Kanjuro finally left.
He did not respond to Yukiko's blood-weeping pleas, nor did he look at Mine Fujiko again. He simply used almost cold force to pry away Yukiko's fingers that were tightly clasped around his waist, one by one, as if brushing off some bothersome dust, and then disappeared into the night outside the cafe without looking back.
Leaving Yukiko collapsed on the floor, as if her soul had been sucked out, leaving only silent tears and empty eyes.
Mine Fujiko hurried forward, struggling to help her mother back to the sofa. Seeing her mother in such a state of despair, heartbroken over that cold man, her heart was filled with confusion and an inexplicable irritability.
"Mom... why..." Mine Fujiko pursed her lips and finally asked, "Why are you so obsessed with him? He treats you like that, he... looks down on us like that, why do you still..."
Yukiko slowly raised her head, looking at her daughter's young and confused face through teary eyes. She reached out, tremblingly stroking Mine Fujiko's cheek, her eyes filled with complex and difficult emotions—pain, fear, but deeper still, a pathological infatuation that even she couldn't control.
"Fujiko... you don't understand..." Yukiko's voice was hoarse and ethereal. "When... when you truly spend time with him, you'll know... he... he has a... special charm and aura..."
Her eyes became a bit blurry, as if she had fallen into some memory.
"It's a kind of... attraction that can't be described in words. Dark, dangerous, yet like the sweetest poison, making one unable to stop wanting to get closer, wanting to... submit, even knowing it will lead to eternal damnation."
"Once you've been watched by him, touched by him, it's like being permanently branded... your heart can no longer hold anyone else, and... you can never truly escape."
Her words were like sleep-talking, carrying a shudder as if she were under a spell. But immediately after, she snapped awake, clutching Mine Fujiko's hand tightly, her eyes filled with unprecedented fear and warning:
"But you... Fujiko! Listen to me, you... you'd better not get too close to him!" Her nails almost dug into her daughter's skin. "I'm afraid... I'm afraid you'll become just like me... losing yourself, becoming as humble as dust, living only for a single look from him... That's too painful... and too terrifying..."
Yukiko's warning came from the bottom of her heart, filled with a mother's instinct to protect her child. However, these extremely contradictory words—describing Kanjuro's irresistible charm while fearing its toxicity—were like applying an alluring luster to the most forbidden fruit. Instead, they piqued an even stronger curiosity and rebelliousness deep within Mine Fujiko.
(Special charm? An inescapable attraction?)
(A man who can make someone as proud as Mom become like this...)
(Just what... kind of existence is he?)
Mine Fujiko looked at her mother's fearful yet infatuated eyes. The doubt in her heart did not dissipate but spread like wildfire. On the surface, she nodded obediently, gently patting her mother's back to comfort her. "Alright, Mom, don't cry anymore. I understand. I won't go near him... Let's go home first, okay?"
Her voice was gentle, carrying a comforting tone.
However, under her lowered eyelids, those wild and rebellious eyes inherited from Kanjuro flickered with a completely different light. She unobtrusively looked toward the door where Kanjuro had disappeared. The thick night now seemed filled with unknown challenges and fatal temptations in her eyes.
A resolution quietly took root in her heart and grew rapidly.
(I must know.)
(No matter what, I must find out for myself...)
(My biological father, Kanjuro...)
(Just what kind of person are you!)
While comforting her crying mother, a curve that didn't match her age—one filled with determination and a sense of adventure—secretly tugged at the corner of Mine Fujiko's mouth from an angle her mother couldn't see. The road leading to truth and danger seemed to have quietly unfolded before her. The next afternoon, as Sobu High School was letting out, the school gate was bustling.
Kanjuro walked out of the school gate with the crowd, his expression indifferent, looking out of place among the surrounding students overflowing with youthful vitality. He immediately spotted Mine Fujiko leaning against a lamppost across from the school gate. Today, she had changed into an even bolder and more playful outfit: a short skirt and long boots, her brownish-auburn hair gleaming under the setting sun, her face wearing an expression that was both provocative and feigned pity.
Kanjuro's eyes turned slightly cold; pretending not to see her, he intended to walk straight past her.
