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Su Shi quickly said, "Xiao Mu is here with me now, and she wants to talk to you too."
There was a sudden silence on the other side, and Xiao Mu seemed a little tense.
"Mu Zimi, are you alright now?"
Xiao Mu was taken aback, because only... only SAKI would call her that.
She instinctively called out, "SA..."
But before she could utter a sound, Su Shi gently embraced her and inadvertently covered her mouth.
Xiao Mu was just introverted, but she wasn't stupid. In fact, another voice inside her was cursing her: "Are you an idiot, Xiao Mu? Do you want the Toyokawa family to find out about Shoko and Hana?!"
You now have to pretend to be a friend of my defeated opponent.
After all, how could that guy possibly call you "Mu Zimi"?
Xiao Mu then whispered, "Dear Miaomeng, will you come back? When will you come back? I... miss you so much."
"Oh dear, that's so cheesy. I miss Mu Zimi a lot too. I'm just going back to my hometown to rest for a few days..."
Miao Meng paused for a moment after saying this.
"I will come back. After all, home is where you are."
Upon hearing this, Su Shi recalled the words that Banami had said to her before leaving.
"Home is where my mother is."
Su Shi gently covered her mouth, afraid that she would cry.
It was him, only him... who could understand their unspoken message.
Meanwhile, at a hot spring inn in Kurokawa, Kumamoto, Nekomeng, who had just hung up the phone, turned to look at the two people behind her.
Toyokawa Shoko was already sobbing uncontrollably, while Banami gently embraced her, trying to comfort her.
"Xi, I really, really miss everyone."
"Yes, I know. One day, we will go back."
Meanwhile, Wakaho, watching the two of them, became even more curious about the city called Tokyo.
Chapter Fifty-Four: The Dark Side of the Toyokawa Family
On the road to Kumamoto Prefecture, in a Toyota luxury MPV with the license plate ending in "001", sat Toyokawa Sadaharu's agent, the elderly butler Fujita, dressed in a tuxedo.
Opposite him was a middle-aged man dressed in a police uniform.
"Lord Toyoshima, I don't know what the master has asked you to do..."
Upon hearing Fujita's polite words, Masato Toyoshima, the Superintendent of the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Department, quickly said, "Butler Fujita, you're too kind. Don't call me 'sir,' just call me by my name."
Although he was somewhat a member of a branch of the Toyokawa family, he was able to reach the position of Superintendent of Police entirely thanks to the old man's patronage. Therefore, even though he was a figure of importance in Kumamoto, he dared not act disrespectfully in front of Butler Fujita.
Masato Toyoshima took out the issued arrest warrant and handed it to Butler Fujita, saying softly, "This is an arrest warrant for the boy named 'Hana Miyu,' ordered by Lord Toyokawa. The charges are theft and human trafficking. This arrest warrant has been entered into the national system."
Fujita, the butler, glanced at the boy on the wanted poster, one of the photos showing him playing the guitar at the fireworks festival.
Even Toyokawa Shoko herself couldn't properly assess the Toyokawa family's power, and she was somewhat lucky that Banami's actions at the fireworks festival wouldn't be discovered by the Toyokawa family.
But Fujita's butler had already rushed to Kumamoto.
Butler Fujita thought to himself, since the master has decided to involve the police, it means that the old man has now seriously begun to mobilize the Toyokawa family's resources.
Unlike their previous childish games, Fujita the butler now knew just how terrifying the Toyokawa family's power was.
Will the boy and the young lady be able to escape as they always have...?
"Butler Fujita, forgive my bluntness, but who exactly is this young man that requires your personal involvement in his capture?" Toyoshima Masato asked cautiously.
Butler Fujita glanced at the other man. The Toyokawa family had many branches, including many "young talents" like Masato Toyoshima. More importantly, Masato Toyoshima was promoted by the master and was considered a confidant. Therefore, there were some things that could be told to him.
"It's related to... Miss Xiangzi."
Upon hearing the butler's words, Masato Toyoshima felt a chill run down his spine.
The Toyokawa family is a large and prosperous clan, and as with any such family, there will be struggles for power and profit. However, the main branch is ultimately the Toyokawa Mizuho branch.
Why is it Toyokawa Mizuho instead of the current head of the family, Sadaharu? Because the old man was a son-in-law who married into the family. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, the position of head of the family should be inherited by the late Mizuho or her husband, Toyokawa Kiyoshi.
