Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"So my request actually coincides with Fumiko's advice to you: as long as Shion always likes you and feels happy being with you, there won't be any conflicts between us..."

Kuroba knew perfectly well that there would be a 'but' after that sentence.

As expected, Murasaki Kazuhiro showed the most serious expression since the secret meeting began, his eyes exuding an imposing aura that put invisible pressure on Kuroba Akira.

“I don’t actually like threatening people, because I’ve always believed that even if you force someone to accept something temporarily, if they’re not convinced, they’ll easily betray their promise in the end… So what I’m going to tell you next is a ‘what if’ scenario that none of us want to see.”

"Yes, please go ahead."

“If you, Kuroba Akira, hurt my daughter and one day she no longer likes you, doesn’t want to see you, and wants to stay away from you, then as Shion Murasaki’s father, I will ‘absolutely’ never let you see her again.”

Is there absolutely no way to salvage the situation?

“If Ziyin is still willing to give you a chance, I won’t say anything more… But if things come to the point where I have to make the decision, I won’t give you a second chance. You’d better give up the idea of ​​coming to me crying and begging, because at that point, the only reason I will allow you to continue to exist is because Ziyin once loved you.”

"...I understand, I understand perfectly."

"Hmm... I'm glad you understand."

After the final warning was given, the previously heavy atmosphere in the bar began to loosen and dissipate. Kazuhiro Murasaki's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, the sharpness in his eyes faded, and even the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, revealing the same kind smile as before.

Who says only women change their attitudes quickly? Mature men can change their attitudes just as fast.

Murasaki no Miyabi immediately transformed from a 'dignified father' to a 'shrewd businessman', and said after serving Kuroba Akira a new glass of lemonade.

"Well then, let's leave our 'family matters' here and move on to 'business'?"

Kuroba Akira was caught off guard by the rapid shift in thought. He shook his head, took a sip of sour lemonade to refresh himself, and then spoke.

Are you looking to discuss a collaboration with me?

“That’s right, I’m very interested in the project you’re currently pursuing, Kuroba-kun.”

Which area of ​​business are you referring to?

Hei Yuming is now working on many fronts and has a lot of things going on. When Zi Zhigong and Hongti cooperate, the first thing he thinks of is things related to Ziyin.

Perhaps the father was worried that the agency his daughter joined was unsafe, so he decided to personally fund the construction of an agency for her or something... That was what Kuroba Akira originally thought.

However, what was unexpected was that the cake that Shinomiya Kazuhiro mentioned was the 'biggest cake' that Kuroba Akira was making.

"It's the website you're currently starting."

"How did you know? We've only just started... You didn't plant a listening device in my house, did you?"

"Haha, how could I dare to act presumptuously at Lord Kobayashi's house? Actually, my subordinate just happened to run into your other two partners who were busy moving today and overheard their conversation."

"...You're quite cunning too."

You can't do anything reckless at 'Kobayashi's house,' but you can 'stalk and eavesdrop' 'outside,' right?"

It seems that Uncle Yu and Senior Nishimura were talking about website-related matters when they moved today, and their conversation was relayed to Uncle Murasaki by their subordinates who were tracking them.

The fact that Uncle Murasaki would be interested in a newly established website must be because he has noticed the business opportunities in it, and it is highly integrated with his current business. He may even have realized that this is the future trend.

Considering he's not a leader of his time like himself or Hijikata Isamu, one can only say he truly deserves his reputation as a shrewd old fox who built one of Japan's three major telecommunications network operators from scratch. His 'business acumen' is unparalleled.

"Hehe, cunning is an essential quality for surviving in this world... However, I originally did not intend to interfere with your career, Kuroba-kun."

"Oh? Why is that?"

“My requirements for you, Kuroba-kun, do not include any money-related criteria. In fact, if you don’t want to work hard, I can give you enough wealth to squander for a lifetime.”

Father-in-law! No, Dad!

Please let me call you Dad!

If you ask him, he's really willing to give it to you!

