Tokyo Three Generations

Every successful female hostess dreams of opening her own shop and becoming a "madam," and Takasaki Mio was not particularly surprised by this.

Even so, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

How would you feel if your husband ignored you for years, wouldn't even bother to buy you a five-million-dollar gift, but spent hundreds of millions on another woman who was a prostitute without batting an eye?

"Heh...haha..." She couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Your abilities are getting better and better, it seems you're becoming more and more confident as a councilor!"

The more rational his wife appeared, the more uneasy Takasaki Hiroshi felt.

He knew that this time, his self-disclosure had really angered his wife.

However, he himself brought all these problems upon himself, and he knew that he was reaping what he sowed.

"I was just having some fun..." he muttered shamelessly, then quickly changed the subject. "Luna has been indebted to me for many years, and our interests are intertwined, so she probably won't betray me. However, her former colleagues might be a different story. Some of them will definitely be jealous of her good fortune, so they might secretly spread rumors about her and me. The worst part is that there's no way to completely prevent this. That's the tricky part."

A sex scandal is embarrassing for a politician, but for Hiroshi Takasaki, who has a strong base in his constituency, it's not a big problem.

However, when it comes to money, it's a different story—you only have so much property under your name, and your annual income is completely "public," so how can you afford to spend so much money in brothels? And how can you spend hundreds of millions in cash just on a single hostess? Where did all this money come from? And why can you squander it so easily?

Some things go unnoticed until they're weighed, but once they're on the scale, they become incredibly important.

At the very least, faced with the ensuing accusations and doubts, Hiroshi Takasaki found it difficult to explain himself.

Given the Takasaki family's connections in the political and business worlds, suppressing public opinion wouldn't be impossible, but that would be too unseemly. They shouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary, and with political enemies nearby, it could easily cause trouble for them. Therefore, they should use a more subtle approach.

With Takasaki Mio's intelligence, even though Takasaki Hiroshi didn't tell her everything, she could certainly guess most of it.

The husband meant that if things were exposed, he should step forward and act as a shield.

On the one hand, by taking the initiative to forgive her husband from the perspective of the "first victim," she gains the upper hand in public opinion; on the other hand, the more important issue of money can also be reasonably explained.

Since Mio Takasaki's family is very wealthy, she can perfectly explain the source of the money by simply insisting that she had her husband help her spend it.

As for how many people actually believe she would generously spend money to hire a female escort for her husband... regardless of whether others believe it or not, the matter can be explained away.

And that's how crucial her cooperation is.

After figuring all this out, Takasaki Mio felt not only a sense of relief at the sudden realization, but also immense anger.

Although the discord between the Takasaki couple is practically an open secret in their circle, if she were to publicly stand up for her husband, her forbearance and the humiliation of her compromises would be laid bare before the public, making it the biggest joke of her life.

"So, you want me to go up to the press conference stage and tell the world that I acquiesced to all those things you did, and that I paid for all the money you spent...is that it?" She took a deep breath and then asked her husband.

His wife bluntly pointed out their unspoken understanding, which made Takasaki Hiroshi a little uneasy, but he could only nod slightly.

"How could you say that!" Takasaki Mio almost shouted. "You've made me suffer so much in my life, and in the end, you want me to bear the ridicule of the world for you! How could you do that!"

Hiroshi Takasaki was not surprised by his wife's emotional breakdown. He simply bent down slightly and faced his wife with an attitude of submission that he hadn't shown in many years.

“Mio, I know this has caused you trouble… so I can give you the compensation you deserve. You can have as much as you want, as long as it’s within my means.”

"You've caused trouble! Is this your assessment? Is this also the conclusion of our twenty-year marriage?" Takasaki Mio was even more furious. "Fine, then do you want me to die so you can die too? For politicians, suicide is the best way to clear their name! You want others to sacrifice themselves, so why don't you sacrifice yourself? Don't say you're worried about losing your seat, I'll run for you! With Dad and the support group, as long as I run, the Takasaki family won't lose their seat. How about that? Is that idea good enough?"

