Chapter 184: Eliminate this root of trouble!

Inside the small room, Saito Asuka was trembling with fear; she slumped down, wrapping her body in a blanket, looking now at the not-so-sturdy door, now down at the cold floor.

The atmosphere inside the Tower Mansion was oppressive to the extreme.

"Come out quickly, don't make me say it again." The baritone at the door repeated: "Saito Asuka, now, come out immediately."

The girl still dared not open the door.

Seeing no movement inside, the door was knocked heavily twice, followed by the sound of a middle-aged man's angry breathing. As he inhaled to say something, a middle-aged woman's voice interrupted him: "Saito, we are Uesugi Muneyuki's parents. I am Uesugi Tomoko, and the one who spoke just now is my husband, Uesugi Hironori. We would like to see you; please come out and meet with us, will you?"

Hearing these two names, Saito Asuka subconsciously shrank back in panic, but she finally recalled hearing them from Uesugi Muneyuki. She gave a timid, soft response, hurriedly changed out of the shirt belonging to Uesugi Muneyuki, and put on a standard Tsukuba University High School uniform. The girl was both shocked and afraid; she took a deep breath, gently opened the door, knelt on both knees, and pressed her small head to the floor: "Mr. Uesugi! Mrs. Uesugi!"

Asuka tried her best to appear polite, yet given her status and position, Uesugi Hironori did not even look at her directly.

The girl remained kneeling on the floor without rising, and Uesugi Hironori did not tell her to get up. The father's face was grim; he coldly surveyed the small room, and seeing that the girl had decorated the entire room in her own style, he was even more displeased.

But as the director of the Tokyo Cultural Exchange Hall and president of the Keio University Alumni Association, he still possessed the ability to handle social interactions. He did not say much, merely nodding slightly: "Raise your head. I know roughly what has happened. So, you have been living here at Sakata Bridge for a long time?"

Asuka was still kneeling on the floor. Hearing Uesugi Hironori's words, the girl raised her head, meeting Uesugi Hironori's sharp gaze, and Asuka felt an invisible pressure closing in on her.

She felt as if there were invisible, thick walls on all sides pressing in on her. Her usual ability to read the room, her eloquence, and her stubborn tenacity—whether facing Uesugi Muneyuki's "Black Bird" or Ikeda Erena's "Black Bird"—all had nowhere to hide before Uesugi Hironori's gaze.

For someone like Uesugi Hironori, who spent his days responsible for networking and bridging connections, a single look was enough to crush everything about Saito Asuka.

The girl was so frightened that she lowered her head again and said very humbly: "Yes, Mr. Uesugi took me in."

"I didn't ask you that. I asked you, does he intend for you to live here long-term?" Uesugi Hironori said coldly.

The girl was stunned, her body gradually becoming weak, and she bowed her head even lower, saying hoarsely: "I am so, so sorry..."

She dared not argue, and dared even less to drag Uesugi Muneyuki into this.

"Oh, dear, it's about that matter from last time, the incident at the Medical and Dental University Hospital. Yukimatsumaru was also injured, and at the time, the matter involved an innocent girl. This Asuka is the younger sister of that deceased girl..." Mother Uesugi Tomoko immediately chimed in: "She is already an orphan, so Yukimatsumaru probably just..."

"So, this brat played the hero saving the damsel?"

Uesugi Hironori scolded with a laugh, but Saito Asuka, who was skilled at reading the room, could feel that there was not the slightest hint of amusement in Uesugi Hironori's tone or expression.

On the contrary, it was a precursor to an imminent outburst.

The girl's head was pressed dead against the wooden floor, not daring to move a single bit. She did not know when it started, but tears of fear had already filled her eye sockets.

"Is Yukimatsumaru an idiot?" Uesugi Hironori finally could not hold back. The father angrily flicked his kimono sleeve and paced at the entrance of the small room, shouting at his wife: "Does he even know what he is doing? Taking in a female minor? I can't believe he actually did it! What a moron, a pure moron. How did I give birth to such a son???!!!"

"This girl will ruin his entire life! He has a limitless future! The Metropolitan Police Department views him as their last line of defense, the University of Tokyo treats Yukimatsu as an honored guest, and then there's the affiliated hospital! He has achieved all of this at only 23 years old! Is he crazy? Taking in such a minor girl to live in his home???"

