Another month passed by before Sato was finally able to return to Tokyo. They still had to film several other scenes but those required special sets that could only be done in a studio.
In the meantime, Asakura had successfully taken care of all his projects and even managed to gain two big clients. One of those was Osuma Consultancy, a company which Asakura had initially avoided.
Osuma Consultancy’s President had asked for a collaboration several times before, but Asakura refused every time. However, since they’ve been growing too much on the market lately, garnering a lot of attention from the media, he couldn’t turn a blind eye to their request any longer.
That day he was meeting with the President of said company in order to finalize the details of a possible contract. If they agreed on the terms, they could sign the papers right away. If not, they could simply shake hands and call it a day. It sounded simple, but in reality, it was more like a battle of wits between giants.
Wondering why a high and mighty President would ask a measly Managing Director for this meeting? Well, that was mainly because their relationship was rather special.
“Ryuu m’boy! Look at how much you’ve grown!”
The President of Osuma Consultancy carried himself with confidence as he entered Asakura’s office. He was around forty-five years old, with a large body but without being fat. It was clear that he had been working out since he was young and he still kept an active lifestyle. One could see the muscles flexing through the elegant grey suit he was wearing. He wasn’t extremely handsome, but his face carried a certain manly charm.
At the sight of the man’s poorly contained enthusiasm, Asakura’s face instantly scrunched up in irritation. A deep frown appeared between his eyebrows and one corner of lips began to twitch. For a split second, he appeared to be undecided whether to hit the person in front of him, or flee from his own office so as not to be forced to be in the same space as that man.
In the end, it appeared that years of cultivating his self-control finally paid off. Asakura’s internal struggle eventually ended with him clenching his jaw and grinding out a greeting.
“Uncle Shibata.”
“So, you still know that I’m your uncle, ey?!”
Ikemoto Shibata laughed heartily, but the expression of myrrh didn’t seem to reach his eyes. He stared at the younger man with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
“Of course, I remember… uncle. You keep reminding me whenever we meet, so how can I forget?” Asakura retorted mockingly.
“Now, now. There’s no reason to be angry. We’re here to talk business, aren’t we? Then, let’s talk business.”
“Of course.” Asakura nodded, then turned towards his secretary. “Tachibana, please bring us the documents. After that you can leave. I’ll call if we need anything.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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After the documents were brought and Tachibana took his leave, the uncle and nephew pair remained quiet for a while. Asakura hesitated before finally getting up from his desk and taking a seat across from Shibata.
The two stared at each other for the next couple of minutes, neither one wanting to be the first to speak. They challenged each other with their eyes, until Asakura finally couldn’t stand it any longer.
“This is stupid and we’re wasting precious time!” He snapped. “Let’s get it over with quickly! I have an important date this evening and I don’t want to be late.”
An hour later, the two men were sitting in the same places as before, glaring openly at each other. All the documents Tachibana had brought were scattered on the table as if a hurricane had tussled them around. Some papers even had tares around the corners. It was clear as daylight that these two powerful men failed to come to an agreement.
“Let’s just stop.” Asakura finally couldn’t stand the situation anymore. He leaned back in his armchair and waved a hand in annoyance. “Since we can’t see eye to eye, perhaps we should take it as a sign that we’re not meant to do business together.”
“Ah, how can you say that? I’m hurt!” His uncle feigned a pained expression.
“Hmpf! As if I’d ever believe something is capable of hurting that non-existent heart of yours.”
The other man merely smiled, tapping his index finger against his chin and gazing pensively at his nephew. After a little while, he opened his mouth and spoke in a casual, almost disinterested tone.
“Ryuu, some news has reached my ears recently that you’ve been dabbing in the movie industry.”
Hearing this, Asakura flinched. The gesture was almost imperceptible, but the old fox of a man caught it immediately. Shibata’s eyes narrowed and a sly smile appeared on his lips.
“Could it be that a young performer has caught your attention?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Asakura tried to maintain a calm appearance. Inside, however, he was raging. He never wanted his family to find out about Sato. Especially not this sly bastard of an uncle.
“Hmm.” Shibata hummed, feeling even more satisfied with Asakura’s tense reaction.
Just like a fox delighting in catching an extremely juicy prey, he licked his lips and continued to speak in a breezy tone of voice. He had the overall air of someone who was chatting about something completely unimportant.
