After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

This time, the apology felt more genuine. Although Hachiman Kairin's stunt didn't escalate into a farce or a joke, and even with Toyokawa Shoko's cooperation, it didn't cause much of a stir, it still gave the impression that the manager seemed to have lost control of the band.

"Of course, no problem. But please come along, Mr. Toyokawa. You'll have to personally oversee what effect we want to achieve."

Ms. Nagasaki chuckled twice, seemingly unconcerned about the minor ripple that had just occurred to her.

"I would be happy if it could end sooner."

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

Once you get into work mode, it seems like even the passage of time gradually becomes less noticeable.

Toyokawa Yuu kept her eyes glued to the field, her gaze constantly sweeping over the few people she was particularly worried about, so as to note down any possible mistakes and bring them up during the halftime break.

But as it turns out, while each member of the band was more troublesome than the last, their abilities were indeed impeccable.

Not to mention Hachiman Kairin and Toyokawa Shoko, who voluntarily said they didn't need to familiarize themselves with the venue, nor Hatsune Miku with her rich experience or the exceptionally talented Wakaba Mutsu, even Yutenji Wakanagi, who had the least background in this area, hadn't made any major mistakes.

At most, her performance was slightly exaggerated when filming short skits, but when filming behind-the-scenes footage, her casualness and naturalness even surpassed that of the experienced Hatsune Miku.

The girls' reliable performance at work gradually put Toyokawa Yuu at ease.

On the contrary, there wasn't much work that required her to do herself. Compared to others, Ms. Nagasaki was somewhat idle, and she would occasionally glance down at the time, as if she was expecting something.

"Click—It's done."

As soon as the hired photographer gestured to stop the girls' movements, the girls, who had been acting quite relaxed, all slumped into their seats at almost the same time.

You can either sink your body directly into the sofa or lean against the wall for a short rest.

Mortis, in particular, whose face was almost entirely covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of golden eyes, had completely lost the faint vitality he had shown when facing the camera. Instead, he looked like a plant, even somewhat lifeless.

Although the filming was completed smoothly within the allotted time, getting all the work done in one morning really exhausted everyone.

"Thank you for your hard work. You can all have a good rest for the rest of the day, and even tomorrow. You don't need to report to the office. Just leave the rest of the work to me."

After confirming that the filming was over, Toyokawa Yuu returned to the set, and only then did she finally relax.

Reaching out to smooth down Wakaba Mutsu's slightly disheveled hair caused by fatigue, Toyokawa Yuu gently rubbed the girl's head, feeling as if she had discovered some new secret.

He could tell, of course, that the girl in front of him had been replaced not long after filming began. The Mortis who had been performing perfectly in front of the camera was not Wakaba Mutsu.

However, Yuu Toyokawa remembered that Metis's stamina wasn't that bad; last time, she had taken her out to play for a whole day.

And does Metis also get tired of being in front of the camera, or is he influenced by Mutsumi Wakaba?

Looking at Wakaba Mutsumi, whose eyes were slightly lowered and who seemed somewhat exhausted, Toyokawa Yuu couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

Regardless, it was a bit much to make her face the camera for so long, even if someone else was replaced halfway through.

"How can you leave all the work to Mr. Yu? Please let me participate as well."

Upon hearing that Toyokawa Yuu was even planning to give everyone a day off, Hachiman Kairin, who had just caught her breath, raised her head again, indicating that she wanted to help as well.

At the same time, his emerald-like gaze fell on Toyokawa Shoko beside him, and he found that she was the only one who did not show any signs of fatigue. Her face was as calm as ever, but the smile gradually disappeared without him noticing.

Doesn't this person get tired?

Hachiman Kairin forcibly suppressed her fatigue, not wanting to be outshone by Toyokawa Shoko in front of Toyokawa Yuu.

However, by offering to help share the workload, he should have already won, right? Toyokawa Shoko doesn't seem to have any similar thoughts.

Unbeknownst to her, even Hachiman Kairin hadn't realized that she was being a little too obsessed with competing with Toyokawa Shoko.

"What's wrong, Xiangzi? Why do you look so serious?"

Looking at Toyokawa Shoko, who was sitting to the side with a somewhat stern face, Toyokawa Yuu had a puzzled look in her eyes.

Just now, Toyokawa Shoko's performance was perfect, just like the Metis that Tiroye Mutaka replaced, without making a single mistake.

Even Yuu Toyokawa suspected that Shoko Toyokawa might have some kind of performance compulsion, because whenever she stood on stage facing the end, she looked completely different from how she did in private.

"I was just thinking about some things. I felt that the behind-the-scenes footage we just filmed wasn't authentic enough, and the performance aspect was a bit too strong."

Toyokawa Shoko gently shook her head, then, as if she had thought of something, walked to Toyokawa Yuu's side and gently tugged at his sleeve.

