After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Ave Mujica is currently going through a turbulent period and cannot afford to leave a potentially bad impression on outsiders.

Having found a reason in her mind, Toyokawa Shoko strode toward the clothing store.

Although Ave Mujica's funds have not yet been fully accounted for by the finance department, Toyokawa Shoko is not exactly well-off at the moment.

But he had worked for a year before, so he had some savings.

Fortunately, my father never asked me for money to buy alcohol...

Amidst the welcoming greetings from the clothing store clerks, Toyokawa Shoko stepped across the threshold, her amber gaze sweeping over each men's suit.

Unexpectedly, while strolling around, I saw a somewhat familiar figure.

Long brown hair, brown eyes, and a smile that always seemed to radiate warmth.

Although it was clear that the other party had disguised themselves, specially changed into a very simple outfit, and even tied up their long brown hair.

But Toyokawa Shoko was still able to recognize this currently very popular idol.

"You are... Sumimi's..."

She asked hesitantly. In the past, Toyokawa Shoko would not casually strike up a conversation with someone she didn't know on the street, but not long ago she had taken the initiative to contact Sumimi and her companion in Toyokawa Yuu's office.

Originally, Toyokawa Shoko planned to first find out what was going on with Hatsuka, and then connect with Junda Mana through her.

But now that we've encountered this situation, we might as well get to know each other first.

However, Toyokawa Shoko did not directly say Junta Mana's name, but only whispered the group name Sumimi and then stopped there.

The other party must have disguised themselves to avoid being recognized, so she wouldn't be so rude as to call out their name directly and announce it loudly.

In fact, although the two are the captains of two groups that have personnel exchanges and cooperation, this seems to be the first time they have actually met in a real sense.

"Huh? Shh..."

Junta Mana, who was shopping for clothes in a clothing store, quickly turned her gaze towards the direction from which the voice came when she heard someone call out the name Sumimi.

Before she could even see clearly who had recognized her, Junda Mana let out a soft exhale, signaling the other person not to say the rest of their words.

But when she saw the figure calling her name, her brown pupils widened slightly.

Long blue hair, beautiful amber eyes, and a gentle, kind smile on her face.

He seems to be a very easy person to get along with.

Most importantly, although she had never actually seen the other person's face before, she recognized their identity.

"You're from Ave Mujica..."

Halfway through her sentence, Junda Mana suddenly realized something and gently covered her lips with her fair hand.

At least at this stage, the identities of Ave Mujica members are kept secret. Even if she knows some of the inside information, she cannot reveal it directly; this is a matter of professional ethics.

"My name is Xiangzi, Toyokawa Xiangzi, Chuhua's friend. If it's inconvenient, I can address you as a lady for now."

Compared to Junda Mana's attention, Toyokawa Shoko took the initiative to introduce herself.

After all, not many people know that Toyokawa Shoko is actually Oblivionis of Ave Mujica.

"Let's use 'Madam' as a substitute for 'Miss Xiangzi' first. She's just as understanding as Xiao Chu said. She's exactly like another person I know, Mr. Toyokawa, Mr. Seikao... But there's no need to use such a formal title as 'Madam.' You can just call me Donut."

Upon hearing Toyokawa Shoko's attempt to make amends for her, Junda Mana paused for a moment before responding to her understanding.

However, her reply surprised Toyokawa Shoko.

It wasn't that Chu Hua had mentioned herself to the other person, but rather...

"You know my father?"

Shoko Toyokawa originally thought that the "other Toyokawa" that Mana Junda was referring to was Yuu Toyokawa, who was Ave Mujica's manager.

After all, he was the one who conducted the recent negotiations between the two teams, so it's normal that the two of them would get to know each other.

But she never expected that her father, who had been depressed for a year, would be connected with the popular idol in front of her.

Moreover, judging from the use of his first name instead of his surname, "Mr. Ching-gau," this popular idol seems to have a fairly close relationship with his father.

Before she could even ask the question she really wanted to ask, she learned something she couldn't help but care about.

"That was over a year ago. At the opening ceremony of the commercial building where Sumimi had just debuted, Mr. Qinggao expressed his optimism about the group's future. Xiao Chu even went to talk to him and seemed to receive congratulations and encouragement, such as 'Congratulations on achieving your dream.' The two of them chatted happily for quite a while."

