A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

"... Xiangzi has completely become a member of the Chihaya family."

Looking at Toyokawa Shoko's face full of business intentions, Wakaba Mu could not help but shook his head helplessly.

Ever since Shoko and Chihaya Tetsuya confirmed their relationship, Shoko's thoughts and decisions have been primarily based on the interests of Chihaya Tetsuya and [StarrySky]. As for her behavior at home, needless to say, she acts like a completely new wife...

"But there should be more important things to worry about than business and branding, right?"

Ruoye Mu couldn't help but remind him.

After hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa immediately showed a very confused expression.

"Hmm? Something more worthy of attention? What do you mean?"

"real or fake……"

Faced with Toyokawa Shoko's confusion, Wakaba Mutsu shook his head in disbelief.

"Having your lover attend a family banquet with another woman...isn't it a bit too strange no matter how you think about it?"

"Ah... so that's what you're talking about."

After hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa suddenly understood and nodded.

"While it does sound a bit suspicious, there's nothing we can do about it, right? If I can't accompany you, you'll have to go to the party on your own... I really can't bear to leave you alone in that kind of environment."

"If I really want to ask Su Shi for help, it should be possible."

Wakaba Mu lowered his head and muttered:

"Given Su Shi's family background, Mother will definitely not say much."

"Well... that's what she said, but I'm afraid Su Shi herself wouldn't like that kind of occasion..."

Toyokawa Shoko said in an uncertain tone.

"But I can certainly help you ask a little."

After that, she took out her cell phone and prepared to send a message to Nagasaki Suyo to express her request.

And the next second, Ruo Yemu hurriedly said:

"Wait, Xiangzi... I can do it myself."

"Eh?"

After hearing what Wakaba Mu said, Toyokawa Shoko paused for a moment as she was about to take out her cell phone, and then a slightly touched smile appeared on her face.

"Okay... then you can talk to her yourself."

"kindness."

Wakaba Mu nodded slightly, then took out his phone, racking his brains to think of the words in his mind while repeatedly editing the message in the chat box. Seeing Wakaba Mu's unskilled but unflinching appearance, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but nod.

(Mu...is completely different now.)

Before leaving the Wakaba household, Mu had always been a puppet, obediently following whatever others said, never expressing her own opinions or making requests. After leaving the Wakaba household, she not only took the initiative to help the band find a suitable drummer, but also calmly helped everyone analyze problems during their girls' gatherings. Now, she's even taken the initiative to take on the responsibility of communicating with others, something she's least adept at...

As expected, for Mu, only by breaking away from control can she grow better—

hum~

Following a vibration sound, Ruo Yemu immediately picked up the phone he had just put down.

"An instant reply... Could it be that Su Shi is very free now?"

"Probably. After all, Tetsuya-kun is still altering Chuhua's dress, and the band doesn't have any activities scheduled today, so Sushi can only spend time at home."

Toyokawa Shoko said:

"At least until I went upstairs, she was sitting on the sofa in the living room looking at her phone."

"I've completely turned into a housewife..."

Ruoye Mu opened Su Shi's reply while complaining.

And when she saw Su Shi's reply, a rare look of helplessness appeared on her little face, which usually lacked emotional expression.

"...She said that Chihaya-san was more suitable for this situation than she was. And she seemed to have mistakenly thought that I came to her because I was embarrassed to ask Chihaya-san, so she must have conveyed my request to Chihaya-san on my behalf..."

"Well, her reaction is indeed normal."

Toyokawa Shoko was not surprised at all.

"If I became a member of the Chihaya family after I confirmed it with Tetsuya-kun, then she was already Tetsuya-kun's wife when we started StarrySky together. She would have thought of things before I did."

"If that's the case, then you shouldn't let your husband attend banquets with other women..."

Ruoye Mu complained speechlessly:

"You should stick to your position as a wife... whether it's Su Shi or Xiangzi."

"Our position is already quite firm. Have you forgotten the time when Tetsuya-kun just returned from Paris?"

Facing Wakaba Mu's complaints, Toyokawa Shoko replied quite confidently:

"Although he hasn't actually done anything wrong. But to show our stance and to make Tetsuya-kun aware of his own status, we didn't let him go out for two weeks. Isn't that enough to prove our stance?"

"Well……"

Recalling the occasional noise that would seep through the floorboards and reach her ears during that time, Ruo Yemu's fair skin instantly flushed. And amidst her shyness, she also recalled just how terrifying this man could be when he got jealous...

But if that was the case, why was she so calm about inviting Chihaya Tetsuya to the Wakaba family banquet?

Could it be that she really didn't realize...what kind of ambiguity this behavior would have for the Ruoye family, or for her mother?

"Mu."

Just when Wakaba Mu was still struggling with this, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly asked:

"What kind of existence is Tetsuya-kun to you?"

"Chihaya-san?"

Faced with this sudden question, Ruo Yemu was stunned for a moment, and then said in a cautious tone:

"He's a pretty reliable...an adult who's worth trusting and learning from."

After hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko pondered this series of descriptions for a moment before continuing:

"So... it's like having a brother or a father?"

"Eh!?"

This completely unexpected summary made Ruoye Mu subconsciously exclaim.

Although I inevitably felt envious when I saw Chihaya Aine acting coquettishly towards Chihaya Tetsuya, and although I felt a sense of comfort and relaxation I had never felt before when I was alone with Chihaya Tetsuya and quietly reading, it was definitely not to the point of calling him a brother or a father! Furthermore, considering the relatively small age difference between them, calling him brother was fine, but calling him father would only suggest a very unhealthy relationship!

"How could that be! I've never looked at Chihaya-san in such a disrespectful way before!"

Because his mood fluctuated so violently, Ruoye Mu's tone became tough.

"what……?"

Faced with Wakaba Mu's decisive denial, Toyokawa Shoko tilted her head in confusion at first, then changed her words:

"Well, anyway, Tetsuya-kun isn't just some distant stranger to you anymore, right?"

"……kindness."

This time, Ruoye Mu finally gave a clearer answer.

"Thanks to him for taking care of me, even I can't treat him as an outsider..."

"Then on this basis, you are both my relative and Su Shi's friend."

Toyokawa Shoko spread her hands:

"Look at it this way, if you ask Tetsuya-kun to accompany you to the banquet, for us, it's just two people who are already close to each other attending a banquet together, and it's a banquet that will be of great help to both of you... At least I can't think of any reason to refuse."

"Well……"

At this point, Wakaba Mutsuya finally understood Toyokawa Shoko's point of view.

Xiangzi did not simply classify her and Mr. Chihaya into the category of "close relatives" based on the perspective of lovers, but on a more pure interpersonal relationship.

if it is like this……

"I understand."

Now that things have come to this, if Wakaba Mu continued to refute it, it would be equivalent to opposing the relationship between herself, Xiangzi, and Mr. Chihaya. Although Wakaba Mu still felt a little embarrassed about borrowing Xiangzi's lover, she really didn't want to deny the relationship described by Xiangzi.

"Well, I'll go explain this matter to Mr. Chihaya later."

"Well, that's right!"

Seeing that Wakaba Mu finally let go of his grudge, Toyokawa Shoko immediately smiled.

"Now that you're free from the constraints of home, Mu should open his mind a little more broadly... By the way, did you get your dress for the party here?"

"No."

Wakaba Mu shook his head.

"Before I left home, I thought I wouldn't be asked to attend any more banquets this year..."

"In that case, I have a suggestion!"

Toyokawa Shoko raised a finger and said happily:

"When Tetsuya-kun has time...how about asking him to go out with you to buy a new dress?"

"……Eh?"

……

"Next weekend, right? No problem."

Because he had already heard the news from Su Shi before, after actually hearing Wakaba Mutsu's request and Toyokawa Shoko's proposal, Chihaya Tetsu nodded and agreed almost without hesitation.

"I've already finished altering Chuhua's costume. Now I just need to find a time that's convenient for Ruoye-san."

“Hey… this…”

Because Chihaya Tetsuya agreed so decisively, Ruoye Mu didn't even have time to find a chance to thank him before he was immediately asked about the time.

"How about... tomorrow? To avoid causing trouble for Chihaya-san, I want to finish all the necessary preparations before [TGC]..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just helping you choose a dress. It won't take too long."

Chihaya Tetsuya answered very easily:

"It's a pity that it happened to coincide with the [TGC]. If I had more time, I might have been able to design a new dress for Mu."

"Eh?! How can this be! I didn't mean to cause so much trouble to Chihaya-san!"

Wakaba Mu hurriedly shook her head to refuse, and seeing Wakaba Mu being so polite, Toyokawa Shoko patted her shoulder and said:

"Don't worry, Mu. For Tetsuya-kun, designing clothes for the people around him is not a burden at all. It's more like he would like everyone around him to wear only his clothes..."

"Yeah, that's it."

Chihaya Tetsuya smiled and said:

"But there's nothing wrong with buying it outside. Maybe I can learn a lot from other people's designs this time."

"Haha... You can collect materials, but don't forget the most important task."

Seeing that Chihaya Tetsuya's eyes had begun to become expectant, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but remind him.

"This concerns Mu, the Ruoye family, and even your own reputation. You must choose the most suitable one for Mu."

"Well, leave it to me."

Chihaya Tetsuya patted his chest, and then said to Wakaba Mutsuki in an extremely gentle voice:

"I swear on my reputation as a designer that I will definitely choose the most suitable dress for Mu."

"Hmm...yeah."

In order to avoid those clear eyes without any distractions, Ruo Yemu had to lower his head and responded in a soft voice:

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Mr. Chihaya."

Just like that, after a series of discussions and communications, Ruo Yemu's schedule suddenly had two extremely important arrangements added to it -

1. Purchase a dress with Chihaya-san.

2. Attend the banquet with Mr. Chihaya.