Tokyo Three Generations

As they drew closer, Jun Takasaki stopped, while Shoko Toyokawa quickened her pace.

"Mu!" she said as she ran towards her friend.

Logically speaking, as a young lady from a wealthy family, she shouldn't be so out of control. However, she had been exhausted both physically and mentally recently, and had been on edge to the limit. Upon suddenly seeing her friend, her long-suppressed emotions were released all at once, and she no longer cared about her manners.

She quickly hugged the girl opposite her. "Mu, I missed you so much. Thank you for coming all this way to see me!"

Jun Takasaki stood a few steps behind, quietly observing.

However, with Xiangzi's warm greeting and embrace, the doll's shell seemed to shatter, as if it had been injected with some kind of life force. She looked at Xiangzi, and although she still had no expression, she gently reached out and hugged Miss Toyokawa as well.

"Xiangzi, I miss you too."

Her voice was so soft, almost inaudible, that it would have been nearly impossible to hear if Takasaki Jun hadn't had such good hearing, which only added to the sense of fragility she conveyed.

After the two friends embraced intimately for a moment, Toyokawa Shoko finally calmed down from her initial excitement, then released her embrace and turned to look at Takasaki Jun.

"Jun, her name is Wakaba Mutsu, we've been playmates since we were little. She's the daughter of the famous actress Mori Minami, isn't that amazing?"

Mori Minami?

Jun Takasaki thought the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

He searched his memory for a moment before recalling that she was a fairly well-known actress who had starred in many popular dramas and had a large fan base.

It's kind of funny, although Ms. Mori is a big star and Jun Takasaki has heard of her, he can't recall exactly what she looks like when he's asked to remember her now.

Not to mention any of her representative works.

From his childhood, his grandfather always told him that those actors who seemed to have endless glamour on the surface were actually just singers, and told him not to chase after stars and waste his time and energy, which he deeply believed.

So, what big star is he anyway? In the end, he's just a slightly more sophisticated street performer. What's so great about him?

Besides, what era are we living in? Who among young people still watches TV? Big stars? None of them are as cute as their anime waifus.

While thinking to himself, Jun Takasaki nodded politely. "Oh, I see! No wonder Miss Wakaba is so stunningly beautiful."

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko pointed to Takasaki Jun and then introduced him to Wakaba Mutsu.

"Muto, this is the good friend who helped me that I mentioned in our previous chat. His name is Jun Takasaki."

Wakaba Mutsu glanced timidly at Takasaki Jun, then bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you...please...please take care of me."

Even from several meters away, you could feel the tension emanating from her. It was clear that she wasn't the type to handle interpersonal relationships well. Jun Takasaki even felt that she was about to break out in a sweat.

Am I that scary? He suddenly felt a little frustrated.

He has always been quite confident in his "modeling" skills.

Seeing Jun Takasaki's frustrated expression, Shoko Toyokawa couldn't help but laugh. "Don't overthink it. Mutsu has always been like this. She's not very good at dealing with strangers. She'll get used to it once she gets to know them better."

Takasaki Jun, of course, wouldn't take such a small matter to heart, so he also bowed slightly to Wakaba Mutsu, "Miss Wakaba, nice to meet you, please take care of me."

"Thank you so much for helping...helping Xiangzi so much." Wakaba Mutsu thanked her again in a low voice, "Xiangzi is my most important friend, so I am very grateful for everything you have done."

"It's nothing, I was just doing my duty," Jun Takasaki quickly shook his head.

After exchanging pleasantries upon their first meeting, the three of them walked into the mansion together.

Since Mutsuka Wakaba was a quiet girl, Jun Takasaki didn't say much. As a mutual friend of the two, Shoko Toyokawa unsurprisingly became the center of attention. She took the initiative to start a conversation and eased the awkwardness between the two.

"Chun, do you remember? I told you that my favorite thing is music."

“Yes, of course I remember.” Jun Takasaki nodded.

"Actually, Mutsu is also very good at music..." Toyokawa Shoko said with a smile, "She plays the guitar very well, and every time I compose a piece, she can play out what I have in mind."

At this point, she couldn't help but sigh again, "Everyone says she truly deserves to be Ms. Minami's daughter... her talent is amazing."

Though he spoke without thinking, for some reason, Jun Takasaki noticed that Mutsumi Wakaba, whose head was already lowered, seemed to lower it even further.

It's easy to imagine that she really disliked hearing those kinds of words.

Jun Takasaki deeply empathized with this sentiment, because when he excelled in his studies from a young age, people would always say, "As expected of the young master of the Takasaki family," and he grew to loathe hearing it so often.

