After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

These things... were just an excuse to visit my mother, a pretext to "coincidentally" meet the band Ave Mujica at this time.

Otherwise, no matter how accommodating and pleasing one's personality may be, would one really share something carefully prepared for one's mother with others so casually?

This was a question that Nagasaki Sase was unwilling to think about, but because of Toyokawa Yuu's polite excuse, it was like a thorn deeply embedded in his heart, as if every breath brought a stinging pain.

So easily, he can make me feel so uncomfortable. I really... don't get along with Mr. Youyu.

"How could that be? My mother wouldn't get angry over such a small thing. She should... be happy to see me sharing with my friends."

Even though the smile on her lips was about to crumble because of Toyokawa Yuu's words, Nagasaki Sase still tried her best to suppress her voice and put on that friendly attitude that made her popular at school.

This kind of rhetoric directly turned one person into two who were embarrassed.

Yuu Toyokawa kept a straight face, trying her best not to make her expression look even worse.

Does this woman not understand human speech at all?

My polite refusal was quite clear enough, wasn't it?

You really have a natural talent for being persistent and tenacious.

I'm already... starting to feel a little tempted to completely break off relations.

The nausea from the churning stomach acid grew stronger, and Toyokawa Yuu began to feel annoyed at herself for taking Toyokawa Shoko out for breakfast this morning.

If I had known I would run into Nagasaki Sase here, I should have kept myself on an empty stomach.

"Ms. Nagasaki, did you know you were so generous?"

This was clearly just making small talk to avoid the issue, and Toyokawa Yuu could even clearly sense the subtle sarcasm in her own words.

In interactions with other people, even during the period when he was constantly bickering and slandering Toyokawa Shoko, he rarely adopted this attitude.

However, when facing Nagasaki Sōse, Toyokawa Yū found that she seemed to have even less control over her emotions than when facing Toyokawa Sōko in the past.

Even Toyokawa Yuu, who pays more attention to social etiquette, could sense the obvious rudeness in the tone despite her deliberate control. How could Nagasaki Sase, who is even more perceptive, not hear it?

"So, Xiao Xiang and Xiao Mu, did you know that Mr. You Yu was so considerate of others?"

The voice is no longer as controllable as before.

The words almost came out of Nagasaki Sase's mouth subconsciously, and even she herself was slightly taken aback after saying them, surprised by them.

Since her parents divorced, and she realized that she was a "little adult" who needed to take care of her mother's emotions, rather than a child who could act spoiled at will, she has rarely let her voice down.

Even when facing her own mother, she would subconsciously use a somewhat affected, but obedient tone of voice.

Apart from facing Toyokawa Yuu now, in Nagasaki Sase's memory, he had only relaxed his voice in front of two other people.

One was Mutsumi Wakaba, whom he had been questioning for nearly a year, yet who refused to tell him the whereabouts of Toyokawa Shoko no matter what, so he deliberately used this tone to put pressure on him.

The other one is Chihaya Aine, who randomly gave herself nicknames.

And now...

Looking at the boy in front of him who raised an eyebrow and seemed somewhat surprised by his tone, Nagasaki Sase felt a mix of emotions.

Nagasaki Sase was actually a little happy to see Toyokawa Yuu looking so surprised.

Even though she subconsciously tries to please people, she's not entirely without her little emotions and will try to please everyone.

Essentially, the reason I've become this ingratiating person is because I don't want to be abandoned, I want to get along well with everyone, and I want to be a good kid.

But if someone is the kind of person you can't get along with from the first meeting, is there really any need to try to please them?

Toyokawa Yuu's attitude towards him wasn't exactly hostile, but the subtle rejection and disgust she conveyed, along with the veiled sarcasm in her words, would have genuinely displeased even Nagasaki Sase.

It's almost as if they're saying that nowadays, their only family member is actually insignificant to them.

That was the only person she could call family after being abandoned by that man named Ichinose.

The fact that Toyokawa Yuu could produce such an expression suggests, in a sense, that she hadn't let the other person's mockery go her way.

But soon, the joy from his small act of retaliation was replaced by more complex thoughts.

First of all, he was worried that he would completely anger the boy in front of him, which would further lower his standing in the eyes of Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu.

How long has Toyokawa Yuu been in his world? She has already completely taken away Xiaoxiang and Xiaomu. Xiaomu has even stopped going to school.

Even Aine, who was in MyGO!!!!! with her, seemed to be gradually starting to care about the boy in front of her.

