After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

However, Toyokawa Yuu was able to recognize the contrast between the Hachiman Kairin in front of her and that slightly immature girl.

That overly efficient style carried a hint of danger.

He could sense that in the ten years he was unaware of, Hachiman Kairin's changes and the power she wielded had completely slipped out of his control.

This doesn't seem like something that could be accomplished simply by inheriting a legacy from Toyokawa Kiyotaka.

This left him somewhat unsure of Hachiman Kairin's thoughts, so he could only temporarily follow the approach he remembered.

It should be noted that he had not contacted Yawata Kairin beforehand, but she was no slower than the others.

Even though she helped her out of the predicament, she also revealed a fact to Toyokawa Yuu: Hachiman Kairin, like everyone else, had a way to monitor her.

However, he should have realized this a long time ago; the chain from ten years ago is no longer very reliable...

He had assumed that Nagasaki Sase might have anticipated this, but Toyokawa Yuu hadn't expected that the person who came would be Hachiman Kairin.

Either Nagasaki Sase told her about it, or she planted a spy among her.

Neither of these is a good omen.

The former illustrates that while Nagasaki Sase says he would do anything to gain forgiveness, he would actually betray himself for the forgiveness of others he owes.

As for the latter... can someone really trust someone who has planted spies so well that they can perfectly track their own whereabouts?

But for now, let him use it for the time being.

...This card is ten years past its expiration date.

Unaware of Toyokawa Yuu's thoughts, Hachiman Kairin simply wore a happy expression.

She originally thought that Yuu Toyokawa, who had been dominated by Shoko Toyokawa for ten years, would lose her former spirit.

But now it seems he is still himself.

Even though they were forced to separate, they were not abandoned.

My abilities are still recognized, and my existence is still needed.

In the current turbulent situation, after being rejected by Chihaya Aine for help, she remains his only and most reliable ally.

"I will help you keep some of the Toyokawa branch family members who have designs on you in check. You can leave everything outside of that mansion to me."

Getting up from her seat, Hachiman Kairin seemed to have no intention of staying in the café any longer.

Their communication has been just as concise and efficient since ten years ago.

We've covered all the topics we needed to discuss, so there's no need for further pointless small talk.

"However, given your sensitive status, Youyu, it's probably not appropriate for you to stay outside for too long right now. Do you need me to take you back? Otherwise, the journey might not be very smooth."

"I was just taking advantage of my free time to come out temporarily. Since they didn't dare to take direct action just now, they probably won't do anything blatant or excessive next."

Yuu Toyokawa shook her head, collected her thoughts, and smiled.

"However, thank you for your trouble, Hailing."

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

Returning to the Toyokawa family mansion through the side gate, unlike the main gate which is used to receive other people and attracts so much attention, this side gate is usually not open to outsiders, which makes things much more convenient for Toyokawa Yuu.

When Toyokawa Yuu took some time to visit Chihaya Aine before, she left from here.

However, judging from the fact that he was being watched shortly after he left home, it seems that the Toyokawa family had been keeping an eye on him all along.

However, it seems to be better now.

Especially after learning that there was more than one group watching her, Toyokawa Yuu, who had already confirmed certain things, was even more certain of her safety.

At least for now, his identity is still useful to some people, and they won't kick him out of the game prematurely.

Therefore, if someone wants to harm him, they must first get past the others.

From this perspective, he should perhaps be grateful that the Toyokawa family wasn't truly united behind the scenes.

Aristocratic funerals are extremely elaborate and lengthy, to the point that they can make one lose patience.

Fortunately, ten years later, Hachiman Kairin's identity seemed to carry some weight in the face of the divided Toyokawa family, which saved them from a lot of trouble.

This further confirmed to him that Hachiman Kairin currently possessed more power than he had imagined.

At least compared to him, the son-in-law, the amount he controls is relatively larger.

A black Maybach drove into the courtyard, where the housekeeper with long blonde hair had been waiting for some time.

