Tokyo Three Generations

"Mr. Takasaki and Mrs. Takasaki, thank you both for your warm hospitality. My daughter and I are very happy today. Although you have encountered some unpleasant things recently, I believe that this little storm will pass, and our two families will continue to work together in the future. I wish you all the best."

"Mr. Toyokawa, thank you for your support at this crucial juncture. I will never forget it. Rest assured, if you ever need our help in the future, please feel free to ask us to come. We will never refuse!" Takasaki Hiroya said goodbye to Toyokawa Kiyoshi warmly.

Then, the Takasaki family members bowed to Toyokawa and his daughter to say goodbye.

After exchanging pleasantries, Toyokawa Kiyotaka slipped back into his Maybach, while Toyokawa Shoko bowed to the Takasaki couple before getting in, then gently waved to Takasaki Jun, saying, "Goodbye~"

"Goodbye." Junya Takasaki nodded.

Then, she got into her car, and the Takasaki family stood at the door, watching the father and daughter drive away in a cloud of dust.

"Miss Toyokawa, you really leave a deep impression..." After the Maybach disappeared from sight, Mio Takasaki couldn't help but sigh. "To be honest, it's impossible to dislike her."

73. Bearing thorns to apologize

After the Toyokawa father and daughter left, the Takasaki family was finally relieved of the joy and tension of having distinguished guests.

Even now, Jun Takasaki and his son Hiroshi Takasaki are still surprised by this sudden event.

Everything that happened before was actually within the scope of the father and son's plan—whether it was Takasaki Hiro's "indiscretion after drinking", the retaliation he suffered, or Takasaki Mio's self-destruction, it was all an operation planned in advance. Even in his old age and retirement, Takasaki Jun was still a shrewd player, making precise moves with every move.

Although the Takasaki family seems to be mired in a public opinion crisis, everything is still under control and has not fundamentally damaged.

However, Miss Toyokawa's actions were completely outside the plans of the father and son.

Admittedly, this is indeed a good thing, as it can further boost the prestige of the Takasaki family. However, the fact that it is "unpredictable" is itself a headache.

Standing alongside a behemoth like the Toyokawa family would bring glory to one's own family, but it would also cast an unexpected shadow.

They originally only wanted to use the succession dispute between the new leaders of the factions to advance their own careers and did not want things to become more complicated.

However, since it has already happened, there's no point in being anxious anymore.

"Unpredictable" and "uncontrollable" are the inherent characteristics of this world, and Takasaki Jun, who has seen many storms, has become accustomed to this situation.

If everything in the world could be done step by step like playing chess, there would be no destroyed countries or lost wars.

No one can be omniscient or omnipotent. Being able to "do one's best and leave the rest to fate," making good plans and executing them diligently, is already considered excellent.

When Jun Takasaki returned to the house, his grandfather called him over again.

"Grandpa, what are your instructions?" he asked.

"Miss Toyokawa has already left?" Grandpa asked in return.

It was a rhetorical question, but Jun Takasaki still answered seriously, "Yes, she just left by car, and I watched her leave."

“What an extraordinary child…” Takasaki Jun suddenly sighed, seemingly quite moved. “When I saw her in Akita last time, she was approachable, chatting and laughing with her friends, and her demeanor was that of a well-bred young lady. I already thought she was quite remarkable. But today, she appeared serious and dignified, handling everything with ease, just like the future head of the Toyokawa family… Considering her age, it’s truly rare. I’m different from you; I’ve interacted with both her mother and grandmother, the heads of the family for two generations. I dare say that given time, she will certainly not be inferior to the previous two heads of the family.”

Jun Takasaki didn't answer, but he was secretly pleased for Shoko. After all, his grandfather didn't praise people easily, and he had no need to curry favor with Shoko Toyokawa in private, so his praise must have been genuine.

At this moment, the grandfather suddenly glanced at his grandson sideways, as if teasing him.

"If it weren't for your grandfather, I would be jealous of you for winning the favor of such a beauty, kid."

The Takasaki family members are all quite intelligent, and they could certainly tell that Miss Toyokawa had feelings for their child.