Nagasaki Sōse couldn't imagine how much of what he already had would be taken away from him if things continued to develop this way.

But before this worry could completely dissipate, a feeling called guilt surged into my heart instead.

After all, although Toyokawa Yuu's sarcasm made her feel uncomfortable, she... couldn't refute it.

The reason I came to visit my mother today was indeed because of Toyokawa Yuu and Toyokawa Shoko.

Nagasaki Sase recalled the scene on her way to her mother's office when she happened to see the drummer of Ave Mujica talking to his family on the phone, and her fingertips almost unconsciously clenched at the hem of her skirt.

It seems like I'm just naturally incompatible with this band called Ave Mujica; it's like every single member makes me feel uncomfortable.

Nagasaki Sase begins to struggle with dissatisfaction and self-doubt, while Toyokawa Yuu falls into a period of reflection.

He knew that Nagasaki Sase's words were a retaliation for his momentary loss of control and sarcastic remarks.

But... do I really think about others?

Suddenly shaking her head, Toyokawa Yuu realized something and banished the thought from her mind.

Why should I reflect on what Nagasaki Sase said? In any case, her words and actions have nothing to do with me.

If it weren't for this troublesome guy constantly pestering two very important members of his band, he wouldn't have needed to pay any attention to this guy who had caused him so much trouble and psychological trauma.

"As the band's manager, of course I'll think about my members' best interests. But you, Ms. Nagasaki..."

No longer dwelling on Nagasaki Sase's words, Toyokawa Yuu paused for a moment before steer the conversation toward something else entirely.

"Does Ms. Nagasaki know that her daughter actually has such a low and unpleasant voice?"

Seeing the slightly frozen expression on Nagasaki Sase's face, Toyokawa Yuu found herself even a little... happy.

He knew, of course, that Nagasaki Sōse's initial intentions towards him were impure, and that he, in turn, was also being hypocritical from the start because Sōse had poisoned him once ten years later.

Now that the other party is showing signs of being unwilling to continue their superficial act of flattery and harmony, he actually feels much more relaxed.

Even Nagasaki Sose's affected manner, which he had always disliked, seemed to have become more pleasing to the ear.

Without having to feign or hide her true emotions, and able to vent her disgust without restraint, Toyokawa Yuu has yet to find someone who allows her to relax like this.

"But don't worry, I won't tell Ms. Nagasaki about such a trivial matter. She is a very important partner to me now, and I don't want our working relationship to be strained because of you."

Hearing Yuu Toyokawa's words, which seemed to carry a hint of amusement, Sase Nagasaki fell into a brief silence.

She couldn't quite understand this man in front of her, a man she couldn't fathom.

Even when you treat others with kindness and adopt an attitude that makes almost everyone feel close to you, all you get in return is a growing sense of disgust from them.

However, he couldn't control his emotions and revealed his true attitude to the boy, which actually made the boy smile slightly.

"...Taking Xiao Mu away from me wasn't enough, are you going to use my mother too?"

He tried hard to think of words that could smooth things over and restore the atmosphere to its previous amicable and evasive state, but in the end, Nagasaki Sase couldn't get his voice back.

The azure eyes were no longer filled with laughter, but instead looked at the boy in front of him with seriousness. The boy was the same age as him, but seemed to be an adult like his mother.

Nagasaki Sase would never admit that he actually envied Toyokawa Yuu quite a bit.

I envy the other person's ability to work so well at such a young age, and I envy their ability to easily build a close relationship with someone I can't seem to get along with no matter how much I try to please them.

After envy comes jealousy... and then hatred.

She could so easily possess what she longed for but could not obtain, whether it was her close relationship with Toyokawa Shoko, her almost unquestioning dependence on Wakaba Mutsu, or the connections and abilities that allowed her to intervene in her mother's work, which she cared about most.

However, this boy in front of me wasted these things that were clearly very precious but were almost within his grasp.

As Xiao Xiang's sworn brother and fiancé, he always takes Xiao Mu out alone.

Despite Xiao Mu behaving so obediently in front of him, he forced her to perform on stage the kind of exaggerated and flamboyant act that she hated the most.

If nothing unexpected happens, will they continue to use her title as "Mori Nami's daughter" to hype up the band's popularity?

Ave Mujica's mother had told her that he was working with the company to film certain videos.

And, his own mother...

Is it partly because of him that my mother is so busy with work?

No longer forcing a smile into his eyes, Nagasaki Sase stared at the boy before him, only to find that the other was actually smiling.

