Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

"Hey Jill, another one of those Monkey King cocktails, please."

Bartender Jill glanced back at the liquor rack, then turned and poured two glasses of lemonade, placing them on the bar counter.

"The Monkey King is gone. I'll go to the back warehouse to get a bottle. You guys wait a bit."

"Go on, go on." Miao Meng waved her hand impatiently, as if shooing someone away.

Jill shrugged knowingly, turned around, opened the door to the employee entrance, and left.

The bar suddenly became quieter, and Miaomeng picked up her lemonade and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

"I have no objection to the matter of Reed Plain, but what do you think about what Chu Hua mentioned?"

“I still have to go to school and rehearse. I’m the producer, and I also need to coordinate public relations matters. I think…” Xiangzi shook his head. “It’s just a rumor. I don’t think it’s necessary to make a special trip there. The witch in Reed Plains is enough for us to spend money on.”

"No, Xiangzi."

Miao Meng smiled slightly, resting her chin on her hand and half-closing her eyes.

"Aren't you worried about your lack of firepower lately...? Well, there's a military base in Ryukyu."

The Lost Tale: A Young Man's Spirit: Chapter 153 No more posts, I really want to...

"A military base in Ryukyu, huh...?"

Xiangzi's eyes brightened slightly, but then dimmed again.

"But the school no longer allows leave..."

She slumped listlessly onto the table.

Unexpectedly, what bothers her most now is going to school, a trivial matter that seems insignificant compared to other things.

So much happened after the Nirvana incident that Xiangzi sometimes even complained about why his magic wasn't a clone technique.

The first thing I mentioned was starting my own business at the celebration banquet with everyone at Mujica.

Xiangzi secretly told part of the truth to the administrator, Toyama Kasumi, who trusted him the most.

Kasumi had been very protective of Shoko from the beginning, so Shoko was a little arrogant because of her favor. The two chatted for a long time (keeping it a secret from Yukina), from Nirvana all the way to Shoko's plan to start his own business outside of the gathering.

Surprisingly, Kasumi did not object; in fact, she strongly agreed.

She said that the Reed Plain Magical Girl Gathering and other magical girl organizations were in the exploratory stage and had generated a lot of redundant systems and policies that they still couldn't deal with. Xiangzi's suggestion was equivalent to giving them a free testing ground. Kasumi could provide some past experience, while Xiangzi would help them conduct social experiments for free. The two sides seemed to be going against each other, but in fact, they played a mutually beneficial role.

This is the result of the conversation.

In reality, both the internal optimization of the gathering and Xiangzi's idea of ​​starting his own business were quickly put aside.

Kasumi and the others still need to prepare for the Witch's Night, which is currently taking place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Shoko also plans to put this matter on hold for now. After all, she has a powerful insider backing her up, and her relationship with the gathering isn't so bad that they'd fight on the spot.

After putting this matter aside for the time being, what else should Xiangzi be busy with?

She has to be the producer of Ave Mujica, catch up on the two weeks of classes she missed, and also... work part-time.

Oh right, working.

It's called "working," but it's not the kind of work I did when I was homeless, doing whatever I could to survive.

To lay the groundwork for Mujica's marketing strategy and leave various traces that "Toyokawa Shoko" is still alive and active, she now appears from time to time in various parts of Reed Plain as a hired musician or a pianist in a bar.

I came to see Miaomeng today to scout out the location and figure out where I can "leave a trace" next time.

Actually, what Miaomeng referred to as "the thing Chuhua mentioned" actually included two things.

The first point is that in a while, Sumimi will be going to Okinawa to film a travel variety show that will air during prime time. This show has made many previously neglected tourist attractions popular. Although Okinawa itself is a tourist destination, it has suffered a severe blow after the nuclear wastewater discharge policy was implemented. The local government also hopes to rely on this show to revive the tourism industry.

Coincidentally, Chu Hua's hometown is in the Ryukyu Islands, which provided a lot of convenience for the filming activities.