Seeing this, Mine Fujiko steeled her heart and immediately executed her calculated plan. She suddenly rushed forward, grabbed Kanjuro's sleeve with all her might, and shouted loudly with a sob in her voice:
"Dad! Don't you want me anymore?"
Immediately following that, she used an even louder voice, almost screaming, to attract the attention of all the passing students:
"Kanjuro Papa!! Why did you leave me and Mom! Why don't you want us anymore?!"
This earth-shattering cry of "Papa" and its accusation were like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake. In an instant, the eyes of all the surrounding students focused simultaneously on Kanjuro and Mine Fujiko. Whispers rose like a tide:
"Hey, hey, did you hear that? That girl called Kanjuro 'Papa'?"
"No way... Senior Kanjuro looks so young, yet he already has such a big daughter?"
"Tsk, I didn't expect Kanjuro to be playing so wildly... Does he like the vibe of having his girlfriend call him 'Papa'?"
"What's so strange about that? Did you forget? Senior Yukinoshita Yukino and Senior Yui Yuigahama from the second year—don't they also often call Kanjuro 'Papa' in private? I've caught them several times."
"Ah! That's right! There's also Senior Miura Yumiko, she seems to have called him that too!"
"Now that you mention it... it seems Senior Kanjuro really does have several 'daughters'..."
"So in his circle, it's something everyone knows, right? A kind of... playful kink?"
The surrounding discussions clearly reached Mine Fujiko's ears. The scene she had originally envisioned—where Kanjuro would be embarrassed, angry, or even wishing the ground would swallow him up—did not occur. On the contrary, Kanjuro remained as unperturbed as ever, even curling his lip into a mocking arc, as if laughing at her clumsy trick.
What left Mine Fujiko even more dumbfounded was the content of the students' discussion!
Yukinoshita Yukino? Yui Yuigahama? Miura Yumiko?
These names... could it be that they are all... could it be that I have several half-sisters?!
This thought was like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, causing Mine Fujiko to instantly freeze in place, and her hand clutching Kanjuro's sleeve unconsciously loosened. Her eyes widened as she looked at Kanjuro in disbelief, her previous provocation and feigned grievance all turning into genuine shock and confusion.
Kanjuro looked down at the wonderful changes in her expression and let out a light chuckle, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Now, are you satisfied? My... 'daughter'?"
"Did you think this little trick could embarrass me?" His eyes held a trace of pity. "It seems you still know absolutely nothing about your 'father'."
He straightened his sleeve that had been wrinkled by Mine Fujiko's grip, his posture elegant and composed, as if the farce just now had nothing to do with him.
"Trying to get my attention this way? Unfortunately, you chose the wrong method and underestimated my... 'influence'."
After saying that, he ignored the dumbstruck Mine Fujiko and turned to leave with a calm and composed manner under the gaze of curious, suggestive, or knowing eyes.
Mine Fujiko stood alone on the spot, the setting sun stretching her shadow long. The students' discussions continued around her, but she could no longer hear them clearly. The names of those unfamiliar girls and Kanjuro's cold, controlling words echoed repeatedly in her mind.
She had originally just wanted to retaliate against Kanjuro's coldness, but she had unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a corner of his complex interpersonal relationships, which might even involve more "sisters"... Mine Fujiko felt her worldview suffer a massive shock.
(Just what kind of person is he... exactly?)
(Are those girls... the same as me?)
(Things seem to have... become even more complicated and... interesting than I imagined?)
After the shock, an even more vigorous curiosity and a certain refusal to lose began to burn fiercely in the depths of Mine Fujiko's heart. As she watched Kanjuro's receding back, her gaze was no longer just pure anger and grievance, but a firm determination mixed with an intense desire to investigate.
(Kanjuro... Papa?)
(I won't just let it go like this! I must find out exactly how many secrets you are still hiding!) Kanjuro strode with his long legs, attempting to shake off the unrelenting calls behind him, but Mine Fujiko was like a nimble and headstrong cat, following closely while constantly calling out that attention-grabbing address.
"Kanjuro Papa~~ don't walk so fast!"
"Papa~ tell me, exactly what magic do you have to be able to charm Mom like that? She was once a big star, she's seen all kinds of men, so why is she so... utterly devoted to you?"
