Chapter 185

When Uesugi Muneyuki stood before Saito Asuka, facing his destiny head-on, his father, Uesugi Hironori, fell into an unspeakable silence.

For a full three minutes, Uesugi Hironori stood before his son, saying not a word, moving not an inch.

Only his mother, Uesugi Tomoko, stood in confusion beside her husband and son, not knowing what she should do.

No one had expected the younger son to directly defy his father.

Uesugi Tomoko, born Saionji Tomoko, had also entered a political marriage with Uesugi Hironori; she had never worked a day in her life, having been a housewife for her entire existence, and while her relationship with her husband was originally mediocre, she was capable of bearing children, and her two sons cemented her status in one stroke; the ability to produce two male heirs was simply ecstatic for Uesugi Kuninori and Uesugi Hironori, and even her mother-in-law at the time had treated her very well.

In Uesugi Tomoko's eyes, her pair of sons were the most adorable children in the world, and as they grew up, they became the best and most outstanding children in the world.

Facts proved that her two sons were indeed excellent, with the younger son even more so than the elder, and hearing that he was to be sent away, she felt a bit reluctant.

Uesugi Hironori appeared less shaken than Uesugi Tomoko, but an unspeakable silence had already permeated his being.

After a long while, Uesugi Hironori said in a low voice, "Yukimatsumaru, do you really know? Have you truly experienced it? That era? Do you truly understand? Your father has seen it with his own eyes."

"I know, and I understand. How could I not understand? Otherwise, where do you think the Samurai Duel in the train carriages, the large companies filled entirely with female temporary staff, and the fact that half of all eligible men remain unmarried and childless for life come from?" Uesugi Muneyuki said in a deep voice.

Uesugi Hironori was an eyewitness to the golden age of Japan, but was Uesugi Muneyuki not also an eyewitness to a certain era?

The history of feminism in Japan is roughly divided into three eras: the Taisho Era, the Showa Era, and the Heisei Era.

The Taisho Era was generally after the Black Ships opened the ports and overseas ideologies spread into Japan; at that time, some daughters of feudal clan nobles read books on Western thought and gathered to advocate for "women's independence," but these daughters were essentially dependent on their families for financial support and had no economic independence of their own, so they were quickly scattered like birds and beasts by "slut-shaming," thus ending this wave of thought.

The second wave of thought was after the war; in short, Japanese men had basically died in the war, so there was a need for a large number of women to enter factories as factory girls and factory wives, and Five-Star MacArthur gave women the vote, which was the first time the social status of Japanese women significantly improved, and the first female member of the National Diet began to appear, though during this period, the status of women still lagged far behind men.

The third wave of thought was the feminism of the golden age after the economic takeoff, which was also the era Uesugi Hironori witnessed with his own eyes.

In 1986, Japan promulgated the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, marking the beginning of the golden age of feminism, and at this time, Japanese women gained two major dividends: the first was the aforementioned voting dividend, and the second was the dividend of the economic takeoff; the former meant that banding together could secure a large number of votes, while the latter was the consumerism of an era of economic upswing.

Capital created a fantasy for women, guiding them hand-in-hand to open up the female market, because the prospects for the female market were immense, while simultaneously driving the male market in large quantities.

What economy was the most successful in Japan at that time?

The answer is, love capitalism was the most successful.

That is, any element involving romance and marriage required men to shell out large sums of cold, hard cash.

With a good economy, high income, and a bright future, coupled with the new generation of urbanites having a need to oppose old traditions, both sides actually became a community of interests at this time.

It was truly an era of flowers in bloom and fire cooking oil.

The real problem was that the bubble era ended very quickly; from the problems that appeared in 1990 to the total collapse at the end of 1994, the belated Child Care Leave Law completely ignited the conflict between labor and capital, and between men and women.

