"Be careful on the road, Yuzuru."
Ginjiro Toyama and Sakura Toyama stood at the door, smiling warmly as they waved goodbye to Kusunoki Hanyu.
When Kazuha returned after whispering with Yuzuru, the car had already driven away. Only then did they stop smiling and stare at their daughter with blank expressions.
"Uh... Mom and Dad, what's going on here...?"
Kazuha felt a little flustered under their gazes, instantly understanding the tension that Yuzuru had felt at that moment.
"You silly girl, such a big thing, and you didn't even tell us beforehand. I think you're asking for a beating, aren't you?"
Sakura Toyama walked forward with a cold smile and grabbed Kazuha's ear.
Just before today, although she knew her daughter had someone she liked, she never expected that their relationship had progressed to this point.
As a woman herself, and a mother at that, how could she not see the subtle changes that were taking place in Kazuha?
"Mom, it hurts, it hurts! I just wanted to give you a surprise." He Ye quickly begged for mercy, her voice full of pleading.
"Surprise? I think it's more like a shock!" Sakura Toyama didn't lessen her grip at all.
"But you all agreed anyway..."
Kazuha muttered something under her breath, then looked at her father with pleading eyes.
"Cough cough~"
Ginjiro Toyama coughed softly, and under his daughter's hopeful gaze, slowly said, "Wife, give Kazuha some face, don't do anything outside..."
At this point, Kazuha was so moved that tears almost streamed down her face. She thought to herself that her father loved her the most after all.
But before Sakura could let go, Ginjiro Toyama added, "Go to the living room and fight there, so no one can see."
After saying that, he led the way into the house. He had so much to say to his daughter.
"dad!!"
Kazuha watched her father's retreating figure with tears welling up in her eyes, and could only helplessly let her mother pull her by the ear and lead her into the house.
Today's interrogation was inevitable; Yuzuru had already passed it smoothly, and now it was her turn to face the test.
...
A luxury car drove smoothly along the street shrouded in night.
Yu Shengnan sat lazily in the car, heading towards the hotel.
He didn't plan to go straight back to Tokyo. Since he was already in Osaka, he would stay with Kazuha for another two days.
"Yes, we've solved another one. There shouldn't be any more for now."
With his head propped up on his hand, Yu Shengnan looked at the night view outside the car window, pondering the matter carefully in his mind.
He has already met the parents of all the girls around him, and they all approve of their relationships.
The rest, like Akemi and Ai, have parents who are no longer alive and can't see them even if they want to.
As for Yukiko and Vermouth, needless to say.
He had just accompanied his sister to sweep the graves.
"Hiss~ Something seems off..."
Yuzuru suddenly discovered a blind spot.
It seems that none of the girls around me have grandparents, and those who are a little older don't even have parents anymore.
What the hell? Is this the price of becoming a main character?
Most importantly, even he himself...
"That's terrifying..."
Yuzuru shook his head, couldn't help but mutter a complaint, and then looked back out the window.
As the car moved steadily forward, at one point, while he was admiring the night view, he suddenly saw a somewhat familiar figure.
"Slow down a bit."
Yuzuru sat up straight and gave instructions to the driver.
Once the car slowed down, he looked straight ahead.
On the roadside, there was an elegant woman carrying a wooden sword, walking slowly forward with small, quick steps in her wooden clogs.
She wore an elegant blue kendo uniform and a black kendo skirt, the two pieces perfectly matched and complementing each other. The sash around her waist accentuated her graceful figure, swaying gently in the night breeze.
Her skin was exceptionally fair, so much so that even the deep darkness of the night could not conceal it.
"Chibo Shizuka..."
Yuzuru recognized the other person's identity, muttered something to himself, glanced at his watch, and gestured for the driver to follow behind the other person quietly.
He was quite curious. What was this beautiful woman planning to do so late at night? This direction wasn't towards the Hattori family's residence.
...
Osaka Castle Park.
Holding a wooden sword, Ikebo Shizuka stood quietly at the park entrance, her beautiful face as calm as still water. After pausing for a moment, she stepped inside.
Her destination was not here, but the monastery located in the park.
Although it was already past 9 p.m., as the largest dojo in Osaka, there were still many people practicing judo, kendo, kyudo and other disciplines at this time.
"Hey, Jinghua, why are you so late again?"
A middle-aged woman, who had just finished practicing kendo and was drenched in sweat, was about to go home to take a good shower and rest when she saw Shizuka Ikenami appear at the dojo and asked with a face full of curiosity.
When asked by her former classmate, Shizuka Ikeba smiled gently and said softly, "I have to do housework and prepare three meals a day for Heizo and the others during the day, so I really don't have time to practice."
"Oh, oh." The middle-aged woman nodded repeatedly, her eyes filled with admiration. "Jinghua, you are so virtuous. Hattori Heizo is truly enviable to have married a wife like you."
"You flatter me."
Upon hearing this, Ikeba Shizuka gently shook her head, a subtle sadness flickering in the depths of her eyes, which were as clear as autumn water.
She does indeed spend her days at home doing housework, but no one eats the three meals she carefully prepares every day; her husband and son haven't been home for several days.
Every time, I would prepare the food and wait quietly for them to come back, but every time the food would be cold and they would still not return.
"strangeness……"
The middle-aged woman watched Ikeba Shizuka's retreating figure as she walked towards the kendo hall, scratching her head in confusion and muttering to herself, "I remember Shizuka hadn't practiced kendo for many years, so why has she been coming to practice so late every day lately?"
She frowned and thought for a while, but couldn't figure it out. She decided to stop thinking about it and focus on getting home, taking a shower, and going to bed. That was the most important thing right now.
Just as she stepped out of the monastery, a tall figure passed by her.
"Wow, what a handsome young man."
The middle-aged woman couldn't help but glance back, a hint of appreciation in her eyes, before shaking her head and quickening her pace toward the park.
My husband and daughter are still waiting for me to come home.
"Have you been practicing kendo every day lately...?"
Yuzuru stood in the brightly lit monastery, glancing at the signpost above.
He heard everything the middle-aged woman said at the door.
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