You are Toyokawa Shoko, then who am I?

Toyokawa Sho helped Toyokawa Shoko pick up her coat that was hanging on the balcony.

"Why blame me? I figured out from this month's expenses that I couldn't buy groceries and cook every day, so I suggested cooking one day and buying the next."

Shoko Toyokawa took the coat that Sho Toyokawa handed to her and refused to take the blame.

"If I hadn't given you ten thousand, I wouldn't have to think about this at all."

"So you're blaming me? So I'm the reason this family can't afford to eat?"

Toyokawa Sho gestured to Toyokawa Shoko to take the keys, then he carried the most expensive guitar in his outfit and said, "How about I sell my guitar to help you with your household expenses? It can be sold for over 700,000 yen at least."

"Are you stupid? How are you going to explain to your boss if you sell it?"

Shoko Toyokawa put her slender fingers into the keyhole, waved them in front of Sho Toyokawa and then put them in her pocket, indicating that she had taken the key.

"If you really sell this guitar for me, forget about working at RiNG. It's not a good deal."

"It's definitely not worth it, but that's the trade-off. Sometimes you have to give up something else to protect something that's more important to you."

Toyokawa Sho walked in front and opened the door. He turned his head slightly and glanced at Toyokawa Shoko behind him. The slightly dim light in the corridor shone on his face, modifying the light and shadow of his facial features.

"If one day you encounter a problem that requires a lot of money to be raised immediately, even if it means I lose my job, I will sell my guitar to help you raise the money."

Toyokawa Shoko blinked her clear and beautiful eyes and said "ah" a little slowly.

She could hear that Toyokawa Sho was actually saying in a roundabout way that face was not as important as Li Xi and the others, and he still wanted her to reconcile with Crychic, but she could guess his true intention in her heart.

But when she heard him say that he was willing to give up his guitar, his job, and the only place he had finally found in this world where he could continue to live, Toyokawa Shoko still felt a little warm in her heart...

It was only then that she noticed that Toyokawa Sho was wearing very thin clothes.

At least she still had a few casual clothes she brought from Fengchuan's house. The cold wind that was approaching winter was howling past, and she only needed to wrap herself tightly to keep warm.

But what Toyokawa Sho was wearing was just a cheap item he bought from a street stall after bargaining with others. Not only was the fabric thin, but the quality was also not guaranteed. The clothes he was wearing inside were stained with Li Xi's blood, and he had no other choice.

Now I open the door and walk outside. It is already a long night. The moon hangs high in the sky, blowing the coolness of Guanghan Palace into the mortal world, setting the initial tone for the coldness and silence of the night.

Shoko Toyokawa saw that Sho Toyokawa shivered from the cold, but he said nothing. He just put his hands in his pockets, shrank his neck slightly, and continued walking forward without any other movement.

She opened her pink lips slightly, looking at the somewhat lonely and cold back, feeling a little uncomfortable.

When I get my salary next month, I’ll buy him some nice clothes.

she thought.

Then, he followed closely behind Toyokawa Sho.

31

Chapter 31 There is always a calm before the storm.

After walking down the stairs from the small rental house.

Toyokawa Shoko finally couldn't help but ask.

"Weren't we going for a walk? Why did you go out of your way to carry a guitar?"

"Of course it's because this is my most valuable possession right now. If I leave it at home and someone breaks in, it would be a joyous occasion for everyone if they hurt the scumbag, but what if they take my guitar?"

Toyokawa Sho answered as a matter of course.

"...Yeah, it's okay if my dad is a jerk, but at least I can't throw away seven hundred thousand in vain."

Toyokawa Shoko did remember the price of the guitar.

A month ago, she was still a young lady and had no concept of the word money. She always spent money and bought things as she pleased. She never had the mentality of procrastinating and not daring to speak out important things in time because she didn't want to burden her family too much.

This superior material foundation brought her the bad habit of not treating money seriously and made her accustomed to a life of squandering money.

But after experiencing this month of hard life, her concept has changed greatly. The most obvious point is that she is now very sensitive to the number of money.

You say she can stay calm no matter where she goes.

But she definitely won't be able to bear it if you deduct her salary.

"Did you bring any nail polish?"

