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Chapter 308: A Bird Out of Its Cage
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 14:26:47 +0000 UTCStay composed. Keep yourself clean.
Those were the words Minami had once said to Shinjo Akane and the lilac-haired girl had thought about it... and agreed with him.
However—
"In a certain sense, suggestions like that mean nothing when you're in love."
Early morning. As he got dressed after getting out of bed, Minami busied himself preparing breakfast for Akane, who was still lying under the covers, while turning this over in his mind.
Yes, that's right.
Talking about staying composed and keeping yourself in check when you're in the middle of a passionate relationship—it's just not realistic.
Even someone as composed and "perfect" as he was... was no exception.
Still, he had managed to restrain himself a bit.
Unlike Miss Shinjo, who had clearly thrown all caution to the wind.
If he hadn't, if he had followed her lead without any restraint—without even meeting her parents yet—Miss Shinjo would probably be completely out of commission by now.
With that thought in mind, Minami continued cooking, stirring the ingredients in the pot as he called out to her.
She was still half-asleep.
But she responded to his voice, stood up, and shuffled to the bathroom.
After washing up, she sleepily wandered back and sat at the table.
It wasn't until Minami joined her and brought over the dishes that Akane finally came to her senses.
"Akane, is the meeting time with your parents really set for noon today?"
Minami asked as he ate, glancing at her now that she seemed more awake.
"Yeah, I talked to them yesterday. We agreed on a café near Shuka High."
Akane glanced at her phone as she spoke.
She still had the last two finals to get through this morning.
At most, it would take up the whole morning.
In other words, Shuka High would dismiss for break by noon today.
So, meeting her parents at noon was totally doable.
"Akane."
Minami set his chopsticks down. "You're okay with this, right?"
He wasn't just talking about finishing up finals.
He meant the whole situation—facing her parents.
Even with rehearsals and mental prep...
Reality always feels different from the simulations.
You're okay with this...?
Akane looked up at his question.
"I'll be fine, Minami-kun."
Her voice was steady.
Minami could tell there was no lie in those words.
He only had to look at her once to hear the quiet determination in her tone.
If it were the Akane from before, she would've been hesitating, unsure, dragging her feet.
But now...
She really had changed.
Minami didn't say anything more. He simply nodded.
"Alright."
...
As the final school bell of the term echoed through Shuka High in the afternoon,
Akane's parents sitting in a café near the school immediately understood: finals were over.
In other words, soon, their daughter someone they'd rarely, if ever, truly concerned themselves with, would arrive.
"Our daughter… dating a boy from the same school without us knowing? Unbelievable."
Akane's mother furrowed her brow, staring at the papers in her hand. "Does that child even acknowledge her parents at all?"
Her husband didn't respond.
Akane had been raised in the Karasawa Yuka's care from a young age. For his wife to be talking about "parents" now felt a little ironic.
He only sat quietly, reviewing the dossier on Minami.
The black-haired boy who was dating their daughter.
His academic record was practically flawless, a candidate for Tokyo University.
According to the school's evaluations, Minami was a standout student.
And he wasn't some awkward bookworm, he had social skills too.
Toss in his other scattered talents...
Even if he came from a rural part of Akita Prefecture.
He was still a rare find.
So when it came down to it, bringing someone like Minami into the Shinjo family...
That seemed more important than worrying about their own timid, unremarkable daughter who couldn't shoulder the family name.
They had even rehearsed what would happen next.
Akane's father had already gone over the scenario countless times in his head.
First, he would lead the conversation at his own pace, startle Akane as he always had, then present Minami with the Shinjo family's olive branch.
As long as Minami was willing to marry into the Shinjo family.
They would approve his relationship with Akane and offer him financial support.
The classic "stick and carrot" approach.
In all of this, Akane's own wishes were considered the least important factor, because based on what they knew of her. The moment she stood before them, their daughter who always pretended to be sunny and cheerful at school would reveal her true self: timid, nervous, barely able to speak above a whisper.
Shinjo's father had it all mapped out in his mind.
He sipped his coffee, expression calm and detached, as he waited for his daughter to arrive with Minami.
The wait wasn't long.
About ten minutes later—
A soft chime rang as the door opened.
A lilac-haired girl entered the café with a black-haired boy at her side.
It was Akane and Minami.
The moment he saw them, Shinjo's father straightened slightly.
But he maintained a composed expression. Only once they had taken their seats did he speak:
"You must be Minami-kun."
As her father, he didn't ask about his daughter's condition.
His gaze turned first to Minami.
To him, that felt natural.
Even when treating her coldly.
Akane, who had always followed his lead without question, had never once resisted.
His only thought now was to speak with Minami quickly, and secure this rare, promising young man for the Shinjo family.
However—
"Before you talk with Minami-kun, I have something I want to say."
Until now, Akane hadn't said a word since entering the café. But suddenly, she spoke up.
The directness in her tone caught both parents off guard.
Since childhood, Akane had never once spoken up in front of them.
Timid, compliant, silent. That had always been Akane's way.
But this time...
She was speaking on her own?
Stunned by the change, her father narrowed his eyes and looked at her closely.
When he saw her calm, violet-red eyes meeting his steadily, he finally responded:
"Go ahead."
It really was ironic.
When she was meek and obedient, Akane had never been allowed a voice in front of them but now that she spoke with confidence and strength.
Her parents' tone had softened.
Akane could sense it too.
She sighed deeply. And then, as if steeling herself, she spoke.
"What I'm about to say... might actually be good news for you both."
She reached out, lacing her fingers with Minami's, and glanced at him.
After a small nod of encouragement from him—
The lilac-haired girl said clearly: "I want to leave the Shinjo family."
