Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 106

"...This is my box."

"oh oh……"

The girl, regaining her senses, quickly took the stack of photos and put them back into the empty box.

While doing all this, Chihaya Aine also secretly glanced at the photo of Genjiro Tou.

—This was not a candid photo.

Almost all of them are front-facing photos, with the boy looking directly at the camera. His bright and handsome features are relaxed, and the corners of his mouth are slightly upturned, seemingly holding a faint smile. It's like a gentle breeze in the forest, carrying a soft and full warmth, lightly patting his cheeks, the corners of his eyes, and his lips, moistening his skin, creating an incredibly peaceful and beautiful scene.

'Is this... Xu Douqin...?'

My heart started beating faster, almost against my will, and the thumping of my pulse echoed in my mind.

The girl's face instantly flushed a faint blush.

It's hard to imagine that such a calm and indifferent face could smile in such an approachable and pure way...

Chihaya Aine was aware that she wasn't a member of a "beauty committee" and wouldn't fall in love at first sight just because someone was good-looking—but the impact of suddenly discovering an unexpected and incredibly attractive side of someone she already had feelings for was still too great.

Just like meeting someone you met online in person, you might be satisfied as long as their looks are average, but when you arrive, you find that their appearance is exactly your ideal type. The surprise that arises at that moment sounds like the unrealistic fantasies of a girl who hasn't had any friends for a long time, but this is exactly what Chihaya Aine really felt at that moment.

Immediately following the initial excitement came disappointment.

She smiles so happily at others, and I even noticed... when she's chatting with me, her expression hardly changes at all.

Sure enough, I have to find a way to get closer to him...

"Um...Chihaya-san?"

The girl holding the box suddenly froze, neither closing the lid nor returning it to him, her face blank with a dazed expression. Takamatsu Akari couldn't help but call out to her in a low, uneasy voice.

Coming to her senses, Chihaya Aine saw Takamatsu Akari hunched over, looking uneasy and protective of her. The vague thought that had crossed her mind immediately vanished. She quickly closed the box and returned it, apologizing again, "Sorry, sorry... I was just a little distracted—"

Do you think...it's very good-looking?

Taking the box and carefully placing it back in the cabinet, Gao Songdeng was not displeased by her previous dazedness. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and murmured a question.

"Huh? -- Yeah, he's a really handsome guy..."

The girl was taken aback by the strange, seemingly nonsensical question, and it took her a while to come up with an answer.

However, she quickly composed herself.

"You said this is your box... So, is he someone you know, Deng?"

“2. Cage 1. Lin 8. 2. ... Hmm.”

When this topic was brought up, Takamatsu Akira, who had initially seemed happy because of Chihaya Aine's agreement, with her amber eyes shining faintly, suddenly looked gloomy again.

“He was a very important person… but I let him down…”

The weak, heavy tone of voice alone created a suffocating sense of oppression.

Unable to bear the somber atmosphere, Chihaya Aine quickly changed the subject with a lively voice.

"Although I don't know much about it, I don't think it's Deng's fault—could there be some misunderstanding?"

"Deng must be really reluctant to part with him, right? Didn't you try to talk to Xu... I mean, that boy?"

"Maybe he thinks differently from you? — But I was just saying."

After rattling off all her thoughts in one breath, almost revealing that she knew Gen Xudou, Chihaya Aine's gray eyes turned serious as she tried to appear as an outsider offering advice.

"Talk...? I hadn't thought about it..." Although the girl's disguise was a bit too much, making her seem slightly suspicious, the simple-minded Takamatsu Akari clearly didn't notice. As if prompted by the other person's words, she fell into a soft murmur.

"Really, is it possible to do this?"

"Don't worry, Tou-chan!"

Chihaya Aine thumped her chest, which was relatively flat compared to her peers, with a confident expression.

"If you're worried, I can go with you to see him!"

If a normal person heard these words, they would definitely find them a little strange and begin to doubt her motives. But Takamatsu simply blinked, her soft eyes revealing a look of gratitude.

Is it because she's naive and easily trusting, too gullible... or is it that her way of thinking is inherently detached from common sense, making it seem unremarkable that Chihaya Aine suddenly suggested going with her to see Genjiro?

It's probably a combination of both.

"Thank you, Chihaya-san..."

"Just call me 'Aine'. I'll call you Akari-chan."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Gao Songdeng nodded slightly.

