Tokyo Three Generations

That's good. Although his vicious curses were just a provocation, it wouldn't be good if she actually heard them... Takasaki Jun breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he smiled happily at the other person. "We've reached an agreement. After my patient persuasion, he changed his mind and wants to fight alongside you."

"That's great..." Toyokawa Shoko was immediately relieved and almost collapsed.

For the past few weeks, all she had heard was a barrage of bad news, bad news, bad news, which had pushed her nerves to the limit. But now, finally, there was some good news.

Admittedly, the idea of ​​"trading grandpa for dad" is anything but funny, but at least there's still room for redemption.

Moreover, and more importantly, this was the first time in her life that she had taken the initiative to decide the course of her own life.

The girl in the storm is gradually emerging from the cocoon left by her parents, mustering the courage to face the world alone. Perhaps she looks ugly and disheveled in the cold wind and freezing rain, but it is ultimately a big step forward for her.

Toyokawa Shoko blinked, looked up at the young man who was a head taller than her, and then bowed sincerely to express her gratitude. "Thank you, you've helped me a lot."

"It's not over yet, it's too early to say thank you." Jun Takasaki waved his hand dismissively. "Let's go wait for your father first, he's taking a bath, he'll be here to see you soon."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded, and then led him to a reception room in the mansion.

Before long, Toyokawa Kiyotaka walked in.

When the two met earlier, Toyokawa Kiyoshi was disheveled and looked like a down-on-his-luck, unemployed middle-aged man. But now, he had cleaned himself up, shaved, and put on a custom-made suit. Although he still looked a bit dejected, at least he could see some of his former spirited self.

“Dad! You’ve finally come to your senses, that’s wonderful…” Seeing her father like this, Toyokawa Shoko was overjoyed.

Toyokawa Kiyoko looked at his daughter with a complicated expression, his eyes filled with both doting affection, pity, and reluctance.

Clearly, he is still not over the shock from Takasaki Jun's words.

His wife has passed away, and his daughter is his only remaining connection to the world. He can't imagine what a devastating blow it would be if he were to bury his daughter one day.

Therefore, it is essential to firmly grasp the Toyokawa family and use all its resources to prolong her life.

Now that he has made up his mind, all that's left is to carry it out.

"Xiangzi, I will arrange a family reunion as soon as possible. However, since you are the heir, you will make the call and invite the family elders over in your name." Then, he instructed his daughter in a very calm tone, "Don't be too polite when you speak. Don't let them think you are easy to bully."

"I understand," Xiangzi nodded immediately.

After explaining things to his daughter, Toyokawa Kiyotaka looked at Takasaki Jun.

"As for you, kid, when you get back, tell your father to put in a good word for us. We'll give you the reward you deserve."

Jun Takasaki immediately agreed.

He knew that, given his family's "status," while he wasn't exactly insignificant, he didn't have much of a decisive influence either.

The so-called "pleading on behalf of the Toyokawa family" was essentially about helping them smooth things over with higher-ups.

However, this is easy to handle. In any case, given the current situation, it is not difficult for the Toyokawa family to overcome the crisis. It would only be beneficial for the Takasaki family to do a favor.

Moreover, the Toyokawa family has other "friends" who, if mobilized, can plead for their kin, and given the death of the head of the family and the abdication of the old master, they can gain enough sympathy.

So now everything is ready, all that's left is to show our cards.

Seeing that his brilliant plan had actually come true, Jun Takasaki couldn't help but feel a sense of joy.

"There's one more thing I need your help with." Just then, Toyokawa Kiyoko spoke up again.

"Please speak."

"While our family's sudden misfortune was partly due to our own negligence, the presence of traitors within our own ranks was also a significant contributing factor." At this point, Toyokawa Kiyoshi's fist clenched suddenly. "Within the Toyokawa family, there have always been those who resent my father-in-law and me, hoping to extract more benefits from our main family. We followed the rules, but they held a grudge, and some even leaked company secrets… It is precisely because of this that the Financial Services Agency has such detailed incriminating evidence, leading to such a massive upheaval. These traitors within our family must never be forgiven!"

At this point, Toyokawa Kiyotaka gritted his teeth, "If I regain power, I will definitely purge these parasites."

“That’s only natural,” Jun Takasaki agreed, “but what do you need me to do?”

"The Toyokawa family has too many deep-seated problems, and it involves too many aspects. Even if I wanted to clean house, it would be difficult to do so in a short time. Therefore, I hope that our two families can join forces and help each other in the short term. If anything happens, please help us cover for us."

