"Sakiko?"
Toru looked at the girl who was silently crying, her phone having fallen to the ground.
Although her voice on the phone had been very soft just now, Toru still heard what was being said on the other end.
Sakiko's mother was critically ill.
Toru was silent for a moment. He looked at Sakiko, whose eyes were red and whose tears were flowing uncontrollably, and said, "I'll take you to the hospital now."
Sakiko instinctively wanted to refuse.
She opened her mouth and finally whispered, "Thank you, Boss."
Toru shook his head and said, "You don't have to call me that. Just call me by my name."
"Then, Fujiwara-kun?"
"You can call me something closer."
"Toru-kun?"
"Yes, that's it."
Toru walked to Sakiko's side. He gently patted the girl's shoulder and held her in his arms.
Sakiko's shoulders trembled, and she could not help sobbing out loud.
After a while, Toru said, "Let's go. Don't waste time here."
"Okay."
The two left the room and tiptoed downstairs.
Sakiko whispered, "Toru-kun, don't tell Haibara and the others about this."
"What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid they'll worry."
Seeing that Sakiko was still concerned about others at a time like this, Toru nodded gently. "I won't tell them. Don't worry."
After getting into the car, the silver Porsche sped along the roads of Tokyo.
Toru drove quickly. They did not speak along the way and simply drove in silence.
Before long, the car stopped at a private hospital.
The two got out of the car and quickly rushed into the hospital. Sakiko went directly to the floor number she had received from the butler, taking the elevator straight up.
In front of the hospital's critical care room stood many executives of the Togawa Group, including the current chairman of the Togawa Group, who was also the current head of the Togawa Family and Sakiko's maternal grandfather.
Seeing her maternal grandfather, Sakiko felt a little nervous. She took a deep breath, stepped forward, bit her lip, and respectfully greeted him, "Grandfather!"
The vigorous old man quietly looked at Sakiko. He sighed softly. "Go. Your mother is in the ward. Her body won't last much longer."
"The doctor said she only has one or two days at most. Your mother's greatest concern is you."
Sakiko silently walked to the door of the ward. She glanced at Toru, as if seeking courage.
Toru nodded to her, and Sakiko pushed open the door and went inside.
After Sakiko entered the ward, the Togawa Master said to Toru, "Toru-kun, this is our first meeting."
"Hello, Grandpa Togawa."
Facing the old man, Toru also greeted him.
The Togawa Master nodded gently. "Your grandfather and I are not very familiar, but since we are both from Kazoku families, we have met a few times at banquets and occasionally chatted a little."
"It is the Fujiwara Family's fortune to have such an excellent heir as you."
"You overpraise me," Toru said modestly.
The Togawa Master said, "It is not overpraise, but the truth. Toru-kun, there is no need to be modest."
"I have to thank you for Sakiko's current state. Without you, with Sakiko's personality, she probably would not have changed so much."
"She has been a little stubborn since she was a child. In some aspects, this stubbornness is good, but in some matters, it will bring her trouble."
After a pause, the Togawa Master continued, "...Most importantly, I want to thank you for solving the problem with Sakiko's father."
Toru knew that Sakiko and her father must have been under the surveillance of the Togawa Family.
According to Toru's understanding, the main heir of the Togawa Family was actually only Sakiko.
Unless the Togawa Family wanted to follow the example of the shogunate era and let someone from a branch family inherit the main family's property, the Togawa Family would eventually welcome Sakiko back home.
The reason they had not done so before, as the Togawa Master said, was because of Sakiko's personality.
Sakiko had always believed that the family was too inhumane for driving her father out of the family.
Now, having finally seen her father's true face, she had completely come to terms with it.
"How is Sakiko's father doing?"
Toru asked.
He had told Sakiko's father to get lost at the time and had not cared where he went afterward.
"He went to America. Although the Togawa Family lost ten billion yen in assets because of him, he did contribute to the Togawa Family after all, and he is Sakiko's father, so the Togawa Family didn't trouble him."
"As for what happens to him in America afterward, that is none of the Togawa Family's business. However, gambling addiction is hard to break, and he will probably get restless again after a period of stability. But people in America won't tolerate him, and whatever his final outcome is, it has nothing to do with the Togawa Family."
The Togawa Master said this indifferently.
"Sakiko understands these things now. If you bring it up, she will definitely be willing to return to the Togawa Family."
Toru said this while standing by the hospital corridor window with the Togawa family head.
"Let's wait a while longer. If I bring it up now, Sakiko will think I'm using her mother's critical illness to threaten her."
"She is starting a band, and with your funding, the Togawa Family will also strongly support her."
"Sakiko is like her mother, very talented in music. I will support her in achieving her dream."
"When she achieves success with the band, I will bring up the matter of her returning to the Togawa Family. At that time, she will definitely accept it willingly."
"Before that, I, this old man, will continue to lead the family. My health is still good, and the Togawa Family will not have problems within twenty years."
The Togawa Master did not treat Toru as an outsider and directly stated his plans.
Toru said, "You have always cared about Sakiko, but she has never known."
The Togawa Master smiled. "She is my granddaughter, after all. It is only right that I care for her. Whether she knows or not does not matter."
"But I think her mother will tell her these things. Sakiko is a good child. As long as she can grow up healthy and happy in this life, that is enough."
"What she experienced in the past year was a pain in her life, but it was also an essential experience for her growth. Now she is more mature."
"Toru-kun, I want to ask you for something."
Toru said, "Please tell me, if it is something I can do."
"You can definitely do this. I believe in Sakiko's ability, but before she can fully take charge of the Togawa Family, she will definitely go through a period of being overwhelmed."
"I only hope that during this time, if Sakiko needs help, Toru-kun, you can lend her a hand."
"And our Togawa Family will become your right-hand man, Toru-kun."
The Togawa Master was the head of the Togawa Family after all. These words were for both Sakiko and the Togawa Family.
(To be continued.)