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Chapter 238: Father-Daughter Relationship
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 06:02:01 +0000 UTC"Ah—It's been so long since I've had Dad's cooking. It's so delicious!"
The well-mannered girl quickly devoured the food in front of her while grumbling:
"I've been eating Mom's cooking since I was little. It's been so long since I've had something so tasty. Why, daddy? You cook so well!"
At this point, Shouji Mirai was full of complaints, utterly puzzled.
"Because I was being lazy and didn't want to do it, so I asked Akane to do it."
Minami, who was looking at his phone, trying to find a hotel that didn't require ID, casually replied.
He didn't care about his image as a father in Shouji Mirai's eyes.
In fact, the worse his image was in her mind, the better.
He wanted her to be disillusioned, reducing her affection for him.
He needed to start changing her father complex now.
But—
"That's really like daddy, admitting so decisively and honestly. No wonder that awkward, silly idiotic woman likes Dad. Mm-hmm! I'll make a note of this! I like Dad even more today, having learned another side of him that others didn't know."
With a mischievous smile, Shouji Mirai made a note of it on her phone.
"..." Minami.
Ugh... this heavy father complex!
This reverse psychology actually increases your affection for me?
As a normal man, Minami really couldn't understand how a father complex worked in someone's mind.
And calling your mom like that?
But... "silly idiotic woman"?
Sure, Shinjo-san could sometimes be a bit foolish, easily manipulated.
But isn't it a little inappropriate for you, as a daughter, to say that about her?
Minami couldn't help but shake his head.
But he also knew...
Minami wanted to address Shouji Mirai's "father complex" personality.
To do so, he decided to shift the topic away from himself.
Minami thought for a moment and spoke up:
"From the looks of it, you must have already entered a university for performing arts, right?"
"Mm! Thanks to Dad's help! You've spent so much money on me since I was little, enrolling me in acting courses and even helping me get into a really famous performing arts university in Tokyo! I love you even more, Dad!"
Hiss...
"Let's put that aside for now. How's the course going?"
"At home, Dad even helps me write scripts and practices lines with me. Ah, I love you so much, Dad."
"...How are your grades in college?"
"Don't worry, Dad, I won't embarrass you. I got full marks in every subject! Do you like a daughter like me?"
"Is that so? Can't you talk about anything else besides me?"
"Huh? Can't talk about anything else besides Dad...? Come to think of it... what else is there to talk about besides Dad?"
Ugh...
Looking at Shouji Mirai's face, which seemed to say, "There's nothing to talk about except your father?"
Minami couldn't help but take a deep breath.
What kind of father complex does this girl have?
She can't go three sentences without mentioning him.
What on earth did Shinjo Akane teach Shouji Mirai at home?
Minami seriously doubted that it was Akane's improper education that caused Mirai to end up like this.
But...
At least the person she likes is him.
That was the one thing that gave Minami some comfort.
At least this meant that Shouji Mirai had a great eye for people.
She could recognize the merits of someone as perfect as him—Minami, the world's number one.
Hmm...
Thinking about it that way,
Minami felt much better about the situation.
"Ah—mainly, I really didn't expect this."
Shouji Mirai picked up her plates and looked around the room before focusing her gaze on Minami.
As she stared at his handsome face, she wore an expression akin to a carnivorous animal eyeing its prey: "Although Dad looks so handsome and composed now, with an academic air about him, your younger self... wasn't bad either."
The current Minami was a far cry from the calm, scholarly figure she remembered—the one always holding a book, reading under the spring sunshine, everything neat and well-organized.
Now, his eyes were sharp, his expression confident and composed. His short black hair was messy, but there was an inexplicable youthful energy about him. His voice was clear, making Shouji Mirai want to hear it over and over again.
The most important thing was...
This "high school student" feeling, made Shouji Mirai—who was even older than Minami now—feel a perverse feeling of a role reversal, like an older sister relying on a younger boy.
"Mind your words, Mirai." Minami said.
"Heh heh, on the contrary, I want to say that with a father like this, I don't think there's any girl who can stay rational, right?"
Shouji Mirai, who had washed her dishes and placed them in the drying rack, plopped down on the chair across from Minami:
"Mom also told me that Dad was basically a walking succubus in his student days. There was always at least one love letter in his shoe cabinet every week, and on every Valentine's Day, the shoe box would be filled with chocolates."
"Don't treat me like some character from an R18 anime."
"Isn't that the truth?"
"While it's true, it's not nearly as exaggerated as your mother makes it sound."
Minami shook his head.
What Shouji Mirai said was, indeed, true.
In the year he had been in this world,
he had to clean out a love letter from his shoe box every week.
The peak period was during his first year of high school.
There were always various girls confessing to him.
Some were upperclassmen, and some were underclassmen.
There were athletes, art students, and more.
But back then, Minami was solely focused on his studies and found love too troublesome, so he rejected every confession, not leaving a single one.
Perhaps because he rejected so many, the number of confessions had decreased this semester, and it wasn't as overwhelming as before.
"As expected of Dad, you were already so popular in your student days."
Shouji Mirai sighed as she listened to Minami's words.
Although there were boys who confessed to her during her time, it was nowhere near the level of Minami's popularity.
"How could I be your father if I wasn't this exceptional?" Minami replied, casting a sideways glance at Shouji Mirai, his tone full of confidence.
"Uh—"
Caught off guard by Minami's retort, Shouji Mirai was momentarily speechless.
It was mostly because of the extremely confident way he spoke.
However, Shouji Mirai quickly recovered and smiled cheerfully.
"Heh... This slightly narcissistic feeling is exactly like the father I remember."
"It's just the truth, not narcissism." Minami corrected her, then put his phone down.
