Sakiko Togawa left the music classroom; she was going to look for Nagasaki Soyo.
According to the information she had inquired about and observed previously, at this time, Nagasaki Soyo was likely in the small garden near the atrium, chatting with a few girls she was familiar with.
That was a good place—relatively open, yet not too noisy, making it very suitable for a 'chance encounter'.
Sure enough, as she approached the rest area semi-surrounded by greenery, she saw Nagasaki Soyo's figure from a distance.
She was sitting at a white round table, surrounded by three or four girls who were dressed fashionably and carried themselves with the affectations of rich young ladies.
They seemed to be discussing something heatedly, letting out suppressed laughter from time to time; the atmosphere looked relaxed and happy.
Sakiko stopped her steps. She didn't approach immediately but instead used the cover of the plants to turn her ear slightly sideways. She needed a little information, even just a few words, to help her cut into the conversation better.
"...Like I was saying, just looking at them doesn't quench the thirst at all!" one girl said with a grin, her voice carrying excitement.
"No matter how handsome the men in manga are, they are just paper people. You can't touch them or smell them!"
"Exactly, exactly," another girl chimed in, her tone holding a bit of complaint.
"My family is so strict, they don't even let me go to mixers. I'm about to die of suffocation! Last time I met a decent one on the train, but he got off before I could even talk to him. I was so mad!"
"You girls are just too cowardly." A slightly more mature voice rang out, carrying a teasing tone. It was Nagasaki Soyo.
"If you set your eyes on someone, be proactive. Create some accidental contact, like accidentally spilling a drink on him, then apologize sincerely and help him wipe it clean. Wouldn't that give you a chance to strike up a conversation? As for subsequent developments, doesn't that depend on your own skills?"
"Wow! Soyo, you understand so well!"
"As expected of Senior Soyo! Experienced!"
The girls let out small exclamations and ambiguous laughter.
Listening to this, Sakiko's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and disdain rose from the bottom of her heart.
Men? Is it worth discussing them excitedly like this? In her view, these so-called 'rich young ladies,' immersed in superficial desires and boring social games, were simply naive to the point of being laughable, and pathetic.
In the former Togawa family, in that true arena of fame and gain, that zone of darkness—men, women, feelings, and flesh were all nothing more than bargaining chips and tools.
For the sake of benefits, a father could sell himself, a mother could numbly endure, and a grandfather could weigh things with cold eyes. Love? Desire? Those are merely emotional comforts needed by the weak, and methods used by the strong to control the weak.
She, Sakiko Togawa, did not need these things. She only needed power, authority, and money—power sufficient to let her stand up again, power sufficient to let her take revenge on those who betrayed and trampled upon her.
As for things like men, once you have money and power, you don't need to look for them; they will naturally paste themselves onto you on their own initiative.
The things Nagasaki Soyo's group was discussing, in her eyes, were truly boring.
But perhaps they could be utilized.
Sakiko organized her expression, perfectly hiding the disdain in her eyes and replacing it with a polite, faint smile. She walked around the greenery and headed toward that table of people.
Sakiko Togawa's appearance immediately attracted the attention of the few people at the table. Nagasaki Soyo raised her head, and upon seeing it was Sakiko Togawa, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.
The Togawa family was a top-tier financial group after all; news of their upheaval was only known to that top-tier circle. Families of their upper-middle level only knew that she was the eldest young lady of the Togawa family.
Seeing Sakiko approaching on her own initiative at this moment, Soyo and the other girls restrained their laughing expressions slightly, and the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.
"Student Togawa? Is something the matter?" Soyo spoke first.
"Student Nagasaki, sorry to disturb you." Sakiko nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping calmly over the other girls before finally landing on Soyo. "I have something I'd like to talk to you about alone. I wonder if it's convenient?"
Talk alone? The girls exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued, but they were also very tactful.
One of the girls laughed: "Since Student Togawa has business with Soyo, we'll get going first! Soyo, let's chat later!"
"Mm, see you later." Soyo smiled at them, watching them leave, before looking back at Sakiko and pointing to the empty seat opposite. "Please sit. You were looking for me because...?"
Sakiko sat down elegantly, her back straight, her hands naturally folded on her lap.
