After the banquet, Takashi rode back with Kotonoha's family.
The entire way, Mr. and Mrs. Katsura looked like they had something to say but hesitated.
They couldn't figure out why their daughter had gotten involved with Takashi.
As far as they were concerned, given her personality, she should never have gotten involved with someone like him.
The car entered the city center.
At a red light, Takashi suddenly said, "Dad, turn right. I've already bought the boat tickets for tonight. Just drop us off at the pier."
The word "Dad" rolled off Takashi's tongue so smoothly that even Mr. Katsura didn't find it strange at first.
He instinctively replied, "Oh, okay."
But Kotonoha, upon hearing Takashi call her father Dad, blushed bright red.
It wasn't until he turned the steering wheel that Mr. Katsura realized something was off.
Dad?
You two aren't even official yet, and you're already calling me "Dad"? Is that appropriate?
He didn't recall agreeing to any marriage.
Katsura Manami, on the other hand, was already covering her mouth, giggling away.
She had seen Takashi's smooth-talking ways at the banquet.
He called every young woman "mom" and every girl "sis."
"What exactly is your relationship?" Mr. Katsura hesitated, but eventually asked.
He had always been somewhat distant from his two daughters, devoting most of his energy to his career.
The responsibility of raising the girls had fallen almost entirely on his wife, which resulted in a relationship that was nearly estranged.
"What do you think, Dad?" Takashi winked repeatedly at Mr. Katsura.
I'm already calling you Dad—what do you think our relationship is?
"Don't call me Dad," Mr. Katsura couldn't hold it in anymore.
Folks, who can understand this? First time meeting the guy, and he's already calling him "Dad."
"Okay, Dad."
Mr. Katsura: "..."
He had seen shameless people before, but it was the first time he'd seen someone as young as Takashi be so brazen.
"When did you two meet?" This time it was Katsura Manami who spoke.
"It was a sunny afternoon..." Takashi began crafting his tale.
He didn't tell them anything about what had happened to Kotonoha at school.
The reason was simple—it wasn't his business.
He told the story vividly, and by the end, even Kotonoha was starting to doubt her own memory.
"So are you two dating now?" Everyone listening was moved by the story—everyone except Mr. Katsura.
He noticed that Takashi had been vague about defining their relationship, just like a guy trying to avoid responsibility.
Good thing Takashi couldn't read minds. Otherwise, he would've given Mr. Katsura a thumbs-up and said, "You've got great insight."
They say when you have too many lice, you stop itching—but if you've got too many, you can't catch them all.
That was exactly Takashi's situation now.
Too many girls. He couldn't keep up.
Even if he were an octopus with eight phones, he couldn't handle it all.
And through his time talking with Kotonoha, he'd realized she was the kind of girl who took jokes seriously and had a very rigid mindset.
If he really gave their relationship a label, if he said they were dating, she'd take it seriously without question.
If she came to school looking for him after that, wouldn't that ruin everything?
A proper playboy could call you "baby" a thousand times but would never give you an official title.
Unless a girl cornered him and demanded an answer, Takashi would avoid labeling anything and just ride the ambiguity.
'What are you trying to pull, old man?' Takashi cursed inwardly.
"Kotonoha, why don't you answer?" Takashi still didn't give a straight reply and slyly tossed the question to Kotonoha.
No matter what she said, Takashi only needed to smile.
How the other party interpreted that smile wasn't his problem.
What?
You think just because you're being one-sidedly serious, I owe you something?
'This sneaky brat,' Mr. Katsura cursed silently.
A man understands another man best.
If he didn't understand what Takashi was doing now, he wouldn't be where he is today.
Besides, the things Takashi had said were exactly the kind of things men say when they don't want to commit.
Now the boomerang was coming back to him.
"Takashi and I…" Kotonoha looked at Takashi. Encouraged by his smile, she gathered her courage and said, "We're already dating."
Kotonoha felt guilty saying it.
Because it was a lie.
Takashi had never confessed to her, never said he liked her.
Even if, in her heart, they were already together.
But if there was no confession, then there was nothing.
Still, she believed that she held a place in Takashi's heart.
If she weren't important, would he have shown up at Kaguya's birthday party today?
It was obvious he'd come for her.
Didn't that mean she was special to him?
That's what she thought.