Even now, Toyokawa Kiyotaka doesn't think much of the Takasaki family, nor does he believe they can really be of much help to him.

However, the situation is different when it comes to Jun Takasaki.

This little guy is quite smart, and he has courage, strategy, and, most importantly, a terrifying ability to execute.

Currently, he has no capable and trustworthy assistants by his side. Even if the "palace coup" is successful, he will still need reliable and trustworthy people.

Although he is still too young, he can still be useful, and there is also the value of "investing in the future".

In this country, the path to raising the sons of politicians is pretty much the same—they casually attend a university when they are young, then work for a big bank or company for a few years to build up their connections, and then become their father's secretary around the age of 30 to prepare for taking over the family business. The Toyokawa Group has done similar things many times in its history to enhance its relationship with politicians.

If the Toyokawa Group can actually recruit him in the future, it would be like having another asset.

As for his affair with Xiangzi... let's just pretend we didn't see it for now.

Takasaki Jun couldn't see through these intricacies, but since the other party had already put it this way, it would be ungrateful of him not to take it seriously.

So, before his father could even speak, he made the decision for him.

“My father is delighted by your kindness,” he said, bowing to express his gratitude.

Shoko Toyokawa was completely unaware of the two men's plans, but seeing the sudden harmony between them, she felt inexplicably at ease.

Now that we've come this far, let's all work together!

11. An unreasonable request

The gathering didn't last long. Jun Takasaki felt he had done what he needed to do, so he prepared to leave. However, just as he was about to speak, he noticed that Shoko Toyokawa seemed to be giving him a meaningful look.

Does she have anything else to say to me?

So he nodded slightly.

After stepping outside, Jun Takasaki deliberately slowed his pace. Sure enough, he heard light, shuffling footsteps on the carpet; someone was jogging after him.

Jun Takasaki turned around at the right moment and looked down at Miss Toyokawa, who had caught up with him.

"Ms. Toyokawa, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

Toyokawa Shoko didn't speak, but instead put her legs together and bowed deeply with great sincerity.

"Thank you, Mr. Takasaki, you've really helped me a lot."

"I'm unworthy of such praise." Jun Takasaki waved his hand. "I didn't actually do much... In the end, it was you and your daughter who put in the effort."

"Being able to help me strengthen my resolve and help my father change his mind is already a huge help." Toyokawa Shoko shook her head. "At least, no one has ever done this before."

Then, she suddenly smiled slightly, "And now I might need your help again."

"What?" Jun Takasaki asked back.

Toyokawa Shoko looked around and then waved her hand gently. "It's not convenient to talk here. Please come with me."

Led by Toyokawa Shoko, the two walked out of the mansion and came to the garden next door.

It wasn't the best time of year for flowers, and because of the death of the head of the family, the garden had been neglected. The large courtyard suddenly had a desolate and lonely atmosphere, which made Toyokawa Shoko's nose tingle.

"Mom...Mom used to take me for walks here all the time," she whispered, filled with longing.

Seeing her sorrowful appearance, Jun Takasaki didn't know what to say, so he could only comfort her again, "Please accept my condolences."

"I will take it easy," Toyokawa Shoko nodded. "Actually, I'm slowly getting over it, and Mom certainly wouldn't want me to be stuck in grief forever..."

Another silence followed.

At this moment, Toyokawa Shoko slowly raised her head and looked up at the azure sky, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of confusion and determination.

“No matter how difficult the situation, I must persevere. My mother raised me and passed on all of this to me; I must respond to this expectation with dignity. Although I will certainly encounter many difficulties along the way, perhaps even more difficult than today, I believe I can overcome them with my head held high. This is something you taught me—”

After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Jun Takasaki, and then bowed slightly, as if she were asking him for a favor.

"Please allow me to shamelessly borrow your strength once more!"

“I’d be happy to…” Jun Takasaki agreed without hesitation. “But what do you need me to do?”

“Although we don’t interact much, I feel that your eloquence is excellent, even surpassing that of anyone I’ve ever met. Of course, this may also be because I haven’t met many people…” Toyokawa Shoko seemed a little embarrassed. “And I just heard from Dad that he needs me to gather people for the upcoming Toyokawa Friendship Meeting, and I may have to give a speech. But I… I really don’t have much confidence in this, so I hope that you can teach me when you have time, at least so that I can handle that kind of situation and not embarrass Dad.”

