Tokyo Three Generations

"So you mean I should just stay home all the time, close my eyes, and wait for the day when the world forgets me before I go out again?" Takasaki Mio asked with a stern face.

"Of course that's not what I meant!" Jun Takasaki quickly denied. "I was just worried about you."

"I've had a tough time lately, but I'm not so badly off that my son has to worry about me," Mio Takasaki said with a wry smile. "I admit, I was a little frustrated at first, but after healing at home for so long, I've made it through. Now I need to get back on track with my normal life, instead of continuing to stay cooped up at home like a coward..."

As she said this, she stretched. "Son, would you rather see me pull myself together, or would you rather see me just give up like this?"

Since we've come this far, there's nothing more to say.

Jun Takasaki discovers that although he has always respected and loved his mother, he ultimately underestimated her; her will was stronger than he had imagined.

Faced with a difficult choice, she made a decisive decision to do what she least wanted to do for her son; afterwards, even when facing widespread criticism, she was able to quickly adjust her mindset and continue to work hard to regain her original life.

That's something I should definitely learn from.

So, now that she wants to go out, that's a good thing, and I can't spoil my mother's mood.

I need to give Senmina a heads-up beforehand; I absolutely cannot let her humiliate my mother in front of me again.

With these thoughts in mind, Junya Takasaki quickly made a decision.

“Okay, Mom… Since that’s what you think, I support you. Whenever you want to take me there, I’ll go with you.”

After settling things off with her son, Mio Takasaki turned her attention back to Mutsumi Wakaba.

"Xiao Mu, look, everything's been decided... Now it's up to you..."

As the "instigator" of everything, Ruo Yemu felt both guilty and extremely satisfied and happy, so her face turned red, as if she had won some big prize.

"Yes!" she replied emphatically.

No matter what, I need Mom's permission...

"Great." Takasaki Mio was very happy to see that her sudden idea had been put into practice so quickly.

No matter how difficult something is, as long as you persevere, you will always reap some rewards.

She was even looking forward to the upcoming home visit.

She knew that her visit to see Minami was not to show off, but rather to fight for a better life for her daughter, so she had to fulfill the proper etiquette.

However, that's a story for later. Right now, the most important thing to do is to properly entertain this lovely uninvited guest.

"Xiao Mu, I'm so sorry to have taken up so much of your time and made you chatter with this old auntie for so long... Now that Chun has finished showering, I'll leave the time to you younger generation. You definitely have more in common than I do. I'll go prepare dinner for you, and after dinner tonight, I'll have someone drive you home. What do you think?"

The visit, which was completely unprepared, ended up turning into a dinner party, which, to be honest, caught Wakaba Mutsu off guard.

However, since Auntie had already put it that way, I had absolutely no reason to refuse.

Isn't it what I long for—for my family to gather together and enjoy a warm meal?

"Thank you... Please accept this arrangement." She then bowed slightly and thanked the aunt.

"Okay, I'll go get ready." Mio Takasaki stood up from the sofa, then glanced at her son. "Son, spend some time chatting with Xiao Mu. She came all this way, it's really not easy for her."

Didn't you just say she was just "passing by"? You've already given yourself away? Jun Takasaki thought to himself.

However, Jun Takasaki knew that his mother was truly heartbroken for Mutsumi Wakaba, so he nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll make Mu happy!"

80, the moonlight remains the same.

Mio Takasaki deliberately left the two children behind under the pretext of "preparing dinner." After she left, Jun Takasaki and Mutsuko Wakaba sat facing each other, and neither of them spoke for a moment.

If Ye Mu was nervous and didn't know how to start the conversation, while Takasaki Jun hadn't prepared beforehand and was trying to figure out how to start a conversation.

After a moment of silence, Jun Takasaki finally spoke, "Mutsu, how have you been lately?"

Ruoye Mu seemed to have been waiting for him to speak, so she quickly replied, "Although...although life is not much different from before, my mood has improved a lot."

"Then I'm relieved." Jun Takasaki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is Jun-chan really worried about me?" At that moment, Wakaba Mutsu suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Jun Takasaki was somewhat taken aback. "Is that even a question?"

If I weren't worried about her, why would I go to so much trouble to do so many things for her?