Since she was not related to the Toyokawa family, and attending a funeral en route was not in accordance with etiquette, and since she did not have any particularly strong feelings for Toyokawa Shoko, Hachiman Kairin only stayed outside for a short while before choosing to leave.

After Yuu Toyokawa and Umi Hachiman said goodbye as Yuu Toyokawa got out of the black Maybach, Hatsune Miku showed a surprised expression on her face.

"Lord Yuu, this is..."

"I just took some time to go out and see some old friends, and I happened to run into Hailing."

Yuu Toyokawa simply recounted her experiences without going into too much detail about being 'invited' by members of the branch family along the way, as telling Hatsune Miku about such things would be meaningless.

But after thinking for a moment, he added to Hatsune Miku.

"By the way, Hatsune, help me investigate the next thing. I want to know... about Qinggao... how much did he leave behind?"

"The belongings of Lord Qinggao... I understand."

Hatsune was somewhat surprised to hear Toyokawa Yuu mention the man who had died unexpectedly a few years ago, but she still nodded.

"Ever since Lord Seigaku died because of those conspiracies, his estate has been divided up by many people, such as... Hachiman Kairin, but Xiaoxiang has managed to keep some things."

Hatsune's words surprised Toyokawa Yuu.

He had indeed anticipated that Toyokawa Kiyoko would be ruined, since he had tried every means to cheer him up in the first place, precisely to make him take the plunge.

However, Kiyotaka Toyokawa's estate was actually divided up.

Even Shoko Toyokawa only "retained" some things?

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

After watching Yuu Toyokawa return to the Toyokawa family mansion, a strange light flashed in Kairin Hachiman's eyes.

I learned from Nagasaki Sase about Toyokawa Yuu leaving the Toyokawa family mansion, and I feel like I owe her a favor.

Although I promised to make concessions in the next company transaction, now that I've decided to go all out with Yuu Toyokawa, I have to start being more careful with my money.

It would be best to repay a favor in a way that doesn't involve any financial gain.

"Chihaya Aine..."

She murmured the name that wasn't very familiar to her ten years ago, and she didn't have much of a special impression of that pink-haired girl.

but......

For Nagasaki Sase, that was probably a name that had haunted her for ten years.

After thinking for a moment, Hachiman Kairin took out her spare phone and sent a message to Nagasaki Sase.

【Miss Nagasaki Sasayo, Miss Chihaya is back.】

Chapter 71 Hai Ling: Aine, please leave Tokyo (8k5)

"Lord Yuu, apart from those companies that have been incorporated into the Toyokawa family, all of Xiaoxiang's physical assets are here."

The Toyokawa family mansion is still brightly lit tonight, and the funeral service is not yet over, but there are not as many outsiders remaining in the mansion as before.

At least tonight, unlike before, there won't be a group of people staring at Toyokawa Yuu with a scrutinizing attitude, and even disappearing from the hall for a while will attract disapproving looks.

Therefore, Hatsune Miku was given some freedom of action.

For example, they might dig out items that had been sitting untouched in the basement warehouse for years, pack them into boxes, and carry them up to the second floor.

Standing in front of Toyokawa Yuu and Toyokawa Shoko's dormitory, Hatsune put down the not-too-heavy suitcase she was carrying and gently knocked on the door.

The dormitory door was unlocked, only slightly ajar, and was easily pushed open by Hatsune Miku's finger, revealing the scene inside the room.

Yuu Toyokawa sat on the edge of the bed that Hatsune Miku had only touched once, holding a photo frame in her hand, her expression thoughtful, as if she was recalling something.

The wedding photo of Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu was gently wiped with the hem of her skirt when she was first allowed into this room last night.

After pushing open the door, Hatsune did not immediately enter. Instead, she hugged the not-too-heavy box to her chest again and waited for Toyokawa Yuu's command.

In fact, she knew very well that she wouldn't be scolded even if she just pushed the door open.

