Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

Whenever Hojo Ryoma sensed this distance, his hatred for that little beast Yamabuki Tomoya grew even stronger.

You seem to have lost weight.

Touching her father's shoulder again after many years, Hojo Yuki felt a pang of sadness, realizing it was different from what she remembered.

My father, as I remember him, had exceptionally broad and long shoulders, and was very strong; it took both hands to massage one shoulder.

Looking at my father now, his back has changed a lot, and his temples are now covered with white hair.

This made her somewhat sentimental, as her resolute elopement against her parents' wishes had caused her to miss out on so much.

"Actually, my shoulders haven't changed much; it's mainly you who have grown up."

Hojo Ryoma was in a very pleasant mood, enjoying the long-awaited massage.

Although he is 63 years old this year, he is still very strong because he has maintained his exercise routine for many years. Even with his bare hands, he can fight off several well-trained young men.

"That's good."

Realizing that her father was still healthy, Hojo Yuki felt relieved and gently massaged his shoulders, trying her best to make amends.

Last night's misunderstanding, this morning's neglect, and the guilt of not being able to be by my side for so many years.

Massaging her father's shoulders, Hojo Yuki couldn't help but glance at Shiratori Osamu and Yamabuki Minami sitting close together at the long table not far away. A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips as she felt an unprecedented sense of security.

At that moment, she felt truly happy, as if she lacked nothing.

With a gentle yet strong father by her side, even though they had argued and separated for many years, he still loved her just as much as he had back then.

Although the fact that Fukuhara-san was her father's subordinate once made her feel suffocated, now she realizes that it was just her father's way of showing her love.

With her lovely and sensible daughter by her side, even though she had her rebellious moments, Xiao Nan still loved her as before after she made up her mind to divorce.

Moreover, the relationship between the mother and daughter has become even better these days, and they snuggle together to sleep in the same bed every night.

Shiratori-kun has also returned, calling her "mother-in-law" as before, and has even gained her father's approval. It seems he won't leave again and will often come to visit.

She's also made up with her best friend and will be coming back to China to see her in about ten days.

Thinking about it carefully, everything that happened after her divorce from her ex-husband was a good thing.

"Great."

Thinking of all the good days to come, Hojo Yuki couldn't help but sigh softly.

"what happened?"

Hearing her remark, Hojo Ryoma turned around consciously.

“I was just thinking that I have the best dad in the world.”

Seeing her father turn around in confusion, Hojo Yuki found it amusing, shook her head, and laughed.

"..."

Hojo Ryoma gazed at her happy and lovely smile, a smile that could outshine all the flowers, and was momentarily lost in thought.

It was the first time in many years that he had seen his daughter's happy smile again; he had been looking forward to this moment for many years.

However, when Hojo Ryoma saw that smile and heard her thoughtful words, he did not feel happy. Instead, he was overwhelmed by guilt and remorse.

Because he realized a very scary fact: his precious daughter's happiness was not because of the shoulder massage he gave her, but because of that kid, Shiratori Osamu.

Xiaoxue thought that her father had kept his promise and cleared up the misunderstanding with Shiratori Osamu. Not only had they reconciled, but they were even getting along very well, so she was very happy.

However, all of this was an illusion. He failed to keep his promise. When summer vacation started next Friday, Shiratori Osamu would disappear under the pretext of going back to his hometown.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Hojo Yuki was initially smiling happily, but after being stared at for a while, and seeing that her father wasn't smiling, she suddenly felt a little flustered and asked weakly.

Did I go too far with my words? Suddenly saying that my father is the best father in the world.

"It's nothing, it's just that your smile is too beautiful."

Hojo Ryoma snapped out of his daze, forced a smile onto his old face, and said...

"Eh..."

Hojo Yuki initially thought she had gone too far, but she was surprised to find that he was just staring blankly, which made her feel both embarrassed and ashamed.

"Hahaha."

Finding that his daughter was still so shy, Hojo Ryoma laughed a few times before turning his head away again, not daring to look at her.

Turning his head around, with his back to his daughter, his eyes darkened.

