Tokyo Three Generations

"Kenji," he called out.

"Sir, is there anything I can do for you?" Kenji Sakura replied politely as he drove.

"Did anyone contact me during this time?" Takasaki Hiroshi asked.

“Yes, sir, someone from Toyokawa Group just called you,” Kenji Sakura quickly replied. “I told him you were busy and asked him to contact you later.”

"Toyokawa Group?" Takasaki Hiroshi was startled. "What's going on?"

"It's about the planning of the Olympic Games integrated commercial complex. They asked you to put in a good word for them," Kenji Sakura replied softly.

"Oh, it's this..." Takasaki Hiroshi suddenly came to his senses.

With the Tokyo Olympics approaching, land consolidation projects and commercial complex development projects centered around the "Olympic concept" have reached a fever pitch.

Toyokawa Group is a major sponsor of the Olympic Games and a contractor and operator of many important venues. Therefore, it occupies an important position and has a voice in Olympic engineering and commercial development.

Land consolidation is a highly lucrative business in any city, let alone in a place like Tokyo where land is incredibly valuable.

In particular, in recent years, Tokyo's real estate prices have gradually shaken off the slump of the bubble era, with prices rising year by year, making this business even more profitable.

Therefore, Toyokawa Group has been doing a lot of work behind the scenes for projects such as building Olympic venues and "urban revitalization projects". As long as they can build large-scale complex facilities such as shopping malls and office buildings in the city center or in front of JR private railway stations, they can enjoy the property appreciation and long-term shop rent brought about by the relaxation of floor area ratio, not to mention the national subsidies that may be as high as tens or hundreds of billions under the banner of the Olympics.

Because "land consolidation" is such a lucrative business, it inevitably involves the interests of various parties and requires a great deal of behind-the-scenes coordination. The Toyokawa family needs to spend a lot of money and connections to smooth things over in the political and business circles in order to obtain government permission.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Homeland and Transportation in Congress has the right to question the government on similar projects, so it is also key to smoothing things over.

The Toyokawa Group approached Hiroshi Takasaki, hoping that as a member of parliament, he could help them smooth things over.

However, in essence, this was not a case of the Toyokawa Group needing something from the Takasaki family.

Although Hiroshi Takasaki is a member of parliament, he does not have much influence in the Diet. If the Toyokawa Group needs help, there are many more suitable candidates.

The reason for specifically seeking him out was less about relying on his help and more about drawing him into a large-scale behind-the-scenes operation. It was about giving him a chance to participate and get a share of the profits.

He knew perfectly well why he did this.

Ever since his son, Jun Takasaki, helped Miss Toyokawa once, Toyokawa Kiyotaka, the head of the Toyokawa family, made an agreement with Hiroshi Takasaki that the two sides would strengthen their "cooperation" in the future.

It turned out that he wasn't just being polite. Since that incident, Takasaki Hiroshi clearly felt that the Toyokawa Group valued him much more and came to him for help several times.

But rather than asking for help, it's more accurate to say they're using the guise of "consultation" to benefit themselves.

Although the Toyokawa family didn't say it explicitly, he could clearly sense that it was a deliberate gesture of goodwill. The Toyokawa family was intentionally trying to further solidify the relationship between the two families.

What is the purpose of showing goodwill?

Needless to say, Hiroshi Takasaki knew that it couldn't possibly be for his own sake; he simply didn't have that kind of charm.

Son, you've really hit the jackpot... He could only sigh to himself.

However, although it was a good thing to be able to cooperate with Toyokawa Ieya, Takasaki Hiroshi was not entirely happy about it.

After all, the gifts that fate bestows often come with a hidden price tag.

Although he believed in the principle of prioritizing profit, he had no interest in "selling his son".

In this respect, his mindset was the same as that of Mio Takasaki. He did not want his son, whom he had painstakingly raised, to marry into another family and change his surname, but rather hoped that his son would continue to carry forward the Takasaki family in the future.

Therefore, given the uncertainty of his future relationship with the Toyokawa Group, he didn't really want to be too closely tied to the Toyokawa family. Otherwise, if his son and the eldest daughter were to part ways in the future, how would he clean up the mess?

He didn't want to owe the Toyokawa family too many favors, lest he find it difficult to extricate himself from the situation later.

However, despite this, he was still very grateful to Miss Xiangzi for standing up for him in his time of crisis, publicly visiting him, and giving him tremendous public support.

Therefore, within his means, he also wanted to repay the other party as much as possible.

How to manage the scope of cooperation between the two companies in the future is something that should give him a headache.

He sat in the car, thinking for a long time, but couldn't come up with a solution.

After all, he had been through it all himself. He knew that matters between teenagers could change in an instant, and he couldn't predict where things would ultimately lead.

