Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 472 The Art of Compromise

In the center of the living room of this traditional Japanese house, a table was set up, with four people seated around it, each occupying one side. Tamako sat at the very bottom, kneeling on a prayer mat, her back straight, pretending to listen attentively to her teacher, Fushimi.

"You two may not know that, according to the 'White Paper on Family Emotional Climate' published by Tokyo University of Education in 1981, girls are 2.3 times more likely to engage in self-harm in families with frequent marital conflicts than boys."

As he spoke, he pulled out a whiteboard from somewhere and wrote the theme of the seminar in black ink: "Girls who are invisibly hurt in family conflicts".

This is the mediation strategy that Fushimi Shika came up with: shifting the conflict between husband and wife to the issue of their child's education. This makes both parties much calmer, especially the more rational couples who know that their behavior will affect their child, so they will pay close attention and feel a sense of compensation towards the child.

Fushimi Shika, under the pretext of improving Tamako's academic performance, formally convened a family seminar, forcing the entire family to participate, claiming it was "part of the research," much like Luo Ji, the Wallfacer.

Right now, he continues to exaggerate the seriousness of the situation:
"Based on the results of a ten-year follow-up study at the Tokyo Mental Health Center, the victimization behaviors of boys and girls are different."

"Boys who frequently experience family conflict are more likely to exhibit increased aggression, hyperactivity, inattention, deviant behavior, and avoidance of commitment."

"Girls may exhibit bulimia, perfectionism, excessive pleasing of others, and pathological tolerance of abuse. In addition, physiologically, girls in families with frequent conflicts may experience menarche 1.7 years earlier."

"As for their future views on marriage and relationships, their parents' arguments will have a more profound impact on girls. They may develop a fear and doubt about marriage, worrying that they will repeat their parents' mistakes. Even if they do get married, they may be at a loss when facing marital conflicts due to a lack of proper ways of getting along."

The above isn't entirely fabricated by Fushimi Shika; he simply applied his research findings from his previous life to the Tokyo Mental Health Center to make his words sound more authoritative. In fact, Asia performs terribly in the field of mental health, to the point that very common mental illnesses are often overlooked.

For example, in the case Fushimi Shika just mentioned, the adult Tamako basically had sex with everyone, which can be described as a large-scale military campaign with the father's name on every scroll.

Minamoto Tamako's perfectionist tendencies need no further explanation. In the workplace, she excessively tries to please her seniors and has an almost pathological tolerance for Fushimi Shika's bad habits. Her physical development has stagnated, to the point that she is still a chubby baby. In terms of relationships, Kujo Yui herself said that because of her failed marriage, Minamoto Tamako has a strong desire for control, which stems from her insecurity about relationships.

As for bulimia, it can be seen from her obsession with desserts. However, Kujo Yui's family management is strict and does not allow her daughter to overeat, so she does not binge eat.

Although they are all minor issues, they add up and eventually become major problems... If Fushimi Shikamaru marries Minamoto Tamako, he will have to face these issues sooner or later.

Since it concerned Minamoto no Tamako's mental health, Fushimi Shika took it to heart. He didn't want his family to be without a single mentally sound person, so he focused intently and continued:
"Research shows that girls are more likely to attribute conflicts to their own mistakes, with 78% of girls believing that 'their misbehavior caused their parents to argue'... Xiaoyuzi, do you have this thought?"

Xiaoyuzi didn't care at first, but as she listened, she couldn't help but start to overthink. She thought that self-harm was too exaggerated and she would never do that... But when she heard "her naughtiness caused her parents to quarrel", her eyes became a little hot. These words seemed to have pierced her heart and brought all the grievances she wanted to say to the surface.

She wanted to nod, but after glancing at the demon Kujou Yui and then at the sickly demon Genichiro, she hesitated for a long time before finally deciding against it.

Fushimi Shika interlaced his fingers, and even if Tamako didn't speak, he could still seize the opportunity to launch into a tirade: "Look, you've all forced the child to be afraid to speak. How will she socialize normally in the future? How will she make friends with her peers? How will she establish herself in society? Do you even know that Tamako doesn't have a single friend at school?"

Father Genichiro showed absolutely no authority as the head of the family. He looked like a weak, consumptive man, pale-faced and hunched over, needing to catch his breath three times to speak a single sentence. Even in this state, he was still obsessed with saving face, and took the opportunity to scold, "What did I tell you... cough cough... I told you to quit your job and take good care of Tamako... now look what happened..."