During their heart-to-heart talk last night, Toyokawa Yuu had already allowed her to step into the dormitory room that Toyokawa Shoko had declared on the very first day she gave her the surname "Toyokawa"—that she would never allow Hatsune Miku to enter as long as she was alive.

However, Hatsune Miku hoped that Yuu Toyokawa would "let" her in.

She prefers the feeling of "giving it to herself" to possessing it herself.

"Thank you for your hard work, Hatsune. Please move in."

Looking up at Hatsune Miku standing obediently at the door, the blonde beauty in a black dress resembled a butler who would not overstep her bounds.

But Toyokawa Yuu could clearly see a hint of urging in the other person's star-like purple eyes.

Ignoring the thoughts of the loyal golden retriever, Toyokawa Yuu simply called out to her to bring the things over, then turned her gaze back to the wedding photo in her hand.

This wasn't a deliberate pose in front of Hatsune Miku; he was genuinely deep in thought.

In the photo, Toyokawa Shoko is still wearing the wedding dress that she has never actually seen before, and her expression and demeanor are exactly the same as before.

The only difference is actually Toyokawa Shoko's expression in the photo.

No longer with a stern face, her eyebrows, which had always been shaped like an inverted V, were now smoothed out, and there was even a hint of a smile between them.

However, in Toyokawa Yuu's eyes, Toyokawa Shoko's smile in the photo was by no means a sweet happiness, but rather more like...

They finally succeeded...

Even Yuu Toyokawa herself found it somewhat unbelievable when she analyzed the meaning of that smile in her mind.

For Toyokawa Shoko, marrying herself was something she needed to plan.

She shifted her gaze from the wedding photo in her hand to the box in Hatsune Miku's hand.

Perhaps, I can find some clues among Toyokawa Kiyotaka's belongings.

Ten years ago, when he used Xiangzi as a starting point to motivate Toyokawa Kiyoko to get back on his feet, he made him agree to one of his conditions.

No matter what, you should keep a diary.

Or rather, it was his work record.

Yuu Toyokawa reached out to take the box containing Toyokawa Seika's belongings from Hatsune Miku, but the woman in the black dress did not stop in front of him. Instead, she placed the box on the table next to her.

A bright gold lock, seemingly out of place with the overall style of the box, appeared conspicuously in front of Toyokawa Yuu.

"Lord Yuyu, do you need my help? This box is a bit heavy, and the contents are a bit messy."

Looking at Hatsune's deep purple eyes and the way she held the key in her palm without handing it over, Toyokawa Yuu could roughly understand her thoughts.

This greedy coward began to be dissatisfied with what he already had.

Wow, it's expanding so fast...

Toyokawa Yuu sighed inwardly, but had no intention of immediately fulfilling all her desires.

If you always give in to a loyal dog's demands for food, then the dog will no longer have the motivation to bite enemies, but will instead point its fangs at its owner who no longer satisfies its appetite.

Some tangible things or permanent rights cannot be handed over so easily.

He reached directly into Hatsune's palm, grabbed the key, and inserted the cold metal piece into the keyhole.

"Go make me a cup of coffee, I'm guessing tonight will be another sleepless night."

"Are you sure it's okay, Lady Yuyu? You didn't sleep a wink last night while keeping vigil."

I was rejected as expected...

Looking down at her empty palm after the key was taken away, Hatsune felt a mix of disappointment and dissatisfaction, as well as... a kind of inexplicable satisfaction.

As expected, servants like me only get more when they're allowed to.

Even if all you want to do is help, you'll be met with this kind of firm rejection.

Yes, I shouldn't have acted on my own initiative. Even if Lord Yuyu says that he and I are allies, we still have to remember our priorities.

"So I need your help, Hatsune Miku."

Yuu Toyokawa glanced at Hatsune Miku, who, unsurprisingly, had fallen into a state of self-pity again, and her tone changed.

Setting the unlocked door aside, Toyokawa Yuu's gaze quickly locked onto the notebook among the many miscellaneous items.