Tokyo Three Generations

He walked to the storage area, picked up two bottles of mineral water, unscrewed the cap of one of them, and handed it to Wakaba Mutsu, saying, "You've been sweating so much just now, have some water."

It was only then that Wakaba Mutsu realized that she was indeed thirsty.

She nodded gratefully to Jun Takasaki, then picked up the bottled water and took several large gulps, almost choking on them.

Then, she raised her head and looked at Jun Takasaki with eyes full of gratitude.

"I'm sorry for causing everyone so much trouble..."

“No need to apologize, it’s nothing.” Jun Takasaki shook his head gently, then changed the subject, “Mutsu, although my question may be a bit presumptuous, just now… it shouldn’t have been a simple accident, right? I saw it from down below. When your mother called you, your face looked very pale, and that’s when you accidentally fell.”

Faced with such a direct question, Wakaba Mutsu's expression turned somber and dazed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I may have asked something I shouldn't have."

“It’s nothing…” Ruoye Mu suddenly smiled bitterly, “You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? My relationship with my mother isn’t good.”

Jun Takasaki certainly saw this too, but he still couldn't understand why Minami Mori was so heartless. If he had a daughter like Mutsu Wakaba, he would definitely spoil her rotten.

Is she competing with her own daughter for beauty? Is she jealous of her daughter's youth and beauty?

Although it seems absurd, it doesn't seem so strange when you think about the fact that Minami Nami is in the entertainment industry.

After all, the entertainment industry is full of amazing people, so it doesn't seem so abnormal to have one more amazing person like this.

"She...she's jealous of you?"

Faced with Jun Takasaki's cautious question, Mutsumi Wakaba's expression became increasingly subtle.

It's not that simple, but it doesn't seem wrong to say that Mom is "jealous."

So she nodded slightly.

“It must have been tough for you to live with a mother like that for over ten years,” Jun Takasaki suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

No wonder Ruoye Mu developed such a taciturn personality; even if he were in Ruoye Mu's shoes, he would inevitably become withdrawn.

"Actually... once you get used to it, it's not a big deal." Wakaba Mutsu seemed to be making excuses for himself.

“Thank goodness, I don’t have to get used to all this. My mother has her problems too, but she’s been pretty good to me.” Jun Takasaki laughed. “Don’t take this as bragging. I just want to say that even if you’re unlucky enough to have a family like this, please try to think positively. After all, you still have close friends and people who care about you.”

"Thank you for your comforting words."

Ruoye Mu first thanked her, then suddenly remembered something, "Could you not tell Xiangzi? I... I don't want her to worry."

“Okay, I won’t tell her, but… you have to agree to my conditions.” Jun Takasaki answered without hesitation.

"What...conditions?" Wakaba Mutsumi asked, puzzled.

"Feed yourself first," Jun Takasaki shrugged. "Haven't you eaten for almost a day?"

Ruoye Mu opened her eyes wide, as if she wanted to ask him how he knew.

"How do I know? Because it's obvious, you're so weak." Jun Takasaki sighed.

Such warm words, however, suddenly brought a touch of sadness to Wakaba Mutsu's heart.

But why didn't Mom notice?

Or rather, did Mom really look at herself carefully?

Jun Takasaki picked up his phone, found Kenji Sakura's account, and told him to bring back some late-night snacks for himself and Mutsumi Wakaba after he got the new room key at the hotel.

It was late at night, and since Wakaba Mutsu was a girl, she definitely couldn't eat fried food like tempura, so she just grabbed some sushi and pastries to fill her stomach.

After giving his instructions over the phone, Jun Takasaki put away his phone and looked at Mutsumi Wakaba again.

"Mu, I know that ordinary words of comfort mean nothing to you. Being stuck with a family like this is just pure bad luck. But even so, you have things to be proud of, and you deserve to keep living. Anyway, you're almost an adult. As long as you get through these few years, you can leave the Wakaba family and do whatever you want. You can even never see your mother again... So, even if it's just to repay my kindness, please... please live well."

Wakaba Mutsu listened quietly, watching Takasaki Jun's serious expression, and remained silent for a long time.

That's what he genuinely hoped for.

Finally, she nodded slightly.

"Yes, I know. I will not give up living."

At that moment, Jun Takasaki was, of course, unaware of the true meaning of those words.

In the process of constantly fighting against her "inner demons," the seemingly frail Wakaba Mutsumi has a much stronger mind than others imagine.

Despite all the trauma she has suffered, she wants to live on, to live on as the symbol "Wakaba Mutsumi," because there is still a reason to live.

Seeing that the other party had agreed, Jun Takasaki breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can rest assured that."

Just as he was feeling relieved, Wakaba Mutsu suddenly asked a strange question.

"Chun, in your eyes...am I very lowly?"

……

That's a really good question.

Every time he saw Wakaba Mutsu, she was always next to Toyokawa Shoko, playing the role of a silent listener, doing almost everything Shoko asked her to do.

Even if this isn't called "humility," it's at least considered "submission."

But how can you say such things to someone's face?

His silence, however, already told Wakaba Mutsu the answer.

“Yes…” she smiled wryly, “Everyone thinks so.”

Whether it's her parents, her classmates from Tsukimori, or anyone else, everyone can only see themselves surrounding Shoko.

But besides her, who else can understand everything I've endured? Who else can offer me even a moment's respite?

