Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

"But, won't this cause trouble for my sister?" Misaka Hatsuka seemed a little uneasy.

"What kind of trouble?" Taro was even more puzzled: "It's just saying your own name."

"Um... I'm sorry, I'll think about it for a moment."

With that, Hatsuka and Taro headed to the living room together.

……

Nagasaki Motoyo actually had no intention of eavesdropping on their conversation.

However, Taro's voice was so loud that he made no attempt to hide it, and Nagasaki Motoyo, who was sitting in the living room, heard everything Taro said.

[The key...? Did Mikado give the house key to Momoi-san?]

Su Shi looked a little embarrassed, gently scratching her face, thinking to herself:

[That's really bold... but on the other hand, they seem to have a pretty good relationship.]

[You don't want to tell me your name? It seems there's a specific reason.]

Well... everyone has their own difficulties. It's probably best if I don't press the matter.

Thinking this, Su Shi composed herself slightly, trying her best to prevent the two people who came in from noticing anything amiss.

Soon, the two returned to the living room. Su Shi stood up naturally and greeted Taro gently, "Mr. Momoi, it's been a long time."

"Didn't we meet not long ago?" Taro thought for a moment and replied, "During your live performance."

“This is also… but…” Su Shi was a little at a loss and could only smile awkwardly.

Her eyes dimmed slightly, but for her, it had been a long time since they had met.

"Time is tight, so let's end this small talk." Taro calmly announced, "Hatsuka, let's begin practice!"

"Yes!"

Su Shi lowered her head and pondered silently:

[Hatsuka? It really is the triangular Hatsuka. But, someone so famous, even if I don't know now after seeing her appearance, I'll find out sooner or later.]

Mr. Momoi doesn't lie, so there's no possibility that he deliberately called me by a different name...

So, there must be another reason why we can't mention names...?

Although her thoughts were swirling, Suze pretended nothing had happened and, together with Taro, helped Misumi Hatsuka practice her bass.

-------------------------------------

This was the first time Nagasaki Motoyo had ever seen Momoi Taro teach someone, although she had heard from others, especially from a certain pink-haired girl, that Taro was very good at teaching others.

However, there is no specific concept of how powerful it is.

This time I truly witnessed it. He will point out your mistakes precisely and directly, and give a standard answer.

As long as you keep practicing as he says, things will definitely get better... That's what Su Shi thought, and even she had been corrected by Taro many times.

However, Taro's sense of denial was just too strong. Being constantly criticized like that would inevitably cause someone to lose confidence, even if what he said was true, even if it was correct.

Fortunately, both of them believed it was for the same reason, so they were unlikely to develop annoyance at Momoi Taro's teachings.

Yes, in just over an hour of instruction, Nagasaki Motoyo discovered that Mitsumi Hatsuka, or rather, Mitsumi Hatsuka who was a little different from the popular idol, had already developed a small crush on Momoi Taro.

However, she doesn't seem to realize it herself. Of course, it must be said that the person who is least aware of it is Momoi Taro himself.

During breaks from practice, she would take time to whisper to Taro, wanting to invite him out on a date.

Although she used a hint, it was still quite direct. Yet, Momoi Taro still didn't seem to understand.

It can't be that... I really have to say it in the most direct way.

Nagasaki Motoyo gently rubbed her forehead, already feeling the discomfort.

After practice, Mikasa smiled and saw the two of them out, then Momoi Taro offered to take her home.

Su Shi was quite happy, although she was aware that it was because Taro was worried about her safety. But being worried about was at least a big step forward.

The two walked side by side down the street, neither of them speaking, and this silence lasted for some time.

Finally, it was Su Shi who broke the silence, and she solemnly said to Taro, "Thank you, Mr. Momoi."

"?" Taro glanced sideways, looking at the other person with confusion, and asked, "Why are you suddenly thanking me?"

"Actually, after that day, Mom started coming home earlier more often." Su Shi smiled gently, but there was a hint of bitterness in her smile. She said softly:

"Although I know my mother is busy with work and I can't bother her just because I want to be with her, I still feel lonely when I'm alone."

“I’m really happy that Mom is coming home more often now. I know it’s all because of Mr. Momoi… I don’t know what Mr. Momoi said to her that day, but I’m really, really grateful to you.”

Su Shi lowered her head and wiped her already moist eyes. She then gave Taro a truly genuine smile…

She is now able to be a little more frank with others, even if only a little... but this is proof that she has begun to change.

