Tokyo Three Generations

Instead of immediately replying to Toyokawa Shoko's message, she found Takasaki Jun's account on the chat app.

Looking at the familiar image of the white-haired, dog-eared boy, she couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"Chun, are you free now?" she texted.

The other side replied very quickly.

"Yes, what's up?"

"Um... I finally got spring break and have some free time lately, so I'm planning to come to Akita for a visit and also see my mother. Is that okay?" After sending the message, she nervously looked at the chat interface, her heart racing, afraid that the other party would refuse.

“Okay, message me when you arrive in Akita and I’ll make arrangements immediately.” However, she wasn’t disappointed; the other party replied almost instantly and agreed to her request.

"Thank you!" she said with a sigh of relief, then sincerely thanked the other person, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you."

“No need to be so polite,” Jun Takasaki replied. “It is only natural for a daughter to see her mother, and I promised you that before. We are not happy to separate you from your family, but there are reasons for it. Since you are so cooperative, I will certainly keep my promise. Besides, your mother has helped me a lot recently, so I should repay her in some way.”

Knowing about her mother's special job, Motoyo Nagasaki didn't ask what help her mother had given her; she was simply happy that her request had been granted.

"Okay! See you then!" Nagasaki Motoyo smiled with relief. "I'll message you when I arrive."

As expected, he's always been so reliable... With that thought in mind, I closed the chat window between the two of us.

Then, she opened Toyokawa Shoko's chat interface and replied.

“Okay, Xiangzi, I can go with you.”

Toyokawa Shoko replied very quickly, "Okay, I'll book your plane ticket, let's go together then. I'll cover all your food and accommodation expenses, don't refuse or be polite, consider this our band's group activity fund—"

Our band?

If it's just the two of us, does that count as a band activity? Nagasaki Motoyo keenly sensed something was amiss.

"Is Mu going too?" she asked.

"Yes, to be precise, Mu is already there. Um... she went there with her mother to participate in some kind of tourism endorsement activity."

Although Shoko's words seemed to make no problem, Nagasaki Motoyo still felt a little uneasy for no reason, and she couldn't explain why.

She paused for a moment, considering her words.

But in the end, she didn't ask anything.

"Okay, I got it. Let's hang out there together then! Since she's already there, she must know what fun places there are."

"Okay, then get ready. We'll board the plane together tomorrow."

Even after the two ended their conversation, that strange feeling still lingered in Nagasaki Motoyo's mind, making her inexplicably upset.

However, she was mentally strong, so she quickly put aside this unfounded worry.

Now, the most important thing is that I need to go see my mother.

Moreover, she suddenly realized that since her mother was under the protection of the Takasaki family, she should also pay a "visit" to the Takasaki family.

Therefore, you must prepare a gift for the occasion...

Although the Takasaki family would certainly look down on my meager earnings, I still couldn't neglect the proper etiquette.

We can't let the people over there look down on us.

She had heard Chun mention before that her grandfather lived in his hometown.

So, just buy a gift that the elderly will like—tea would be a good choice.

So, after thinking all this through, she cheerfully hummed a tune and began preparing for her upcoming journey.

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

The next day, Nagasaki Motoyo arrived at the airport on time as agreed and met up with Toyokawa Shoko.

Originally, the Toyokawa family owned a private jet, but Toyokawa Shoko didn't want to make a big fuss about it, and she also felt that using a private jet to go to Akita would make her seem too extravagant. So she simply had her maid book tickets for herself and Nagasaki Motoyo—of course, the maid herself would also go along.

"Good morning, Motoyo!" After the two met up, Toyokawa Shoko greeted Nagasaki Motoyo.

"Good morning, Shoko." Nagasaki Motoyo greeted her with a smile and a nod, dragging her suitcase to her side.

Compared to Miss Toyokawa, who had a lot of luggage, Motoyo Nagasaki only brought a change of clothes in a simple suitcase, along with a beautifully packaged box.

After exchanging greetings, Toyokawa Shoko immediately noticed the gift box, and her smile instantly froze slightly.