This time, Toyokawa Yuu's smile seemed much gentler, no longer filled with that malicious rejection, but in Nagasaki Sase's eyes, the mockery was even stronger.

She had just seen that smile not long ago, downstairs in this building, right at the front desk in the lobby.

The kind of smile the receptionist gave when she saw her visiting her mother on set, like she was coaxing a child.

It's as if my actions and thoughts are just the antics of an ignorant child, and I've never put myself in a position where I can communicate with them, but rather I'm just indulging the moral conventions of an ignorant child.

"What's so... funny?"

Her chest began to rise and fall. It wasn't just Toyokawa Yuu who had been suppressing her true emotions all along; Nagasaki Sase had been using a smile to disguise herself for even longer.

Ever since that man named Ichinose abandoned her and her mother, she has rarely shown her true emotions.

The mother took the place of the father who should have sheltered her from the wind and rain, and she had to become gentle to fill the void of maternal love that had been left after the mother's position shifted.

Even without children, parents are still husband and wife in a family, and the family is still largely intact.

But if either the father or the mother is missing, the family is truly broken.

However, Nagasaki Sase felt that she might not be suited for acting, and she couldn't really deceive herself.

After pretending for so long, the true emotions suppressed in one's heart are not truly buried by the fake smile; the obsession with being cherished and not wanting to be abandoned grows deeper and deeper.

If it weren't for the fear of being ignored, who would want to keep putting on a smiling face?

And now, Nagasaki Sase, for the first time in a long time, can show his true expression to the boy in front of him.

"No, there's really nothing funny about it. At least on this topic, I seem to have been too childish, and I apologize for that, Miss Nagasaki."

Reminded by Nagasaki Sase, Toyokawa Yuu realized that she seemed to have relaxed a bit too much, and even revealed her true thoughts.

“Miss Nagasaki is indeed still just a child. She doesn’t have the pressure of survival, so even her assumptions about people’s worst interests are so naive and childish.”

Yuu Toyokawa shook her head, adopting a condescending attitude to lecture the girl in front of her, a situation she hadn't done in a long time.

“Ave Mujica is a commercial band, and I am Ave Mujica’s manager. You can think of me as a businessman who sells the members’ talent.”

"Cooperating with your mother is naturally for mutual benefit, and benefits are reciprocal. If Ms. Nagasaki feels that there is no profit to be made in cooperating with me, I won't even be able to get into her office."

Nagasaki Sase was taken aback when she was suddenly lectured by Toyokawa Yuu. She had thought that the other party would deny it or even mock her.

To his utter surprise, Toyokawa Yuu was actually explaining to him why he had contacted his mother.

But soon, the girl, whose physical development was extremely mismatched with her age, belatedly realized the truth.

This explanation itself is a form of mockery.

They mocked their own naiveté, saying that as a student, they were using such an emotional mindset to speculate about business dealings between adults.

If you accuse someone of taking advantage of your mother, it's equivalent to accusing your mother of taking advantage of your former friend.

Her mood worsened, and her expression darkened, just like Toyokawa Yuu had done not long ago when Nagasaki Sose opened the lunchbox she had brought and sat on the sofa.

Work, work, more work.

This young man seemed to have grasped the Achilles' heel of communication; whenever it was mentioned that this was work, he could silence the young man.

I still really dislike this guy who's the same age as me but is much more mature.

"...Mr. Youyu, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

After another long silence, Nagasaki Sase slowly spoke. The only effect of the elegant etiquette she had learned in the Moon Forest seemed to be that she controlled her behavior and tone as much as possible.

“I don’t want to know. I’m not your mother, and I have no interest in exploring the thoughts of a child who has nothing to do with me. I’m more concerned about when Ms. Nagasaki will return than about talking to you about these trivial matters.”

Completely disregarding Nagasaki Sōse, who was sitting across the coffee table, even though Toyokawa Yūu was genuinely curious about the girl's true thoughts—whether she was angry or ashamed.

However, he couldn't possibly continue the conversation following Nagasaki Sase's words.

Compared to this woman, who, whether ten years later or now, has done nothing but cause trouble for herself since they met, Toyokawa Shoko seems obedient and sensible.

"What I'm thinking is that I really don't get along with Mr. Youyu, whether it's this seemingly gentle but actually condescending attitude, or your behavior of always inexplicably expressing your dislike for me."

Nagasaki Sase did not stop talking after Toyokawa Yuu's reply.

Since the other party doesn't intend to get along with her, she doesn't need to fawn over him like before, putting on an attitude of seemingly being submissive in everything.