Regardless of Xiangzi and the others' opinions, Chuhua had to go.

Secondly, there was a rumor that was just hearsay and not very credible, so Xiangzi didn't pay much attention to it.

It is said that ghost ships and sea monsters have appeared in uninhabited waters. Such rumors have existed since ancient times, but the sea monster rumors have recently stirred up a little bit of a ripple online. This is because since the much-criticized policy was implemented, there have been many fishing boat disappearances in Ryukyu. However, there are no related news reports to corroborate the specific incidents of the fishing boat disappearances, so the credibility is relatively low.

And even if this were true, it doesn't necessarily mean it was done by a witch.

"Anyway, I think the value is still a bit low."

Don't say that.

Miao Meng blinked.

"Aren't there also school trips?"

"...Applying for a separate study trip is very troublesome."

“Anyway, you’re a signed artist now, just not debuted yet.” Miao Meng said with a smile, resting her chin on her hand. “Let’s make this our first team-building activity as a bunch of birds of a feather.”

"I'll think about it some more."

......

"So, Xiao Xiang, you came all the way to my room just to talk about this?"

Chu Hua, wearing loose pajamas, sat cross-legged on the bed, leaning against the huge Snorlax plushie's belly.

She was holding a tablet and watching videos. When she saw Xiangzi come in, she immediately closed the tablet, which was playing some new anime, and threw it aside. She tidied her hair and straightened her back.

"I... I actually wanted to bring this up with you too."

"almost."

Xiangzi had just finished showering and was still damp. The cold air from the air conditioner blew across his wet skin, taking away the warmth from his body. The icy touch sent a shiver down Xiangzi's spine.

She rubbed her arms, pulled out a chair in front of her desk, and sat down.

"I've thought about it. While the military base in Ryukyu is indeed useful to me, that's only for me personally. We don't actually lack thugs right now, and our stockpile of Lament Seeds is sufficient for at least a year. There's no need to be so anxious in the short term. Of course, the most important thing is still the school. I can no longer take leave..."

She repeated what she and Miaomeng had said, and Chuhua listened and shook her head with a smile.

"Xiao Xiang, did you not check your phone?"

Chu Hua placed his phone in front of Xiangzi; it contained a text message.

Xiangzi squinted and leaned closer.

[Our school's school trip this academic year will be a week-long cruise to Ryukyu Island in conjunction with Haneoka Girls' Academy. Please make the following preparations...]

"Eh?"

Xiangzi slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. He rushed out of Chuhua's room, circled back to his own room, picked up his phone, and found a text message with almost the same content, the only difference being that the name of the school mentioned was slightly different.

No.

Is it really that much of a coincidence?

unless......

Xiangzi hurriedly walked back to Chuhua's room.

"Chuhua, what have you been doing behind my back?"

"It has nothing to do with me." Chu Hua stuck out her tongue cutely. "It just so happens that the eldest daughter of the Tsurumaki family is going to hold an event to give back to her alma mater. She lent her cruise ship to Hanasaki River, but even if you put the whole school into that cruise ship, it would be too empty. So the school leaders discussed it and brought over Haneoka, who is on good terms with us."

"This is the rumor I've heard."

"Xuan Juan? That Xuan Juan zaibatsu? Their eldest daughter, could she be...?" Xiangzi's eyebrows twitched, "...Happy, Hello World..."

"Tsurumaki Kokoro, oh yeah, she graduated from Hanasakigawa." Hatsuka tilted her head. "How about it, Sho, just relax a bit?"

A Lost Tale: The Spirit of Youth - Chapter 154: The Sea Breeze

On the boundless sea, there is an inconspicuous white dot. The white dot draws a long white trail on the dark blue canvas and moves slowly forward.

It was a cruise ship, several tens of meters tall, which looked like a mountain in the harbor, but in the open sea it was no different from a small boat.

The bow of the ship crashed into the sea, creating waves of white foam.

