Capita Sky Rower, Singapore
"Speaking of which, isn't Mugiho turning 18 soon?" A man spoke, his face bearing a striking resemblance to Mugiho's, though more mature and exuding a natural air of authority.
"Fifteen more days," replied an elegant woman with a graceful demeanor.
"It's been over a year since we last went back, yet that kid doesn't seem the least bit curious," Akifumi Ye sighed helplessly.
Akifumi Nakui also let out a soft sigh. "Got himself a girlfriend and forgot about his mother, huh?"
Despite her words, a gentle smile graced her lips.
"So, are we really not telling him the truth when he turns 18?" she asked after a brief pause.
After some thought, he shook his head. "Well let's just see."
"He's already expanding his own business over there, and he's doing something he genuinely enjoys. If we tell him the truth, he might just lose all motivation."
Mugiho had no idea that his parents were the masterminds behind a vast business empire spanning industries from machinery to agriculture across the globe.
Their influence stretched far and wide—surpassing even the powerful Shinomiya family.
The reason the Mugiho family held such immense power was because his father were the founding members who established the Alan Institute.
The Alan Institute is a global organization dedicated to discovering struggling geniuses and providing them with free support—whether in sports, literature, entertainment, medicine, or technology.
Many of the talents nurtured by the Alan Institute eventually collaborate with it to establish business ventures aligned with their individual skills.
Tokyo Animation Studio, DA, and Garden were just the tip of the iceberg of what the children of Alan had built.
However, this success came at a cost.
His family became a high-profile target, which is why Mugiho father took his wife Nakui's surname, adopting the name "Akifumi" to conceal their true identity from the world and only others some people who know it.
Publicly, they appeared only as successful scholars who constantly traveled abroad an image that helped hide their role in managing a global enterprise and explained why they were always so busy and rarely home.
All of this was done so that Akifumi could live a normal life.
For Mugiho, this revelation would forever change how he saw his family.
Nakui nodded. "You have a point."
"We'll tell him when he's a bit older."
"By the way, how's Yor doing over there? Has she been able to keep things under wraps from Mugiho?" Mugiho father suddenly inquired.
"I'm not sure if she's managed to keep things hidden, but she seems to be enjoying herself over there."
"That's good to hear." Mugiho father nodded approvingly.
After all, they had taken her in with her brother as a child.
Although, for some reason, as she grew older, she started developing in an... unexpected direction.
But as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
"Have you thought of an excuse this time?" Nakui asked.
"Can't you come up with one for a change?" Mugiho father replied, exasperated. "Every time I have to make something up, I feel like the kid is already getting suspicious."
"If I do it, we'll get exposed even faster."
"..." Akifumi Ye shook his head and dropped the topic.
"By the way, Mugiho's manga series are unexpectedly well-received on foreign country as well."
"In such a short time, each volume is already approaching a million sales."
"Well, of course! He's our son, after all!" Nakui said proudly.
'Wasn't this the same woman who was sobbing like a child when she got emotionally wrecked by those very same manga?'
Mugiho father wisely chose not to say this aloud—unless he wanted to get beaten up.
Unaware of her husband's thoughts, Nakui sighed again. "I just wonder how long we'll have to wait before we get to hold a grandchild."
'That escalated quickly.' For once, Mugiho father found himself on the same page.
His eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Hopefully, not too long!"
"That way, even if Mugiho refuses to take over the family business, our grandchild can!"
"I'm still healthy and strong—I can hold out until then."
Before Nakui could even respond, Akifumi Ye added, "Of course, it ultimately depends on their own interests."
"If they're not interested, we won't force them."
Having experienced a childhood devoid of freedom themselves, they didn't want their child to suffer the same fate.
Since they were already managing the conglomerate's affairs, there was no need to expose Mugiho with responsibilities and danger he didn't ask for.
A happy and carefree childhood was far more important.
The same would apply to their grandchildren.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to keep the truth from him, let alone send him off to Japan in the first place.
"I don't think we need to worry about that," Nakui said with a different perspective. "As long as he has more kids, at least one of them will probably be interested in the family business."
Akifumi Ye thought about it and nodded in agreement.
After all, he had always been with just Nakui and their only son, Mugiho.
But their son? He wasn't exactly the most reserved person.
From the information Mugiho father had gathered, there were plenty of girls interested in him.
They had only one son, and that made him a target. If they didn't hide the truth, others would hunt him down, seeking to exploit the family's wealth and power through him.
Worse yet, he would never know if a relationship was genuine or just another scheme for profit.
Inheriting the family businesses meant more than carrying on a legacy—it meant a life of constant calculation, where every decision revolved around gains and losses.
For Mugiho's parents, shielding him from this reality was the only way to protect his future.
But with grandchildren? There would definitely be more than one, and then they could make their own choices.
"Well, let's just let things unfold naturally," Akifumi Ye concluded before frowning in frustration.
'Damn it. I've used almost every possible excuse already.'
'What the hell am I supposed to say this time to explain why we haven't gone back in a year without making him suspicious!?'
———————————————————————
Meanwhile in Japan, Akifumi Mugiho had no idea his parents were fretting over him.
Just as they were thinking about him, he was also thinking about them.
"Honestly, after a year of living without their supervision, I have to admit it's been incredibly freeing..."
"But still, are those two really okay!?"
No matter how busy they were, it made no sense for them to be gone for an entire year without coming home even once.
The only possible explanation Akifumi could think of was that their freedom had been restricted.
His mind wandered to recent news about people getting lured into scams in Myanmar...
"Wait, did they get tricked and end up in that kind of place!?"
He recalled their kind and naive smiles.
"They do seem surprisingly easy to fool..."
Sighing, he shook his head.
Of course, if they had really been trafficked somewhere, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to contact him.
Yet they still called regularly—sometimes once a week, at the longest, once every two weeks.
"I just don't get it." Shoving his thoughts aside, Akifumi stepped off the train.
Earlier, his novel editor Machida had called him about something important.
Most likely, it was related to that so-called "surprise" she had hinted at before.
At this point, he already had a solid guess about what it was.
Since it was just after 4 PM, the subway wasn't too crowded.
As he walked out of the station, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Akifumi-kun?"
"Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
He turned in surprise to find himself walking alongside a familiar girl.
She was dressed in a simple gray short-sleeve top and a matching gray plaid skirt.
Her legs, as always, were clad in sheer black stockings that carried an inexplicable allure.
The last time they had seen each other was back at school before spring break.
Back then, they had only exchanged a brief nod as a greeting.
Now, two months later, she had entered university, her subtle makeup adding a touch of elegance and maturity to her already striking features.