After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

When this was mentioned, Toyokawa Yuu's expression became slightly unnatural for a moment.

He already knew that the terms agreed upon by Toyokawa Shoko and Mori Minami were actually a doll left behind by her mother.

That was something very important to Toyokawa Shoko. The only time she went to the rented room where she lived, everything there seemed unusually dark, except for that doll, which seemed to be shining and stood out from everything around it.

Yuu Toyokawa never expected that Shoko Toyokawa would be willing to take out such a valuable item.

"Staying here isn't bad."

Noticing the slight melancholy on Toyokawa Yuu's face, Wakaba Mutsu gently shook his head, strands of hair swaying in the boy's palm with the movement.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go out for a meal to celebrate your newfound freedom. Hailing is here too, so we can also discuss the weekend's filming schedule."

Shaking her head, Toyokawa Yuu skipped over this potentially annoying topic, but found it difficult to bring herself to say more.

They said it was to celebrate Wakaba Mutsu's birthday, but then they added another person without permission.

In theory, everyone is a member of the band, so it's really not a big deal, but the thought that even suggesting a celebration was not for pure motives made Toyokawa Yuu feel a little bitter.

"About work... I understand."

When he heard that Yuu Toyokawa was going to take him out to celebrate, Mutsuka Wakaba's eyebrows lifted slightly, and he was visibly happy.

But when she heard Yuu Toyokawa talk about her work, she slowly reverted to her original state.

She didn't hate her job, but she felt a sense of loss that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Sorry, Xiao Mu, for suddenly bringing up such a boring topic."

Instead of placing her hand on Wakaba Mutsu's head any longer, Toyokawa Yuu gently wrapped her arms around the petite girl.

"Forgive me, but this time... I really have no way out."

Chapter 157 Should I be gentle with you?

Nine years and three hundred and fifty-three days before Toyokawa Shoko's death, early morning.

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

As the morning sun gradually rose, although it did not shine directly on Toyokawa Shoko, her precise biological clock still woke her up on time.

Sakiko Toyokawa rubbed her eyes, still a little dazed. She left the bed she had lived in for a year and looked at the only room in the rented house, which looked like a long coffin. The door was wide open, and her father was nowhere to be seen.

In the past, Toyokawa Shoko might have been worried, wondering if her father was going out drinking again.

But now, she feels more helpless than anything else, knowing that her father has gone out to work early again.

My father has really pulled himself together, instead of just shouting slogans or being dejected as before, which should be a good thing.

However, her excessive seriousness and effort made Toyokawa Shoko feel somewhat lost.

She always felt that her father's recent habit of leaving early and returning late seemed to be an attempt to avoid her, to the point that she couldn't find a suitable opportunity to ask him about anything related to Chu Hua.

Besides that, she also had a persistent feeling of unease.

This feeling is strange, just like the occasional sense of unease I still feel even after my relationship with Yuu Toyokawa has gradually improved.

Toyokawa Shoko found it hard to describe the feeling, but looking at the actual changes... even though everyone's relationships and personalities were developing in a positive direction, the current situation was visibly getting worse.

Slowly folding up the soft bed she had spread out on the floor, Toyokawa Shoko went about her daily routine of brushing her teeth and washing up in front of the low sink, habitually looking up at the cabinet above.

The place that should have been occupied by an exquisite doll is now empty; the few things that once brought color to this rented room have long since vanished.

The brushing motion slowed, and a hint of sadness appeared in his golden eyes.

This was the specific manifestation of the subtle discomfort that Toyokawa Shoko felt.

Toyokawa Shoko was naturally reluctant to hand over the doll her mother had left her to Mori Minami, but she didn't have a better solution... Of course, she didn't regret this decision.

Minami's request was indeed unexpected, but she had to admit that it was a reasonable request, and even a bargaining chip that was in her favor.

A doll that, apart from being of great significance to him at the moment, has no practical use, can be exchanged for a certain degree of freedom for Wakaba Mutsu. No matter how you look at it, it is a very worthwhile deal.

Moreover, given the relationship between Minami and her mother, she would definitely take good care of the doll. Once they get out of their current predicament, she would have a chance to get the doll back.

However... before actually leaving that doll in the Wakaba family, Toyokawa Shoko never imagined that she would make such a decision.