"But I can't help but think that while it's good that my mother can come back, I feel a little bad that my situation has delayed her work..."

To Su Shi's surprise, Momoi Taro stopped abruptly, placed his hands on her shoulders, and said seriously:

"What you're saying isn't right!"

"Is that...?" Seeing Taro's serious expression, Su Shi couldn't help but become serious as well, and she listened attentively to Taro's words.

"It's only natural for children to crave their parents' love! There's no need to feel ashamed about it; rather, feel proud!"

“Nagasaki told me that she works hard because of you. If you feel lonely, it would be meaningless for her to climb higher!”

"Your desire for Nagasaki to come home and be with you isn't about control, it's about love!"

Hearing Taro say this, Su Shi was happy that he paid attention to her, but she knew she would need some time to prepare before she could truly accept it all.

She felt terrified, wondering if she, a bad child, truly deserved her mother's sacrifice because she had hurt so many people.

But seeing the determination in Momoi Taro's eyes, she remembered his background.

As expected, Taro's desire for everyone's families to be as happy as possible stems from his own missing family.

Some people, after getting caught in the rain, want to tear everyone's umbrellas to shreds. Others, after getting caught in the rain, think of holding an umbrella for others.

Momoi Taro was clearly the latter; he was indeed a very gentle person… Su Shi thought to herself.

But who would hold an umbrella for him in this situation? Perhaps he could?

An absurd thought popped into Su Shi's mind: Could she fill the emotional void left by Momoi Taro's missing family?

For example, I could be Momoi Taro's mother!?

Upon realizing this, she hurriedly shook her head, trying to shake this absurd idea out of her head.

Momoi Taro looked at Nagasaki Motoyo, who was standing in front of him, and suddenly shook his head. He asked with concern, "Motoyo, what's wrong?"

"Ah..." She didn't dare look at Momoi Taro's face, afraid that the absurd thought from before would resurface, so she could only stammer:

“Mr. Momoi, thank you for taking me home. Um... it's very close to home now, so... well... anyway, I can walk the rest of the way by myself.”

After saying that, she broke free from Momoi Taro's hand and ran away, leaving Taro completely bewildered.

"Isn't this Taro? Hey!" A familiar, hearty female voice came from behind Taro, who naturally turned around to look.

"Oh, it's Ba. Why are you here?" Taro was very happy to see the red-haired girl.

“Isn’t summer vacation almost over?” Tomoe Udagawa explained, “The people in the shopping district are planning a bigger festival that will cover several nearby blocks. So the people from Popinpa and I came here to ask for their opinions.”

"I see, a big festival is coming soon. That's good." Taro smiled sincerely.

“Taro really loves festivals.” Tomoe Udagawa smiled, a feeling of guilt welling up inside her as she recalled the time she had avoided Taro.

Although she knew Taro didn't care, she did. She patted Taro's shoulder and said with a smile, "By the way, Taro, will you come and play the taiko drum during the festival?"

"Yes! I'd love to." As expected, Taro seemed very excited.

“Then, I’ll go inform Uncle and the others.” Tomoe Utagawa smiled and was about to turn and leave when Taro called out to her, “Wait.”

Tomoe Udagawa turned around and looked at Taro with a puzzled expression.

Taro took two scrolls out of his pocket and placed them in Udagawa Tomoe's palm.

Ba picked them up and looked at them. They were two 60% off coupons for Qinggao Ramen Restaurant. She had heard about this restaurant for a long time, and it seemed to have a very good reputation, but she hadn't had time to go there recently.

"Take this and go with Ruiyi." Taro gave a clean smile.

Sato Masushi (佐藤易3si霖泣er⑵寺⒏咝木) is the drummer for RAS. His stage name is Masking. Taro used to be a backup guitarist for RAS, so they have a fairly good relationship.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that Taro had a good relationship with everyone in RAS, including his guitarist Rikka Asahi, with whom he had a good relationship.

But for some reason, Chuchu keeps arguing with herself. Every time she points out the band's shortcomings, Chuchu's reaction is the strongest.

"Yeah, thank you." Tomoe Udagawa gave Taro a hearty smile as he watched him leave.

Even after being apart for so long, he still remembers my preferences and thoughts, but he has never made any effort to try to salvage the relationship.

I always gave him the cold shoulder every time we met... Thinking about it this way, I felt even more guilty.

However, wallowing in self-pity here won't solve anything. Okay! I've decided, I'll find an opportunity to make it up to them properly.

Tomoe Udagawa secretly made up her mind.