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"After tomorrow... let's go our separate ways."
Although not directly saying no was one of Miaomeng's few acts of kindness, she did clearly reject the other party.
Having already been defeated, she could no longer smile and pretend to accept the fact that the two were dating, becoming a supporting character in Toyokawa Shoko's band.
That's not Yutenji Wakana's personality.
"As night falls and day breaks, the remaining wounds begin to scab over on that chest."
"The city is about to turn into a caged beast fight, everyone seeking revenge, walking barefoot!"
The cheerful singing from the other side made the silence between the two seem even more pronounced after their conversation.
***
The night was somewhat hazy, and Banami, who hadn't slept alone for a long time, found herself having trouble sleeping.
After all, Teacher Da Xiang's body smells sweet and is soft. Even if we don't do *that* kind of thing, just being able to hold her while sleeping is a very comfortable feeling.
It even made him want to show off.
But the thought that it wouldn't be appropriate to show it off to Miaomengqin, Ruosui, or even to Sushi's mother and the golden retriever in Tokyo made him feel a little melancholy.
Why don't we brag about it to Xiaodeng and Mutouren? They're quiet anyway, and even if they're upset, they'll just keep it to themselves.
"What kind of bad idea are you thinking of?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him.
He couldn't help but turn his head and found Xiangzi standing in front of him, wearing a gray yukata. Her original twin ponytails had come loose, and her scattered blue hair gave her a more mature look.
Oh, young woman.
"I'm thinking of sneaking into your room while you're asleep."
"You...you...you're a pervert! Ruo Sui and Yutenji were sleeping right next to me!" Xiangzi blushed.
Banai blinked and said, "What are you thinking, Xiaoxiang? I mean, I'll sneak into your room, steal your sweaty socks that you've been wearing all day, wash them clean, and give them a good smear before I do."
His face showed a dreamy, skating-like expression.
Xiangzi paused for a moment, then walked over and kicked him hard in the shin.
Immediately, Banai let out a wail: "Xiao Xiang, do you really not know how strong you are? You've got bruises all over!"
Xiangzi was almost immune to his exaggerated behavior and said, "I didn't use any force at all, what are you pretending for... I have something to tell you."
Seeing that she was no longer pretending, Ba Nai rolled her eyes and said, "I'm a little sleepy now and want to go to sleep, unless... unless Xiao Xiang comes with me to a hot spring to refresh myself."
"Huh?!" Before Xiangzi could even agree, he was pulled away by Banami.
Soon after, whether it was from shyness or from the hot spring water, Xiangzi's cheeks flushed.
Unlike before when it was all girls, now only Banami and she are in the bath.
Although the two had been a couple for some time and had done "that" many times, the feeling of soaking in the open-air hot spring still made her feel like she had a fever, her face flushed and her heart pounding.
"What if...what if Kosui or Yutenji finds out?!"
Ba Nai felt a bit dizzy. He had just been talking nonsense, but he didn't expect Xiao Xiang to not refuse and had come in without thinking. But now that he was already in, could he let Xiao Xiang run away?
As he inhaled the scent of Xiangzi's neck, he said, "It's alright, they must be asleep."
"What if she's not asleep!" Xiangzi shouted anxiously, she couldn't bear the embarrassment.
"That's fine, they're used to it anyway," said Banami, sounding a little dazed.
Chapter Fifty-Six: My Love Diary with Toyokawa Shoko
Seeing the boy's handsy manner, Xiangzi's heart trembled slightly. It wasn't that she was unwilling, but the environment felt a little unfamiliar, and besides, she really had something important to say to him.
“Xi, I heard from Ruosui that you can find the video of you singing ‘Diamond Crack’ that night on YouTube. It seems that someone did indeed film your performance.”
Banami stopped what she was doing and then gave a soft "hmm," which was expected.
Forgetting to put on the masquerade mask because of his anxiety for Xiangzi's safety was indeed a mistake.
If it weren't for this unexpected turn of events, in Japan where surveillance is lacking, even with the Toyokawa family's extensive resources, it would have been very difficult to find their whereabouts in a short period of time.
Therefore, the two of them had to leave Kumamoto, which was something they had agreed on last night.
"Xi, I miss Xiaodeng and... Xiaomu."
"Mmm," Banami replied softly.
