After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

The black screen lit up, and a message came in.

Chihaya Aine: [Yuu, did you eat lunch properly today? Mygo!!!!! No rehearsal today. I'm having afternoon tea with Tomorin and Rakuna at [RING]. Do you want to bring Shoko or Mutsu along?]

Finally, Chihaya Aine added an "expectant" emoji.

She seemed quite happy that the band didn't have to rehearse and could finally relax.

However, this does seem to fit the pink-haired girl's somewhat short-lived enthusiasm... right?

Yuu Toyokawa recalled that yesterday morning, when she and Mutsuko Wakaba met Chihaya Aine in the [RING], she was out practicing in the morning and handed her a band-aid on her finger from playing the guitar so intensely.

Even though it was just a simple text message, Toyokawa Yuu felt that Chihaya Aine seemed to have something on her mind.

He hadn't originally planned to disrupt his schedule because of this, but his expression became somewhat hesitant.

Yuu Toyokawa wasn't the only one whose expression turned strange.

The information reflected on the phone screen on the table was also seen by Toyokawa Shoko.

"are you going?"

Tilting her head, Toyokawa Shoko looked at her fiancé beside her with a questioning gaze.

Chihaya Aine contacting Toyokawa Yuu wasn't really... well, she was a little concerned, but Toyokawa Shoko didn't think that Toyokawa Yuu's original plan was to go find that lively pink-haired girl.

This message was clearly just sent; even if Toyokawa Yuu is incredibly capable, she couldn't possibly be a prophet.

She just wanted to know if Toyokawa Yuu would change her original travel plans for Chihaya Aine.

and......

The image of the pink-haired girl flashed through her mind, and Toyokawa Shoko gently bit her lip, admitting that she wasn't exactly happy.

But before Toyokawa Shoko could pay much attention, her cell phone in her pocket started vibrating.

Chihaya Aine: [Shoko, did your plan work out at noon today? I invited Yuu to [RING] for a get-together. If it didn't work out, you'll have to ask him to bring you along.]

Seeing the message Chihaya Aine sent her, Toyokawa Shoko was slightly taken aback, and the slight dimness in her amber eyes was illuminated a little by the light seeping from the screen.

"I still have some things to discuss with Qing..."

Putting her phone back in her pocket, Toyokawa Yuu silently shut down her computer, starting to estimate in her mind how long it would take to find Chihaya Aine.

And with her band members there, it shouldn't take much time...

"It's okay, just come to my house after you get off work tonight. My father will be home by then, and you can chat for as long as you want."

Upon hearing Yuu Toyokawa's original plan, Shoko Toyokawa came up with a solution on his behalf.

By placing her phone in front of her fiancé, Toyokawa Shoko showed Yuu the message that Chihaya Aine had just sent her.

"Besides, Aine didn't just invite you, I was also invited. It's rare for a friend to invite you, it would be too impolite to just refuse... I guess it's a good thing Soyo wasn't here, otherwise things might have gotten a little complicated."

"Besides, it's getting late. After meeting with Ai-yin, we can go have dinner... Or are you planning to let me pin you down on the sofa and feed you again?"

At this point, Toyokawa Shoko's lips curled into a smile.

What happened at noon today was indeed unexpected and terrifying, but to some extent, it was also the first time that Toyokawa Yuu was in a vulnerable position in front of her.

Looking at the messages on Toyokawa Shoko's phone, Toyokawa Yuu fell silent for a moment. Was this a case of him having something on his fiancée?

"...Let's go then. Let's skip dinner. Since I'm going to see Qinggao after get off work, I should take this time to deliver dinner to Xiaomu. She's still waiting for me."

After much deliberation, Toyokawa Yuu finally accepted half of Toyokawa Shoko's suggestion.

Standing up from her office chair, Toyokawa Yuu didn't wait for Toyokawa Shoko to pack her bag before heading towards the office door.

"Wait, are you planning to go out like this? Come with me to the dry cleaners to get your clothes first... I'll buy you a casual outfit on the way back. You can't go to see friends like you're discussing work, wearing a suit every day."

Shoko Toyokawa jogged back to the sofa and pulled out a dry cleaner's business card from her schoolbag.

She had just remembered that she had planned to pick out an outfit for Toyokawa Yuu this afternoon, but her plans were disrupted by a chance encounter with Junda Mana.

Seeing that Yuu Toyokawa had already left the office and didn't seem to be waiting long, Shoko Toyokawa gritted her teeth and quickly followed.

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

"You two, are you arguing?"

In a livehouse called [RING], Chihaya Aine looked at the engaged couple sitting across from her with suspicion.

Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu arrived at [RING] faster than she had imagined.

Although the message said she was already having matcha parfaits with Takamatsu Akari and Kaname Rakuna, given the habits of high school band girls, it's not unreasonable to linger in this LiveHouse until sunset if they're not in a hurry to go home.

Therefore, Chihaya Aine had already prepared herself to wait here a little longer.

But she didn't expect the engaged couple to arrive so quickly, and it seemed that the atmosphere between them was even tense.

When Toyokawa Shoko went to her for advice this morning, she did mention that they hadn't known each other for very long and their relationship wasn't particularly deep.

But judging from the current situation, isn't saying "not very deep" a bit too mild? It seems like these two are giving each other the cold shoulder.

Didn't Xiangzi reply to his own message saying that the operation was going smoothly and that Youyu had finished off all the food she brought at noon today?

"Of course not. After all, who would stoop to the level of a reckless person who only brings a laundry card and forgets their wallet, leaving me to pay for their transportation?"

Sitting next to Toyokawa Shoko, Toyokawa Yuu finally changed back into the suit she hadn't worn for half a day, but the expression on her face was as if she had been told that her wallet had unexpectedly shrunk again.

However, his tone, which seemed to be filled with some resentment, did not sound like the direct accusations he usually made when Toyokawa Shoko did something that did not suit his wishes. Instead, it was more sarcastic and unpleasant.

"I forgot my wallet because of your excessive urging. As the band's manager, you should know that when members make mistakes under excessive pressure, it's not entirely their fault."

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko was no longer as gentle and considerate as she had been in the office. Sitting next to Toyokawa Yuu, she maintained the same posture of crossing her arms, but with her arms turned to the other side.

Clearly, the two of them had gotten into some embarrassing trouble on their way here and were still sulking.

However, even though they were sulking in front of others, they still sat on the same bench, which shows that Xiangzi and Youyu's relationship has indeed started to improve.

Sitting opposite Yuu Toyokawa and Shoko Toyokawa, Aine Chihaya's smile eased a little. These two were her friends and also an engaged couple. If she continued to hold a grudge, she would feel somewhat troubled.

"Seeing how good your relationship is, I feel relieved... Since I invited you all here, I'll treat you this time, since Youyu has been paying before."

Seeing the two sulking but not really angry, Chihaya Aine clapped her hands lightly, drawing the attention of Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu to herself.

"Youyu is still the same as always, breakfast cake and iced water, right? Xiangzi, what do you want?"

His familiar tone and complete confidence that Toyokawa Yuu would not object to his arrangements.

Chihaya Aine's attitude startled Toyokawa Shoko slightly, and her amber eyes became somewhat complicated for a moment.

And when you ate with Chihaya Aine before, it was always Yuu who paid for it?

Noticing this, Toyokawa Shoko glared fiercely at her fiancé sitting next to her once again.

She still clearly remembered how he had belittled himself on the tram by saying his wallet was about to go bankrupt.

"I just need the same ones as Yuu, thank you for your help, Aine."

Although she still harbored some resentment towards Yuu Toyokawa, Shoko Toyokawa couldn't possibly give Aine Chihaya a hard time.

After all, whether from a subjective or objective point of view, the other party has helped me a lot today.

"Next time, I will reciprocate with an even more lavish feast."

"No need for that. We're friends, aren't we? If you really want to thank me, please reserve a few excellent viewing seats for me at the next Ave Mujica concert."

Shoko Toyokawa waved her hand, indicating that friends didn't need to be so calculating, and Aine Chihaya turned and walked towards the bar.

However, if we really look at it from a meticulous perspective, Chihaya Aine's request seems more like an exorbitant demand.

With the pink-haired girl, who was usually the most lively, temporarily leaving her seat, the atmosphere at the table suddenly became somewhat dull.

Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu were still a little sullen about the embarrassing incident earlier, and the last girl sitting at the table with short pinkish-gray hair was also the taciturn type.

“Um… Mr. Youyu.”

The silence on the table lasted for a while until the girl, as quiet as a small animal, spoke softly.

Takamatsu raised her head, mustering the courage to meet Toyokawa Yuu's gaze.

Although the two should theoretically be the same age, the competence that Toyokawa Yuu had gradually honed through her work experience, as well as her ability to handle everyone with ease backstage at the concert, still put a lot of pressure on Takamatsu Akari, who was even more introverted than Wakaba Mutsu.

Even so, she began to speak her words with some effort.

"Thank you for what you've done, in many ways."

A little confused by Takamatsu Akari's sudden apology, Toyokawa Yuu seemed to have little interaction with the lead singer of MyGO!!!!! in her memory.