Against the backdrop of an economic nosedive, large-scale layoffs, and everyone feeling insecure and in debt, talking about guaranteeing women's rights and demanding that the whole of society concede interests invited huge resentment from Japanese society; also because of the economic downturn, extreme incidents such as false accusations of sexual assault, pregnancy fraud, and human-flesh internet bullying became more and more frequent, various male miscarriages of justice emerged one after another, and because there were more and more incidents of causing trouble due to mismatched or unequal treatment, it instead invited more and more disgust in the workplace, and because of electoral politics, the judicial system also tended toward one side.

When you encounter a contract where the other party can renege, change, or increase prices at will, the best way to deal with it is not to sign.

Consequently, Japanese men gradually lost all sympathy and empathy for women, beginning to move toward giving up and refusing to provide any emotional or economic value, including verbal support.

The predecessors cut down the trees of their successors and blocked their paths.

Thus, more than 20 years after the end of the bubble economy, Japanese feminism completely died down.

All of this, Uesugi Hironori, as a father, witnessed from beginning to end; there is no need to say how a father who was already traditional felt about the so-called "new era women."

"Since you know all this, why are you still so stupid?" Uesugi Hironori glanced at Saito Asuka kneeling behind Uesugi Muneyuki, and the father said coldly: "Yukimatsumaru, you are a doctor; you should understand that if a doctor is complained about by a female patient for sexual harassment, then..."

"At best, suspension for investigation; at worst, dismissal." Uesugi Muneyuki also said coldly: "But, Father, you should know that that day, the attacker was coming for me, right?"

"Yukimatsumaru! Do not be stubborn anymore!" Uesugi Hironori said sternly: "Do you dare to gamble? This is a matter for a lifetime!"

"My terms have already been very generous! I will take her away now, I will arrange a new school and a new residence for her, and if you really like her, when she is 20 or 18, I will send her back to you!"

"Wait until your brother gets married at the end of the year, and you will also have to prepare for your engagement; what kind of situation is it to keep an underage girl at home? And you have to take huge risks!"

"I am doing this for your own good! Yukimatsumaru! I am your father, I am helping you, not harming you!" Uesugi Hironori roared: "Why can't you just understand?!"

"I know, I know everything!" Uesugi Muneyuki also shouted: "I know you are doing it for my own good, but Asuka's sister used her life to save mine! Now she has only one person left; if I cannot take on this responsibility, then am I still worthy of my surname?"

"Since I was a child, you taught me what righteousness is! Righteousness is Naoe Kanetsugu's Direct Letter, righteousness is Uesugi Kagekatsu not abandoning all his retainers and going to Yonezawa together after his fief was reduced!"

"Righteousness is Uesugi Yozan's Great Thrift Edict starting with himself! It is Uesugi Shigenori bestowing all the gold and silver in the treasury to the wandering samurai after the abolition of the han system! It is him pleading for the people, which caused our family to be completely driven out of the old political arena!"

"Father, this is my choice! I have already made up my mind to take care of her; this is my righteousness!"

"Is it to care about the eyes of the world and drift with the tide, or to violate the eyes of the world and do what is truly right?"

"Is this not exactly where the great righteousness lies?"

Uesugi Muneyuki continued: "Father, we can go to the hospital for an examination; I have not touched her from beginning to end! I just let her do some housework; I have never harbored any thoughts, and I have not wronged Minami! In the matter of Asuka, my heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror!"

"I know, Sakata Bridge is the family's house; if you don't let me live there, I will move out with her! Whether it is the student dormitory at the University of Tokyo, the dormitory arranged by the Metropolitan Police Department, or even if we go to rent a place in Nerima Ward or Setagaya, I will take Asuka with me!"

"Therefore, to Father's request, my answer is, I am very sorry, I really cannot do it; please forgive me, Father!"

"If one day I am betrayed by her, that is also my own choice; it has nothing to do with Father, and I will bear all the responsibility myself! Thank you very much for your concern for me; this time, let your son choose for himself once, please!"

After speaking, Uesugi Muneyuki knelt on both knees and kowtowed, expressing his determination: "Please forgive me!"

"You, you, you, you, you!" Uesugi Hironori was so angry that his lungs were about to explode, so angry that his vision went black; he wanted to refute, but had nothing to say.

The great righteousness I taught you, you are now using it to refute me?