Seeing that Toyokawa Shoko seemed surprised by this unexpected past, and even the gentle smile on her face was a little stiff, Junda Mana narrowed her eyes slightly and deliberately paused her voice to let her digest the information she had just received.

At the same time, this popular idol couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

This keyboardist from Ave Mujica seems to have been quite well protected before this.

It's one thing if it's Mr. Qinggao, but it seems that Mr. Youyu also has many things he hasn't told her.

Junda Mana didn't believe it; there were some things Toyokawa Yuu didn't know.

And it seems that it's not just these two; even Xiao Chu didn't tell her some things... although she didn't tell me either.

"...So that's how it is. Father was indeed a very gentle person before."

After calming her complicated emotions, Toyokawa Shoko composed herself.

She was genuinely surprised that her father knew the Sumimi group.

But before he was expelled from the Toyokawa family, he did indeed hold a high position in the family and was known for his "kindness".

It's not surprising that he would attend an opening ceremony and offer encouragement to a newly debuted idol group.

"Yes, Mr. Qinggao was indeed a good person. Sumimi received a lot of help from him after that. It's just a pity that he disappeared about a year ago. Xiao Chu was worried about him for a while, after all..."

Junda Mana paused, her tone becoming somewhat complex and carrying a hint of deeper meaning.

"Xiao Chu has said more than once that Mr. Qinggao is so gentle that he is just like an older brother. Before he disappeared, he told me, as his senior, to take good care of him."

However, the complex tone in the popular idol's voice only lasted for this one sentence, after which she quickly returned to her innocent and enthusiastic state.

"Xiangzi, feel free to come to me anytime if you have any questions. Even if it's just to repay Mr. Qinggao for his help back then, I will try my best to help."

Chu Hua has a good relationship with her father...

She didn't pay much attention to the other information in Junda Mana's words; only this sentence kept echoing in Toyokawa Shoko's mind.

She instinctively wanted to furrow her brow, but in order to maintain the gentle and approachable smile on her face, Toyokawa Shoko forcibly stopped herself from doing so.

Given his father's character and the resources he had previously possessed, supporting an idol group would have been an easy task.

He wouldn't hesitate to offer help to a girl who was chasing her dreams in Tokyo and had truly stood on the stage of her dreams through her own efforts.

Moreover, he had mentioned Chu Hua's name to his parents more than once when he was a child. It would be only natural that he would receive all kinds of help if Chu Hua told his father about his friendship with her.

But...but!

But why has my father never told me about this? If he knew about Chu Hua, Chu Hua would have asked him about me, given her personality.

Didn't my mother say that sincerity was my father's greatest virtue?

It's not a problem for two grown-up children to rekindle their childhood friendship.

Given how much her father loved her back then, he should have been happy to bring up this matter to try and alleviate the grief she felt from her mother's recent passing.

Her brain was working at a rapid pace, so much so that Toyokawa Shoko's breathing became somewhat rapid.

After deciding not to let Yuu Toyokawa bear everything alone anymore, she also began to activate her brain, which had been resting for a long time.

But whenever she tried to connect these things, she felt an extremely strange sense of incongruity.

No matter how hard she tried to find reasons to explain the incongruity, she couldn't convince herself.

The father is hiding something from her, and even Youyu may know something.

Recalling the night when Yuu Toyokawa first joined Ave Mujica as a manager, after everyone else had gone to the rehearsal room, he took the initiative to keep Hatsuka behind for a talk.

Was it really just about discussing a collaboration between Ave Mujica and Sumimi?

Even with her thoughts in turmoil, Toyokawa Shoko knew that reality wouldn't give her much time to think.

It would be incredibly rude of me to be so engrossed in my own thoughts and leave Sumimi's Junda Mana standing right in front of me, ignoring her like this.

I took on the task from Yuu Toyokawa to find out about Hatsuka's current situation, and I haven't finished it yet.

"Miss Donut is such a reliable senior, but no, I should take care of you and help you from now on. You've already helped me a lot."

With a light laugh, Toyokawa Shoko shook her head and politely declined Junta Mana's offer of kindness.

Then... he revealed a smile even warmer and gentler than hers.

