Tokyo Three Generations

However, the fact that his daughter could still joke around meant that she was still conscious and not too badly affected, which secretly relieved him.

Then, Xiangzi walked to the window and gazed at the blue sky in the distance.

"Although it wasn't entirely unexpected, I was still a little disappointed when you confirmed it with your own words..." After a moment, she sighed softly, "But, on the other hand, Dad, doesn't this also prove that Chun's closeness to me stems from genuine sincerity, and not from coveting our family's wealth?"

Toyokawa Kiyoko felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if he had been shot.

Does this mean I became Fengchuan's son-in-law because I coveted your family's wealth? Hmph, using your father to belittle you just to defend your little lover, you're something else, my precious daughter.

"Perhaps he's overconfident in his superior methods and feels emboldened?" So he retorted with a dark face, "I see it's quite effective, isn't it?"

Xiangzi understood her father's veiled sarcasm, so she spoke softly but firmly in his defense.

“I believe he’s not that kind of person. We’ve known each other for quite some time now. Although he does have his flaws, greed is one of the few things he has. Father, don’t doubt the sensitivity of the Toyokawa family heir in this regard… I’ve been able to tell from a young age who is deliberately trying to please me and who is worthy of being my friend. And I’ve never been wrong.”

She certainly didn't miss anything; the only mistake was whether she deserved to be someone's friend.

At this point, Xiangzi took a deep breath, then turned to face her father with respect and seriousness. "He only approached me because he liked me. In his eyes, Toyokawa Xiangzi is a hundred times more important than Miss Toyokawa..."

? 109, if struck by lightning

"He only approached me because he liked me. In his eyes, Toyokawa Shoko was a hundred times more important than Miss Toyokawa..."

When Xiangzi said those words, he was confident and resolute, his words resounding with conviction.

Toyokawa Kiyoko looked at his daughter, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

It seems I can't reason with my daughter.

He understood Xiangzi. Although his daughter was usually gentle and polite, she was very stubborn at heart.

Therefore, once she becomes willful, no one can stop her, even if they want to.

However, he was not furious. After all, after a century of cultural shock, Japanese society is not so conservative. For parents, their children falling in love is not a particularly terrible thing, and there is no need to regard it as a monstrous flood.

So what if I get dumped? What else can I do?

In particular, if the young lady's crush is "worthy" of her from any angle, then there is even less reason to interfere.

Besides, even if he really wanted to manage it, how could he do it? Should he forcibly confine Xiangzi and forbid her from seeing that boy? What if that angered Xiangzi and she called the board of directors over and fired him too...? What could he do then?

The power structure of the Toyokawa Group actually reverses the father-daughter relationship; the father is working for his daughter, so he doesn't actually have the power to restrain her.

After thinking it over and over, he had no other options and could only sigh.

"Sigh, if that's what you think, then I won't say anything more. I hope you're right... Anyway, I'm at my wit's end now. That kid is completely unreasonable."

"So, I don't need you to do anything in the first place..." Xiangzi looked at his father helplessly. "We're still this age. If you suddenly jump out and propose some kind of arranged marriage, anyone would be shocked. We're still so young, we have plenty of time to let things take their natural course..."

“Even if things fall into place naturally, we’ll still have to face this problem in the end—” Toyokawa Kiyoshi retorted to his daughter irritably, “That boy is adamant about not marrying into the family, and I don’t think he’ll agree to it in the future.”

Xiangzi's eyes dimmed slightly, and he lowered his head.

Finally, she answered in a low voice.

"There's always a way... As long as we can truly work together, even the most troublesome problems can be solved."

Seeing that Xiangzi could only say such things, Toyokawa Kiyoko was speechless.

He couldn't help but recall Bai Zechun's words from earlier.

Is it really necessary to do it this way?

Just as he was having some doubts, Xiangzi took the initiative to change the subject.

"Dad, Aunt Bai Ze just mentioned something to me, and I'd like to discuss it with you."

"What is it?" Toyokawa Kiyoko asked in return.

So Xiangzi relayed the question about the Olympics to his father.

"I see..." Toyokawa Kiyoyuki nodded after hearing this. "Alright, do whatever you want."

Since taking on the role of acting president, Toyokawa Kiyotaka has been incredibly busy, to say the least. While the Olympics are very important to the public, he considers them trivial matters and usually leaves them to the group's secretary.

So if Xiangzi wants to have some fun, let her be, as long as she doesn't cause any major problems.

Seeing that her father agreed so readily, Toyokawa Shoko continued to ask questions.

"Father, have you ever heard of the idol group Sumimi? I heard from Aunt Bai Ze that they were arranged to perform at the opening ceremony of the Olympics... I really don't know how they became so popular."

Upon hearing his daughter mention the group's name, Toyokawa Kiyotaka's expression instantly changed.

However, his panic was only momentary, and he quickly returned to normal, without letting Xiangzi notice anything wrong.

"Ah...ah, I have heard of this group." Toyokawa Kiyoko replied with difficulty.

