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Chapter 262: Matsuzaka Sato’s Daughter?
🕑 Added 2025-04-04 12:40:40 +0000 UTC(TL Here: Mass Release Tomorrow.)
The main cause behind Matsuzaka Satou's emotional deficiency—Minami had fully grasped it by this point.
It was nothing more than Sayuri Matsuzaka, using her own warped theory, imposing a certain "education" upon the young Satou—if it could even be called education.
To Sayuri, "love" meant unconditionally fulfilling another's desires.
However, that kind of upbringing clearly deviated from conventional values.
Naturally, this had led Satou into confusion.
Having never experienced proper, genuine love…
Growing up under the guardianship of someone as clearly unbalanced as Sayuri…
It was only natural that Satou would develop cognitive distortions about herself and others.
No wonder she couldn't comprehend what love truly was, or how to express it appropriately.
After all, the influence of adults on a child's early years is monumental.
Minami had finally understood the reason.
But now that he had, another problem arose before him.
Should he continue the simulation or not?
Now that he understood most of the cause, initiating a "Happy Ending Simulation" might not be too difficult.
But if he went through with it, his relationship with Satou would grow even deeper.
After all, after completing a happy ending, Satou would automatically gain all the memories from the simulation.
Even if she found happiness within the simulation and gained those memories…
Her emotional deficiency might still remain unresolved.
Worse yet, she might begin acting out in extreme ways toward the members of Owaru Band, or toward Shinjo Akane, Futaba Rio, and the others.
This gave Minami pause.
All yanderes… were essentially unstable individuals.
Certain events could easily push them toward extremes.
Yes, he could act like in the first simulation with Satou, playing the role of her stabilizing force, keeping her emotionally balanced.
But—
That kind of relationship…
Would be exhausting—not just for him, but for Satou too.
He wanted Satou to experience the full range of emotions she had never known.
Not to live like a "slave" at his side.
Such a life would be unquestionably wrong—and unhealthy.
Minami let out a soft sigh.
Lost in thought.
Sayuri, who sat nearby, noticed his silence and dared not speak, simply observing him quietly.
Time passed until the delivery man arrived. After a simple meal, Minami stood up.
Then turned his gaze toward Sayuri.
"Sayuri-san."
He spoke.
"…Eh?"
Startled, Sayuri, who had been sneaking glances at him in silence, jerked in surprise.
Then she slowly raised her head, hesitantly.
What she saw stunned her.
Gone was the devilishly charming smile from earlier.
Now, Minami's handsome face was filled with sincerity.
So pure, she couldn't tear her gaze away.
Under Matsuzaka Sayuri's gaze, Minami continued speaking:
"Sayuri-san, although it may seem odd for me to say this, I still hope that you can take good care of Matsuzaka-san—at the very least, set an example as her guardian."
He looked around the room.
After being cleaned, the entire place was now neat and tidy.
With proper ventilation, the previous unpleasant odor had completely dissipated.
If Sayuri had adopted the role of a responsible guardian earlier…
Perhaps Matsuzaka Satou wouldn't have ended up as an emotionally deprived girl.
However, Minami's words stirred a small resistance within Sayuri.
"I've always loved Satou."
Yes.
She had always loved Matsuzaka Satou.
Whether it was education or other things a girl should have—she had given her everything.
Elementary school, middle school, and even high school.
She had shouldered almost all of the tuition fees alone.
"I've done so much already, what more could Satou possibly be dissatisfied with?"
Sayuri's deep blue eyes locked onto Minami.
She truly couldn't understand what Satou had to complain about.
"Material satisfaction alone can't fill a void in the heart, Sayuri-san. Do you really think you've done a good job? Or rather, do you truly love her?"
Minami countered her calmly.
"Of course I love Satou. I've done my very best."
On this issue, Sayuri Matsuzaka showed no signs of backing down.
From her perspective, she had already done everything she could.
But—
"Is that really the case?"
Minami lifted his head, his gaze steady as he posed his next question:
"If that's true, then why doesn't Matsuzaka-san want you to interact with her friends? Why is it that, now that she's independent, she refuses to live with you?"
Indeed.
Sayuri claimed to have given Satou "love."
Yet in reality?
Satou had only distanced herself from her.