He didn't believe that he was able to achieve this because he inherited his father's "excellent genes" as a poor student; it was entirely the result of his own hard work.

The only difference is that he had the courage to refute, but Ruo Yemu didn't.

So he couldn't help but retort slightly, "I think we should affirm Ms. Wakaba's efforts more, after all, music relies on persistent practice."

After being refuted by him, Ruoye Mu barely reacted, but Xiangzi realized that he had misspoke and tried to make amends, "I'm not saying that she doesn't work hard. Mu is my most important helper."

Ruo Yemu followed behind them silently, as if he were a tacit follower.

As they talked, the three of them walked back into the mansion and came to the spacious hall.

Toyokawa Shoko gently stroked the expensive piano in the corner of the living room, her face full of nostalgia.

"I haven't played it in a long time, my hands are probably rusty."

Then, she turned to look at Wakaba Mutsumi, "Mutsumi, it's rare that you've come all this way today, how about we play a piece together? We even have an audience member. I want Jun to experience how amazing we are!"

Ruoye Mu nodded slightly, agreeing to her friend's suggestion.

Then, as if she knew the place very well, she walked to a room next to the living room and took out a guitar.

Jun Takasaki immediately sat down on the sofa and comfortably played the role of a listener.

Shoko Toyokawa sat down at the piano and first quickly swept her right hand across the keys.

Then, she took a deep breath and quickly got into the zone.

"Mu, I'll play 'Canon' first, and you can accompany me."

After pausing for a moment to make sure Mu was ready, she placed her hands on the piano keys and began to play softly.

Her choice of Canon was also deliberate.

After all, "Canon" is one of the most classic classical pieces, which has been passed down for hundreds of years. It can be said that anyone who has listened to classical music has heard this piece, and there is no threshold for appreciation. Moreover, its melody is soothing and it is one of the easiest classical pieces to accompany on the guitar. You only need to know a few chords to play it easily, and the audience can also get excellent audio-visual feedback.

And so the two of them began to play.

Soft and familiar musical notes flowed into the room, gently enveloping the young men and women present and creating a brief dreamscape for them, a world away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

Unfortunately, the piece ended after only a few minutes, leaving Jun Takasaki feeling inexplicably disappointed.

Although he was a layman when it came to music, Jun Takasaki could clearly sense that Shoko's playing was very skillful and that the two of them were very well coordinated.

So he applauded from the bottom of his heart.

"That was amazing! It's the best performance I've ever seen."

This isn't just empty praise; firstly, the two performers are indeed very skilled, and more importantly, the fact that two beautiful young women are standing so close to you, performing specifically for you, creates a performance effect that no "masterpiece" can match.

"Are you really satisfied?" Toyokawa Shoko smiled with a hint of pride. "When we performed before, my parents and the housekeeper all said it was very good, but I always felt that they might not be objective enough because they favored me, so I was still a little lacking in confidence... Since you say so too, I'm relieved."

"Hey, am I really that convincing?" Jun Takasaki thought to himself.

However, he was quite happy to see how much the other party valued his words.

“So…” Toyokawa Shoko’s eyes lit up with excitement, “What do you guys think about me forming a band?”

"Huh?" Not only was Takasaki Jun surprised, but Wakaba Mutsu was also a little surprised.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko stood up excitedly.

“Since the family matter came to an end, I’ve been thinking about how to spend my youth without regrets. I thought about it for a long time, and finally decided that starting a band would be the best thing to do. Not only would it fulfill my own dream, but it would also allow my friends to continue to happily sit together to practice, perform, and enjoy their youth together. It’s just wonderful!”

As she spoke, a strange blush appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's face, a mixture of excitement and anticipation. "So, Mutsumi, how about forming a band with me?"

Ruoye Mu blinked. Although she was surprised at first, she did not raise any objections and simply nodded in agreement.

Jun Takasaki had no objections whatsoever.

This is her own business; as long as she's happy.

Some might say, "The young lady is making a fuss," but unfortunately, the young lady can indeed make a fuss.

"Congratulations." He nodded. "However... I'm afraid I can't be of much help in this regard."

"We don't need your help at all. Just please support our performances whenever you have time," Toyokawa Shoko replied with a smile. "Jun, you were our first audience member!"

"I will remember this honor for the rest of my life!" Jun Takasaki replied, deliberately exaggerating. "It would be even better if there were handshake tickets for sale! I would definitely spend a lot of money on them."

"Stop joking!" Toyokawa Shoko glared at him with a smile. "We're just a band, not some idol group. We don't have that kind of thing! We'll use respectable music as our selling point."

Jun Takasaki smiled without saying a word.