Walking to the shed downstairs that was specially used for electric bikes and bicycles, Toyokawa Sho turned around and asked.

"I brought it."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded slightly. "While we were eating, your eyes kept stealing glances at the doll I placed at the entrance. I knew what you meant."

As she spoke, she took out the nail polish from her pocket that she had just taken out of the small treasure box in her bedroom.

At that time, she was listening to Toyokawa Sho say that Shiina Riki fell down the slope while riding a bicycle, and she knew that the bicycle that was thrown out must have scratches on it.

Based on her understanding of Toyokawa Sho and Shiina Tatsuki, Toyokawa Sho would definitely offer to help take the bicycle back and fix the scratches, because if she were there at the time, she would do the same, so she expected Toyokawa Sho to do the same.

And the facts turned out to be just as she expected.

As expected, Toyokawa Sho brought the bicycle back.

"Give."

Shoko Toyokawa handed the nail polish to Sho Toyokawa.

Unlike Toyokawa Sho, she doesn't have rich life experience, so she actually doesn't know that scratches can be easily treated with nail polish.

But she thought quickly and realized that nail polish dries quickly, and as long as the right color was chosen, it could cover up the scratches on the bicycle's paint. So she brought out all the remaining nail polishes to see which one Toyokawa Sho would want.

"It turns out girls are better at this kind of thing."

Toyokawa Sho looked at the colorful nail polish on Toyokawa Shoko's hands and murmured.

"I only have a few basic colors, and you have three different shades of cyan alone... Ah, I'll just take this black."

"This kind of thing is gender-neutral, right? The more colors there are, the more possible combinations there are, right?"

Shoko Toyokawa watched Sho Toyokawa squat down, pick up the nail polish and carefully apply it on the bicycle.

"That's true, but don't you think it's strange for a boy to have a hobby of DIY dolls?"

Toyokawa Sho said softly.

"This is a personal hobby. There is no reason for others to..."

Shoko Toyokawa was about to say that no one could give her instructions at will, but when she thought about Sho Toyokawa's identity, the words faded away at her lips.

Among domestic family tycoons, men are valued far more than women. In addition, influenced by the traditional concept that surname inheritance is more important than bloodline, some families even recruit a son-in-law to manage the family business instead of handing it over to their daughters.

As a male, Toyokawa Sho's education and restrictions in his world must be stricter and more rigorous than his own...

So, I can’t even pick up my hobby of dolls openly, and can only hide it in my heart...?

Toyokawa Shoko whispered.

"...If you're still interested, we can buy one together next time. I'll give you my tools. Do you want to...try it again?"

"Okay, but where are we going to put the extra dolls? There's no extra space in the house."

Toyokawa Sho asked as he blew on the nail polish on the painted surface.

"Um……"

Shoko Toyokawa thought about it and realized that the usable space in the rental house was extremely small, and it was basically used based on the principle of every inch of land being valuable.

Although she had made a special place to store the doll her mother gave her, she would still like to have only one doll in that place if possible, because that was her most important and special thing.

But if not there, where else can I put it?

She thought about it for a long time, and finally could only think of putting the extra dolls on the bed. Her slender fingers couldn't help but pinch a strand of hair and rub it between her fingertips, a little embarrassedly saying.

"You can put it next to my bed. After all, we're doing this together, and there's nowhere else to put it in the room, so... just put it on the bed."

Toyokawa Sho turned around with some surprise.

The reason why he asked where to put it was actually a subtle refusal. He hadn't touched the doll for many years, and besides, he didn't need a doll with Mu by his side.

But things are different now. Mu should still be accompanying Mrs. Morimi to the crew to make himself familiar to everyone, and no one around him would think that this hobby is not in line with the identity of the heir to the Toyokawa family.

But the reason why I like dolls is simply because I lacked maternal love and care in my childhood, and I instinctively acted like a spoiled child towards my mother.

I have already severed ties with my mother, so why would I still like dolls?

Toyokawa Sho stood up, looked back at Toyokawa Shoko's somewhat awkward and embarrassed gaze, and finally showed a helpless smile.

"Then let's wait until next month's paycheck and go buy one together. Just like before, let's buy VLOKS."

