Ch 48: The man under the tree.

It was always about hierarchies and whether one was 'good enough' when it came to Chairman Harada. If someone failed to meet his expectations, they could be easily discarded.

Kentaro couldn't help but think of Izuki when pondering this. It stirred a sense of anger within him, though he couldn't deny that his half-brother and sister were also victims of their father's neglect.

While the rest of the family merely tolerated Izuki and Suzuki, Satoshi's treatment of Izuki was so cold that one would question whether he was truly his son. As for Suzuki... Kentaro often suspected that their father simply forgot he had a daughter.

"Is that all?"

Satoshi finally broke his silence after Kentaro finished speaking. There was no trace of concern on his face, as if Kentaro's words had merely drifted through one ear and out the other.

"Are you finished with your little tantrum?"

Kentaro stared at his father as if he were an alien. Even the disdainful smile on his face faltered, and for a moment, he was even at a loss for words.

A tantrum?

That's how Chairman Harada dismissed Kentaro's heartfelt opinions.

Satoshi was the one who had asked how Kentaro felt. He had been so eager to understand why his son was dissatisfied. Yet, now that Kentaro had poured his heart out, his father labeled it as a mere 'tantrum'.

"The only thing I gather from this is that you felt neglected and sought attention," Satoshi rested his elbows on the desk, intertwining his fingers in front of his face as if in deep contemplation. "But now that I'm giving you attention, you're rejecting it. Isn't that rather childish?"

Was he serious?

Kentaro didn't know how else to respond. He had never witnessed such an astounding level of indifference. It was as if he had been speaking to himself all along.

How could he find satisfaction, when his father didn't even listen?

With an empty expression, Kentaro opened his mouth to retort but ultimately closed it. He turned his back on Satoshi and left the office without uttering another word.

Chairman Harada leaned back in his plush chair and swiveled around to face the grand French windows behind him. True to form, he observed his son's figure, a combination of bewilderment and frustration, descending the stone staircase that led away from the mansion.

Kentaro paused for a moment to breathe, before choosing a random direction that didn't lead to the cottage. He probably didn't want his mother to witness his current state.

Watching his son for a few more minutes, Satoshi pondered on Kentaro's words. He couldn't grasp the point his son was trying to make. He refused to believe that Kentaro genuinely preferred living among commoners in some insignificant town rather than embracing his rightful place as one of the Harada heirs. It was preposterous.

Just the thought of it further fueled Chairman Harada's anger.

At that moment, the intercom on his desk buzzed, abruptly snapping him out of his outrageous thoughts. Satoshi spun around to answer it.

"Yes?"

"Uh... sir..." the voice on the other end sounded hesitant.

Already in a foul mood, Satoshi felt his irritation intensify. "Speak up, what is it?"

"The grand banquet is scheduled for tomorrow, right?"

"Are you asking to get fired? Get to the point!"

"Well, someone came with the invitation today, but—" the security guard's sentence was cut off as someone in the background instructed him to step aside and took over the conversation.

"Hey now, don't be so harsh. You'll scare away your security personnel," the new voice belonged to someone entirely different from the security guard.

Satoshi felt a vague sense of familiarity in the lazy tone but couldn't quite place it. Adjusting his tone to be more receptive, he asked, "May I ask who I'm speaking with?"

"It's typical of you to forget people. Then again, I haven't been around in a while."

And with that, the new voice fell silent. Before long, the security guard spoke again, "It's Chairman Nakamura, sir."

"..."

Satoshi felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

Nakamura? 'Ryuji Nakamura' Nakamura??

The guy who had invested in forty percent of IEL's projects, practically had the entire Harada family under his control? That guy??

"You.... WHY ARE YOU KEEPING THEM WAITING AT THE ENTRANCE? LET THEM THROUGH!!!"

He directed his anger at the startled security guards on the other side. They knew exactly who Chairman Nakamura was, and how revered he was by numerous companies. They were well aware of the stark differences between the Harada and Nakamura families - in wealth and status. They knew that Ryuji outranked their own boss by far.

But could the security guards have simply let him in without informing the household owners first? They hadn't been notified of any visitors today, so of course they were just as shocked, okay?