Clearly, that was a treasure that he insisted on taking with him even when he left the Toyokawa family with his father. Yet, one day, he was handing it over to solve his current predicament.

Make the most of everything, extract every last bit of value...

This was the image that Yuu Toyokawa had hoped she would become. She had even been smug about achieving just a small part of it, only to be ridiculed by her fiancé and left speechless.

Now that I've truly begun to do this, I can even use my mother's belongings as a bargaining chip.

This should be a sign that her way of handling things is gradually maturing, but Toyokawa Shoko is not happy at all.

If doing something that only focuses on profit is so difficult, then what has Toyokawa Yuu, who has been doing this all along, gone through? Did he feel uncomfortable when he first started doing this?

Even though a new day had just begun, Toyokawa Shoko's mood had already gradually become heavy.

After brushing her teeth in silence, Toyokawa Shoko flushed the toothpaste foam down the drain along with the jumbled thoughts in her mind. She then took out her phone and hesitantly opened her contacts.

Today is the weekend, and according to Toyokawa Yuu's plan, it's time to go to the company that we booked in advance to shoot a band video.

With a tight schedule and heavy workload, Toyokawa Yuu planned to complete the filming in one morning if possible, so he shared the general process and scenario script with the other members of the band a few days in advance.

It is said that he came up with the idea on the night he told her that Wakaba Mutsumi had regained some of her freedom, after discussing it with Hachiman Kairin all night long, with his half-body in tow.

Being able to familiarize oneself with the script a day or two in advance, plus the possibility of using the rehearsal room for previewing when the band gathers at night, makes it possible to complete the task in a morning.

only......

With her fingertips gently pressed against her heart, Toyokawa Shoko recalled the smugness in Hachiman Kairin's office as she distributed printed plans to everyone there, saying that it was a solution she and her fiancé had worked on overnight.

With a hint of worry in her eyes, Toyokawa Shoko had been sensing a subtle hostility from Hachiman Kairin lately, but she couldn't figure out where this hostility came from.

She knew that when there were signs of a split within the band, Hachiman Kairin was on the side of her fiancé.

But now, that problem should no longer exist. Her relationship with Toyokawa Yuu has improved, and she has even moved into her fiancé's house. The so-called factions are now just nonsense.

It's so troublesome, but we can't just ignore it. Given the band's current situation, we really can't afford to have internal conflicts.

Find some time to talk to Yuu. Even if she has opinions about herself, Hachiman Kairin should still listen to Yuu.

Having made up her mind, Toyokawa Shoko opened the contact name 【Yuu】 in her address book.

Toyokawa Shoko: [Yuu, come pick me up. We're going to the place where we're filming the video.]

After sending the edited text message, Toyokawa Shoko looked at her words, which were now irreversible, and quickly frowned again.

Was that a bit too arrogant? Although Youyu probably wouldn't care about my attitude, but...

But he's busy too, and he has to take Muya with him, so he probably won't have time to pick him up.

As soon as she sent the message, Toyokawa Shoko made a judgment in her mind and felt slightly annoyed at her unnecessary actions.

She tapped her phone screen again, intending to indicate that she could go alone before her fiancé explicitly refused.

However, Toyokawa Yuu's reply came even faster than Toyokawa Shoko had expected.

Youyu: [Wait for me at the door.]

It was just a short sentence, as if he had no interest in typing even a single more word. Toyokawa Shoko could even sense her fiancé's impatience through those cold words.

It was as if the boy on the other end of the phone didn't actually want to pick him up, but only reluctantly agreed because it was indeed a work requirement.

However, it's good that they're willing to come.

Compared to the actual actions she took, Toyokawa Shoko didn't care much about her thoughts while taking those actions.

After quickly tidying herself up and tying her long, loose hair into two simple pigtails, Toyokawa Shoko quickly picked up her small bag and went downstairs.

Before leaving, Toyokawa Shoko took one last look at the now empty cupboard, took a deep breath, and her petite shoulders heaved.

Such an important thing has already been replaced; we can't just give up halfway.

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

The morning sun wasn't scorching; it even seemed to dispel the slight chill of the morning breeze.

If Ye Mu gently tucked her hair, which had been blown about by the breeze, behind her ear, she followed closely behind Toyokawa Yuu as they left the Akabane train platform.