Those words—
Instantly shattered the composed expressions of her parents.
Her father's calm face tightened into a frown.
His eyes flicked up, then down—like he couldn't quite believe those words had come from the daughter he'd always known to be weak.
Her mother's reaction was even more dramatic.
She stood up abruptly, her face contorted with disbelief. "Are you serious? Even if it's a joke, that's not something you can say lightly!"
Her voice was sharp, scolding like Akane had just committed a grave offense.
It was clear she was trying to regain control of the conversation.
After all, this was Akane. The daughter who had never once gone against their plans, from the day she was born until now and now she dared to say something like that?
Her mother stiffened, assuming the stance she believed was appropriate, her gaze settling sharply on Akane, waiting for her to flinch.
If it had been the old Akane, she likely would have fallen silent here, afraid to speak further.
She would've gone back to being that shrinking turtle, timid and silent.
But now—
"I'm not joking."
There was no hesitation like before. Akane's voice was steady, straightforward.
As if she were stating something as mundane as the weather.
"Besides, me leaving the Shinjo family... for you two, and for the family itself, isn't that actually a good thing?"
Her mother sat back down.
She couldn't believe the girl who had always drifted through life in a fog could be the one saying these words.
She fell into silence.
But her father did not.
His expression remained unchanged as always, calm and unreadable. "Do you understand the consequences of what you're saying, Akane?"
The girl before him felt like a stranger.
She was proactive now, the fragility gone, replaced with a light too bright to ignore.
"Of course I've thought about the consequences."
Akane tightened her grip on Minami's hand and continued, "All you can do is cut me off financially, including the apartment I'm living in."
She gave a small shake of her head. "But I've already planned everything out. Even without the Shinjo family's support, I'll be fine."
Her voice was calm. Confident.
Then, after a long pause, her father spoke again:
"Perhaps we don't need to take things to such extremes."
"I can allow you to date Minami-kun. I'll even continue supporting your lifestyle. There's no need for you to speak of leaving the family."
His words stunned Akane.
This was the first time her father had ever taken a step back for her.
In all her carefully calculated efforts to stay within bounds, not once had she heard such a concession from him.
In fact, even hearing any expression of concern from him had been a rarity.
Every time they met. He would ask how she was doing, purely out of obligation.
That was it.
And now this reversal...
It left her momentarily speechless.
Seeing her pause, her father pressed on:
"I know we've treated you coldly over the years," he said quietly. "But if you think rationally, your mother and I have never neglected your material needs."
He took a sip of his coffee, his tone neutral.
"I can meet your conditions. So there's no reason for you to act in such an extreme way."
It was the first time he had ever spoken to her like this.
Maybe it was because Akane, today, had surprised him in ways he hadn't expected.
Until now, she had only been a beautiful shell of a daughter. Good grades, pretty face but empty inside, trophy wife material.
But now...
She was decisive. Confident. Unflinching in her resolve.
She had changed drastically and there was no doubt she was now a potential asset.
Of course, he was willing to set aside his old biases and invest in that asset.
Even if it meant agreeing to her relationship with Minami and continuing to offer financial support.
It was, without question, a form of surrender.
The first time he had ever yielded to Akane.
But upon hearing his words.
Akane showed no joy. Instead, she looked at him with quiet resignation.
This man had always been the same.
He wasn't doing this because he understood her feelings.
He was doing it simply because the Shinjo family needed her.
This man, her father had never cared about anything but the future of the Shinjo family.
Even marrying her mother had been a strategic move to leverage the political power of her mother's influential background for the benefit of the Shinjo business.
Akane sighed deeply.
She looked her father in the eye and spoke gently.
"Isn't there anything in your life that matters to you besides the 'Shinjo family'?"
She asked softly.
Then, before he could answer, she continued:
"You've always been this way, thinking only of the family, its future, its status. Your entire life has been spent serving the Shinjo name... Have you never thought about living for yourself? Aren't you... tired?"
A touch of regret and a hint of sympathy.
Feeling the emotion in Akane Shinjo's eyes and listening to her words, her father fell silent.
After a while, he finally spoke:
"You don't understand."
It had taken so much for the Shinjo family to reach where it was now.
As the eldest son of the family, he saw it as his duty to push the Shinjo legacy to even greater heights. Even if it meant using whatever means necessary.
"And you, as the Shinjo family's eldest daughter, naturally bear that same responsibility."
"I see..."
Hearing that, something inside Akane settled.
"Father."
She spoke again.
"This will be the last time I call you that. You don't need to try to stop me—and you can't. I can't live the life you want me to. From now on, I'll walk my own path and make my own choices."
She smiled then, a bittersweet smile filled with resignation.
"After all, it's not like you ever really needed me anyway."
No accusations.
No harsh words.
Akane simply said what she had to say. Then, without hesitation, she reached for Minami's hand, stood up, and walked away.
From beginning to end, she had remained perfectly composed.
Which left her mother frozen in astonishment.
Only after the two had left completely did she turn to her husband, unable to keep quiet any longer:
"So... what do we do now?"
She hadn't expected this.
What she thought would be a sure thing—a clean, easy negotiation—had completely fallen apart.
Of course she had to ask.
Her husband didn't speak for a long while.
He just kept turning Akane's words over in his mind.
And finally, after what felt like forever—
He spoke.
"Let her live the life she wants."
"Should we stop her financial support then...?"
"Keep it as it is."
Shinjo's father shook his head, drained the rest of his coffee.
The bitterness lingered on his tongue.
He lifted his gaze.
"Trying to cage a bird that's already grown and longs for the sky... is pointless."
