After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

This notebook was even bought by myself ten years ago for Toyokawa Kiyotaka.

"My relationship with Lord Qinggao is not so harmonious. I am not aware of some of his actions, and I will probably have to ask you about them later."

"Can you stay here tonight...?"

A surprised smile immediately appeared on Hatsune Miku's face.

What she cared about wasn't staying in the room, but getting permission.

This means that he can further intrude into areas that Xiao Xiang would never have allowed him to set foot in during his lifetime.

Moreover, such behavior is "permitted".

Even so, the deadline is only tonight.

Yu-yu-sama is truly my confidante; she always understands what I want most.

Whether now or back in Ave Mujica.

"It's my pleasure. I'll go and prepare some coffee for you right away."

Without looking at Hatsune Miku's hurried departure, Toyokawa Yuu refocused her gaze on the notebook in her hand.

On August 1, 2020, Ruoye Mutsu was hospitalized. Xiangzi said it seemed he was experiencing mental health issues.

On August 3, 2020, Ave Mujica officially announced the suspension of Mortis activities.

On August 7, 2020, Xiangzi personally disbanded Ave Mujica, and Youyu also suspended her work as a manager to focus on managing Starlight Plaza. The people who split up finally started to take us seriously and kept causing trouble in various ways.

On September 1, 2020, under Yuu's arrangement, Hachiman Kairin entered Starlight Plaza.

On October 3, 2020, Youyu and Xiangzi left home one after the other. Upon their return, they appeared to have had a fight, mentioning words like "Aiyin" and "seeing off" in their conversation.

On October 17, 2020, Xiangzi returned to the Toyokawa family. Some of the company's assets were transferred to the Toyokawa family during the restructuring, but the shopping center itself remained in my and Youyu's hands. Furthermore, Hachiman Kairin recently closed several deals that were clearly beyond her current capabilities... It seems some people are looking for an agent within the company.

On November 6, 2020, Xiangzi and Youyu got married. Although they weren't old enough, they insisted on having a wedding ceremony first. After that, Ruoye Mu became increasingly introverted and slowly started to get closer to Youyu.

On May 4, 2022, Grandpa Sadaharu passed away. It's so strange; his health shouldn't have deteriorated so much. The Toyokawa family is about to undergo a major change.

On July 9, 2022, Yawata Umi's performance was becoming increasingly impressive, but Yuu was coming to the company less and less. Was the person standing behind her... really still Yuu?

On August 6, 2022, Xiangzi's old friends were about to graduate from high school. They invited Xiangzi to hold a concert, but the event seemed to end badly, and Ruoye Mu even threw away her guitar.

On April 6, 2023, it seems that Yuu and Shoko had another argument. Shoko began to take back the assets controlled by Yuu. Yuu hadn't been to the company for a long time, and almost all of his power within the company had been transferred to Hachiman Kairin...

On June 7, 2023, almost all of Youyu's assets were taken back by Xiangzi. Only Starlight Plaza was spared because it was jointly owned by Youyu and me... Xiangzi has become increasingly cold. After our last argument, Youyu has never come to the company again, and those guys have unexpectedly become well-behaved...

[On April 18, 2025, those guys finally couldn't resist making their move, faster than I expected... Perhaps I should have warned Youyu, but Xiangzi doesn't seem to welcome me into that mansion.]

[May 2, 2025. I'm pretty sure I won't be coming back from this business trip, but Starlight Plaza absolutely cannot fall into the Toyokawa family's complete control... I can only choose to trust Hachiman Kairin. Although she doesn't get along with Shoko, at least... she knows what the right thing to do is.]

The diary entry ends abruptly here. Looking at the blank space that follows, Toyokawa Yuu raises an eyebrow.

The diary entries were not many and were quite fragmented, but they were enough for Toyokawa Yuu to deduce some things.

For example... I went to see Chihaya Aine off on the day she left Tokyo?

However, according to Hailing, didn't Aiyin and I break up ten years ago? Why would someone who has already broken up go to see me off?

With her head down, Toyokawa Yuu began to ponder.

Which is more credible: a diary left by the dead or a living person's account?

