Episode 371: Successor

Mayumi POV

「…and that is the situation.」

Masaomi-san concluded with those words, finishing the explanation… of the Satsukawa family’s social standing and the various matters surrounding it.

This naturally included the connection between the Satsukawa family and Saba Electronics, a global corporation representing this country, as well as Masaomi-san’s position within it. It also included the fact that I and Sara-chan are the only direct descendants of the Satsukawa family line…

What kind of meaning would it carry for Kazunari-kun, who is marrying Sara-chan, to become an adopted son-in-law of the Satsukawa family…

Anyone with even a bit of social experience would likely realize the answer immediately.

「…Ah」

「…Eh」

Therefore, the reactions of Kosei-san and Fuyumi-san, who were staring blankly at Masaomi-san’s face as if they had seen or heard something unbelievable, could be called perfectly natural.

It would be far too difficult to swallow a story of this scale immediately after being told it so suddenly.

「…Do you understand now? Why we wish to welcome Kazunari-kun as an adopted son-in-law.」

「W-Wait, could you hold on a moment!? This story is just… the scale of it is way too massive…」

「M-Mayumi-san, is what you just said really… is it true!?」

「…Yes.」

「It is all factual.」

「「!?」」

When Masaomi-san and I nodded clearly, the two of them let out even louder gasps. However, it seemed they managed to swallow the truth of the story to some extent, as a wry smile began to mix into Kosei-san’s expression…

「Ha, hahaha. I see. When I heard you wanted to arrange an adoption for Kazunari, I suspected there were certain circumstances… but I never imagined it was anything like this.」

「…My apologies. Normally, this information should have been conveyed at the very beginning.」

「N-No, no. I think it’s because we are in a setting like this that I’ve been able to accept it as the truth… or rather, I have no choice but to accept it.」

「T-That’s right. The content is so outrageous that I never would have believed it just hearing it over the phone… but since I’ve met you in person, Mayumi-san, you could have told me a little bit back then.」

「I’m sorry, Fuyumi-san. At that time, I still couldn’t say it clearly…」

「Ahaha, sorry for being mean. It’s okay, I feel like I understand the situation now after hearing that.」

「Fuyumi-san…」

Faced with the kindness of Fuyumi-san, who finally wore a small, wry smile just like Kosei-san, I felt a surge of guilt. But considering the gravity of the matter, it was a fact that I couldn’t speak of it lightly until the discussion was officially settled.

I really am sorry.

「To be honest, the story is so unexpected that I don’t even know what to say.」

「It’s only natural for you to be confused. However, this…」

「Ah, please rest assured that I’m not doubting you. I don’t see any reason for you to lie in a situation like this, and hearing the story makes sense of why you were able to secure this room that’s apparently for VIPs.」

「Thank you.」

「Still, regardless… I’d heard you were an executive at some large company, but to think it was that Saba… and the next Chairman at that.」

「Yes. Without a word of a lie, I am…」

「Ha, haha, I see. Well, you’ve really got me there. To think an average salaryman like me is sitting one-on-one with the next Chairman of Saba Electronics…」

「H-Hey, what are you being so casual for!! Do you know who you’re talking to…」

「I’m not being casual… I’m just struggling to react because it doesn’t feel real.」

Despite saying that, it wasn’t just my imagination that he didn’t seem as intimidated as I’d expected.

At the very least, I can only think of a handful of people who could face Masaomi-san as the「next Chairman of Saba」and speak so fearlessly.

Well, they say people can only laugh when they’re too surprised, so there’s a non-zero chance it’s just that.

「Agh, honestly!! Regardless, he’s the next Chairman of Saba, so show a little respect!!」

「Listen…」

「No… actually, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t worry about that. Today, before being the next for Saba, I intend to be here as Sara’s father.」

「Right? In that case, I will speak with that in mind as well.」

「Yes. I look forward to your kind regards.」

I was truly surprised by this. I thought he was a person who wasn’t very timid, but I never imagined he had this much backbone.

But this is a miscalculation in a happy sense, so I welcome it. As expected of Kazunari-kun’s Father… I suppose?

