Listening to his daughter's explanation,
Minami gradually began to understand the situation.
It turned out that it wasn't that Shinjo Akane didn't want to introduce Karasawa Yuka to him, but in the simulation, by the ti their relationship had progressed to the point where they were boyfriend and girlfriend, Karasawa Yuka had already passed away due to her own illness.
It wasn't that they didn't want to et.
There simply was no chance to et.
This also explained why Karasawa Yuka, who was the most important person in Shinjo Akane's life, didn't attend the wedding between Minami and Shinjo Akane.
And after that, Minami never heard Shinjo Akane ntion Karasawa Yuka again.
For that girl, who always wore a mask and forced a smile, it must have been painful.
Karasawa Yuka's passing must have been a regret in her heart that she could never erase for the rest of her life.
And it was precisely because of that regret...
That she didn't tell Minami about it.
She didn't want to burden him with more sorrow.
After all, the dead cannot return to life.
Thinking of this, Minami let out a sigh.
The cheerful and sunny pink-haired girl, who always wore a bright smile like a mask, unexpectedly had such a considerate side.
But it was exactly because her acting was too perfect.
That even the simulated Minami didn't notice the change in her emotional state.
"I only found out about Aunt Yuka from reading my Mama's diary once in a while."
Mirai cleared her throat awkwardly.
She definitely didn't want to admit to Minami that she had sneakily read her mother's old diary in an attempt to figure out his likes and hobbies.
But since she'd already said this much,
She didn't hide anything further and shared everything she knew.
"It seems that her heart problems were caused by the accumulated fatigue from working as a maid for so many years..."
"..." Minami.
Minami exhaled slowly.
No wonder, when he had seen Akane Shinjo recently, although she clearly looked happy, beneath that happiness, there was a subtle undercurrent of unease...
"So this was the reason..."
Minami murmured.
Because she didn't want him to worry, she had kept Karasawa Yuka's situation a secret.
That was just like Akane.
Thinking about it, Minami couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Thankfully, the daughter who manifested in reality this ti was Mirai.
If it had been one of his other daughters...
He probably wouldn't have known that Akane was hiding sothing so important from him.
As this thought crossed his mind, Minami reached out and gently placed his hand on Mirai's head, stroking her hair while she looked at him in surprise.
"Not bad, not bad. This ti, I really owe you one, Mirai."
Minami thanked her sincerely.
"D-Don't treat like a kid... Dad, I'm already twenty-one, you know!"
Mirai's face turned bright red, and she really wanted to turn her head away.
But Minami's hand, as if it had so kind of magical power, made it impossible for her to resist, so all she could do was protest softly.
Minami didn't care about his daughter's protests.
He always did whatever he wanted.
And judging from Mirai's expression, this mischievous daughter wasn't all that opposed to it anyway.
After stroking her head for a while and feeling that it was enough, Minami finally let go, turning his thoughts back to Karasawa Yuka's situation.
According to his daughter, Karasawa Yuka was currently hospitalized at Tokyo General dical Hospital, a well-known hospital in Tokyo specializing in the treatnt of heart conditions.
Minami recalled that Tokyo General dical Hospital had a reputation as one of Tokyo's most prestigious hospitals.
It was likely that Akane had appealed to her parents to make this possible.
Otherwise, given Karasawa Yuka's circumstances, there was no way she could afford such a high-level hospital.
"This won't be easy..."
Though he had the convenience of a [Universal Recovery Pill] in his possession and he currently had exactly 900 Heartthrob Points, enough to exchange for one Pill—
As one of the most reputable hospitals in Tokyo,
Tokyo General dical Hospital had very strict admission and visitor policies.
Without a registered visit permit, even Minami couldn't get in just like that.
However...
"It's tough, but not impossible... if I ask Ryo for help..."
Thinking that far, Minami shook his head with a sigh.
"Why does this feel like another 'Yamada-san, please save ' mont again?"
Exactly.
In the simulation, Minami had also turned to Ryo Yamada for help.
Not just in the simulation—Even in real life, the Tokyo Red Cross support for the 'LycoReco' orphanage had been secured thanks to Yamada-san's help.
