Chapter 82

Watanabe Ichiro walked out of the theater with a sullen face, suddenly feeling as if he was being watched. He looked around but found no one particularly strange nearby. "Did I just imagine it?" Watanabe Ichiro muttered to himself, then quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Watching Watanabe Ichiro disappear, Kōkawa Hane's eyes showed a hint of contemplation. This man gave him a very special feeling... It was as if he had seen him before, but he couldn't remember where...

"Uncle, do you think something exciting will happen to them today?" Nishikawa Koyuki, bored, sat in the office, constantly refreshing her Facebook page. Her fans had surged recently, almost reaching one million... But Horikita Makoto was even more terrifying; her fans had already surpassed one million, despite her account being opened much earlier... This made the young girl feel a bit jealous.

"There should be something exciting..." Kōkawa Hane replied absentmindedly.

"We're back!" A clear voice instantly lifted Nishikawa Koyuki's spirits, who had been on the verge of boredom. She was the only one in the office, and facing Kōkawa Hane, the devil, she was about to go moldy...

"Tomochin, Hoshino, Mariko... I'm so touched that you're back..." Nishikawa Koyuki looked at the three people happily.

"What's wrong, Koyuki? Did Uncle bully you?" Banri Tomomi immediately glared at Kōkawa Hane angrily.

Kōkawa Hane ignored them, standing quietly by the window, lost in thought...

"Not at all... Does he have the guts?" Nishikawa Koyuki smiled, showing her white teeth.

"Then why did you say that?" Banri Tomomi looked at Nishikawa Koyuki suspiciously.

"Mainly because you weren't here... I was so bored alone..." Nishikawa Koyuki's face turned slightly red, a bit embarrassed.

"I invited you to our performance today, and you didn't come..." Hoshino Mami smiled.

"Hey, speaking of which... Your performance today must have been very interesting, right?" Nishikawa Koyuki blinked her bright eyes, looking at the three curiously...

Banri Tomomi suddenly became animated upon hearing this.

"Today, I'll tell you..."

"Come, come, sit down and talk..." Nishikawa Koyuki pulled over a chair and sat down with Banri Tomomi.

Hoshino Mami and Shinoda Mariko looked at the two girls and smiled helplessly...

"Hoshino, tell me about today's performance," Kōkawa Hane, who had been standing by the window, suddenly spoke.

"Sure." Hoshino Mami and Shinoda Mariko exchanged glances and decided that Shinoda Mariko would speak.

"Hey, Uncle... What do you mean? I'm talking here, and you're not listening... Don't you trust me?" Banri Tomomi looked at Kōkawa Hane unhappily.

"Congratulations, you're right!"

"You!" Banri Tomomi glared at Kōkawa Hane angrily and then went to chat with Nishikawa Koyuki.

"Go on, Mariko."

Shinoda Mariko recounted the events of the day in the theater in great detail, focusing mainly on the confrontation between Team A and Team K.

Kōkawa Hane listened quietly throughout, without interrupting Shinoda Mariko.

"You mean the entire Team K was completely suppressed by you, including Ohsima Yuko?" Kōkawa Hane tapped the table lightly.

Shinoda Mariko glanced at Hoshino Mami, "Yes... And I felt she wanted to say something but ultimately didn't."

"Oh, why?" Kōkawa Hane became interested.

"Let me explain... Ohsima Yuko was facing Maeda today... Today's Maeda was very intimidating... Ever since Ohsima Yuko took the stage, her gaze never left Ohsima Yuko... This was the first time I saw such a serious expression on her face..." Hoshino Mami took over from Shinoda Mariko, and the two girls, Nishikawa Koyuki and Banri Tomomi, who had been whispering, stopped to listen attentively.

Kōkawa Hane frowned, "Impossible... Although Maeda is now very intimidating, she can't suppress Ohsima Yuko to the point where she can't speak... There must be someone else..."

Hoshino Mami's pupils contracted, "Kōkawa-san, that person must be Maimai..."

Kōkawa Hane nodded lightly, "You're right... That person is indeed Ohsima Maimai. Individually, both of them can suppress Ohsima Yuko, but neither can do it to that extent... Only when they work together can they render Ohsima Yuko completely helpless!"

"By the way, Hoshino, who was your opponent today?"

Hoshino Mami smiled, "It was Ono Erika... A very interesting little girl..."

"Your approach today was correct... But you mustn't be careless in the future. Ohsima Yuko is a very good opponent... Of course, if you take it seriously, Hoshino-san, she is still far behind you..."

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Mami and Shinoda Mariko fell into deep thought; even Banri Tomomi, who rarely thought, began to ponder.

"Kōkawa-san, I've decided... I want to take AKB48 seriously," Hoshino Mami looked at Kōkawa Hane solemnly after a long pause. Shinoda Mariko, sitting beside her, was slightly taken aback.

"Good, I support your decision... Don't forget, you're not alone in AKB... Mariko and Tomochin are your partners... I'm very happy to see the three of you become AKB48's three best cards!" Kōkawa Hane said seriously.

"We understand!" The three girls responded in unison, and Nishikawa Koyuki looked at her three partners with a glint of strange light in her eyes!

Later events proved that it was Kōkawa Hane's words that made the internal competition in AKB48 exceptionally fierce! Including Maeda Atsuko, Ohsima Yuko, Hoshino Mami, Shinoda Mariko, Banri Tomomi, and a future outstanding third-generation member, they all vied for the top spot in AKB, creating a spectacular competition!