Finally, he covered his aching forehead and simply stopped thinking about it.

Regardless of what the future holds, let's take it one step at a time. Since the Toyokawa family has clearly shown their sincerity in this collaboration, I should help them no matter what.

"Kenji," he called out again.

"Is there anything else you need?" Kenji Sakura quickly replied.

"From now on, relay all matters concerning the Toyokawa family to Jun; he should be aware of them." He gave the order, then asked, "Do you think Jun can satisfy the other side?"

This absurd question startled Kenji Sakura.

He smiled bitterly to himself, how could he possibly say no in front of his father?

"The young master's talent is evident to all. Although he lacks experience now, he can do anything well as long as he is given the opportunity to learn."

"I hope so..." Takasaki Hiroshi covered his face, then lay down on the sofa in the back seat and went to sleep.

131, When it's time to make a decision, make it decisive.

When Hiroshi Takasaki rushed home, Mio Takasaki and her son Jun Takasaki had already finished their meeting with Motoyo Nagasaki and returned home.

The family of three gathered together, but there wasn't much warmth or affection in the atmosphere.

Mio Takasaki was watching TV alone in the living room to pass the time when Hiroshi Takasaki walked over to his wife and sat down next to her. He then whispered, "Mio, I have something to tell you."

Although Hiroshi Takasaki appeared calm and showed no signs of trouble, the faint smell of alcohol emanating from him immediately made Mio Takasaki realize that her husband must have been indulging in a debauched affair.

Mio Takasaki frowned in disgust, but didn't say anything.

After so many years of marriage, the couple has already had all the arguments they had, and now she's in a state of "not wanting to care anymore."

As long as her husband doesn't go too far, she's too lazy to point it out.

All arguments stem from having "expectations." If there are no expectations, what is there to argue about?

Mio Takasaki simply turned off the TV and then moved her body slightly to the side to avoid being overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol.

"What is it?" she asked coldly.

"It concerns our son." Hiroshi Takasaki's expression turned serious.

Normally, Mio Takasaki would ignore her husband, but when it came to her son, she immediately focused her attention. "What's wrong with Jun?"

“Recently, the Toyokawa family has been asking me for help again. But rather than helping, it’s more like they’re deliberately creating opportunities to get closer to us,” Takasaki Hiroshi explained in a low voice. “While it’s good to have a good relationship with the Toyokawa family, their overzealousness is making me a little uneasy…”

He didn't continue speaking, because everything was already understood without words.

Mio Takasaki was quite clever and immediately understood her husband's meaning.

From the day Miss Toyokawa came to visit, she sensed the Miss's affection for her son, an affection that was "unspoken but implied."

Although she was somewhat proud that her son had won the favor of the young lady, she knew that once the children's affairs involved the interests of both families, it was destined to be anything but easy.

"Are you worried that we might end up angering the Toyokawa family?" Takasaki Mio asked immediately after understanding her husband's meaning.

“Yes.” Takasaki Hiroshi nodded. “The Toyokawa family clearly wants Jun to marry into their family, which is why they’re treating us so well. If this doesn’t work out in the end, how will we handle the situation?”

Mio Takasaki was speechless.

She wasn't the kind of person who was short-sighted and liked to take advantage of others, and she also knew that if she tried to take advantage of others in this kind of matter, the consequences would be very serious if the two families became enemies.

After a moment of silence, she asked her husband the same question.

"Do you hope they succeed? Someone as opportunistic as you should be happy to see it happen, right?"

Hiroshi Takasaki didn't care about his wife's belittling; he simply shook his head.

“I don’t want Jun to marry into another family. If he’s willing, I won’t stop him, but I can’t encourage him to do so. Although our Takasaki family isn’t a prominent or wealthy family, we have our own territory and business. There’s no need for us to continue someone else’s family name.”

Mio Takasaki was somewhat surprised to hear her husband say such a thing.

It seems that although this guy treats himself badly, he is still good to his son and is not entirely inhuman.

Although she disliked Takasaki Hiroshi, she also understood the principle of "discussing the matter at hand" and did not want to argue with her husband on this issue.

“Actually, I have a similar opinion to you. I don’t want Jun to marry into their family either.” So, Mio Takasaki took over the conversation. “Admittedly, Miss Toyokawa is indeed very outstanding, but there’s no need to pay such a price. Besides… Miss Toyokawa’s lifespan is also a problem. Who knows if she won’t pass away early like Grandmother and Mother? It would be too pitiful to leave Jun alone then.”

“That makes sense…” Takasaki Hiroshi wholeheartedly agreed.

If it were him, being widowed in middle age wouldn't be a problem at all; on the contrary, he would be more "free." But his son is different; he definitely wouldn't be able to bear that blow.

