Chapter 197: Engagement Negotiations

PS: My brother was beaten up by the European king KC yesterday, which caused me to pass out on the spot, so the update is late, sorry!

Setagaya Ward in Tokyo is one of the largest of Tokyo's 23 wards and also the area with the largest residential space, especially dominated by housing complexes and detached houses, where a large number of Tokyo's white-collar families reside.

Although the geographical location is already a bit remote, in reality, Japanese people who can afford a detached house here can already be considered lower-middle class; a normal white-collar worker like Nohara Hiroshi, the father from "Crayon Shin-chan," has an annual income of over 5 million yen, yet still has to live in Saitama Prefecture, carrying a 32-year mortgage, with only 30,000 yen a month in pocket money, which is often not enough for meals and social engagements.

The most famous case here is the Setagaya Ward family murder case, a cold case that is very rare in Japanese history because there is sufficient evidence, including the killer's fingerprints and DNA, and a large amount of the killer's clothing and tools left at the scene, as well as the murder weapon, yet the Japanese police are unable to solve it.

Because the killer is highly likely to be of Korean descent, the fingerprint and DNA databases could not find a match, the large quantity of clothing and tools were all cheap goods with massive production volumes that cannot be traced, the house where the incident occurred was in a remote location with no witnesses or surveillance, and the victims had simple family relationships.

Because of this case, the Japanese police come to the location of the murder every year to offer flowers and bow in apology, and it is precisely because of this case and some other major cases that Japan amended the statute of limitations for criminal cases, stipulating that cases involving similar murders will not be subject to litigation expiration and will be permanently pursued.

In late June, Uesugi Muneyuki arrived at Setagaya Gotokuji.

Gotokuji is a small temple and also the birthplace of the Japanese-style beckoning cat; it was once the family temple of the Iii Clan of the Edo Shogunate, and it houses the grave and memorial of the famous late-Shogunate leader Ii Naosuke.

After arriving, Uesugi Muneyuki performed the routine temple visit, clapped his hands forcefully, took out a ten-yen coin and tossed it into the offering box, silently expecting in his heart.

May the ten yen help me succeed in the autopsy!

May the ten yen help my engagement go smoothly!

May the ten yen help my household be safe and peaceful!

May the ten yen help me reunite with Sister Mikoto!

After finishing his prayers, Uesugi Muneyuki officially went to pay a visit.

Setagaya Ward also has a large number of wealthy areas; the atmosphere near Gotokuji is quiet, the plots are intact, and the transportation is convenient, making it a place where many wealthy people settle down.

The Watanabe Residence is located here.

A moon-white marble base supports a triple-layered gray-blue roof, the curved ceramic tiles shimmering with silk-like luster in the morning light, six Corinthian columns support a seven-meter-high foyer, the grape vine patterns carved on the columns winding and stretching in the shadows, the Greek-style scrolls on the cast-iron railings forming a strange dialogue with the tortoise-shell-shaped stone lanterns in the courtyard, and the entire floor-to-ceiling window cutting the landscape behind into a flowing three-dimensional painting.

Just after pressing the doorbell, the servant inside saw Uesugi Muneyuki and let him in without waiting for him to speak, and at this moment, the Watanabe Eiji family was already waiting at the door.

"Welcome, Uesugi-kun, welcome." Watanabe Eiji was wearing a light, casual shirt for home, standing at the door with a smile; he was tall, and in recent years, his official career had been smooth, holding a high position and cultivating his aura, full of majesty.

The Superintendent General's wife, Watanabe Michiko, was wearing a simple black velvet dress, draped with a shawl printed with peony patterns; she was quite tall, dignified and elegant, though time had not been kind, and obvious wrinkles could already be seen at the corners of her eyes, forehead, and beside her nose.

Subsequently, the young lady Minami, wearing a green beret, also poked her head out from behind her parents; today she was wearing a tweed plaid strawberry jam classic hip-hugging skirt, her smooth black hair tied into a bun, walking with a graceful and lively gait, her petite and curvaceous figure vibrant; as soon as she saw Uesugi Muneyuki appear, a faint smile immediately hung on her sweet apple-like face, paired with black silk stockings that made her look mysterious, a pair of milky-white jade feet wrapped in thin, translucent black silk, shining with a moving luster.

"Hello, Uncle Watanabe, Aunt Michiko." Uesugi Muneyuki was an old acquaintance with all three of them; Watanabe Eiji and Watanabe Minami went without saying, and even Watanabe Michiko, he had met several times before, having seen her when the elders met to play mahjong during his childhood.

