Chapter 159: Home (Long Chapter)
"No, no, it's not that. It's just, after seeing the view from the outside, looking in here was a bit of a surprise. Actually, a living room like this is much easier for me to accept..."
Akishin shook his head in denial. It was true that a living room like this suited his tastes better; comfort and convenience first, then tradition and formality.
Akishin knew that Yuren wasn't a rigid thinker. After all, they had interacted for a whole day back then, and a single day was enough to get a general sense of a person's character.
"Well, that's good then..."
Yuren led Akishin into the living room.
The two sat on opposite sides of the tea table. Yuren arranged the tea cups and poured tea for Akishin in a somewhat formal manner—not a drop more, not a drop less, exactly eighty percent full.
The teapot was a genuine Yixing clay pot, with cups to match. The tea was still piping hot; it must have been brewed right before they arrived.
"Chishima-kun, I enjoy alcohol, and I also enjoy tea. These are tea leaves I bought from the great neighbor to the west, called Longjing. I usually treasure them quite a bit."
"Longjing!!"
That name was incredibly familiar. As a Chinese person, even if he hadn't drunk it, he had almost certainly heard of it—even if most of those stories were just fluff from various public accounts.
Akishin looked at the clear tea in the cup in his hand and caught its fresh aroma. Even someone like him, who didn't understand tea, could tell this was excellent stuff.
Taking a sip, a subtle bitterness spread across his tongue, followed by a faint, lingering sweetness—the huigan. He couldn't quite put into words why it was good, but one thought came to mind: it was quite pleasant to drink, certainly better than iced green tea.
Yuren was clearly delighted by Akishin's arrival. His spirits were high as he introduced the tea leaves to him, jumping from the neighboring superpower to Japan, and then to England...
—During these ten or so humble years, Yuren seemed to have fully immersed himself in the study of tea and alcohol.
Akishin felt a bit helpless. Although he was drinking the tea, he wasn't particularly interested in the nuances of it. However, he could only listen obediently, maintaining an expression of great enthusiasm.
There was no other way around it; after all, this was his future father-in-law.
Even if he wasn't quite there yet, he would be soon.
Sachiko had slipped away after Akishin entered the living room to have a private word with her daughter.
Ten minutes later, Shizuka walked in carrying a plate of cake, her face flushed a bright red and looking thoroughly annoyed. It was hard to tell if she was angry or embarrassed, but she kept muttering under her breath: "Mother is way too hasty, I'm still young..."
Out in the world, Shizuka could be as arbitrary as she liked—drinking, smoking, and chewing betel nut without fear of reprimand. But the moment she stepped home, all those bad habits were suppressed by her mother, who appeared gentle but was actually the authoritative ruler of the household.
Reaching the living room door, Shizuka took several deep breaths, trying to calm the embarrassment caused by the "Have you two slept together yet?" question her mother had just dropped on her. Only then did she step inside with a cheerful air.
"Father, it's been a while. I'm home."
"Haha, it's about time you came home to see this old man. I was starting to wonder if you'd forgotten your father now that you have Chishima-kun..."
Yuren laughed joyfully at the sight of his radiant daughter. In his eyes, her mental state was far better than it had been—she looked like she was eighteen or nineteen again.
Previously, though she was still beautiful, her eyes often carried a sense of exhaustion and tension. Whenever she saw others getting married, her gaze would turn evasive and dim.
Now, there was only joy and happiness in her eyes. Occasionally, the way she looked at Akishin was filled with affection. It seemed Shizuka truly liked Akishin without any shred of doubt...
To say they didn't care about the age gap would be a lie; what people say and what they feel in their hearts are often opposites. It wasn't that they had been trying to force Shizuka's hand before, but rather, if they didn't remind her frequently, they were terrified she really would end up alone forever.
A person can certainly live alone, but as a woman, the greatest happiness is often found in a happy family, a husband who loves her, and a pair of children. As parents, they truly wanted their daughter to be happy.
Yuren stared, and the image of Shizuka slowly overlapped with the memory of the little girl who used to whine about wanting to play games with him...
"Uncle? Uncle, is something wrong?"
"Ah! No, it's nothing. I was just thinking that my Shizuka has finally grown up and will be leaving soon, and I'm feeling a bit reluctant to let her go."
Yuren snapped out of it, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye as he smiled at Akishin. Shizuka's face turned red with embarrassment. She shot Akishin a sharp look and glared at her father before placing the cake in her hand onto the table.
"Since you're drinking tea, here are some snacks to go with it. I remember this box is Matcha flavor."
"Chishima-kun made these!"
Yuren picked up a square green cake. Its surface was covered in fine Matcha powder, releasing an alluring aroma.
He popped it into his mouth in one bite, chewed, and followed it with a sip of tea.
"Mhm!"