"Even the fake band, which doesn't reveal its name or face, has a manager. I think that sense of unreality is probably because Youyu was nowhere to be found throughout the whole thing."

Turning to look at Ms. Nagasaki and the photography team, Shoko Toyokawa smiled.

But to Hachiman Kairin, who was watching from the sidelines, that smile seemed to have a certain oppressive force.

"Gentlemen, could you please turn the camera back on? I'd like to film some additional footage."

P.S.: This chapter is 7.5k. If we consider it 7k, after deducting the 4k from regular updates, we're still 3k. Adding the occasional 1k from the few 5k chapters a few days ago, we've made a total of 8k, leaving 44k. I feel like I overestimated my progress; I'm still 500k short of 8k. I'll make up the remaining 500 tomorrow.

Chapter 161 Umi Ling, what do you know? (6k5)

"what?"

The first to react was not Toyokawa Yuu, who had been pulled back by Toyokawa Shoko, but Hachiman Kairin, whose eyes had never left the two "Toyokawa"s present since the end of the filming.

During the behind-the-scenes filming, Yuu Toyokawa was also involved...

She had never even considered such a thing, but in the industry, there are indeed many precedents.

Even agents who try to keep a low profile and rarely appear in the public eye will occasionally make a brief appearance in behind-the-scenes footage, engaging in ambiguous conversations to enhance the "authenticity" of these clips.

So why didn't I think of this at all when I was discussing these behind-the-scenes details with Wakaba Mutsu before?

A hint of confusion flickered in his emerald-green eyes.

Shifting their gaze from the two Toyokawas, they looked at Wakaba Mutsu, who was resting on the sofa. They found that she was still resting with her eyes closed, seemingly too tired to participate in these matters anymore. She was simply letting Toyokawa Yuu tidy her somewhat messy hair.

There seemed to be some enjoyment in his expression.

An unpleasant feeling gradually spread in my heart.

Compared to the complex and inexplicable emotions she felt before, this time Hachiman Kairin was able to easily explain her feelings at this moment.

That feeling is called panic.

She knew that if she couldn't come up with a reasonable reason to reject Toyokawa Shoko's proposal, then she would have lost completely this time.

His own proposal was about to be altered; the proposal that had been approved thanks to the strong support of Yuu Toyokawa was about to be changed.

It wasn't even when the plan was presented in the office that it was rejected or altered; rather, it was because Toyokawa Shoko had already agreed and was very cooperative until the very end, allowing him to make all the arrangements, that the flaws were finally pointed out at the last minute.

This is tantamount to saying that, out of respect for her fiancé's strong support, Toyokawa Shoko has handed over the initiative to him, but he lacks the ability to control the overall situation.

But how can I stop such a reasonable request and opinion, and how can I possibly stop it?

Even... should I really stop it?

This is a very reasonable, even excellent, suggestion. Even if the other party may have ulterior motives, one cannot find a point of rebuttal.

Moreover, Ave Mujica is currently going through a turbulent period, so it should gladly accept suggestions that could improve the flaws in the plan.

For the sake of the band's future, Mr. Youyu will surely agree...

"Are you crazy?"

Looking at Toyokawa Shoko, who was grabbing her arm and seemed to be planning to improvise a scene to involve her in the behind-the-scenes filming, Toyokawa Yuu spoke frankly.

He couldn't understand what had gotten into Toyokawa Shoko today, that she would come up with such a terrible idea.

"Don't you know that this kind of thing will destroy Ave Mujica's worldview?"

In fact, from the very beginning, Toyokawa Yuu never expected these behind-the-scenes clips to be any "real".

To this day, no one in Ave Mujica has ever revealed their real name, nor has anyone ever taken off their mask.

In the behind-the-scenes footage, which represents private activities, it's still somewhat permissible to address each other by their stage names, but the fact that they still wear masks essentially indicates that these people are still in a working state.

It was precisely to make up for this that Hachiman Kairin designed some scenes where members didn't wear masks but chatted with others with their backs to the camera.

Overall, this approach is not entirely convincing, but for Ave Mujica, which maintains its mystique and constantly stimulates fans' curiosity, it is enough to pique their interest.

Therefore, in Toyokawa Yuu's view, there was absolutely no need to go to the trouble of getting her manager, who almost never appeared in public, involved.

"Your premise is that these dolls are resurrected by moonlight after being abandoned, right? If that's the case, then there's no need for the public to think that there's someone pulling the strings behind these dolls."

If you were to move the timeline forward by half a month, or even just a week, Toyokawa Yuu would feel like she's gone mad.

Maintaining Ave Mujica's worldview is Toyokawa Shoko's business; I don't care about such things, so there's no need for me to go through the trouble.

But now, he was using the issue of maintaining Ave Mujica's worldview to reject Toyokawa Shoko's proposal, while Toyokawa Shoko was proposing an idea that might destroy Ave Mujica's worldview.

