A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

"Yes, everything is going smoothly, if we take it slow." Hayasaka Ai walked alongside him.

"Where did you meet your father?"

"At sea, your father is sailing a yacht."

Uesugi Genshin turned to look at his father in surprise. When did their family get a yacht?

"Haha, I picked it up from the shore," Uesugi's father laughed proudly.

"Well, you've been to sea before anyway." This man had done all sorts of jobs when he was young.

Sitting on the sofa in the student council room, Yukino Yukinoshita elegantly brewed black tea, while Iroha Isshiki sat in an office chair.

"Thanks to this little girl, I was able to find my way here," said Uesugi's father, pointing at Hayasaka Ai and smiling at the two of them.

That smile suddenly reminded Hayasaka Ai of Shirogane's father, who had also smiled at Kaguya in the same way.

"This is just what I should do as a subordinate." So, to avoid teasing from her elders, Hayasaka Ai waved her hand and decided to make things clear first.

"Really? Hahaha..."

"I'll go see what we have to eat." Uesugi Genshin remembered that he kept beef jerky or something similar in his office.

He got up and left the student council room, heading towards the next room.

"Please enjoy." Yukino Yukinoshita gently placed the brewed black tea on the table.

"Yes, thank you." Uesugi's father said, then picked up the cup and took a sip. "Is this black tea?"

“Yes, I’m amazed you knew that.” Yukino Yukinoshita exclaimed in surprise, her mouth agape. “It’s definitely from Kyoto.”

“I’ve had this before, and the aroma… is very memorable.” Uesugi’s father took another sip.

Then the door to the student council room was opened, and instead of Uesugi Genshin, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Miura Yumiko, and Yuigahama Yui walked in.

The first thing Kasumigaoka Utaha saw when she entered was the person sitting on the sofa, standing with a stern face.

She awkwardly placed her hand on her lower abdomen. "H-hello, I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha." As she spoke, she bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.

This was considered meeting the parents, and it reminded her of the New Year's prayer ceremony, where she stood in a daze, surrounded by spirits, her face contorted with worry...

"Oh~" Uesugi's father opened his eyes wide and looked at the girl and the two behind her. "I know, Genshin told me about you. You're really pretty."

"Is that so?" Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled shyly, her smile as beautiful as a flower.

"Ah, and these two young ladies too. You're Xuanxin's friends, right? I saw you on TV, oh dear..."

That scene could easily be described as a hero rescuing a damsel in distress, but his unfinished words carried a deeper meaning.

Her face flushed instantly. Dressed beautifully, Miura Yumiko abandoned her usual domineering demeanor and said in a tone that was completely unlike her usual shyness, "Hello, I, I am Miura Yumiko."

"...I am Yui Yuigahama." Yui Yuigahama smiled shyly, her cute laughter instantly endearing her to everyone.

"Haha, I remember that. Oh, that kid has been popular since he was a kid. Two girls even fought over him in elementary school, and he went on a few dates in middle school."

"Eh? Senpai, does he have experience dating girls?" Iroha Isshiki exclaimed in surprise.

Almost everyone present was stunned; they had never heard of such a thing before.

Hayasaka Ai, never one to shy away from stirring things up, speculated, "Well, even a club president must have had one or two girlfriends by now."

The way they handled the girl was remarkably natural and calm.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at Hayasaka Ai who had spoken.

"No, no, senior, he doesn't seem to know much about this stuff, does he? After all, that's how it used to be."

Isshiki Iroha means, "Look at that extremely gloomy hairstyle from before, how could she find a girlfriend with that?"

Uesugi's father is the most qualified to speak on this matter: "No, he used to be quite something. He was very popular in middle school. I remember there was a well-behaved and reserved child in first grade named Mika."

"......oh?"

"Then, in second grade, Yuki, a lively girl who loves the sea, came to our house."

"what......"

"Also, in third grade, Tsubaki Natsumi was a very passionate and sexy girl."

"...Hey~"

"Yes, I remember. When I was in elementary school, that was the only time I was called to school by the teacher. The teacher told me that two girls were fighting over my son." Uesugi's father recounted some past events.

Holding a stack of things, Uesugi Genshin opened the door and said helplessly, "Dad, don't spread unnecessary rumors."

