After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Upon checking her phone for messages, Toyokawa Yuu was slightly taken aback.

Toyokawa Yuu didn't expect that this guy would take the initiative to come to him. He thought that the other party would keep some things to himself until they were about to be exposed.

Doloris: [Mr. Yuyu, do you have a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss with you.]

Chapter 112 Dream is to give everything (8k)

Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy, Grade 11, Class B.

In this month, the afternoon sun is a bit hot and dry. Although it doesn't shine directly into the classroom, it can still make people feel a little irritable.

Hachiman Kairin sat in her seat, her emerald eyes fixed on the back of the person at the table in front of her, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

The teacher's voice kept babbling in front of the blackboard, but the black-haired girl didn't hear a word.

The advice of that popular idol still echoes in my mind.

What do you mean by "I will cause trouble for Mr. Yu Yu"?

Gently biting her lip, Hachiman Kairin's thoughts were somewhat chaotic, and she wasn't even quite sure what she was thinking about.

But one thing is certain: when the idol of Junta Mana kindly pointed out the inappropriateness of her behavior...

No, strictly speaking according to the regulations, it goes beyond being inappropriate.

Yawata Kairin lowered her gaze little by little. What was on the table was not a textbook, but various articles of association of the talent agency.

One of the rules clearly states that as a member of the company's team, one must not interfere with the agent's work or take over their duties.

But in the end, the band members were just a group of high school students. Even the most reliable member, Hachiman Kairin, couldn't possibly memorize a thick book word for word.

That's why agents are needed.

For girl bands that need to balance their studies and work, in addition to handling specific matters, the manager also needs to take care of the unspoken rules, such as providing kind reminders and corrections when members unintentionally violate the rules due to a lack of understanding.

—This is what Hachiman Kairin learned from Junda Mana after Toyokawa Yuu left the office to find Sumimi's manager.

However, in Hachiman Kairin's memory, Toyokawa Yuu never restricted these behaviors.

Even at the previous celebration banquet, he tacitly approved of his and Yutenji Wakami's behavior, which could be described as a power struggle, without reprimanding them. He simply forcefully designated the arrangement for Wakaba Mutsumi to work remotely.

Yawata Kairin did not believe that Toyokawa Yuu was unaware of these rules.

When Junda Mana brought this up, he didn't deny it, and even subtly gestured for her to calm down. Hachiman Kairin understood that he was just taking care of them, these...children, as always.

The fingertips resting on the book tightened silently, leaving mottled creases on the edges of the pages.

[Mr. Yu is so considerate. I wish Sister Lena was this easy to talk to. Last time I secretly took a few donuts, she reminded me under the pretext that idols need to take care of their figures...]

Junta Mana's final words, which sounded both wistful and envious, kept echoing in Hachiman Kairin's ears, causing her to quietly clench her teeth.

Although Hachiman Kairin was reluctant to admit it, in Toyokawa Yuu’s eyes, she might really just be spoiling them like ignorant little children.

She originally thought that, given her decent abilities and her constant help with Yuu Toyokawa's affairs, she could be considered an adult.

After all, this is how she has lived her life since she was a child. Because of her outstanding talent, she has led and taken care of her peers, until this overly self-centered attitude was betrayed by the first band in her life.

Even last night on the overpass, she felt that Toyokawa Yuu also needed her care.

This idea was shattered this morning by a few innocent yet confused words from Junda Mana.

No wonder Mr. Youyu was both grateful for his concern and distant.

No wonder he wasn't angry or annoyed even though he had said those things before and was now acting willfully.

No wonder when she insisted on packing two meals for him, Mr. Youyu, despite having already refused, ended up following her helplessly and even taught her which foods to choose for the packing.

From beginning to end, I was just a child who didn't even understand the rules of adults, who was being silently protected and thought he was very capable.

His self-righteous and forceful concern was quietly transferred to another child who needed his care.

The foundation upon which her self-confidence and sense of superiority had been built crumbled. Hachiman Kairin couldn't even remember when she left Toyokawa Yuu's office with the donut box that Junda Mana had asked her to pass on.

