After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

"...Thank you, Mom, I like it very much."

With a smile on his face, Nagasaki Sase reached out and accepted the autographed photos.

"What's wrong? Soyo, don't you like this band?"

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Even though she was very busy with work and rarely communicated with her daughter, Ms. Nagasaki could still notice something strange about her daughter's face.

I subconsciously thought that it was the gift I brought back that made my daughter unhappy.

“No, I really like this band. Some of my friends are in it. Last time, I went to an Ave Mujica concert with the band members, and he even got me some tickets… Mr. Yu is a very kind person, right, Mom?”

His voice paused several times. To outsiders, Nagasaki Sase was someone who could lie almost effortlessly, but in the end, he couldn't lie to his mother.

While admitting that he cared a lot about the band, he also said some irrelevant things.

However, Ms. Nagasaki was somewhat surprised to hear the name Toyokawa Yuu from her daughter.

"Soyo actually knows Mr. Youyu, and he even helped Soyo before... It seems I'll have to find an opportunity to thank him properly when I see him again this weekend, and I'll also have to be more dedicated to our cooperation."

"Mom, adults shouldn't interfere in children's friendships. Besides, Mr. Youyu hates people who can't separate public and private matters. Mom, you can't mention me in front of him."

Upon hearing her mother's words, Nagasaki Sase quickly tried to comfort her, but her azure eyes were unknowingly veiled with a thin layer of mist, making it impossible to see her expression.

On weekends, Mr. Youyu would go to his mother's company.

Xiao Xiang...maybe he'll go too.

Silently memorizing this information, Nagasaki Sase, whose clues had been broken, seemed to see a glimmer of hope again.

Chapter 128 A Heart Like a Rubik's Cube

"It's time to leave work, Mr. Youyu."

In Ave Mujica's office, Hachiman Kairin leaned against the edge of Toyokawa Yuu's desk, half of her buttocks resting on the edge of the desk, looking sideways at the boy sitting in the office chair.

It was already close to midnight, and the rest of Ave Mujica had long since disbanded.

After a few days of being attentive to Yuu Toyokawa, Shoko Toyokawa seemed to have lost her previous enthusiasm and stopped waiting for him in the office to leave with him.

Today, she was just like Yutenji Wakana, clocking in for work. When it was time to leave, she simply grabbed her handbag and headed out.

On the contrary, Hatsune had to make a special trip to Ave Mujica's place because Ave Mujica got off work too early and Sumimi's work was still not finished. Whether out of a sense of duty or guilt, Hatsune had to make a special trip there.

At this moment, apart from Yuu Toyokawa, only Kairin Hachiman was still lingering in the office.

However, even when she stayed in the office, Yuu Toyokawa did not seem to bury herself in her computer as usual. Instead, she held a book in her hand and slowly flipped through it.

From Hachiman Kairin's perspective, one can better see the text on the spine, which seems to be... a book about how to get along with children.

I have to admit, when I saw those words, I felt my heart skip a beat.

It wasn't that she had any wishful thinking; on the contrary, the emotion lingering in Hachiman Kairin's heart was worry.

Who else in the band, besides Toyokawa Shoko, is most likely to have children with Mr. Yuu?

Rather, it's more accurate to say that Mr. Yu came to Ave Mujica precisely to prepare for this kind of event.

Even though their relationship was more like that of two bickering rivals than engaged couples recently, it doesn't mean they've given up on the possibilities that this relationship might bring.

Leaving aside what Toyokawa Shoko is thinking, given Mr. Yuu's responsible personality, he certainly wouldn't choose to shirk this responsibility.

However, if the two really do develop their relationship to that point, then this band called Ave Mujica... will still have a reason to exist.

At the very least, Mr. Yuyu certainly won't stay in the band as their manager anymore.

After all this is arranged, he will definitely return to the group behind him. For him, a commercial band is probably just a childish game to cultivate his relationship with his fiancée.

She gently placed her palm over her heart. Once, Hachiman Kairin thought she was the person in the band closest to Toyokawa Yuu.

Even his nominal fiancée, Toyokawa Shoko, with whom he argued almost every day, didn't communicate as much as he did with Toyokawa Yuu.

But the more Hachiman Kairin knew about things that Toyokawa Yuu never mentioned in the band, the further away she felt from the boy in front of her.

Even from the most basic values ​​perspective, she knew she shouldn't try to close that gap.

Ultimately, he was just a colleague, while Toyokawa Shoko was his fiancé.

However, how should I accept the fact that the only person who has ever genuinely trusted me, and even been willing to break the rules to allow me to interfere in his affairs, will eventually disappear from my world?

Without a reliable manager like Yuu Toyokawa, and given the talented yet scheming interpersonal relationships within Ave Mujica, can this band truly continue to exist as before?

