Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Father-in-Law
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"You've raised your son well. From now on, live diligently working there."
"Guh, guh...!"
Yoshitaka ground his teeth, letting out a crushed voice. It was closer to a howl.
"Oh? You don't like that?"
Yoshitaka was biting his lip until blood seeped out.
But when he saw the yakuza taking a step toward his son, he immediately slammed his head back to the floor.
"I will do it... I'll follow all the conditions. Please... please spare our lives, at least Yusuke's...!"
His plea was pathetic. Not the cry of a company president, but merely the wail of a man suddenly cast into the abyss.
The conference room fell silent.
Misaki nodded coldly.
"Then it's settled. Send over the legal documents by tomorrow morning. Sato Industries effectively ceases to exist as of today."
With that, she organized the file folders and put them into her bag. Her face was cold and expressionless, but everyone in the room already knew. The verdict was over.
I stood up and looked down at Yoshitaka and Yusuke one more time. The two, drenched in sweat, clung pathetically to the floor.
I crouched down in front of them, grabbed Yusuke by the hair, and lightly tapped his cheek.
"Uh, ugh."
"Remember this. From now on, live ordinary lives."
"..."
"Answer me."
"I... understand."
"Smile."
"Ha, haha... haha... I'll... live ordinarily..."
The moment I finished speaking, I turned my head toward Harumi. She was sitting in her chair, still swinging her legs with her childlike frame, but her eyes were colder than anyone's.
She'd grown up now, too.
I'd thought a tiny girl like her crossing her legs with such a haughty expression didn't suit her, but watching her... it might actually be a bit sexy.
She has that kind of charm, too.
Sip...
Should I do it right now?
For now, I held back.
There were people I needed to inform quickly that the Sato father and son were done for.
Knock knock knock.
They're here.
"Excuse us."
Shizune and her father entered the conference room with solemn expressions.
As soon as they entered, the father-in-law bowed deeply.
"I'm Hudahara Masanori."
"Looking forward to working with you from now on."
Since he's going to be my father-in-law, I'll be seeing him until the day I die.
"...Pardon?"
Not understanding my inner thoughts, the father-in-law asked again, and Ms. Kamijo astutely interjected.
"Please, come in. Right here."
She naturally pointed to an empty chair at the head of the conference table. I sat next to it. Shizune hesitantly sat beside her father, her eyes still a bit puffy. But through those half-closed eyes, I could clearly see relief.
I smiled softly at her and nodded. It's over. Really over.
I bowed my head to the father-in-law and apologized first.
"First of all, I'm sorry for scheduling this meeting so late."
"N-no, not at all. Why would you say that?"
I smiled as kindly as possible and gestured to Ms. Kamijo.
"Professor Hudahara, please look at these documents."
"This is...?"
"Documents confirming that all legal procedures have begun. Sato Industries has been excluded from the Tachibana network, and investigations by the Fair Trade Commission and credit restrictions from financial institutions are proceeding simultaneously. The criminal case is under review, but we'll prioritize swift civil recovery of damages. Above all—"
"Wha-what? Wait, what are you saying!?"
The father-in-law looked at Ms. Kamijo in shock.
True to her usual businesslike nature, she pulled out two thin sheets of paper and overlaid them on the existing documents.
"Restraining order and non-disparagement agreement. Sato Yoshitaka and Sato Yusuke are prohibited from direct or indirect contact with the Hudahara family, Hudahara Workshop members, or Hudahara Shizune herself. No calls, impersonations, or third-party involvement. Violations will trigger immediate compensation and criminal penalties. This takes effect today with notarization and registration."
Of course, there were also quite aggressive memorandums beyond that... but we'd agreed beforehand not to mention them.
"That means...?"
"It's over, sir. We've handled everything. Your daughter Shizune came to me directly and poured out her troubles about the Satos' brutality. She nearly suffered something terrible..."
Shizune flinched.
"Sh-Shizune! Is that true? You met the president of Tachibana directly?"
She nodded.
Ms. Kamijo's words weren't finished.
"Tachibana will promote and protect the Hudahara Workshop as a primary contractor. Your quality and tradition are already top-notch. We'll base our brand line on your supplies. Long-term contract, regular orders. Top-tier payment terms. Follow-up marketing and exhibition support as well."
"H-how can that...?"
It was a situation anyone would be thrilled about, but the father-in-law's face was exceedingly complicated.
"Are you really saying you'll protect our workshop as a primary contractor? We're just a small neighborhood hole-in-the-wall. How could a place like our workshop become a primary contractor for such a huge company...? A-and marketing? Exhibitions? What are those... I can't understand."
His words trembled with disbelief. True to the man who raised steadfast Shizune, he was looking past the immediate benefits to the essence.
Having been burned by trash like Sato Industries before, his wariness and reasonable doubt ran deep.
He blinked repeatedly, scanning the documents.
"Why treat people like us so kindly? ...What do you want? What's your angle?"
"F-Father!"
It was a remark that could sound extremely rude to the face of the man who'd pulled them from the pit.
Shizune tried to stop her father, but I brushed it off with a light laugh again.
He'd learned just yesterday through his own body that there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Imagining his daughter nearly violated must have filled him with despair.
Yet how much self-loathing must he have felt for not being able to stand up proudly due to money and reality?
"At my age, one knows there's no such thing as free in this world... I was foolish, failed to protect my daughter when I should have. But I won't make the same mistake twice."
A lifetime of weariness flashed across the father-in-law's face with those words.
He seemed to know it was wrong to act this way toward his benefactor, but a father's heart to protect his daughter prevailed. I met his eyes straight on.
And I uttered a very short phrase.
A phrase that would let him instantly deduce exactly why I was treating them so well.
"Father-in-law."
The air froze for a moment. Shizune's eyes widened.
Harumi smirked, and Ms. Kamijo... surprisingly, looked quite flustered as she stopped writing. She always seemed so cool-headed, but she had girlish sides too.
"Father-in...? Did you just call me father-in-law?"
"Yes."
"That means—"
The father-in-law whipped his head toward Shizune with bulging eyes. Shizune stared at me with her mouth agape and eyes equally wide. Her eyes were beautiful.
"Ah, awawa!? U, ua-!!?"
She couldn't even speak properly.
I cleared my throat lightly to loosen up and continued.
"Your daughter and I are students at the same academy. And from the moment I first saw Shizune in the calligraphy club... I felt something fateful. And at some point, I realized. That she's someone I can't let go."
So sweet~
Shizune, trying to calm herself somehow, picked up the cup in front of her to drink water, but her hands shook so much that it sloshed and splashed everywhere.
Watching from the side, the father-in-law's expression hardened frighteningly.
Hmm...
The mood's bad.
Guess I need to work my mouth harder.
"What I did today was for justice. But I admit personal motives played a part. I never want to see the woman I love scared and crying again. So I stopped it. That's all."
For a while, no words came from the conference room.
Even the mischievous Harumi stayed silent.
Good girl.
I'll spoil her plenty later.
"You know it's hard for her to believe you right now?"
His tone had shifted slightly.
"Of course. Father, I'm not a man who speaks falsehoods. Contracting the Hudahara Workshop as our primary partner will be a fair deal through and through. If Shizune rejects me, I won't force a romantic bond, nor let personal feelings interfere with business."
"But the world isn't simple. Hearts are fickle. How can I instantly know if you're a man trustworthy enough to stake my daughter's life on?"
His deep gaze pierced my eyes.
The unique intensity of someone long immersed in calligraphy. My instincts screamed not to look away here.
Come on! Bring it! Let's have a man-to-man staring contest!
I said nothing, simply meeting his gaze head-on.