“Miao Mengqin doesn’t want to be the drummer for Ave Mujica, and I want to spend more time persuading her.”
However, since Miaomengqin is unwilling to go with them, the two of them will have to say goodbye tomorrow.
Hearing what Xiangzi said, Banami slowly stopped moving. He seemed to understand what Xiangzi wanted to express.
"Xi, where are we going next... How long will this escape continue?" Xiangzi couldn't help but ask.
Banami gently embraced the girl in the warm water, then leaned against the edge of the pool, under the clear moonlight.
"About one more stop," he said softly.
This answer surprised Xiangzi a little. She knew that contacting an old friend after a long time had made her feel a bit down, which was why she had such a question.
"Why is it just one stop?"
If we flee to the next stop, will Grandpa accept us?
Countless questions arose in Xiangzi's mind.
"Right now, I'm still a little short of Cat Coins in my account. It will probably take about one more stop to accumulate a million Cat Coins."
"Huh?!" Xiangzi exclaimed in confusion.
Now that things had come to this, Banai no longer hid anything from Xiangzi and said, "Do you still remember why we fled in the first place?"
Xiangzi paused for a moment, then said, "If I don't escape, I'll be forced into a political marriage during my grandfather's coming-of-age ceremony. Therefore, we must escape first, and then find a way to gain my grandfather's approval before we can go back."
Banami nodded slightly and said, "Now, we have escaped the pursuit of the Toyokawa family twice. Even if your grandfather is stupid, he should have noticed something unusual by now."
Xiangzi thought for a moment. The two times that Banami mentioned, the first time was when he escaped from the Toyokawa family, and the second time was when he was besieged in Kobe.
From a normal person's perspective, neither of them could have escaped on those two occasions, but the fact is that they have now arrived in Kumamoto.
Xiangzi suddenly realized something, looked at Banami, and said, "Could it be that our escape itself..."
Banami nodded slightly: "Our escape itself is a bargaining chip with your grandfather. The more times we successfully escape, the less your grandfather will be able to underestimate me."
Now, your grandfather couldn't possibly just see me as a poor country boy; otherwise, he wouldn't have been the head of the family all this time.
Conversely, the more resources Toyokawa Sadaharu uses to capture them, the more resources he will have to do so.
Xiangzi seemed to have thought of something, and a joyful expression appeared on his face. He said, "If that's the case, then now..."
Now, you can try to negotiate with your grandfather and get him to accept Banami.
But Banai simply shook her head slightly and said, "That was my original plan too, but Xiangzi, even if your grandfather can accept me now, is our ending, your ending, really what I want?"
Their fate, her fate? Xiangzi was slightly taken aback.
If they go back now, the best outcome would be that Banai gets his grandfather's approval, he becomes the son-in-law of the Toyokawa family, and Shoko becomes the head of the Toyokawa family.
"At that time, you will entrust your musical dreams to me, and entrust 'AVE MUJICA' to me."
Then, dealing with those cunning old men every day—is that the life you want, Xiao Xiang?
The duties of the head of the Toyokawa family are not easy, as you can tell from her grandfather. At that time, she could not concentrate on playing music, nor could she keep up with everyone else.
Xiangzi pursed his lips slightly and said, "But someone has to bear this responsibility. As someone who inherited this bloodline, I can't escape it. Between the family and you, I have already chosen you. I can't be greedy and choose music again."
Xi, don't be sad for me. Actually, I already have a lot. I'm... very content.
"And if I inherit the Toyokawa family name, I'll be able to protect you and everyone else."
Xiangzi clenched her fist slightly. Even though she could no longer go on stage with everyone, she could watch over everyone from below the stage and watch over Banami to realize her dream in her place.
But Banami gently shook her head and said, "But this is not the ending I want, Xiaoxiang. Unlike you, I... am very greedy. When I write stories, I only write GOOD END. I don't want to leave any regrets, and I will never let you leave any regrets either."
Xiao Xiang, I want to help you realize your dream.
Xiangzi sniffed slightly and hugged the other person tightly. She was very moved, even though she didn't know how to achieve the ending that Banami had mentioned, a ending without regrets, between the responsibility of family blood and the dream of music.
Banami took a deep breath and said, "So, I've been stalling... As long as we can escape for one more day, the cat coins in my account will accumulate for one more day."
I need to buy one item; it's essential for achieving that happy ending.