Yuren's eyes lit up. He took two more pieces and ate them before finally stopping. Drinking tea usually involves specific tea snacks—wagashi—which stems from the habits of monks; technically, it should be called 'eating tea.' What Akishin made clearly wasn't that, but when paired with the tea, it tasted even better than specialized snacks.
"Of course it's good. You can't buy Chishima-kun's cakes even if you have the money." Shizuka sounded quite proud, as if she had made the Matcha treats herself.
"Well then, that's enough of that. I'm going to help Mother with the cooking. You two stay here and drink your tea!"
"I'll come too."
Hearing that Shizuka was going to cook, Akishin stood up, ready to help.
"Chishima-kun, you stay right here and relax."
Yuren spoke up. Waiting for the two young people to turn around, he set down his teacup and said to Akishin with a somewhat solemn tone: "Chishima-kun, though you aren't a stranger, this is your first time at the Hiratsuka residence. Let us play the host properly. Stay and wait for lunch with me."
Meeting Yuren's eyes, Akishin paused for a moment before nodding with a smile. "You're being too formal, Uncle." He then gave Shizuka a 'my hands are tied' look.
"I didn't actually intend for you to help anyway. Mother's cooking is delicious—it's not a bit worse than yours."
Shizuka shook her head gently, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear before heading out.
Akishin and Yuren continued their tea and Matcha snacks.
Half an hour later, the Hiratsuka family lunch began. In a very large room, following traditional Japanese etiquette, they ate while sitting cross-legged on zabuton cushions.
Throughout the meal, four maids stood elegantly behind them, occasionally adding a dish or two or clearing away empty plates. The table was filled with luxurious Japanese cuisine, dominated by vegetarian dishes and small bites—the hallmark being the very small portions.
Basically, each dish was only enough for two or three bites.
However...
The taste was indeed excellent!
Even though it was all vegetarian.
Akishin popped a piece of seaweed sushi into his mouth, the bite of wasabi mingling with the flavors. He silently agreed that the ingredients were top-notch.
Japanese cuisine mostly chases the original flavor of the food; it doesn't require much seasoning, only masterful knife skills and perfect ingredients.
Of course, objectively speaking, sashimi made by a true master chef often tastes better than that made by an ordinary person.
The difference lies in the knife work and a thousand tiny details.
Cooking is truly an art of details!
Just like salt—a little less or a little more creates a completely different impact. Often, the same dish tasting different is simply due to one single detail being off.
After lunch was finished, Sachiko sipped her tea and said to Shizuka, "Shizuka, today is the Obon Festival. Go to the Buddhist altar to pay respects to your grandparents." Then she turned gently to Akishin. "Chishima-kun, you should go along as well."
"...Is that not a bit inappropriate?"
Prestigious families tended to care deeply about such matters. Akishin felt hesitant; he had only just arrived, and he was already being sent to their ancestral altar?
Shizuka had lived at his place for a long time, and the Chishima family had no elders left, so everything revolved around Akishin.
Yuren laughed and said, "There's nothing inappropriate about it. Chishima-kun, surely you've already paid respects to your own parents, right? And did Shizuka go with you?"
"Of course she did."
"Well then, isn't that enough? Chishima-kun, don't think of us as old-fashioned fossils; if we were, we wouldn't have asked you to come during this period. Go on, and let Shizuka show you around while she's at it, so you can get familiar with the place."
"Alright then!"
Since Yuren had put it that way, Akishin could only stand up and follow Shizuka out of the room.
The exit from the dining room led to a long hallway, with a turn at the end. Akishin and Shizuka walked side-by-side, talking as they went.
"Chishima-kun, what do you think of my house?"
"It's incredible. I didn't realize you lived in a place like this growing up."
"And... do you like it?"
"As long as it's a place where you are, I'd like it even if we were living in a cave."
"!"
Shizuka was stunned for a moment. Ultimately unable to handle Akishin's directness, her face turned visibly red. She let out a sudden laugh. "Living in a cave? You really have a way with words. Actually, that answer of yours explains the problem perfectly. Truth is, I don't really like it either—but I don't hate it. It's my home. I sometimes feel ungrateful; a house like this is something even lower-tier Kazoku families might not have..."
The class structure in Japan traditionally consisted of the Emperor (Tenno), the Peerage (Kazoku), the Gentry (Shizoku), and commoners.
The Imperial family was always just one—the Emperor's clan. The Kazoku were roughly equivalent to the great ministers who controlled territories, the true high nobility of Japan. The Shizoku were landowners or ordinary wealthy people.
Today, these terms have largely vanished from textbooks, but those who controlled Japan in the past are essentially the same ones controlling it now. Nothing ever changed; they just changed their names and kept their power.
Akishin was silent for two seconds, then smiled softly. "I think a house like this is too big. When you're alone, it starts to feel empty."