His feelings were angry and complicated. He couldn't help but curse in his heart: "That damned Shiratori Osamu didn't say that Yuki's gratitude would be like this."

His daughter is willing to massage his shoulders, thinks he is the best dad in the world, and has a happy smile on her face—all of these are wonderful things.

But he couldn't feel happy at all, because the guilt he felt for deceiving his beloved daughter was stronger than he had expected.

Actually, he had always lied to his daughter and granddaughter before, but those were all white lies that only made things better.

He originally thought this would also be a white lie, since Shiratori Osamu's intention to leave would definitely hurt Konan. The strategy of stalling and creating distance to let the relationship and feelings gradually fade was the right thing to do.

However, his daughter's happy smile made him waver and begin to doubt whether what he was doing was the right thing to do.

If Xiaoxue feels happy because Shiratori Osamu stayed, will she also feel unhappy because Shiratori Osamu left?

How could Xiaoxue have such deep feelings for Bai Niao Xiu when they've only known each other for about ten days?

"Should we try again to persuade Shiratori Osamu to stay?"

"No, this kid is a womanizer, and he's already said all that. If I step in and keep him here, it'll be tantamount to admitting he can make a move on Xiaoxue."

"Shiratori Osamu's decision to leave was the right one, and it was also the right one for me to let him go. Yuki may indeed be sad because of this, but time will heal the wounds."

After much deliberation, Hojo Ryoma gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

As long as Shiratori Osamu stays and makes Konan happy, he can accept the kid having an affair, and he can even help cover it up and provide financial assistance.

But everything has its limits, and he simply couldn't accept that Shiratori Osamu's affair was with Yuki!

After all, for so many years he had dreamed of Yuki returning to the Hojo family and staying by his side like she did when he was a child.

From massaging her shoulders to patting her back, Hojo Yuki was very patient and meticulous. As she chatted with her father, time passed little by little.

"Dad, I woke up a little early today. I'm going to go back to my room and take a nap."

Hojo Yuki glanced at the clock on the wall, noticed that it was 14:29 PM, and yawned softly before speaking.

"Indeed, I'll go back to my room and rest for a while too."

Because the long-awaited massage was so comfortable, Hojo Ryoma couldn't bear to follow the plan and went back to his room for a nap like an old man. He only nodded when he saw that she was sleepy.

After saying that, the two of them got off the sofa and went their separate ways.

The duplex is very luxurious, with two master bedrooms and one secondary bedroom upstairs, as well as a sauna, study, living room, indoor swimming pool, gym, etc., which belong to the owners' area.

This house was a gift from Hojo Ryoma to his daughter and granddaughter, so even when he needed to rest, he slept in the second bedroom, which was the room where he had just had a private conversation with Shiratori Osamu.

Upon entering the second bedroom, Hojo Ryoma lay down on the bed. Thinking about how happy his daughter had been just now, he knew that Shiratori Osamu's departure would definitely make his daughter and granddaughter heartbroken. He subconsciously began to replay the events in his mind.

Although Shiratori Osamu came up with a good plan in a very short time, it was based on the premise that he was going to leave.

To solve the problem, one must first find the cause. Hojo Ryoma began to think seriously and quickly identified the problem:

"The main reason why Shiratori Osamu can't be with Konan is because Koyuki is currently single, which presents an opportunity and makes people tempted... If I find a son-in-law for Koyuki, wouldn't that eliminate the potential problem?"

"Besides, even if Shiratori Shu wants to make a move on Yuki, it doesn't mean he can succeed. Yuki is love-struck and has just suffered the pain of love; it's impossible for her to fall for someone else so easily."

"Moreover, if Shiratori Shu were to be with Konan, in Koyuki's eyes he would be her daughter's boyfriend or husband... Koyuki loves Konan so much and has a strong sense of morality, there's no way she would let him succeed."

"Hiss—could I have been fooled by this kid? So what if he knows Xiaoxue is pretty? How could Xiaoxue possibly like him?"

"No, no, how could I be fooled? I just don't dare to gamble because the price is too high, and I simply can't accept it."

"Let's not complicate things further. Once the school summer vacation starts, we'll bring Xiaoxue and Xiaonan back to Kyoto and persuade Xiaonan to go to Kyoto University. That will all be over."

