The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 842 The Beginning of the War (21)

The meeting was finally arranged on a bench in a park. Since Shichijo Masato did not inform Inuyama Jun in advance, he couldn't even run away when he saw his son appear.

The father and son finally sat on the bench and were silent for a while. They didn't know what to say first. One was the father who had disappeared for a long time, and the other was the son who lived alone in the steel jungle. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they had no common topics.

"Um..." In the end, it was Inuyama Jun who spoke first. He looked at the two big brothers not far away and asked, "Who...are they?"

Inuyama Heita replied sullenly, "Because a lot of things have happened recently, the Hope Cult has become too rampant, so Brother Oto hired someone to protect me."

"Ah, is that so?" Inuyama Jun nodded: "Mr. Qian is still very reliable... But he actually told you about my situation. Really, didn't we agree on this..."

"So you don't want me to know you're still alive?" Inuyama Heita asked, "You don't want to see me?"

"No, of course not!" Inuyama Jun quickly denied it, his eyes dodging: "I... I just don't want to cause you trouble. You should know about my affairs, embezzlement of company funds, debts..."

"Yeah." Inuyama Heita agreed, and then the two fell into silence again, and an awkward atmosphere began to spread.

Not far away, Nanajo Masato, who was spying with a telescope, grinned and muttered, "Ah... even I, a bystander, feel embarrassed. This father and son are exactly the same, both are taciturn. Can't they say something to clear up the misunderstanding?"

Ken folded his arms and shook his head. "That kid from the Inuyama clan looks ordinary, but he's actually very stubborn and easily gets stuck in a rut... It seems like this meeting won't be that easy. Nanajo clan, you seem to have made a mistake this time."

Nanajo Masato complained: "Hey, I can't wait until Heitaro's father goes to jail before I tell him about this, can I?"

"But I have a question." Ken asked, "Can't the Nanajo Foundation help with Mr. Inuyama's debt? Even if they can't help him pay it off completely for free, at least they can think of some way to keep him from going to jail, right?"

"Of course I have thought about the problem you mentioned." Nanajo Masato shook his head: "I suggested to him that the Nanajo Foundation could help him by lending him a loan to make up for the debt, and then repay it slowly. This would also save him from imprisonment, but Mr. Inuyama himself refused."

"Eh?" Ajian was confused: "Why? Don't you even trust Nanajo?"

"I refused not because I don't trust Masato." On the bench, Jun Inuyama suddenly turned to his son and said, "It's because I no longer believe in any huge organization that is built on interests. Maybe Masato Shichijo is a good man worthy of trust, but even he can't guarantee that the Shichijo Foundation will not turn to the side of interests. Heita, over the years, I have understood one thing, that is, capital only aims to strengthen itself. People have humanity, but capital does not. It is a cruel monster disguised as a dazzling treasure."

Inuyama Heita looked at Inuyama Jun, somewhat puzzled as to why he suddenly said this.

"I know Masato might want you to persuade me to accept his help, but..." Inuyama Jun continued, "Although this method does seem to allow me to avoid jail time, I cannot guarantee that accepting this deal will not bring other risks. I have done a lot of wrong things, and I cannot transfer this risk and responsibility to you because of my own reasons. In comparison, going to jail actually makes me feel more at ease."

Inuyama Heita frowned: "Is this the reason why you are going to jail?" Inuyama Jun seemed to have misunderstood what Inuyama Heita meant. He said: "Don't worry about the house. I have already asked Masato for it. The bank will not take it away. My going to jail will not affect your studies. The school will not know about this. I will slowly pay back the debts after I get out..."

Inuyama Heita's chest was heaving.

"By the way, Heita, since we are talking about this," Inuyama Jun said, "Are you... going to participate in the next parade? You are just a high school student, what can you do? I will talk to Mr. Qian and ask him not to let you participate. You just need to study hard in school..."

"That's enough!" Inuyama Heita was angry. He stood up and said, "One by one... It's always like this, talking to yourself, making decisions on your own, and being moved on your own! I haven't seen you for so many years, and now you want to use your father's authority to control what I do?"

Inuyama Jun's momentum weakened a bit: "It's not like that. I'm just worried about you. You're just a child and shouldn't be involved in such dangerous things. Let us adults come..."

"We have nothing to talk about anymore." Inuyama Heita sneered, turned around and walked out without looking back: "I make my own decisions about my own affairs."

"Heita..." Inuyama Jun could only watch Inuyama Heita leave and could do nothing.

Nanajo Masato put down the binoculars and sighed, "Ah... it seems the talks broke down. What on earth did they talk about? Why did the atmosphere become so tense?"

"Mr. Inuyama is usually very gentle." Ken shook his head. "He will only behave like this when his bottom line is touched or he is suppressed to the limit. Mr. Inuyama probably said something that made Mr. Inuyama angry, right?"

Nanajo Masato shook his head: "This has backfired. I hope they won't blame me for taking the initiative. Forget it, let's go over and ask."

They came to Inuyama Jun. The middle-aged man sat on a chair with his head down, holding his head, and muttered to himself in pain: "What stupid thing have I done again... I am such a failed man."

"Mr. Inuyama, why did Heitaro leave?" Shichijo Masato asked, "He looked very angry. Did you say something you shouldn't have said?"

"Heitaro?" Inuyama Jun was a little bored. "I just want to fulfill my responsibilities as a father. Heita is just a high school student. This is not a boys' comic that can let a high school student save the world. So I want him to stay in school obediently. Let us adults handle dangerous things..."

"That's it." Nanajo Masato disagreed with his words: "You underestimate him too much. Heitaro is not an ordinary high school student. His determination is not inferior to most adults. He is a stronger fighter than us. Among the enemies he has faced, there are monsters that don't even appear in nightmares. Although he is much younger than me, I have always treated him as an equal adult. You shouldn't make decisions for him."

"But he is just a..." Inuyama Jun lowered his head deeply and smiled bitterly: "Yes, he has lived alone for so many years, he should have grown up a long time ago. He has his own companions and friends, but I always thought he was the helpless little kid many years ago."

"Could it be that..." Inuyama Jun sighed, "I really did something wrong?"

(End of this chapter)