A Very Popular Idol Classmate Has Taken a Liking to Me, A Person Who Doesn't Want to Work for My Whole Life
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.Daininki Idol na Classmate ni Natsukareta, Isshou Hatarakitakunai Ore
Src: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2496gr/136/
Act 4 - The Past of The Shidou Family
37- Admonishment to The Father
In a certain bar.
In the dimly lit atmosphere of the place were an elderly bartender and a lone man in a suit.
The man’s face was already quite red, proof that he had been drinking strong liquor for a long while.
He drained the glass of whiskey before him and groaned painfully.
"――――You’re in rough shape."
"!?"
Another man called out to him.
The man who had just entered the bar, Shidou Yuutaro, sat down next to the man on the verge of drinking himself into ruin, Tenguuji Shuusuke.
"Whiskey, on the rocks." (Yuutaro)
"At once."
After placing his order, Yuutaro draped his jacket over the back of his chair.
Shuusuke glared at him with a curse-filled look.
"You dare show your face before me...... when you’re trying to buy out my company!" (Shuusuke)
"What’s the harm? We were college mates, weren’t we?" (Yuutaro)
"Bringing up something that old, now of all times......!" (Shuusuke)
As his anger surged, Shuusuke choked and broke into a fit of coughing.
The outburst seemed to drain him, and he stopped shouting, glaring silently at Yuutaro instead.
"Your management hasn’t been going well, it seems. I made sure to look into it carefully before attempting a takeover." (Yuutaro)
Moistening his lips with whiskey, Yuutaro spoke those words to Shuusuke.
The Tenguuji Group’s management had been quietly approaching dangerous waters beneath the surface.
Very few people were aware of that fact, proof that the capable people within had been working desperately to keep things afloat.
"Shut up… What would you know, you who’ve done nothing but succeed since founding your own company?" (Shuusuke)
"The Tenguuji Group was something you inherited from your father, wasn’t it?" (Yuutaro)
"…'Make the Tenguuji Group the number one company in Japan'. That was my father’s dying wish. Already the management was crumbling, and he turned a blind eye—only to dump everything onto me." (Shuusuke)
Shuusuke lowered his head and gave a dry, bitter laugh.
"The only reason the Tenguuji Group still exists is because the men who once fought alongside my father have been working themselves to death. I’m no longer needed." (Shuusuke)
"…So that’s why you tried to prove your worth by using your daughter?" (Yuusuke)
"!?" (Shuusuke)
Struck by Yuutaro’s words, Shuusuke’s eyes flew wide.
"You’ve been cursing your fate this whole time. Trying to escape the crushing pressure your father forced onto you… You’ve been suffering all along." (Yuutaro)
".......And what of it?" (Shuusuke)
"Don’t you get it? You were about to force the same burden onto your own daughter." (Yuutaro)
"――――!" (Shuusuke)
Shuusuke caught his breath.
Flashing through his mind were the unreasonable demands he had laid upon his daughter, Tenguuji Yuzuka.
Live for the sake of the Tenguuji Group.
That was the cursed phrase his father had drilled into him over and over.
"......Wh-what was I...... trying to do to Yuzuka." (Shuusuke)
Covering his face with his hand, Shuusuke trembled violently.
For the first time, he recognized his own actions, and it terrified him.
As cold sweat streamed down his face, Yuutaro exhaled softly.
"In truth, the takeover of the Tenguuji Group wasn’t my idea." (Yuutaro)
"W-what did you say!?" (Shuusuke)
"It was my son’s will. To save your daughter――who was about to be forced into a marriage with someone she didn’t love――my son, Rintaro, begged me to take over the Tenguuji Group." (Yuutaro)
Recalling how, 'months ago', Rintaro had gone so far as to gather piles of documents to negotiate, Yuutaro couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
"The reason I came here today is to negotiate with you." (Yuutaro)
"Negotiate......?" (Shuusuke)
"If you promise to change how you treat your daughter and respect her freedom, I’ll consider the takeover talk as if it never happened. On top of that, I’ll even agree to the business partnership your daughter originally wished for." (Yuutaro)
"......" (Shuusuke)
"There are already ways to restore the Tenguuji Group’s management. If we work together, further growth is even possible." (Yuutaro)
Yuutaro looked straight at Shuusuke with utterly serious eyes.
Seeing that gaze, Shuusuke realized this was no joke.
"Now, what's your decision?" (Yuutaro)
"…You really are as insufferable as ever." (Shuusuke)
With a face as if a weight had been lifted, Shuusuke poured water down his throat instead of alcohol.