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. After learning the whole story of how Kazuhiro and Shion's mother got married, he now understands that he truly loves the mother and daughter.

In other words, he was quite willing to leave all his property to Ziyin.

Alternatively, if Ziyin doesn't want to take over the business, he will leave her a large sum of money, enough to last several lifetimes.

The reason why Kazuhiro Murasaki didn't do it now was because he was worried that giving his daughter too much money would corrupt her mind and make her numb.

"But if you want to create wealth with your own hands, this approach will undoubtedly stifle the self-esteem and dreams of young people. I also know that Ziyin particularly dislikes me giving her money, probably because she doesn't want me to think that she and her mother are after my money... But actually, I already knew this a long time ago."

Kazuhiro and Murasaki shook their heads with a mixture of helplessness and happiness. As a daughter, Murasaki was also an overly sensible one. Although she was very comfortable to be around and there was not much awkwardness, she lacked the intimacy of a caring little cotton-padded jacket.

Sometimes, Kazuhiro Murasaki hopes that his daughter will act cute and affectionate towards him, her new father, so that he can give her whatever she wants. This way, he can earn her admiring gaze and enjoy the feeling of being a father.

However, Fumiko probably feared that her relationship with her daughter would deteriorate because she thought she would spoil her too much, so she drove Shion away without giving herself and her daughter a chance to continue building a good relationship... Shionomiya Kazuhiro was also aware of this.

"This would actually widen the gap between me and her, this newly formed father-daughter pair, which is why I try to avoid giving you financial assistance. But ultimately, as parents, we still hope our daughter can live a life free from financial worries..."

"Is that so? That's why you changed your mind and decided to start with me?"

Since he couldn't directly give money to Shion, Shionomiya Kazuhiro decided to start by getting to Shion through the man she liked.

"That's right, so my initial plan was to groom you to be my successor."

"Ah...you also..."

You think too highly of me!

Holy crap, that's Japan's third-largest telecommunications network operator!

Moreover, he is the actual owner who holds real power!

This is much better than marrying into the Anri family!

After all, a son-in-law is just a son-in-law, merely a marginal member of the Anri family, while being the son-in-law of the Murasaki family means truly inheriting everything from the Murasaki family.

But when Murasaki saw Kuroba Akira's somewhat surprised expression, he sighed and said self-deprecatingly.

"I know what you mean, Kuroba-kun. I was just being presumptuous. After all, as a guest in Kobayashi-sama's house, you probably don't 'look down on' my little business at all."

"... "

Kuroba Akira finally understood what it meant to subtly show off.

They've been praised to the skies.

However, Akira Kuroba had no intention of accepting this empty title and decided to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Uncle Murasaki no Miyako, I think you may have misunderstood something. My creation of this website has nothing to do with the Kobayashi family…”

Instead, Kazuhiro Murasaki gave a cryptic smile and said...

"Hehe, Kuroba-kun, you seem to still be a bit naive. Even if there's no overt cooperation, do you really think there's no relationship at all?"

"……what."

"Have you realized it? The fact that you are now 'living in Kobayashi-sama's house' has already given you a 'preconceived stance'. If you plan to develop your own career, then those who consider you an 'enemy' of the Kobayashi family will try to hinder your career development, and the people on Kobayashi-sama's side will not 'stand idly by' either."

After careful consideration, Kuroba Akira realized that this was indeed the case.

Although Kuroba Akira never intended to use the Kobayashi family's influence, nor did he know how many talented and ambitious people the Kobayashi family had, he had already 'chosen sides' the moment he moved into the Kobayashi family's residence.

He now has a 'birth' in this world!

I am actually a second-generation rich kid?!

Now, they are truly receiving care from Grandpa Kobayashi, the time traveler, in every aspect.

Meanwhile, Kazuhiro Murasaki continued talking about his 'position'.

