Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

...but she refused.

Regardless, she wanted to prove to her family that their decisions were wrong.

How to prove it?

Only by standing out from the crowd and using achievements as a slap in the face to the entire Toyokawa family can one truly succeed.

“I want to become a big shot, which might require a lot of money as start-up capital, but you don’t need to worry about that, I have ways to get it myself…”

“What a coincidence,” Yanming snapped his fingers and smiled confidently, “I am quite wealthy.”

"Huh? No, that's not it, Yanming-kun, you don't understand exactly how much I need..."

Before Toyokawa Shoko could finish speaking, a long string of numbers appeared in his eyes.

That's enough to shock the strategy system with its financial resources.

Even Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but lose her composure, 'This, this...'

[Sigh... Host, why don't you just put on the hood and go fight crime with Luo Bing tonight? Why do you have to hang out with us ordinary folks?]

The world's only superpower is held by a select few, and Yanming happens to be one of them.

Chapter Eighteen: A Lifetime

“If that’s not enough, I have some assets elsewhere, but it will take some time to liquidate them. The source of the funds is completely transparent and legal. They are all accumulated slowly over the years because I really had nowhere to spend them, so I unknowingly saved up so much.” Yanming briefly explained the situation.

Originally, I intended to use it to get married, but now there's no need for that anymore. Rather than letting these material possessions lie buried with me, I might as well use them to do a favor.

Since he was all alone, many actions that were difficult for ordinary people to understand were just commonplace for Yanming; he simply pursued doing whatever he pleased.

Is playing in a band really that lucrative...?

What kind of bullshit is this system spouting?

It's the era of big bands now. You can't find a single person on the street who doesn't go to live music. On average, one in two high school girls plays in a band, and an entire class can book an entire night out at a live house.

In this era, what could be more lucrative than playing in a band?

"Ah, ah...that seems to be true...but didn't you say your band was just a little-known band? Do small bands make this much money?"

[...How about I ask other cat-themed systems another day and form a cyberpunk rock band to debut?]

The system didn't have much surplus, so they started thinking about making extra money.

However, the system only needed to follow Yanming and be kept by him, but Xiangzi had many more things to consider.

'Why did Yanming choose to settle in Akabane? With that money, he could easily buy a whole duplex apartment in downtown Tokyo outright... plus the annual interest, assuming an average lifespan of eighty, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.'

Xiangzi suddenly realized something: the other party had already cleared up nine-tenths of her background, yet she still knew very little about him, and there were even more mysteries surrounding him than when they first met... If Yanming hadn't told her these things, she probably wouldn't have been able to fully understand them even if she spent her whole life on them.

Whether in terms of intelligence or other aspects, Xiangzi seems to be in an absolutely disadvantageous position.

"..."

Is this good? This is not good.

Toyokawa Shoko dislikes being passive.

From the moment she was forced to abandon her naive and weak side, she also became assertive.

No matter the situation, her first thought is never anything else, but always to take the initiative. This gives her a sense of being in control, and compared to her previous helplessness, this feeling makes Xiangzi feel very at ease.

"Thank you, but I can't accept it." Xiangzi thanked him earnestly, but still refused Yanming's offer.

She had already planned to negotiate with her family to obtain the initial start-up capital and manpower. Although the risks and costs were high, her situation was already bad enough, so the thought that failure would completely destroy her life was not so frightening.

“I will find a way out for myself, which was decided from the beginning… Since this is an investment that is based on profit, then I, Toyokawa Shoko, must show a performance that will impress you, in order to be fair. Am I right, Yanming-kun?” Shoko used Yanming’s seemingly cold words to turn the tables on him.

See, see? I told you not to be so quick to make definitive statements. Now look what happened!

Yanming ignored the system, lowered his head to consider for a moment, and said, "Okay, but please don't refuse any other assistance besides funds. Also, if anything unexpected happens to you, I will cover for you regardless of your opinion. Is that alright?"

"Do you think I have a high probability of failing?"

"..."

"Smack!" Yanming couldn't help himself and tapped the girl's head hard with his finger.

Why do you, a young girl, always like to get stuck on such trivial matters?

"What I mean is, go for it! Don't be discouraged if you fail. With me here, we can try again. There's no need to gamble your whole life on something like this. Do you understand, my teacher Da Xiang?" Yan Ming said irritably.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—Dad has never hit me..."

A flick on the forehead caused the half-formed Hei Xiang to regress again.

Yanming felt that he was probably a bit psychologically abnormal. Compared to the pretentious and mature Teacher Daxiang, he preferred to see the soft and sweet Xiaoxiang with teary eyes.

"If your father doesn't do it, someone else will do it for him. That's the logic." To Xiangzi, Yanming was no longer just an ordinary outsider.

He is an outsider with connections.

He was an outsider entrusted with his daughter's life by his father-in-law!

Apart from Xiangzi's biological parents, no one is worthy of battling Yanming.

"Going down the wrong path is undoubtedly wrong, and as your collaborator, I have the right to correct you when you make mistakes." Yanming raised his head, displaying an arrogant and domineering demeanor.