In an instant, the couple reached a rare consensus on one thing.

“Then I think we should make plans now, so we don’t end up unable to extricate ourselves later.” After a moment, Takasaki Hiroshi spoke again. “Don’t ask the Toyokawa family for anything. If they try to be friendly, try to keep your distance. We can’t let Jun be put in a difficult position later.”

“I know my limits. I’ve never asked the Toyokawa family for anything.” Takasaki Mio rolled her eyes at her husband. “But you should be more careful. You’re the one who’s getting along so closely with the Toyokawa family now. If you owe them too many favors, our son will be dragged down by you!”

Hiroshi Takasaki was speechless.

That's right. His life is a mess. If he owes the Toyokawa family a huge favor, his son will have no choice but to "repay the debt."

However, it was clearly impossible to sever ties with the Toyokawa family just like that, since the two sides were old friends and he relied on their cooperation in many ways.

"I'll be careful." In the end, he could only reply with a forced smile. "Anyway, don't worry, I won't gamble with my son's life. If anything happens, I'll take the blame myself."

"Humph."

Mio Takasaki rolled her eyes at her husband again, too lazy to continue criticizing him.

Upon careful consideration, a complete break with the Toyokawa family is currently impossible, so "respect, but maintaining a certain distance" is the best approach.

Sigh, it's just a matter between two kids, yet it causes so much worry for the adults. Being a parent is really tiring.

Soon, it was time for dinner, and Jun Takasaki left his room to have dinner with his parents.

However, when he arrived at the dining table, he sensed that something was off—his parents, who usually barely spoke to each other and barely even exchanged glances, were sitting side by side this time, and seemed to have a tacit understanding with each other.

"Has something serious happened?" He felt a slight pang of panic.

Soon after he sat down, his father, Hiroshi Takasaki, took the initiative to speak.

"Chun, I have something to ask you."

"Dad, please ask." Jun Takasaki nodded quickly.

"What exactly is your relationship with Miss Toyokawa? How far have things progressed?"

Takasaki Jun was momentarily bewildered by his father's sudden question. "What relationship? We're just friends?"

From childhood to adulthood, his parents had never asked him about such private matters, so Jun Takasaki was very uncomfortable with this situation.

“Son, we’re asking you this very seriously now, don’t try to fool your parents.” Seeing her son evade the question, Takasaki Mio interjected, “We’re not blind. We can see how good Miss Toyokawa is to you, and we’ve felt it ourselves… Who would believe you when you say you’re just ordinary friends?”

Once his mother spoke, Jun Takasaki had no choice but to lower his head.

That's right, they've already made it so clear, what's there to deny?

"Hmm... she probably likes me quite a bit, but I'm not sure if it's just a girl's fleeting infatuation. After all, with her family background and talent, she has plenty of other options." He finally answered honestly.

"So what do you think of her?" Takasaki Mio pressed on.

"I...I like her quite a bit, and I enjoy spending time with her, but it's not to the point of being unforgettable," Jun Takasaki answered honestly. "Ultimately, we're both still too young, and it's hard to guarantee what will happen in the future."

After hearing this answer, the parents exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat worried.

"Then let me ask you a question you might not have thought about: Have you considered the possibility of becoming a son-in-law of the Toyokawa family in the future?" Takasaki Hiroshi then asked.

“I heard her father mention this issue when I visited the Toyokawa family,” Jun Takasaki shrugged.

"What?" Takasaki Hiroshi was taken aback.

He didn't expect the other party to be so lacking in "self-control," making their point so clear so early on.

However, upon closer reflection, this is not surprising. Although the Toyokawa family has many members, its main branch is pitifully small in number—both family heads died young, and strictly speaking, only Xiangzi remains in the world with the bloodline of the family head.

Seeing this situation, even if Miss Xiangzi isn't worried, her father and the high-ranking officials within the Fengchuan family who are dependent on the main family must be anxious.

Japan is a country where women can legally marry at the age of 16. Given the Toyokawa family's unique circumstances, it's not surprising that they considered marriage earlier.

"So what was your answer?" Takasaki Hiroshi composed himself, then asked again.

“I didn’t hesitate for a second and refused decisively.” Jun Takasaki answered calmly and indifferently, “I told her father that I respect the Toyokawa family very much, but I have no intention of becoming a son-in-law of the Toyokawa family and will never consider it in this lifetime.”

The couple exchanged another glance, both somewhat shocked, as they had only just learned of this.

"Well done, son." Takasaki Hiroshi couldn't help but gently tap the table, making a dull thud. "You have much more backbone than I do..."

Mio Takasaki's feelings were more complicated; she was both proud and a little worried.

She felt a little sorry for the young lady.

Does Xiangzi know about this?