Chapter 45: Meet the Parents?

After breakfast, Kitahara sat by the window and gazed at the scenery.

The rain had cleared, leaving behind a fine Friday morning—truly lovely weather.

Shinjuku was a bustling maze of traffic and pedestrians.

Looking down from the top floor of the Hilton Hotel, the crowds moved like tiny ants, creating a distinct sense of standing high above the mortal world.

For forty thousand yen a night, one could enjoy a view ordinarily unseen.

Compared to his future self, Kitahara, now equipped with the system, had clearly undergone a earth-shattering transformation in status.

Forty million yen in savings.

Even without working, he could live comfortably in luxury for twenty years.

Yet Kitahara felt no desire to simply indulge.

He craved more.

Money, power, women...

Though it seemed he already had a few too many women.

Kitahara mentally tallied them up. Just among those with whom he shared an intimate connection, there were three... and the most troublesome of the lot was definitely Sayuri Sato.

That female teacher possessed an absurdly fierce jealousy.

If she ever found out he was playing around behind her back, she would undoubtedly fly into a rage.

Even so, despite the certainty of Sayuri Sato's wrath, Kitahara had no intention of stopping his romantic wandering.

He needed the Counterattack System to guide him toward a better life; it made no sense to give up an entire forest just because Sayuri Sato came with Master-level Japanese Literature mastery.

When all was said and done, it was simply a matter of trade-offs.

A little girlfriend like Senkawa was wonderful. Even if she knew he had other women out there, she wouldn't talk back.

At most, she would shed quiet tears in some unnoticed corner, or cry right in front of him when pushed to the limit, never daring to utter a single word of complaint beyond that.

Naturally, Kitahara would not treat her poorly either.

Senkawa's future would be brilliantly bright...

Even if she had to suffer a little emotional loss, surely this was still much better than her original future, wasn't it?

"Are you free this weekend?" Kitahara asked.

Senkawa, who had been quietly accompanying him as he admired the view, perked up her ears at the sound and looked over at him.

"I have a part-time job this weekend."

"Cancel it."

Kitahara's tone brooked no refusal, leaving no room for argument: "Whatever money you lose from missing the shift, I will make up for you. Don't worry about it."

"Then what about my regular work..." Senkawa hesitated.

"As you like."

Senkawa had her own life, and Kitahara had no intention of intruding upon it. Trapping her inside a birdcage of his own meticulous design would do her no good... Everyone deserved to pursue the things they wanted to do.

With that, he transferred the money directly to her account.

"Buy whatever you're lacking. Don't be stingy with money; this is your living allowance for the week."

***

A moment later, a notification buzzed on her phone. Senkawa wiped the screen and fell silent as she looked at the numbers displayed before her.

[Your bank account... has received a deposit of 500,000 yen.]

Ryoka Senkawa's part-time job paid eight hundred yen an hour. Even if she worked a full eight-hour shift—which wasn't normally allowed—she would earn at most six thousand four hundred yen... Yet Kitahara had transferred half a million to her with just a casual word.

With this money, Senkawa could pay off a portion of her relatives' debts, and with whatever was left over, she could treat herself to a genuinely good meal!

Kitahara was being so generous that she no longer had any reason to refuse him.

Even if it meant stepping on swords or plunging into a sea of fire, Senkawa would gladly agree.

"I understand. I'll make sure to clear my schedule for you," she nodded. "So... why did you want to see me?"

"To visit your father at the hospital."

Reviewing yesterday's tasks, Kitahara had identified a rather severe flaw in the original timeline.

Even with his assistance, Senkawa would ultimately end up falling into ruin.

In other words, if he wanted to completely resolve her problems and fundamentally reverse her destiny, he had to address her family situation.

Family.

It shaped a person's entire life.

That severely ill father was likely the source of profound love for Senkawa, and it was his presence that kept her kind-hearted nature tethered. In the timeline without his intervention, Senkawa must have lost this dear family member before plunging into the abyss.

Kitahara intended to go check on him, and at the same time, take a look at what kind of person her mother truly was.

If things progressed normally, he considered Senkawa a fine candidate for marriage.

He needed to understand her family background in advance.

"Are we meeting my parents?"