Although he couldn't say for sure, he felt that Toyokawa Shoko might actually make a name for herself in a band, after all, just the sight of her and Wakaba Mutsumi standing there was worth the price of admission.

In this day and age, for bands, looks are probably more important than skills...

After receiving approval from two friends, an extremely excited Shoko Toyokawa was bursting with energy, already planning the next band members and the band's name.

For every idea that suddenly popped into her head, Wakaba Muku would simply nod in agreement, with only Takasaki Jun occasionally making a few sarcastic remarks.

If it were an ordinary person, seeing the interaction between the two, they would only think that the two sisters have a deep bond.

Jun Takasaki doesn't deny this, but his insight is far superior to that of ordinary people, so he can sense that their relationship is not so "normal".

Xiangzi always spoke to her in a consultative tone, but his attitude was not like that of a consultative conversation; instead, he led Ruoye Mutsu away.

Based on his understanding of Toyokawa Shoko, he could conclude that Shoko was definitely not someone who liked to act superior or domineering. Therefore, the only reason she could unconsciously reveal this "assertiveness" from time to time was that, for a long time, when the two of them were together, Wakaba Mutsu was always the one who gave in and yielded.

Only when one side takes the lead becomes a habit will Xiangzi naturally adopt such a strong attitude and not feel that anything is wrong with it.

Of course, it's not surprising that people habitually indulge Xiangzi. As the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa Group, she must have had plenty of people trying to please her since she was a child.

However, Ruo Yemu's "accommodation" did not seem like a deliberate attempt to please Xiangzi, but rather a genuine intention to place himself in Xiangzi's "subordinate" position, following Xiangzi's lead without feeling wronged.

The relationships between the girls are truly mysterious and complex... That's all he could say.

And so time quietly slipped by. On a whim, Toyokawa Shoko played several more pieces with Wakaba Mutsu, and Takasaki Jun was fortunate enough to enjoy them immensely.

However, Hiroshi Takasaki had already finished his conversation with Kiyotaka Toyokawa and had to take his leave.

Thus, Jun Takasaki could only reluctantly bid farewell to Shoko.

Just as he was about to walk out of the living room door, he suddenly heard another barely audible sound behind him.

"Thank you."

Is she thanking me?

Why should I thank you?

Jun Takasaki was a little confused. He subconsciously turned his head to look, only to find that Mutsuya Wakaba had already returned to Shoko's side. It was as if he was hallucinating.

Perhaps it really was just his imagination, he chuckled to himself, and then quickly left.

16. A bolt from the blue

After leaving the Toyokawa family, both Takasaki and his son had their own thoughts, but both felt a sense of comfort and warmth.

Needless to say, Jun Takasaki was able to enjoy the performance of two top-tier beauties up close (and he was the only audience member), which was an unforgettable experience.

Hiroshi Takasaki also gained a lot. It was the first time he had received such a high-level reception from the Toyokawa Group, and he was quite flattered. Moreover, when Toyokawa Kiyoshi talked to him, he expressed his hope that the two companies could strengthen cooperation in the future. He even hinted that he hoped that after graduating from university, Takasaki Jun could go directly to work for a Toyokawa-owned company to enhance his resume.

He readily agreed to the suggestion, since his son needed to gain experience before taking over the family business anyway, so it didn't matter where he went.

"Jun, I just heard piano music downstairs. Was it Miss Toyokawa playing?"

"Yes."

"Ah, you're quite fortunate to receive such hospitality from her," Takasaki Hiro remarked. "She really values ​​you."

"Of course, I was one of the first listeners of her future band," Jun Takasaki thought with a touch of pride.

In fact, Takasaki Hiroshi felt that this Miss Toyokawa was talented, beautiful, well-mannered, and had the demeanor of a noble family. She was second to none among all the young ladies he had ever met. He wanted to persuade his son to seize the opportunity, since it would be very beneficial for both him and the family. However, on second thought, it was his son's own business, and he did not want to force him. He thought it would be better to let things take their natural course.

Anyway, my son is still so young, there's no need to rush into thinking about this kind of thing.

So he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue and changed the subject instead.

The father and son returned home in high spirits. The hourly housekeeper they had hired finished the housework and prepared dinner before leaving again. After eating and drinking their fill, the father and son went about their own business and returned to their original routines.

Hiroshi Takasaki was about to turn on the TV to watch the news when a phone call startled him.

He picked up his phone casually and pressed the answer button.

Then, the smug look on his face vanished abruptly. His eyes widened, and veins bulged on his forehead, as if he had suddenly encountered a vengeful ghost, filled with both astonishment and fear.

"What? Really?"

After receiving confirmation from the other side, he froze for a moment, then his anger deepened.