Enraged, the demon Kujou Yui raged with black flames, causing the living room to freeze eight degrees, with condensation forming on the glass: "Then why don't you quit your job to take care of Tamako? You're in this state, and you want me to quit?! What, do you want me to stay home obediently, receive your sudden death notice, and then live a comfortable life as a wealthy widow?!"

Although Genichiro was weak, he wasn't afraid of his wife at all and said directly, "I'm doing this for your own good! For the good of the Kujo family! Do you know what the wives' association is talking about? They say you're blind to have married a poor husband, that you have to go out to work, and you can't even be a full-time housewife!"

Middle-class Japanese families still care about this, and wealthy families expect their wives to be 'good wives' and content to be happy wives. Kujo Yui knew, of course, what kind of gossip her work would attract, but she didn't care at all. Everyone could talk about her, except her husband. She slammed her hand on the table and yelled, "If you care so much about those gossipy women, then go join the wives' association!!"

"I……"

Before Genichiro could retort, Fushimi Shika quickly stepped in to separate the two, saying firmly, "Stop! Stop! Stop! This is a seminar! Can't you show some respect for the speaker?!"

Just as Kujo Yui was about to explode and tear the so-called speaker apart, Fushimi Shika suddenly changed the subject and pointed at Tamako: "Look at your daughter, arguing in front of her. Do you still have any role models as parents?"

Genichiro and Kujo Yui turned around and looked at Tamako sitting at the end of the table. She looked sad and fidgeted with her fingers with her head down. It was not her fault, but she had a sense of self-blame on her face.

Seeing this, even if they were still very angry, they couldn't start arguing anymore.

Fushimi Shika breathed a slight sigh of relief. He was afraid that the demon Kujo Yui might lose her temper and kill him without caring about her daughter. If that happened, he would be truly helpless and would have to think of another way.

The atmosphere in the living room had reached a freezing point. Although Genichiro and Kujo Yui had stopped arguing, it was only for Tamako's sake. Neither of them wanted to admit their mistakes, and they showed no intention of reconciliation whatsoever.

The meeting had to continue. Xiaoyuzi wouldn't be happy until the marital conflict was resolved. If Xiaoyuzi wasn't happy, he would be trapped in this broken dream, tutoring Xiaoyuzi in her Martian Elementary School lessons every night and letting the adult Yuanyuzi run wild in his subconscious.

He's under immense pressure too!
Fushimi Shika sighed inwardly, but maintained a serious demeanor on the surface. To ease the tension, he even forced a professional fake smile, appearing genuinely sincere. As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face; he hoped that Kujo Yui would continue to remain rational in their subsequent conversation.

He cleared his throat and broke the suffocating atmosphere:
“Canadian family therapist Maria Gomori once warned: ‘When you are fighting on the battlefield of your marriage, don’t forget that your daughter is lying in the war zone.’”

Hearing this, Kujo Yui was vaguely impatient. She already knew the harm that arguing caused her daughter, and Fushimi-sensei's repeated reiteration only made her feel that Fushimi-sensei was criticizing her for being an incompetent mother.

Fushimi Shika accurately captured this emotional shift, marveling at how incredibly realistic the character in Minamoto no Tamako's subconscious was, with emotional responses almost indistinguishable from those of a real person.

He promptly changed the subject, shifting from the downsides of family conflict to the benefits of stopping family arguments:
"Data shows that in families where parents successfully manage conflict, the percentage of girls entering top universities increases by 57 percent."

This was entirely fabricated data by Fushimi Shika, something he was adept at, deliberately making things up to his own advantage. The source of future data pollution in AI will likely come from people like him. Upon hearing this, Kujou Yui's eyes lit up, seemingly very interested.

Genichiro was alright; he had very lenient expectations of his daughter, only hoping that she could live a happy and fulfilling life. Whether she went to university or not was unimportant; he didn't want her to bear too much pressure... This wasn't about favoring sons over daughters, but rather his sincere blessing for his daughter.

Fushimi Shika was satisfied with Kujo Yui's reaction, so he told Tamako to go back to her room first. He didn't need Tamako as a prop for the rest of the meeting, and Tamako staying here would only hinder his nonsense.

After Tamako returned to her bedroom and closed the door, Fushimi Shika continued, "For Tamako's future, shouldn't you two put aside your differences for now, work together, and patiently manage this little family?"

Genichiro and Kujo Yui remained silent, and with no one offering support, the atmosphere suddenly became very awkward.

Fortunately, Fushimi Shika was thick-skinned and acted as if nothing had happened. He continued in a gentle tone, "Even if the two of you no longer have feelings for each other, please be patient until your daughter gets into university, for her sake. If that doesn't work, then you can have a marriage of convenience and pretend to be a model couple at home. It's not that difficult, is it?"