"Have you finished reading it, Lady Yuu?"

Just as Toyokawa Yuu was browsing the content, Hatsune's voice came from behind him, almost startling him as he was too focused.

Before anyone knew it, Hatsune Miku had returned with the coffee and was standing behind Yuu Toyokawa.

He craned his neck, peering over Toyokawa Yuu's shoulder, and looked at the words on the page with him.

Moreover, judging from her tone, it seemed that she had browsed the contents of this notebook a long time ago.

"Hatsune, do you still remember the things that Lord Seigaku recorded?"

After carefully reading the contents and confirming that she hadn't misread it, Hatsune placed the coffee on the table.

With a slightly stiff expression on Toyokawa Yuu's face, Hatsune reached out and hooked her arms around his neck and shoulders, her warm breath brushing against the man's ear.

"Of course I remember... For example, the day Chihaya Aine left Tokyo, you and Sho went to see her off. After that, your relationship became even closer, and you got married not long after."

Wait, becoming intimate?

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

Night falls, and the stars and moon hang high in the sky.

Chihaya Aine, carrying her guitar case, walked into a livehouse.

With practiced ease, she selected a song, played the accompaniment, and then carefully took out her guitar case, the one she had used for ten years without ever wanting to replace.

"I was planning to check out [RING], but I just passed by the entrance without going in."

While muttering complaints about her seemingly timid self, Chihaya Aine calibrated the strings.

"But knowing that the shop is still there is enough, I just don't know if Riki is still working there, Lena..."

Chihaya Aine pursed her lips and realized that her thoughts were wandering too far, and her mind was in a bit of turmoil.

However, this is precisely why she came to this LiveHouse, which she had never visited before.

Singing is the cry of the soul. In the past few years, Chihaya Aine has used the guitar to vent her frustrations whenever she felt irritable.

But today, it seems some people don't want her to vent her emotions as she wishes.

The somewhat jarring doorbell rang, causing Chihaya Aine, who was about to play the guitar, to stop what she was doing.

Thankfully, it hadn't officially started yet; it would have been frustrating to be interrupted halfway through the conversation.

With her guitar put down and her enthusiasm interrupted, Chihaya Aine reluctantly opened the door to the concert hall.

"How can I help you...?"

The polite inquiry came to an abrupt end, and standing outside the door frame was someone Chihaya Aine would never mistake, even after ten years of separation.

Long brown hair, deep blue eyes, a perfect combination that makes one wonder if this person is even a precursor to another species, and...

"Ai-yin..."

That deliberately high-pitched voice sounds so familiar...

Looking at her old bandmates, Chihaya Aine's face showed a visible headache.

Although she has temporarily returned to the city, she actually... doesn't really want to see her former teammates.

I knew it would turn out like this; I shouldn't have come here...

But how did she find me?

With an expected helplessness in her gray eyes, Chihaya Aine raised her elbow and pulled her right hand back to her chest, narrowly dodging the hand of the beautiful woman rushing towards her from behind, who was trying to grab her wrist without warning.

"People will dislike you for not paying attention to social distancing... Soyo-san."

Having missed her target, Nagasaki Sase turned to Chihaya Aine and looked at the pink-haired beauty's face, which she hadn't seen in ten years. The admonition to maintain social distancing echoed in her ears.

soyo...san.

The unfamiliar and distant address made Nagasaki Sase's expression stiffen, and a layer of mist seemed to veil his azure eyes once again.

Somewhat bewildered, she followed Chihaya Aine into the private room. It wasn't until she saw the long-unseen pink-haired beauty put the guitar back in its bag, seemingly intending to leave, that she managed to gather her thoughts.

"I heard you're back, why didn't you contact me?"

Her unfamiliar attitude left people somewhat bewildered, but Nagasaki Sase was no longer the high school girl she once was.

Even though she could clearly sense that her old friend didn't actually want to see her, she still forced herself to continue the conversation.

“We clearly agreed that we would keep in touch after you went to England, so why haven’t you replied to my messages in ten years? I’m really… worried about you.”

"After all, we're not in the same service area, so it's normal not to receive messages, right? Besides, these international calls are very expensive."