What should I do to save this band?

His emerald-like gaze gradually turned somber.

Her fair fingertips gradually traced the edge of the desk, while Hachiman Kairin's legs shifted restlessly around the desk.

Even if you have the intention to try all the methods if you don't know what to do.

But the unease in my heart did not dissipate because of that almost blind action.

Only when she was with Yuu Toyokawa, confirming that the bridge that held the band together hadn't left, could she feel at ease.

I long to... hold that warm fire in my hands, even if it turns me into something disgusting to myself, I still want to...

As she paced around the desk, her fingertips unconsciously drifted closer to the boy sitting in the chair, slowly turning the pages of a book in his hands.

"Hailing, could you please pour me a cup of tea?"

Yawata Kairin could feel her fingertips getting closer and closer to Toyokawa Yuu's nape, and her fingernails could even feel the boy's body temperature.

But just before she was about to grasp that warmth in her palm, Toyokawa Yuu's voice reached Hachiman Kairin's ears.

As if she had done something wrong, Hachiman Kairin gripped the back of her office chair tightly with her outstretched hand, forcing her emerald green gaze to be fixed on the pages of the book in Toyokawa Yuu's hand, making herself appear as if she was merely curious about the contents of the book.

“The tea is cold now, Mr. Youyu.”

After regaining her composure, Hachiman Kairin did not leave Toyokawa Yuu's back. Her right hand was tightly gripping the vertical beam connecting the headrest and the back of the chair, and the veins on the back of her hand were faintly visible.

"It's alright, I'm not some pampered young master, I'm not that picky about taste and texture."

Yuu Toyokawa lifted her gaze from the book, resting her head on the headrest of her office chair, and looked at Kairin Hachiman, who had quietly touched her back and seemed to be curiously examining what book she was reading.

The emerald green gaze met the boy's eyes, and Hachiman Kairin saw the confusion in them.

She then realized that this was the first time she had refused a request that Toyokawa Yuu had actually made in the office.

"The tea has gone cold and is not suitable for drinking. If you need it, I can... I'll go pour some tea."

She instinctively wanted to defend her behavior, but before she could finish speaking, Hachiman Kairin shut her mouth under Toyokawa Yuu's gaze.

In front of Yuu Toyokawa, she seemed unable to even make up an excuse.

With her head down, Hachiman Kairin looked at the tips of her shoes. Ave Mujica's stage costumes, even the shoes, tried to match the temperament of Solar dolls, but at this moment she only felt that the light reflected from the outer leather of the shoes was a bit dazzling.

With heavy and disheveled steps, Hachiman Kairin slowly walked to the coffee table, took out two cups, and poured a cup of tea for herself and Toyokawa Yuu.

Seeing Hachiman Kairin's seemingly dejected figure, Toyokawa Yuu, though unaware of the reason, made no attempt to comfort her.

On the contrary, he was also trying to suppress his racing heartbeat. His fingertips brushed across his neck without leaving a trace, and a warm, moist sensation came from the back of his heart without him realizing it.

What on earth is she going to do?

Toyokawa Yuu is finding it increasingly difficult to understand Hachiman Kairin lately. She keeps showing an attitude of wanting to have a closer relationship with her, but when they are together, she is gradually starting to show some strong rejections.

Each display of toughness seems like an attempt to show some concern, but each time that subtle concern seems rather nonsensical.

It doesn't really matter if the tea gets cold; hot tea in the middle of summer is actually more likely to be difficult to swallow immediately.

Although he hadn't intended to drink it, he felt that Hachiman Kairin, who had quietly circled behind him, was acting strangely, so he deliberately sent her away.

Thinking about this, Toyokawa Yuu felt a surge of irritation, and even put the reference book she was holding, which she had intended to use to learn how to get along with Metis and win over that childlike personality to her own advantage, back on the table.

It feels like even the usually reliable Hachiman Kairin is starting to show signs of rebellion. It's much more reassuring to have Yutenji Wakamu, who was tied down by a contract long ago.

No, that's not entirely true. It's also possible that Hachiman Kairin was inherently rebellious.

Recalling her previous experience of being inexplicably betrayed by Hachiman Kairin, Toyokawa Yuu felt that this secretary, whom she had once trusted, was actually the hottest potato in the band.

"Mr. Youyu, that's all we have."

Just as she was pondering, Hachiman Kairin returned to Toyokawa Yuu with two cups of tea in her hands. The water levels in the two cups were different, one deep and one shallow, indicating that the teapot was almost empty.

Handing the fullest cup to Toyokawa Yuu, Hachiman Kairin, feeling somewhat annoyed, didn't care much about etiquette in front of her boss and simply sat on the relatively empty desk with one side of her buttocks sticking out.

