"..."
Huddled to the side, the nine-person Pab Club travel group fell into absolute silence because of Miyazawa Yu's one word: "Dad."
Especially after Takeshi Miyazawa sat down directly opposite them in a commanding posture, the oppressive feeling of being targeted by a nefarious power was simply suffocating.
"Gulp... Yu, what exactly does your family do? We won't discriminate against you even if you're in the Yakuza!"
Speaking in a super-low voice, Iori Kitahara quietly confirmed the situation with Miyazawa Yu, hidden by the senior's height.
Of course, this wasn't to save Yu, who hadn't called home, but to save his own life.
If the Miyazawa family really were Yakuza bosses, surely they wouldn't be poured into cement pillars and sunk into Tokyo Bay, right? That's what they show on TV!
"Yakuza my foot. My family is in legitimate real estate business. I heard they are moving towards the tertiary industry, but I'm not sure of the specifics..."
"Who would believe that! I can already feel the murderous intent. Anyway, there are nine of us, how about we just run? It's better if a few of us escape than having the whole army wiped out!"
His two legs were already shaking. Kohei Imamura looked at the door with a twisted expression.
As the saying goes, better a dead friend than a dead me, he had never had the chance to practice this traditional Pab Club virtue. Isn't now the perfect time to compete in sprinting ability!
"Shut up, you two jerks, stop imagining things! At most, they'll just break your third leg, and that's it."
"Nani! Isn't that more cruel than being poured into a cement pillar!"
"Cough cough!"
Ignoring what Iori and Kohei were saying, they weren't getting away anyway!
Miyazawa Yu, seeing that the situation couldn't remain deadlocked, cleared his throat and put on a smiling face.
"Um, old man, isn't the family busy with a lot of stuff? What brings you here for a dive? What a coincidence!"
"Hello everyone, I am Miyazawa Yu's father, Takeshi Miyazawa. I apologize for the trouble my worthless son has caused you!"
Glancing at his disappointing son, Takeshi Miyazawa then stood up and extended his hand to Shinji Tokita in thanks.
Seeing this, Shinji Tokita immediately stood up and shook his hand, humbly saying: "Not at all, not at all. Yu has helped us a lot here; we should be the ones thanking him!"
"It's fine. You don't need to say good things about this kid to me. He's been restless since he was young. I'm already greatly relieved that he can be a bit more restrained after entering university!"
"..."
He really wanted to say that Yu is actually considered one of the more normal ones in the Pab Club, but Ryujiro Kotobuki suppressed his urge to complain in time.
If he let the muscular man in front of him know that his son's daily life outside consists of drinking and playing strip rock-paper-scissors.
They, as outsiders, might be fine, but Miyazawa Yu would definitely die on the spot, with no second possibility!
"Uh... old man, can you please not ignore me? The reason for the call is just that I forgot because university is very busy!"
Having been ignored, this still didn't penetrate the thick skin Miyazawa Yu had developed.
Taking out a drink from the cooler bag hanging on his body and offering it, he fawned: "I absolutely haven't been running wild since leaving home and forgetting who I am!"
"Didn't you just say it yourself..."
His eyes curved into half-moons, Aina Yoshiwara could tell that although Takeshi Miyazawa looked scary on the surface, his words and actions were very polite.
Aina Yoshiwara slowly relaxed now, even having the leisure to joke.
And the gap between this father and son is too great, completely two extremes, from strictness to silliness. She wondered if this counted as a contrast-based charm.
"Hmph, I won't say anything else to you. Since you're in university, as long as you manage your life, your mother and I have no objections, but..."
He scoffed lightly. Takeshi Miyazawa stared seriously into Miyazawa Yu's eyes, his finger pointing to the promotional poster that had just been identified as an infringement.
"Explain this. If you satisfy me, all these matters will be dismissed."
"Uh... this thing, its origin is very complicated..."
His expression became hesitant. Miyazawa Yu drew out his words, trying to slow his movements to buy time to come up with a suitable excuse.
From a personal perspective, he didn't want his father to know that he took the risk for Nanaka-san and Azusa-senpai.
Because this might brand the two of them as dangerous, which is absolutely unacceptable to him!
However, just as he was enduring immense pressure, trying to find a plausible excuse, Nanaka Kotegawa directly pulled him behind her.
"I apologize! This matter was caused by us not investigating the water area information beforehand. Yu also took the risk to save me."
"Nanaka-san!"
His pupils constricted. Miyazawa Yu was about to speak in contradiction, but Nanaka Kotegawa preempted him by raising her hand and precisely covering his mouth.
A person must take responsibility for their own actions. Nanaka, although usually very gentle, would absolutely not shirk responsibility in serious matters!
"I see..."
Looking at the tangled boy and girl, Takeshi Miyazawa could probably guess the whole picture.
However, what surprised him was that Azusa Hamaoka also stood up, bowing with an apologetic tone: "And me. Yu took the risk to protect us and disperse the danger. Please forgive our recklessness."
"Mhm! I understand. Putting yourself in danger to save someone, was it? You did very well, Yu! I will explain this to your mother!"
His eyes darted back and forth between Azusa Hamaoka and Nanaka Kotegawa.
Takeshi Miyazawa has lived for decades, and his grasp of the business world is complete, let alone the emotional bonds between young men and women.