「First, regarding the adoption, as I’ve mentioned several times, I have no intention of opposing it as long as he is convinced. And considering the current situation with the young lady, he has to take responsibility as a man…」

「Wait, what are you saying!?」

「You idiot, I’m being perfectly serious! That precious young lady over there, he…」

「No, please rest assured on that point. At the very least, in the current situation, no problems have occurred.」

「…Eh? W-What does that mean?」

「Hehe… Kazunari-kun is truly such a good boy, isn’t he?♪」

「Eh… what?」

「M-Mayumi-san?」

That might have been a bit of a meaningful way to put it, but I can’t exactly say it directly… with Masaomi-san right here.

Well, since a man and woman who love each other are living together, it’s only natural for people to assume「that」is happening… but Kazunari-kun is keeping his promise to us properly.

Eh? How do I know?

Because he’s my cute son, that’s why… hehe♪

「A-Anyway, please set that point aside for now and tell us your pure thoughts. After hearing everything so far, will you allow us to welcome Kazunari-kun into our home?」

「Let’s see… basically, I have no intention of changing my stance at all. It’s true that the story I heard today was way beyond my imagination and far too unexpected, but even so, if he has reached this decision after thinking it through, my desire to respect his autonomy remains unchanged.」

「Kosei-san…」

「Besides, practically speaking, it’s a miracle that will never happen twice for him to be with such a wonderful young lady… haha.」

I couldn’t tell if Kosei-san’s light comment was genuine or a way to hide his embarrassment.

But because he truly cares for Kazunari-kun, there’s no doubt he wants to respect his feelings and thoughts as much as possible and help him fulfill them.

「No, it’s the same for us. Meeting Kazunari-kun was truly a miracle for both our daughter and us… who would have thought a person for Sara to love would appear so soon.」

「No, no, that’s an exaggeration. With a young lady that wonderful, she could surely… ah, that’s right. I heard she hated men. But in that case, it makes me curious why my stupid son met her criteria after all this time. He takes after me, so he isn’t much to look at, even as flattery…」

「Haha, as for that, we’d have to ask the person himself. However, our daughter tends to utterly loathe members of the opposite sex who are attracted to her appearance.」

「That sounds quite harsh. For a beauty like her, who clearly stands head and shoulders above what people call idols or models… to be hated for falling for those looks seems like quite an impossible challenge for a man.」

「You’re right. It might sound like a doting parent, but she definitely falls into the category of what people call a beauty… so I think as a fellow man, it’s difficult to tell someone not to be attracted to those looks.」

「Hehe… but it seems Sara-chan only wants to be seen as beautiful by Kazunari-kun, you know? Especially lately, she’s really started to care about all sorts of things.」

Originally, Sara-chan even found her own appearance a nuisance, so she did the bare minimum when it came to fashion, makeup, and skin care. But lately, she’s been caring about those things… although she still hardly uses makeup, because she wants Kazunari-kun to see her as she is.

Hehe, Sara-chan is a girl after all♪

「Eeeeh… w-wait a minute. Does that mean Sara-chan was indifferent to her own looks for a long time? Despite being that shockingly pretty… sigh, it’s gone past envy and into despair.」

「Hey now… do you really intend to compete with a beauty like that? There’s a limit to how little self-awareness you can have… owowowowow!?」

「Shut up!! I didn’t mean it like that, so don’t say unnecessary things!!」

As if words were no longer necessary, Fuyumi-san pinched Kosei-san’s cheek with incredible force. That merciless, textbook pinch looked like it would hurt just to watch…

I mean, is it going to tear off?

「Ow-ow-ow… m-my apologies. However, that would mean Kazunari showed absolutely no attraction to the young lady’s appearance…」

「I suppose that’s how it is. To be honest, I think it’s quite a mysterious story myself… but if that Sara didn’t just show no aversion but actually took a liking to him herself…」

「Hehe… which is why Kazunari-kun is a unique existence to Sara-chan, you see? Because he is the only man who loves Sara-chan for who she is, without being captured by her outward appearance at all…」

Actually, Sara-chan makes anyone an object of loathing if she senses even a shred of ulterior motive, let alone just attraction to her looks…

Because Kazunari-kun won that Sara-chan’s trust, I believe he is the only man in the world who can make her happy. There’s no room for doubt.