Ryuji Nakamura, observing the horrified expressions on the security guards' faces, clicked his tongue sympathetically.

"Don't feel bad, I understand you were just doing your job. I actually respect that."

"That... that means a lot, sir," one guard nearly teared up.

"Thank you so much, Chairman," another expressed gratitude.

Ah, this was yet another difference between Chairman Nakamura and Chairman Harada. At least with Mr. Nakamura, you wouldn't constantly feel like trash.

Meanwhile, Satoshi Harada felt an unfamiliar unease creeping in. Why had Ryuji Nakamura shown up out of the blue? Even if he had come for the banquet, that event was scheduled for tomorrow. Why come so early?

Setting those thoughts aside, Satoshi alerted the rest of his family members about the guest and expected everyone to gather in the meeting room within twenty minutes, tops.

Ryuji's unpredictable behavior had no limits. Who knew what kind of trouble he had come to stir up today?

With that thought in mind, a certain ginger-haired troublemaker suddenly crossed Satoshi's mind. He wondered if it was a good idea to let Mr. Nakamura meet that kid.

***

After aimlessly wandering for a while, Kentaro's anger began to dissipate.

Had he really expected so much? This was Satoshi Harada; it would have been more surprising if he had actually listened to his opinions. There was something seriously wrong with that man.

Forget it, if he kept dwelling on it, he might end up going insane. Ken consoled himself and prepared to head back to the little cottage.

But as he was on his way, his attention was caught by a figure in the distance, standing in front of a tall, leafy tree near the mansion. From where Ken stood, he couldn't quite make out who it was, especially without his glasses.

His spectacles had been shattered a long time ago, specifically during his first fallout with Izuki and the Idiots A, B, and C. Yet Ken still hadn't bothered to get a new pair. He hadn't found a reason to use them until now, which was why he had been so unconcerned.

Nevertheless, even without his glasses, Kentaro could see that the person examining the tree in an odd manner was dressed sharply in a charcoal grey suit, blue shirt, and brown leather shoes. He didn't look like a bodyguard or any kind of worker.

In fact, Ken was certain he had never seen this person before.

Slowing his pace, Kentaro watched as the man placed a hand under his chin, seemingly lost in deep contemplation, before suddenly making peculiar hand gestures as if... calculating?

Kentaro: ???

There was no way that elderly man intended to climb the tree, right?

The ginger-haired teenager, who had already experienced his fair share of oddities that day, finally decided to walk away. Maybe he was just overthinking things.

Meanwhile, Ryuji Nakamura clicked his tongue and took off his suit jacket, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

This tree... Could he still climb it? Well, he wouldn't know until he tried.

Casually discarding his jacket on the lawn, Ryuji, the respected Chairman and leader of countless companies, earnestly prepared to scale a random tree.

"Excuse me..."

The sudden voice from behind jolted the elderly man, causing him to startle and press a trembling hand against his pounding heart. Leaning against the tree trunk, his face turned pallid, aghast.

"Jeez, why would you do that to my poor old heart?" Ryuji grumbled, attempting to mask his embarrassment. "Are you some kind of ghost? How on earth did you sneak up on me without a sound?"

It's because you were so absorbed in your calculations; Kentaro mused silently, refraining from voicing his thoughts. Speaking of which, hadn't he mentioned leaving? How had he ended up approaching this strange old man?

Ryuji, upon recognizing the newcomer, snapped his fingers and pointed at the ginger-haired teenager, as though struck by sudden recollection.

"Ah, little Ginger?"

Kentaro raised an eyebrow, silently questioning.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Ryuji sounded mildly disappointed. "Can't blame you, I suppose. The last time we met, you were this tall."

By 'this', Ryuji measured the height from the ground to his knees, an exaggerated gesture to indicate that the last time they had crossed paths, Ken had been just a child.

"Ah..." Kentaro gasped, as if a revelation had struck him.

Ryuji regarded him with an expectant gaze. "You remember?"

However, Kentaro swiftly shattered the man's expectations with a deadpan expression. "Who are you?"

Ai, he truly doesn't recall?