He had already sensed the tricky situation, but he didn't intend to state it directly, instead directly approving Miyazawa Yu's actions.
"Eh? Old man, you're not angry? Didn't you always say a gentleman doesn't put himself in harm's way?"
Receiving an unexpected answer, Miyazawa Yu was momentarily in a daze. After all, his father often taught him that he should know how to protect himself.
Now that he had risked his life for Azusa-senpai and Nanaka-san, he should have been reprimanded. Why was he being praised instead?
"That's right, a gentleman doesn't put himself in harm's way, but a gentleman also has things he must do!"
Folding his hands and placing them on his lap, Takeshi Miyazawa showed a slight hint of relief, and at the same time, the difficult aura around him completely dissipated.
"Before, you were cynical, which is why I told you to protect yourself. But now you have grown up, so the standard naturally has to change!"
"I see..."
Purely an unexpected joy, Miyazawa Yu breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that his father didn't seem to be looking for trouble.
At this moment, he finally had the chance to ask that important question again: "Old man, how did you find this place? I didn't tell anyone I was coming back this time, did I?"
"That's correct..."
Opening the beer he was offered and taking a sip, Takeshi Miyazawa issued a soul-searching question: "You yourself said that the family business is moving toward the tertiary industry, so guess who owns the land under your feet?"
"Um... don't tell me it's Miyazawa Real Estate?"
"That's right!"
"Miyazawa Real Estate?"
The name sounded familiar. Chisa Kotegawa, who is very proactive, opened her browser to search, and effortlessly found the corresponding enterprise—
[Miyazawa Real Estate, a large-scale real estate development, utilization, and construction group that only emerged around eighty years ago. Its business now also involves finance, services, and other non-traditional industries, possessing a cash flow scale second only to the Shinomiya Group...]
"..."
Feeling like her eyes were deceiving her, Aina Yoshiwara's mouth was completely open in an "O" shape—
What a brilliant history! In the fifty years since its founding, it not only grew from an unknown small company to an industry leader but can even challenge the traditional conglomerates head-on!
Yu's family background is a bit too strong; the term rich second generation doesn't even begin to cover it!
"Hiss... so that blonde girl was a trap set by you! The purpose was to lure me here for punishment?"
On the other side, Miyazawa Yu's body shook when he figured everything out.
Now it all makes sense. He wondered why a girl suddenly ran up and handed him a love letter while he was walking around school. It was all a trap set by his old man!
Thinking about it from this angle, maybe he was discovered the moment he came back, and the latter just hadn't had time to catch him yet!
"There are some discrepancies, but you can understand it that way."
The message actually came from the Shinomiya household, but Takeshi Miyazawa felt it necessary to cover for the informant, so he generously took all the blame onto himself.
"Then I'll be going now. I still have matters at the company. I'll come home tonight. Yuno and Rin miss you very much!"
"Yes, I'll send messages back more often in the future..."
"Tell your mother that. And, bringing both of them back is also acceptable."
Taking one last look at Azusa Hamaoka and Nanaka Kotegawa, Takeshi Miyazawa stood up, bowed politely, and walked out of the dive shop.
Through the glass, everyone watched him get into the back seat of a black car and leave, before finally letting out the last breath that had been caught in their throats.
"Yu!!!"
Iori Kitahara immediately rushed over, pointing at the information on Chisa phone with a horrified look, hoping for a negative answer.
"That's right... that's my family!"
"Damn it! Didn't you say you were too poor for living expenses? You jerk who lied to me and made me buy you lunch boxes!!!"
"Well~ It's true that I don't have living expenses, after all, I'm currently in an escape from home state..."
Spreading his hands helplessly, Miyazawa Yu spoke with a clear conscience. After all, he hadn't taken a single penny from his old man this semester.
His daily expenses were entirely supported by part-time jobs and dividends from SILVERMAN GYM. He was much poorer than Iori and Kohei!
"I don't care! That's so unfair! You're going to use the money you earned from tutoring to pay for today's extra expenses, you jerk!"
"..."
Looking at Iori, who was completely serious and insisted on using his earned money to pay instead of charging it, Miyazawa Yu chuckled, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
"OK! I, Master Miyazawa, will pay for all the expenses! Enjoy the diving!"
"Yoshi!"
"...Are these two trying to mooch off him?"
Cold sweat dripped from her forehead. The naive Aina completely missed the subtext in the three scumbags' conversation.
"No, Aina! Iori and Kohei mean that they won't mind Yu's background. Yu is Yu, and even if they mooch, they'll spend Yu's money."
"Eh, is that so? Nanaka-san, you weren't too scared just now, were you?"
Aina held a skeptical attitude toward this. After all, given Iori and Kohei's personalities, spending Miyazawa Yu's hard-earned money was more likely their goal than showing support.
"Just a little bit, after all, I almost caused their child to be in danger, and this is also the first time I've met Yu's parents..."
Looking gently at Miyazawa Yu, who was having his head pressed down and was forcibly buying ice cream for everyone, Nanaka Kotegawa sighed, covering her ample chest.
But fortunately, the outcome was good, and it seemed like she was also approved of.
Besides that...
"Azusa, let's go together tonight. After all, he said to bring both of us..."
"???"
Looking at Nanaka gentle smile, Azusa Hamaoka inexplicably bit her lower lip, feeling guilty, like a little girl caught stealing candy.