?"

"...What did you say? My faction...surpasses our own?"

After hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko's mother frowned, which was very rare for her.

"How is this possible? If I could really develop to that level, wouldn't that mean my own faction has become a true 'main family'?"

"Yeah, that's it."

Chihaya Tetsuya nodded.

"If you reach this level in the future, then you won't need to consider their opinions, right?"

"That's true... but it's simply an impossible goal."

This is what Toyokawa Shoko's mother said.

However, facing her pessimism and determination, Chihaya Tetsuya's attitude was very simple:

"How will you know if you don't try?"

Chihaya Tetsuya said very seriously:

"Like you just said, my [Starry Sky] is now confirmed to be on the [TGC] stage, and I've also received an invitation from a French fashion magazine. The future direction of my development is almost certain..."

"so what?"

Toyokawa Shoko's mother crossed her arms, her expression and tone still so calm that it was hard to refute.

"Even if your fashion brand makes it to Paris Fashion Week and becomes a world-class fashion brand...it doesn't mean you can compete with the Toyokawa Group, which covers multiple fields—"

"Then, Xiangzi's band, Ave Mujica, and another band called MyGO!!!! will continue to develop in the music field. Although I'm not sure how far they'll go in the future, judging by the quality of their first original song, they definitely have great potential. It's because of your optimism about them that you want to invest in Xiangzi's band, right?"

"……indeed so."

Toyokawa Shoko's mother nodded.

"Although there was a certain amount of personal connection involved, that single definitely made me see their commercial potential. I personally believe they will achieve great success in the future."

"!"

After hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa's eyes widened in surprise.

She never imagined that her mother, who was always serious, came from a noble family and was well-informed, would have such a high opinion of her band.

And then, Chihaya Tetsuya continued:

"Next, there are two of my exclusive models, also members of the idol group Summer Zodiac. Beyond their influence in the idol industry, they also possess considerable potential and value in the future of film, television, and entertainment."

"Well, their names are Hoshino Ai and Mikado Hatsuka, right? I looked them up when I was researching your brand, and they're indeed quite popular artists that shouldn't be underestimated..."

"Also, next year I'll be joining [Filia Girls' College] as a teaching assistant. While doing this, I'll have the opportunity to meet more aristocratic daughters from various walks of life, and even directly collaborate with the forces behind them. I imagine that those who send their children to this school will be more or less interested in me as Mr. Rang's student. By then, this network might become a trustworthy resource."

"..."

As Chihaya Tetsuya continued to introduce, Toyokawa Shoko's mother finally gradually realized his true thoughts -

"You...want to use all your resources as bargaining chips and bet on me?"

"Well, the term 'betting' is a little inaccurate."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"After all, considering the relationship between Xiangzi and I, you will also be considered my family in the future, and your affairs are also closely related to me. So rather than calling it a bet, it should be said that it is more of a support for my family."