Of course, that isn’t the only reason, though… hehe♪

「Hmm… I don’t know, hearing talk like that makes him sound like a strangely special guy.」

「Oh, we’ve always thought so. Right, Masaomi-san?」

「Yeah, that’s right. Anyway, with that background, you could say Kazunari-kun is an extremely rare and special existence to us.」

「I see, I understand. Well, I still can’t think of him as such a high-quality human being myself… but if you two say so, then I guess it must be true. As a parent, it makes me feel a bit proud.」

「Yes. Kazunari-kun is truly such a good boy♪」

「A good boy… you say? Hahaha, well, well.」

At my casual remark, Kosei-san finally showed a carefree smile.

I hope he understands at least a little bit how special we think Kazunari-kun is.

Now then…

「By the way… in reality, isn’t the young lady in high demand? Setting aside Kazunari, with those looks, the men around her won’t leave her alone… and you being with Saba…」

「Yes… since you’ve already noticed, I’ll be honest. I’ve received many marriage proposals for my daughter and talks of relationships with a view to the future from long ago. And at school too, it seems she’s received confessions from quite a few boys.」

「Well, for a young lady like her, that’s only natural. However, in that case…」

「…Is something on your mind?」

Suddenly, Kosei-san’s smile vanished, and he showed a gesture of thinking seriously about something. His meaningful manner was one thing, but it also felt like his gaze had grown sharper…

「I’ll ask straightforwardly. If discussions between parents, which are quite unfamiliar to an average household, come up frequently, doesn’t that mean the other parties are of a certain standing… like executives from the same company, or suitable partners?」

「…Yes. You are correct.」

「In that case, if Kazunari enters that world, there’s a possibility of various troubles and disputes… to put it plainly, even matters of power might be involved. Especially if you are the next Chairman of Saba.」

「…A sharp observation.」

Certainly, as Kosei-san said, considering Masaomi-san’s position, there’s no way we can be completely unrelated to those corporate「burdens.」

And if that happens, we would be throwing their precious son into the「ugly parts」of the corporation, so to speak.

「I’m a bit late in asking this, but… the fact that you want to welcome Kazunari as an adopted son-in-law means you want him to be?」

「Yes… it’s still a story for the future, but I would like for Kazunari-kun to become my successor. Eventually, I hope he and my daughter can work together as a team.」

「Ha… haha, so that was it. Well, I suppose that’s why you wanted an “adoption”… but hearing it said so clearly gives me quite a strange feeling. To think he would be the future Saba Chairman, it’s a story I just can’t imagine.」

「H-Hey Mayumi-san. I’m also a bit late here, but are you really thinking that far ahead? It just seems like such an out-of-left-field story…」

「It’s true, Fuyumi-san. It might be hard to believe, but we want Kazunari-kun to take over. This is no joke.」

「Eeeeek…」

It’s only natural that they can’t imagine it at all after being told something like this so suddenly…

But for us, we really want Kazunari-kun to be the successor. We want him and Sara-chan to work together hand-in-hand. We are so serious about this that we are talking about bold things like engagement and adoption while they are still this young.

「To be honest, I really don’t think he’s up to the task of following in your footsteps…」

「Deciding that at this point would be premature. At the very least, we don’t think so.」

「Oops… you’re right, I just…」

「No… anyway, for our part, we would first like Kazunari-kun to become the primary candidate for successor. It’s not like there are any other candidates, but it ultimately depends on whether he will accept it… and if he says he doesn’t want to, we have no intention of forcing it on him.」

「I see. But in that case…」

「Please rest assured on that point too. Even if that happens, I promise we will never do anything to dissolve his relationship with Sara. Besides, if I did that, my wife and daughter would cut ties with me… haha.」

「No, that’s…」

In reality, if he really said something like that, Sara-chan would undoubtedly leave the house… throwing a divorce notice at Masaomi-san.

「Well, jokes aside, I also think it’s unavoidable for the two of them to leave the house depending on the circumstances. As a parent, the happiness of those two is the absolute top priority. However… this is quite a great honor for me as well, but Kazunari-kun has already started choosing a career path aimed at following after me. In that case, we would like to proceed with the discussion on that premise…」

Strictly speaking, Kazunari-kun’s intention to follow after Masaomi-san likely doesn’t include the meaning of「successor」yet. He doesn’t seem to have thought that far.

But I think that’s fine. I want him to enjoy his school life to the fullest without thinking about unnecessary things, at least until he graduates high school.

