Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

"Because my task as your helper has been completed, I should have left long ago. I don't want to interfere with your family's reunion."

"..."

After their conversation, Hojo Ryoma fell into deep thought.

Something felt off; something just didn't feel right. The conversation was progressing much more smoothly than he had expected.

Old ginger is spicier; having lived for so many years, he has long since figured out the tricks of the trade in communicating with people.

When talking to someone, don't focus on what they say, but rather on their underlying needs.

Through the conversation just now, Hojo Ryoma pieced together a potential need that he found somewhat unacceptable:

"Please don't misunderstand, I just want to leave."

Chapter 114 A Dialogue Between Men

Hojo Ryoma stared at Shiratori Osamu and suddenly realized that he couldn't see through this guy.

Because this guy's underlying needs are so counterintuitive, they're practically beyond comprehension.

It is common knowledge that most men will fall for women who like them, and if the woman is a rich, beautiful, and successful woman, the likelihood of this applies to all men.

Not to mention ordinary men, even he, despite his privileged background, is not immune to the common customs.

Given this premise, Shiratori Osamu should logically have liked his granddaughter.

Because his granddaughter really likes Shiratori Osamu, she's a super beautiful girl with such a great personality.

In his view, as long as Xiao Nan likes a man, no man can resist her advances.

However, Shiratori Shu did not show any elation, excitement, eagerness, or relief when faced with his clear statement that he would not harm him and that he appreciated and approved of the situation.

This guy seemed agitated as he spoke, but his mind remained unchanged; his underlying need was always, "Please don't misunderstand, I just want to leave."

This attitude displeased Hojo Ryoma. Although he had just disapproved of his granddaughter's fondness for Shiratori Osamu, he was willing to consider having him marry into the family as long as his granddaughter was happy and the man's character was sound.

He had prepared himself mentally, but this guy actually didn't like his granddaughter? What a joke!

"..."

The living room was completely silent.

He didn't speak, and neither did Shiratori Osamu.

As for Hojo Yuki and Yamabuki Minami, the mother and daughter, they simply nestled together, obediently watching the two grown men talk.

"What's going on here?" Hojo Yuki didn't like scheming against people, but because this conversation concerned her daughter's future happiness, she had to use her brain.

"Great! Grandpa is silent, Xiu-jun has the upper hand!" Yamabuki Minami chuckled to herself, feeling very excited.

Although she didn't quite understand what kind of psychological game these two people were playing, she knew that the one who fell silent first was at a disadvantage.

Xiu Jun truly lives up to his name; even his grandfather, who is beyond reason, is no match for him. He's incredibly powerful!

Indeed, Hojo Ryoma's silence stemmed from his disadvantage in the negotiations.

His core demand was to "get Shiratori Osamu back to his granddaughter's side," while Shiratori Osamu's core demand was "I want to leave." Not only could the two not reach a consensus, but they were also in a state of complete opposition.

"Is Shiratori Osamu's desire to leave genuine? Or is he just being cunning, trying to use this as an excuse to gain more benefits for himself?"

Hojo Ryoma fell into deep thought, fighting for the happiness of his daughter and granddaughter.

He has plenty of money and power and can give his grandson-in-law everything he wants, but if Shiratori Osamu is the type to demand exorbitant prices, then he'll have to reconsider whether this guy is suitable to be Konan's husband.

If necessary, he would have to consider eliminating the problem completely.

He wasn't decisive enough back then, which caused his daughter to suffer for so many years. He won't repeat the same mistake this time.

"How can I leave without angering him?"

Shiratori Osamu is also brainstorming, fighting for the twin sisters and freedom.

He wasn't stupid; he could sense that Hojo Ryoma's attitude had been very friendly. If he put in the effort, there was a high probability that he could become a son-in-law of the Hojo family.

But he still held the same idea: he didn't want to be a kept man, nor did he want to be dominated by a ruthless character like Hojo Ryoma for the rest of his life.

Even though Japan's culture of having a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family is unique, the principle of living under someone else's roof and enduring humiliation is universal.

"Shiratori-kun, would it be convenient for us to talk privately?"

After thinking for a long time, Hojo Ryoma glanced at his daughter and granddaughter, feeling somewhat constrained, and then spoke up.

Because the mother and daughter were both kind-hearted and angelic, he never showed his true self to them from childhood to adulthood.

"convenient."

Shiratori Osamu nodded without hesitation at the request.

The truth is hurtful, and considering what happened last night, there are many things he dared not say.

If he says something wrong and makes either Yamabuki Minami or Hokujo Yuki cry, things will get complicated, since both of them are known to be crybabies.

"Huh? Why do you want to talk to me alone?"

I was waiting for what Yamabuki Minami would say next, but when they suddenly changed their tune and reached a consensus in the blink of an eye, I was completely stunned.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

Hojo Yuki, who was still racking her brains, also couldn't understand what the two were thinking, and was more nervous than anything else.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt him. Besides, this kid is really good at fighting. He's even taken on six people at once. I'm afraid even my old bones can't beat him."

Hojo Ryoma stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and stood with his hands in his sleeves, comforting them with a headache.

Why are his daughter and granddaughter always siding with outsiders? As an elderly father and grandfather, how could he possibly harm them?

Shiratori Shu stood up without saying a word, simply following in his footsteps.