Kanjuro finally stopped and turned around with some helplessness. The golden glow of the setting sun fell on his well-defined face, plating his already incomparably handsome features with a layer of dazzling radiance. He looked down at Mine Fujiko, who had run up to him and was panting slightly with bright eyes, and raised an eyebrow.
"You want to know that much?" His tone carried a trace of subtle amusement.
"Of course!" Mine Fujiko nodded vigorously, her curiosity almost overflowing from her eyes.
Kanjuro looked at her and suddenly broke into an extremely flamboyant, even somewhat naturally arrogant smile. His thin lips parted slightly as he spat out a word that was simple to the extreme, yet arrogant to the extreme:
"Handsome."
Mine Fujiko was stunned, and before she could react, Kanjuro continued to supplement in a tone as if he were stating a universal truth, his voice flat yet carrying a soul-shaking power:
"Too handsome."
"Handsome without boundaries."
"Handsome enough to make people willingly defy moral and ethical norms."
"Handsome enough... to be sufficient to make people hopeless, throwing themselves into the fire like moths to a flame."
As he spoke, he stood there casually, slightly tilting his head. The setting sun outlined his perfect jawline; beneath his sword-like eyebrows, his starry eyes were deep, as if containing endless stars and whirlpools. His nose was high and straight, and his thin lips were curled in a half-smile. His height of 185 centimeters brought a natural sense of pressure, and his simple school uniform was worn with the aura of a top model. His entire being seemed to invisibly radiate a strong, pure, yet dangerous masculine aura, like fine wine, intoxicating to the senses.
Mine Fujiko had originally wanted to argue that "just being handsome couldn't possibly be enough," but at this moment, bearing Kanjuro's unreserved "visual onslaught" and atmospheric impact at such close range without any protection, her mind actually went blank for a moment.
Her heart traitorously skipped a beat.
She stared at him blankly, realizing for the first time so clearly just how tangible and destructive the impact of her biological father's appearance and aura was. Mom was right; just this face and this aura were enough to make countless women follow one after another, losing themselves.
"Now," Kanjuro asked teasingly, seeing her slightly dazed state with a clarity that saw through everything, "do you see it?"
Mine Fujiko snapped back to her senses, her cheeks feeling a bit hot. She forcibly suppressed that strange fluttering in her heart and shook her head vigorously, attempting to use rational analysis to resist this pure sensory impact: "No... if it's just looks, it's far from enough! One would get tired of even the best looks! There must be something else!"
She didn't believe that a mere physical shell could make her mother so infatuated.
Kanjuro remained noncommittal toward her rebuttal, only giving her a deep look, a look that seemed to say, "You're still too young."
Then, he made a move that Mine Fujiko didn't expect—he naturally reached out and took her hand.
His palm was broad, warm, and dry, carrying an unquestionable sense of power.
"Let's go," Kanjuro said, leading her as he turned to walk in the opposite direction of home. His profile softened its sharp lines in the setting sun. He looked back and gave her a smile that was completely different from his previous arrogance, indifference, and mockery... a gentle smile.
That smile was like the first thaw of snow or the return of spring, instantly dispelling all the alienation and coldness from him, leaving only a warmth and approachability enough to drown one's heart. It was as if he were the gentlest, most trustworthy person in the world.
Mine Fujiko was completely stunned. Her heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something, beating wildly. She allowed him to lead her along, her gaze unable to shift away from his face adorned with that gentle smile.
(Dad... when he smiles...)
(He looks so good...)
A mixture of familial closeness, being awestruck by his powerful charisma, and a young girl's instinctive fluttering heart for beautiful things began to sprout and spread wildly within her.
Her originally firm determination to "only investigate the truth" seemed to quietly waver at this moment. She began to faintly understand that the "special charm and temperament" her mother spoke of might truly be more than just that impeccable face.
Kanjuro led his newly "acquired," dazed daughter, strolling through the streets under the setting sun. Beneath the gentle curve of his lips, a trace of unfathomable calculation was hidden.
(It seems another one... is about to step into the trap.)
(The attraction of blood, combined with just the right amount of 'gentleness,' is indeed an irresistible combination.)
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