Ryuji brushed off the sting in his chest and smiled through silent tears. Perhaps this was the universe's way of telling him he should have taken action sooner.

"Just now," Kentaro changed the subject as if he had already lost interest in learning the man's identity, gesturing toward the tree instead, "Were you planning to climb up there?"

"That's right," Ryuji scanned the tree once more, a hint of doubt creeping into his expression. "Though, it might be impossible now."

"Why?"

"Why is it impossible?"

"No, why would you even want to climb a tree in the first place?" Kentaro appeared genuinely perplexed. He glanced at the man's well-dressed attire, then at the grimy tree, and finally back at the man's meticulously styled hair, shaking his head slowly.

Ryuji didn't even want to fathom what was going through Kentaro's mind.

"Did you happen to lose something?" Ken inquired once more. Like a kite, a kitten... or his sanity?

"My hat," Ryuji Nakamura stroked his beard and clicked his tongue. "Oh, how I adore that hat. I was just tossing it around, and it got snagged up there by chance. How careless of me."

Just how high was he throwing it? Ken wondered. Yet, his placid expression remained unaltered as he walked closer for a better look. Unable to spot anything from his vantage point, he asked the man, "Do you remember which side you threw it? I might be able to retrieve it for you."

"Is that so?" Ryuji initially appeared pleased, but upon noticing the boy's bandaged hand, he shook his head slowly. "Unfortunately, that won't do. You're injured, child."

"It's nothing," or at least, it was until yesterday. "I'll just go up quickly and search for it."

"Are you certain, though?"

Kentaro nodded, ignoring the twinge of pain in his right arm. Scaling this tree would undoubtedly strain his arm further or worsen his injury, but he couldn't bear to let the old man tackle this alone.

One reason was his nagging conscience, relentlessly pricking at him.

And another reason was the injustice of allowing the man to embark on a futile expedition and sully the pristine, expensive-looking suit he wore.

Having discovered the perfect foothold, Kentaro readied himself to ascend... only to be halted by the elderly man's intervention.

"I didn't think you were serious about lending a hand," Ryuji remarked, a smile playing on his lips. "I made up the story about the hat, you know."

Kentaro regarded him as though he were gazing upon an unnamable heap of... something. Nonetheless, he managed to muster a faint, forced smile in return.

Please, sir, kindly return the concern I had for your imaginary hat.

"Goodness," Ryuji chuckled at the teenager's reaction. "If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under by now."

Brushing off his hands, Kentaro shook his head. "What do you mean? That's just my relieved expression."

Ryuji doubted the truthfulness of that claim but chose not to expose the boy. Retrieving his jacket from the ground, he proceeded to inquire, "Aren't you curious about the true reason I wanted to climb?"

"No, not really—"

"Have you never felt the urge to witness the world from a higher vantage point?" Ryuji feigned deafness and explained nonetheless. "To have a moment to yourself, observing the 'ants' below your feet. It must be tranquil up there."

Kentaro, having climbed countless trees since childhood, could somewhat comprehend the man's sentiment. Yet, if this grandfather figure decided to climb up, wouldn't he simply plummet and shatter his back?

"Well, since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave," Kentaro excused himself with a courteous nod.

He had not yet fully calmed down from his earlier altercation with his father and didn't wish to unleash his frustration on an innocent individual. He even felt a touch of gratitude that the elderly man didn't insist, likely having sensed his mood.

Even so, why did Ken experience a faint sense of familiarity in the man's countenance and actions? Had he been stuck in this place for far too long, that he'd started hallucinating?

Observing the departure of the young man, Ryuji slung his jacket over his shoulder with a remorseful snort. "Ah, it seems the kid truly doesn't remember me. He's grown so much, no wonder."

He then retrieved his buzzing cellphone, swiping the green 'answer' button, yet before he could utter a word, his secretary's voice greeted him first.

"Sir, why did you vanish again?"

Ryuji let out a weary chuckle. "It was only for a short while. Has everyone gathered?"

"They were waiting even before we arrived."

"How meticulous. I'm on my way," he replied before ending the call and nonchalantly making his way toward the mansion.

Hopefully, this wouldn't prove to be too exhausting.

~~~~~~