“Eh…” Seeing that they were really going to have a private talk, Yamabuki Minami, who was thinking of watching the show and waiting for the recap, felt very sorry.

"Something feels off." Hojo Yuki didn't see any reassuring look or gesture from Shiratori Shu, and she had a strange sense of foreboding.

Although Shiratori-kun shouldn't show too much closeness to them in front of his father to avoid causing unnecessary resentment, it would be too strange if he didn't make a single gesture or glance.

After leaving the sofa area, they went straight upstairs.

That's the advantage of a house that's big enough; you can easily find a good place to have a private conversation.

Before long, after locking the door to their room upstairs, they came to the window overlooking the bustling port area.

"Let's not beat around the bush. Why don't you want to see me? Why don't you want to have anything to do with me? It's obvious you want to leave."

No longer bound by his daughter and granddaughter, Hojo Ryoma leaned against the TV cabinet, his entire demeanor changed, his eyes sharp, his tone low and imposing.

Conversations between men don't need so many roundabout ways, especially among intelligent men.

"Because I don't want to be a live-in son-in-law."

Seeing that he had finally revealed his true colors, Shiratori Xiu remained unchanged and simply spoke frankly.

"Name your price."

Hojo Ryoma had sensed his attitude earlier, but simply asked indifferently.

There is no price.

Shiratori Osamu shook his head, making his stance clear.

"I'll give you 1 million in pocket money every month, and I'll also give you a house like this, you can choose the location yourself."

Hojo Ryoma didn't believe such nonsense at all. He believed that there was nothing in this world that couldn't be bought except for family ties, so he directly quoted a price.

Faced with this price, Shiratori Shu still shook his head.

"10 billion per month."

Hojo Ryoma stared intently at his face, speaking each word carefully.

However, he couldn't see any change in Shiratori's expression; his eyelids didn't even twitch.

"50 billion per month,"

Hojo Ryoma did not give up, but continued to raise the price significantly.

However, even after he had said all that, he still couldn't see any emotional fluctuation on Shiratori's face, which annoyed him.

“Mr. Hojo, I’ve already said there’s no price.”

Shiratori Osamu didn't want him to keep raising the price and make things awkward, so he interrupted him.

What exactly do you mean?

Interrupted abruptly, Hojo Ryoma realized that he wasn't one to try and extort money, and narrowed his eyes.

At that moment, he realized that he really couldn't see through this eighteen-year-old high school student.

50 billion yen a month, even though it's in Japanese yen, is an astronomical sum that would drive countless people crazy, but this guy didn't even blink or change his breathing. He completely regarded money as dirt.

"Because I don't want to be a live-in son-in-law."

"If this is your price, as long as you can stay by Xiaonan's side and make her happy, I can let you start your own business outside."

"The problem is that I can't make Xiaonan happy."

Finally, after he stated his needs, Shiratori Osamu changed his tune.

"What do you mean? Are you impotent?"

Upon hearing this, Hojo Ryoma paused for a moment and looked down at his lower body.

"..."

Even though Shiratori Osamu was in a state of full mental focus, he didn't expect him to suddenly say such a thing, and was immediately silenced.

"Just kidding. I know you have that ability, after all, you're very popular with women."

Seeing that he didn't speak, Hojo Ryoma felt bored and patted his hand to comfort him.

This interruption made Shiratori realize that this guy still had the leisure to joke, and his heart sank.

Clearly, even though he had rejected the ever-increasing prices without batting an eye, it wasn't enough to change the other party's mind.

Rather, it's his attitude of treating money like dirt that made Hojo Ryoma like him even more, increasing his favorability towards him, which is why Hojo joked with him.

This is the problem caused by the unequal status and identity. No matter what he said or did, Hojo Ryoma didn't take it seriously at all.

Upon realizing this, Shiratori immediately deactivated his [Concentration] state, and his cold and calm face suddenly relaxed.

"Ok?"

As he exited the flow state, Hojo Ryoma couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, feeling that he had changed.

The change was very obvious, because just now Shiratori Osamu was so calm that it was almost frightening, but at this moment his face had a bit more life, and his eyes had the emotions of a living person.

What's going on? Does Shiratori Osamu have a dual personality? And can he switch between them freely?

No wonder this kid was able to complete the Yamabuki family's tour in seven days; he's truly a talent among talents.

“Mr. Hojo, we’re all men, so I won’t lie to you.”

Regardless of his opinion, Shiratori looked at him with a serious expression and spoke.

[Character Profile: Sincerity]

[Character Introduction: Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon!]

[Personalization Effect: When you treat others with sincerity, it's easier to touch their softest spot and gain their trust.]

Since using his brain was useless, he could only resort to magic, but he didn't know what it meant to touch the softest spot in someone's heart.

"Just to my liking."

Hojo Ryoma became increasingly interested in him, stroking his chin with his right hand and nodding.

"The reason I said I couldn't make Xiaonan happy is because I know my own limitations. I'm not a good man; I'm a womanizer."

Since sincerity is the only way to trigger a persona, Shiratori Shu took a deep breath and said seriously.

[Sincerity assessment successful]

This is his honest opinion: he might be able to make Xiao Nan happy, but it's unlikely that he can make her happy for the rest of her life.

Chapter 115 Sincerity is the Ultimate Weapon