But she didn't realize that to someone like Takashi, who had an endless supply of "fish," if one swam away, he'd just cast his line again.
"Oh, I see. I thought you were dating the daughter of the Sawamura family," said Katsura Manami.
"She's my ex. That's all in the past now." Takashi looked calm, as if he had long moved on.
Katsura Manami didn't press further, but in her heart, she didn't believe that "it's all in the past."
Judging from the way Sawamura Eriri acted at the party, she didn't think it was over.
Men know men best.
But women know women just as well.
Katsura Manami felt that it was far from over.
Still, looking at her daughter basking in happiness, she chose not to say anything.
Mr. and Mrs. Katsura asked Takashi a lot on the way. He answered almost everything without hesitation and was very tactful.
Soon, the car reached the dock.
After seeing Takashi and Kotonoha off onto the ship, Katsura Manami watched the cruise slowly pull away and said, "Kotonoha is no match for him."
"Just let it be a life lesson," Mr. Katsura said.
He was looking at his phone, sending someone a message. His always-serious face faintly showed a smile.
"Do you really not care at all about your daughter?" Katsura Manami was upset at his attitude.
"Look at the way Kotonoha is acting now. Would she listen to anything we said?" Mr. Katsura shot a glance at his wife.
They'd both been young once. For teenagers in love, the more you oppose the relationship, the more determined they become.
If you forcefully intervene or try to stop them, she might even resent you.
Why do they call it "love-brain"? Because some people's minds are too full of romance to hold anything else.
"Still, you can't just do nothing," Katsura Manami fumbled for words, unsure what to say, and ended up grasping at straws.
"Your daughter's the one who'll suffer for it."
"Isn't it mutual?" Mr. Katsura lowered his head again, playing on his phone. "At least when she's with Takashi, Kotonoha is happy, right?"
"Just because she's happy now, you're not thinking about the consequences?"
Not all Japanese girls take their first time lightly.
Especially in strict, traditional families, there was more control over the children.
Mr. Katsura suddenly stopped playing with his phone and looked straight at Katsura Manami.
"Then just get it fixed at the hospital. Didn't you do the same back then?"
A torn hymen isn't the end—800 yen at the hospital and it's fixed.
"You… how do you know?" Katsura Manami backed away, startled.
"Is it so hard to find out?" Mr. Katsura replied.
For someone with money and power, if he wanted to know something, he'd find a way.
On the cruise, Takashi stood at the door of his room and said, "It's getting late. Let's rest early. Goodnight."
"Okay…"
For some reason, Kotonoha's face suddenly turned red.
She looked conflicted.
She didn't know whether or not she should enter this room.
Yes, she liked Takashi. She had a filter for him. But she also knew he was a pervert.
What if they slept together and he tried something at night?
Should she resist? Or not?
If she pushed him away, would he be unhappy?
But her worries were unnecessary. Once she went inside, she realized there were two bedrooms.
Takashi had booked a luxury suite, complete with a master bedroom, guest room, study, and all the high-end facilities you'd expect.
"Goodnight."
Takashi entered his own room and slammed the door shut behind him.
Leaving Kotonoha standing there, feeling dejected.
'Am I not attractive to him at all?'
Women are complicated creatures.
They worry a man will get handsy in bed…
But if the guy really just sleeps without touching them, they get upset too.
Kotonoha couldn't understand why Takashi, who acted like a hungry wolf around other girls, showed so little interest in her.
Was she really that unappealing?
What she didn't know was that it wasn't about her being bad, nor was Takashi some virtuous man.
He was just scared.
He knew that once he touched Kotonoha, she'd cling to him for life.
Every girl has a different personality. Some don't even care about their own body. If you touch them, it's no big deal.
But for others, once you cross that line, you can never shake them off.
Kotonoha was clearly the latter.
If you're not thinking of marriage, better not mess with girls like her.
Since he'd already showered at Kaguya's party, Takashi was too lazy to bathe again. He got in bed and chatted with Kuro and Narii for a while before falling asleep.
But around midnight, a shadow slipped in through the moonlit hallway, used a room key with a soft beep, and quietly entered Takashi's room.
Bathed in moonlight, the figure tiptoed across the room and slipped under the covers.
___
Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics
Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!
Don't forget to leave a review too~ Actually, please leave one.
Check out the other translations too
___