Tokyo Three Generations

"Jun, give up. Stop getting involved in the Toyokawa family's mess."

As soon as the call connected, Hiroshi Takasaki's slightly tired voice came through the receiver.

His father's words and tone immediately gave Jun a bad feeling. "Dad, can you tell me why?"

Hiroshi Takasaki hesitated for a moment, but still told his son.

"I've already found out that what's really going to bring down Toyokawa Kiyoko isn't the 168 billion yen investment loss at all, but a much more serious problem. For years, they've been falsifying accounts, using related-party transactions to inflate profits, concealing bad debts, and transferring funds. The scale is estimated to be over 1500 billion yen... The Ministry of Finance was furious when they found out and demanded an explanation. After internal discussions within the Toyokawa family, they decided to use the investment failure as a pretext to force Toyokawa Kiyoko to leave the house to atone for his crimes. This way, they can give an explanation to the government without causing too much of a stir in the outside world."

When Jun Takasaki heard the figure of 1500 billion, he gasped in shock.

But on the other hand, he felt somewhat relieved.

That makes sense.

The Toyokawa family's version of events was that the investment failed by 168 billion yen, and that's how they deceived Toyokawa Shoko. But this was just a smokescreen to appease outsiders; the real huge hole could only be quietly covered up in the shadows.

Outsiders often assume that conglomerates are all-powerful and can do whatever they want, but little do they know that in centralized countries, the "government offices" are always the true dominant force.

The government can decide on financial policies and industrial planning, and naturally it can also target specific financial groups for support or crackdown.

Of course, the "government offices" are not omnipotent; bureaucrats at the executive level are also subject to the constraints of politicians.

At the same time, politicians need overt and covert funding from conglomerates to win elections and maintain their power.

Financial magnates, politicians, and bureaucrats are mutually restrictive yet also intertwined and permeated, forming an inseparable elite class that ultimately constitutes the entire nation.

The Ministry of Finance, as its name suggests, is the most core and authoritative department among the government agencies.

Moreover, behind the Financial Services Agency of the Ministry of Finance sits the high and mighty Deputy Prime Minister, who can truly wield immense power.

Under such suppression, the Toyokawa family was unable to resist at all. In addition, they had something on their hands that others could not help, so they had no choice but to bow their heads and beg for mercy.

"How utterly incompetent..." After a long silence, Jun Takasaki could only sigh.

Financial fraud isn't the problem; every company does it, and Japan has seen countless similar scandals in recent years. However, when someone catches you red-handed and elevates the issue to the point where you have to give an explanation, then that becomes a problem for the Toyokawa family themselves.

“Right, now that things have come to this, Toyokawa Kiyoko can only say he brought it on himself. I don’t think we can help them anymore, so you shouldn’t get involved.” Takasaki Hiroshi coldly took over the conversation.

Then, as if comforting his son, he softened his tone slightly, "Alright, let's leave it at that. I'll have Kenji transfer your living expenses for this month to you later."

After saying that, he hung up the phone, leaving Jun Takasaki alone, bewildered in the wind.

It took Jun Takasaki a long time to recover from the shock.

It's no wonder he was so distraught, because just a moment ago he was full of confidence, but suddenly he found himself in a desperate situation with no way to escape.

"What an incompetent fool!" he couldn't help but curse again, startling the college students passing by.

I really admire them for managing to get things to this point.

Even a loss of 1500 billion yen is not a fatal blow to the Toyokawa Group, but the investigation by the government is an inescapable death trap.

Since the higher-ups have given their orders, we have to give an explanation.

Faced with such a dead end, it's perfectly normal for the old man to want to run away; in fact, it's more in line with his character.

What could he do without his father's help?

He can't handle 168 billion, and he's even less capable of handling 1500 billion.

In an instant, his face burned with embarrassment, and he felt that all the cool things he had said in front of Toyokawa Shoko now seemed like a joke.

Should we just give up like this?

Sometimes, perhaps escapism is a virtue. As long as he never appears in front of Toyokawa Shoko again in this lifetime, he should be able to calmly accept his failure.

However, the young man's intense and stubborn pride made it difficult for him to overcome this hurdle.

Does this have to end? Is there no other way?

Jun Takasaki's mind raced as he desperately tried to find a way to turn things around.

The Toyokawa family needs to give an explanation, and Toyokawa Shoko needs to keep her father...

Like a flash of lightning in the night, he suddenly found the solution.

Yes, there are still ways.

The answer lies in the riddle itself.

7. Find a different approach

Night fell.

Like many days before, Toyokawa Shoko huddled in her bed, awaiting yet another sleepless night.