"Is this the item you mentioned that requires one million cat coins?"
Banami nodded slightly, then said with a smile, "However, I need to keep that item a secret for now."
"Hey, Banami, didn't you say that the worst thing a novelist can do is be a riddle?" Xiangzi suddenly felt a little annoyed.
"Haha, it's not that I'm being mysterious, there really is a reason I can't tell you for now. Just believe me for now," Banami said in a lighthearted voice.
"Hey, now that you mention it, I'm even more curious. Is it an identity card? But I remember identity cards are very expensive. To get Grandpa to recognize an identity card, it would cost at least ten million cat coins. One million cat coins isn't enough for me, is it?"
Banami gave a mysterious smile and said, "Hmm, it's somewhat close, but not entirely correct."
After that, no matter how much Xiangzi tried to provoke Banami, he refused to reveal what the item that cost one million cat coins was.
Helpless, Xiangzi had no choice but to put it aside for the time being. Suddenly, a question came to her mind.
"By the way, we haven't had any secondary creation recently, so why are there new sources of income?" Xiangzi asked.
"Yes, I'm serializing it every day now." Banami's answer surprised Shoko once again.
"Huh?" Xiangzi asked, puzzled.
Then, Banami gently hugged the other person and said, "I wrote my love life with Xiangzi into a novel and fed my silly readers dog food every day. Now they wish they could cut me into mincemeat."
Upon hearing Banami's words, Shoko's head buzzed, and then she shouted, "Ahhh, you idiot, how could you say such sweet nothings to me..."
I'm so shy, but also a little happy.
“And then, this chapter will be called ‘My Love Diary with Toyokawa Shoko’,” Banami said softly.
The readers' subscriptions have now become his bargaining chip for a happy ending.
This is the moment when Yana Miyu is most grateful for her identity as a creator.
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Xiong's Morality
Kumamoto Yutenji originally planned to work at Kumamon Plaza.
Although it's just a part-time job, he really enjoys it. Even though he's quite old and still wearing a thick Kumamon mascot costume, he feels very satisfied when he sees the children's heartfelt smiles.
But before he could leave, he was summoned to a meeting at the agricultural office.
This is where the agricultural cooperative purchases agricultural products from farmers near Kumamoto and where they hold meetings.
The moment Uncle Kumamoto stepped into the agricultural service station, countless familiar faces, faces he had seen for decades, turned toward him.
"Kumamoto has arrived."
"They've finally arrived, Kumamoto. Things have gone wrong."
Many voices called his name, voices that, as always, expressed their trust in him.
Uncle Kumamoto calmly pulled up a chair and sat down, asking, "What happened?"
Ikeda, who was standing next to him, said, "I heard that people from the Central Agricultural Cooperative Association came down and said they wanted to discuss the buyback price of Ikeda rice for the next five years."
Uncle Kumamoto paused for a moment, then said, "Isn't this great? I've seen it; Ikeda rice sells quite well in Tokyo, and the buyback price is..."
But Ikeda's serious expression made Kumamoto realize something. He frowned slightly and subconsciously moved his right foot. The excruciating pain from that night still lingered in his heart.
Just then, someone shouted excitedly, "Endo, Tetsuya, how dare you show your face here again?"
"Endo?!"
"Watch your step, you country bumpkin. My suit is expensive. If you get it dirty, you couldn't afford to pay for it no matter how many rice you plant. Besides, I'm a bear myself, so why can't I come here?"
Uncle Kumamoto and Ikeda turned their heads and looked at the thin man who came in. His face, which looked as sinister as a venomous snake, had not changed over the years.
Upon seeing Kumamoto, he even walked over and said, "Hey, Yutenji, you don't need a cane to walk anymore?"
"Endo Masaru, you bastard!" Ikeda instinctively wanted to throw a punch, but was stopped by the broad shoulders of Uncle Kumamoto.
"Looks like you've been doing quite well these past few years?" Uncle Kumamoto said in a deep voice.
"It's alright. I'm the vice chairman of the Agricultural Cooperative Association (JA) now. I'm probably doing better than you, who runs a shabby pub and has to do part-time jobs to support your family." Endo Masaru adjusted the collar of his suit jacket.
Ikeda, standing nearby, gritted his teeth. Everyone had suspected that this bastard had sabotaged Kumamoto, but unfortunately, no one could find any evidence.
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