Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Thinking about this, Akira Kuroba felt that Akihabara was more suitable for him.

The bar that Kuroba Akira visited today was quite unusual. Located in the heart of the prime Ginza pedestrian street, it was a small underground bar without even a sign.

After getting out of the car, the two bodyguards did not follow, but instead gestured for Kuroba Akira to walk down alone.

Kuroba Akira then walked into the small bar alone.

Logically, at this time of day, which is close to evening, bars should already be getting customers, but this bar didn't have a single customer.

It looks like a private bar; you can book the whole place whenever you need to.

Kuroba Akira walked to the bar and sat down. The middle-aged bartender with gray hair smiled at him and asked.

What would you like to drink?

"Sorry, I don't drink."

"This is a bar, aren't you going to come here and not drink?"

"I'm still a minor, didn't you already know that?"

How would I know?

"Because you are Uncle Murasaki no Miyako, aren't you?"

"..."

Mr. Bartender… Mr. Kazuhiro Murasaki raised an eyebrow, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, revealing surprise and delight in his expression.

"I didn't expect you to spot me right away. Was my acting really that bad? To avoid being recognized by you, I even had someone change my appearance and voice."

"No, there are no flaws in your attire, demeanor, or attitude. I also came to this conclusion through logical reasoning."

"Oh? Logic?"

"Yes, I think you invited me here for a private conversation, and it certainly isn't about business, but rather 'family matters,' right?"

"That's right, today we're going to talk about 'family matters'."

"In that case, in situations where there's no need for 'outsiders,' no matter how trustworthy the bartender is, he's always 'superfluous.' So there's only one answer..."

This elegant bartender is none other than Uncle Murasaki no Miyako.

“You are younger than I imagined, Uncle Murasaki.”

"Hehe, you flatter me. But you, Kuroba-kun, are so young, yet you have a maturity far beyond your years. That's truly remarkable."

Kazuhiro Murasaki was very satisfied with Akira Kuroba's performance and poured him a glass of purple grape juice.

"Well then, as a reward for answering correctly, this drink is on me. It's a non-alcoholic beverage, so feel free to drink it."

Kuroba Akira picked up the triangular cup that was pushed in front of him, took a sip, and then asked.

"Did you dress up like this specifically to test me? Or is this just your personal hobby?"

"Both, I guess. I was actually a little curious about what kind of expression you'd make when you found out I was Kazuhiro Murasaki... But it turned out I was the one who was a little startled after you exposed me, and you turned the tables on me, haha."

Murasaki no Miyabi and Hiroshi stroked their chins as they spoke.

"Kuroba-kun, you're one of the few who saw through this little trick from the start, but actually, quite a few people have been fooled by it, haven't they?"

"I don't think you opened a private bar just for pranks or to amuse yourself, or even to pretend to be a bartender, right?"

“I usually do this to understand the other person’s true personality in advance, to see how he treats ‘servants’ like bartenders, what kind of drinks he would order, etc. Based on this information alone, I can roughly judge what kind of person he is.”

It's actually just like traveling incognito.

Everyone shows different sides of themselves in front of different people, and Kazuhiro Murasaki observes the different faces of each person in this way.

"And you, Kuroba-kun... are even more outstanding than I expected."

"Not at all, you flatter me."

"Now I can entrust my daughter to you with peace of mind..."

"what?"

Do you think I would say that?

Suddenly, Kazuhiro Murasaki's kind smile became even more 'kind'. A large hand pressed down on Akira Kuroba's left shoulder, gradually increasing the pressure until Akira's shoulder began to ache, as if he were going to crush it.

"The 'inspection' has only just begun, Kuroba-kun. Don't think you can pass the test so easily, okay?"

"Okay, okay..."

No father would so easily hand over his daughter.

Although Kazuhiro Murasaki is Shion's stepfather, he is also a doting father to his daughter.

"But you don't need to be nervous, Kuroba-kun. I won't cause you any trouble because of Shion. I only met with you today to ask about your plans... specifically regarding Shion."

As expected, they still asked about this.

Kuroba Akira pursed his lips, his brows furrowing slightly as he carefully considered what to say.

To be honest, if he just wanted to "get through the test," he had a hundred reasons to appease his father-in-law, but he didn't want to deceive this good father who cared about his daughter.

But... to be honest, he'd definitely explode...

Just as Kuroba Akira hesitated, Murasaki no Miyabi Kazuhiro seemed to see through Kuroba Akira's troubles and patted him on the shoulder.

"Relax, Kuroba-kun. I don't want to force you to make a decision, nor do I want you to give an answer against your conscience... How about this, let me tell you my reasons first?"

"Your reasons?"