"Whose house are you going to visit? You're so well prepared."

“Well, since we’re going to Akita, we should definitely visit Jun’s house... otherwise it would be too impolite,” Nagasaki Motoyo replied with a smile.

"No wonder you're family friends..." To this, Toyokawa Shoko could only respond with a dry laugh.

Actually, she had thought that once she went to Akita, she would definitely pay a visit to the Takasaki family. She even had her maid prepare an expensive gift, but she was too embarrassed to tell Su Shi about it now.

Originally, she wanted Su Shi to be her shield, but was this really a good idea? She couldn't help but secretly question her decision.

However, now that things have come to this, there's no going back. We can't just send Nagasaki Motoyo back at the last minute; that would be too much.

Besides, if Su Shi really wanted to pay a visit, she could go by herself even without my invitation.

Thinking about this made her relax.

"While I understand you want to visit his home, let's go find Mu first after we get off the plane, since this is one of our group activities, right?"

"That's possible. So, have you already spoken to Mu?"

That's something that hasn't been said yet, of course.

If I say it now, and Mu replies, "I'm quite busy here and don't have time for any activities, sorry... let's get together next time," then how should I respond? Should I just start arguing with her?

Toyokawa Shoko, of course, would not give Mutsu the opportunity to politely decline her offer.

Only by landing first and then telling her will she have no way to dodge.

“Not yet. Wouldn’t it be better if we surprised her?” So she smiled and shook her head. “Let’s tell her when we get there.”

Nagasaki Motoyo blinked. Although Toyokawa-sama's words seemed reasonable, she still felt that something was off.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko also realized that she had to make Sue aware of the seriousness of the situation.

So she sighed softly.

"Mu is really busy right now, attending all sorts of events, appearing on camera herself, and dealing with all kinds of external pressure... She really has it tough..."

After making a sarcastic remark, she casually asked, "Have you seen that photo? It's been circulating quite widely lately."

"What photo?" Nagasaki Motoyo asked, looking bewildered.

She is not a fan of Minami Mori at all, and naturally does not follow Minami Mori's activities.

Without saying much, Toyokawa Shoko picked up her phone and forwarded the image she had downloaded to Nagasaki Motoyo.

Nagasaki Motoyo was puzzled, but she still picked up her phone and looked at it.

Then, just like Toyokawa Shoko yesterday morning, her expression changed slightly, then she seemed unwilling to give up and zoomed in on the picture, and finally, she lowered her head in dejection.

Looking at Nagasaki Motoyo's current state, Toyokawa Shoko did not feel smug; instead, she felt a sense of shared misfortune.

So she didn't make any sarcastic remarks, but simply broke the silence between the two of them.

That's just how it is. I never expected it to turn out this way.

“They’re standing together, looking so happy.” At that moment, Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly came to her senses and murmured a sigh.

Although she still looked somewhat unwilling, she also seemed to feel a sense of relief and acceptance.

"Although we've known each other for a while, I've never seen her so happy before."

Eh?

Toyokawa Shoko was somewhat at a loss due to Su Shi's strange reaction.

"You...you don't find it surprising?" she asked cautiously.

“It was a bit of a surprise.” Nagasaki Motoyo sighed softly. “But seeing someone I know happy makes me happy too…”

Toyokawa Shoko tilted her head.

Although it was hard to understand this mentality, she could tell that this was indeed Nagasaki Motoyo's true thought.

"Su Shi, it's such a blessing to be friends with you..." In the end, she could only sigh.

"You said it yourself, so you can't leave me behind anymore," Nagasaki Motoyo joked. "Otherwise, I'll be very angry!"

“How could I!” Toyokawa Shoko immediately shook her head. “I’m not blind. If I were to abandon such a good friend, I would be too ungrateful…”

"You're making me feel embarrassed. I'm not that great..." Nagasaki Motoyo couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh when she saw Toyokawa Shoko's reply. "I just hope that everyone around me can live a good life, no matter who it is. And that doesn't mean I think I'm inferior to anyone else. I believe that even if it were me in the photo, I could smile just as brightly, or even smile more beautifully... I still have that competitive spirit."

