Chapter 15
The four of them were completely satisfied with the dessert. There were no worries that a dessert couldn't solve; if one dessert couldn't solve a problem, then they would eat more.
In the end, they all slumped in their seats with their bellies sticking out, looking lazy and enjoying the afternoon sun.
"Rintaro, what are you going to do after this? You can't expect me and Mukuro to support you, can you?" Alice looked at Mori Ougai with a worried expression, her eyes filled with contempt.
"How could that be? How could Dr. Mori rely on a child like me to support him? Dr. Mori is so amazing." Rokudo Mukuro seemed to be speaking up for Mori Ougai, but he kept praising him.
Yosano Akiko also turned her gaze to this unkempt and slovenly man who had become unkempt since leaving Tokyo Island. After glancing at him, she immediately looked away, as if to say that even looking at him was an eyesore.
"Of course, if Dr. Mori is willing, I would be happy to take care of you." Rokudo Mukuro said with a smile. "I am a stranger in this place, and I have to rely on Dr. Mori for my livelihood. After all, I have nothing but this useless money right now."
Mori Ougai's lips twitched: Useless money?! He really wished all this useless stuff belonged to him; he would definitely make good use of it.
"What Mukuro-kun said really makes me lose face. Anyway, I'm an adult now, and I can definitely take care of you kids." Mori Ougai leaned back in his chair, picking at the cherry on the cake with a fork in one hand.
"Yes, I believe Dr. Mori." Rokudo Kai's reply was perfunctory; anyone can say polite words.
Since leaving Tokyo Island and Rokudo Mukuro started wearing normal clothes and no longer wearing skirts, Mori Ougai's enthusiasm for him plummeted. However, Rokudo Mukuro didn't need his enthusiasm anyway.
"By the way, Akiko-chan~ I'm currently homeless and destitute, barely able to eat..." Mori Ougai described his situation in a very pitiful way, "I can endure all of this, but you can't, Akiko-chan! I absolutely cannot bear to see you living like this, so I found a very reliable person for you to take care of you for a while. He'll be here in a bit!"
This was the result of his careful consideration. Mori Ōgai's idea was simple: if his relationship with Yosano Akiko was not good, then he would definitely keep Yosano Akiko firmly under his control. After all, the ability "Please Don't Die" was too rare and too useful. Such a diamond should be held in his own hands.
But the current circumstances do not allow him to do so.
Yosano Akiko is a diamond, but at this moment, he has neither the ability to protect it nor the opportunity to fully utilize its potential.
Moreover, given his current relationship with Yosano Akiko, regardless of whether she is willing to come to his side later, as long as it doesn't violate any principles, he is certain that Akiko-chan will not refuse him if he asks for her help.
Yosano Akiko was immediately unhappy when she heard Mori Ōgai's arrangements for her.
Tachihara went home. She had no parents, and even though she still felt awkward and disliked Mori Ougai, for a girl in her teens, he was the person she trusted most at that moment.
Yosano Akiko sat up abruptly, bristling, "What do you mean? I haven't even complained about you, you slovenly old man! And you're complaining about me and want to send me away!"
Mori Ougai looked at Yosano Akiko with a helpless expression: "Akiko-chan~ How could I possibly dislike you? It's just that the situation is special right now, and the place I'm going to next isn't very safe. You can't come with me to suffer. The person I found will protect you well."
"I survived such a dangerous place as the battlefield, so why would I be afraid of other places?" Yosano Akiko said with a disdainful look.
Mori Ougai blinked, but if she followed his lead, he would be constrained in his actions. Akiko, this girl, was righteous and sensitive; he had finally managed to build a very positive image of himself in her eyes, and he didn't want to ruin that.
He still had to do bad things behind her back. This was Mori Ōgai's true thought.
"Jingzi, why don't you take a look at that person first?"
Before entering the cake shop, Mori Ougai had contacted Lord Silver Wolf, intending to have him treat him if he ran out of money—killing two birds with one stone. Now, judging by the time, he should be arriving soon.
Not long after, a silver-haired swordsman walked into the cake shop and headed straight for Rokudo Mukuro's table.
"Dr. Mori, it's been a long time."
Mori Ougai stood up and smiled, "Long time no see, Lord Silver Wolf."
Rokudo Mukuro narrowed his eyes. He was a strong person, and a swordsman at that. However, he had seen two other strong people who used swords.
Not only was Rokudo Mukuro eyeing them, but Yosano Akiko was also puffing out her cheeks and secretly glancing at Mori Ougai and the newcomers. She hadn't expected that Mori Ougai really intended to send her away, which gave her an indescribable feeling, and she could only glare at Mori Ougai angrily.
"Lord Silver Wolf, please have a seat."
"No need, this girl is fine." When Lord Silver Wolf looked at Yosano Akiko, his expression was serious. He knew the girl's identity and couldn't help but take her seriously.
Mori Ougai nodded: "Akiko-chan, he is Fukuzawa Yukichi."
Yosano Akiko kept a straight face, as if she hadn't heard anything.
