Chapter 618: Satō Shin’ichi’s Near Social Death
“Mieko-aunt, I’m back.”
“Hello, Mieko-aunt.”
Hamano Tsukasa was sitting on the tatami mats in the tea room, his teacup just raising to his lips when he heard a voice from the entrance. His movement paused slightly, and his brow furrowed unconsciously. The old man’s hearing was sharp enough to clearly discern the disturbance at the entrance. Two distinct voices rang out almost simultaneously, causing Hamano Tsukasa’s fingertips to tap lightly on the teacup. He put down the teacup, and the ceramic made a crisp sound as it met the wooden tea table.
“This time of night…”
He muttered to himself, his gaze shifting to the wall clock. The hands indicated it was already ten o’clock in the evening.
The tea room door was gently pulled open, and Mieko entered, carrying fruit. Her expression was a little peculiar, not exactly bright nor angry, but rather tinged with a curious, gossipy hue.
“Patriarch,” she said softly, “Little Shin and Little Kazumi are back. They’ve come to see how things are… and it seems they intend to stay the night.”
“Mm, I see.”
Hamano Tsukasa nodded, his expression seemingly contagious as it also turned odd.
He had heard rumors about Satō Zhenyi bringing his girlfriend back before. However, he hadn’t been home at the time, and he had later heard that it was Little Kazumi who had gotten drunk, and Satō Zhenyi couldn’t find her key, which forced him to bring her back for a temporary rest.
As the end of the year approached, Satō Zhenyi hadn’t committed any of the egregious acts one might expect from a culprit. Coupled with the extenuating circumstances, Hamano Tsukasa hadn’t been too harsh on him.
But now, Hamano Tsukasa was at home, sleeping, and here Zhenyi was bringing a girl home late at night? Did he really think the elder of the house wasn’t present?
Thinking this, a few veins bulged on Hamano Tsukasa’s forehead. He stood up, his face momentarily flickering with an electric current, transforming from his usual appearance into the disguise and attire of [Warhammer].
He surveyed the entrance. Just as the old man reached the doorway of the tea room, footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
“Shin’ichi, is it okay if we don’t pay Grandpa Satō a visit?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. For some reason, the old man slept all day today. I reckon he’s still resting in his bedroom now, probably… due to age?”
“Hey, hey! How can you talk about your grandfather like that? Grandpa Satō looks very energetic!”
“Perfect. Since the old man isn’t here, you don’t need to be so reserved. Mieko-aunt is still preparing the guest room, so let’s go to my room with Little Kazumi for now.”
“Crash—!”
The tea room door was suddenly flung open, the wooden panel hitting the doorframe with a tremendous bang.
Satō Zhenyi and Little Kazumi, who were walking down the corridor smiling, were startled by the sudden noise.
Before them stood Hamano Tsukasa, who hadn’t moved. At this moment, the old man, who should be called [Warhammer], stood at the tea room entrance. Flames soared behind his back, the hem of his kimono billowing without wind. His usually gentle profile was now so grim it looked like it could drip water.
“Old man? Satō Zhenyi?”
His voice instantly rose by eight octaves. He unconsciously straightened his body. “You, weren’t you sleeping?”
The corners of Hamano Tsukasa’s mouth twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged again. “Oh? So the old man has become so old that he needs to sleep all day and can’t get up anymore?”
The powerful aura made Little Kazumi instinctively retreat half a step, but Satō Zhenyi subtly blocked her behind him. This subtle action softened the muscles around Hamano Tsukasa’s eyes slightly, though he still stared intently at the young boy before him.
“Um… Master,”
Satō Zhenyi braced himself.
“Master, we were just…”
“Just what? Hamano Tsukasa seemed unwilling to move forward. With each step he took, the wooden floor creaked under the unbearable pressure. ‘Bringing the girl you like home late at night again? Or do you think you can do whatever you want if you believe the old man isn’t home? If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, don’t blame me for beating you up in front of Little Kazumi!'”
“No, it’s not like that!” Satō Zhenyi’s forehead broke out in a sweat. “We really were just…”
“Grandpa Satō,”
Mieko appeared from behind, bowing respectfully.
“The situation is like this, we were discussing the establishment of the Heroes Association by the river, and we accidentally ended up near the bridge. At this hour, it would be too late for Satō Shin’ichi to drive me back, so I suggested staying here for the night. I apologize for disturbing you, Grandpa Satō, please don’t be angry.”
“You…”
Looking at the girl standing timidly before him, with her clear and polite words and her evident maturity, Hamano Tsukasa’s anger instantly extinguished. He sighed and rubbed his temples with a sense of helplessness.
Although Hamano Tsukasa had immense opinions about his grandson, he was extremely satisfied with Little Kazumi, this polite, sensible, and exceptionally mature young girl. He even felt that Satō Zhenyi didn’t deserve such a girl at all.
“You, you spoil him too much. I know very well what this brat can think at his age. Little Kazumi, you shouldn’t always agree with whatever he says.”
He glared fiercely at Satō Zhenyi standing behind the girl, shook his head, and then turned to Mieko, who was peeking from the corner of the corridor, watching the show.
“Mieko, go prepare some supper. The two children have traveled a long way, they must be hungry.”
Mieko responded, “Yes, Patriarch, I’ll go prepare it right away.”
Hamano Tsukasa then looked at Little Kazumi again, his tone much gentler. “Little Kazumi, the guest room is still being prepared, so you can wait in bratly’s room for a while. If anything happens, call me immediately. If this guy makes any improper moves towards you, I’ll beat him to death the moment I show up.” After saying that, he turned to Satō Zhenyi beside him, his tone immediately becoming unfriendly.
“And you, you just spend the time with Little Kazumi today. Tomorrow morning, get up at six o’clock sharp, and double your morning training!”
Without waiting to hear Satō Zhenyi’s incomplete wails from behind him, he turned and walked towards his own bedroom.
“Phew— That was close. I almost got beaten up by the old man. It’s a good thing Little Kazumi spoke up for me.”
On the second floor, in Satō Zhenyi’s room, the two walked in consecutively.
Satō Zhenyi wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief. Looking at his short girlfriend standing behind him, a smile instantly bloomed on his face, and he said,
“No, Grandpa Satō was for your own good. Grandpa is also very good. Once you explained, he wouldn’t be angry with you.”
Kazumi shook her head and said seriously, not agreeing with her boyfriend’s words. The girl’s gaze was drawn to the room’s furnishings, and she looked around.
Satō Zhenyi’s room wasn’t large but was exceptionally tidy. A single bed was placed by the window, with deep blue bedding neatly spread out, not a single wrinkle. A few commendation certificates from the Hero Association were framed and hung on the wall beside the bed, showing how much the owner cherished them.
Opposite the bed was a wooden desk, neatly arranged with several hero theory textbooks and notebooks. The stationery in the pen holder was lined up, and a simple desk lamp stood quietly at the corner of the desk, its lampshade wiped spotlessly clean.
The wardrobe in the corner was painted a plain white, its doors closing perfectly. There weren’t many superfluous decorations in the entire room, except for a framed calligraphy hanging above the desk, bearing the two large characters: “克己” (Self-discipline).
Satō Zhenyi’s arms didn’t pay much attention to Kazumi’s inspection of his room. He walked to the desk, pulled out a chair, and turned it towards the bed.
“Kazumi, you sit down and rest for a bit. I’ll go find something interesting to show you.”
The girl nodded and obediently walked to the space between the chair and the bed.
Then, Kazumi suddenly bent down and, reaching under the bed, took out several stacked, peculiar books.
“Kazumi, no!!!”