“Perhaps it’s not any of my business, but Ryuu, weren’t you the one who said that you hated me and your dad for always supporting young singers and dancers? What did you say back then?” He paused as if recollecting something long forgotten, his index finger rhythmically tapping on his chin. “Ah, yes! You said that our patronage was disgusting and that we should be ashamed of ourselves. You were also kind enough to call us ‘sugar daddies’ and proceeded to accuse us of disgracing those young people by paying them for such and such services.”
“Mn, indeed I said that, and I am not taking any of it back. What you did all those years ago was despicable.”
“Well, I can understand why you would think that about your dad. After all, he did cheat on your mother with all those young women. But what about me? What did I do wrong? M’boy I wasn’t even married then and. Not to mention that I was at the pinnacle of youth. Young and rich, I was quite a catch.” Shibata sighed affectedly. “Young people sure know how to criticize, but look at you now. Isn’t this being a hypocrite?”
“I’m nothing like you…uncle!”
Asakura spit out the last word like it was an insult. Then, realizing he was being played with, he instantly recollected his usual cold composure.
“Regardless of any of that, I don’t understand what my private business has to do with you.”
“Nothing, m’boy. Nothing at all.” Shibata laughed heartily. “Let’s just call it an old man’s curiosity acting up, if you will.”
“If there’s nothing else…”
“Just one more thing.” Shibata interrupted, his smile becoming even more pronounced. “I suggest you pay close attention to that person. A pretty boy like him might be snatched away from you in an instant if you’re not careful.”
Without waiting for Asakura to understand the meaning behind his words, Shibata got up and walked towards the door.
Just before he could touch the doorknob, Asakura’s brain finally caught up. He jerked awake from his daze and sprang to his feet. In three long strides he was already in front of the other man. He grabbed him by the collar of his suit jacket and pressed him against the door.
“If you touch so much as a single hair on his head, you’ll be sorry we’re related!” Asakura growled threateningly. He was boiling with fury to the point of almost seeing red.
“Relax, m’boy.” Shibata snickered. “I’ve long given up the old ways. Just consider this to be fatherly advice. He seems to be a good person, so I have nothing against him.”
“You’ve even investigated him?! YOU BASTARD!” Asakura roared, feeling about to faint from anger. He squeezed the man’s collar with his fingers until his knuckles turned white.
“Well, I had to know what kind of person had my nephew so entranced. Up until recently you were the only heir to the family. Even if you didn’t care for it, everyone else was worried. But luckily, your aunt has given birth to a baby boy. Your cousin will take over the family business in the future, so you can go about your life as you’ve always done.”
“Good for you!” Asakura snarled. “You can take that business and stick it up your ass!”
With that, he pushed himself away from that person, afraid that he might really do something drastic if he continued to remain close.
Shibata, on the other hand, burst into a hearty laughter, shaking his head with relish.
“This temper of yours… I’ve always loved it! You are nothing like your father, who was more of a softie than even your mother.” He sighed. “Too bad you denied the position you were offered. You could have been a terrific Boss.”
The older man tidied his clothes and waved a hand elegantly. Then, he opened the door and stepped outside the office appearing to be completely stress-free. It was as if the earlier brawl had never happened. Before the door closed behind him, though, he left a few parting words.
“Be careful, Ryuu. As much as you wish to deny it, your blood is the same as mine. Unless you die and get reincarnated, that aspect will never change. Also, expect a present from me soon.”
The sound of the door closing came with a loud clunk, shutting out that person’s last words.
Asakura remained in the middle of his office, staring dumbfoundedly at the entrance. His emotions were still pretty riled up, but after hearing those final words he felt more confused than anything. What was that about their blood being the same? And also, what present was Shibata talking about?
‘Well, if it’s him, then it must be something nasty. One cannot expect anything good from a man like him.’ Asakura grumbled internally, suddenly feeling very disappointed for not punching his uncle at least once.
A/N: So, there’s finally some hints regarding Asakura’s family. Even a close family member appeared 
I had so much fun writing uncle Shibata.
Curious about the present~
Thank you for the chapter 💜
Let’s just say that it will be rather… unexpected 😅 😂
💜💜💜
punch him if he dares touch our Sato!
thanks for the chapter <3
Oh Asakura will have no qualms in doing just that XD
<333