During the awkward silence, Kenji Sakura finally arrived, bringing not only a new room key but also a late-night snack.

The steaming hot late-night snack finally broke the silence.

"Come on, eat more!"

Under Jun Takasaki's warm invitation, Mutsumi Wakaba picked up some seaweed sushi and began to eat it in small bites.

The finely processed Northeast rice and the perfectly balanced fillings triggered a primal excitement in her nervous system.

The concerned look in the eyes of the young man next to her almost brought her to tears.

"What's the schedule for tomorrow?" she suddenly asked while eating.

Jun Takasaki was startled, then quickly waved his hand.

"There are no plans, you can rest."

"What kind of event is it?" Wakaba Mutsu asked.

“There are strawberry picking activities and snow activities. With your current physical condition, participating in ice and snow activities is too much of a burden. If you catch a bad cold as a result, it would be a loss. In the end, we brought you here to add the finishing touches. Even if you don’t appear on camera, no one can blame you for anything… You don’t need to worry about letting anyone down…” Jun Takasaki continued to persuade him.

"I want to go." However, despite Jun Takasaki's patient persuasion, Mutsu Wakaba seemed not to hear him and repeated it quietly once more.

It's like competing with yourself.

Jun Takasaki was initially a little angry, but then he suddenly realized something—she was expressing her will to him.

Looking back, I had seen Wakaba Mutsu several times, but this seemed to be the first time she clearly stated what she "wanted" to do.

Ultimately, what exactly is Wakaba Mutsumi?

It's a beautiful empty shell, an insignificant tail and accessory following behind Toyokawa Shoko.

Or, is it someone who is entitled to have their own opinion?

If she is an individual, then she has the right to express her opinions.

Even using the logic of "this is for your own good," you shouldn't forcibly deprive her of this right.

The reason why Ruoye Mu is so stubborn is not because he is competing with himself, but because he is trying to fully express his opinion—even if it means taking risks.

Now that she has finally expressed her will, what should I do as a self-proclaimed "friend"?

The proper approach should be "respect and offer as much help as possible," rather than making choices for her without her consent. Otherwise, what difference would there be between her and her mother?

Perhaps this is her silent protest against being called "humble".

But I really didn't say that! I was just arguing with myself...

Because he had considered this point, he had no choice but to concede.

"Okay, but you need to be careful."

40, the core base

"Okay, but you need to be careful."

After gaining Jun Takasaki's approval, Mutsumi Wakaba visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you... I'm sorry to trouble you."

Then, perhaps afraid that Takasaki Jun would misunderstand, she explained in a low voice, "I didn't mean to be difficult with you, I just... didn't want to seem useless."

"Isn't that just another argument?" Jun Takasaki thought to himself.

On the bright side, however, it seems that Wakaba Mutsumi is talking more now than before.

It seems she isn't completely withdrawn, just too shy.

Wait a minute, doesn't that mean that I'm no longer a "stranger" in her mind?

Thinking about this actually made him feel better.

“If you want to participate in the activity, you should at least make sure you are in good physical condition, right?” He smiled slightly and pointed to the remaining food on his plate. “If you can’t keep up with the stamina halfway through, you’ll embarrass everyone.”

Reminded by Jun Takasaki, Mutsuka Wakaba also realized what was going on.

Wanting to prove herself, she picked up the sushi again and started eating it bite by bite.

Jun Takasaki watched her eat silently, noticing that her originally pale face had regained some color and her body seemed to have become more human.

That's more like it.

Only then did he realize that it was already late at night, and that Ruo Yemu had experienced such a great mental shock, so she should rest early.

So he stood up and nodded slightly to the other person as a farewell.

"Alright, I'm going back to sleep. You get some rest. I'll handle things with the event organizers; you can do whatever you want. However, I can't talk to your mother right now, so you'll have to handle that yourself—can you manage?"

Ruoye Mu nodded slightly.

Although it didn't seem very convincing, Jun Takasaki felt he should trust her this once.

Anyway, he wasn't afraid of Minami causing trouble. This was his home turf, and if a conflict broke out between the two sides, even if it came down to force, he had a way to make Minami back down.

Good night, see you tomorrow.

"Goodnight..." Wakaba Mutsu still had a grain of rice on her lips, but she still said goodbye to Takasaki Jun earnestly, "See you tomorrow."

Jun Takasaki left the room and gently closed the door.

As expected of a local expert, after explaining the situation to the hotel, Kenji Sakura immediately found Jun Takasaki a room in the best location—next to Mutsumi Wakaba's room.

In other words, his and Minami's room now sandwiches Wakaba Mutsu's room in the middle.

For Jun Takasaki, being able to walk fewer steps was a good thing. He opened the room with his room card, then quickly washed up and went to sleep.

=========================

The next morning, Minami was woken up by the ringing of the telephone.

"Who is it?" she answered the phone impatiently.

"Minami-chan~" came a warm and cheerful greeting from the phone.

After a moment of stunned silence, Minami suddenly snapped out of it.

She stared in disbelief, then looked at the caller ID again before finally accepting reality.

Such a cheerful voice, and it was actually sent by my daughter.

"Mu...?" With a hint of doubt, she tentatively asked in a low voice, "Is it really you?"

"It really is me, Minami-chan, can't you recognize your daughter's voice?" The person on the other end seemed to be pouting.

Logically speaking, such a soft and cute voice should make people happy, but Senmina only felt a little creeped out.