But Wakaba Mutsumi seemed somewhat suspicious, "Then why did you ignore me after returning to Tokyo? I... I was actually hoping you would ask me about it."

Jun Takasaki was immediately in a bind.

He suddenly felt like he was hallucinating—Aine had accused him of ignoring her before.

"Do I really have a problem with how I conduct myself?" he couldn't help but ask himself.

“All my previous efforts were just to make things easier for you. Now that I’ve achieved my goal, there’s no need for me to continue interfering in your life. To me, being a well-intentioned bystander is more respectable than being a persistent pest. Besides, I’m not ignoring you. I’ll respond whenever you ask for my help.”

If Ye Mu found his theory completely incomprehensible,

But she instinctively felt that this was some kind of excuse—at least it meant that he didn't seem to want to take further responsibility.

However, how to refute her was beyond her debating skills, so she could only lower her head and express her protest through silence.

An awkward silence lasted for a while, and Jun Takasaki began to feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Just as he was about to say something more, Wakaba Mutsu suddenly spoke up. "I'm sorry, Jun... I think I've messed up."

"Huh?" Jun Takasaki exclaimed in surprise, and quickly asked, "What happened?"

“Just now… just now I lied to Auntie,” Wakaba Mutsu answered softly. “I… I exaggerated the current situation, saying that Mom was still bullying me, so… so…”

Although Wakaba Mutsumi's words were vague, Takasaki Jun had already figured it out. No wonder his mother suddenly decided to go and "visit" Mori Minami. It turned out that she had been led astray by Wakaba Mutsumi, which made her indignant and determined to support Mutsumi.

Although he was deeply moved by his mother's chivalrous heart, he was now even more troubled.

He was worried that Minami would bully his mother, and now he's worried that if the two of them meet and "check their accounts," his mother will find out that Wakaba Mutsu lied to her, and then Wakaba Mutsu's image in her heart will naturally be greatly diminished.

"I'm sorry, Jun, I... I didn't expect it to turn out like this..." At this moment, Wakaba Mutsu apologized cautiously to him again, appearing extremely nervous, and even her breathing became rapid.

Seeing her panting heavily, Jun Takasaki immediately softened.

Although she caused trouble, it's really hard to be angry with her...

Oh well, so what if I've gotten myself into trouble? I'll just take care of it.

It's not like there's no other way.

He looked around to make sure no one had heard what Wakaba Mutsu had just said, and then stood up.

"Mu, let's go for a walk."

Because he stood up, Jun Takasaki's shadow instantly overshadowed Mutsumi Wakaba, who was still sitting.

If it were anyone else, Wakaba Mutsu would instantly feel an indescribable sense of pressure, and the tension would more than double; however, when Takasaki Jun did this, in that instant, Wakaba Mutsu felt as if he had been "reintegrated" into his companions again, and instantly felt at ease.

She nodded slightly and then obediently stood up.

Jun Takasaki led her out of the living room and to the open space between the house and the front door. The space was not large, but there was a small pond with some green plants growing around it.

The area was spacious, and no one could hear what they were saying.

Night was approaching, and the last rays of the setting sun had disappeared beneath the distant buildings. Most of the sky was gray or dark purple, with only a small patch of the western sky stubbornly maintaining its last glimmer of yellow.

Jun Takasaki led Mutsu Wakaba to the edge of the pond and then spoke again.

"Mu, wait for me here, I'm going to make a phone call."

"Was it with my mother?" Wakaba Mutsu asked cautiously.

Jun Takasaki was somewhat surprised, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, I explained things to her clearly and made her understand the proper boundaries."

"Will she listen?" Wakaba Mutsu wondered.

"Hmph, she has no choice but to listen." Jun Takasaki sneered inwardly.

However, on the surface, he still pretended to be hesitant.

"Well... it's hard to say, but I'll try my best to persuade her."

"I'm sorry... I've caused you trouble again." Wakaba Mutsu lowered her head, looking extremely remorseful. "I really... I really owe you so much."

No more.

Every time Jun Takasaki sees her looking so pitiful, he always feels a pang of sympathy.

And the sense of accomplishment when she relies on you is intoxicating.