If the young lady's closeness to her own children could previously be explained by "friendship," after the young lady of the Toyokawa family took the initiative to visit and support the Takasaki family despite public pressure, it all seemed to have become obvious, just waiting to be revealed.

Logically speaking, this should be an honor for the Takasaki family, and the Takasaki father and son should be overjoyed. However, the grandfather had some worries in his heart.

As mentioned before, after the tragic deaths of several generations of family heads, it has become a consensus in the upper circles that "the daughters of the Toyokawa family do not live long." He fears that his grandson will suffer the pain of widowhood at a young age.

That's why he had previously tried to dissuade his grandson from finding another partner.

However, since Miss Toyokawa took the initiative to help her family, saying such things now seems ungrateful.

As a result, Takasaki Jun, who is usually shrewd and decisive, is now unusually conflicted about this issue.

However, having experienced ups and downs for decades, he ultimately lived a more insightful life than most people.

Let the young people handle their own affairs; I can't walk every step of my grandson's life for him.

Even if Miss Toyokawa doesn't live long, she'll most likely outlive me. When the time comes, I can just close my eyes and let the younger generation do whatever they want. Why should I step in and be the villain?

"Chun, I won't say anything more. Everything depends on your own decision and efforts." Finally, he sighed. "Also, do your best in everything and then leave the rest to fate. Since you said it yourself, you must do your best to do it."

Grandpa didn't say which one, but Jun Takasaki knew perfectly well.

“I know, I’ve always kept this in my mind and have been working hard to achieve it… Don’t worry, I will definitely do it.”

"Alright, then I won't say any more." Grandpa nodded, then changed the subject. "Next, you will represent your father and me to go to Komuro's house to apologize and make amends."

The Komuro family was Takasaki Mio's maternal family.

In her interview, Mio Takasaki took full responsibility for the revelations, but her repeated mentions of her family inadvertently brought the Komuro family into the spotlight.

Since they've unjustly tarnished the reputation of the Komuro family, it would be unreasonable not to apologize.

However, it would be too humiliating for Takasaki Jun or Takasaki Hiroshi to personally go to apologize, as it would damage their family's reputation. Therefore, it was just right for Takasaki Jun, as the heir, to go and apologize.

That's why Junya Takasaki wasn't too surprised to hear his grandfather's order.

"Okay," he agreed softly. "When should I go?"

"Talk to your mother first and have her contact her brothers to set a suitable time. Then you can go and visit them," Takasaki Jun replied.

Jun Takasaki's maternal grandfather had passed away, and his children divided the inheritance among themselves. His eldest son (who was also his maternal uncle) inherited the main family business and the Komuro family's political and business connections.

The Takasaki family mainly interacted with this maternal uncle. From a young age, Takasaki Jun would visit his uncle's family with his mother during holidays and receive generous gifts from them. Therefore, Takasaki Jun had a good impression of this family.

However, the so-called good relationship only reached the level of "normal interaction" between relatives, and could not be considered a "heart-to-heart" relationship. The two families were more about each taking what they needed from each other.

It's easy to imagine that if the Takasaki family lost their seats in parliament and fell out of politics, Uncle Komuro would definitely close the living room door and never let Jun Takasaki step into it again.

Conversely, if the Komuro family suddenly went bankrupt, the Takasaki family would only stand by and watch, and wouldn't tie themselves to them.

However, the situation is different now. This time, the Takasaki family made the Komuro family take the blame for nothing. To put it mildly, they owed them a favor, so it's no surprise that the uncle won't be happy.

Even if you don't get the cold shoulder, you're almost guaranteed to get some sarcastic remarks.

However, given Jun Takasaki's cultivated temperament and willpower, he was able to endure even if he were humiliated after visiting the place.

It's nothing, just consider it a contribution to the family.

Although Jun Takasaki didn't say what he was thinking, he could roughly guess what his grandson was thinking from his expression.

So he gently tapped the armrest and reminded his grandson.

“Chun, since it’s an apology, we should be sincere. You need to be respectful to your uncle and aunt and apologize to them properly.” At this point, he changed his tone and became firmer. “However, don’t be too humble and make our family lose face! Over the years, our family has helped them a lot. Now that our family is in trouble, what’s wrong with using them as a shield?”