Although he is already considered tall among his peers, he is still just a high school student. When he sits on the desk, he has to stand on tiptoe to touch the ground.

From Toyokawa Yuu's perspective, you only need to look down slightly to see her ankles that accidentally peek out from between her trousers and black leather boots.

However, he had no interest in appreciating the girl's figure at the moment.

"You should have poured both cups of tea to the same level. Treating people differently in this way doesn't make them feel respected."

Yuu Toyokawa accepted the tea offered by Kairin Hachiman without hesitation, but instead of drinking it directly, he poured some of the tea from his own cup into the girl's cup.

Compared to his earlier correction of Hachiman Kairin, what he is doing now seems even more impolite.

But the girl, who was sitting on the desk with half of her body on it, did not stop him.

The rims of the two cups touched, producing a crisp sound.

Yuu Toyokawa could clearly feel that the moment the rim of the cup touched, Kairin Hachiman's arm holding the cup trembled, and a few drops of liquid splashed out and landed on her fingertips.

Yuu Toyokawa stopped what she was doing when the liquid levels in the two cups were roughly equal.

Looking at the cup in her hand, whose surface had been slightly raised by Toyokawa Yuu, Hachiman Kairin's arm trembled slightly, causing the liquid in the cup to ripple gently, blurring her reflection in the water and making her eyes appear hazy and indistinct.

"......Been taught a lesson."

Without any hesitation, Hachiman Kairin simply tilted her head back slightly, and the liquid in the cup was swallowed.

The posture didn't look like sipping cold tea; it looked more like gulping down some kind of strong liquor that could burn your throat.

Although Ave Mujica is currently in a predicament where it is almost impossible to move forward, for a short while, Hachiman Kairin had to admit that this forced leisure actually felt quite nice.

"I'm only a half-baked one, not good at etiquette and manners... Let's go, it's really time to go home."

Under the somewhat surprised gaze of Hachiman Kairin, Toyokawa Yuu finished her tea and then got up from her office chair.

The members of her own band were sitting on the desk, facing away from her. The closest distance between their bodies was probably no more than twenty centimeters. Even if Toyokawa Yuu had a big heart, she couldn't possibly continue reading under such circumstances.

"I'll call a car."

Somewhat reluctantly, Hachiman Kairin got off the desk she hadn't even warmed up yet and quickly followed Toyokawa Yuu's retreating figure.

Because of what had just happened, the pent-up emotions in her eyes had lessened considerably.

"Just go to the train station, no need to go through all that trouble."

Looking at Hachiman Kairin, whose attitude had been a bit strange just moments before but had suddenly become very attentive, Toyokawa Yuu was even more confused about what this girl was thinking.

This girl with emerald-like eyes has a heart that's like a multifaceted Rubik's Cube; she has no idea what shape Hachiman Kairin will twist into next.

"That won't do. I'm Mr. Youyu's secretary. It's fine normally, but if we go out together, you have to follow my arrangements."

Where Toyokawa Yuu lives is no secret to Yahata Kairin.

If Yutenji Wakana could use the office computer to view the file that Toyokawa Yuu filled out when she joined the company, then she could too.

He instinctively wanted to refuse Hachiman Kairin's somewhat forceful suggestion, not because he was shy about getting a ride with his subordinate, but because he was not very comfortable with cars.

This deep-seated resistance is even closely related to Hachiman Kairin.

Have the courage to start over, otherwise life is so long, you won't be able to hold on...

Sometimes, Yuu Toyokawa really wanted to smash her head open and pour out the sentence that kept lingering in her mind.

"...You can arrange it. Just take me to a restaurant. I also need to buy dinner for Xiao Mu and deliver it there...I can go to that place myself."

"Yes, please allow me to accompany you when you're shopping."

Although things didn't go exactly as she had envisioned, Hachiman Kairin still showed a look of surprise on her face.

Even if it's just sitting with Yuu Toyokawa for half the journey, it's still something she's very happy about.

And so I can walk a stretch of road with that warm fire.

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

Sitting somewhat uneasily in the taxi called by Hachiman Kairin, even though she had prepared herself mentally, she couldn't help feeling uneasy as she placed her body on the leather cushion in the back seat once again.

But seeing Hachiman Kairin sitting beside her, Toyokawa Yuu tried to calm herself down.

Even if it was mostly just him scaring himself, Hachiman Kairin was in the car, so if anything really happened, she would be there to protect him.

With these thoughts in mind, the taxi wheels began to turn amidst Toyokawa Yuu's slight unease.

Tension caused by anxiety can lead to mental fatigue, especially when the journey is halfway through and nothing has actually happened.