"Lord Silver Wolf, I'll have to trouble you this time." Mori Ougai's smile remained unchanged.
"I will take good care of her." Mori Ougai knew that as long as Lord Silver Wolf said it himself, he would definitely do it seriously.
"If you're going to send me away, what about Mukuro-kun?" Even if you're going to send her away, Mukuro-kun can go with her, right? Ever since she started relying on this child who's younger than her, she's really grown to love him.
"...As for Mukuro, I will help him find his family later."
Rokudo Mukuro, who was standing to the side, hadn't expected that he would be involved. "Shin-neeko, don't worry about me. Dr. Mori is only doing this for your own good," he said softly. After all, Yosano Akiko was just a little girl and couldn't tolerate Mori Ougai's rational yet cruel methods.
Moreover, she does indeed need the protection of a powerful force right now.
But their words did not comfort her; instead, they made Yosano Akiko feel even worse: "Who wants to be with you guys! Fine, let's go!"
With that, she left her seat and went to Lord Silver Wolf's side, boldly reaching out to grab his sleeve: "Let's go! Let's go! Let's not get in their way here."
The little girl was extremely upset. She was a proud person by nature and couldn't stand being wronged like this.
Looking at Yosano Akiko like this, Mori Ougai's lolicon heart and Rokudo Mukuro's latent lolicon heart both felt a little pain.
"Eh? Akiko-chan~" Mori Ougai wanted to say something more.
Finally, Lord Silver Wolf, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take her and leave first." Although he and Mori Ougai were fellow disciples and had a slight relationship, their relationship wasn't very good, perhaps due to their incompatible auras.
Therefore, he didn't want to say much more to Mori Ougai. Besides, he really had something to attend to at home; after all, a little black cat with green eyes was waiting for him to return and feed it. The serious Silver Wolf thought to himself.
Then, he let the little girl hold his sleeve and left in that manner.
Yosano Akiko offered no resistance and obediently followed. She knew that Mori Ougai would do everything in his power for her; if he said someone was suitable, then he was definitely reliable.
Watching Yosano Akiko leave with Lord Silver Wolf, Mori Ougai felt a rare pang of regret. Such a large diamond, and he had just given it away for nothing. His heart was bleeding!
He suddenly hugged Alice tightly: "Oh my god! Akiko-chan is gone just like that! Alice-chan~ I'm so heartbroken!"
"Didn't you send him away yourself, Dr. Mori? Do you regret it now? If you regret it now, it's not too late to chase after him." Rokudo Mukuro fell silent after saying this, feeling that it was a bit strange for him to say this to Mori Ougai.
Alice, sitting next to Mori Ōgai, succinctly revealed the truth: "Are you guys reciting lines from some melodramatic soap opera?!"
Rokudo Mukuro thought about it seriously and realized it actually did have some merit.
It would be a lie to say Mori Ougai didn't regret it. After all, he knew that once the diamond was given away, there was a very high chance he wouldn't get it back. But what he regretted wasn't letting Yosano Akiko be raised by Silver Wolf, but rather not selling the diamond for a better price.
It's free! Getting something for free is great, but that only applies when you're getting something for free from someone else!
"Oh well, oh well, I'll just consider this as maintaining my relationship with Akiko-chan," Mori Ougai consoled himself.
"Dr. Mori, where are you going next?" Rokudo Mukuro asked.
Mori Ōgai didn't answer his question directly. Instead, he turned to look out the window, gazing at the wide streets and busy people through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows: "Mukuro-kun, what do you think of Yokohama?"
What's it like? A chaotic situation, a government with no authority, people living in constant fear... and what we saw earlier, the Mafia suddenly appearing and engaging in street brawls.
What can you say? What else can you say? It's absolutely disgusting! Luckily, this isn't his world, or he doesn't know what he might do.
Seeing that Rokudo Mukuro's expression wasn't very pleasant, Mori Ougai understood what he was thinking.
“Actually, this city is very beautiful,” Mori Ōgai said softly.
"Really? I can't tell at all." Rokudo Mukuro glanced nonchalantly out the window. If this place could be considered beautiful, then wouldn't the Vongola territories under Sawada Tsunayoshi's command be considered paradise?!
"Perhaps it still has many shortcomings, but I want to save it, build it up, and make it into the way I envision it."
"...Oh, good luck then!" Rokudo Mukuro said with little interest.
"Would you like to come with me, Mukuro?" Faced with Rokudo Mukuro's stubbornness, Mori Ōgai could only extend a direct invitation.
Rokudo Mukuro looked up and stared directly into Mori Ougai's eyes. His gaze was devoid of the naivety he usually feigned, filled only with seriousness and earnestness, along with a feeling that Mori Ougai couldn't quite describe: "I don't know what Yokohama is like in your ideal, but the place I consider my ideal has already been built, and I will return there one day."
A hint of nostalgia flickered in his eyes. Rokudo Mukuro paused, realizing his words were a bit too sentimental: "So, Dr. Mori, you should just keep going!"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Mr. Mori, who gave away a diamond for free, had no idea that:
She actually turned her back on me!
We've lost a fortune!
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