"What if she reports him? What if she listens to slander and accuses Yukimatsu of misconduct? What if she speaks to the newspapers for money? Has that pig Yukimatsu not considered any of this?"

"Letting her stay for a few days temporarily is one thing, but what is the meaning of raising her at home now? He is about to get engaged; why hasn't he handled this matter yet?"

"Hesitant, unable to let go—how can he ever accomplish great things?"

Uesugi Hironori rarely showed such a look of rage; he was so angry he kept scolding, until Uesugi Tomoko reached out and tugged at his sleeve, which finally caused Uesugi Hironori's anger to subside slightly.

Uesugi Tomoko clearly pitied Asuka more than Uesugi Hironori did. In the eyes of Uesugi Muneyuki's mother, this little girl truly had done nothing wrong and had endured too much; she was a victim of that accidental incident, and in a way, her sister had died in place of Uesugi Muneyuki.

But while that was the logic, Uesugi Tomoko naturally could not sacrifice her own son for this girl.

"Hoo~" After venting fiercely, Uesugi Hironori knew that his anger was of no use. He snorted coldly, returned to the front of Saito Asuka, looked at the girl kneeling on the floor, and after much deliberation, finally decided that he must eliminate this root of trouble.

She was indeed very pretty, and also very pitiful and endearing.

But she was only 16 years old! But she was still a minor! She was even living under the same roof as Uesugi Muneyuki!

For Uesugi Muneyuki's infinitely bright future and career, this was an uncontrollable ticking time bomb!

It was a pity that Uesugi Hironori was a witness to the Golden Age, and also a witness to the rise, peak, and decline of feminism in Japan. He himself had seen all kinds of women. No matter how Saito Asuka guaranteed, promised, swore, or signed various certificates, Uesugi Hironori would not believe a word of it.

My signature ≠ my consent. Hadn't things like this happened enough around the turn of the millennium? Starting from the late 90s, false accusations of sexual misconduct became rampant in Japanese society. Uesugi Muneyuki hadn't experienced it, but Uesugi Hironori had seen it with his own eyes many times!

No matter the agreement, no matter the promise, no matter the pact, one could go back on it at any time. As long as it was taken to court, a man was destined for social death and a ruined future.

Around the year 2000, there was a high school girl who relied on false accusations of sexual misconduct on the train + demands for a private settlement to earn 2.4 million yen from a male office worker in half a year. And that was 2.4 million yen in the year 2000!

As long as this girl suddenly backstabbed him at any moment, she could destroy his son!

This was something Uesugi Hironori absolutely could not accept.

Since Yukimatsumaru could not bring himself to handle this problem, then he, as the father, would handle it!

Although this might cause Uesugi Muneyuki to hate him, to misunderstand him, and to feel that he was interfering in his private affairs, Uesugi Hironori believed that one day, Uesugi Muneyuki would understand the hidden bitterness of him as a father.

Uesugi Hironori began to discuss matters with Uesugi Tomoko; he never let the girl get up from the floor.

Across some distance, Saito Asuka could not hear the conversation between Uesugi Muneyuki's parents very clearly, but she did catch vague words, such as: cohabitation with a minor, legal risks, moving out, arranging a middle school and residence further away, waiting until she was 20, and so on.

The girl went from being as silent as a cicada in winter at the beginning, to trembling all over, and now, she suddenly felt as if she had been sucked by a black hole into a place of ultimate silence and darkness. Being particularly skilled at reading the room, she became immersed in the words she had heard.

Move out.

Mr. Uesugi's parents want me to move out?

But, if I leave Mr. Uesugi, what will I do in the future?

The girl knelt on the floor, her legs already a bit numb, but she felt nothing in her body at this moment, and her hollow eyes slowly filled with tears.

In a daze, she recalled that grand funeral; in that black-and-white world, only the appearance of Mr. Uesugi brought a touch of color.

To be honest, although Saito Asuka was very, very grateful to Uesugi Muneyuki for taking her in, she was quite confident in her ability to stay at Sakata Bridge and live with Uesugi Muneyuki, because Uesugi Muneyuki needed her to take care of the house, and because she had inherited the position left behind by her sister. She believed that besides Uesugi Muneyuki, she didn't need to please anyone else.

