Two days later, Akira went to the Yamazaki mansion to meet up with Nanase and the twins. The four of them were meeting up with Double M who was coming to discuss the issue of the girls joining the entertainment industry.

Akira was in a good mood because she had talked to Kaito in the morning. He was going to meet finally up with the elusive contact in the evening and return the next day. If things went on perfectly, she would see Kaito soon.

She had not yet found the mysterious present, but nothing could bring her down. She even greeted her mother with enthusiasm after coming into the house. They talked for a while before Akira went to the music room to prepare for the meeting with the other people.

Nanase and the twins arrived shortly after Akira. Since Double M was not in Mountain Ridge, he was set to arrive a little later for the discussion. He also wanted to see the girls singing so he could plan for their future development.

Of course, nothing was set in stone, but Nanase had made a tentative agreement for the girls to join the entertainment industry. Of course, she planned to bring up a few conditions if the contract with Double M and Black Avenue was confirmed.

She was a little anxious about the meeting because she wanted it to go well. Since the girls were still minors, she wanted to discuss the contract on their behalf with a reliable person. Once they turned eighteen, they might be tricked into signing something unsuitable.

It was the reason she did not ask Akira to wait until after the college entrance examination before setting the wheels in motion. If she could not stop the girls from becoming musicians, she would ensure the contract was favourable.

When they arrived, Nanase opted to remain with Sayaka while the girls went to the music room to polish their performance for Double M. They wanted to get Akira's opinion because they did not trust their mother's words.

"You seem a little anxious," Sayaka said as the two women drank some flower tea.

"Of course, I am anxious. You know I am not a big fan of the entertainment industry." Nanase retorted.

"Are you meeting with a major agent?" Sayaka asked. "Akira told me that you requested to have a meeting to discuss the twins' music career here. But she did not tell me the specifics."

Nanase looked at Sayaka oddly. "Did something happen?"

Sayaka looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Nanase searched her face. "If Akira did not tell you anything, doesn't that mean that you are not close? If this is the case, something must have happened to make her less open to you. I thought you were getting along just a while ago."

Nanase did not usually mince her words, but she saved her sister-in-law some face by phrasing her question like that. She understood Sayaka's character. It was a little wishy-washy. She did not have the backbone to stand up for something and stick with it.

Moreover, she did not like it when people disliked her. She would try to please everyone to maintain the tentative peace around her. If someone expressed a negative opinion about her, Sayaka would try to repair the issue as much as possible.

Her lack of a firm attitude was a source of headache for Daiki, according to Isami. Usually, when Sayaka was trying to reconcile or placate people like the Ito family, she would agree to ask for favours from Daiki with their businesses or legal issues.

Daiki loved Sayaka, so he would always try to fulfil her wishes. But sometimes, the favours were too difficult, and Daiki couldn't ruin the Yamazaki name by doing things the wrong way. He always had to think of creative solutions to keep his wife happy.

Nanase knew all these issues, but she was still curious about what Sayaka had done to make Akira act as she did. Akira was a sweet girl, even though she could be a little distant and secretive. Therefore, Nanase was quite sure it was Sayaka who had done something to repel Akira.

"I don't think there is anything wrong," Sayaka responded with a frown. "Akira talked to me when she came in. I think our relationship is pretty good."

Nanase looked at her a little sceptically, but she did not say anything else. If Sayaka was fine with superficial closeness with her daughter, there was no need to explain anything to her.

The two continued chatting about the things going on in Mountain Ridge, from the Izumiya's publicity crisis because of their daughter Mio to the grounding of the Sakurako from the Narita family.

Even without MR Circle and other social media platforms, sensational news travelled within the city quite fast. And it was always a delight to discuss other people's misfortunes.

As they were talking, Butler Maria announced the arrival of Kaoru and Hanae. Nanase frowned at the intrusion. She knew of the reconciliation between Sayaka and Hanae because of the barbeque party. However, she still did not like the mother and daughter pair.

They had a scheming nature that reminded her of her mother and sister. But she could not say anything because she was the one intruding on the house.

She had asked to meet in the mansion because her house did not have a music room. The girls usually practised in the second garage. Also, it was more convenient than meeting in a hotel. Unfortunately, she did not know that these two people would be on the scene.

"Come in and sit. I will get ready in a moment, and we can leave." Sayaka welcomed her sister and niece.

"Take your time. I just wanted to drop off Hanae. I will not stay because my husband needs some help with one of our projects. It is an emergency, so I cannot delay." Kaoru said quickly.

"Is everything alright?" Sayaka asked with concern.

"It is not so bad. One of our clients is thinking about backing out of our agreement just before the official signing of the contract. Another one wants to cancel the contract." Kaoru sighed. "The Kadowaki family is becoming more aggressive in taking local construction deals."

"That is expected. They reduced their workload because they thought they would get the Clarion Extreme contract. Since it has already been given to someone else, they are probably taking all the other construction projects available." Sayaka nodded.

Nanase admired the precise analysis of the situation.

"Exactly. We are suffering quite a bit because some of our clients wanted the Kadowakis but were rejected. Now that the chance has come again, they are anxious to take the opportunity. It will be quite tough for a while." Kaoru added.

"Should I ask Daiki to help you out a little?" Sayaka asked.

Nanase placed her palm on her forehead in frustration. She did not understand this Sayaka. It was obvious she was not stupid. But why did she keep making so many senseless decisions? It was too vexing. She could not listen to the conversation anymore.

"Excuse me. I will check on the girls." Nanase stood up.

"Alright." Sayaka nodded.

Kaoru looked at her with annoyance for disrupting her flow. After Nanase left, it was a little awkward to continue the conversation smoothly and make it seem like it was Sayaka's idea to offer help on her own. But she did not want to make the request directly. She did not like asking because it made her seem like she was begging.

But they needed Daiki's help.

"If it is not too much trouble…" Kaoru said in a lower voice.

"What?" Sayaka was distracted.

Kaoru gritted her teeth and tried to calm down. "If you can mention our problem to Daiki, he might have a solution to avoid losses."

"Alright. Don't worry too much about it." Sayaka nodded. "I will make sure to bring it up."