"We've been waiting for you for a long time, Uesugi-kun." Watanabe Eiji said with a smile: "Come in and sit down first."

"Yes."

Turning around, the old man Eiji gave his wife a look: How is it? Are you satisfied?

Mrs. Michiko's eyes lit up; she found Uesugi Muneyuki more and more pleasing to the eye, more and more satisfied, the more she looked at him—good appearance, good temperament, good education, good family background; he was just a bit blunt in temper, but she wasn't worried about that, believing her daughter could handle it, and besides, simple people are easier to control.

Oh right, from now on, her daughter will be her daughter-in-law, and Uesugi-kun will be their son.

The decoration of the Watanabe Residence mixed the old-fashioned Showa Era style with the new Western-style house style; it could be seen from many places that it had been renovated, just as Watanabe Eiji was born in the Showa Era, but his work began in the Golden Age, so it possessed traces of the intersection of the two eras, for example, there were many old-fashioned Japanese electrical appliances in the house, but they were rarely used, and the new-style appliances were the main ones.

The Superintendent General had now switched to a smartphone and knew how to use it, and could even play Fruit Ninja and Temple Run, but he still liked to use the landline to make calls.

The entire Watanabe Residence was divided into three floors, covering an area of over six hundred square meters, and the house was equipped with an elevator, looking richer than the Uesugi Residence at a glance, but compared to the antique, heavy, and profound accumulation of the Uesugi Residence, the Watanabe Family, which only started after the war, was much inferior; the family worshipped the "Seven Lucky Gods," and Uesugi Muneyuki paused for a moment in front of Bishamonten.

The large living room of the Watanabe Residence also retained traditional Japanese sliding paper doors while building bright floor-to-ceiling windows, and while it had wooden floors in the main areas, some areas still retained tatami mats.

The four of them sat down, first exchanging a few meaningless greetings, and then because Uesugi Muneyuki was a very direct person, they quickly got to the point.

Regarding the issue of the Adopted Son-in-law and inheriting the family name, it has been mentioned many times before, so it will not be repeated here.

And at this moment, Uesugi Muneyuki learned a piece of news from Watanabe Eiji.

The Watanabe Family agreed to Uesugi Muneyuki's request.

"No need to change my surname?" Uesugi Muneyuki raised his eyebrows and said in surprise: "Really?"

"Yes, this is the conclusion we reached after careful consideration." Watanabe Eiji laughed: "It can be seen that you, Uesugi-kun, really don't want to change your surname; well, we understand, the Uesugi Clan is a Noble that has been passed down to this day since the Muromachi period, while our Watanabe Clan was just taken randomly after the 'Surname Must Be Called' decree, and Watanabe Muneyuki really doesn't sound very good either."

"Yes, Uesugi-kun, after all, we only have one daughter, Minami, and her happiness is more important than anything; we know that if we demanded it, you would eventually accept it, but that would be meaningless, so we accept your suggestion; from now on, it won't be Watanabe Muneyuki, but Uesugi Minami." Mrs. Michiko also laughed: "I really can't do anything about you, child~ Remember to be good to Minami."

"I am deeply grateful!" This time, Uesugi Muneyuki truly felt the sincerity of the Watanabe couple.

Young Lady Minami was smiling happily the whole time.

Uesugi-kun had been a Peerage for too long and instinctively felt that the surname was more important, but in reality, the family didn't care about the Watanabe surname at all; on the contrary, stealing the "Uesugi" from Uesugi Muneyuki was more in line with their family's interests.

From now on, the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan and the Watanabe Uesugi Clan would stand side by side.

But was it necessary for Uesugi-kun to know these things?

Of course not!

With this topic settled, the two families began to discuss the engagement matters and finally decided to officially get engaged in November of this year, after Uesugi Muneyuki's brother Uesugi Sadanori's wedding.

Then there was the adoption procedure; according to Japan's adoption law, Uesugi Muneyuki would become Watanabe Eiji's adopted son, but through negotiation, the adopted son would not change his surname, which meant Watanabe Eiji would still be called Watanabe Eiji, and Uesugi Muneyuki would still be called Uesugi Muneyuki; it was just that after the marriage, Watanabe Minami would change her name to Uesugi Minami, and at the same time, Uesugi Muneyuki would officially open a branch family from the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan, which was the Watanabe Uesugi Clan.

Uesugi Muneyuki would become the first heir of the Watanabe Family, but Eiji was still around, and the old man's plan was that the children of Uesugi and Minami would be the heirs to all the assets of the three generations of the Watanabe family in the future.

"Then, it's settled." Watanabe Eiji nodded with satisfaction and looked at his wife.