Now Jun Takasaki understood—Shoko Toyokawa wanted him to help write her speech.

"Okay, no problem."

So he readily agreed.

“We have each other’s contact information. Just write down what you need to say and what to say in different situations, and then we can rehearse it over the phone. I’m very sorry if this bothers you!” After receiving his permission, Xiangzi thanked him again.

"It's nothing, no need to make such a fuss," Jun Takasaki smiled. "But you should be going back to school soon, right? You might not have much time..."

"Resume school?" Toyokawa Shoko was taken aback.

It was then that she realized she hadn't been to school for a long time.

It's funny, just less than half a month ago, she was going to school every day, laughing and joking with her classmates. But now, when she thinks back to school, it feels like a memory from a past life, distant and indifferent.

However, after being reminded by the other party, she suddenly had incredibly vivid memories, and... nostalgia.

She missed those carefree days and her good friends.

"I'll go back once I've finished things here," she said, as if to herself.

Jun Takasaki mentioned it casually; he wasn't worried about the other person's studies at all.

For a conglomerate heiress like this, even with poor grades, she can easily get into top private universities both domestically and internationally. Schools like Keio and Sophia would be begging her to attend. Besides, judging from Xiangzi's demeanor, her academic ability should be quite good.

Then, the two arranged a time to contact each other again.

By this time, it was already evening.

The setting sun cast its rays upon the potted plants everywhere, transforming the various rare plants on them into dark, two-dimensional projections that spread across the clean path, weaving a strangely shaped portrait. And so the two of them walked along the path and arrived at the entrance of the mansion.

"Goodbye, Mr. Takasaki." Toyokawa Shoko bowed again to say goodbye.

How many times has she bowed to me today? Even Jun Takasaki himself couldn't keep track.

Since others have been so kind to me, I can't be too impolite.

"Goodbye, Miss Toyokawa." He bowed in return to say goodbye.

When he looked up, he found that Toyokawa Shoko was actually laughing.

He had seen Toyokawa Shoko's smile before, but it was either a bitter smile or an angry smile. But now, what he saw was a bright smile, a smile accompanied by the orange-gold glow of the setting sun, which made him lose his senses for a moment.

"What's wrong? Is there something funny?" he asked cautiously.

"It's nothing...hehe..." Toyokawa Shoko explained with a smile, "I just felt that we really looked like an old man and an old woman from the Showa era...who would have thought we were not even 20 years old?"

"Didn't you start this? How could I be rude to you when you're so reserved?" Jun Takasaki sighed helplessly.

"Well... at least we're friends now, right?" Toyokawa Shoko asked.

“Of course, I would say I’m honored.” Jun Takasaki nodded immediately.

“Since we’re friends, it feels too distant to be so reserved all the time… From now on, let’s just call each other by our first names, okay?” Shoko Toyokawa suggested.

Jun Takasaki naturally agreed to such a request.

"Absolutely no problem! I'd love to!"

Then, he hesitated for a moment, and then waved his hand gently, "Well, goodbye, Xiangzi."

"Goodbye, Jun." Toyokawa Shoko waved back, appearing much more composed than before.

Only then did the two truly say goodbye, with Jun Takasaki turning and leaving immediately.

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

After leaving the Toyokawa family home, Jun Takasaki took a taxi and didn't get home until late at night.

And today, unsurprisingly, the house is almost empty.

This is not surprising, as this is the usual pace of life for Member of Parliament Hiroshi Takasaki. After attending the Diet each day, unless there are social activities within his party, he usually goes straight to high-end clubs or other entertainment venues in Ginza. During the summer recess of the Diet, he travels to various tourist attractions, living a very carefree life.

Of course, this flamboyant lifestyle also left controversy within the circle. Many people felt that he was frivolous and unreliable, but he didn't care about this evaluation.

As usual, Hiroshi Takasaki arrived home very late, escorted by his driver.

After opening the door, his hand instinctively reached for the living room light switch, then stopped, as he was surprised to find his son sitting on the sofa playing on his phone.

"Why aren't you resting yet?" he asked casually, putting down his hand.

"Dad, I went to the Toyokawa family's house today," Jun Takasaki said in a nonchalant tone after putting down his phone.

"What?" Takasaki Hiroshi was first surprised, then annoyed. "Didn't I tell you? This matter has nothing to do with our family anymore. Why do you still want to cause trouble for yourself?"

"I've already figured out a way to solve this problem," Jun Takasaki replied, head held high, with a hint of pride.

"What?!" The old man was startled again.