At this point, he sneered again, "I've known your grandfather for fifty years. In these fifty years, without our family's constant help, how could they have had such a smooth journey, going from a regional liquor merchant in Northeast China to the Guandong region and building their current business? It is they who have wronged us, not us who have wronged them! You must keep this in mind and not disgrace our family's dignity."

At the press conference, Mio Takasaki said, "My family is a liquor merchant, so I asked my husband to help out in my family's business." Although this was a carefully crafted statement by the Takasaki father and son, it was not without basis.

For decades, the Takasaki family has been one of the backers of the Komuro family's liquor business. Their business has grown bigger and bigger, and the Takasaki family's help is indispensable. Of course, most of the reward for this help goes back to the Takasaki family's secret bank account through Mio Takasaki's share dividends. Both families get what they need.

Therefore, in Takasaki Jun's view, it's acceptable to give face and apologize in person, but it's enough to stop there and express one's sincerity. If the Komuro family is relentless and dares to show their teeth at him, then he can deal with them as well.

Since his grandfather said so, Jun Takasaki understood and readily agreed.

After leaving his grandfather, Jun Takasaki went to his mother and relayed his grandfather's orders to her.

Upon hearing that her father-in-law wanted her son to apologize to her parents' home, Mio Takasaki's first reaction was not joy, but worry.

Logically speaking, she should apologize for causing trouble for her family. However, Takasaki Mio was proud and arrogant from a young age and was on par with her older brother. Even though their relationship improved after she grew up, it was only superficial. After becoming a member of parliament's wife, she held an even more superior position at home, to the point that her sister-in-law could only subtly bow down to her.

It's easy to imagine that while her brother and sister-in-law were outwardly respectful, they must have harbored resentment behind her back. They usually didn't dare to show it, but now that she was in trouble, they were probably secretly gloating.

It's easy to imagine that if the son goes to his wife's family to apologize, he might be met with cold shoulders or ridicule.

She couldn't bear to see her son suffer, much less let her family's reputation be tarnished.

“If I wanted to apologize, I could just make a phone call. There’s no need to go to their door to apologize.” So, her first reaction upon hearing the news was to object. “We’re relatives, and it’s only right that we help each other out. Why make such a big deal out of it… Besides, it’s not like we haven’t helped them before.”

Despite his mother's words, Jun Takasaki felt that a personal apology would be more sincere, especially since it was his grandfather's wish, and he didn't want to go against it.

"Mom, I know you don't want me to suffer, but now that I'm all grown up and a member of this family, I should step up and take responsibility when I encounter misfortune, instead of standing idly by."

Besides, I believe my uncle is a seasoned veteran. Since our family has proactively offered a way out, they won't make things too ugly... After all, we still hold considerable power, and they'll know their limits.”

After comforting his mother, Jun Takasaki gently hugged her again. "To be honest, compared to the hardships you've endured, what are a few cold stares and sarcastic remarks to me? I'm actually hoping to suffer a bit, so that I can offset some of the guilt in my heart and feel that I'm not the coward who only uses my mother as a shield. So, please let me go."

Takasaki Mio was so moved by her son's tender words that she almost burst into tears.

Since we've come this far, let's go along with his wishes.

Then, she picked up her phone from the table, which had been switched off for several days, and turned it back on.

As soon as she turned on her phone, countless missed calls and text messages appeared on the screen, but Mio Takasaki didn't even glance at them. She simply looked up her older brother Akira Komuro's phone number in her phonebook.

The call was answered quickly, and then came the voice of Akira Komuro, which sounded both puzzled and delighted.

"Mio! I called you these past few days, why didn't you answer? Are you alright now?"

"Hmph, if you're really that worried about me, why don't you just come and visit me in person? Even a complete stranger like Miss Toyokawa dares to do that, why don't you? It's just that you're afraid of getting into trouble because something happened to me..." Takasaki Mio sneered inwardly.

However, she didn't show her displeasure. Instead, she sincerely apologized to her brother, "Brother, I'm sorry. Because of our family's affairs, you've gotten into trouble and been criticized. I'm really sorry!"

There was silence on the other end of the conversation.

Clearly, he was a little taken aback when his usually proud and arrogant sister suddenly apologized to him.

However, he quickly realized what was happening.