She didn't even want Sayuri interfering in her social life.
That question made Sayuri freeze for a moment.
But she quickly responded.
"That child just hasn't figured out how to express 'love' properly."
Yes.
Matsuzaka Satou simply didn't understand how to show love.
But Sayuri loved her—there was no doubt about that.
Even standing before Minami, she refused to retreat on this matter.
However—
"If Sayuri-san's claim is true, then why aren't you even willing to provide her with simple companionship?"
"…Huh?"
Sayuri's lips parted slightly.
"You live off takeout meals, your home was a mess before I cleaned it—if you claim to cherish Matsuzaka-san so much, then why haven't you even cooked a single meal for her?"
Minami lifted his head.
He ate takeout.
Sayuri ate takeout.
The fridge was completely empty.
It was obvious—Sayuri had been living like this for a long, long time.
Dragging along a child who wasn't yet capable of living alone, making her live like this too.
"That's because… I have my own life… I need to give love to others too—"
Sayuri's deep blue eyes looked at Minami, trying to argue.
But even her rebuttal began to waver.
Because Minami was speaking again.
"You've spent so much effort fulfilling others' desires—is it really that hard to do the same for her?"
He extended his finger, pointing at himself.
"Even though I'm just a stranger visiting for the first time, you were willing to spend time and energy on me. But what about Matsuzaka-san?"
"Haven't you been unconsciously watching her grow with nothing but amusement?"
Minami's words landed.
Sayuri's fingers trembled slightly.
Because, just as Minami had said…
She had never truly noticed.
Or rather, she had never really cared about these things—she had simply lived life in her own way.
She suddenly recalled a memory from when Satou was around five or six years old.
Wearing her kindergarten uniform, Satou had once tugged at her sleeve and softly asked:
"Auntie, do you love me?"
Back then, Satou's face had been so pure, her pink eyes shining like little gems—so innocent, so lovable.
Back then… how had she answered that question, asked by a little girl standing in the shadows?
Sayuri couldn't remember.
She only recalled that, after giving Satou her answer, she had looked at her with an amused smile.
Back then, in her heart, she had quietly anticipated…
She had looked forward to seeing how such a clean, pure girl would grow up, what kind of young woman she would become, what kind of path she would walk.
She had been so curious…
But within that anticipation…
Had there ever been real love for Satou?
Or was it all just her own selfishness?
Sayuri could no longer tell.
Yet she still wasn't willing—at least, not in front of a high schooler like Minami—to admit that her values over the past decades had been wrong.
Her lips moved slightly. "I must have loved her, otherwise—"
Bang!
A loud slap on the table.
"Wake up, you stupid woman!"
"Ugh—"
The shocked exclamation dragged out, Sayuri staring at Minami in disbelief.
Her attempts to argue weakened.
Her previously defiant stance faltered.
Was Minami angry?
He admitted—yes, he was.
Because Sayuri Matsuzaka's attitude was far too infuriating.
She was like an overgrown child who had never had her fill of playing, always trying to fill her own emptiness—never once truly care about Satou.
Years of emotional distancing.
Years of cold neglect.
Only giving surface-level concern.
That was the true reason why Matsuzaka Satou had such a gaping emotional void—one almost impossible to fill.
"After all, from a certain perspective, Matsuzaka Sayuri represents the entire spiritual world of Matsuzaka Satou, who has grown up without parents."
"Sayuri-san, someone who has spent her life fulfilling the desires of others—treating everyone the same—you probably never even realized."
Minami stood up completely now, his eyes locked onto Sayuri, who sat there in dazed silence.
"You used to be Matsuzaka-san's only person. But how did you treat her?"
Silence.
Everything was laid bare.
Minami turned and walked away.
Even as he shut the apartment door behind him, Sayuri Matsuzaka did not utter a single word in response.
She sat there in a daze for a long time.
Then, as if in a trance, she slowly got up and entered her room.
She searched for an old photo album, buried in the corner.
The album was clearly long forgotten—its hardcover edges wrinkled, its surface yellowed with age.
Wordlessly, she reached out.
Flipping open a page.
Inside were only a few photographs.
And among them—one of a very young Matsuzaka Satou.
Her little face full of innocence, looking up at Sayuri.