In fact, I've heard more than just about it. This group was clearly secretly promoted by the Toyokawa family.

However, it wasn't Toyokawa Kiyokazu who promoted him, but rather Shoko's grandfather, who had already been promoted by Toyokawa Sadaharu, who had been temporarily ousted from power.

Toyokawa Sadaharu's support for this idol group wasn't because he was "pretty in his old age" and had taken a liking to the young girls in it, but for a more outrageous and shameful reason—the real name of the Sumi group member, Mitsuka, is Hatsune Miku, and she is the illegitimate child of Toyokawa Sadaharu and his maid.

After the death of the previous head of the family, Toyokawa Sadaharu became a widower. He then had an affair with a maid who admired the deceased head of the family. After becoming pregnant, the maid hurriedly left Tokyo and settled on a southern island.

Everything was peaceful until, for some unknown reason, this illegitimate daughter suddenly returned to Tokyo a few years ago and approached Toyokawa Sadaharu, expressing her desire to work hard here in the future.

Upon learning of this, Toyokawa Kiyotaka was initially shocked, but quickly accepted the reality.

In his view, his father-in-law only had this affair after his wife's death, and it did not involve any ethical or moral issues—you can't expect a widower to remain chaste for life.

Moreover, since this illegitimate daughter has no real Toyokawa family blood, she cannot threaten Shoko's position as heir.

In this situation, it would be a disservice to the girl to leave her to wander outside for so long without receiving a good education. Therefore, he advocated simply making the girl public and bringing her back to the Toyokawa family to raise her, thus giving her a legal identity (of course, changing her surname to Toyokawa on her household registration was impossible).

However, his father-in-law, Toyokawa Sadaharu, strongly opposed the proposal.

Toyokawa Sadaharu's reason was very simple—he feared that if the scandal were exposed, it would affect his prestige and allow his relatives in the Toyokawa family to use it as a reason to attack him and oust him from power.

Therefore, he preferred to keep his illegitimate daughter hidden from the world.

Since Toyokawa Sadaharu insisted on this, Toyokawa Kiyoko stopped interfering and acquiesced to his father-in-law's approach.

However, Toyokawa Sadaharu was not too heartless. Although he was unwilling to give Miku Misaki a legal status, he secretly sponsored Miku Misaki's (Hatsune) idol career.

Thus, the triangular Hatsuka and sumimi duo rose to prominence rapidly in just a few years, becoming an extremely popular idol group.

The secret to fame in the entertainment industry is so simple and unpretentious: talented people are everywhere, but to stand out, you need the support of capital.

As long as capital invests resources regardless of cost, it can quickly make previously unknown newcomers famous.

Of course, the two members of the sumimi group are not bad in themselves, at least they live up to the audience's expectations.

As the Olympics approached, Toyokawa Sadaharu even used his financial power to include the Sumimi group in the opening ceremony, giving his illegitimate daughter the opportunity to showcase her talent in front of hundreds of millions of viewers.

—From the perspective of Toyokawa Kiyotaka, who knows the whole story, his father-in-law has done his best for his illegitimate daughter after making so many efforts. As an outsider, he is even somewhat moved by his father-in-law's good intentions.

However, the world is always full of surprises. Before the Olympics even started, Toyokawa Sadaharu had already fallen from power due to internal changes within the Toyokawa family.

Although the coup that ousted his father-in-law was initiated by Toyokawa Kiyotaka and his daughter, Toyokawa Kiyotaka did not hate his father-in-law in essence, nor did he want to make things too difficult for his already pitiful father-in-law. Therefore, he did not carry out a cruel purge against Toyokawa Sadaharu, nor did he make things difficult for his illegitimate daughter.

Therefore, Sumimi's performance schedule remains unchanged, and the Toyokawa family continues to provide them with strong support.

In Toyokawa Kiyoko's view, once the opening ceremony performance is over, the Toyokawa family can say that they owe this illegitimate daughter nothing. She can then pursue her own path as a star, and the Toyokawa family can gracefully end this illicit affair.

However, Toyokawa Kiyoko never expected that all of this could have been done and ended in secret, but one day Shoko suddenly brought them up on her own initiative.

Ah, how should he explain this to Xiangzi? He was suddenly at a loss.

To save face for his father-in-law, he was unwilling to reveal the truth until his father-in-law agreed.

So, after hesitating for a moment, he could only give his daughter a perfunctory answer.

"Being able to represent Japan at the opening ceremony, the members of Sumimi must be really amazing people..." Xiangzi's eyes were full of anticipation. "So, Dad, can I host them at home? Since we are sponsors, we can show our support for them, right?"

Actually, we've been sponsoring them for a long time, and more than you can imagine... Toyokawa Kiyoko could only complain in his heart.

His daughter's request was reasonable, and he had no reason to refuse.

"Fine, see me if you want." In the end, he could only sigh.

It seems we need to make some arrangements beforehand.

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

That very evening, Mikami Hatsuka and her partner Junta Mana walked out of the practice room together.