As expected, he still couldn't find a hotel that allowed check-ins without ID.
And frankly speaking, even if there were such shady hotels, Minami would never let Shouji Mirai stay in one.
After all, she was a girl.
This was quite a tricky situation...
Minami shook his head, considering other options.
Just as Minami was deep in thought about how to arrange accommodation for Shouji Mirai,
Shouji Mirai, having surveyed the surroundings, suddenly spoke up, "Hey... isn't this the 'STARRY' performance hall of Nijika mama and Aunt Seika?"
"...?"
Minami was surprised upon hearing her words.
"How do you know about Nijika and Seika? And you even call Nijika 'Mama'?" Minami asked immediately.
It wasn't surprising that Minami asked this.
The key was that in the simulated timeline of Shinjo Akane, since Minami had focused all his attention on Akane, his relationship with the band was only at a "good relationship" level—just "good friends" at best.
In the simulation, there was no memory or scene where Shouji Mirai referred to Nijika as 'Mama.'
The only person Shouji Mirai should have known was Rikka.
So why did she seem so familiar with Nijika and Seika?
Minami felt something was off.
He had a faint feeling that, while Shouji Mirai was still his daughter, she might be from a simulation route he wasn't aware of.
Perhaps...
It was a route where he married both Shinjo Akane and the members of the band.
This was a question Minami had to get to the bottom of.
So he directly asked.
What Shouji Mirai said next confirmed his suspicions.
"Don't you know, Dad? In the future, not only did you marry Mom, but also Ryo Mama, Kita Mama, Nijika Mama, and Hitori Mama."
It seemed that Shouji Mirai realized Minami was serious, and she stopped being mischievous from the moment she sat down, patiently explaining to him: "At least, that's how it is in my future."
"Mm..."
After listening to Shouji Mirai, Minami pondered for a moment.
It seemed that the "Random Daughter Summon Card" was no longer just about randomly generating an age or a daughter.
This item could even randomly summon daughters from different futures or simulation routes.
"Well, that's really..."
Minami lowered his hand.
The future is always changing.
It was natural for the "Random Daughter Summon Card" to have such an effect.
But besides that...
Minami raised his head: "Mirai, since you've come to this time, do you have anything you want to say to me? Or do you have a request?"
Indeed.
Minami clearly remembered the note on the "Random Daughter Summon Card."
[Activate the item with 800 Heart Points, and you will hear their request. As a father, should you fulfill their request?]
Just from that line of text, it was clear that the Mirai from this time must have some kind of "request" for him to fulfill.
Minami's instincts told him that these "requests" were something he would have to fulfill.
"I certainly have a request!" Shouji Mirai's words instantly energized her.
Without hesitation, she raised her finger: "From now on, Dad, you have to treat me like you treat Mom! After all, we're father and daughter, so it's fine to sleep together, right?"
"Anything a daughter says is absolute! A daughter is everything! Dad, you have to always be concerned about my physical and health well-being! Only then will I grow strong!"
She became more and more excited as she spoke.
"Similarly, it's fine if you love me like you love Mom. Anything Mom can't give you, I'm okay with giving you... Sorry. Dad, I got too carried away."
As Shouji Mirai rambled on, she quickly realized the expression on her father's face.
He didn't speak.
He just looked at her with a calm expression.
It was a completely emotionless expression.
But just that expression, just looking at it, made Shouji Mirai feel a chilling sense of fear.
It was as if prey had encountered a top-tier predator.
A feeling of fear seeped from the depths of her heart.
If she kept speaking, she might end up getting hit.
This was what Mirai's sixth sense was telling her.
So... scary!
Swallowing hard, just feeling Minami's gaze upon her, Mirai couldn't help but lower her head, no longer daring to continue speaking.
As expected, whether it was the future Minami or the current Minami, neither was someone she, as his daughter, could provoke.
Fortunately, her father did not continue staring at her.
Once he saw that she had put away her nonchalant attitude, he shifted his gaze away and then spoke.
"I'm not asking about my attitude toward you; I'm asking if you have any regrets, or requests that you want me to fulfill."
"Regrets... or requests?"
Shouji Mirai blinked her crimson eyes.
At first, she didn't quite understand what Minami was referring to.
But soon, her expression brightened as if she had figured it out: "Now that you mention it, there is one. But it's not my regret; it's Mom's."
"Oh?"
Minami's attention was piqued.
It seemed that his guess had been right.
Mirai's appearance in this time indeed had a reason behind it.
In that case...
Minami didn't hesitate, looking directly at Mirai and asking, "Does Akane have any regrets?"
"Hmm..."
Shouji Mirai thought for a moment, then picked up her cup and looked up: "Father should know a person named Karasawa Yuka, right?"
"..." Minami.
Of course, Minami remembered Karasawa Yuka.
In Shinjo Akane's simulation route,
Karasawa Yuka was an unavoidable figure.
According to what Shinjo Akane had told him in the simulation,
Karasawa Yuka was the Shinjo family's maid.
When Shinjo Akane was young, her parents didn't like her, so they entrusted her care to the maid, Karasawa Yuka.
It was thanks to Karasawa Yuka's care that Shinjo Akane, who should have grown up very twisted, was able to walk a normal path.
Similarly, Karasawa Yuka was the only person Shinjo Akane truly cared about in the Shinjo family.
However, in the simulation route, Minami only learned about Karasawa Yuka from Shinjo Akane, who was also entering her third year of high school.
Although he wanted to meet her in person, he never had the chance.
Until the simulation ended.
Karasawa Yuka remained a mystery to Minami.
"The current date is April 7, 2023..."
Shouji Mirai glanced at the time and then spoke to Minami with certainty: "This is exactly the time when Aunt Yuka is hospitalized for treatment!"