"In fact, Kobayashi-sama's adversaries are the old-established zaibatsu who control the whole of Japan, while I am, after all, a 'newcomer' with no background. A newly established zaibatsu like me, who started from scratch and grew into a powerful force, is also someone that the old-established zaibatsu dislike."

“Those old fogies think I’m overstepping my bounds. They haven’t touched me yet simply because they’re still trying to win me over. Many of them want to give their daughters to me as wives… But now I’ve married a woman who used to be a hostess. In some people’s eyes, this is no different from slapping them in the face.”

“I used to be quite neutral, to put it bluntly, I was a ‘fence-sitter.’ However, I also know that it’s impossible to offend neither side. Rather than being ‘forced to take sides’ later, it’s better to make a choice before being purged. And now it’s time for me to ‘make a choice.’”

There was absolutely no suspense as to which side Murasaki no Miyako and Hiro would choose, since their daughter had already fallen for the young man before them.

Given the relationship between Kuroba Akira and Shion, he could trust Kuroba Akira unconditionally... Of course, the premise was that Shion always liked Kuroba Akira.

"After careful consideration, I think that a cooperation model with you in charge is more likely to ensure your independence than having you directly become my successor. This way, Ziyin won't complain that I did something unnecessary, and it will also save a lot of trouble."

Even if Murasaki no Miyabi wanted to directly establish Kuroba Akira as his successor, he would have to overcome all opposition. Moreover, Kuroba Akira is still too young, and it would probably take him another seven or eight years to train him before he could take over.

However, this is not a problem if Kuroba Akira founded the company himself, as he can be the actual person in charge from the very beginning.

All Murasaki no Miyabi and Hiro need to do is "infuse" him with resources under the guise of "cooperation".

Of course, if everything goes smoothly in the end, and Ziyin is still with Heiyu Akira, the two companies can be merged... Of course, this also depends on the situation at the time. It's not that bigger is always better; often, acquisitions and mergers can bring more problems.

"So I 'request' that you, Kuroba-kun, let me get involved. You can suggest what you need right now, and in exchange, I'll agree to anything you provide that's acceptable. You don't need to worry about me acquiring your company outright; that would be putting the cart before the horse."

Murasaki no Miyabi used extremely humble language here, as if he were begging Kuroba Akira for cooperation.

Moreover, this cooperation model is no different from angel investment. It's basically telling Kuroba Akira, "I'll give you whatever you want." Even the returns are determined by Kuroba Akira, and there's no mention of investing.

In fact, this was Shinomiya Kazuhiro's "pledge of allegiance." When his operator company cooperated with Kuroba Akira's emerging network company, it meant that he was going to stand on Kobayashi's side.

Kuroba Akira, of course, couldn't have asked for this.

Uncle Murasaki's collaboration proposal is so appealing.

If it were another company, he might have hesitated, but his uncle Murasaki no Miyako was a telecommunications network operator!

It's a perfect match for my major!

As for money, the class monitor has already contributed her dowry, which is enough as start-up capital.

What Kuroba Akira and the others are still lacking right now is...

"I need a lot of internet talent!"

"And then there's the 'exclusive online channel'!"

"Then comes the server! The bigger the better!"

Kuroba Akira bluntly pointed out what he was currently lacking, and of course, he wouldn't let his father-in-law suffer any loss.

"Then we simply partnered with your operator, Uncle, to offer various exclusive deals. In this way, once our website grows, you will become the first choice for most of our website users."

A sly smile appeared on Murasaki no Miyabi's lips; he was quite satisfied with the terms of the deal.

He originally thought that Kuroba Akira could just give a token amount, treating it as a charitable investment, but Kuroba Akira chose a model that tied their interests together.

When Kazuhiro Murasaki heard about what Akira Kuroba and his group were planning to do, he realized the business opportunities involved, especially the chat software they were developing, which he felt was something that could revolutionize the current communication model.

If we can seize this opportunity, we can pull those two companies down and trample them underfoot, turning ourselves from the 'third operator' into the 'number one operator'!

　"No problem, it's settled then!"