After a long afternoon of rehearsals, both of them were a little tired. Fortunately, their management team had already prepared a delicious dinner for them to enjoy.

Although the Olympic Games opening ceremony is still a few months away, the preparations are already in full swing, and the daily rehearsals are getting more and more intense—after all, it's a stage to be presented to the whole world, and there's no room for the slightest oversight.

This could potentially propel Sumi to new heights, or it could completely end their careers.

In addition, the two of them also have to take time out every day to shoot commercials—as the popularity of the sumimi duo grows, advertisers are flocking to them, and the roles are becoming more and more important, with correspondingly higher and higher compensation.

With the Toyokawa Group's covert support, the Sumimi group has been enjoying smooth sailing. If they continue on this momentum, it's not unrealistic for them to reach the top of the popularity charts after the Olympics and escape the fate of idol groups fading into obscurity, becoming an "evergreen group" that lasts for more than ten or twenty years.

Such a bright future has energized the entire team, and the practice room is filled with cheers and encouragement from each other.

Mikasa and Mana walked toward the dining table, chatting and laughing.

Misaka Chuka has shoulder-length blonde hair and light purple eyes, which makes her look both noble and melancholic. Whenever she is face to face with others, she always seems to be burdened with worries, yet she also carries an air of mystery that is hard to unravel—this is probably her unique selling point.

Just then, Mitsukasa's phone rang.

She first picked up her phone and glanced at it casually. After confirming who was calling, her expression darkened slightly, but then she regained her calm smile and looked at her partner.

"I'll go answer this call first."

Then, she left her partner behind, went to an empty room, and answered the phone.

"Uncle Toyokawa, is there anything I can help you with?" she asked politely.

In terms of true family lineage, Toyokawa Kiyoko should actually be considered her 'brother-in-law,' but legally speaking, they have no relation whatsoever.

Most importantly, Miku Miku used the name "Miku Miku" to make her way in Tokyo in order to completely sever ties with her shady identity.

Therefore, she preferred to call Toyokawa Kiyoko "uncle" and Toyokawa Sadaharu "Master Toyokawa".

Toyokawa Kiyoko didn't mind the so-called titles and went straight to the point.

"Miss Triangle, I'm sorry to bother you, but I have something important I'd like to ask for your opinion on today—"

"What can I do for you?" Sanjiao Chuhua asked calmly.

"It's nothing really, just that my daughter heard your group is going to perform at the opening ceremony and she's very curious and wants to meet you. So, if you have time, you can come to our house... Of course, if you're too busy lately, you can decline, and I'll explain to Xiangzi for you."

Toyokawa Kiyoshi spoke casually, but at that very moment, Mikami Hatsuka gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Xiangzi... Xiangzi wants to see me?" she asked in a trembling voice, as if she couldn't believe it.

After all this effort, could she finally see her openly and honestly? For a moment, she felt like she was dreaming.

Toyokawa Kiyoko was somewhat puzzled by her unusual excitement, but still answered seriously.

Yes. So, are you free?

“I’m free! I’m free anytime.” Without even thinking, Mikasa Hatsuka immediately agreed.

This made Kiyotaka Toyokawa feel even more uneasy.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that as an illegitimate child, she had lacked parental affection since childhood, so it wasn't surprising that she was excited to see Xiangzi, a relative, after all, she was still just a young girl...

After letting out a silent sigh, Toyokawa Kiyoko continued, "Alright, since you want to see me, I can arrange it—but there's another issue. Do you want me to continue keeping this a secret?"

He paused for a moment, then explained in a low voice, "Actually, even if your identity is revealed within the family now, there won't be any problem."

Since Toyokawa Sadaharu has already stepped down, even if some scandal involving an illegitimate daughter were to break out now, it would be like having too many lice to itch, and would have even less impact on Toyokawa Kiyoko and Shoko.

Therefore, Toyokawa Kiyoko doesn't mind revealing the truth.

However, Sanjiao Chuhua firmly opposed his suggestion, "No, please keep it a secret from Xiangzi. I... I don't want her to know any of this. I just want to be with her in my current identity!"

The reason she used the name "Hatsuka" to make her way in Tokyo was to abandon the identity that made her feel inferior. She wanted to face the world with a name that could "see the light," especially the person she longed for.

“Alright, since you don’t want to be exposed, I’ll keep it a secret for you. Just be careful yourself. Xiangzi is very smart, so don’t let her notice anything.” Toyokawa Kiyoko didn’t mind Misaka’s choice at all, so he agreed.

Finally, he reminded the other person of something.

"Oh, right, there's something else I need to tell you... Xiangzi has a very good friend recently named Takasaki Jun. She might bring him to meet you sometime, maybe to see some celebrities or something. I hope you'll give her some face and treat them both well. Please."

"A friend I get along with very well..." The sudden message struck Mikasa, who was originally extremely excited, like a thunderbolt, leaving her standing there dumbfounded.

Although she is not very old, she has been in the idol industry for so long that she can understand the implications.

"What's wrong?" Toyokawa Kiyoko sensed something was amiss and pressed for an answer.