Objectively speaking... this is indeed a good idea, but of course it is something that the Takasaki father and son cannot accept.

Former Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa was forced to resign in 2009 due to a scandal and subsequently committed suicide that same year. His wife, Ikuko Nakagawa, ran for office in her original constituency in 2012 and succeeded her husband as a member of parliament… Even more bizarrely, Nakagawa's father, Ichiro Nakagawa, also mysteriously committed suicide in the bathroom in 1983. At that time, Nakagawa prematurely ended his career by resigning from his bank job and successfully running for office, thus preserving the family business. From a member of parliament to suicide, it's a double "following in his father's footsteps."

So although Mio Takasaki was just saying it out of anger, it wasn't impossible for her to achieve it... it's just that Hiroshi Takasaki wasn't aware of it...

Hiroshi Takasaki knew that his wife was at the height of her anger, and that provoking her further would only backfire.

But he also knew that she would eventually calm down.

65, Three generations under one roof

Time ticked by, and Takasaki Mio's heavy breathing gradually calmed down, as if reason had regained control of her mind.

"Mio, don't say such hurtful things." Takasaki Hiroshi knew the time was right, so he finally spoke again, "I know I'm very sorry, but don't joke about life and death..."

“I’m not joking. I really wish you would kill yourself right now, so I could say a few nice things to your ashes,” Takasaki Mio interrupted him.

"Let's put our bickering aside for now and talk about serious matters." Takasaki Hiroshi didn't press the issue further but sighed softly. "Our family is at a critical juncture where we either move forward or fall behind. If something really happens to me, it will inevitably affect Jun as well. I know you're not one to act impulsively; you should understand this..."

Seeing her husband's leisurely manner, Mio Takasaki couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. She knew that her husband was using their son to manipulate her.

However, this was to be expected.

Although she was still furious about her husband's actions, she couldn't act impulsively when it came to her son.

While it may feel satisfying to stand idly by when your husband is in serious trouble, that is definitely not the right thing to do.

However, the thought of her husband's unbridled misdeeds, and the fact that she had to swallow her anger, filled her with a lingering sense of nausea.

Reason and disgust were tearing at each other, leaving her speechless for a moment.

Hiroshi Takasaki knew how his wife was feeling, so he didn't say anything to upset her. Instead, he fell silent and waited for her to figure things out on her own.

After a long while, he finally heard a soft sigh.

"You know what I'll choose. But if I just do things your way without any discussion, I'll be unhappy."

"How do you want to calm down?" Takasaki Hiroshi asked quickly. "I already said I'll make it up to you as much as I can—"

"How exactly did that Miss Luna manage to squeeze so much money out of you?" Takasaki Mio suddenly asked. "There are plenty of young and beautiful girls out there. If she didn't have some real skills, she wouldn't be able to make you spend so much money on her, right?"

This seemingly unrelated question immediately made Takasaki Hiroshi look troubled.

"Let's stick to the facts and not involve outsiders..." he said softly.

"What if I get involved? We've already spent 500 million yen of our family's money, can I still be considered an outsider?" Takasaki Mio laughed sarcastically. "That's 500 million yen! You're indifferent to me, but you've never been this generous to your son!"

Hiroshi Takasaki immediately looked embarrassed. "This isn't the same thing... Jun is still young, we can't let him have so much money, otherwise..."

“Otherwise, if someone gets used to extravagance and indulges in sensual pleasures at a young age, they’ll be ruined…right?” Takasaki Mio drawled out, sneering as she spoke.

Although this is a valid argument, it seems ironic when compared to the reality of the Takasaki family. After all, if it's about extravagance and debauchery, the father could easily be the son's tutor—so it's particularly ironic when Takasaki Hiroshi says such things.

In front of his father, Hiroshi Takasaki was meek and submissive, never daring to talk back when scolded, looking like a doormat. But he didn't have that much patience in front of others.

But today, facing his wife's fierce criticism, he knew he was in the wrong, so he could only bow his head, which was unusual for him.

"That's not what I meant..."

