Tokyo Three Generations

If she's already like this when the semester starts, how is she supposed to get through the next few years of her studies abroad?

"How did you mess this up?" he asked hastily.

“When school started, I introduced myself, but my classmates didn’t even bother to listen, and some even laughed at my accent.”

Japanese accent is indeed a big problem, but as far as Jun Takasaki knows, she attended a well-known private international girls' school in the UK, where there was a gathering of outstanding people from Eastern Europe and South Asia. There were plenty of people with bad accents, so why should she be discouraged by it?

"Do any of your other classmates have a strong accent?" he asked again. "Don't they face that kind of pressure?"

“Yes, there are…” Aine hesitated for a moment before answering. “But I don’t know what’s going on with them. After all, I haven’t made any friends yet. Since I’m new here, everyone just wants to hang out with people from the same place as them.”

"So, did someone bully you?" Jun Takasaki asked again.

"My classmates didn't bully me, they just...don't care about me," Chihaya Aine replied dejectedly.

Ah, Junichi Takasaki revealed the truth with just a few questions.

It seems that this is the crux of the problem.

Aiyin is quite sensitive; she can't stand being ridiculed, even by the smallest thing.

However, that's secondary. The most crucial factor is the psychological "sense of disappointment."

At their alma mater, Aine was the student council president of the junior high school, an undisputed campus idol, and a "high-and-mighty flower" admired by her classmates and younger generations; however, once she arrived in England, these halos had faded.

As she said, nobody cares.

From student council president to an insignificant nobody on the street, she hadn't yet adjusted to the huge change in circumstances, so she broke down mentally.

But... shouldn't all of this have been thought out before studying abroad? Why did it take until now to realize this? Why didn't we prepare ourselves mentally beforehand? Jun Takasaki couldn't help but complain to himself.

However, he was afraid of further hurting Aine, so he didn't say those words aloud.

However, the two were too familiar with each other, so even if he was just silent, Ai Yin could more or less guess what he was thinking.

"Ha... Was I too naive...?" All she could do was give a bitter smile. "I thought I could easily handle these tricky problems even if I moved to a foreign country, but I only realized how difficult it was when the time came. Chun-gege, is this what they call 'caught in my own trap'?"

Of course, that's it.

However, Jun Takasaki could never say such a thing.

Ai-yin had to confide in someone in the middle of the night; she must be feeling so bad that she couldn't hold it in any longer.

If I were to continue scolding her like an elder at this point, it would be like rubbing salt into a wound. What would be the point of doing so other than making her suffer more?

Ultimately, what's done is done, and there's no point in discussing "why you did this." The most important thing now is to help her get out of this predicament as soon as possible.

“Aiyin, I understand how you feel right now better than anyone else, because I watched you grow up. I know your life story, your likes and dislikes, and I know how much effort you put in to become that shining campus idol... So, I know even more how painful it is for you to be in this situation.”

After a moment of silence, Jun Takasaki finally spoke, his voice unusually gentle, "Please believe that no matter what you encounter, no matter what decisions you make, I will always stand by your side and support you, just like I have for the past ten years... So, you must firmly believe that you will never lose everything, and you will never be worthless, because I am right beside you."

Although he only said a few words, Aine's spirits suddenly began to improve, as if she had been injected with a stimulant.

"I know... I've always known..." she murmured to herself, her voice trembling with a hint of tears, "That's why I've been so reckless and arrogant... I'm sorry, Chun-gege, I've been causing you trouble all this time."

“Do we still need to say things like that between us? That would be too distant.” Jun Takasaki smiled.

Then, his tone turned serious again, "Can you still hold on? Have you considered coming back?"

“Come back…” Chihaya Aine gasped.

In fact, she had a similar idea in mind, but because of her pride, she didn't dare to really think about it.

I used to be so full of bravado, talking about studying abroad to my classmates and younger friends. If they find out that I went there and came back in a sorry state, how will they see me?

"I...I think I can hold on a little longer."

Unable to swallow her pride, she instinctively backed down.

Ultimately, she hadn't reached the point of complete mental despair, so she was still clinging to a sliver of hope and trying to hold on.

However, this stubbornness only adds to the sunk costs.