Due to prolonged lack of rest, her originally fair eyes now had dark circles, and there were even some bloodshot veins in her eyes.

Most people around her believed that it was because she was overwhelmed with grief over her mother's passing, but that was not the case.

She was indeed very sad, dreaming of her mother almost every day, but what caused her so much pain was not just her mother's passing.

Raised as the family heir from a young age, she developed an extremely strong character. She knew that after her mother's death, it would be her turn to shoulder the family's responsibilities, and she could not allow herself to be crushed by grief.

So, after the initial days of heartbreak, she has calmed down, accepted the reality of losing her mother forever, and is ready to face the future.

However, just as she gritted her teeth, stood up, and looked ahead, she discovered that there was another bottomless abyss ahead.

Her father was leaving her, and she was even being kicked out of the Toyokawa family, no longer considered "family."

How could she possibly accept that?

If she lost both her father and mother, what would be left for her to cherish in the Toyokawa family?

Just when she had made up her mind to simply break down the door and leave the Toyokawa family with her father, the unexpected appearance of Jun Takasaki rekindled a glimmer of hope in her heart to salvage the situation.

No, it's less of a hope and more of a last-ditch effort—like trying anything as a last resort.

When Charles VII was in dire straits, with no troops or funds left, he probably entrusted his last remaining army with the task of relieving the siege of Orléans. This was likely due to a similar mindset.

After that, she could only continue to wait, watching helplessly as the situation deteriorated step by step.

How is he doing?

The girl sitting on the bed finally couldn't hold back any longer. She picked up her phone, wanting to find the newly added contact in the chat app to ask.

The chat software is filled with tiny red dots representing unanswered messages.

When her mother passed away, her family had already arranged for her to take a short leave of absence from school.

Since then, her classmates (and friends) from the girls' school have been sending messages to inquire about her well-being, but she has no mood to reply.

She had a vague premonition that she might never be able to attend that top girls' school again, and that one day she might become a stranger to them. Because of this, she was even more afraid to face them.

The thought of this caused her heart to clench painfully again, and she frantically scrolled through the page to find the young man who hadn't sent her a message yet.

As if by some unseen force, a line of text suddenly appeared on the chat interface at that moment.

"Miss Toyokawa, how are you now?"

For a moment, Toyokawa Shoko thought she was seeing things, but she quickly suppressed her excitement and then looked at the nickname on the chat interface.

After confirming, she took a deep breath.

Then, she typed rapidly, replying quickly.

"Good evening, Mr. Takasaki. I'm doing alright now... or rather, I haven't gotten any worse."

"So... is it convenient for you to talk now? I have something important to discuss with you." Another message came from the other end.

Toyokawa Shoko didn't know what had happened, but from the tone of his voice, she knew there must be something important. So she didn't answer immediately, but got out of bed and looked outside the door.

The servants all knew that the young lady was heartbroken, and no one dared to disturb her, so they all kept their distance.

After confirming that no one was around the bedroom, she closed the door with peace of mind, then returned to bed and typed a reply.

"You can make a call, but please don't speak too loudly and disturb others."

There were no more pleasantries; they immediately called back.

With a touch of trepidation, Toyokawa Shoko answered the phone.

"How are you? How much longer do you have with your father?" As soon as the call connected, Jun Takasaki bombarded him with questions.

“I don’t know. My father has been avoiding me lately and won’t tell me.” Toyokawa Shoko felt another pang of sadness. “However, the servants are already packing his luggage. I guess it will be either tomorrow or the day after.”

"So, it's come to an end?" Jun Takasaki sighed. "Then we have to fight to the death."

"A desperate gamble?" Toyokawa Shoko didn't quite understand.

“I’m afraid you don’t yet realize how serious the situation is.” Jun Takasaki’s tone grew increasingly cold. “After I got home, I asked my father to use his network of connections to conduct a secret investigation. The trouble that is troubling your father and even the entire Toyokawa family is more serious than you imagined.”

"What?" Toyokawa Shoko gasped.

Could it get any worse?

"The issue involving the Toyokawa family isn't just 168 billion, but at least 1500 billion. And what's more fatal is that it has clearly provoked the wrath of those at higher levels. It seems that an explanation is absolutely necessary now. Even my father feels powerless to reverse the situation."

"Is that so..." Toyokawa Shoko's hands and feet turned cold, and she collapsed onto the bed in an instant, even her voice becoming weak and powerless.

Although she wasn't familiar with Jun Takasaki, she instinctively felt that what he said made sense—at least it could explain the subtle attitude of her grandfather and father.

The amount, ten times greater than before, seemed to have transformed into an invisible mountain, pressing down on her heart.

