Suzuki Yuu stood rooted to the spot, lost in thought, and his state was naturally noticed by the man in front of him.
“You… Don’t tell me you don’t know about the Jinguu family?”
“I don’t. I don’t even know who Mizutani Seisen is.”
“Then how did you dare get involved with his daughter!”
“Mm… She’s good-looking, and she pays well, so I went along with it.”
Suzuki Yuu gave half the truth, which made the man before him both angry and amused.
“You really don’t know anything about Mizutani Seisen’s reputation?”
“I don’t, and I don’t care.”
Suzuki Yuu replied simply. He truly didn’t care about this matter.
The only thing that surprised him was that Jinguu didn’t have the same surname as her father.
Could it be a son-in-law married into the family…
Given her family background, that wouldn’t be so unusual.
Hmm… Maybe it’s better not to know too much.
“Seems I’ve lost my composure.” The middle-aged man’s anger suddenly receded like the tide, replaced by a complicated expression—a mix of pity and mockery. “So you really know nothing, just… a pet displayed in the open.”
He straightened his tie, regaining his social composure, and handed over a business card, though the sarcasm in his tone did not diminish:
“Good luck, young man. Don’t let the women of the Jinguu family eat you up and spit you out.”
“Isn’t that kind of a reward?”
Suzuki Yuu teased, but the middle-aged man didn’t reply, as if he’d already assumed the Jinguu family wouldn’t cooperate with him. He adjusted his collar and left.
Suzuki Yuu took the card and glanced at it:
“Hanaue Jun, painter, Ginza Art Exhibition director… What a strange guy.”
He casually stuffed the card into his suit’s inner pocket, deciding not to dwell on the episode any longer. His gaze once again fell on the author’s name attached to that architectural model:
“Mizutani Seisen… Is this Jinguu-senpai’s father? Did he put this model here as a little hobby of the wealthy?”
He muttered to himself, and just then, someone tapped him a few times on the back.
“What are you looking at?”
It was Jinguu Amane’s voice. Suzuki Yuu turned around and said,
“I just got scolded, so I’m calming myself down.”
“Is that so? Want a loving hug?”
“I’ll pass. I don’t want to take advantage or be taken advantage of.” Suzuki Yuu refused without hesitation.
“But weren’t you the one who just said being eaten up and spit out is a reward?”
At these words, Suzuki Yuu took a deep breath, freezing on the spot.
“Uh… How long have you been listening?”
“From the very beginning to the very end.”
“So you just left everything to me like that? What if I agreed to let him cooperate with the Jinguu family?”
“Even if you did, I could always deny it later.”
Her righteous retort left Suzuki Yuu speechless for a moment.
“But I still believe Suzuki-kun can handle it well, and as it turns out, I was right.”
“What an inexplicable trust.”
Jinguu Amane chuckled softly, her gaze drifting over his shoulder to rest on the architectural model. “Looks like you’re interested in that?”
“Just a bit curious.” Suzuki Yuu followed her gaze. “This Mizutani-san—is that your father, senpai? Is there any special meaning behind displaying his work here?”
“No special meaning. My mother just wanted it to be here, that’s all.”
Jinguu Amane explained casually, but Suzuki Yuu still felt something was off.
Could it really be that simple?
“My mom forced my dad to finish this. There’s no artistic sense at all, right?”
“I can’t deny that.” Suzuki Yuu didn’t lie.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“I am. So, can I know?”
Everyone has a gossiping heart; Suzuki Yuu was no exception.
Though he usually chickened out when it came to such matters, if the other person wanted to talk, he didn’t mind listening.
“Of course.” Jinguu Amane seemed to have expected him to ask.
The two of them left the architectural model and walked deeper into the exhibition hall.
“My father used to be a very talented architect.” Jinguu Amane spoke slowly, her tone as calm as if recounting someone else’s story. “Even back in university, his designs were widely praised.”
“And then?” Suzuki Yuu asked.
“Then he met my mother.” Jinguu Amane paused. “To be precise, my mother set her sights on him.”
Suzuki Yuu had a vague premonition.
“At the time, the Jinguu family needed an architect to design a signature building. She looked at the works of many, and finally chose my father.” Jinguu Amane’s voice grew neutral. “At first, it was just business cooperation, but gradually… my mother took an interest in him.”
“An interest?”
“Mm.” Jinguu Amane was blunt. “Since I was little, I was taught to appreciate beautiful things. I believe my mother is the same.”
Suzuki Yuu frowned.
“So…”
“So she started approaching my father, supporting his career, helping him expand his connections, providing all sorts of resources.” Jinguu Amane went on. “My father was still young then, clueless about business tactics, so he was naturally moved.”
“And then they got together?”
“No, because my father had a girlfriend back then, and he still wanted to pursue his dreams.”
Suzuki Yuu fell silent, not expecting such a story.
“Later, my mother made her move.” Jinguu Amane continued, “First, she cut off all of my father’s resources, plunging his career into crisis. Then she found the girlfriend and gave her a sum of money to leave my father.”
“She accepted?”
“What else could she do?”
Jinguu Amane shrugged, her tone as casual as sharing gossip. “My mother is very patient; she’d pester the other party until they agreed.”
“That sounds kind of scary…” Suzuki Yuu couldn’t help but comment.
“Does it?” Jinguu Amane tilted her head. “But my father did end up marrying my mother, and gave birth to a clever daughter like me. No matter how you look at it, he didn’t lose out, right?”
She used Suzuki Yuu’s words against him, leaving him speechless.
To treat family black history as casual table talk—he really didn’t know what to say.
“But honestly, my father’s living pretty comfortably now.” Jinguu Amane continued, “Using the Jinguu family’s resources to work as a civil servant, reading books whenever he wants, daydreaming when he feels like it. Occasionally, when my mother asks for a model, he just slaps something together.”
“Is he happy with that?”
“Who knows.” Jinguu Amane smiled. “He’s never complained, anyway.”
Suzuki Yuu felt this topic was getting weirder and weirder.
“Doesn’t sound like love, more like…” He thought for a moment and replied,
“Taming.”
“A very apt summary. What do you think of it?”
“I have no opinion. Are you telling me this because you want to say you’re the same kind of person, President?”
“No, I’m not. If I really liked someone, I’d want them to fall for me. What about you, Suzuki?”
“Me? I prefer the feeling of conquering everything.”
After Suzuki Yuu said this, the air in the exhibition hall seemed to freeze for a second.
Jinguu Amane blinked, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Hahaha… Suzuki, that was so…” Her shoulders shook with laughter. “So chuunibyou.”
“Ahem…” Seeing she wasn’t playing along, Suzuki Yuu’s face flushed a little. “It’s just an aspiration.”
“So, who is it you want to conquer?”
“Undecided.”
Suzuki Yuu gave a brief reply, then quickly changed the topic:
“Alright, let’s check out the rest of the exhibition. I still want to learn a bit about art.”