He tried to save the fallen girls, but they came after him instead.

The Mido House has a large courtyard in the middle, with rooms on the other three sides, making it like a small courtyard house.

We arrived at the room directly in front of us.

On the tatami mat, an elderly man with graying hair sat cross-legged on the cushion, wearing a robe, his arms crossed over his chest, exuding an air of authority without anger.

The walls were adorned with powerful calligraphy and paintings, and wooden swords used for drills hung on stands.

It's clear that this old man is in good health and possesses a strong martial spirit.

"Quickly, say hello to Grandpa," Grandma said.

Maki and Sakura greeted each other quietly, "Hello, Grandpa~~"

The voices were very soft, and it seemed they were somewhat afraid of their grandfather.

"Ah."

Grandfather nodded.

“Father, I’m back,” Kana said.

"You're back," the grandfather said coldly, his tone revealing a hint of disdain.

Kana responded awkwardly.

"Hello, Grandpa." Out of politeness, Shirakawa also took the initiative to greet him.

"Huh? Who are you?"

"This is Maki's boyfriend, Akira Shirakawa," the grandmother introduced.

"Hmph! Where did this brat come from!" Grandfather roared.

Kana quickly whispered in Shirakawa's ear, "Father is straightforward and strict. Don't take what he says to heart."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Shirakawa didn't take it to heart.

The main reason is that what Mido's father said was true; he was indeed a scoundrel who was juggling multiple relationships.

Several cushions and small wooden tables were placed in the lobby, and the Mido family sat on one side waiting.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home."

Shin-il, dressed in a rather formal suit, walked through the gate, carrying offerings of fresh flowers and incense.

Upon seeing the Mido family and Shirakawa, his expression instantly darkened.

However, with his grandparents around, Shin-il didn't dwell too much on the grudges between them.

"The second son is back, oh dear..." Grandmother Mei Du hurriedly stepped forward to take the things from Xin Yi's hands and put them away.

"Where's my brother? Why didn't he come?" Xin asked.

"There was a traffic jam on the way, so we arrived a little late."

"Younger brother?" Shirakawa asked Kana in a low voice, puzzled. "How many children does the Mido family have in total?"

"There are only three: the eldest is Shota, the second is Shinichi, and the third is Sosuke."

"What a thriving family!" Shirakawa exclaimed.

Xin Yi sat opposite him.

Sakura and Maki lowered their heads, not daring to look Shinichi in the eye.

Uncle Xinyi is very nice to them when he is sober, but he is terrifying when he drinks too much.

Moreover, after they moved into the Shirakawa family home, Uncle Shinichi repeatedly came to their house to cause trouble.

They didn't know how to treat Shin-il, so they simply lowered their heads and ignored him.

Shirakawa sat in the seat closest to the door, looking down at his phone.

Grandmother and Kana chatted idly nearby.

"Hey, Kana, how's your stay at Shinichi's place lately?"

"No, we moved out."

"Why did you suddenly move out?" Grandmother asked curiously.

“Our family has a lot of expenses, and we felt bad about troubling Shinichi again, so we moved to the Shirakawa family’s house.”

"Moving to the Shirakawa family, is that the Shirakawa you brought with you?"

"Yes."

"Kana, I have to say something to you about this. Even though Shirakawa and Maki are a couple, it's really inconvenient for your whole family to live in Shirakawa's house. Shirakawa's parents will probably have some objections..."

"Shirakawa, Shirakawa's parents are not home."

"Huh? They didn't know?"

......

He stopped listening after hearing half of it; it was mostly women's gossip and mundane chatter, nothing of substance.

After an awkward moment of getting along, the last one, the third brother Sōsuke, also went home.

"Mom and Dad, I'm back. Hello, sister-in-law. Hello, second brother."

Sosuke has long hair, is quite tall, wears glasses, and has a fair complexion, looking like a college student.

"I'm sorry, Mom, the taxi was delayed by traffic on its way here." Sosuke bowed and apologized.

"It's alright, it's alright, everyone just arrived."

"Um, who is this...?"

"Maki's boyfriend, Akira Shirakawa."

"Maki has a boyfriend?" Sosuke asked in surprise. "Maki, didn't you dislike boys? How come you suddenly have a boyfriend?"

"That was in the past. We met by chance, and after getting to know each other, I felt that he was a good person, so we started dating."

“Hmm…” Sosuke looked at Shirakawa, seemingly lost in thought.

"Alright, alright, it's getting late, let's go visit Shota."

Grandmother clapped her hands and suggested.

294. Pay homage to Shota

Shinichi drove ahead with the Midori family in his car, while Kana followed behind with Shirakawa and their two daughters in her car.

The group drove to the cemetery, which was very deserted.

The tombstones were arranged in an orderly fashion, all engraved with the surname Mei Du, as if it were a family cemetery.

Shirakawa followed the Mito family to Shota's gravestone.

The marble tombstone is brand new and stands out among these old tombstones.

Shinichi tidied up a bit, then placed the flowers and offerings next to Shota's tombstone, bowed, and then took out an incense burner and placed it in front of the tombstone.

"Let's begin offering incense."

According to the customs of the Midu family, everyone must offer incense, and the order must be based on seniority, with men going first and women going last.

The first person to offer incense was the head of the Mido family, Mido's grandfather.

Just moments ago, Grandfather Midu was stern and imposing, but now he bowed his head, his eyes were moist, his hands trembled slightly, and he lit an incense stick with a lighter.

Place it in the incense burner.

His eyes were a little red, probably because he was remembering his eldest son who died young.

Next was Grandma Midu, who had already begun to weep uncontrollably, covering her face.

She lit the incense and placed it in the incense burner.

"Shota~~ my eldest son, sob sob sob." The grandmother murmured as she inserted the needle.

Next up was Kana.

As the eldest sister-in-law, and also as a widow.

Although they were engaged, they had the status of husband and wife without the actual relationship.

She knelt before the tombstone and respectfully offered incense.

He put his hands together and bowed.

She stood up, but her eyes were fixed on Shirakawa.

His expression was complex, a mixture of emotions.

Nominally, she's the eldest sister-in-law of the Mei Du family, but just yesterday she and this man had made love...

I felt a little ashamed.

Next came Shinichi and Sosuke.

The process is the same for all of them.

Since Shirakawa and Maki were not married, strictly speaking, he could only be considered an outsider.