"Yes, before I put on my fatherly airs to examine you, I have to 'prove' myself first, right? After all, I'm not Ziyin's biological father. I think you must also be wondering why I married Ziyin's mother, Fumiko."

"Well... I am indeed a bit curious, because I've heard that you're a very powerful figure in the business world."

Having built his business to the level of Kazuhiro Murasaki, he could practically have any woman he wanted, so there was no need for him to marry a married woman with a daughter.

So after thinking it over, there are only two possibilities... one is that it's Mr. Cao's hobby, and the other is that it's true love.

“Big shot… Kuroba-kun, do you know? This bar is the first ‘non-alcoholic bar’ I opened in Ginza.”

"A non-alcoholic bar? Can that even stay open?"

"Haha, business is surprisingly good. Although 99% of people come to Ginza to drown their sorrows, there are also some who crave a 'sober encounter'."

Murasaki no Miyabi and Hiroshi swirled the wine glasses in their hands; they contained grape juice, not wine.

"For me, meeting Fumiko was a 'sober encounter'."

Starting from this point, Kazuhiro Murasaki begins to recount his past.

“Actually, our Murasaki family is not a great family. We used to be just an ordinary family of three. However, due to an accident at the construction site, my father lost a leg and lost his ability to work. But because the insurance company went bankrupt, our family did not receive any compensation.”

"This is outrageous!"

“That happened shortly after I was born, and when I was a child, my impression of my father was only that he was an alcoholic, moody, and beat his family members… To me at that time, my father was simply a synonym for a demon.”

"...I think your father was probably angry with himself for being incompetent, which is why he became so irritable."

Because Kuroba Akira experienced the same situation in his previous life, he could understand it very well.

However, it really shouldn't have affected family members.

"Perhaps... Anyway, I don't know whether to call it fortunate or unfortunate, my alcoholic father died of a brain hemorrhage when I was in elementary school."

Now a father himself, Kazuhiro Murasaki's feelings are quite complicated when he talks about his father.

"It is precisely because of my father that I do not drink alcohol, and that is also the reason why I opened this non-alcoholic bar."

"I see."

“Let me continue. After my father died, my mother raised me alone. It was incredibly hard for her. To support my schooling, she worked three jobs, sometimes as many as sixteen hours a day. So I thought back then that I must make a lot of money so that my mother could have a good life. However, in the year I was about to graduate from high school, my mother passed away from illness.”

"Please accept my condolences."

“I couldn’t let it go. I suddenly lost my purpose in life, and then I started to make money in a ‘revengeful’ way. When I came to my senses, I was already a billionaire.”

　This statement sounds pretentious, but Kuroba Akira hears a sense of sorrow in it.

"But what's the point of having so much money if I can't even let my mother enjoy it in the end..."

"..."

"Just when I was feeling lost, my bar welcomed a job applicant... and that was Fumiko."

"Ah... so that's how you and Ziyin's mother met."

"That's right, and I don't know if it was God's opportunity, but Fumiko looks a lot like my mother... and her experiences are similar to my mother's. Both of them were ruined by terrible men and raised their children alone, which was very hard."

"I see……"

Kuroba Akira understood immediately.

That's empathy.

For Uncle Murasaki, this was the best chance to make up for his regrets.

"I admit this is just wishful thinking on my part. Seeing their situation reminded me of my own past, so I wanted to make up for my past regrets through them..."

Kazuhiro Murasaki straightened his back slightly, placed his hands in front of him, and his previously casual expression instantly became serious and solemn.

His eyes gleamed with seriousness as he stared intently at Kuroba Akira, as if trying to convey his determination and sincerity through his gaze.

"But my desire to bring them happiness is absolutely genuine."

That's why Kazuhiro Murasaki married Shion's mother and treated Shion like his own daughter.

For Kazuhiro Murasaki, his wife was like a mother to him, and his daughter, Shion, was a reflection of his past self.

He will not repeat the same mistake and let Ziyin taste the despair that he once tasted.

Chapter 273 Opening Pandora's Box

"So I'm sorry, Kuroba-kun, if you think I fell in love with Fumiko at first sight and that's why I chose to marry her, you might be disappointed. It's not because I fell in love with Fumiko that I was willing to accept Shion as my daughter."

Kazuhiro Murasaki admits that he accepted the unfortunate mother and daughter because he empathized with them.

"After all, it's hard to act on emotions at my age, so if Fumiko hadn't reminded me of my deceased mother, I wouldn't have cared about a divorced woman with a child at all..."

There are so many unfortunate women out there, it's impossible to save every single one you see, right?

Therefore, there must be a 'special reason' for Murasaki no Miyabi and Hiro to be willing to lend a helping hand.

And he has already stated this reason himself.