Unfilial son! When did you learn to commit insubordination?

Bastard!

Just as father and son were about to have a Samurai Duel, Uesugi Tomoko suddenly grabbed Uesugi Hironori tightly: "Yukimatsumaru, let me have a word with your father, okay?"

The mother forcibly pulled the father into the empty guest room and closed the door; the couple looked at each other for a long while, and Uesugi Tomoko said slowly: "Yukimatsumaru will start his master's and doctoral studies at the University of Tokyo Medical Department next year, and will join the Tokyo University Affiliated Hospital the year after..."

"What are you talking about?" Uesugi Hironori's residual anger had not yet subsided, and he said impatiently: "Women are just soft-hearted; when is it your turn to be my..."

"Also the year after next, Father-in-law will retire from the University of Tokyo..." Uesugi Tomoko continued: "Then, what are you going to do about your business?"

"!!!" Uesugi Hironori was shocked.

"You have no benefit in falling out with him now, dear; he is no longer the fledgling eagle that needs your protection." Uesugi Tomoko said with a bitter smile: "If I may say something unpleasant, Chitokumaru is mainly responsible for historical and archaeological discoveries, and in the future, social resources will be very limited and he probably won't be able to help you much; Father-in-law is already 73 years old, if in the future... we two really have to rely on Yukimatsumaru!"

This sentence completely calmed the furious Uesugi Hironori.

His business is very large now and he can connect with various forces, but it actually all depends on the upper class giving face to Uesugi Kuninori; he knows his own level himself.

He was still treating Uesugi Muneyuki as the child who once needed his protection and support.

But in reality, Uesugi Muneyuki not only does not need his protection and support now, but this younger son has even become the person the Uesugi Residence needs to rely on.

(Always Protecting You)

Uesugi Hironori's face was pale; he said nothing, merely waving his hand in tacit agreement, his head bowed as if lost in thought.

After a while, Uesugi Hironori and Uesugi Tomoko finally walked out; he glanced at Uesugi Muneyuki and Saito Asuka, who were still kneeling on the ground, and said in a hoarse voice, "Since this is your decision, Muneyuki, then you must bear the consequences yourself!"

"I said that you could continue to live here at Sakata Bridge, and I will not take back those words; this is my sense of righteousness, but you are not the only one who has it—I also bear the surname Uesugi!"

"Furthermore, Saito Asuka, you had best think clearly about how great a risk Muneyuki has taken for your sake; if anything truly happens, you had best leave this country and go somewhere I cannot find you."

Uesugi Muneyuki and Saito Asuka both responded in low voices.

Having finished speaking, father and son both felt a bit awkward; in the end, it was Uesugi Tomoko who came before her son to help him up, saying softly, "Your father is also doing this for your own good; since you have decided this way, we will say no more, and we will not come to this place at Sakata Bridge again in the future."

"However, you still need to think carefully about the issue of the two of you living together; at the very least, before Asuka comes of age, this matter must not be exposed."

"Thank you, Mother." Uesugi Muneyuki pinched his nose in slight embarrassment: "I will discuss it with Minami."

Only then did the Uesugi couple realize that Watanabe Minami actually knew Asuka was living here.

Just like that, the Uesugi couple left.

"Get up." The empty Tower Mansion still held the lingering smoke of war, and even Uesugi Muneyuki himself could hardly believe it—he had actually won.

He had triumphed over his father.

As expected, only when one has sufficient strength and has mastered enough resources can one truly stand tall.

Uesugi Hironori had once said, "A son always becomes an adult through his rebellion against his father"; his father probably never expected the boomerang to return so quickly, did he?

"Get up, Asuka, we won; this place is still your home." Uesugi Muneyuki pulled the girl up from the ground and laughed: "I told you I would always protect you, my Housekeeper Ashūshū~"

As soon as the girl stood up, she threw herself into his arms, finally unable to hold back as she burst into loud sobs: "Mr. Uesugi, waaa~~~"

At this moment, Saito Asuka knew that she would never be able to love anyone else in this lifetime.

(End of chapter)