"You used to be Matsuzaka-san's only person."
Minami's words seemed to echo in her ears.
"…I was Satou's only person?"
Sayuri traced the surface of the photograph, a bitter smile forming on her lips.
She had been too focused on filling her own emptiness.
She had only ever taught Satou what she thought "love" was.
But to a child…
Words alone meant nothing.
Sayuri slowly lowered herself onto her knees.
She had spent her whole life filling the desires of others.
Yet she had never noticed—
Long ago, Matsuzaka Satou had already been trying to fill the emptiness within her.
But she had subconsciously ignored all of this.
Hugging the photo album...
Matsuzaka Sayuri could no longer make a sound.
Because, just as Minami had said—
She had realized it too.
She was truly a hopeless fool.
Real "love" had been right beside her all along.
And yet, she had allowed it to slip away.
While Matsuzaka Sayuri fell into silence on her end, Minami, after leaving Matsuzaka Satou's apartment, couldn't help but shake his head and exhale deeply.
"Huuh…"
Even though he had spoken to Sayuri with such righteous conviction—
"I'm not much better myself."
Minami took a step forward.
Yes.
He wasn't any better.
After saying all those grand words, he himself was still hesitating over whether he should become Matsuzaka Satou's "only one."
Hesitating, overthinking.
But this wasn't the kind of problem he could solve just by walking down the street.
Resting his chin on his hand, he reached for his phone and opened LINE.
After a moment of thought, he tapped on a chat window featuring an odd little clay figurine as its profile picture.
[Tokyo's #1 Pretty Boy]: I need to talk to you about something, Ryo. Are you there?
The reply came almost instantly—
[The Lone Bass Freak]: ? What's up, Minami?
Gotta hand it to Yamada—her efficiency had never once let Minami down.
Replying this fast… One would think she was sitting by her phone 24/7 just waiting for his messages.
Minami chuckled.
Of course, that was just a joke.
Yamada had her own things to do.
No way she'd be staring at her phone all day just waiting for him to text.
Not thinking much of it, Minami went ahead and explained the whole situation with Matsuzaka Satou.
Like always, there was nothing he needed to hide from Yamada.
And, just as Minami expected, she didn't hesitate for long before responding.
[The Lone Bass Freak]: That's it?
[The Lone Bass Freak]: Just go with what you think is right, Minami. No matter what, I'll support you.
[The Lone Bass Freak]: If you're asking me about something this small, do you have any idea how much I like you?
And that was that.
Short and to the point, as usual.
But her words still made Minami shake his head.
"No matter what, you'll support me, huh…"
It didn't solve his problem.
But for some reason, the weight on his mind felt a little lighter.
His steps grew a bit more relaxed as he sent Yamada a quick thank-you message.
She replied instantly: "Then treat me to a meal."
Minami laughed and continued walking.
But before he could take more than two steps—
His phone buzzed again with another message.
Now that was odd.
Pulling out his phone again, he checked the sender.
This time, it wasn't from "Miss Treat-Me-To-A-Meal."
It was from Shinjo Akane—who had been clashing endlessly with her daughter these past few days.
[The World's Shinjo]: Minami-kun, this rebellious girl says she has something really important to tell you, but she hasn't been able to reach you... Can you check on her?
"...Hmm?"
Something important?
From… Mirai?
And she hadn't been able to reach him?
Minami rubbed his chin in confusion.
Then, suddenly, he remembered something.
A while ago, sick of Mirai spamming him with endless messages on LINE, he had simply blocked her.
After all, this "rebellious daughter" of his could spam him with hundreds of messages in a single day—even if his responses were just things like:
["I ate."] ["Mm."] ["Good morning."] ["No."]
And yet, she never got tired of it.
Bombarded by constant notifications, Minami had finally snapped and blocked her.
If Akane hadn't mentioned it, he might've completely forgotten.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he unblocked Mirai from his contact list.
And the very next second—
Ding ding ding ding ding—
A flood of notification chimes exploded from his phone.
Minami's mouth twitched.
What the hell was this dumb daughter up to now?
Was she having some kind of breakdown?
She was acting more like a yandere than actual yanderes.
He lit up his phone screen.
A notification appeared: "You have 99+ unread messages."