"I don't care what you mean, and I don't want to make things difficult for her. After all, a prostitute isn't worth targeting. If I'm going to hate anyone, it should be you, the one who started this. Make her return the 500 million to me, that's my condition." Takasaki Mio coldly interrupted him.

Hiroshi Takasaki gasped.

Luna just opened her store last year, and the nightclub is still in the initial stage of operation. Her cash flow is very tight, let alone 500 million, she may not even be able to come up with 100 million in cash.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly ask the other party for money—if a dignified councilor were to ask a courtesan for money for drinks, wouldn't he become a laughing stock in the entire circle?

Ultimately, I will have to bear this cost myself.

Mio Takasaki must have known this too, so she was just deliberately contradicting herself by saying that.

"I don't care how she did it, you have to make her hand over this money, then I'll consider it a sincere apology. Otherwise, let's not talk anymore!"

It seems that he will have to bear all of this himself in the end... The thought that he will definitely not get the 2 billion promised by Yuko Obuchi and that he will have to bleed another 500 million for nothing makes Hiroshi Takasaki feel a little pained.

However, it wasn't that he couldn't afford it. Besides the fan club's open and covert accounts, he also had his own private slush fund. And even more fortunately, he had just made a fortune by shorting the related stocks of Fengchuan Group in advance. He had a way to fill the 500 million hole without alerting anyone.

All problems can be resolved if they can be reduced to financial issues. He also knew that Takasaki Mio wasn't really greedy when she asked him for money; she was just looking for an excuse to save face.

In order for their daughter to marry into the Takasaki family, the Komuro family gave Takasaki Mio a large dowry. Later, after her father-in-law passed away, Takasaki Mio inherited a large sum of money and company shares, making her extremely wealthy.

Although his relationship with his wife had broken down, Takasaki Hiroshi was quite principled in this regard. He never touched his wife's money and did not interfere with how she spent it—of course, this was also because that money would be inherited by his son in the future anyway, so he didn't care.

Even if he were to give his wife another 500 million now, it would simply be a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other, and he would save it for his son in advance, without feeling any psychological pressure.

However, having experienced many ups and downs over the years, even though he had already made up his mind, he still put on a hesitant and conflicted look on his face. In the end, he seemed to agree with great reluctance and pain.

"Alright, I promise you. I'll make sure she comes to apologize to you in person and hands over the 500 million obediently. Are you satisfied now?"

"I don't need her to apologize. Don't let me see her!" Takasaki Mio shouted. "I don't want to make things difficult for her, but I don't want to have anything to do with her either. How you treat her is none of my business, but if I ever hear that name again, don't blame me for turning on you."

In Takasaki Mio's eyes, how could she be compared to a Ginza madam? Even being in the same frame would make her look inferior, let alone having her come in and apologize to her.

In fact, Hiroshi Takasaki knew that his wife would think this way, so he was just trying to show his sincerity. Since his wife refused, he took the opportunity to back down gracefully.

Then just transfer the money to his wife in Luna's name.

"Okay, I understand... I promise I'll never let you hear her again. The money will be transferred to your account in a few days."

This time, Mio Takasaki didn't say anything more, but agreed with silence.

After completing the transaction, the couple remained silent.

Perhaps, they had long since run out of things to say.

It's very late now. Now that the negotiations are over, it's time to rest.

"Well then, it's settled then... Mio, you get some rest." Takasaki Hiroshi had already been sleeping in separate rooms from his wife, so he planned to say goodnight to her and then go back to their respective rooms to wash up and rest.

Mio Takasaki didn't bother with any of the pretense of politeness with her husband. She just glared at him and turned to walk towards her room.

Hiroshi Takasaki didn't seem to care much about this. He shrugged and left, the couple going in different directions back to their respective bedrooms.

===========================

Despite feeling extremely resentful, Mio Takasaki still carefully put on makeup the next morning.

It wasn't that she was really so concerned about her appearance, but rather that her father-in-law was heading to Tokyo today to return to their home here.

Although she and her husband were like strangers, Takasaki Mio still held a certain amount of respect for her father-in-law in her heart.