He simply smiled confidently and easily, then picked up his phone, walked to a corner of the wall in the distance, and stopped only after making sure she couldn't hear him—after all, there were some things he didn't want her to know.

Ruo Yemu remained quietly in place. In the dim light, her delicate face was clearly defined by light and shadow, and she exuded a faint melancholy and a tranquil temperament.

While admiring the beautiful scenery from afar, I found Mori Minami's phone number and dialed it.

The call was answered quickly, and then it was Minami Mori on the other end.

"Hey kid, what's up? Why are you calling me all of a sudden?"

“Auntie, Mu came to visit my house today,” Jun Takasaki replied calmly.

Mori Minami actually knew about this, so she wasn't surprised at all. "So, you guys found out about her?"

Actually, she wasn't surprised at all. Although her daughter had only gone there to take a look and didn't intend to visit, she wasn't a ninja skilled in stealth, so it was normal for her to be discovered as soon as she arrived.

So even though her daughter hadn't come home for so long, she wasn't panicked. She figured she must have been invited in by someone.

"Yes, my mother invited her over as a guest and treated her very well. Now she's going to have dinner with us and then send her back."

"Whatever you want, just don't keep them overnight," Minami replied casually.

Although it was a good thing that she, as the guardian, agreed, her indifferent attitude always made Jun Takasaki feel a little uncomfortable.

"What if I really keep her here and send her back tomorrow?" he asked deliberately, trying to provoke Minami.

"...Puhahaha..."

Instead, Minami laughed out loud. "Hey, do you think I'd get angry? If Mutsu doesn't object, and you really do it, then there's nothing I can do to stop you. What can I do? Let her stay. Anyway, the sooner you take her away, the easier it will be for me."

Jun Takasaki was speechless.

He was always highly eloquent, or in other words, had a sharp tongue, but when she acted like a shameless, unyielding person, he couldn't provoke her anymore.

So he got straight to the point, "By the way, my mom and she had a great chat, so she's thinking of visiting you. What do you think?"

“I’m fine on my end, I’m available recently anyway, but… is Mrs. Takasaki alright now?” Minami asked back.

She knew about Takasaki Mio's situation, of course.

Moreover, her feelings were quite complicated—on one hand, she was happy to see the brat's mother get her comeuppance; on the other hand, from a woman's perspective, she sympathized with Takasaki Mio's pain; and on the other hand, she was even secretly relieved, because if she had retired from the entertainment industry back then to marry Takasaki Hiroshi and become a congressman's wife, she might be the one apologizing to her husband in public and taking the fall for him now...

Just as she was still reflecting on her feelings, Jun Takasaki continued speaking.

"Okay, it's settled then. Also, what happened back then is in the past. I hope that when my mother comes to visit, you won't bring up those things to upset her... okay?"

Upon hearing what the boy said, Minami immediately understood that Mio Takasaki was unaware of her relationship with Hiroshi Takasaki.

She had no interest in bragging about being her ex, so she immediately agreed. "Okay, there's nothing glorious about those things back then. Since she doesn't know, I'll keep it a secret, alright?"

"Well, thank you then," Jun Takasaki said with a lack of sincerity.

According to the previous plan, the communication between the two parties had reached this point, and Jun Takasaki had achieved his goal.

However, because of Wakaba Mutsu's "mistake", he now has a further request.

"Um... there's one more thing, I'd also like to ask for your cooperation."

"What's wrong?" Minami asked.

“When my mother visits you, she may say some things that are not very polite. I hope you can be more understanding and a little... a little tolerant.”

Although Jun Takasaki spoke casually, the other party immediately became uneasy.

"What? Explain yourself!?"

So, Jun Takasaki told her the whole story.

Upon hearing that it was her daughter who had dug a hole for her, Senmina Nami immediately became furious.

"Ha... I've already let it go, but she still deliberately causes me trouble, just to please outsiders. In the end, she takes it out on me. What a good daughter she is!"

After cursing, she complained to Takasaki Jun, "I told you a long time ago that she's not that naive, why wouldn't you believe me?"

Although Jun Takasaki couldn't see Minami Mori's face on the phone, he could guess from her tone that Minami Mori must be wearing a "See, I told you so" expression.