"――――Fine, I’ll accept. Now that I’ve realized I was about to push the same unreasonable burdens I once received from my father onto my daughter, it’s clear something has to change in a big way." (Shuusuke)
"A wise decision." (Yuutaro)
"It’s humiliating though… to think I have to rely on you." (Shuusuke)
As Shuusuke spat out curses, Yuutaro smiled beside him.
Noticing that, Shuusuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Hm? Something on my face?" (Shuusuke)
"......No, I just didn’t think you were the type whose emotions showed so easily." (Yuutaro)
"Ah, that’s true. Honestly, it surprises me too." (Shuusuke)
Taking another sip of whiskey, Yuutaro stared at the large, round ice in his glass.
As if seeing memories reflected within, his eyes looked far beyond the ice itself.
"My son made me into a father. I was just a machine that got work done, but he turned me into a human being with blood and warmth. That’s why now, I can finally understand the feeling of cherishing the bonds I’ve been given." (Yuutaro)
Yuutaro swirled his whiskey glass, then lightly clinked it against Shuusuke’s.
"There’s a bond between you and me, too. We both made our children suffer. Don’t you think we should live on, admonishing one another?" (Yuutaro)
"Made our children suffer… and admonishment one another, huh." (Shuusuke)
Shuusuke gazed at his whiskey glass, then eventually lifted it and tapped it back against Yuutaro’s.
"…Alright. I’ll live on while admonishing myself as well." (Shuusuke)
After saying that, Shuusuke placed money for his tab on the counter.
Then he put on his jacket and stood up.
"We’ll talk about the details of the partnership when I’m sober." (Shuusuke)
"Come now, since you’re here, why not stay for some reminiscing?" (Yuutaro)
"I’d rather die than share a friendly drink with you." (Shuusuke)
"I see, that’s a shame." (Yuutaro)
Yuutaro replied in a light tone, but Shuusuke glared at him sharply, clicking his tongue in irritation.
"Tch… I bet your son has just as bad a personality as you." (Shuusuke)
Leaving the bar, Shuusuke looked up at the sky.
Should he take a taxi home, or call for a driver?
Or perhaps walk to the nearest station while enjoying the night breeze.
Either way, once he returned home, the first thing he needed to do was apologize to his daughter.
Telling himself that, Shuusuke took his first step forward.
"――――Father."
A girl’s voice called out to him.
When Shuusuke quickly turned his gaze, standing there was his daughter, Tenguuji Yuzuka.
She timidly walked closer to him.
"I received a message from Mr. Shidou Yuutaro and thought I should come to pick you up......" (Yuzuka)
"......That man, always meddling unnecessarily." (Shuusuke)
Shuusuke furrowed his brow as he pictured the man who was probably still inside the bar.
"Umm… what were you talking about with Mr. Shidou-sama?" (Yuzuka)
"......We talked about a corporate partnership. From now on, our Tenguuji Group will cooperate with the Shidou Group to pursue business development." (Shuusuke)
"!" (Yuzuka)
"Apparently, his son begged Shidou Yuutaro to save you. ......Honestly, thanks to that, I finally woke up." (Shuusuke)
Shuusuke gently stroked the head of Yuzuka, who wore a stunned expression.
His face was filled with overflowing regret, and guilt toward his daughter.
"Until now, I truly am sorry. Your life does not exist for the Group...... much less for me. From now on, live as you wish." (Shuusuke)
"F-Father......!" (Yuzuka)
Tears welled up in Yuzuka’s eyes.
A freedom from the oppressive environment.
The torrent of emotions she had been holding back flowed out as tears.
"Good grief… What have I been doing all this time? To think I would be made to realize this by Shidou Yuutaro’s son. If I recall...... his name was Rintaro." (Shuusuke)
"Yes… fufu, he’s our benefactor." (Yuzuka)
Hearing Rintaro’s name, Yuzuka wiped away her tears and smiled.
"You know him, don’t you? What kind of person is Shidou Rintaro?" (Shuusuke)
When asked by her father, Yuzuka thought for a moment.
Words to describe him. In truth, for her, there was only one answer.
"He’s sincere but a little mischievous, sometimes swayed by his own emotions in an endearing way――――he’s my hero." (Yuzuka)
"......I see. Then someday, I must thank him." (Shuusuke)
Yuzuka and her father got into the car and drove down the night road.
Heading back to the home where they lived.
As for the great development that the Shidou Group and the Tenguuji Group would achieve from here on, that is another story.
~"(This is a Translation Content of pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id. so, read only on there, kay~)"~
[End of Chapter]
(~‾▿‾)~ [ END OF ACT 4 ] ~(‾▿‾~)
Cya~!
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