While pondering, Hojo Ryoma, exhausted from his journey to Hokkaido by plane the previous day and then his late-night flight back to Tokyo, fell asleep after lying down for a while.

As he fell into a peaceful sleep, the door to the master bedroom, not far away, was quietly opened.

"Father should be asleep by now, right?"

Hojo Yuki poked her head out from the crack in the door, looked around furtively, and then couldn't help but mutter to herself.

She had no intention of taking a nap. The reason she yawned was just to pretend to be sleepy, to trick her father into going back to his room to rest, and to give her space to talk to Konan and Shiratori.

Chapter 119 World Line Convergence

Shiratori is studying diligently in preparation for the final exams.

Although Minami Yamabuki opened the textbook, she had no interest in studying and was shrouded in unease.

Realizing that Xiu Jun might not have been going out on dates with girls this week, but rather secretly studying behind her back, she kept replaying various details in her mind.

The two sat around the table, very close yet very quiet, with only the faint sound of a ballpoint pen writing on paper.

"Hey, Xiu-jun."

The silence was broken when Hojo Yuki and Hojo Ryoma got up and left the nearby sofa area, finally giving them a chance to be alone.

"what happened?"

Finally, when she spoke, Shiratori Osamu paused in his pen and looked up at her.

However, this glance made his heart tighten.

Because at this moment, Yamabuki Minami's gentle yet timid eyes were like two empty, dark abysses, calm yet dim, as if they had lost their luster.

Looking into his eyes was like staring into an abyss, giving Shiratori a feeling of weightlessness.

What's going on? Something's not right; this isn't what he expected.

According to his speculation, after his grandfather left, Minami Yamabuki would be eager to ask about the content of their private conversation... Why is it like this?

"You said back then, 'If there's anything I don't understand, I can ask you,' right?"

Yamabuki Minami gazed at his handsome face, met his gaze, and confirmed.

"Correct."

Meeting her gaze, Shiratori Osamu, even though he was fully focused and didn't feel any tension, felt a sudden alarm bell ring.

Because this opening line is terrifying, it's as if it's releasing a signal like, 'Does this mean I can ask you any question I don't understand?', setting the stage for the heavyweight questions to come.

What does she want to ask? What will she ask? What is she going to ask?

"You said last night that you went out with your friends this week, to many places, including karaoke, amusement parks, arcades, sports centers, and cinemas... But why are you studying 'Mathematics B' and almost finished with it?"

Having received his affirmation, Minami Yamabuki asked the question that had been bothering her.

After realizing the logical flaws, she thought about it a lot, but even though she wanted to believe Xiu Jun, she couldn't fill the hole no matter what.

She couldn't understand it, she really couldn't understand it; this was very unreasonable.

"???"

Hearing her light yet questioning voice, Shiratori Osamu felt utterly confused after understanding the question.

No, what's the problem?

In the first half, he thought Xiao Nan had finally come to his senses and realized that he might have been out having fun with girls, since these were all suitable occasions for dating.

Especially in places like amusement parks, it's strange for boys to go with other boys; they usually only go with members of the opposite sex.

But something was off in the second half. Why did it suddenly switch to studying?

With this question in mind, Shiratori Osamu glanced down at the textbook in his hand and the study notes beside him. When he looked up at her again, he realized what the problem was.

"Damn it, even the best-laid plans can go awry." Shiratori Osamu, in a state of flow, showed no change in expression, but his brain was sending out warning signals of danger.

How could I have forgotten this? Although Minami Yamabuki is always silly and naive, and very easy to fool, she is the top student at Takeno High School.

In other areas, she may be quite naive and innocent, but when it comes to learning, her cognition and intuition are absolutely outstanding.

In other words, Minami Yamabuki can deduce a lot of things by working backward from his learning progress.

Especially since Minami Yamabuki had studied with him before, and even knew that he used study notes, his self-study efficiency in mathematics was 15 pages per hour.

Actually, none of these things matter. After noticing the inconsistencies, the real question Yamabuki Minami wanted to ask him was:

Did you lie to me last night?