Tokyo Psychic

Page 140

Only when I occasionally hear the song "To the Moon" do I recall that "star of yesterday" who is no longer around, and then I sigh a few times.

An and Subaru followed Akira Kurusu to the parking spot. "The agency's name is... Atlus?"

"Yes."

“I remember that a very famous comedian also works under it, I think his name is ‘Wakaba Takafumi’,” Anwa Subaru said with some surprise. “I used to watch his variety shows on TV a lot, it seems that Ren’s future career path will be very smooth.”

“I’ve met Mr. Wakaba…and I have no interest in being an idol.”

Lai Qixiao got on the motorcycle, inserted the key and turned it. "It's good enough to write a few songs to make money occasionally. There's no need to exhaust yourself like this."

An and Subaru threw the empty cardboard box into the trash can, sat on the back seat, and hugged his waist tightly. "Ren is really talented... Would you be willing to write a song for my band?"

"Your band still doesn't have a single original song that's decent?"

Akira asked, her voice filled with surprise and uncertainty.

In his memory, An and Subaru had been in a band for about a month.

An and Subaru looked away somewhat awkwardly. "That's right... Because Zhi has always been dissatisfied with the songs she wrote, especially after watching your street performances. She started to get annoyed by the lack of chemistry the band showed during each rehearsal, and even lost her temper several times, lecturing Pochi and almost scaring Pochi to tears."

"Pochi?"

"It's a nickname... It's the name of the girl you often see wearing sportswear and playing guitar. Her real name is Goto Doku."

“Oh, I remember her.” Akira Kurusu suddenly realized, “She was a very introverted girl.”

“Yeah, yeah, so Rupa and I have to take turns comforting her to get her back to band practice.”

"Didn't you recently find a lead singer? Didn't she help with the song production?"

"Hmm...you mean Kita, right? She's only good at singing, and all of her experience comes from karaoke. So she knows nothing about music theory, let alone composing or writing lyrics."

Akira Kurusu thought of the "band mercenary project" that Kazuhiko Yoshizawa had proposed at the agency that day. He slowly drove his motorcycle onto the highway and then answered Subaru An's request, "You can talk to my manager about this later."

He casually described the concept of "band mercenaries," which surprised An and Subaru by patting him on the shoulder.

"I know that!"

She said, "There's a perfect success story right here online!"

The sound of wind rushing past her ears was particularly loud, so Akira Kurusu had no choice but to say loudly, "I know, you mean Ms. Hachiman Kairin from Hanasaki River, right?"

“That’s right!” An and Subaru also raised their voices.

"It is said that his bass playing is outstanding, and he has served as a support musician in 30 bands."

"Is Lian planning to develop in this direction in the future?!"

“Following Mr. Yoshizawa’s suggestion, I also need to become the ‘center’! The supporting band also needs to be as popular as possible…” Akira Kurusu looked at the hazy night and sunset intertwined above the crowded traffic, “Where can I find a band that lacks a center to ‘save’?”

An and Subaru excitedly patted his shoulder, "Yeah, yeah! It's my band!"

Lai Xixiao stepped on the gas, drove the car onto the street, and then slammed on the brakes. "What did you say?"

"My current band is generating a lot of buzz!"

An and Subaru's eyes sparkled as they spoke.

"How much buzz do you generate? Isn't it just because you're 'Anhe Tiantong's granddaughter'?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"It's too much like trying to ride the wave of popularity, and it will get attacked by netizens."

An and Subaru put their arms around Akira's shoulders and sat up slightly, leaning close to his ear and whispering, "Then I have another secret to tell you."

"She's Goto Doku from the band; she's actually a very famous guitarist on YouTube."

"Really?"

"Each of these videos gets hundreds of times more views than the 'Meow Dream' beauty video you watched the other day!"

"Is there... anything else?"

"Putting aside Rupa and Zhi's sympathetic past experiences, all the members of the band are top-notch beauties online."

"It sounds like a pimp trying to sell his services." Akira Kurusu's expression grew increasingly strange.

Annoyed, An and Mao reached out and pinched his arm. "Stop talking nonsense! Come and help me right now!"

"Is the pressure in the band that great?" Akira Kurusu was startled by her somewhat impatient appearance.

“It’s huge!” An and Subaru said, holding up a finger. “Although everyone is aiming to become a professional band member, due to the various reasons I just mentioned, the lead singer and the guitarist are on the verge of running away at any moment!”

"I see, so you're all problem children... And what about you?"