Even on the morning when he first met Chihaya Aine, he had no interaction with her whatsoever.

"Is it about the concert tickets? Don't worry about that. Aine and I are friends, and Ms. Nagasaki Sase is also Shoko's friend. She asked me to help, so I have to help her out of both courtesy and reason."

After much thought, it seemed that this was the only connection between Toyokawa Yuu and Takamatsu Akari.

"No, it's not just that. There's also... Thank you for taking care of Xiangzi and Xiaomu, helping Xiangzi return to her former self. Aine said you also took good care of Xiaomu, and Riki also mentioned that you and Hachiman have a good relationship."

This was the first time the introverted and shy girl, who always found it difficult to think along with others, had spoken so much to someone she didn't know well, to the point that she became somewhat incoherent.

While expressing his gratitude, he even included Hachiman Kairin, who had only been pulled in by Shiina Tatsuki to help out and had never officially joined MyGO, but had only given him some encouragement at the end.

"Anyway... thank you so much for your hard work, Mr. Yuu. I hope to invite you to the next MyGO!!!!! concert."

After struggling to finish this long string of words, Gao Songdeng's chest heaved as he tried to regulate his somewhat disordered breathing.

It seems that saying so much to someone she doesn't know well is somewhat pushing the limits of this young girl's endurance.

However, the person she thanked did not respond immediately to what seemed to Toyokawa Yuu herself as somewhat inexplicable gratitude.

Still remaining silent in her seat, Toyokawa Yuu's gaze was fixed on Takamatsu Akari, who sat opposite Toyokawa Shoko, with a complex expression.

Thoughts, scrutiny, doubts, and perhaps even a touch of calculation... a whole host of different meanings.

The girl mustered her courage to thank him, but received no response for a long time.

"Youyu..."

Reaching under the table, Toyokawa Shoko gently poked Toyokawa Yuu's lower back and gave her fiancé a wink.

Regardless of what I really think, I should at least express my opinion now.

"...No need to be so formal, Miss Takamatsu, those were things I should do... things I had to do, and they don't deserve such thanks."

Lowering her eyes slightly, Toyokawa Yuu responded, but her tone was somewhat complicated and strange, and it didn't seem like a perfect answer.

Takamatsu lowered her head silently; she could also sense the slight oddness in Toyokawa Yuu's tone.

Although I don't understand the meaning behind it, this feeling doesn't seem to be happy.

Was it because it was too offensive...?

"However, I will accept Ms. Takamatsu's thanks. Although verbal thanks are light, they are enough to comfort me."

The boy's tone brightened slightly, and although his wording was still a bit strange, one could still hear a hint of amusement in his voice.

Takamatsu Tō breathed a sigh of relief; the heaving of his chest subsided, and he finally appeared to be somewhat relaxed.

"One...two...three..."

The cute counting sounds gently rang in everyone's ears.

Takamatsu's courageous expression of gratitude seemed to have attracted the attention of a stray cat.

Kaname Rakuna, who had been happily playing her guitar in the corner, had somehow put down her instrument and walked over to the spot where Chihaya Aine had been sitting.

With eyes as bright and lively as a Persian cat's, the heterochromatic eyes scrutinized Toyokawa Yuu before her, before a smile returned to her face after a moment.

"A man who's starting to become interesting..."

Chapter 116 This is my heartfelt gift (5k)

"Rakuna, Rinrinko said that you can't just use this tone to judge others. At the very least, you should say it's a boy. Yuu is the same age as us, and he's not even an adult yet."

A voice, tinged with helplessness yet also carrying a hint of correction, rang out as Chihaya Aine slowly returned from the front desk, carrying a tray with cakes and ice water for two.

As Chihaya Aine placed the tray on the table, she noticed that Kaname Rakuna's gaze was gradually focusing on the pastries on the tray, and immediately raised a finger as a warning.

"No, you can't. Renai has already eaten two matcha parfaits today. If she doesn't stop eating, Rinrinko might tell your grandma."

Upon hearing that Chihaya Aine had even brought up her grandmother, Ryuna shrank back, looking like a kitten recalling unpleasant memories.

Seeing that Kaname had become more obedient, Chihaya Aine breathed a sigh of relief and placed the items on the tray in front of the two of them one by one.

"I'm sorry, Lena sometimes says some strange things."

"It's nothing, I didn't feel offended. After all, the members of Ave Mujica... are all quite individualistic."

Yuu Toyokawa shook her head at Chihaya Aine's seemingly apologetic explanation, indicating that she didn't care.