This really isn't good.
It felt like he was mooching off Yamada-san's generosity.
Minami sighed inwardly.
But still...
When it ca to hospital matters, asking Yamada-san—a prestigious young lady from a family running a private hospital—was, without a doubt, the easiest route.
Minami shook his head, but in the end, he made up his mind.
Even if it felt like he was shalessly relying on others, he still decided to ask Yamada-san for help.
At the very least, he wanted her assistance in getting a limited-ti visitor pass to the inpatient departnt at Tokyo General dical Hospital.
As long as he could get the Universal Cure to Karasawa Yuka and have her take it, that would be considered a success.
Having made up his mind, Minami decided to go find Ryo Yamada and talk things over with her in a bit.
But before he could even stand up—
Mirai suddenly let out an excited voice.
"Co to think of it—what do Nijika Mama and Ryo Mama look like right now? I'm really curious!"
Indeed, Mirai was full of curiosity.
Although she'd been summoned here for so unknown reason...
Perhaps due to the Shouji family's unique 'strong heart' genes, Mirai didn't seem too bothered by it.
On the contrary, the chance to et her father during his high school days, as well as Nijika and Ryo Yamada, made her vaguely excited.
After all, this kind of situation was extrely rare—practically unheard of.
"..." Minami.
Looking his daughter up and down, Minami didn't feel the need to hide anything.
After all, her desire to et Nijika and Ryo wasn't any different from his own desire to et his daughter from the future.
As her father, there was no way he could deny her such a small request.
"Nijika's probably downstairs with Ryo sorting out the equipnt."
It was already past 10 PM, and the performance at the STARRY Hall had basically wrapped up. Since Hitori Gotoh and Ikuyo Kita had to catch their trains, they'd already left by now.
Only Nijika Ijichi and Ryo Yamada, who lived nearby in the Shimokitazawa area, stayed behind to handle the post-show cleanup and equipnt.
"I'm going to take a look!"
Clearly more and more excited, Mirai couldn't contain herself and stood up.
However—
"eting them is fine, but I'm telling you—don't ss around." Minami added deliberately.
eting them was no problem, but he still needed to give her a proper warning. After all, Mirai was his daughter from the future.
If Ryo or Nijika sensed sothing was off... or worse, if Mirai's identity got exposed—it would be a huge problem.
At his words, Mirai puffed up her cheeks and stretched her words in mock protest:
"Daaad—how old do you think I am? I'm already twenty-one, okay?!"
Hugging her well-developed chest—just like her mother Akane Shinjo—Mirai dismissed her father's concern:
"I'm twenty-one, I'm in university, not so little kid who needs you hovering over 24/7. I know what I'm doing. You're overthinking it."
"...Yeah, that's true."
Minami gave her another once-over.
Wearing a black dress with white trim and a mid-length skirt, the beautiful young woman's face was even more refined and mature than her mother's.
He had to admit—he was being a bit overprotective.
She was already twenty-one—surely she wasn't that immature.
He nodded slightly, silently accepting her reasoning.
And then—
"Nijika Mama! Ryo Mama! I missed you soooo much!"
Watching his daughter—taller than Ryo Yamada—throw herself at the stunned Nijika and expressionless Ryo Yamada, pulling them into a tight hug, Minami fell into silence.
He took it back.
He was too naive.
Twenty-one-year-old Miss Mirai was nowhere near as mature as she claid.
He honestly couldn't understand it.
Soone who acted like that had the audacity to say she "knew her limits" and "wasn't childish at all"...?
Where did she get the nerve?
She didn't inherit any of his good traits—just the overconfidence and shalessness, huh?
Looking at the utterly bewildered expressions of Nijika Ijichi and Ryo Yamada, Minami felt a sharp toothache coming on.
He even had the urge to grab Mirai right now, bend her over, and give her a solid spanking with a cane.
But now wasn't the ti for that.
With a sigh full of disbelief, Minami stepped forward.
The ones even more confused than him, without a doubt, were Nijika Ijichi and Ryo Yamada, who had just finished cleaning up the stage.