Minami rubbed his temples.
Mirai…
In many ways, she was one of the daughters he wished he had never fathered.
But.
She was still his daughter.
And if she really did have something important to tell him—
Minami figured he should at least hear her out.
So, without further hesitation, he tapped open her chat.
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Good morning, Daddy! Nice weather today, huh?
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Good afternoon, Daddy! Have you eaten?
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Good evening, ehe~ Daddy, I'm going to bed now! Want to see your adorable daughter's sleeping face?
"..." Minami.
He kept scrolling down.
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Daddy, are you there?
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Why aren't you replying? Daddy?
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Daddy, you didn't block your cute daughter, did you?
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Daddy, answer me— (attached image: a yandere girl holding a knife, staring at her phone screen)
"…Hiss—"
Minami sucked in a sharp breath.
From every perspective, this daughter of his had some seriously concerning issues.
He was just glad he had blocked her early on.
Otherwise, anyone reading their chat logs would think he was being stalked by an obsessive older woman.
Ignoring the countless useless messages, Minami scrolled down to the most recent one.
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: Daddy! I really have something important to tell you! Hurry and reply! This time, it's actually serious! It's not like all my other messages!
"You know all your previous messages were nonsense, huh?"
Minami was speechless.
This girl was the definition of "knowingly breaking the law."
She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she still did it anyway.
But if she really had something important to say…
Minami was a little curious.
After thinking it over, he finally replied.
[Tokyo's #1 Pretty Boy]: What is it? If you start talking nonsense again, I'll block you immediately.
The message sent.
And, as if she had been waiting right by her phone, the reply came instantly.
[Dreams of Becoming Japan's Top Actress]: I swear, it's really important! It's about that girl you mentioned before—Matsuzaka Satou.
"...Huh?"
Minami's eyebrows twitched.
Matsuzaka Satou…?
He had mentioned her to Mirai before.
But at the time, she had clearly stated that she had never met her.
So why was she suddenly bringing it up now?
Minami frowned, then typed out another reply.
[Tokyo's No.1 Pretty Boy: Are you serious?]
His tone was filled with disbelief toward his unreliable daughter.
On the other end of the phone, Mirai was speechless. She hadn't expected her father to have so little trust in her.
After a brief silence, a reply came.
[Dreaming of being Japan's top actress! (Mirai): Of course I'm serious, but it's hard to explain over LINE. Dad, are you coming to Mom's place now? Let's talk in person.]
Talk in person, huh…
Minami glanced at the time.
It had already been one in the afternoon since he left Matsuzaka Sayuri's house.
A trip to the Shinjo residence wouldn't take too long.
So, after replying with a simple "Okay", he turned toward the station.
—
Among Tokyo's 23 wards, there was a particularly special district.
It wasn't a political center like Chiyoda, nor was it an old academic hub like Bunkyo.
Yet, it boasted luxury apartments, high-end restaurants, and premium entertainment facilities. It was home to Japan's No.1 night view and even held the modern Japanese spirit's totem—Tokyo Tower.
Living here meant wealth and status.
And as the only daughter of the rising real estate moguls, the Shinjo family, Akane Shinjo resided in this so-called "Tokyo Nouveau Riche" haven—Minato Ward. A true high-class lady.
This was Minami's first time officially visiting the Shinjo residence.
He had seen it a few times in simulations before.
But now that he was standing before it in reality, he couldn't help but be amazed.
No wonder his simulated self had chosen to live with Miss Shinjo.
This location.
This environment.
And such a massive estate visible even to the naked eye…
Leaving this empty would be a waste, right?
A stone-paved courtyard with a koi pond.
A backyard filled with decorative bamboo.
A panoramic view that stretched out as far as the eye could see.
No doubt about it—
The Shinjo family's estate was overwhelmingly impressive.
After a brief moment of admiration, Minami didn't hesitate. He reached out and pressed the doorbell.
With a deep chime, a voice came from the intercom.
"Ah, Minami-kun, give me a second. I'll let you in."
As Akane Shinjo's voice fell, the grand gate split open on both sides.
Minami stepped inside, walking along the stone pathway toward the Shinjo family's villa.
He didn't even need to press the doorbell again—
The moment he arrived, the front door swung open.