If you didn't know better, you'd think he was taking advantage of the girl's parents' power to try and take advantage of a minor.

[You're really high and mighty, host...]

[Little Xiang, you're so humble... You look so pitiful, choked up and unable to speak. Who was the big bad guy who did this?]

"..."

Try saying something sarcastic to me again and see what happens.

【Host, I love you~?】

"I..." Just as the system had said, Xiangzi covered his head where he had been hit and couldn't say a word.

It's not that she can't refute it, but she finds that... no matter what she says, Yanming can always find a reason to convince himself. If this continues, the two of them will never reach a conclusion and can only see who takes the initiative to back down first.

Xiangzi admitted that he couldn't go against Yanming's wishes.

"So, it's been a pleasant collaboration, Teacher Da Xiang." Yan Ming extended his little finger.

"What's with that malicious nickname... It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Their little fingers touched.

Yanming continued, "After making a pinky promise, the person who breaks it will have to swallow a thousand needles. Is that alright?"

"But we don't have any specific treaty at all!"

"That's simple. All I need is the right to final interpretation and the right to veto."

Upon hearing this, Xiangzi tried to pull his little finger out, but it was firmly locked and he couldn't move it.

"I quit! Let go!"

The little octopus said angrily.

But now that we're on the pirate ship, how can we possibly escape?

Yanming, whose trick had succeeded, curled his lips into a smile: "Well said, I'll reject it with one vote."

"……Well."

“Well then…” Yanming released his hand, and only released his hand, “I hope you will take good care of me in the future, Ms. Toyokawa Shoko.”

"...!" It's almost like a declaration of love... No, no, I can't think of it that way. Yanming-jun probably didn't mean it that way.

They must be planning to use her as a tool for personal gain, ruthlessly squeezing out her remaining value after achieving their goals... She herself doesn't believe this explanation...

No matter how you look at it, she's definitely got her eye on me!

"Don't you want to?"

However, the next second, an extremely faint voice rang in Yanming's ear.

"I didn't say I didn't want to..."

Chapter Nineteen: Above Friends

……

More than half an hour later

"I'm starting to eat." Xiangzi sat down at the table and picked up his chopsticks. Sitting opposite him was Yanming, who had a big smile on his face.

He's clearly a young man, yet he looks like a kind old man on his deathbed... This world must be crazy.

"Is it tasty?"

[Culinary Mastery: Lv4]

Although he can't compare to a real master chef, Yanming considers himself to have achieved some success in culinary skills.

Their band provides meals.

"So delicious..." It's comparable to the chefs of the Toyokawa family.

Xiangzi hadn't had such a sumptuous meal in a while; when he didn't have time, he usually just made do with reheated toast.

It doesn't taste good, and it's not nutritious enough to last a whole day of activities.

Even so, a portion of the meager savings had to be set aside to buy wine for her father.

"Eat more if it's delicious..."

"...It's so delicious!"

Was it a feeling of being wronged? Or heartache? Or perhaps the sentiment behind the food?

There's no need to analyze things so clearly, just as the world isn't simply black and white. The most important thing to consider is cherishing the present moment.

"Don't get your tears in your food...be careful not to choke." Yanming didn't say anything more, sitting quietly watching the girl wolf down her food.

She didn't cry when she was caught in the rain, she didn't cry when she sought comfort from him, and she still didn't cry when she argued with her father. Yet, in such an insignificant place, she abandoned her feigned strength.

How wonderful! The lost little girl has found a new place to stay. Her beating heart, filled with confusion, is now brimming with emotion, a feeling more intense than tears, welling up in her eyes.

【Don't let this child down, Master Host.】

'You don't need to tell me.'

Not necessarily. Let's take a look at the current panel.

The system kept everyone in suspense, but no matter how much it kept them in suspense, the final mystery would eventually be revealed.

【Name: Toyokawa Shoko】

[Current Intimacy Level: Above Friends (79)]

[The meaning of "more than friends"... As a human, you should understand this better than I, a machine, shouldn't you?]

More than friends, but not quite...

You can fill in either your lover or your family member in the blank.

However, neither of these options fits their current situation, so the following line was not written.

The connections between people cannot be explained in a single word. It is the complex emotions that create the so-called bonds.

With just a little bit of opportunity, the seeds planted will quickly blossom and bear fruit.

Xiangzi put down his chopsticks and empty bowl, vigorously wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, and said:

"I'm done eating."

"So fast?!...Are you full? If you're not full, you can have mine too." Yanming quickly cleared the jumbled thoughts from his mind and then asked with concern.

"Yanming-jun." Xiangzi suddenly called his name.

Yanming was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

“From the first time I saw you, I noticed that you were different from other adults.” Xiangzi said, recalling the young man who had told him to ‘get some rest’ that day.

It was this one sentence that triggered her to have unnecessary emotions.

People in society are very indifferent, and after leaving the protection of the Toyokawa family, Toyokawa Shoko clearly realized this.