What else is there that I can do?

In a band like Ave Mujica, where everyone is exceptionally talented, simply having a professional-level bass skill level seems insufficient by any measure.

Being too talented and dazzling will lead to being ostracized, but being too incompetent will lead to being marginalized and abandoned. This is the experience she has gained from being in more than 30 bands.

But in Ave Mujica, one's own talents cannot truly surpass those of others.

If things continue like this, I will gradually be marginalized and eventually abandoned, just like before.

After all, Toyokawa Shoko is the core of this band, and both Wakaba Mutsu and Mikami Hatsuka are people who surround Toyokawa Shoko.

Even Yutenji Wakamai had a contract that, while technically a contract of servitude, also guaranteed him a secure job.

Only myself...

Haika Hachiman didn't want to leave this band she had poured her heart and soul into for so long, she didn't want to leave...

But is there anything else I can do?

The school bell temporarily interrupted Yahata Kairin's thoughts.

Looking at her classmates leaving the classroom in twos and threes around her, Hachiman Kairin's eyes were somewhat dazed.

She used to not care much about socializing with her classmates. If no one bothered her, she preferred to wander among the various part-time bands.

He can say a few words to everyone, but he doesn't have any deep conversations with anyone.

After all, a band is different from a school. If I, as a support bassist, really have a conflict with someone, I can just leave.

It won't escalate the conflict further, raising the issue to the point of isolating or abandoning someone, nor will it create the awkward situation of constantly seeing each other like with classmates.

But now, Hachiman Kairin is really envious of her peers. She wishes she could make friends as naturally as they do.

However, the regrettable truth is that, apart from Mikasa, who sits behind him and has a colleague-like relationship with him, the only person he can consider a friend in this class is Shiina Tatsuki.

Should we consult Lixi? She seems to have many good friends.

Such thoughts surfaced in her mind, but before Hachiman Kairin could make up her mind, a familiar box was placed on her desk.

"How strange..."

Without even looking at what was on her desk or meeting the gaze of the person coming up, Hachiman Kairin instinctively uttered the words in a familiar tone.

After all, apart from his best friend Shiina Ritsuki, almost no one in this class would take the initiative to talk to him.

However, before she could finish speaking, Hachiman Kairin's voice trailed off somewhat awkwardly.

She realized that the box on her desk wasn't the panda-themed drink she was most familiar with, but rather a slightly larger box.

The reason it's familiar is that I just received the box from that popular idol in the office that morning and handed it over to my deskmate and colleague behind me.

"Um... Hailing..."

Looking up, Hachiman Kairin saw a pair of eyes that were exactly the same purple as her friend's, but looked gentler and deeper, as if they were hiding some kind of secret.

At this moment, those eyes also looked somewhat flustered.

Hatsune Miku, who wasn't particularly familiar with Hachiman Kairin, seemed to have misunderstood her tone, mistaking the familiarity between friends for dissatisfaction at being disturbed.

"Don't you like donuts? The ones Mana picked actually taste pretty good."

The blonde girl's voice was somewhat ethereal, as if she was deliberately trying to find a topic to talk about.

Based on this alone, Hachiman Kairin realized that her band's guitarist and vocalist wanted to talk to her.

If the other party wanted to, they could have already approached me about this kind of topic by deliberately seeking it out; there's no need to wait until I help deliver the donuts.

"What's the matter?"

Disliking beating around the bush and prioritizing efficiency even in communication, Hachiman Kairin asked directly, leaving the blonde girl who had approached her somewhat bewildered.

"That... is..."

Her voice was somewhat hesitant, as if she was struggling with something, and it seemed that even though she had made up her mind to find Hachiman Kairin, she still felt a little embarrassed to say it when the time came.

But having come this far, the blonde girl revealed her purpose.

"Hailin, I need your help with something. Could you come out with me for a moment?"

"......Can."

After giving her teammate a deep look, Hachiman Kairin was puzzled and had some doubts, but in the end she said nothing.

After putting the box of donuts into her drawer, Hachiman Kairin stood up from her seat and followed Hatsune Miku out of the classroom through the back door.

