Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 54: The Bones Return

After walking for ten minutes, the two returned home.

"Change your clothes and take a shower. I'll take you there." Nobita's father said this while looking down, and then went back to his room.

Nobita wanted to ask what was going on, but seeing that the door had already been closed, he held back, went back to his room to get some clothes, and went into the bathroom.

A short while later, he came out of the shower and had changed into a set of casual clothes.

At that moment, the father stood in the entryway, holding a bone pot in his hands.

Nobita was filled with doubt and looked at his father with a frown.

"Let's go, it's getting dark. I'll explain to you when we get there."

Nobita's father carefully placed the bone pot into a sturdy bag, picked up a bunch of white chrysanthemums, nodded to Nobita, and walked towards the door.

Nobita hesitated, then silently continued to follow.

He sensed that his father had changed a lot, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what those changes were.

When they arrived at the door, Nobita's father had just hailed a ride-hailing car.

"Please go to Honmyoji Temple."

Upon hearing the place name, Nobita, who was following behind and getting into the car, felt a sudden urge.

He knew that his grandfather was buried in this place.

He remained puzzled about this matter for quite some time after he became aware of it.

Because their family wasn't wealthy, but the cemetery plots at Benmiao Temple were all private plots, which were said to be very valuable and required one to have a "connection with Buddha".

Why was Grandpa buried in that place?

He glanced at the bag his father had placed in his arms, his mind wandering.

We arrived at Honmyoji Temple in silence.

"Wait for me at the door." Nobi's father took out a few loose bills from his wallet and jogged to a bakery across the street.

Nobi didn't respond. He turned to look at the temple in front of him, a place whose memory was somewhat hazy. It had been two years since he last came here.

Nobita's father returned with the cake when a monk came out of the house.

"It's been a long time, Nobita."

“It’s all very sudden. I apologize for disturbing your temple so late, Venerable Richeng.”

"No need to be so polite. I understand the reason. Please come in."

The monk, whose Buddhist name was Richeng, clasped his hands together, while Asano Hiru smiled gently and led the way for the two.

"Please wash your hands first, esteemed benefactors."

Ri Cheng led them to the entrance of the cemetery and pointed to the handwashing pool at the entrance.

The two put down their things and used bamboo ladles to fetch water to wash their hands and rinse their mouths.

After washing their hands, they entered the cemetery. Ri Cheng led them to Nobi Tomokazu's tombstone, lit an incense stick, placed it horizontally, and then struck a bronze chime while chanting.

"Namo Myoho Renge Sūtra".

After repeating this seven times, he bowed to the two men with his palms together.

"You two benefactors have a cloud of worry between your brows, but please remember that the spirit of the deceased still protects you in this world,"

"Thank you, Venerable Richeng."

Ri Cheng smiled and nodded, then quietly left after putting his palms together, leaving the two of them alone.

Silence descended, the evening breeze rustling through the old trees, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of monks striking wooden fish and chanting in the distance, bringing a sense of peace.

“I know you have many questions, and I will answer them one by one.”

Nobi's father finally spoke, taking the initiative to explain why they had come to pay their respects today.

"Actually, I know where you've been hiding these past two days, and your secret base isn't a secret at all; I knew about it a long time ago."

“I also went to the school yesterday and learned a little about you from your former teacher.”

“I know how much you hate me, because I hated your grandfather just as much back then.” “I was planning to come to you this morning to apologize and have a proper talk.”

Nobi's father seemed unable to look Nobi in the eye. He picked up a broom and swept away the fallen leaves and dust from the stone platform in front of Nobi Tomokazu's tombstone.

Nobi Tomoyo gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening with hatred and grievance.

He hated his father, not because he didn't let him play games or because he had too high expectations of him.

Instead, she resented that he had never given her a chance for an equal dialogue.

Why should you turn the guilt and self-blame that have fermented from your past mistakes into a mountain of expectations that presses down on me?

He needs a father who can listen to his opinions and communicate peacefully, not a superior who only exerts maximum pressure and issues death orders.

“But early in the morning, the Metropolitan Police Department contacted me and said that my grandfather’s brother’s remains had been found at the school and cremated. So I spent almost the entire day dealing with this.”

"You may not know this, but your grandfather had an older brother named Nobi Tomoaki. And he was the reason why your grandfather insisted on sending me to Komagome Academy."

“I rebelled before, not wanting him to control my life, so I tried everything: drinking, smoking, gaming, gambling. He seemed to gradually become disappointed in me, and in the end, all he asked was for me to finish my studies in school.”

"I became even more furious and escalated my anger. It seemed that he didn't care about me, but rather about the process of me having to study at Komagome Academy."

"I'm determined not to let him have his way."

"."

“On the day he passed away, after he handed me his will, I finally understood the reason behind it. He wanted his brother, whose fate was unknown, to be able to find his way home through the family bloodline, find him, and atone for his sins.”

"But I still hate him. By then, I was completely ruined, indulging in gambling and entertainment, and I could hardly extricate myself from it, until your mother came along."

Nobita's father placed the white chrysanthemum on the stone platform, knelt on the ground, and began to recount the story.

Nobi listened in silence, never expecting that his enrollment in school was related to his grandfather's older brother.

“Your mother saved me and talked to me a lot. I slowly came to understand my father. His only wish was that if I had children in the future, I would send them to Komagome Academy so that his brother could have a lineage to guide him.”

“Your mother is truly an angel. After reading the suicide note, she decided to follow her father’s wishes and send the child to Komagome Academy.”

"Unfortunately, she left me with a difficult problem. I'm not a good child, nor am I a good father, much less a good husband."

He took a yellowed letter out of his pocket and handed it to Nobi Tomohiro behind him.

“I should show it to you first. I also know you’re unhappy at Komagome Academy. After you see it, whether you still want to study there is your choice.” Nobita’s father met Nobita’s gaze. “I’m sorry for taking it upon myself to transfer the pressure on you. You really should decide your own life.”

Nobi silently accepted the envelope; in fact, he already had the answer in his heart at that moment.

Even after he carefully read the letter, his answer remained unchanged.

He did not forgive his father; the rift was created by that slap, and no matter how much he tried to mend it, it remained.

but
"dad."

Nobi Tomoyoshi spoke.

Nobi's father looked up blankly at his son, who was quite different from his previous timid demeanor.

Nobi Tomoyoshi knelt before his grandfather's grave, just like his father, and asked.

"Can you tell me more about your mother and grandfather? I want to hear more."

Nobi's father seemed to have returned to the time when his son was still a child.

He asked that question timidly back then, but I didn't want to recall the pain at all, and impatiently sent him back to his room to do his homework.

Since then, the son has never asked about any other relatives.

I stopped talking to him about anything that happened at school, and my personality gradually became more silent.

"Sure, of course. Let's talk about your mother first. The first time I met her was when I was drunk and passed out on the street."

　This isn't really a whitewashing. Nobita hasn't forgiven his father. He's starting to grow up, and this incident is part of that growth.

　　Nobi Tomoko (Grandpa) and Nobi Tomoaki (Grandpa's older brother)

　　Nobi Tomohiro (Nobi himself) Nobi's father (father)
　　There will be another chapter tonight containing the contents of my will.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)