Owning a home like this was a manifestation of status, but Akishin didn't crave status.
He had truly seen a wider world, truly knew there was a larger universe out there, so his perspective had naturally shifted upward. It was something he couldn't control.
"I feel that way too. When I was very small, Father and Mother were always so busy. Sometimes I'd feel scared in my own home... Chishima-kun, let's buy a house elsewhere later, or we could live in my little villa. Or even the Chishimaya... the kind of house that gives you a warm feeling of home just by being in it..."
Shizuka spoke with great excitement, but she was really just talking. In her heart, she understood the reality of things, but at least... for the princess in the castle, she could dream of a simple life in the countryside.
"...We'll talk about that later!"
Akishin answered with a smile. However, it was fundamentally impossible; the Hiratsuka couple would never agree.
In the future, Shizuka would have to inherit the Hiratsuka Group, and once he married her, he would undoubtedly have to help her manage the company—many Japanese Zaibatsu families worked that way.
They loved having daughters because it allowed them to hand-pick an heir through marriage; they weren't as fond of having sons because if a son turned out poorly, there was no choice left.
This point differed from China, as the Japanese valued the family name (Ienama) above all else—in some ways, the name was more important than the bloodline.
Passing through the long corridor, they exited through a wooden door. Bright light flooded in, and the atmosphere instantly opened up.
A veranda stretched out before them. To the right was a small garden, and in the center of that garden was a small pond dotted with lotus flowers and leaves.
At the edge of the pond was a small grove of ornamental bamboo and a massive cherry blossom tree—of course, there were no blossoms at this time of year, only a lush canopy of green leaves.
Akishin finally saw the specific layout of the Hiratsuka residence. It was similar to a Chinese courtyard house (Siheyuan), with a small garden in the middle.
The area they had just passed through was the main building—the tallest and largest, totaling three stories with the third being an attic. The other three buildings were only a single story high.
Traditional Japanese buildings were all built with a suspended, raised-floor structure.
Walking across the solid floorboards, the sunlight outside chased away the gloom that had lingered in the house earlier.
Shizuka continued her tour. "According to Father, this house was bought before I was born. It's been around since the Bakufu era. Originally it belonged to a Kazoku family from back then, but that family seems to have died out. Then it went to a local wealthy man, and during the bubble economy, that man went bankrupt. Father bought this place for a song, and we moved in after that. Actually, Father has renovated it quite a bit..."
Akishin nodded. It was exactly as he thought. A house like this, if not inherited by birth, could only be acquired during such turbulent eras.
"I actually know what Father is thinking, but I don't have much confidence. I'm afraid of disappointing him. I still want to keep teaching the problem students at school. Hikigaya and Yukinoshita are extraordinary, but they're still problem students, and teaching them makes me proud..."
Along the way, Shizuka poured her heart out to Akishin—her confusion, her fears, her anxieties... she told him everything.
Perhaps this house, which she didn't feel entirely familiar with, drew those hidden thoughts out of her.
Akishin didn't know how to answer. After a moment of thought, he took Shizuka's hand. He looked seriously into her eyes as she turned toward him and said in a low voice, "Don't worry. You have me for everything..."
It wasn't a loud, grand oath; it was just a steady commitment.
...
The Hiratsuka family's Buddhist altar was quite a distance away. After passing through several more verandas and exiting the main courtyard area, a vast expanse of lawn appeared. The perimeter wall was at least two hundred meters ahead.
Winding through the lawn were several stone-paved paths, scattered with a few large trees and sparse patches of shrubbery.
This was land that came with the building. Honestly, the most expensive part wasn't the house, but the soil beneath their feet.
They arrived at the Buddhist altar—or more accurately, a small-scale ancestral shrine.
It was a small building across the lawn. The interior could hold five or six people comfortably. In the center stood a gold Buddha statue about half a meter tall.
In front of the Buddha were two spirit tablets (ihai). The photos above them were of two elderly people—Shizuka's grandparents.
In front of the tablets were offerings: clean water, food, and 'Spirit Horses' made of cucumbers and eggplants. A lamp flickered beside them, likely placed there by Yuren.
Shizuka stood in the center, pressing her palms together formally. She closed her eyes, either praying or speaking to them in her heart.
—In Shizuka's actual memory, her grandparents didn't really exist; they had passed away before she was born. But that didn't stop her from talking to them in her mind.
"Chishima-kun, you come here too and meet my grandfather and grandmother. Let them see you; they'll definitely be very happy."
Once Shizuka finished speaking, she asked Akishin to pay his respects. Akishin's expression was slightly strange as he looked at the two photos.
Would they like me?
Probably not.
I've heard that spirits can see one's aura...
Shaking his head with a small chuckle and brushing away the absurd thought, Akishin also pressed his palms together, giving his respects in a very formal manner.
The deceased deserved respect, after all.
...
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