He glanced at the people in the room, his eyes sweeping over Miura.

"Huh? Isn't that true?" Uesugi's father took the food and started eating. "Didn't you go on a date with Mika-chan when you were in first grade?"

"She was just buying club supplies, and she pulled out two movie tickets on the way." He'd really wanted to see Transformers 3 again, especially the afternoon showing; might as well watch it. Uesugi Genshin explained briefly.

"Um, what about that one? Her name is Yuki," Miura Yumiko asked.

“Yuki?” Uesugi Genshin thought for a moment and wondered who this person was. “That’s from the cultural festival executive committee. In the end, she even pulled out two tickets to the extreme sports experience hall. I was going to refuse her directly, but she said it was just a casual outing between friends to exercise.”

"What do you mean by 'ordinary friends'? That's because you don't know how to say no, senpai," Iroha Isshiki pouted. "What about Tsubaki Natsumi?"

"Huh?" Uesugi Genshin glared at his father. "Why did you say everything?" "She did come to me to play, but I was preparing for my next school entrance exam, so I ignored her."

"Mmm." Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded, stroking her delicate chin. "And what about elementary school?"

"What elementary school?" Uesugi Genshin didn't understand either.

“It’s that one…” Yui Yuigahama explained.

Uesugi Genshin turned to look at his father in surprise, "Didn't you say it was a meeting between the teacher and the parents of an outstanding student?!"

After all, it was the only time in elementary school that his parents were called in on his own initiative, and he still remembers it very clearly.

"I didn't say anything wrong. In fact, the teacher's first sentence was that Uesugi-kun has excellent academic performance and is a very good student."

Of course, the next sentence is, "I believe this matter has no direct connection to him."

Inoue-sensei is truly a competent teacher...

Chapter 168: Who is More Important?

Being competent means neither trying to smooth things over nor assigning equal blame to both sides.

The fight between the two children did not implicate anyone who was innocently caught in the crossfire.

But since both children said it was because of someone, we decided to call their father over to be a witness.

"Eh, is that how it is?" Isshiki Iroha flirted lightly, covering her mouth with her hand.

Uesugi Genshin pondered for a moment, "They wouldn't be using me as a scapegoat, would they? I don't remember anyone fighting because of me."

"..." Everyone looked at him.

"You've forgotten, haven't you?" Kasumigaoka Utaha rolled her eyes.

"I think it was around fifth grade," Uesugi's father recalled, as if it were a long time ago.

"Ah, it was during craft class, right? There were 31 people in the class, but we had to be in pairs." Hachiman must have experienced this terrible grouping incident firsthand back then.

Uesugi Genshin casually remarked, "I just told the teacher I wanted to work in a separate group. Anyway, you can just do it casually."

I'm not a child anymore. How could I be upset because I didn't finish my craft project? No way.

Moreover, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance. After experiencing a more rigorous elementary school, Japanese elementary schools are incredibly easy.

Moreover, even if you daydream during class until the end, you still get a perfect score on the exam.

"Then I saw two girls fighting next to me." They were pulling each other's hair, which is probably a fighting move that every girl learns without being taught.

He found it interesting at the time, so he wrote it down and never forgot about it.

“I remember they were third in their grade and eighth in their grade,” Uesugi’s father added.

"I'm surprised you still remember what the teacher said?" Uesugi Genshin clicked his tongue. "Anyway, it was just elementary school kids fooling around. What's the point of pursuing it now?"

He only found out about this now; he hadn't noticed it at all at the time. Everything was normal in class and at home.

“Indeed.” Uesugi’s father looked at his son with a smile, but this was something that made him quite proud, and it made him happy for a long time.

Privately, she would boast to her wife at home, "Look! Look! Our two kids!"

That's exactly what they mean by "feeling honored."

"..." Uesugi Genshin looked back at his father speechlessly, picked up the black tea that Yukinoshita had poured, took a sip, and felt the familiar taste and warmth.

"Ah, you started growing your hair out in third grade and then came here. I almost didn't recognize you when I saw you on TV." Uesugi's father mentioned seeing him on TV.

Uesugi Genshin put down his teacup. "I called home, but no one answered. I thought you had already..."