Unfortunately, Kiyotaka Toyokawa made a huge mistake at work "accidentally," and Toyokawa Sadaharu had no choice but to personally expel Kiyotaka Toyokawa from the family in order to give an explanation to the group and the family.
Masato Toyoshima had met Miss Mizuho's husband several times. He seemed to be a gentle man with little guile, so when he heard about this, Masato Toyoshima probably guessed what was going on.
He was probably outmaneuvered by other "minor branches" of the Toyokawa family.
Therefore, the only options for the next head of the Toyokawa family are either Mizuho's daughter, Shoko, or her husband.
Previously, with the old man Toyokawa Sadaharu around, they could barely keep things under control internally, but recently things seem to have changed.
According to recent rumors, some of the people in "Xiao Zong" are now getting restless.
So he changed the subject: "How is Master Dingzhi's health?"
After a moment of silence, Butler Fujita said, "Master is in good health, there is no need to worry."
Masato Toyoshima felt a chill run down his spine, as if he could foresee the brutality of this internal struggle.
Toyokawa Sadaharu was getting old, and his health deteriorated after hearing about his wife's death. At this time, Toyokawa Kiyotaka, the designated heir, was expelled from the family due to a work mistake.
If something were to happen to Miss Xiangzi, the legitimate daughter of the main branch, or if she were forced to marry into a branch of the family, then the Toyokawa family would effectively lose power.
After the old man passed away, it's not hard to imagine what would happen to Miss Xiangzi, who was left all alone.
Therefore, any news concerning Miss Xiangzi is now highly sensitive.
At that moment, both Fujita the butler and Toyoshima Masato had their own thoughts, until the Toyota MPV pulled up in front of the Kumamoto City Agricultural Cooperative.
After the two got out of the car, a thin man in a suit wearing gold glasses approached them respectfully.
"Inspector Toyoshima, thank you for coming over."
Then, the thin man looked at the elderly man in the tuxedo beside him and asked, "And who is this?"
“This is Mr. Fujita, the butler of the Toyokawa family. He’s come from Tokyo to follow up on the matter I asked you to handle,” said Masato Toyoshima.
Upon hearing the name Toyokawa, the thin man's eyes lit up, and his fawning expression deepened. He quickly handed his business card to the Fujita butler and said, "My name is Endo Katsumi. Mr. Fujita, please take care of me."
Butler Fujita wasn't surprised by the other party's attitude. Or rather, aside from that young man who was fearless and naive, the higher one's position of power, the more obsequious one would be towards those associated with the Toyokawa family.
He glanced at the words "Katsutoshi Endo, Vice Chairman of the Kumamoto Agricultural Cooperatives JA Central Association" written on the business card.
Then he said, "Mr. Endo, I need someone who is very familiar with Kumamoto. I wonder if you..."
Endo Masaru quickly replied, "I am a native of Kumamoto."
Butler Fujita nodded slightly, then Masato Toyoshima instructed, "Endo, this is an arrest warrant. You can issue it to all the cities in Kumamoto. If there is any news about the boy in the photo..."
Not only through police resources, but also through Masato Toyoshima's connections, the butler Fujita contacted local organizations like the agricultural cooperative to search for Hanami's whereabouts.
Just then, Endo Katsu interrupted, saying, "Butler Fujita, Inspector Toyoshima, I've seen the video you sent me. Although I don't know where that teenage fugitive is now, it's not like we're without any clues."
Fujita's brow furrowed; he saw in this thin man a desire called ambition.
According to his memory, most of the people who were born under the Kuma clan were rough and bold, similar to the people of Kyoto. However, the man in front of him, Endo Katsu, was quite different, and this difference did not make him feel comfortable.
Endo Masaru's eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he pointed at the middle-aged man next to Banami in the phone video and said, "I think we should start with this man. I know him. His name is Yutenji Kumamoto."
Then, as if to make his point more convincing, Endo Katsu paused for a moment and said, "I broke his leg."
Chapter 55 Open-air Hot Springs and Communal Bathing
Inside the steaming open-air hot spring pool, the surroundings are all blocked by a fence made of withered yellow bamboo, but even so, you can still see maple trees hanging down from the outside "spying".
Red-tinged, withered leaves occasionally drifted down onto the warm surface of the pond, creating ripples. Seeing this, Toyokawa Shoko smiled slightly.
Even the sadness of missing my friends in Tokyo has lessened considerably.
"The hot springs here are really nice," she murmured.
“If you come in winter, soaking in the hot springs with the snowy scenery will be a completely different experience,” Yutenji Wakaho said, seemingly with a touch of pride.