"However, Aine... I don't know where Xu Dou is now, or how to get to him..."

"--Well."

--coming.

All the groundwork was laid for this question.

She needs to persuade Gao Songdeng and Yuan Xudou to meet and resolve their misunderstandings; gain the girl's trust and support for forming a band in the future; and increase her importance in Xudou's heart—this is the kind of action that can be described as killing three birds with one stone.

"Actually, I think I've seen him before, which is why I was a little stunned when I saw him... His name is 'Yuan Xudou', right?"

Chihaya Aine revealed her small, bright white canine teeth and leaned forward slightly, revealing a smile that Takamatsu Akira couldn't decipher, but which represented "the plan succeeded."

"I should be able to find him, otherwise—"

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Hand That Will Be Let Go

While Chihaya Aine was busy seizing the initiative and bringing the clueless Takamatsu Akari into her camp ahead of time, Genji Koto also encountered his own troubles.

Xiangzi finally found a suitable apartment and prepared to move.

She told Won Heo-doo the news at dinner yesterday after he returned from RiNG.

During her spare time from part-time work, she would conduct field investigations and sometimes go on field trips with the boy. She would also accept the boy's very detailed and practical teachings, probably because he had been living alone for a long time. Toyokawa Shoko finally found a rental house that satisfied her recently.

The female landlord was very easy to talk to, the room was very clean, she didn't need to bring her own furniture, the commute to school was convenient, and the rent was just the right price for her... To be honest, with such excellent conditions, she thought she would have to search for several more months to find a place.

These perfectly balanced advantages combined to create a situation that even made Genjiro feel a little...subtle when he heard Toyokawa Shoko's excited description.

...Perhaps this matter is related to the Toyokawa family.

This was merely an intuition, and although his intuition was always accurate, Genjiro Toru did not intend to rashly tell Toyokawa Shoko his guess without solid evidence.

She's currently overjoyed at taking this crucial step towards independent living, so there's no need to dampen her enthusiasm. Besides, if this really wasn't a coincidence and was orchestrated by the Toyokawa family, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths against Toyokawa Shoko, the only remaining direct descendant of the Toyokawa family.

However, just to be on the safe side, I'll contact Xiangzi every two days to make sure she's safe.

Anyway, the two of them used to chat on Line almost every day, so it would be natural for them to meet under the pretext of visiting each other, and Xiangzi wouldn't suspect anything.

But compared to these things, there is something else that is more important right now.

"Xiangzi... he shouldn't be in any trouble, right?"

Looking at this naive former young lady who made him uneasy, Yuan Xudou couldn't help but show hesitation in his dark eyes.

Upon hearing this, the joyful smile on Toyokawa Shoko's fair, slightly flushed cheeks suddenly froze. Then, she pouted, raised her eyebrows, and feigned anger.

"Xu Dou—I've been living outside for so long, how could I still not be able to do this kind of thing well?" She pretended to be angry and drew out her tone, angrily kneading his well-proportioned arm repeatedly. "I've almost learned how to do laundry, shopping, bookkeeping, cleaning the room, and even cooking!"

Yes, but there's also paying utility bills, dealing with TV network salespeople, taking out the trash at designated locations at set times, and cleaning your own room is not the same as cleaning the whole house... Yuan Xudou swallowed these words of experience and let out a soft sigh.

Without Xiangzi's own experience, it's impossible for her to gain a real understanding of those things just by talking about them.

He didn't want to appear overly concerned, like an elderly person nagging about a loved one's passing. The girl was strong enough, with her own opinions, and the beliefs and perseverance that supported her were genuine. Toyokawa Shoko was capable of handling all of this, and as her like-minded partner and family member, his role wasn't to provide meticulous instructions and arrangements, as if paving the way for her to avoid even the slightest difficulty.

For the inherently proud Toyokawa Shoko, that was no different from unacceptable pity or charity; it was a sign of distrust.

Yuan Xudou, who also dislikes self-serving "arrangements" and "plans," can be understood in terms of her point of view, and of course, he would not do anything that would damage the trust between the two of them.

Occasionally, you could visit her, stand by her side when she encounters difficulties, and help her solve those problems, instead of giving her superior guidance and then taking care of it yourself... It's actually not that complicated to do.

Or rather, when Genjiro decided to reach out to Toyokawa Shoko, who was disheveled that night, he had already anticipated this roundabout and convoluted situation.

