Listening to her older sister's plan, Serena's fair face turned an intense shade of crimson.
This was way too... stimulating!
She looked at Tomoko with an expression of pure admiration. She never imagined that her usually gentle, quiet, and submissive sister harbored such an "evil" soul within.
"Alright, I'm in."
The young girl's face was flushed as she readily agreed.
The two sisters were seven years apart. When they were younger, their relationship had been quite good; Tomoko would often play with Serena and take care of her. As they grew older and their schedules diverged, they developed their own circles and grew somewhat distant.
Thinking about Tomoko's bold plan, Serena felt that the two of them would definitely regain their former intimacy. No—they would be closer than ever before. Because if everything went according to plan, they would become comrades-in-arms sharing the same "sword."
As the saying goes, "Brothers unite to fight the tiger; father and son join forces on the battlefield." To conquer a dragon as powerful as "Little Yuu," it was only right for blood sisters to team up. Even then, the two of them might not be enough; they would likely need more reinforcements.
While the Suzuki sisters were "conspiring" in the hallway, Yuu had become much more acquainted with Ayako.
Ayako was slightly unhappy that Yuu had refused to marry into the family, but knowing he did so to keep a promise made her feel that this young man was truly exceptional. There is a saying that a mother-in-law finds her son-in-law more pleasing the more she looks at him. Ayako was starting to feel exactly that. Of course, Yuu's overwhelming charm played a significant role.
Watching Ayako and Yuu grow closer, Shiro Suzuki, who had been acting as the family "mascot," showed a gratified smile. He didn't think much of it; having been impotent for nearly twenty years, he had long forgotten the affairs of men and women. Seeing his future son-in-law making his wife happy actually made him feel a sense of relief. He figured that once Yuu officially joined the family, his own life would become much easier. Being a mascot every day was exhausting; Shiro much preferred to go fishing, travel, and enjoy the scenery. Once free from the burdens of lust, it was easy for a person to become "zen." Shiro was a textbook case; he barely interfered in family business or his daughters' upbringing, content to simply be a wealthy old gentleman.
"Hoshimiya-kun, have you offended anyone lately?" Ayako suddenly asked, looking at Yuu.
Yuu looked puzzled and spread his hands, indicating that he didn't think so.
"No one...?" Ayako knit her brows and warned him, "My people informed me today that someone is investigating your information."
Yuu had entered the Suzuki family's radar, and since he was highly likely to be the future son-in-law, they had naturally taken some protective measures after finishing their own background check. However, Yuu's life history was so simple that there wasn't much to hide. Aside from knowing someone else was digging, the Suzukis hadn't identified the source yet.
Yuu's eyelid twitched. He had a bad feeling. He rubbed his chin and began to think seriously. As a massive conglomerate, the Suzuki family had connections in both the underworld and legitimate circles; he trusted Ayako's word.
As for how they knew he was being investigated... if he had a daughter—hell, even if he just had a sister who got a boyfriend—he'd find a way to investigate the guy's family back three generations. A conglomerate like the Suzukis would naturally vet a future heir's partner thoroughly. Yuu completely understood and even welcomed it.
Speaking of which, he didn't really have many "dark spots" in his life so far. He hadn't had the time or the need. Over the past few days, he had committed quite a few illegal acts, but no one knew about them except the girls like Ran.
As for people he might have offended who were still alive, the only one was Reiko Kuroiwa. But she should be under the custody of the Metropolitan Police Department. If anything had happened, Inspector Megure would have notified him.
After thinking for a long time, Yuu shook his head. "No, at least not that I can recall."
"I see." Ayako lightly tapped the table with her index finger. "Be careful lately. If there are any problems, you can tell Serena, or contact me directly."
With that, Ayako gave Yuu her private number. As the Chairperson of the Suzuki Group, very few people knew her private line. It was essentially restricted to family; Yuu was the first outsider to receive it. Aside from her high favorability toward him, in Ayako's eyes, Yuu was practically family already.
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Suzuki."
"We'll be family soon. If you don't mind, you can just call me 'Mom'," Ayako said instinctively, feeling a slight prick of annoyance at being called "Mrs. Suzuki."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt it might have been too forward, given they had just met. "Just a joke. You can call me Auntie Ayako for now."
Yuu, who had been struggling with the "Mom" comment, breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. Thank you, Auntie Ayako."
Hearing Yuu call her by her name, Ayako instinctively smiled. She didn't even notice that her mood was fluctuating based on Yuu's reactions. If one person's emotional state is mastered by another, they aren't far from total surrender.
Unfortunately, Yuu didn't notice either. He was still preoccupied with the investigation into his past, and Ayako, having spent years in high-ranking positions, was an expert at masking her emotions. Even when she wasn't trying to hide them, her micro-expressions were far subtler than an average person's.
"Mom, Hoshimiya-sensei, what are you talking about?" Serena returned to the living room and immediately threw herself into Yuu's arms. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent like a little deviant.
"Serena," Ayako chided softly. "Even though we are at home, you should mind your image. Learn from your sister."
Serena looked back at her older sister, who still wore that peaceful, squinty-eyed smile, and the corner of her mouth quirked up. "Yes, Mother~ I will definitely 'learn' a lot from Big Sis!"
Serena put a heavy emphasis on the word "learn," causing Ayako to sigh again. Ayako thought Serena was being sarcastic, unaware that Serena was dead serious—she just intended to "learn" something very different from what her mother had in mind.
Tomoko caught the hidden meaning in Serena's words. She crossed her hands over her abdomen and gave Yuu a slight bow. In Japanese etiquette, this was generally a "please take care of me" gesture. Yuu understood it immediately; he had lived his whole life in Japan, after all.
While Yuu was wondering about Tomoko's behavior, Serena spoke up. "Mom, Ran agreed."
"Mhm. Then Hoshimiya-kun should stay for dinner tonight. Since Tomoko is here, we'll have a long-overdue family dinner."
Ayako wasn't surprised at all. She knew her daughter's only lifelong friend very well. Jimmy Kudo was only considered a friend by association through Ran. The fact that Serena and Jimmy didn't get along was common knowledge. Ayako had to be thorough; she didn't want the future heir to be surrounded by selfish or dirty-minded people. This was a major reason why Ran had remained Serena's only close friend. Many people initially befriended Serena out of sincerity, but once they learned of her status, they almost always developed ulterior motives. Without his system, Yuu probably wouldn't have been an exception.
Since it was still a long time until dinner, Ayako told Serena to show Yuu around the estate so he could get familiar with the environment. It was also a way for the estate staff to recognize the future son-in-law.
Given the bizarre timeline of the world, Yuu had no idea when the actual engagement would happen, let alone a formal marriage. He knew this, but he couldn't say it aloud unless he wanted to be sent to a psychiatric ward. Fortunately, the Suzuki estate was beautiful, so he treated it like a spring stroll.
"Mom, it's been a while since I was home. I'd like to go for a walk too," Tomoko said with a smile, her eyes still narrowed.
"Go ahead. It'll be harder for you to find time to come back later."
Tomoko bowed to her mother and quickened her pace to catch up with Yuu and Serena.