She didn't answer Soyo's question immediately but first looked around. The sunlight was nice, the greenery was lush, and there were students walking in the distance, but this corner of theirs was considered quite secluded.
"It's a nice place," Sakiko commented with a flat tone, setting the atmosphere within the realm of casual chat.
Soyo smiled and didn't reply, waiting for her to follow up. She was also guessing in her heart: What business could this eldest young lady have with me?
"Is Student Nagasaki interested in music?" Sakiko finally cut to the chase, getting straight to the point.
Soyo paused for a moment, not expecting this question. "Music? I guess I like it well enough. But it's just to pass the time; my skills are average." She answered relatively conservatively, unable to figure out Sakiko's intentions.
"I plan to form a band." Sakiko looked directly into Soyo's eyes. "A top-tier all-girl band, sufficient to ascend to large stages and possibly even debut."
Soyo blinked, even more surprised. A band? Sakiko Togawa? This didn't seem to match the image of the icy, solitary eldest young lady with aristocratic aloofness that she had in her mind.
"A band... sounds very interesting." Soyo maintained a polite smile, but her interest didn't seem high. "However, I might not have much time, and my technique is also..."
"Time can be coordinated. You can listen to the names of your future teammates first." Sakiko interrupted Soyo's words of refusal.
"Wakaba Mutsumi. You should know her; her guitar skills are professional-grade, and she has a background as a child star, bringing her own attention."
Wakaba Mutsumi? Soyo indeed knew her—that very famous child star. She actually isn't continuing to struggle in the entertainment industry but ran over to form a band with the eldest young lady?
"And there is Shiina Taki," Sakiko continued, throwing out a name without her face blushing or her heart skipping a beat.
"She is a very explosive drummer with top-notch rhythm. Furthermore, she has a cheerful personality, is good at socializing, and can bring a lot of vitality to our band. She has also already agreed to join."
Shiina Taki? That Shiina Taki rumored to frequently help other bands put out fires? She joined too? Soyo was somewhat surprised; if these two people had joined, then the starting point of this band was indeed not low.
Sakiko carefully observed Soyo's expression. Seeing the surprise and wavering that flashed past her eyes, her heart settled slightly.
It seemed the strategy of 'two-way deception' was effective. Using high-quality teammates who had 'already joined' as bait to lure the next person onto the hook.
Yes, Sakiko Togawa told Shiina Taki that Nagasaki Soyo had joined. She told Nagasaki Soyo that Shiina Taki had joined.
In reality, it was purely a con game—an empty-handed bluff.
"Our band's current plan is Guitar, Bass, Keyboard, Drums, plus Vocals." Sakiko continued to paint the blueprint. "Mutsumi is responsible for Guitar, and I am responsible for Keyboard and part of the composition. We only lack a reliable Bassist. Student Nagasaki, I heard your bass skills are quite good. Join us, and let's work hard together to debut!"
Sakiko Togawa spoke very directly, even somewhat utilitarianly, but it was precisely this directness that made Soyo feel that the Sakiko Togawa before her was serious and not playing house. She really wanted to form a band.
However, Soyo's interest in playing in a band itself remained limited. She liked music, but more as a pastime, not as a career requiring the investment of a large amount of time and energy to fight for.
Moreover, compared to music, she actually had things she was more interested in—for example, finding a man to fiercely 'strengthen her body' with or something.
"Student Togawa, thank you very much for your invitation." Soyo weighed her words, trying to refuse as tactfully as possible so as not to offend the eldest young lady of the Togawa family.
"Student Wakaba and Student Shiina are indeed both excellent, and your plan sounds like it has a lot of potential. But... I might not have that much passion for band activities, and I also have other things I want to do, so..."
Sakiko's heart sank slightly. Refused? After she threw out the two heavy chips of Wakaba Mutsumi and Shiina Taki, Nagasaki Soyo actually still refused? This guy was harder to deal with than she anticipated.
No, I can't let her leave just like this. Nagasaki Soyo was an important link in her plan. In reality, guitarists (bassists) who had time, energy, and skill were very few; she really couldn't find someone to replace her on short notice.
In a flash of electric light, Sakiko remembered the dialogue she had unintentionally overheard just now while approaching—those topics about men...