(ix) O tumor (iv) tumor Qi dang'erba In short, I believe she can do it.

If I could do it when I was just over ten years old, there's no reason why Toyokawa Shoko, who has been taught so much experience and is now more mature, couldn't handle it.

Compared to worry, another emotion surging within him at this moment was clearer and more obvious.

"—Have you decided to move out?"

The girl's bright eyes and brows were shrouded in a slightly dark shadow as she was hidden by her figure. Yuan Xudou spoke softly, his voice seemingly mixed with some inexplicable emotion.

Just a second ago, Toyokawa Shoko was pretending to be annoyed, but the next second after hearing his words, she silently composed herself, her rosy lips turned white, and her lowered pale gold eyes revealed deep and sincere emotions.

"I can't bear to part with you either, Xu Dou..."

During her time living here, even though it wasn't like her previous life at the Toyokawa family manor, where she had dedicated maids and butlers to take care of everything and didn't have to worry about anything, Toyokawa Shoko still felt that life at Xu Dou's house was much more fulfilling and happier than life at the Toyokawa family's house. Not only did she have to take care of all her daily needs, but she also had to do hard jobs that she had never done before...

That feeling had absolutely nothing to do with "being able to take responsibility for one's own life" or "feeling like one has become independent." Working was tiring, life was complicated, and the meager wages one received didn't amount to any sense of accomplishment at all.

...She just really enjoyed living with Xu Dou and the people she liked.

They wake up one after the other each morning and greet each other good morning; they take the same tram to school and feel warmth just by sitting together; after returning home, they can share their day's experiences and even play the electronic keyboard they brought from home, and Xu Dou will accompany her on these occasions...

Even if she has to give Nagasaki Motoyo the cold shoulder, whom she doesn't like, she still feels that this kind of life is pleasant.

Toyokawa Shoko could continue living like this. In that case, she would have almost no expenses, and her daily needs could be met with the school scholarships, so she wouldn't have to work so hard to save money.

Ideal, comfortable, with no worries, so wonderful that it's captivating.

"but……"

Her sky-blue hair cascaded down like a waterfall, its inner sides draped with dark blue shadows.

With a somber look in her eyes, Toyokawa Shoko murmured softly, hesitant to speak.

Her pride whispered softly, yet stubbornly.

—I don't want to be someone who is useless to you.

I don't want...you to love me because you loved me in the past...

Therefore, I must... become myself again.

To become again that proud, elegant, radiant woman who attracted him and could stand shoulder to shoulder with him... "Toyokawa Shoko".

"...Xiangzi, I know what you're thinking."

The girl's trembling words, like cool water droplets, dripped into my heart, stirring up indescribable ripples of turmoil.

Yuan Xudou closed his eyes, his undulating lips seeming to sigh, yet also like a smile.

"I'll support you."

"……I promise."

Chapter Thirty-Three: Entanglement and Restraint

When she arrived, Toyokawa Shoko only brought two suitcases and her beloved Roland VR730 electronic keyboard—even when leaving the Toyokawa family home, she didn't forget to bring her instrument with her.

Of course, if she were to do it again, the girl would probably bring more clothes. Her everyday clothes were already worn out from washing, but her habit of trying to save money made her hesitate to buy new ones since she could still wear them.

They didn't bring much when they arrived, and naturally they didn't take much with them when they left.

Apart from some daily necessities that she bought herself, she didn't take anything else.

Like a proud bird that refuses any constraints or shackles, she made the decision to stay by his side overnight, and then decided to spread her wings and leave in an instant the next day.

Apart from the ever-deepening trust and reluctance in those bright, vibrant golden eyes that had regained their brightness, there was no trace left.

While Genji could certainly use Toyokawa Shoko's affection and guilt towards him to force the girl to stay, clipping her wings and confining her—a woman who, even in the abyss where only a glimmer of light remained, still maintained her noble spirit—it would be too easy for him to take her back, as he was the one who provided Toyokawa Shoko with that pillar of hope.

Humans have a destructive urge, wanting to see beautiful things collapse before their eyes and derive pleasure from the cries of despair.

Let tragic heroes perish alone, let faithful lovers suffer the torment of separation, and let pure souls be tormented and suffer.

Even if it only causes a persistent and determined person to lose their way and degenerate into a weak and blindly obedient vassal.

Beautiful things are beautiful even when they break.