The sea breeze, carrying a faint salty smell, brushed against my cheeks.

"Ah! The sea, you are all water!" Miao Meng stood at the bow of the boat, squinting at the sea and enjoying the sea breeze.

"Horses have four legs!" The mentally ill Cupid stood on the railing in front of Meow Dream, spreading its short paws in the classic Titanic pose—Meow Dream was Jack, the one supporting it.

“You two get along quite well.” Hai Ling leaned against the railing, brushing aside her hair that had been ruffled by the sea breeze. “Looks like I don’t need to be the straight man anymore.”

"Hai Zi, you should try standing on it too, it feels so good."

Miaomeng let go of Qiubi's hand and turned to reach out to Hailing.

Cupid lost his footing and nearly fell into the sea, barely managing to maintain his balance by clinging to the railing with his long ears.

"I'm really going to die!"

"Oh dear, I almost forgot." Miao Meng clasped her hands together and bowed to apologize.

"Why don't you explain how you got to where you are today?"

"It's not like there are only Hanasakikawa and Haneoka on this ship. I paid for a ticket to come up, are they going to refuse me? Besides, Mutsuko came up too."

In fact, the cruise ship that Tsurumaki Shin lent out could accommodate more than two thousand passengers, more than enough to fit Hanasaki River and Haneoka. To make the cruise ship less empty, tickets were made available for purchase on a voluntary basis and were almost immediately sold out.

Mu and Miaomeng were the kind of people who bought their own tickets to get on board, as were the film crew following Chu Hua. About a third of the people on the ship had also bought tickets.

The cruise ship will stop at various important islands in the Ryukyu Islands for a period of time, and Sumimi's filming crew will complete filming during these stops. The main Ryukyu island, where the military base is located, will be reached tomorrow night.

Before that, it's time to relax.

Meow Dream hugged Cupid in her arms, leaned back, and sat on the railing, swinging her legs.

"Speaking of which, I can understand that Hatsuko is busy filming a music video and doesn't have time to hang out with us, but where are Mutsuko and Shoko?"

=========

The views from the bow and stern are completely different. From the bow, you see an endless expanse of sea, like a dark piece of jade. From the stern, you can see the long white tail trailing behind the cruise ship.

Xiangzi leaned against the railing, staring blankly at the seemingly endless white tail stretching behind him.

I didn't expect it to actually make it up.

Xiangzi rubbed his temples.

She had never met Shin Tsurumaki, but she had heard of the Tsurumaki Group. Back when her bastard father was still alive, Tsurumaki already had a certain number of shares in Honeycomb. Now, the company should be completely under their control.

But that's all in the past.

What shocked her was that this massive ship, with a displacement of tens of thousands of tons and capable of carrying thousands of people, was actually the private property of that young lady.

Xiangzi already felt that his previous life was quite luxurious, but also...

It's truly terrifying to compare yourself to others.

Ugh.

Xiangzi rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly at the sea.

"Xiang."

Mu appeared beside her at some point, as if simply to let Xiangzi know that he was there, and called out softly.

Xiangzi nodded and raised his hand to touch Mu's hair.

"Thank you for asking me to take leave and come with us."

Mu's mother is notoriously difficult to deal with and has a strong desire to control. It's not easy to persuade her, and I don't know how Mu managed to get her to agree.

As for Mu's father, it seems he has been divorced for several years.

When Xiangzi was a child, he heard that Mu's family, like many seemingly amiable celebrity couples, actually had a very bad relationship in private.

In the end, they almost couldn't even maintain the facade of marriage, and they still got divorced.

“My mother went abroad to film a movie, and I didn’t tell her,” Mu said.

"..."

That means she didn't inform her family at all... she had no idea.

Xiangzi sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, I felt a soft touch on my shoulder.

Mu leaned close to Xiangzi, resting his head on her shoulder, and together they watched the sea being torn apart by the waves at the stern of the boat.