Plan successful!

We stole this kid's surname! And he's even grateful to us!

It's just that losing one's own delicate and beautiful daughter and the entire family and all the family's wealth is a bit of a loss.

But the daughter likes him, and it seems there's no other choice, and this isn't marrying out but marrying in; in the future, both children will stay by their side.

The old man Eiji revealed a smile.

Yūken, are you very good at giving birth? Your son is great, but now he is mine!

With everything settled, Watanabe Eiji signaled for Uesugi Muneyuki to follow him: "Uesugi-kun, come with me for a moment, I have something I want to tell you."

The two left the official residence, and along the very cleanly trimmed bluestone path, Watanabe Eiji led Uesugi Muneyuki to a corner of the courtyard.

Pushing open that heavy bulletproof sandalwood door, the gray-blue marble walls reflected the cold light of the ceiling lamps; in the thirty-square-meter warehouse, over twenty cabinets stood like silent guards, each shelf stuffed with unopened gift boxes, Louis Vuitton crocodile leather briefcases stacked up to the ceiling, fine Echizen lacquerware piled in the corner unattended, and dark yellow sugar syrup seeping from under the packaging boxes of Hokkaido Yubari melons.

Hermès silk scarves were piled messily in one corner, and fine Kyoto Nishijin brocade was bundled together, shrinking behind the glass window.

"Uesugi-kun, see if there's anything you like?" Watanabe Eiji smiled and signaled for Uesugi Muneyuki to come over.

He opened a large horizontal freezer, with boxes of Hokkaido hairy crabs one after another, intertwined with straw ropes of Okinawa seafood, the brocade boxes of Kutani Ware porcelain glowing in the shadows, some of the tea canisters from Shizuoka were already broken, the high-quality Gyokuro tea leaves scattered at the bottom of the freezer, mixing with the oily fragrance of the boxes of Kobe marbled Wagyu and Kagoshima black Wagyu gift boxes next to them into a strange, dark scent.

"So much?" Uesugi Muneyuki naturally knew the value of these things, and looking at Watanabe Eiji's stockpile, he couldn't help but click his tongue: "Do you have a habit of hoarding?"

"What habit of hoarding? These were all sent by colleagues from various police headquarters and the Metropolitan Police Department." Watanabe Eiji snapped his fingers, signaling him to look here.

He led Uesugi Muneyuki into the locked inner room of the warehouse.

Deep inside the moisture-proof cabinet, a row of Rolex mechanical watch faces were lined up, gleaming faintly in the darkness; the names of key personnel from various police headquarters on Patek Philippe wooden boxes were carelessly pressed beneath scrolls from a Ginza, Tokyo gallery, and a large pile of gold-leaf-coated gift boxes remained unopened, making it impossible to verify what was inside, with some gift boxes having ink so blurred that it was unknown who had sent them.

"Every year, this warehouse gets packed to the brim." Watanabe Eiji showed the scene inside the warehouse to Uesugi Muneyuki with quite a bit of pride: "There's simply no place to put the gifts sent from all over, and every year the family has to eat through them until April or May just to get rid of some."

"And this is what I receive even though I never hint to my subordinates, never display my hobbies to the outside world, and never engage in graft or extortion." Watanabe Eiji's expression gradually turned serious as he said this: "If I were to even slightly hint at what I like, within a week, every police organization across Japan's one metropolis, one circuit, two urban prefectures, and forty-three prefectures would immediately send massive amounts of gifts here; if I were to stand in front of a painting at an exhibition for just a little too long, someone would have it delivered to my home the very next day."

"How about it, Uesugi-kun? Your Yonezawa Uesugi Clan probably hasn't experienced this feeling in a long time, right?"

Uesugi Muneyuki nodded in silence.

The gifts the Uesugi Residence could receive in a year didn't even amount to one-tenth of this, and his father also had to send many out.

He now understood why his grandfather had always worried that once he died, the Uesugi Clan would rapidly be marginalized from high society, and why that Hirate Sarina couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.

A University of Tokyo professor is, when all is said and done, merely a person of high status but no real power, and the Uesugi Clan now only has a name.

"In the future, these will naturally all be yours and Minami's." Seeing that Uesugi Muneyuki understood, Watanabe Eiji took the initiative to pat him on the shoulder: "I know you don't like politics and don't want to enter it, so I never force you, and I've also agreed to your not changing your surname."

"So, I would also like to make a small request of you, Uesugi-kun, is that alright?"

"Please speak, Uncle Watanabe."

"Still calling me Uncle?!"

"Uh... Father-in-law, please speak."

(End of chapter)