“What if I think I’m prettier?” Toyokawa Shoko asked back.

The two looked at each other, then smiled knowingly.

There was mutual appreciation, but also a hidden resentment.

At this point, it was very close to the time for the plane to take off.

Taking advantage of the moment, Toyokawa Shoko no longer hesitated. She picked up her phone and dialed Takasaki Jun's number.

"Xiangzi? What's up? Also, why is it so noisy here?" Takasaki Jun's voice came through the phone after it was connected.

"Jun, I'm coming to Akita soon to hang out with Mutsu. If I have time later, I might visit your house again... Thank you!" Toyokawa Shoko said what she had already thought of.

"Huh?" This series of words surprised Jun Takasaki.

"That's all. The plane will be taking off soon. See you then. I'll leave you a message!" Before he could give her any further response, Toyokawa Shoko hung up the phone.

50. Wonderful Time

Before receiving a call from Toyokawa Shoko, Takasaki Atsumasa and Mori Minami's group went to the ski resort for a promotional event.

Although it is already close to April and spring has arrived in many places, Akita Prefecture, due to its high latitude and mountainous terrain, still has many peaks that have not yet melted snow and can still be used as ski resorts.

As an important part of tourism promotion, the ski resort is naturally a key location for this event, and it has long been prepared to receive visitors.

Upon arriving at the ski resort, Minami Mori immediately began taking photos and videos with those around her, while Mutsuya Wakaba stood alone to the side, not participating in the photo shoot.

By this time, Mutsumi Wakaba had changed into a ski suit and looked well prepared, but Jun Takasaki was still a little worried looking at her thin and frail body.

"Mu, can you ski?" he asked with concern.

"Not really," Wakaba Mutsu replied somewhat embarrassedly. "I'm not very good at sports."

Jun Takasaki was not surprised by this answer. "Then be careful. Skiing is a dangerous sport with a high risk of accidents."

"Jun, are you good at this?" Wakaba Mutsu asked in return.

"I wouldn't say I'm very good at it, just somewhat proficient," Jun Takasaki smiled. "Every winter when I go back to my hometown, I come here to ski, and I've gotten used to it over time."

To improve his physical fitness, Jun Takasaki has practiced many sports, which has given him physical abilities beyond those of his peers.

However, he detested old-fashioned sports like golf, but his father, Hiroshi Takasaki, was a big fan and had memberships at several high-end golf clubs.

It seems that for Representative Takasaki, the golf club was more than just a place to play golf...

"Then teach me," Wakaba Mutsu said, making a request. "If an experienced person is there to guide me, there shouldn't be any danger..."

Jun Takasaki agreed to the request without hesitation.

He helped Wakaba Mutsu change into special snow boots, goggles, and appropriate protective gear, and then put on his skis. Because the wind was quite strong on the mountain, he also made sure Wakaba Mutsu wore a neck warmer.

Then the two of them pulled each other into the snow.

Since Mutsu was a beginner, it would have been too dangerous for her to go straight to a steep slope, so Jun Takasaki took her to a relatively flat ski slope.

The view here is expansive, and the weather is perfect at this moment, with a clear blue sky that is almost cloudless.

The blue sky and white snowfields, seemingly unrelated colors, appear to merge together on the horizon. Looking further to the side, the distant snow-capped peaks refract the sunlight into iridescent patterns, while further still, the cities and villages below appear and disappear in the distance.

This magnificent and awe-inspiring scene resonated not only with Jun Takasaki, but also seemed to touch him deeply.

"So beautiful..." she couldn't help but mutter softly.

Even through the goggles, Jun Takasaki could still see that childlike, pure smile on Mutsumi Wakaba's face.

So, he too was infected and began to smile.

"Yes."

Against such a backdrop, the petty squabbles of the world seem utterly meaningless.

So enjoy this moment of happiness.