But the appearance of Uesugi Hironori today made the girl realize how great a risk Uesugi Muneyuki had taken by taking her in.

He knew it very well, but he did not hesitate in the slightest. Between danger and safety, between his own interests and her well-being, Mr. Uesugi had resolutely chosen her.

He said he would take care of her, and it wasn't just empty words or a routine favor; he was serious about wanting to protect her, cherish her, and compensate her.

Asuka's tears flowed uncontrollably, and she sobbed painfully.

It was so hard to find a place like home, so hard to find someone worth relying on.

Please, I beg you, don't take away this last little bit of warmth I have!

Please!

But the girl could not say it; she really could not say it. She knew that Mr. Uesugi's father was right—her existence might destroy Mr. Uesugi!

She could only cry; she could only cry, just like when she lost her sister, crying helplessly.

If my existence will cause Mr. Uesugi to bear such great risks and cause such great trouble, then I should move out.

This is the only thing I can do for her...

Just at this moment, the door rang again.

"Father! Mother!"

Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly appeared at the doorway; he pushed the door open, his voice filled with anger and urgency: "Why have you come here?"

"Ah?!" Uesugi Hironori and Uesugi Tomoko had never imagined that Uesugi Muneyuki would actually return home at this time.

It was impossible; they had specifically chosen a time when Uesugi Muneyuki was not home to help their son get rid of this source of trouble!

Uesugi Muneyuki was also surprised that his parents had suddenly come to his home; he had even imagined that by the time he returned home, Asuka would have already been packed up, belongings and all, and sent off somewhere else.

If it weren't for Senior Mai suddenly calling him to tell him to hurry home because his parents were about to kick Asuka out, he would not have immediately rushed back to Sakata Bridge at the speed of Police Inspector Okada driving with the police lights on.

"How did you know my parents went to my house?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked on the road.

"I secretly installed surveillance in your house," Senior Mai said nonchalantly: "You are my partner, so of course I have the right to look out for your safety."

"I'll settle this score with you later!" Uesugi Muneyuki was too lazy to argue with Senior Mai at this moment.

Seeing Asuka kneeling on the ground and his own parents, Uesugi Muneyuki panted: "Father! You all..."

"We are discussing the matter of having Asuka move out," Uesugi Hironori said, laying his cards on the table: "Muneyuki, don't worry, Father will handle it for you..."

"I don't allow it!" Uesugi Muneyuki said immediately: "Asuka is..."

"I am not talking to you!" Uesugi Hironori said directly to Asuka on the ground: "Asuka, rest assured, the main family will arrange a new school and a new place for you to live, will fully support you until you graduate from high school, and will give you five million in one lump sum."

"Could I please ask you to move out?"

"That's right, Asuka, just consider it our request; could you please be kind and give us some face? Muneyuki is getting engaged to the daughter of the Watanabe Family at the end of the year. You being like this makes us very troubled, and it also makes Muneyuki very troubled. He takes such good care of you, can't you take a little care of him too?"

Uesugi Tomoko also said.

However, Saito Asuka did not answer; she just knelt on the ground and cried, crying hard.

No answer was the best answer.

The stubborn girl could only express her response through crying.

She was unwilling.

Sure enough, seeing this reaction from the girl, the Uesugi couple's expressions changed.

So arrogant, rude, and unable to distinguish right from wrong—it is time to teach you a lesson!

As parents, they could absolutely not tolerate such a ticking time bomb remaining by their son's side!

But at this moment, Uesugi Muneyuki blocked his parents, shielding the girl behind him.

"Father, Mother, this matter is my decision; it was I who brought Asuka home and kept her here at Sakata Bridge."

"If you have any demands, come at me; don't force her," Uesugi Muneyuki said in a deep voice: "I do not agree to letting Asuka move out of here!"

"If you insist on doing this, then I will take her and leave! We will leave Sakata Bridge together; Tokyo is so big, there will surely be a place that can accommodate her and me."

"I promise I will take care of her; I mean what I say!"

Uesugi Hironori completely lost his composure and roared in anger: "Muneyuki! I am your father!"

"Yes, you are my father, but please forgive me for not being able to accept your methods!"

(End of this chapter)