Faced with Nagasaki Sase's aggrieved question, Chihaya Aine calmly gave her reasons.

In fact, she had received messages from Nagasaki Sase over the past ten years. He had sent her countless text messages relentlessly, and she had seen them all, which helped her learn about some of the events that were happening in Tokyo.

For example, Nagasaki Sase joined her mother's company; for example, Yawata Kairin took over Starlight Plaza; for example... the wedding of Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu.

She simply...didn't want to answer anymore.

"Then why won't you reply to my messages after you return to Tokyo?"

Nagasaki Sōse knew, of course, that this was just Chihaya Aine's excuse.

Every unread message over the past decade has been like a sharp knife, wounding her shadow.

She knew even better that she should have left when Chihaya Aine indicated that she wasn't receiving any messages.

It's really ridiculous that they're still clinging to things from the past.

But she just couldn't let go, no matter what.

"It's just a simple graduation trip, there's no need for you to bother... Besides, who told you I was going back to Tokyo? I don't think I leaked any information, did I? Was it Yuu?"

Knowing that she probably couldn't easily shake off Nagasaki Sosei, Chihaya Aine changed the subject, answering the question with a question.

Only Yuu Toyokawa knew that she had returned to Tokyo.

Nagasaki Sase was able to approach him like this, so he must have gotten the information from Yuu.

So what did Yuu get in return from Nagasaki Sase this time?

"No, it has nothing to do with Youyu. I just... asked a friend to help me."

friend?

Upon hearing this explanation, Chihaya Aine neither confirmed nor denied it, but did not pursue the matter further.

Since the other party doesn't want me to know so much, I'll just not ask.

Over the years, she has learned what social distancing means.

"So, what brings you here, Soyo-san? Even if I didn't reply to your message in time, there's no need for you to come here with people to confront me."

"Regarding what happened ten years ago, I want to sincerely apologize to you no matter what."

Noticing Chihaya Aine's gaze fixed on him, and realizing that the other woman was finally willing to face his current topic, Nagasaki Sase's smile became much more genuine.

After holding back words for ten years and waiting for an opportunity for ten years, the possibility of realizing them has finally come today.

"If it weren't for me back then..."

"There's nothing more to say about that matter now. Everything that needed to be said was already said that day."

Upon hearing Nagasaki Sase's statement, Chihaya Aine's smile, which was merely a polite gesture, gradually faded, and she interrupted him rather forcefully.

"That's not your problem, nor is it anyone else's fault. It's just that... I ran away on my own."

Looking at the brown-haired beauty in front of her, Chihaya Aine's expression remained calm, though a hint of weariness was visible in her eyes.

She once thought that she possessed inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm, and that she could accumulate every moment with everyone, eventually realizing the "life" she had spoken of when she made those boastful remarks.

Unfortunately......

"In short, Soyo-san, you did nothing wrong back then. If I were in your position, I would most likely make the same choice as you."

"But if no one did anything wrong, why did MyGO disband?!"

Seeing Chihaya Aine's words that "everything ended ten years ago," Nagasaki Sase's tone suddenly became pleading and urgent.

"I don't understand, Aine, why are you leaving... MyGO!!!!! It's a band we formed together."

"Didn't I already say that I couldn't stay in Tokyo for some reason? Why hold a grudge?"

A headache was starting to creep onto Chihaya Aine's face, and she began to show obvious resistance to the topic of Nagasaki Sose.

“A band isn’t everything in life. You should probably find something else to support yourself.”

"But everyone is already lost in the past and can't get out. Even if it's just for the sake of others, please..."

With his hands clasped together, Nagasaki Sase's two fingers began to intertwine habitually.

Looking at Aine's gray trench coat, a hint of pleading appeared in Nagasaki Sase's eyes.

Even if Chihaya Aine couldn't forgive herself, she wanted the other person to at least see her former bandmates.

Even though no one did anything wrong, why do we always have to go through pain again and again?

When asked about her former bandmates, Chihaya Aine paused for a moment while packing her things, then unconsciously quickened her pace as she zipped up her clothes.