In Tokyo: They are heavily dependent on me

Chapter 72. Preparations for Meeting the Father-in-Law

As they left the young lady's bedroom, Captain Wu Zhi was waiting at the door. When he saw Xun appear, he bowed down as if he were treating the most honored guest.

"Mr. Hoshino, this way please. The master has been waiting for you."

"Okay, sure."

The helicopter captain led the way.

This was the first time Kaoru had ever strolled around the mansion where the young lady lived.

As he entered, he noticed that there was more than one such enormous building. He walked into another mansion of the same size, climbed the red steps, and was led to the door of one of the many bedrooms.

After saying "Please wait a moment," the helicopter captain knocked on the door. He heard a man's voice inside saying "Come in." He opened the door and gestured for the man to come in.

Kaoru hesitated before pushing open the door. In the dimly lit room, it was vaguely discernible that it was a room resembling a terrace. The sliding door separating them from the outside was open, and a man sat in a wheelchair outside.

Judging from his appearance, he must be the father of the student from the water.

"Hello...

Xun wasn't ready to meet his father-in-law so soon. Standing on the other side of the sliding door in his tuxedo, he looked very uneasy, and his heart was pounding uncontrollably.

"Don't be too nervous, please have a seat."

The other person turned their wheelchair, their pale and serious face staring directly at Xun.

His voice, like the young lady's, carried an undeniable air of authority.

Kaoru found a chair and sat down, looking directly at the man in front of her.

"I've heard a lot about you from my subordinates."

The man's cloudy eyes gleamed with a gaze that made it impossible to fathom his inner thoughts.

Ignoring the silent Kaoru, he continued talking to himself.

"It's astonishing. She's completely lost her mind for a man. She's clearly a potential threat to the Mizukami family, yet she's foolishly planning to protect them, even defying my orders. This has never happened before in my life. It's all thanks to you that she's gone this far."

"In order to win back Orina and prevent her from being bothered by you, I have made up my mind: you must die."

A cold, emotionless light flashed in the man's eyes.

He handed me the glass of red wine that had been poured into it.

"Drink this glass of wine laced with poison, and rest assured, you will not feel any pain."

"Are there any other options?"

Xun hesitated for a moment, then took the red wine he offered, staring at the liquid inside that looked like fresh blood.

"Leave Orina and disappear from her world forever."

"It seems I only have this one choice."

Then, under the man's astonished gaze—

Xun raised her head and drank the red wine in her glass in one gulp.

"you......"

"I've heard about her father from the young lady."

Xun wiped the water stains from the corner of her mouth, ignored the other person's reaction, and continued talking.

"In my opinion, her father is not the kind of man who would be so forgiving as to give others a choice. I understand that I have only ever had one choice."

Hearing his words, the man became interested and waited silently for him to continue.

"Leaving is tantamount to betrayal. If I betray the young lady when threatened, I will definitely be seen as someone who is not trustworthy. If I choose to do that, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave here tonight. So this is a trap set for me."

"Am I right, Mr. Minami?"

After a brief silence, the man in front of me burst into laughter.

"Interesting. I really admire you. You're just a high school student, yet you think exactly the same way I do. No wonder Orina was willing to approach you. You're quite interesting."

"You're too kind."

Beneath Kaoru's calm expression lay a heart already in turmoil.

The underworld! How terrifying!

"That puts my mind at ease."

Although it was only for a moment, the expression on the man's face was the one a father would show when facing his children.

Gentle yet strict.

"From now on, I'm entrusting Orina to your care."

Xun stood up and bowed to him.

On the way out of the bedroom in a car.

"That's great. It seems that Mr. Hoshino's conversation with the master went smoothly."

The helicopter captain sitting in front let out a sigh of relief.

"I was startled when I heard that the master wanted to see you. The master who left a stern impression on the servants is definitely not the kind of person who would tolerate mistakes. I was worried that Mr. Hoshino might be in danger. It's a good thing that nothing like that happened. I haven't seen Miss smile like that in a long time. Thanks to Mr. Mizukami... If the master had ordered me to get rid of you, I'm afraid I would never have the face to see Miss again."

The helicopter captain spoke from the bottom of his heart.

Xun lay back in the car seat, breathing in the fresh air, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Senior Wuzhi, how much do you know about your master?"

"Master... before Madam gave birth to the eldest daughter, he always had a smile on his face. However, after Madam died in childbirth, his temperament completely changed. He rarely smiled in front of the servants and worked like a madman every day. During that time, he also developed an alcohol addiction, and no matter how I tried to persuade him, it was no use."

"Later, when the eldest daughter entered kindergarten, perhaps out of a sense of responsibility as a father, the master gave up his drinking habit and devoted himself to the education of the eldest daughter. He treated the eldest daughter as strictly as he treated the servants, and never allowed her to make mistakes. Therefore, the eldest daughter was very sensible at a very young age and could complete some simple housework independently, unlike other children of the same age who would make a fuss at the drop of a hat."

The helicopter captain sighed, and the car drove away from the suburbs and onto an unknown main road.

The brightly lit city skyline appeared outside the car window in the distance.

"I have always believed that the master was a qualified head of the family, but not a qualified father."

"Mr. Hoshino, Miss has never been so happy. You are truly a great person to thank."

Arrived at the destination.

The car's rear door opened, and Xun said goodbye to the helicopter captain. He noticed that it was already past midnight.

The neon lights in Kabukicho were so bright they made it hard for him to open his eyes. He turned into a narrow alleyway that a car couldn't pass through, found the key, and opened the door of the pull-out shop.

As he bent down to change into indoor shoes.

The lights in the room suddenly turned on, and Kaoru was briefly startled, but quickly noticed it.

The person standing in front of me, looking at me with an expression that suggests they're about to cry.

"Brother...why did you lie to me...?"

Rin came up to him, lowered her face, grabbed his collar with her right hand, and couldn't help but let out intermittent sobs.

"Didn't my brother promise me he'd come back soon?"