This statement touched a nerve. Kujo Yui and Genichiro's feelings for each other were still there. Although they often argued and seemed unable to get along, their feelings for each other were still very deep... Otherwise, Kujo Yui would not have allowed her daughter to keep the surname "Gen" after Genichiro's death.

“We haven’t reached that point yet… I just want Awei to tone down her temper a bit…”

"What do you mean?! Aren't I doing this for the family?!"

If Genichiro is clueless, then Kujou Yui is just plain unhappy, the kind of unhappy that comes from eating a fiery chili pepper—she's like a firecracker ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control again, Fushimi Shika quickly interrupted: "That's not the point! The point is whether we can find common ground while respecting our differences in our married life."

He looked around and pressed on, “I believe that when you two were deeply in love, you had many sweet or romantic moments. I also believe that you made vows of eternal love and sincerely promised each other when exchanging wedding rings… Your love must have been hard-won, but marriage and love are not the same thing.”

"Marriage is about compromise, understand?"

"It's not just about compromising with the other person, but also about compromising with reality and with yourself. One day, you'll find that your feelings for your lover have faded, that passionate hormone has vanished, life has become stagnant, and the romance and sweetness of the past have become memories, leaving only endless conflicts and arguments..."

"At this point, what do you plan to do? Continue arguing until you get a divorce?"

"Compromise is not an act of cowardice, nor should it be ridiculed. Sometimes, compromise is proof of courage. How many great achievements in the world have been accomplished through repeated compromises? Both of you are quite knowledgeable in Chinese classics, haven't you heard the story of enduring hardship and biding one's time?"

"Life is a war without gunpowder, and you are your own enemy! If you want to gain each other's respect and live the life you dream of, you must be prepared to compromise! You must think, 'Sooner or later I will be able to overcome this messed-up life and spend the rest of my life happily with her!'"

Fushimi Shika slammed his hand on the table, causing the whiteboard to tremble, revealing once again his indescribable and unmistakable aura.

Genichiro and Kujo Yui couldn't help but look at him, and even Tamako in the room peeked out, her eyes full of stars.

“That’s certainly encouraging… but it doesn’t seem to change anything about our current situation…” Genichiro looked at his wife and said weakly, “Even if I’m willing to compromise and support Aya in focusing on her career, there will still be a lot of criticism outside, which will greatly affect the reputation of the Kujo family… I don’t want to cause any more trouble for my parents-in-law…”

“Mr. Minamoto, isn’t this a compromise with Mrs. Kujo?” Fushimi Shika shook his head.

He continued, "If you truly want to compromise, then you should choose between 'opposing your wife' and 'enduring criticism.'"

Genichiro was silent for a moment, then slowly sat up straight, bowed his head and said, "I understand. Fushimi-sensei is right. Everyone has their own life. For the sake of my family, what I should do is compromise with those criticisms..."

After saying that, he looked relieved and said self-deprecatingly, "Let my father-in-law and mother-in-law say what they want, it won't hurt me."

Fushimi Shika nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Kujo Yui, who still looked like a demon, her face dark and her eyes fixed on him. She asked, "Fushimi-sensei, have you ever been married?"

"……not yet."

Have you ever been in a romantic relationship?

"I think we've had two relationships..." Fushimi Shika didn't know if he and Minamoto Tamako were officially dating, since their relationship was in name only and they hadn't even kissed.

"Then what gives you the right to lecture us?" Kujo Yui pressed. "Do you think life is a game? Are you confident that you won't argue after marriage? To put it bluntly, do you have the responsibility to enter into marriage with a woman?!"

These words were harsh, but they hit his sore spot. Fushimi Shika had indeed been avoiding things in his love life, and didn't even want to take responsibility for confessing his feelings. Faced with such a question, he couldn't help but fall silent.

Is he just lusting after Minamoto no Tamako's body, or does he genuinely want to develop a romantic relationship with her?
If he truly loves Minamoto Tamako, is he confident that he can stay with her for the rest of his life?
Fushimi Shika remained silent for a long, long time, the atmosphere of the meeting gradually cooling down, the enthusiasm from his earlier speech vanishing completely. Genichiro looked disappointed, while Tamako, hiding behind the door, nervously bit her little finger.

Time blurred, and it felt like minutes had passed, yet also like a century. Just as Kujo Yui was getting impatient and preparing to leave, Fushimi Shika finally raised his head. His eyes were bright, and his voice, though soft, carried an extremely solemn tone. He answered with only one word:

"Have."

(End of this chapter)