"After all, due to the cooperation between the two teams, Chu Hua has been mainly busy with my activities recently, which has caused considerable inconvenience to your work. Fortunately, my activities will be temporarily suspended for a while, so please let me help you out."

"Eh?"

Looking at Toyokawa Shoko, who was smiling, considerate, and understanding, and who even offered to help Sumimi as the captain of Ave Mujica, Junda Mana couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

In her statement to Toyokawa Shoko just now, she actually lied a little.

That is, Chu Hua had never actually talked to her about Toyokawa Shoko.

She learned everything about Captain Ave Mujica, whom she had never met before today, through other channels.

Naturally, she also knew that Toyokawa Shoko should have a slightly gloomy personality.

However, the smile on his face didn't seem like a mere formality; rather, it gave the impression of sincerity and even a sense of having made a certain decision.

"I really can't do anything with you, Xiangzi. As a senior, how can a junior ask you for help? If word gets out, people will laugh at you for a long time."

It seems that some of the information provided wasn't entirely accurate.

"What are you saying? Helping each other is the way we should be. Let me think about where we should start..."

With a smile, yet quite firmly rejecting Junta Mana's somewhat distant and polite remarks, Toyokawa Shoko slightly raised her head, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"Donuts, donuts... How about we go get some donuts first? I know a really good one... Okay, decided, on our way."

Having decided on her own what to do next, Toyokawa Shoko grabbed Junta Mana's wrist and led her out of the clothing store.

"Wait, don't just drag me away like that, I still need to buy clothes..."

Junda Mana complained helplessly, but she felt powerless in the face of Toyokawa Shoko's enthusiastic and self-willed behavior, so she had no choice but to let her lead the way.

However, because Toyokawa Shoko was pulling Junta Mana along, she didn't see that the amber eyes of this Ave Mujica keyboardist, who had a gentle smile, were not as warm as the smile on her lips.

Unfortunately, Toyokawa Shoko, who was walking ahead, also failed to notice that the Donut Lady behind her, who seemed helpless against an enthusiastic junior, had a similar warmth in her eyes.

............................................................

In Ave Mujica's office, Yuu Toyokawa sat at her computer desk, her fingertips constantly moving across the keyboard, leaving a series of ticking sounds.

After confirming that Wakaba Mutsu wasn't picky about food and had actually eaten lunch properly, he felt the inexplicable unease in his heart dissipate considerably.

My scattered thoughts were gradually brought back together, allowing me to re-enter a highly focused state of work.

Furthermore, having been force-fed a round of food by Toyokawa Shoko not long ago, Toyokawa Yuu is now in even better spirits than she was this morning, and even her work efficiency has improved.

"In that case... things should be fine for now."

Yuu Toyokawa removed her fingertips from the keyboard and reviewed her proposal once again.

The only thing that still needs to be determined is the number of attendees.

Mortis and Dolores will definitely be unable to attend, while with everyone from Sumimi's side participating, Oblivionis, as the captain, will certainly be present.

This was both to show respect and to prevent Ave Mujica's momentum from being too suppressed without their captain.

Although, given the almost entirely individualistic and self-centered personalities of the Ave Mujica members, Toyokawa Yuu felt that her worries in this regard were somewhat unnecessary.

But who should be nominated as the attendee? Between Amoris and Timoris, who is more suitable?

After thinking for a while, Toyokawa Yuu finally typed the word "Amoris" on the keyboard.

With Ave Mujica facing operational disruptions due to staff absences, they need some compelling ways to keep fans engaged and interested, lest their popularity plummet during this turbulent time.

In this regard, Yutenji Wakami is the best choice.

Of all the members of Ave Mujica, she is the one who knows best how to greet the audience with a smile and satisfy their emotions, especially when Mutsuka Wakaba doesn't let Metis play in her place.

In this respect, Hachiman Kairin is also quite inferior.

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now. There are still some details that we'll have to discuss with Sumimi's manager and the production team later."

Slowly rising from her seat, Toyokawa Yuu decided to print out the proposal and discuss it thoroughly with Sumimi's manager.

This is the first time Ave Mujica and Sumimi have performed together, and it's also one of the band's few recent events, so he can't afford to be careless.

However, just as Yuu Toyokawa was about to leave, her phone vibrated.