Chapter 362: The Problem That Existed From the Start

Shibuya—located between Minato and Setagaya in Tokyo—is one of the six central wards, alongside Minato, Chiyoda, Shinjuku, Bunkyo, and Chuo. It's not only a bustling hotspot but also the origin of many fashion trends.

And right in the heart of Shibuya stood a thirty-story office building—Rinji's extravagant gift to Garuda.

As for how much it cost…

Rinji honestly didn't remember. He just knew there were a lot of zeros involved.

A sedan pulled into the parking lot outside the building. Rinji, now in casual clothes, and Garuda, still wearing her black sailor uniform, stepped out.

"We're here. Are your parents already upstairs?"

"Yeah. They're on the fifteenth floor now."

"Got it."

As they entered the building, the security guards didn't stop them—they knew who Rinji and Garuda were.

The guards had black sclera, a clear sign they were part of the Wu clan. On the second day after Garuda received the building, members of the Wu clan were already stationed there.

The elevator rose steadily until it stopped at the fifteenth floor.

Since the building was newly bought, it was mostly empty—just some carpeted flooring and a few simple desks.

When they stepped out and turned the corner into an office space, several Wu clan members were already waiting.

At the center sat Wu Huili'ang, supporting his frail frame with a cane.

Surrounding him were several members of the clan. The most eye-catching among them was a beautiful woman in a kimono who looked under thirty and always had her eyes narrowed, and a middle-aged man in a suit.

What made the middle-aged man stand out was that he was the only one in the group without black sclera—he had normal human eyes.

Rinji had seen most of the Kure clan before—names like Kure Horio, Kure Hollis, whom he encountered during Kengan matches.

Even Kure Raian was there.

"Grandpa!!"

Seeing Erioh, Karura cheerfully ran up to him.

"Oh, Karura, you're here. Have you been happy lately?"

The old man's stern face instantly softened upon seeing Karura.

"Of course! Especially on weekends when I stay over at Rinji's house."

"Th-that so…"

Though Erioh was smiling and patting Karura's head, his heart was clearly breaking.

"Yeah, I'm really happy when Karura stays at my place too."

"You brat, no one asked you!"

"Huh? It's been so long, and you still haven't accepted it?"

"Shut up!!"

Erioh buried his face in his hands, crying like a stubborn child despite being nearly a hundred years old.

"My adorable great-granddaughter Karura used to always return to the clan home on weekends. Now she never comes back and runs to your place every weekend. Curse you!!"

"…"

"Don't you have anything to say, brat!?"

"Oh."

"Oh my ass!!"

"If you're always this mad, there's nothing I can do. Kids eventually leave the nest," Rinji said, watching Erioh turn purple with rage. "Why not think about something happy?"

"Like what!?"

"Like… when Karura and I get married."

Pffft!

Erioh spat out blood.

"Please calm down, grandfather."

The beautiful woman in the purple kimono smiled as she consoled the blood-spitting elder.

"As Rinji said, children do leave someday."

"Ughhh! Yakusha, Karura's getting married!!"

"There, there."

After comforting him, she turned toward Rinji and smiled at the blonde youth.

"Hello, Rinji. It's okay to call you that, right?"

"Of course. Are you… Karura's mother?"

"Yes. My name is Kure Yakusha. I'm currently a teacher at Koyo Girl's Academy," she said with a smile. "I actually heard about you from some of my students at the gym."

"Huh?"

Rinji paused, then remembered—it had been a while since he last visited the gym.

Two of the girls he met back then were from Koyo.

"They even showed me your photo. Said it's been ages since you last went."

"Yeah… I've been busy."

Between student council work and other side matters, Rinji had pretty much stopped going. He had even forgotten he had a membership.

"I also watched some of your matches," Yakusha smiled. "You're really strong. No wonder Karura likes you."

Overall, Yakusha seemed very satisfied with her prospective son-in-law.

Whether in terms of wealth, power, or strength, Rinji was top-tier—practically perfect.

But this also presented a problem.

"Hello, can I call you Rinji as well?" asked the middle-aged man.

"Of course. Are you Karura's father?"

"Yes. I'm Kure Hanjiro," he replied.

He wasn't originally part of the Kure clan—just a former elite hitman. After marrying Kure Yakusha, he took her family name and joined the clan.

After all, marrying into the Kure clan, especially into the direct line of the clan head, required the man to take the wife's name.

And that's the issue Rinji would have to face.

Karura was the great-granddaughter of the clan head. Marrying her meant he would be expected to take the Kure name too—but Rinji wasn't an ordinary man.

His background and power dwarfed even the Kure clan's. So there was no way he'd marry into their family like a traditional groom.

"Cough, aside from settling the handover for the office floor," Erioh cleared his throat, "there's… one more thing I wanted to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"Since you're going to be Karura's future husband, that makes you the future head of the Kure clan too."

At this point, Erioh expression turned serious.

"You should know—Kure clan's head can't have a different surname."

"..."

Rinji was silent for a moment, then let out a light laugh.

"If it's for Karura, I wouldn't mind giving up everything to be with her."

"In that case—"

"But if you're talking about marrying into your clan, forget it." Rinji smiled. "There's no way I'd change my surname. I'm Takamine now, and I'll always be Takamine."

"I see..."

It was as if Erioh had already expected this answer. He slowly stood up from his chair, his gaze turning menacing. His skin began to turn purple, bulging veins covering it as killing intent poured out.

"Then what if I refuse to approve your relationship with Karura?"

"Refuse?"

As if he'd heard a joke, Rinji chuckled coldly, his pupils quickly turning crimson.

"You can try."

In an instant, the previously peaceful atmosphere turned chilling and oppressive.