The two of them had just wrapped up their work.
Before they could even sit down and rest, they suddenly heard—
"Nijika Mama! Ryo Mama!"
And then out of nowhere, a girl ran up and hugged them both tightly.
What...?
What the hell was going on?
Having never experienced anything like this before, Nijika Ijichi was completely frozen, letting herself be hugged for over ten seconds before she finally ca to her senses.
"Uh... Excuse , miss... Who are you...?"
She couldn't help but ask instinctively.
"It's ! It's ! I'm Mirai! Don't you recognize , Nijika Mama? You used to take care of when I was little!"
"H-Huh?"
Ijichi Nijika opened her mouth slightly, her expression shifting from confusion to sheer bewildernt.
No.
What was this person even saying?
Mama?
What Mama?
She looked like she was in her twenties, right?
I raised you since you were little?
What on earth was she talking about?
Ijichi Nijika was convinced she'd just run into a complete weirdo, and she was about to say sothing—
But the usually expressionless Yamada Ryo, who was also being hugged, cut her off.
"Nijika, is this so relative of yours?"
She tilted her head, asking calmly.
"I don't have a relative who randomly rushes up and calls Mama, okay?!"
Annoyed by her troll of a bassist, Nijika instantly denied it.
"Then why is she calling you 'mama'?"
"How should I know?! And didn't she call you Mama too? Why can't she be your relative?"
"I don't have relatives this weird."
"So what, you're saying my family has weirdos like this, Ryo?"
"Yeah."
Crack, crack, crack...
Ijichi Nijika clenched her fists tightly, really tempted to hit Yamada Ryo with a joint lock to show her what happens when you say stupid stuff out loud.
But—right now, that wasn't the priority.
They had to deal with the problem at hand first.
Ijichi Nijika had no interest in bickering with her chaotic bassist. She was just about to question the girl who claid to be her daughter—
But then—
"Ryo-mama, you forgot too?!"
"Stop saying weird things."
Yamada Ryo frowned.
"Don't think saying sweet things will make acknowledge you."
Still expressionless, Yamada Ryo continued, "I'm not as easy to fool as Nijika."
"You told to listen to your bass compilation, saying it was music that could shake the world! You said soday you'd use that compilation to hit No. 1 on Billboard—the most prestigious singles chart in the Western pop music scene! You said you'd make bank and live a luxury life where you'd sell each bass guitar the mont you used it!"
"You also said your goal was to perform at Glastonbury, the biggest music festival in the world! Were those all lies?!"
"..." Yamada Ryo.
Without saying a word, Yamada Ryo turned to look at Ijichi Nijika.
She reached out and gently patted Mirai's head, then nodded seriously.
"This kid is definitely my daughter."
"???" Ijichi Nijika.
Should she be impressed?
Leave it to Miss Yamada to betray her without a shred of hesitation when it counted.
Her sha tolerance and moral standards were clearly way below average.
Just as Nijika was about to speak—
A voice rang out from beside them, followed by a sudden force pulling the girl—who was hugging them—away.
"Sorry, I actually do know this one."
"Minami..."
Seeing Minami appear out of nowhere, Ijichi Nijika instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
Compared to that unreliable bassist with zero sha, Minami showing up felt like being rescued by an ally.
"Minami... um, who is she...?"
"Oh—she's a distant relative of mine. Sa last na—Shouji. Her na is Mirai."
With an apologetic smile, Minami quickly covered Mirai's mouth as he explained: "She's been in Tokyo for university for a while now, and while visiting , she happened to hear your band's performance and instantly beca a huge fan."
"But... she just called —"
Rembering how Mirai had called her "Mama" repeatedly, Nijika began hesitantly.
"Let's chalk it up to being a super fan. 'Mama-fans' and 'Dad-fans' are pretty common these days, right?"
Minami chuckled, easily giving an explanation as he kept Mirai's mouth firmly covered.
Having witnessed firsthand just how unreliable his daughter could be, he had decided to revoke her speaking privileges—effective imdiately.
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