"It's alright, it's just some outside doubts. I'm just a wine seller, so what if people question me? But you and your brother-in-law... I was worried about you. Are you alright now?"

"Of course nothing will happen..." Takasaki Mio smiled bitterly, "But at least everything is still within our control, and nothing serious will happen."

Although she spoke with confidence, Akira Komuro was only skeptical. After all, this round of public opinion offensive was so powerful that it was clear that the Takasaki family had really offended someone with a very strong background.

"Oh, it's alright... then I won't worry anymore." But he kept agreeing.

"Please understand, I'm in a really bad mood right now, so I won't say much more. I'm planning to have Jun come over to see you and formally apologize. Are you available anytime soon?" Takasaki Mio got to the point.

“What are you saying? Why would we pick a time for our nephew to come over? We welcome him anytime.” Akira Komuro readily agreed.

74, the real thing.

The next day, Jun Takasaki went to visit his uncle's house as promised.

As wealthy businessmen spanning generations, the Komuro family lived a comfortable life in a villa in the suburbs of Tokyo.

Jun Takasaki had visited his uncle's house many times since he was a child, so he was quite familiar with the place.

He rang the doorbell outside the gate, and the gate opened quickly.

Then, a young man came out of the house and quickly walked towards Jun Takasaki.

When he reached Jun Takasaki, he enthusiastically opened his arms and shouted in an exaggerated tone that ordinary Japanese people would not use.

"Hi! My dear bro, how have you been lately?"

This young man looked a few years older than Jun Takasaki. He was quite tall and wore a golf polo shirt. He was slightly overweight but not bulky. His features were somewhat similar to Jun Takasaki's. However, due to his long-term indulgence in alcohol and women, his steps were somewhat unsteady and lacked the upright and sharp posture of Jun Takasaki.

"Tou-ge? You're back?" Upon seeing the person who came, Takasaki Jun was first surprised, and then delighted.

That's right, this is Akira Komuro's son, Toru Komuro, who is also Jun Takasaki's cousin.

The two had a good relationship since childhood. As the older cousin, Komuro Toru often gave his younger cousin the comics he had finished reading and the game CDs he had collected.

After the Komuro family became wealthy, they developed a strong interest in foreign fashion trends, so Toru Komuro studied in the United States from high school until he graduated from university.

This also made him extremely outgoing, and he was usually very easygoing, without the typical restraint of Japanese people.

Moreover, he particularly enjoys party culture and often organizes house parties with his friends. He also invited his cousin to parties several times after the cousin came of age, but Jun Takasaki refused most of them because he didn't like it too noisy.

The Komuro family had hoped that their son would study abroad to absorb Western knowledge and then lead the family business to internationalization with a completely new management style. However, Komuro Toru seems to have no interest in running the business at all and spends his days eating, drinking, and having fun, which has greatly annoyed his parents. However, they are helpless and can only curse the American education system as being terrible.

"Jun, it's been so long! We really need to have a few drinks!" Komuro Tooru was quite excited to see his cousin. "Come on, I'll take you there later. It'll help you relax."

“I’ve come today to apologize to my uncle,” Jun Takasaki emphasized.

"What's with all this apology? My old man doesn't care at all." Komuro Toru shrugged nonchalantly. "Your dad was just playing around, what's wrong with spending a little money? We men should be this carefree! As for Aunt, she did suffer a bit, but so what? If she didn't have the title of Mrs. Takasaki, her girlfriends wouldn't usually be so subservient to her. It's a trade-off, isn't it..."

...Takasaki Jun really didn't expect that when he came to apologize, the person he was apologizing to was even less concerned than he was.

The two chatted as they walked back into the house, and at that moment, Takasaki Jun's uncle, Komuro Akira, also came over.

"Chun, how's everything at home? I heard Uncle Run is here recently, he should be alright, right?"

"Thanks to you, our family is still safe and sound," Takasaki Jun replied respectfully. "I'm so sorry, Uncle, that you've been implicated this time. I'm here on behalf of Dad and Grandpa to express our heartfelt apologies... We will reflect deeply on our actions in the future."

As the heir to the Takasaki family, his personal visit and the way he spoke so humbly showed them considerable respect.