After all, all Kumamoto can offer to the two from Tokyo is its local scenery.
"Ruo Sui, you have no idea who you're soaking in the same pool with right now. That's the heiress of the Toyokawa Group, the TGW of the TGW Group, the one you only see on TV. So this kind of run-down hot spring is nothing to brag about. She'll probably just secretly laugh at you for being a country bumpkin." Miao Mengqin, who was lying next to her, said sarcastically.
Xiangzi couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly, and asked Ruosui, "Ruosui, was your sister always like this, unapproachable?"
"Hahaha..." Ruo Sui could only laugh awkwardly, not knowing how to answer.
"Ahhh, you three are so sneaky, whispering next door! I want to go over too!" Suddenly, a boy's voice came from the bamboo-enclosed next door.
"Huh?!" Ruo Sui exclaimed softly.
"You stay right there next door! This place is full of girls. What are you thinking?!" Xiangzi shouted in frustration.
"But isn't Japanese culture supposed to promote mixed bathing? Isn't this common knowledge that you export? Why isn't the reality like this? I also want to take a bath with Xiangzi!" Banami exclaimed.
Suddenly, Ruomai chuckled and said, "Hanami, just come over here. I agree."
"Sister?!" Ruo Sui's eyes widened in surprise, but the three of them only had a thin bath towel on them.
"Huh?! My buddy?" Banami seemed startled.
“Come on, I’m waiting,” Ruomai continued.
After a moment of silence, Banami said, "Uh, I think the water quality here is better, let's soak it more."
Now it was Meow Dream's turn to roll her eyes. This guy, whoever might have the desire, definitely didn't have the guts.
Then she saw Xiangzi next to her wearing a smug smile, which made Miaomeng even more unhappy.
Then, Xiangzi, who was the official girlfriend, said, "Xi, if you're free, sing us a song as background music."
“Okay!” Hanami exclaimed.
Then, after a few "thump-thump-thump" sounds, he shouted.
"The galaxy's only secret, the strongest figure in the heavens."
"A righteous friend, loyal in character, and whose bravery has not changed."
"Number one in the world, fight monsters, and severely punish evildoers."
Miao Meng rolled her eyes and said, "What a weird song."
Ruo Sui, however, remarked from the side, "I think it's quite interesting."
It's like a children's song; listening to it makes you feel cheerful.
After looking at Miaomeng for a while, Xiangzi said, "Hey, Yutenji Temple..."
“There are two at Yutenji Temple.” Nyanmu said softly as Yanami sang.
Xiangzi paused for a moment, then calmly said, "Yutenji Wakamai, after attending the wedding tomorrow, we'll leave Kumamoto directly..."
Ruosui's eyes widened slightly, but Miaomengqin seemed to understand something and teased, "Oh, so you're going on another honeymoon trip on the run, aren't you?"
Xiangzi nodded slightly, then said, "So, before we part, I want to ask you one more time, Yutenji Wakana, do you... want to become my teammate?"
Yutenji Wakana said calmly, "Toyokawa Shoko, don't you think it's a cruel thing to invite someone who has lost in love to be your teammate? Can I understand that this is your way of showing off?"
Ruo Sui, standing next to her, widened her eyes slightly, looking quite surprised by her sister's bluntness.
Upon hearing this, Xiangzi shouted towards Banami, "I don't like this song, change it!"
"Okay." Then Banami chimed in a few more times.
"If you've been hurt enough, then use a pair of hands."
"Cut open yesterday's curse with a clean break."
Hearing Banami continue singing, Xiangzi looked at Miaomeng seriously and said, "I know, but even so, I still want you, Yutenji Wakume."
After learning about what happened to you in the past, I finally confirmed it, Yutenji Wakame.
Your drum set... it's an indispensable part of the dark gothic fairytale world I've created!
Miao Meng paused for a moment, then said with a hint of self-deprecation, "I never thought that one day a girl would say 'I still want you.' I wish those words would come from your boyfriend's mouth."
Ruo Sui looked at the two women, who seemed completely unconcerned about being rivals.
Xiangzi pursed his lips slightly and said, "I'm sorry, but even so, I... still want you."
Miao Meng looked at the other person coldly, and finally sighed slightly, saying, "I'll go back to Tokyo after the wedding tomorrow. I have to go to school, and there are still a lot of cosmetics I haven't reviewed. I gave my mom some money when I came back. If I don't go back to earn money, I'll die."
So, I don't have time to play any more band games or pretend with you.
svetikya