Toyokawa Sho gripped the handlebars and seat of the bicycle, adjusted its direction, straightened his clothes, and imitated the butler's etiquette, making a gesture of invitation.

"I wonder if this beautiful lady would be so kind as to accompany me to the store to take a look?"

Shoko Toyokawa covered her mouth with her little hands, her long and thick eyelashes moved slightly, and she closed her eyes and laughed softly.

"The store is closed at this hour, right? And didn't you say you were going for a walk? Why did you suddenly choose to ride a bike?"

"So your dark history is really stupid and not a joy to behold."

Toyokawa Sho imitated Zhenjun's tone and shook his head and sighed.

"Who massaged your feet yesterday? Stupid, really stupid! I applied ice to your feet, I massaged them, and I still don't know when your sprain will heal. It'll take at least two weeks, and if you over-exercise during that time, it'll definitely worsen the injury."

As he spoke, Toyokawa Sho complained again.

"What did you do today? Did you go to work? You twisted your ankle but still forced yourself to go to work, and you endured the pain so that others wouldn't notice... Oh, how can I say hello to you."

Shoko Toyokawa avoided his gaze a little guiltily. She didn't expect Sho Toyokawa's insight to be so amazing.

She thought she had hidden it well enough. Even though her ankle hurt so much that she could barely speak, she was still trying to act like nothing was wrong. But she was still seen through...

"...I just don't want to cause you too much trouble."

Toyokawa Shoko muttered in a very low voice.

"It's because you always have this thought that I dragged you out for a walk even though I knew your feet hurt."

Toyokawa Sho patted the seat on the back of the bicycle.

"Come up."

Shoko Toyokawa struggled for a while, but finally decided to sit on it.

"Oh, wait, I almost forgot."

At this moment, Toyokawa Sho suddenly reached out to stop Toyokawa Shoko, and walked around to the front of the car mysteriously, stroked the handlebars and whispered in a low voice.

"Di Lu, Di Lu... do you understand my feelings? Earlier, I scolded you for being ungrateful and threatened to send you to the scrap yard to be refined in an instant, but that was just a rant. Don't take it seriously. Everyone says you're a nuisance to your master, but I want to believe that you'll treat me like Lord Xuande, right?"

The voice just fell.

It seemed as if a blue fluorescent light really floated down from the sky and landed on the handlebars. The good horse named De Lu was enlightened by this opportunity, and its intelligence began to awaken. Like a newborn creature, it responded to Toyokawa Sho's call.

Toyokawa Sho nodded with satisfaction.

good.

This horse is destined to be with me.

"...You're already 25 and still so immature?"

Shoko Toyokawa looked at the scene in front of her that looked like performance art. Even though they were bound by the same person, she found it difficult to understand Toyokawa Sho's behavior at this moment.

Will I be the same as him when I grow up?

I don’t want to grow up…

"What do you mean twenty-five? I'm only fifteen now, don't talk nonsense."

Someone shamelessly pretended to be naive and then explained in a pretentious manner, "Do you know what a machine soul is?"

"Does it mean the soul of the machine?"

No matter how Toyokawa Shoko denied it, she still had some middle school second-year attributes. When she heard these words that sounded very middle school second-year, she took a glance and accurately said the meaning.

"That's right, everything has a soul! Your answer is correct, Dark History student, five points for your academy!"

Toyokawa Sho snorted, and it seemed that he was no longer wearing the rough and shabby street stall goods, but a black long gown made of exquisite natural fibers, sewn by hand stitch by stitch. In his hand, he was vaguely holding a custom-made wand bought from Ollivander's Wand Shop.

"You weren't there at the time, so you didn't know it was this Luma whose brakes broke on the slope, throwing Lixi off. But when I pushed it home later, I found its brakes were intact and it could stop. I think Lixi must have been riding too fast and being too rough with it, which upset its spirit and caused the problem."

"In order to ensure that we don't get thrown out like Lixi later, it's necessary to use sweet words to appease it."

As he spoke, Toyokawa Sho gently stroked the handlebar next to him.

The sinful tone was like that of a wicked gigolo who coaxed a young girl who was just beginning to fall in love into ordering a Dom Perry meal for him.