“I know, but the mask has to be taken off sooner or later, and Amoris will also hint at the next concert after the joint program with Sumimi in a few days.”

At this point, Toyokawa Shoko turned her head and glanced at Wakaba Mutsumi, whose hair was being gently combed by her fiancé.

For the first time, a hint of worry appeared in his amber eyes.

Despite thinking so far ahead, Ave Mujica hasn't even decided when their next concert will be.

The agency's commercial neglect and covert targeting were secondary, given her and Toyokawa Yuu's identities.

Even if neither of them specifically flaunted their identities to gain advantages, they wouldn't do things too openly.

The Toyokawa family was not solely dominated by Toyokawa Sadaharu. Another reason was that the old man's real goal was to force the two to compromise and return home, rather than to truly break ties and become enemies with his heir and his designated husband.

Therefore, the real pressure comes from the members' family matters rather than from this kind of commercial targeting.

By taking out the doll left by her mother, Toyokawa Shoko could only open a door for Wakaba Mutsu's situation. She didn't know when she could truly regain her former freedom.

“Slowly, Ave Mujica will eventually unveil the mystery behind the mask, and I think it’s not a bad idea to start preparing now.”

Looking at her fiancé, Toyokawa Shoko explained it this way.

Similarly, these words also imply that she has acknowledged that Ave Mujica's worldview will be destroyed sooner or later.

"...Perhaps you are right, but I still disagree."

After a moment of silence, Toyokawa Yuu shook her head again, then met Toyokawa Shoko's amber-like gaze.

This time, his face no longer carried the skepticism that seemed to think Toyokawa Shoko was being ridiculous. Instead, he seriously responded to his fiancée's suggestion from the perspective of the band's development.

"The strategy of scarcity marketing is not to arouse the audience's desire and satisfy it all at once, but to let some crumbs slip by each time and occasionally give out more pieces of bread, so as to continuously stimulate the desire to consume."

Reaching out, she gently pulled down the mask that almost completely covered Wakaba Mutsu's face. Just looking at it made one wonder if it would make the girl feel suffocated. Toyokawa Yuu could even feel a few beads of sweat on the forehead of the mask.

Unlike Yutenji Wakame, who longed for fame, Toyokawa Yuu did not want to be the focus of public attention.

The mere thought of being closely watched by the family after the division of the family ten years later, with everyone looking for an opportunity to strike, would make him feel like he had a thorn in his side.

Let's forget about him becoming as famous as the members of Ave Mujica, living under the public eye.

"I think the footage we shot today is enough, even more than enough, and can be distributed in multiple installments. There's no need to go through any more trouble, and besides..."

Yuu Toyokawa paused, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Just now, she even considered using Wakaba Mutsu as a shield.

However, upon closer examination, given Wakaba Mutsumi's personality, he probably wouldn't oppose Toyokawa Shoko's proposal.

Moreover, I decided on the filming opportunity myself. At the time, I didn't consider how it would feel to expose Wakaba Mutsu to the spotlight. Now, in order to avoid appearing in the footage, I'm bringing up the other person, which is really just trying to cover up the truth.

Finally, he turned his attention to Yawata Kairin.

"Moreover, the content of the behind-the-scenes segment was based on the script that Timoris had decided on, and this plan had been agreed upon beforehand. If we want to make changes now, we should at least seek her opinion."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone else turned their attention to Hachiman Kairin standing to the side.

In recent days, everyone has noticed Toyokawa Yuu's favoritism towards her.

He was even willing to break the boundaries of authority that he had agreed upon with Toyokawa Shoko long ago, giving her half of the script rights for this filming project.

Now, it is even stated that even if one really wants to add more scenes for oneself, one must respect the opinion of Hachiman Kairin.

It seems as if he has placed his own attitude below that of Yahata Kairin.

Yutenji Wakana, who had been resting for a while, narrowed her purple eyes slightly, her curious gaze shifting back and forth between Toyokawa Yuu and Hachiman Kairin.

She was starting to get really curious about what had happened between the two of them that made Toyokawa Yuu so biased towards Hachiman Kairin.

As for Hatsune Miku, her purple eyes held a hint of worry.

She didn't want Toyokawa Shoko's proposal to be opposed, but she also knew that it was somewhat unlikely that Yawata Kairin would not oppose Toyokawa Shoko's proposal.

She could tell that Hachiman Kairin's attitude towards Toyokawa Yuu was somewhat similar to her own; they both seemed to harbor some kind of unrealizable delusion.

Even now, Hachiman Kairin herself may not realize this.

Even so, she would subconsciously regard Toyokawa Shoko as her rival.

In that case, how could she possibly agree to Toyokawa Shoko's suggestion, which might have some merit to the band, but was tantamount to directly criticizing her for her lack of consideration and questioning her professional abilities?

So, who should I help?