I’m sure that is the most important thing for the Kazunari-kun of now.

「Is that so, he’s following you… haha, this is quite complicated. Even though it’s all a result of my own inadequacy, because it’s you, I also feel like I want to entrust my son to you… but in any case, it seems there’s no need for me to say anything about this. As I said before, our policy of respecting his will remains unchanged.」

「Thank you. Then…」

「However… regardless of that.」

「…!?」

Kosei-san suddenly interrupted Masaomi-san’s voice, cutting in with the sharpest, most powerful tone so far.

I wonder what happened all of a sudden…

「I’m just a lowly, average salaryman, but I can easily imagine that there are numerous burdens in the upper ranks of a large corporation. And the people who have proposed marriage to your daughter must also be people with a certain social standing. What will happen if Kazunari, born a commoner with no special qualities or status, enters that world… no matter how much he becomes your adopted son, once it’s known that someone of that birth is the successor, well, I can imagine what people around him will say…」

「…Certainly, I also believe the biggest hurdle in this matter is indeed the fact that Kazunari-kun has no connection to Saba. Even if I brought up the story alone like this, the fact remains that being just a son-in-law lacks persuasive power. If I still tried to force things forward, it’s not hard to imagine that there would be massive pushback, both openly and behind the scenes, from certain factions… especially those who were seeking a marriage alliance with Sara.」

「So it is as I thought. Well, since even someone as ignorant of those circumstances as me can easily think of that, I suppose it’s only to be expected…」

Kosei-san’s concern is perfectly valid, and that is precisely the biggest hurdle in officially announcing Kazunari-kun as Masaomi-san’s successor… and as Sara-chan’s partner.

If this were back when my Father was still wielding his power… we might have been able to push it through half-forcibly, just like when we made everyone recognize our marriage. But unfortunately, the times and the situation are completely different now. For better or worse, the corporation known as Saba has grown too large.

So if we don’t take any measures, it surely won’t be just a single dispute… unless it’s Kazunari-kun, that is.

「However… it’s not an exaggeration to say that we have already cleared that point.」

「…What?」

「This is a story that is nothing short of a godsend for us, and that is why it is one of the big reasons we wish to welcome Kazunari-kun as an adopted son-in-law… but the truth is, Kazunari-kun has already obtained a powerful backing that others cannot interject with in order to become my successor. After that, we just need to perform the formal procedures as the Satsukawa family, and no one will be able to stick their nose into this story.」

「Th-That is…」

Yes… the powerful backing Kazunari-kun obtained that Masaomi-san mentioned.

First, there are the two approvals obtained from my uncle, the current Chairman, and my Mother, the former Chairman’s wife, who still holds immense influence over Saba. That in itself is already surprising, but when you add Masaomi-san’s recommendation as the next Chairman and mine as a direct descendant, and then his joining the Satsukawa family as an adopted son-in-law through marriage to Sara-chan, the only daughter… and once we perform the various transfers and movements…

At that point, no one would be able to interject. Moreover, with a direct endorsement from the Chairman of the Nishikawa Group and close friendship with his only daughter, Eri-san, there’s no way any fool would oppose Kazunari-kun. No, they wouldn’t fail to realize that giving their full support would be advantageous in the long run.

And while this is still a non-public, internal story, there’s even talk of a joint venture between the two companies with Kazunari-kun and Eri-san as the top two… once a plan like that comes to light, people who want to share in the benefits will surely flock to Kazunari-kun.

Well… he might hate it, though.

「Returning to the original point, the truth is there is one more person Kazunari-kun helped besides us…」

「Is that so. And that person is…」

「Yes. It is the Chairman of the globally renowned giant, the Nishikawa Group, with whom I have a personal acquaintance.」

「……What?」

「I will skip the detailed explanation… but not only we at Saba Electronics, but Chairman Nishikawa… and by extension, the Nishikawa Group corporation itself, have a history of being helped by Kazunari-kun. Through that connection, we have received Chairman Nishikawa’s endorsement of Kazunari-kun as my successor.」

「…Eh? Nishikawa Group? Eh? Wha?」

Faced with this, Kosei-san seemed to finally lose his ability to understand, with a look of bewilderment and confusion clearly visible.

By the way, Fuyumi-san had no reaction… or so I thought, but she seems to have completely frozen with a subtle expression.