According to Jun Takasaki, the most important thing for Aine to do now is to cut her losses in time.

After all, she had just gone to England. If she came back now, she could still complete the high school enrollment procedures immediately. Although it might be a little embarrassing, after a while, who would remember such a trivial matter?

Once she returns to her familiar comfort zone, Aine can rebuild her self-esteem, find a way to become a campus idol in high school again, and eventually smoothly enter university, embarking on the elite path her parents expect.

However, just like a stock investor who bought at the peak, Ai Yin hesitated in the face of a rapid decline, unwilling to cut her losses, and could only watch helplessly as the stocks in her hands were halved again and again.

The longer the delay, the greater the mental stress, and the greater the ultimate loss.

If you're destined to be unhappy here, then giving up after a month is better than dragging it out for a year, right?

But there's nothing we can do; those involved are often blinded by their own perspective. Humans are emotional beings and can be trapped by their own mindset.

Even though Jun Takasaki knew all this, he couldn't make the decision for Aine.

So he could only sigh inwardly, and then continued, "If this is your decision, then I support you. At first, there will always be some initial difficulties adjusting, but maybe you'll get used to it after a while. You are my most reliable junior. When we worked together in the student council, you helped me so much. I believe you have the ability to overcome this challenge."

"What help? You were the one taking care of me, weren't you? I only managed to complete the tasks under your direction." Aine's voice was noticeably more excited than before. She recalled the things they did together at school and couldn't help but laugh.

The two chatted for a while about funny things from the past, and then Aine finally couldn't stand the fatigue and yawned.

"I'm sorry, Chun-gege, for taking up so much of your time. Your friends must be getting impatient by now... It's getting late here too, and I need to rest. I have class tomorrow."

"Okay, goodnight, get some rest, Aine." Junya Takasaki said goodbye. "If you feel lonely or sad, you can call me regularly. Don't worry, it won't bother me."

"Thank you, it's settled then..." Aine nodded with a smile. "Also, when I come back from my first long vacation, how about we go to the amusement park together again? Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the past... I'd like to relive those times with you, okay, Chun-nii?"

"Of course, I'll wait for you to come back," Jun Takasaki immediately agreed.

"Well... goodnight, Chun-gege. I really miss you."

Then, the two said goodnight to each other, and Ai-yin finally hung up the phone and went back to sleep.

Even after hanging up the phone, the gloom on Jun Takasaki's face did not disappear.

Despite being her "little sister" since childhood, he couldn't help her, or even offer her any advice. All he could do was offer her meaningless comfort from thousands of miles away.

This feeling of helplessness left him feeling extremely frustrated.

Even though she knew that Aine had brought all of this on herself, the feeling of heartache just wouldn't go away.

What will Aine say next?

If he's lucky, he might be able to adjust his mindset, but... so far, everything that has happened has matched his worst expectations.

Therefore, the outcome is unlikely to be optimistic.

How much more pain will Aine have to endure?

He looked up at the bustling crowd around him and the fairytale-like, dreamlike architecture.

If it were anywhere else, the psychological impact on him might not have been so great, but it just so happened here.

The sight of the scenery evoked painful memories for him, even giving him a sense of sadness that "things have changed and people are no longer the same."

The image of young Aiyin, timidly being dragged around by him, still seems to echo before my eyes, but now everything is different.

We will all grow up eventually...

88, completely at the mercy of others.

Even after hanging up the phone, Jun Takasaki remained heavy-hearted.

He was actually in a state of extreme inner conflict. Emotionally, he hoped that Ai Yin could muster the courage to overcome the difficulties; but rationally, based on his understanding of Ai Yin, he was very pessimistic about what would happen next and felt that Ai Yin's study abroad journey would be difficult to continue.

In this situation, he also hesitated about what he should do.

He has always been an independent person, and therefore he insists on the view that "everyone should be responsible for their own decisions" and does not like to interfere with other people's decisions.

However, Aine is a delicate flower that has just escaped from the greenhouse. Seeing that she is already in such a predicament, is it really okay to just stand by and do nothing?

But if I were to intervene, how should I do it? Should I just persuade her to come back? But what if she insists on staying?

With this self-questioning in mind, he slowly walked back to the spot where he had parted ways with Miaomeng.