A somewhat risky idea, one that might have a miraculous effect, formed in her mind.
"I understand; Student Nagasaki has her own considerations." Sakiko's tone remained calm, as if the person rejected just now wasn't her. "However, perhaps I have a bit of information that can make you reconsider."
"Oh?" Soyo raised her eyebrows, somewhat curious.
Sakiko leaned her body forward a little more, her voice suppressed very low, almost audible only to the two of them. Her gaze looked directly at Soyo, carrying a meaningful implication.
"Although our band is an all-girl band, perhaps we will invite a 'Special Consultant' to participate."
"Special Consultant?" Soyo didn't quite understand.
The arc of Sakiko's mouth deepened a fraction. Hooked. "A male. Very outstanding, whether in appearance or in... other aspects."
She deliberately placed heavy emphasis on "other aspects," her eyes sweeping over Soyo with pointed intent. Soyo froze for a moment, then, as if suddenly understanding something, her eyes slowly widened.
Male? Very outstanding? Appearance and other aspects?
Soyo's hormones secreted frantically, and her heartbeat accelerated a bit. She looked at Sakiko's face, which originally had little expression but was now full of suggestion, and countless thoughts flashed through her brain instantly.
Playing in a band... can also have this kind of 'welfare'? Sakiko Togawa looks serious and proper, but she actually plays this wildly?
No, wait, perhaps precisely because she is Sakiko Togawa, at the apex of that circle, she knows more 'ways to play' that ordinary people can't touch?
If there really is such a 'Special Consultant' in the band, then the dull practice, the arduous rehearsals... seem to become something to look forward to?
"You... you mean..." Soyo's voice lowered involuntarily, carrying a bit of hesitation, but mostly piqued interest.
"I'm just saying, we have such a 'channel'." Sakiko phrased her words ambiguously, giving a hint without leaving any concrete handle.
"After all, to create a top-tier band, one needs all-around 'inspiration' and 'motivation', right? Some special interactions and collisions might spark unexpected flames."
She watched the blush gradually rising on Soyo's face, watched her eyes turn from hesitant to flickering and full of interest, and knew she had gambled correctly.
Nagasaki Soyo, this eldest young lady who was gentle and dignified on the surface, indeed had a strong interest and thirst for "meat" on the inside.
This was the point she could utilize!
"How about it, Student Nagasaki?" Sakiko withdrew her leaning body and sat straight again, as if that conversation full of suggestion just now had never happened.
"Now, do you have a little bit more interest in joining the band?"
Soyo took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her somewhat accelerated heartbeat and the heat on her face.
She looked at Sakiko Togawa, feeling for the first time that this rumored icy eldest young lady might not be as simple as she looked on the surface; she might even be very interesting.
If the band had a technical big shot like Wakaba Mutsumi, a vitality provider like Shiina Taki, a planner like Sakiko Togawa, plus a mysterious "Special Consultant"...
This seemed... to no longer be merely a band, but more like a secret small group full of unknown thrills?
"I need... to consider it." Soyo finally said, but her tone was completely different from the clear refusal just now, carrying obvious wavering and interest.
"But it sounds indeed more interesting than I imagined."
"Of course, you can consider it slowly." Sakiko quit while she was ahead; she knew she had successfully planted the seed in Soyo's heart.
"However, opportunity waits for no one. Our 'Galaxy Battleship' is just missing you as this key puzzle piece."
She stood up and nodded slightly to Soyo. "I look forward to your good news, Student Nagasaki."
Having said that, she stayed no longer. She turned and left, leaving Nagasaki Soyo sitting alone in the original spot, the blush on her face un-faded and her gaze shifting uncertainly, obviously digesting the conversation just now that held a massive amount of information.
Walking out of the rest area and bathing in the sunlight once again, the faint smile on Sakiko Togawa's face vanished instantly, restoring her usual coldness and calm.
Using base desires as bait is indeed effective. To achieve the goal, a little bit of means and compromise is necessary.
Nagasaki Soyo's value was worth her employing this level of rhetoric.
Next, she had to quickly firm up the matter of "Shiina Taki has already agreed."
And that "Special Consultant"—although it was currently just an empty check, she needed to start scouting for a suitable candidate, or at least, weave a lie attractive enough.