Senkawa's face flushed with shyness. "Isn't it a bit early to meet them now? I feel like we're still high school students, and matters like that shouldn't happen until university..."

She trailed off, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

No matter how she looked at it, this was definitely a bit too soon.

Although plenty of girls got married right after graduating high school, Senkawa felt she ought to give her dad a heads-up beforehand, otherwise he would be completely caught off guard.

"Do you think I'm not suited to meet him right now?" Kitahara asked.

Hearing this, Senkawa mistakenly thought Kitahara felt unwanted, and she hastily shook her head. "No! Not at all! It's completely fine!"

"My dad is a very gentle person, and you're a very gentle person too. Once he meets you, he'll definitely like you!"

These words came straight from Senkawa's heart.

Although Kitahara could be a bit overbearing, every single thing he did took her feelings into consideration... Senkawa's affection for him grew steadily amidst this gentle warmth.

Even if she went to her father right now and told him she and Kitahara were lovers, there wouldn't be any problem at all.

"Am I gentle?"

Kitahara had no wish to dwell on that question. He considered himself an ordinary, somewhat eccentric young man whose only notable trait—aside from being a bit of a womanizer—was non-existent.

Still, since Senkawa said so, he must undoubtedly be gentle.

"Go get my clothes. Later, take a taxi to school, and when you get there, ask for a leave of absence from the teacher on my behalf. I won't be going to school this morning," Kitahara instructed.

"Oh..."

***

Senkawa obeyed unconditionally whatever Kitahara asked of her, though she couldn't help asking out of lingering curiosity: "Where are you going?"

"The bank. Just taking care of a few minor matters."

"The bank..."

Ryoka Senkawa grew instantly vigilant. Last night, aside from that little bitch at the front desk, there had also been a female manager whose status was clearly much higher. She harbored a secret anxiety that Kitahara might be snatched away.

If previously she hadn't possessed much possessiveness toward Kitahara, her desire to claim him now was practically bursting at the seams.

He was her boyfriend!

They had shared a bed cleanly and shared the relationship of having stayed in the same high-end hotel together!

She would never allow anyone to steal Kitahara away from her!

"Are you going to see her..."

Senkawa didn't voice any explicit opposition; she merely lowered her gaze, putting on a sullen, dejected expression.

After all, she was currently nothing more than a kept girlfriend.

What right did she have to point fingers at Kitahara?

The most she could do was display her unhappiness and let his own conscience weigh on him.

Guessing her inner thoughts, Kitahara stroked Senkawa's delicate cheek to comfort her. "It's just the mandatory procedure for withdrawing money... With forty million sitting in that account, if I want to make a large purchase, I have to visit the bank first to lift the transaction limits."

"Then come back soon..." Senkawa said, lifting her small face with a pitiful expression.

"Mmhmm."

Kitahara changed his clothes and reflected on their recent exchange.

For some strange reason, it felt eerily like a cheating husband placating his wife.

The thrill of forbidden morality was creeping in.

"Oh, right."

Kitahara suddenly recalled something—a matter that ought to have been resolved yesterday, but had been briefly shelved due to his overwhelming schedule: "That teacher, is he still harassing you?"

"No. I blocked him, and we haven't been in touch since," Senkawa shook her head.

"Is that so..."

Kitahara grunted, but he had no intention of letting the man off so easily.

Even if things had been quiet lately, there was no guarantee the bastard wouldn't try contacting his little girlfriend again one day... Kitahara had zero interest in wearing a green hat, so a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes as he decided to hire someone to completely eradicate this hidden trouble.

Had he been nothing more than an ordinary student, this might have posed quite a bit of trouble.

Things were different now.

All it took was money. Hire a private investigator at random to gather evidence, submit it to the court once compiled, and retain a lawyer to handle the lawsuit...

As a wealthy man, Kitahara didn't need to dirty his hands dealing with the fellow directly. Turning it into a messy, public fallout would only harm his little girlfriend's reputation. As long as he was willing to spend, there were plenty of people more than happy to act as his vanguard.

Should the fellow fail to appreciate what was good for him—well, Tokyo Bay might lack many things, but concrete reinforcement pillars were in ample supply.

He sincerely hoped the man wouldn't be foolish enough to test him.