Ruona had already come out of the bathroom, and the two sisters were waiting for him there.

As they watched him slowly approach with a gloomy face, both sisters instinctively felt a sense of fear.

Although Ruonai was young, she could tell that her older brother seemed very unhappy.

So she took the initiative to walk up to him and grabbed Takasaki Jun's hand, "Big brother, did you and sister just have a fight? Did sister make you unhappy?"

They must have had a fight, but none of this really concerns her, Jun Takasaki thought to himself.

What happened just now was less of an argument and more of a "teasing of the cat." It was his one-sided pressure on Miaomeng. If it weren't for the Aine thing, he would definitely be extremely happy right now.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Miaomeng.

When she saw Jun Takasaki, Miao Meng stood to the side with a dark face and a huff. When she met his glance, Miao Meng's eyes almost blazed with fire, filled with anxiety.

Despite her anxiety, she forced a smile. "You're back, brother~"

When Jun Takasaki went to make the phone call just now, she actually considered taking her younger sister and running away as soon as possible.

But she eventually gave up because she couldn't afford to gamble. When someone had a fatal weakness in her hands, she had no choice but to compromise.

Staying here offers a sliver of hope that I can appease him and get him to let me go. If I run away with my sister, it will only make things worse, and if I anger him, everything will be beyond repair.

Seeing Nyan's forced smile, if it were just now, Jun Takasaki would have been very happy and would have continued to tease her.

However, because he was in a bad mood, his aggressive desires had decreased considerably.

Having witnessed Miaomeng's despair and pain, he had achieved his goal of revenge and no longer wanted to torment the little girl.

So he forced a smile and replied to Ruonai, "No, your sister and I had a very pleasant chat just now, right, Meow Dream?"

Caught off guard by the question, Miao Meng quickly agreed, "Oh right, don't overthink it, we were having a great chat."

Although somewhat surprised, Miao Meng's tense mood eased slightly—it seemed that he no longer intended to humiliate himself in front of his sister.

For her, losing face in front of her sister was worse than death.

"Then why did big brother suddenly become in a bad mood?" Ruona continued to ask.

Children, after all, don't understand social etiquette, so they often ask embarrassing questions, and Jun Takasaki doesn't know how to answer them.

"I just got a call from a friend. It seems like something happened at home, which affected my mood." Jun Takasaki gave a wry smile. "Ah, you see, that's how the adult world is. You always encounter all sorts of unpleasant things."

"Oh, I see... That must have been really hard work, both for that friend and for the older brother." Ruona blinked. "So, where do we go next?"

What should we do next?

In fact, Jun Takasaki didn't have a complete plan. For him, intercepting the two sisters, playing with them, and tormenting Meow Dream a bit more would already be considered achieving his goal.

What I do next depends entirely on my mood.

His current mood is not suitable for continuing to play.

So, Jun Takasaki roused himself and looked at Meow Dream.

"Meow Dream, I have something I want to tell you."

Miao Meng was clearly wary, but she had no choice but to nod obediently in front of the other party.

So, just like when they first met that morning, the two of them had Ruonai wait to the side while they found a corner to themselves.

It was clear that Miaomeng now had an instinctive fear of him; her eyes darted away unnaturally, and her head was lowered.

"Nyan, come here, get closer." Jun Takasaki beckoned.

Miaomeng didn't disobey; instead, she actually came closer.

Takasaki Jun casually raised his hand and gently stroked her head, completing the cat-petting "ritual" that had just been interrupted.

As he petted the cat, he watched with amusement at the cat's expression—a mixture of humiliation and forced resignation.

Great, that's how it should be.

Let's torment her one last time, as a parting "gift".

“Since I went to answer the phone just now, I’ve given you so much time. Have you figured out how to make me happy?” He deliberately put on a stern face, and his tone became sinister. “Meow Dream, you should be able to tell that I’m in a bad mood right now. I’m not as easy to fool as I was the other day…”

Miao Meng instinctively shrank her neck, and her body trembled slightly.

The scenario she feared most ultimately unfolded as expected.

Now, their fatal weakness is still in someone else's hands. What bargaining chips do they have left?

That's probably all we have left.

So, she mustered her courage, slowly raised her head, and looked at the other person.