Of course, this is also because Takasaki Jun took good care of her in Tokyo when she was still alive.

When she finished her makeup and came out of the room, Takasaki and his son had already gotten up. The three of them gathered in the dining room, and the table was already full of breakfast.

As the head of the family, Hiroshi Takasaki picked up a newspaper and held it up in front of him, just like in a classic Japanese scene, deliberately becoming invisible. Meanwhile, Mio Takasaki ate her breakfast while fussing over her son. Although the three of them together weren't exactly cozy, they still managed to create a somewhat normal family atmosphere.

After breakfast, they went about their own business. In the afternoon, the sound of car horns finally rang out outside the gate, signaling to the residents that the true master of the Takasaki family had returned.

Soon, the family of three, who had been prepared, arrived at the front door to solemnly welcome former councilor Jun Takasaki.

As a veteran of the Showa era, Jun Takasaki's aesthetic sense is quite old-fashioned, and his car is just a low-key black Toyota Crown.

Under the watchful eyes of his family, the back window of the car slowly rolled down, revealing Takasaki Jun's aged but still vigorous face.

"father!"

"grandfather!"

The family of three shouted it out in unison.

His face, which had been expressionless, broke into a relieved smile when he saw his only remaining blood relatives. However, when his gaze fell on his son, the smile quickly vanished, replaced by a hint of anger.

Then, the driver got out of the driver's seat, went around to the back seat, and opened the door.

Mio Takasaki also stepped forward and reached out to help the elderly woman.

"Dad, you must be tired after traveling for so long."

"I'm not tired at all. Everyone else is driving, and I can just rest in the back seat." Takasaki Jun smiled at his daughter-in-law and said kindly, "But you, Mio, you've really had a hard time."

These few words contained both comfort and remorse.

In the old man's heart, it was precisely because he had orchestrated this political-business marriage that his daughter-in-law had suffered so much pain over the past 20 years, and he must feel indebted to her.

Of course, what pleased him even more was that Takasaki Mio had raised her grandson so well, which he considered a great service to him. This intensified his sense of indebtedness.

"What are you saying..." Although Takasaki Mio was feeling down, she still forced a smile. "Since we're all family, it's only right that we help each other through thick and thin."

"You've really had a hard time." The old man sighed softly, but said nothing more.

So, with his daughter-in-law's help and his son and grandson following behind, Takasaki Jun returned home together.

After a long time, the Takasaki family was finally together again, with three generations living together. It seemed like it had been a long time since there had been so many people in the living room.

However, despite it being a family reunion, there wasn't much of a festive atmosphere. Everyone seemed preoccupied with their own thoughts, making the atmosphere rather somber.

The first to break the silence was Takasaki Jun. He looked up at the familiar furnishings in the living room, yet a lingering sense of unfamiliarity remained in his heart.

Since his retirement, he has rarely returned to Tokyo in the last ten years or so, so it's normal that he feels out of place.

"It's been over two years since I last left Tokyo... It's really strange. When I was here, I was so dedicated, unwilling to slack off even a little. But after leaving, I felt no attachment whatsoever, and instead, I was very reluctant to go back to Tokyo. Humans are so strange." He sighed. "Perhaps it's because when I was here, I knew that every step I took was rewriting our family's history, so I was full of energy and unwilling to let go for even a moment. But when I left, I knew I had reached my limit and could no longer make any progress, only watch others write their legends, so I didn't want to stay here as a spectator..."

Although he started with Old Deng's usual melancholic and sentimental tone, his words did break the silence.

“You’re not right,” Mio Takasaki said with a smile. “You’ve retired, but the Takasaki family still can’t do without you. Whenever there’s a big event, we still need you to take charge… So, we’re begging you to continue leading this family to even greater heights. How could we allow you to just be a spectator?”

She deliberately flattered her father-in-law by refuting him, which was full of coquettishness and was an advantage for female juniors.

Old Deng fell for this, and was quickly amused.

"Mio, I'm already old and frail. It's too much to expect me to go into battle. Can't you let me rest properly?"