Well, I understand her feelings almost painfully well… but it’s the truth, so it can’t be helped.

「U-Um, are you really talking about our son? Receiving direct word from the Chairman of Saba and the Chairman of Nishikawa… no, no, how could things possibly turn out that way?」

「I think it’s only natural for you to be surprised… but it’s all true. While it was ultimately a result, it’s a fact that both Saba and Nishikawa were greatly helped by Kazunari-kun.」

「No, no, no, a single high school brat helped global giants like Saba and Nishikawa… I mean, the company I work for is a subcontractor of a subcontractor of Nishikawa!」

「Ah, is that so. Well, well…」

Oh my, an unexpected connection there… though at the level of a subcontractor of a subcontractor, I suppose there’s virtually no actual contact.

But that’s why he was so surprised to hear「Nishikawa Group」…I see.

「Wh-Why did he do something like that…」

「My apologies, but there is not enough time to explain that, so for now I hope you will just accept it as a fact. And if you could think of it as one of the reasons we recognize Kazunari-kun…」

「I-I see. Certainly, if those are the circumstances, it makes a bit of sense why he’s being recognized for more than just the young lady…」

But to be honest, why Kazunari-kun took such actions is something we don’t quite understand ourselves. We’ve heard it was a connection with a party he’d had trouble with in the past, but he wouldn’t tell us anything beyond that…

Wait… I feel like there’s something bothering me…

Is it just my imagination?

「How about it? It was a brief overview, but I believe you’ve mostly understood our side of the situation. As I mentioned at the beginning, if there’s anything else, we can discuss it formally at a later date.」

「U-Understood. To be honest, I still feel like I don’t know what’s what… but I’m convinced as to why you want him as an adopted son-in-law, and I fully understand that you’re thinking very seriously about the future beyond that. The rest depends on the person himself, but as for us, we have no objections to this matter.」

「Um… I don’t really understand difficult things… but even with a son like that, for us…」

「Fuyumi-san… even if Kazunari-kun becomes our adopted son, the fact that you two are his real parents doesn’t change a single thing, okay? It might not be the best way to put it, but you can think of it as strictly a formality.」

「Mayumi-san…」

That’s right… no matter what tough things they say usually, he’s still their precious son.

Especially for a mother who went through the pain of childbirth…

「It might seem a bit complicated, but you can continue to think of Kazunari-kun as your son just as before. Of course, we also think of him as our own son… and Sara too, even if she is a daughter-in-law, she will be a daughter to you both, so I don’t think you need to think too deeply about it. As long as we can state publicly that he is our son and adopted son, that is enough for us…」

「So Fuyumi-san, please continue to act as Kazunari-kun’s Mother just as before, okay? Of course, you too, Kosei-san.」

「I understand… thank you, Mayumi-san.」

「He’s a foolish son with no redeeming qualities… but I look forward to your kind regards.」

「Leave it to us. We will take responsibility for your precious son…」

Saying that, Kosei-san squeezed Masaomi-san’s offered right hand firmly.

Thank goodness… truly thank goodness. The discussion was settled safely.

With this, we can finally focus on the next step… serious preparations for the two’s spectacular debut. And since we’ve gotten a sense of Kosei-san’s character, we should be fine as long as we deepen our understanding of each other through relative interactions.

「Sigh… still, that stupid son being the future Chairman of Saba, it really feels like some kind of joke. I can’t imagine him attending parties with a smug face…」

「Setting aside the smug face, I think Kazunari-kun will eventually have to attend parties other than Saba’s as well. He might not be very keen on it, but it’s something necessary for the future.」

「Whoa… parties and social scenes, that’s truly a world we’re not familiar with at all. At the very least, it’s impossible for me.」

「Hehe… but if possible, I’d like you two to at least attend Saba’s parties. After all, we’re going to be relatives now.」

「Eh, why should we… wait, relatives?」

「Yes. Since Kazunari-kun and Sara-chan are getting married, you two naturally become our relatives, don’t you?」

「Relatives… us and the Chairman of that Saba Electronics and his wife? E-Eeeeeek!?」

「H-Hey now, if I really think about it, this is quite a crazy story…」

Hehe… but truthfully, there are many other things I’d like to ask of you two… but I’ll stop for now.

For now, I guess that’s one case settled… or so I’d like to say.