"I don't really care, because I'd like to try something outside of acting... After all, I don't really like being an actress. When people see me, they just say things like, 'Oh my god, she looks so much like Anwa Tendo,' or 'Anwa Tendo's granddaughter is so outstanding,' and they never mention my name on their own initiative."

Sitting in the back seat, An and Subaru swung their porcelain-white legs and gently kicked Akira's heel, complaining, "I've always felt like I'm living in Grandma's shadow, and I want to do something different. But besides acting, all I know how to do is play the drums..."

"Why not become a gaming blogger? With your looks and gaming skills that are better than most girls, you could definitely make money."

"Hey!" An and Subaru raised their eyebrows angrily, then glared at Akira Kurusu indignantly. "You'll be unhappy when the comments are full of otaku fantasies and filthy language! I'm not doing a live stream!"

She then continued, "Being an idol or forming a band is always more distant than being a 'gaming blogger.' Whether it's discussion posts or live streams, there are always people arranged by the agency or record company, as well as enthusiastic fans, to help clean up those excessive comments."

"Moreover, this sense of distance and management will make them more restrained during discussions... so you shouldn't feel offended when you click on the live stream."

As An and Subaru counted down these tedious tasks on their fingers, their delicate faces were illuminated by the afterglow of the setting sun on one side of the pedestrian overpass. Their eyes, filled with a moist heat, were hard to tell whether it was grievance or shyness, but it was a kind of beauty that made people extremely pitiful.

Akira felt as if her heartbeat had been stolen by her, and it was incredibly fast.

Anwa Subaru noticed Akira Kurusu looking back at him, a shy smile on his face. "Alright, it's time to go to the agency! I'll talk to the manager about the band."

Lai Qixiao's expression turned serious, and then she said earnestly, "I understand, please rest assured, Miss—by deepening the use of daily communication within the band, frequently conducting criticism and self-criticism, and engaging in conversations, making 'blushing and sweating' a regular occurrence, and promptly criticizing, educating, and helping band members about their problems, we can prevent small problems from becoming big problems, or even ultimately leading to the disbandment of the band. This is our Psychological Health Education Department's consistent policy of 'learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the disease to save the patient.'"

Hearing this reply, she hugged Lai Qixiao again, resting her face against his back, "I've thought of everything for you... so you have to be even nicer to me."

Akira Kurusu's breathing rhythm changed.

He stroked An and Subaru's hand resting on his chest. "Where did you come from, you humanoid fairy-type Pokémon?"

"Hehe, I'm so smitten~" An and Subaru mimicked the sweet idols on TV shows, making hand gestures.

Her overly adorable appearance makes you want to hug her tightly and kiss her a couple of times. But that's not enough; it's like some emotion is blocked inside you, making you want to do all sorts of naughty things to her...

However, Akira Kurusu's willpower was as strong as steel. He managed to suppress the countless palpitations in his heart, twisted the throttle again, and drove the motorcycle to the office.

An and Subaru gave a sly smile, as if their scheme had succeeded, then took their phones, which had been showing "busy," out of their pockets and hung up.

The contact name on the phone is "Toyokawa Shoko".

......

at this time.

On the balcony of the Wakaba family's house, Toyokawa Shoko looked at the phone that had been hung up on, not feeling angry, but just sullenly brushing the strands of hair that were being blown around her ear by the evening breeze.

How awful An and Subaru are!

She thought to herself, "They're just robbing me outright."

If it were the old Toyokawa Shoko, she might have immediately and angrily called Kurusu Akira or Anwa Subaru himself, and then investigated the matter thoroughly.

She was so heartbroken that she kept crying, feeling that she had been betrayed or insulted like never before.

But now, Toyokawa Shoko simply accepts the fact that she now has a rival in love.

They wouldn't even feel "betrayed" because of it.

Shoko Toyokawa knew about Anwa Subaru's "death rewind" and admired and respected this incredibly outstanding girl who was a year older than her.

Therefore, she could calmly accept An and Subaru's sudden rise to prominence.

She hadn't forgotten what her grandfather had said when he took her to the restaurant that day:

No matter what kind of person you want to become, never forget that your surname is Toyokawa.

Pat, pat... The sound of heavy footsteps came from behind her.

Toyokawa Shoko turned around and, sure enough, saw Wakaba Mutsu in her pajamas.

"Xiao Mu, is something the matter?"

Wakaba Mutsu carefully took Toyokawa Shoko's right hand, then covered it with her own hands. "Shoko, are you on the phone with your boyfriend?"

"Ah."

"I hate him." Wakaba Mutsu seemed startled and nervously shut her mouth.