She had never lived independently nor had she been involved in the family business, so she didn't have a concrete concept of money. But even so, according to common sense, she knew how huge this amount was, even exceeding her imagination.

Moreover, she sensed a sense of helplessness from the other person's words.

If Representative Takasaki decides to stay out of it, what can Jun Takasaki do?

For a moment, she gave a bitter laugh, both for her unfortunate experience and for her previous wishful thinking that she had placed her hopes on the other party.

Reality is ultimately cruel.

After figuring all of this out, she became stronger.

There is nothing she cannot face. Even if her mother dies and her father is exiled, she can still live on with strength.

“Thank you, Mr. Takasaki…” she said to Takasaki Jun in an unusually calm tone. “Although the result is disappointing, I can see your efforts. I said before that I would repay you no matter what the outcome is. So, in the future, if there is anything you need my help with, just let me know.”

—Although it seems I won't be able to help much in the future.

Having lost the aura of Miss Toyokawa, what is left of her? She looked up at the beautifully decorated ceiling, lost in thought.

Jun Takasaki seemed to sense Shoko Toyokawa's relief at that moment, which made him even more anxious.

"Wait, don't give up!" He raised his voice. "Miss Toyokawa, I haven't finished yet! There's still a way!"

"What other options are there? We're already checkmated!" Toyokawa Shoko couldn't hold back anymore, her voice almost breaking with tears as she answered, "Dad knew this too, which is why he decided to shoulder everything!"

“That’s right, the Toyokawa family is checkmated, but that doesn’t mean Mr. Toyokawa Kiyoshi is checkmated—” Takasaki Jun calmly replied, “The so-called explanation doesn’t necessarily have to be your father. In a sense, there are actually more suitable people to explain to—”

Toyokawa Shoko initially didn't understand what the other person was saying.

But she wasn't stupid; she quickly figured it out.

"You...you mean my grandfather?" she asked in a trembling voice.

“Yes, if Mr. Toyokawa Sadaharu decides to take responsibility, then your father certainly won’t have to be kicked out of the house with a bad reputation and shame…” Takasaki Jun responded, “Moreover, as the eldest member of the Toyokawa family now, and the longest-serving executive, shouldn’t Mr. Sadaharu take responsibility for the management mistakes of the past years? It’s perfectly reasonable for him to take responsibility, isn’t it?”

Xiangzi did not answer immediately.

She just sneered, or even sneered.

"So this is the brilliant idea you came up with for me? You want me to sacrifice Grandpa to protect Dad! Isn't that just as disastrous for me?"

“I understand your feelings, but looking at it now, this is actually the best way to handle it.” Jun Takasaki seemed to have anticipated Shoko Toyokawa’s reaction, so he patiently explained, “Mr. Sadaharu has been married into the Toyokawa family for many years, and his network of connections is much wider than Mr. Seikako’s. Once he takes responsibility, others will be less likely to criticize the Toyokawa family, and more people will be willing to speak up for him. Moreover, the Ministry of Finance’s accountability ultimately depends on the opinions of those old fogies at the top. The old folks will only sympathize with the old folks. Seeing Mr. Sadaharu’s courage and sincerity, they will be lenient, or at least not so harsh. Then, with other expressions of sincerity, it will be enough to persuade those old fogies. After a while, when you officially take control of the Toyokawa family, you can bring him back into the public eye as honorary president, senior advisor, or something like that. That way, everyone can weather the storm peacefully, isn’t that great?”

Having calmed down somewhat, Toyokawa Shoko now noticed the subtle difference in the situation—

The father would be kicked out of the house, while the grandfather only needed to temporarily retire on the surface. The difference in severity between the two was like heaven and earth.

But is it really necessary to go to that extent?

She didn't want to break with her father, nor did she want to break with her grandfather.

“I…I don’t think we should have done that.”

“Of course you don’t have to do that. But if you do, you’ll have to abandon the Toyokawa family and run away with your father, won’t you? Isn’t that the same as breaking with your grandfather?” Jun Takasaki continued to persuade him. “Moreover, as the sole heir, abandoning the family business left by your mother and betraying her expectations… is that how you repay her?”

Toyokawa Shoko remained silent, perhaps unsure of how to respond.

Seeing that he had persuaded the other party, Jun Takasaki continued to encourage him, "I know that it is not easy to make such a decision, but if you weigh the options, this is probably the best way, right? You have saved your father, your grandfather has only been punished temporarily, and the Toyokawa family has a chance to be reborn and continue... Isn't this the best outcome? Please think about it carefully."

Toyokawa Shoko fell silent again.