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[TSSIM] Chapter 330: Four Great Families
🕑 Added 2024-01-09 21:42:35 +0000 UTCOn a road, Homura and Kaguya walked openly, though her face was hidden by a sheer veil, making it impossible for anyone to recognize her.
"Kaguya, did you have a good day today?"
Gazing at the sky above, Homura asked casually.
Upon hearing his question, Kaguya was reminded of the farewell from her new friends earlier.
"Um, it was enjoyable..." Kaguya replied softly.
"I see, that's good then... I'm glad I took you out." Homura smiled and sighed with relief. "In the future, whenever there's a gathering, I'll come to pick you up again. Or if you feel like hanging out or something, just let me know, and I'll help you out."
"Um... thank you, Minamiya-kun... I appreciate you going through all this trouble for me..."
Kaguya's voice was soft, almost too quiet for Homura's keen ears.
"How should I put it... Your father has practically shut down every possible way, and in the end, only the most direct and forceful approach works."
As Homura spoke, he gave a wry smile.
"Ever since you mentioned that the info about me and my manga was intercepted, I knew he definitely didn't want me having too much contact with you but isn't that a bit too much?"
"In today's society, these kinds of entertainment are a must. Doesn't he see the profit in this industry? Is it really necessary to guard you so closely?"
Minamiya family, Shinomiya family, Kotobuki family, and Makishima family—all four families were relatively equal in terms of assets and influence, but in terms of fame, the Minamiya family stood out because their primary industries were in entertainment, requiring a high level of public exposure.
As for the other three families, while they might not be as widely known, they had a significant influence across various industries.
For example, the Kotobuki family might own a shop you randomly walked into without realizing it was part of their family business.
As for the Shinomiya family, they covered nearly every field—railway construction, building projects, you name it—almost all of them had their involvement.
On the other hand, although the Makishima family's involvement in various industries was not as extensive as the other three, they had surprisingly broader connections than the others.
Nonetheless, while the public didn't really know much about them, if you asked about these three families, all they could have said was probably something like, "They seem powerful and wealthy, but I can't quite place how."
For the general public, this was really all they needed to know.
However, what if you asked them about the Minamiya family?
—Minamiya family? Oh, I know! They own XX Animation, right? My friend works there!
—Minamiya family? Aren't they the owners of XX Entertainment?
—Minamiya family? I remember Manke Bunko is theirs, right? They have a lot of affiliated publishers and bookstores!
—Minamiya family? I hear about them all the time, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh, right! Speaking of Minamiya, isn't Minamiya-sensei from the Minamiya family? Though Minamiya-sensei has never actually confirmed it...
All of this would be the public impression of the Minamiya family.
Meanwhile, after listening to Homura's words, Kaguya thought for a moment and then spoke up with a hesitant expression.
"Maybe... my father wants me to be free of distractions before adulthood...?"
Homura was speechless.
He really wanted to call Kaguya's father an old geezer in front of her, but he decided against it.
No matter how annoying he was, he was still Kaguya's father.
"I wish my father could change too... Even if he doesn't have time to spend with me, he could at least occasionally call me, as Minamiya-kun's father does." Kaguya said with a downcast voice.
"Let your friends make up for that concern then." Homura said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Kaguya's face brightened with a radiant smile, but unfortunately, Homura couldn't see it.
"Honestly, Ai is really amazing..." Homura sighed. "If someone else were to be your maid, you probably wouldn't be able to sneak out like this."
"Um..." Kaguya said in a low tone. "Rather than calling Hayasaka my maid, it's more like she's my sister... She's just that incredible..."
Needless to say, Ai really took good care of Kaguya.
In the entire Shinomiya family, Ai was the only one who had accompanied Kaguya since childhood, and they had always depended on each other.
"By the way, I should inform Ai to avoid any surprises..."
Homura took out his phone, glancing at Kaguya.
Seeing Kaguya nod, Homura immediately dialed Ai's phone.
"Hello, this is Hayasaka."
Ai's indifferent voice entered Homura's ear.
"Ai, it's me, Homura. Kaguya and I are on our way back."
"Over already...?" Ai mumbled to herself. "Minamiya-sama, rest assured. No abnormalities spotted."
"Good..." Homura sighed in relief. "I've minimized the impact on my end too, so as long as we keep our mouths shut, there's almost no chance of exposure."
"You've worked hard, Minamiya-sama."
"Nah, what's hard for me? You're the one working hard." Homura chuckled. "By the way, I've prepared another bento for you and Kaguya."
"..."
Ai fell silent, feeling a little speechless.
'Why did I force myself to eat those two bentos then?'
Ai thought in wonder, her expressionless face almost breaking.
'Still, why are there two servings of bento again? Did he guess that I had finished all the previous two bentos, or did he just want us to have warm meals? I couldn't quite figure it out...'
In fact, there were two reasons, but only Homura knew.
"Ai? Why aren't you saying anything?" Homura asked, feeling confused.
"It's nothing..." Ai shook her head and sighed silently. "Thank you for your concern again, Minamiya-sama."
"It's nothing, really. I cook every day anyway, so making a little extra for one or two more people is no problem."
"Understood. I'll be here awaiting your return."
After hanging up, Homura looked at Kaguya.
"Kaguya, is Ai's maid mode equally polite with everyone?"
"Yes... Eh?"
Kaguya answered subconsciously, then froze.
"Ehh?! Why do you know that?!"
Seeing her intense reaction, Homura was speechless.
"I said, Kaguya... let's try not to attract attention, okay?"
Realizing what she had done, Kaguya quickly covered her mouth, glanced around, and blinked vigorously at him.
Homura: "..."
"Seriously, just keep it down a bit… it's not like I'm stopping you from talking."
"Why does Minamiya-kun know..." Kaguya asked again in a very low voice.
Homura raised his index finger and began to explain.
"Firstly, no matter how much Ai doesn't want to meet Chika, I know it's something she can't avoid, but... why was the one Chika met a butler named Herthaka instead of a maid named Ai?"
Homura chuckled for a moment, then continued.
"You know, the pronunciation of 'Herthaka' and 'Hayasaka' is just one character different, right?"
Kaguya: "..."
"Isn't that a bit too coincidental?"
Kaguya asked again, trying to deny his explanation.