"Minami-kun, you're finally here! Come in, come in!"
Akane Shinjo beamed as she pulled him inside, her soft pinkish-purple hair swaying with her movements.
She had even prepared slippers for him in advance. After making sure he was comfortable, she led him further inside.
The Shinjo residence was big.
It looked huge from the outside.
But from within, it felt even more grand.
Minami felt like he had been walking for a while before they finally stopped in front of a wooden door.
Without hesitation, Akane pushed it open.
And there, lying on the couch with her phone in hand, wearing casual clothes just like Akane, was Mirai.
It was obvious—
She had been having a comfortable and relaxing time here at the Shinjo house.
Her face was practically glowing.
Who knew how much Akane had been spoiling her?
Minami was a little surprised.
Not long ago, Akane and Mirai were practically at each other's throats.
And now, they were getting along so well?
Maybe that's just how mothers and daughters were.
No matter how much they bickered, when the time came, they would still support each other.
For once, Minami had the urge to praise his daughter.
But before that—
Smack!
With a single kick, he sent the bra lying on the floor straight into Mirai's face.
"Can you clean up your room first?"
He pointed at the underwear scattered all over the floor, his tone filled with irritation.
He wasn't a clean freak, but that didn't mean he wanted to sit in a room littered with women's lingerie.
Especially when it was his own daughter's.
That just made it worse.
But Mirai, unfazed, casually peeled the bra off her face. "What's the big deal? Dad, don't you remember? When I was little, you used to change my diapers. That woman next to you couldn't do that kind of delicate work."
She even pouted as she spoke, looking serious.
"Since you saw everything back then, there's no point in caring now, right?"
Her tone was calm, her reasoning firm.
And yet—
To Minami, it was complete nonsense.
He took a deep breath. But he didn't get mad.
If he lost his temper every time, his rebellious daughter would probably drive him to an early grave.
Instead, he simply raised a single finger and said:
"I'll count to three."
Thud!
Before he could even start counting, Mirai had already jumped up and begun tidying the room.
"I'll count to three."
This phrase was, without a doubt, a tactical nuclear weapon against any rebellious child.
Mirai wasn't afraid of her mother.
But even at twenty-one, she wouldn't dare go against her father's count to three.
Even if, at this moment, Minami was only seventeen—four years younger than her.
Under Mirai's desperate cleaning efforts, the scattered undergarments were neatly folded and put away in the wardrobe.
Akane, standing beside them, blinked in surprise.
She had lectured Mirai about this before.
But Mirai never listened.
Yet now, the moment Minami stepped in, she obeyed immediately.
The difference in treatment felt unfair.
Not only was Minami good at handling her, but he was also good at handling her daughter?
She stole a glance at him.
This man… in every sense of the word, was an enigma.
That thought lingered in her mind, but Minami didn't care about what she was thinking.
He stepped into the room and sat down on the sofa.
Then, he turned to Mirai.
"Mirai, earlier you said you had something important to tell me about Matsuzaka Satouu. What is it?"
Then, as if to make things clear, he added:
"And don't tell me you were joking."
"…Cough."
Mirai coughed twice, sensing his serious tone.
She knew better than to mess around now.
So she pulled out her phone.
"It really is important… Last time, you told me to think about Matsuzaka Satouu, right?"
She paused.
"And I told you—I have no memories of her, right?"
"Yeah… That's what you said. You told me that in the future, you never heard of her. Never met her."
Minami nodded.
"I thought that was the end of it."
Mirai's phone screen lit up as she continued.
"But I realized… that's not quite true."
"Even though I don't have direct memories of Matsuzaka Satouu… I do have some impression of her—somewhere else."
She scrolled up on her phone.
A photo appeared before Minami's eyes.
"…This is—"
His pupils flickered, his expression slightly astonished.
Because on Mirai's phone screen—
In the corner of what seemed to be a banquet hall—
A pink-haired girl stood near a dining table, her waist bag slung over her shoulder.
Her appearance—
Bore a striking resemblance to Matsuzaka Satouu.
"…I couldn't stop thinking about it. And something felt familiar. So I went through my old photo albums… and I found this."
Mirai spoke with a serious expression.
"That day was my coming-of-age ceremony… along with my older and younger sisters."