Although she had already regained her freedom two days ago, and even spent the night with Hachiman Kairin discussing today's arrangements with Toyokawa Yuu when she took her out to dinner, today was indeed the second time Wakaba Mutsu had gone out in the morning since moving into Toyokawa Yuu's house.

The last time was when she went out shopping with Yuu Toyokawa and bought clothes, and she even ran into her mother.

And this time...

Looking at Toyokawa Yuu beside him, whose expression remained unchanged, Wakaba Mutsuki's lips curled into a slight smile.

Although going out today was technically for work, it was still enough to make this golden-eyed girl happy—Toyokawa Yuu came specifically to pick up Toyokawa Shoko.

He was already ready to leave when the sun had just risen, as if he had known all along that his fiancée would ask him to pick her up.

So much so that when Ye Mu saw the text message sent by Toyokawa Shoko in Toyokawa Yuu's hand on the tram, a slight smile couldn't help but rise in his heart.

Could this be considered a telepathic connection between an engaged couple?

However, it's really great that Youyu and Xiang's relationship has improved.

It would be wonderful if you could get along well with the friends you care about and your significant other.

This is absolutely wrong!

In my mind, another voice of my own kept shouting and making stern protests.

[If Xiangzi and Mr. Youyu reconcile, then we won't be able to continue living with him, right? I don't want Mr. Youyu to leave me... Xiaomu, are you even listening to me?]

Seeing that Yuu Toyokawa was even happy about the progress of Yuu Toyokawa's relationship with Shoko Toyokawa, Metis wished he could immediately take control of his body, grab Yuu Toyokawa's hand, and lead him away from this area.

In her childlike mindset, a person's preferences are limited; if one side is favored more, the other side will be neglected.

Just like their birth mother, Minami Mori.

The renowned actress preferred her career, so she neglected her daughter from a young age, even using her as a tool to further enhance her career.

Now, they've even gone to extreme lengths to coerce their daughter into pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.

Because of Wakaba Mutsu, Mr. Yuu already received very little attention from himself.

If he reconciles with Xiangzi, gets married, and lives together, wouldn't he receive even less attention from her?

Metis felt a strong aversion to the mere thought of such a scene.

Yuu Toyokawa is her only friend, the only one who will take her out to play, play guitar with her, and even stand up to a senior industry figure who is an actress for her sake.

In any case, Metis did not want to lose Toyokawa Yuu's affection.

But even if you don't want to, what can you do?

Ruoye Mu completely ignored her protests and was even genuinely pleased that Toyokawa Shoko was going to take away Toyokawa Yuu's concern for them.

Even if one wanted to seize control of the body, the supporting personality was powerless to do so.

Xiao Mu only cares about what she cares about and doesn't listen to me at all.

If only I hadn't been born a subservient being.

Sitting on the sofa, Metis bit his lip, watching the outside world displayed on the television screen, and for the first time, this thought occurred to him.

"What's wrong, Xiao Mu?"

Walking with Wakaba Mutsu on the streets that were already bustling with people early in the morning, Toyokawa Yuu noticed out of the corner of her eye that Wakaba Mutsu's expression was slightly off, and immediately asked her with concern.

Although it was very subtle, he could sense that the quiet girl's eyebrows had twitched unconsciously a few times, as if a more lively temperament was about to emerge, but in the end, it was locked deep in the space between her brows by the subtle frown.

Based on the experience that Yuu Toyokawa has gained from spending time with Mutsu Wakaba these past few days, it is obvious that Metis was planning to do something, but Mutsu Wakaba forcefully suppressed it.

"Does Metis have anything to say?"

"It's nothing, she's just a little excited because she hasn't been out to play in a long time."

With a calm expression, Ruoye Mu shook his head, effortlessly covering up the strangeness that Toyokawa Yuu had noticed.

She understood Metis's thoughts, of course.

She understood Metis's reluctance and felt it deeply.

However, even though she was somewhat unwilling, Ruo Yemu knew that this was the right direction for development.

How could she possibly ruin the relationship between herself and her fiancé?

Therefore, as long as the relationship between myself and Yuu Toyokawa can remain at the current distance, that's fine.

It is enough to quietly be an obedient puppet and silently witness the two most important people to me go from being at odds to becoming harmonious.

"The planned work time is only this morning. If everything goes smoothly, we can go teach Ai Yin to play the guitar this afternoon. At that time, we can also have Metis come out and practice with Ai Yin... Their skills should be about the same."