Toyokawa Shoko clearly understood the true meaning behind her childhood friend's words, so she corrected her earlier statement, "Xiao Mu probably dislikes contact with him because it might make me unhappy if I find out."

Wakaba Mutsu nodded, "I'm sorry."

"I won't be angry with Mutsu," Toyokawa Shoko gently stroked Wakaba Mutsu's soft, long hair.

Ruoye Mu immediately looked up at her, somewhat shocked, her eyes sparkling with envy and emotion. "Xiangzi has grown up; he's practically a different person."

She was genuinely happy for her friend, and then moved closer to Toyokawa Shoko with even more envy, "Is it because of love?"

Shoko Toyokawa sensed the deep, aching wound in Mutsuki Wakaba's heart. She hesitated for a moment, then hugged her friend tightly. "I guess that's how it is..."

Wakaba Mutsu's gaze darted around for a moment, then he said, "That's great."

"Does Mutsuya also want to be in a relationship?"

Upon hearing this, Ruoye Mu's eyes quickly dimmed, and she shook her head without saying a word.

Toyokawa Shoko looked at the Wakaba couple, who were slowly cutting steaks at the dining table and sitting far apart from each other, and said, "If you really have a chance to fall in love, Mutsu should do everything in your power to seize it."

"But......"

“The guy that Mutsu likes must be able to accurately read all your true thoughts, right?” Toyokawa Shoko said. “If you meet someone that outstanding, you would probably be accepted by Mr. Wakaba and Ms. Mori.”

She stroked Wakaba Mutsu's slightly trembling back, "Remember, after you start dating, you must bring your boyfriend to see me... I'll personally vet him for you."

"I...can I really do it?" Wakaba Mutsumi felt an indescribable awkwardness and fear regarding the completely unfamiliar topic of love. "I always make mistakes whenever I speak..."

Toyokawa Shoko's expression changed noticeably. "CRYCHIC's disbandment was my fault."

She corrected Wakaba Mutsu once again, "I should have stated this many times already. If I had stayed in the recording studio that day, if I hadn't left without saying goodbye, none of what happened afterward would have occurred."

“Every band will experience failure in the process of choosing between the market and ideals. The setback that happened after the first performance is an inevitable setback that CRYCHIC will experience when it is just starting out…” Toyokawa Shoko gently patted Wakaba Mutsu’s back. “A few days ago, I went back to the original recording studio with everyone from CRYCHIC and apologized to them.”

"They have already forgiven you."

"But...Xiangzi and Su Shi just had a fight recently..."

"That's another matter, it has nothing to do with the band."

Ruo Yemu remained silent for a long time before tentatively asking her, "Xiangzi, do you enjoy playing in a band?"

Shoko Toyokawa said something that shocked Mutsuka Wakaba: "Playing in a band is not fun at all."

"Why!" The girl, as delicate as a doll, showed a very obvious emotional fluctuation for the first time. "Shoko clearly feels happy!"

"It's simply because there are people in the band who make me happy, that's all."

Ruoye Mu was stunned for a moment, then hugged her childhood friend even tighter. There was another long silence. Perhaps she sensed a certain will from Toyokawa Shoko's unquestionable awareness and determination, and then for the first time began to calmly reflect on that failed band experience.

The sky was completely dark, and the distant city looked like a giant crystal monument, reflecting neon lights and the prosperity of the entire world, making it mesmerizing to behold.

......

Ruo Ye Mu lowered her head, her tone tinged with admiration and a hint of anxiety, "Xiangzi, you've really become amazing all of a sudden."

"That's why I encouraged Xiaomu to try dating."

If Ye Mu hugged her tightly, the feeling of gain and loss would become even stronger. "Xiangzi once said, 'We are the other half of the same body, bound by fate.'"

Toyokawa Shoko patted her head helplessly. "It was true before, it is true now, and it will be true in the future... I will never leave Mutsu."

"But Xiangzi will get married and have his own family in the future..."

"That doesn't stop us from still being best friends."

“...Hmm.” Wakaba Mutsu replied with a short, abrupt interjection.

At this moment, even Toyokawa Shoko couldn't guess her emotions.

Ruo Yemu broke free from the embrace of her only friend who understood her, and asked, "Has anything improved about Xiangzi's family situation?"

"It has been perfectly resolved with my boyfriend's help."

"Wow...that's amazing." Wakaba Mutsu was so shocked that she stammered.

Toyokawa Shoko said, almost as if showing off, "Yes, he is such a very capable and outstanding person."