Hearing the footsteps behind him grow fainter as the conversation ended, Shiina Ritsuki, who had been sitting in her seat practicing drumbeats with the rhythm from her headphones, slowly stopped tapping her fingers lightly on the table.

Turning around, her purple eyes reflected the receding figures of her two classmates.

Recalling the scene that happened right before his eyes yesterday, where "Wakaba Mutsumi" rebuked Nagasaki Sase, Shiina Tatsuki couldn't help but mutter to himself.

The people in this band...

"...What on earth is going on?"

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

"What happened? Why did you call me out but not say anything?"

Following her band's guitarist and lead singer to an empty flowerbed next to the Hanasaki River teaching building, Hachiman Kairin looked at her teammate in front of her, whom she had spent more than a week with but still couldn't say they were close.

"Class time is approaching, and I'll head back if I don't have anything else to do. I was almost late this morning, and I also left school unexpectedly a few afternoons ago. The teacher has already talked to me about school discipline issues."

Seeing the girl who hadn't uttered a word since calling her out, Hachiman Kairin couldn't help but urge her on.

"Hailin... I would like to ask you to help me, and also to help Mr. Youyu."

Seeing that Hachiman Kairin seemed to be getting impatient, Hatsune finally spoke.

Upon hearing Hatsune's words, Hachiman Kairin's previously impatient emerald eyes immediately turned serious.

"Mr. Youyu... what exactly happened? What did you do to him?"

Upon hearing that the matter involved Toyokawa Yuu, Hachiman Kairin immediately felt a little nervous.

But what followed was deep confusion.

What exactly happened to the guitarist and lead singer in my band that would involve Toyokawa Yuu?

"Is this your job at Sumimi?"

After much thought, Hachiman Kairin could only come up with this one possibility.

With Mutsu Wakaba now forced to miss Ave Mujica's events, this band is going through a very difficult time.

No matter how hard Yuu Toyokawa tried to hide the news from fans, other groups within the same agency would inevitably get wind of it, especially Sumimi, who had a close working relationship with Ave Mujica.

"...Well, Sumimi's manager hopes that I can use this time to focus my main energy back on Sumimi."

Biting her lip, Hatsune admitted to Hachiman Kairin's guess.

However, this answer alone was clearly not enough to satisfy the girl who always considered herself Toyokawa Yuu's right-hand woman.

"So, what does this have to do with Mr. Youyu?"

Hairin Hachiman admitted that this incident would indeed have a significant impact on Ave Mujica, but in her opinion, it was not something to worry about too much.

"You were in charge of both the Ave Mujica and Sumimi teams at the same time, right? There was a contract in place, so even if you need to focus your main energy back on the other team during this period, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

“No, Hailing, you don’t understand. Some things can’t be resolved simply by writing a contract. If I go back now… I might not be able to come back until Ave Mujica disbands.”

Recalling the messages her biological father had sent her, including his orders, as well as the advice and hints from Sumimi's agent.

Even the president of the agency had mentioned this matter to him in a seemingly casual way.

Hatsune knew that this time, her biological father had probably really made up his mind to isolate her from Toyokawa Shoko and even Toyokawa Yuu.

But... I don't want to leave Ave Mujica. I finally managed to gain a foothold in Tokyo, and I finally managed to let Xiaoxiang see my brilliance.

Finally... I was able to be with Xiao Xiang, and for this I even gained Mr. You Yu's help.

How could you just leave so easily?

However, Mr. Youyu is already very tired. The band's affairs and Xiaomu's affairs have left him dizzy and breathless. If I were to add to his burden at this time...

Therefore, I need to find a way to share Mr. Youyu's burden, but now that I can barely take care of myself, what help can I possibly offer?

After much thought, I realized I had no choice but to ask Hachiman Kairin for help.

Sure enough, someone as useless as me can only rely on others to help, and I am nothing more than a burden that adds trouble from beginning to end.

But I can't leave Ave Mujica now, no matter what. Xiao Xiang still needs me, and Mr. You Yu also wants to help Xiao Xiang.

If I were to leave like this, both of them would feel very distressed.