“We tried calling you, but we couldn’t get through.” Uesugi’s father shrugged and looked out the window. “It was really heartbreaking. We had raised our son for so long, and suddenly we lost all contact with him. We hadn’t even seen each other for a year.”

"..." Uesugi Genshin pouted childishly. He had said he would accompany the girl to the shrine for the New Year, but you all confidently said he didn't need to come back! The speed of your urgent speech was so fast that you almost spat in people's faces.

"Um, I'm sorry." Suddenly, Uesugi's father lowered his head.

"What's wrong?" Uesugi Genshin asked, shrinking back.

"I originally planned to go to Tokyo to find you right away, after all, you are still a minor. But because of your mother and your brother, it has been delayed until now." This is also something that makes him feel bad. If you have to say which is more important, the eldest or the second eldest, a grown-up child is always more important than an infant in swaddling clothes.

"It's alright. Although I'm not an adult yet, I'm not a child anymore. Mom is more important. It's good that you're all alright." In Uesugi Genshin's mind, his foolish little brother, whom he had never met, was not as important as his mother. It was only natural that his father would prioritize his mother.

"Hahaha, yes!" Uesugi's father laughed, crossing his arms. "Seeing you kill them one by one on TV, you were amazing. The things you learned at the dojo are really useful."

“Ah, yes.” Uesugi Genshin agreed, although this dojo was not the same as that dojo. He learned kendo in Edo, not Kitami.

“Teacher training college is really amazing. Back then, he even told me that if I kept studying, I could achieve great things by participating in the national competition,” Uesugi’s father recalled.

"Master is too kind," Uesugi Genshin shook his head. At the time, he was just trying to cover up his kendo skills. Besides, he was only 13 or 4 years old then, and there was still a gap between him and a real adult. The master did not see his true strength, but only thought that if he studied further, he would definitely become a master in the future.

But in reality, he has many other more meaningful things to do. He doesn't need further training; in time, he will be able to beat everyone in the dojo.

Moreover, I never imagined that I would actually have to use the murderous sword one day.

Thinking of this, Uesugi's father turned to look at Miura Yumiko and Yuigahama Yui with a smile. He remembered very clearly how close the two of them were to his son on TV.

The smiling gaze made the two of them blush and lower their heads.

"I'm so glad to see you're alright. I can leave now without worry."

At this point, he looked intently at Uesugi Genshin.

"Huh?" Uesugi Gen casually put it down. "Now?"

“Yes,” Uesugi’s father replied casually. “We are currently staying near a lighthouse by the sea, where there is a caretaker’s hut. Although it’s relatively safe, I’m still worried about them.”

Uesugi Genshin beckoned, signaling Hayasaka Ai to fetch a map of Hokkaido; the archives contained maps of the entire country.

Draw a circle around a seaside spot in Kitami City in northern Hokkaido, and Uesugi's father smiled again, "If your younger brother weren't still so young, Mom and I would have come to find you together, but for now I still have to go back and keep an eye on him."

"At least stay one night," Uesugi Genshin immediately advised. Drifting at sea, he must not be getting enough rest, and there's also the issue of showering. During the bear hug earlier, he clearly smelled his father's odor. "Take a shower and get some rest."

"Please allow us to entertain him." Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped forward, feeling that as his future wife, she should properly entertain her father.

"Hayasaka," Uesugi Genshin called out again to the side.

"Yes."

"Please replace these with canned food or something similar and send them to the yacht, as well as the fuel we stored in Newport. You can decide what to do with the rest." Uesugi Genshin tossed the money pouch in his arms over. "Spend it all."

Hayasaka Ai took the money bag and shook it. There wasn't much; the coins inside jingled, but as expected, they were all gold coins, quite valuable.

"I see."

"Ha, really." Uesugi's father sighed.

"Hahaha..." Uesugi Genshin laughed as well. "By the way, Father, did you see any fishing boats or anything like that at sea?"

"Yes, there is," Uesugi's father said after a moment's thought. "Do you want to go fishing?"

"Ah."

“Let me show you around,” Uesugi’s father suggested.

“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” Uesugi Genshin shrugged. “Well, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Chapter 169: That person is also...