Chapter 504, Yamamoto Okagi

It has been a long time since we last saw each other, but he still looked the same as I remembered. Knowing that he had not recognized the wrong person, Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief and straightened his back.

Zero looked up at him in confusion, so Zhuo whispered in a voice that the other person couldn't hear: "He's Yurina's father."

"Long time no see, I'm Utsunomiya. Since I was still very young, you may not recognize me."

After taking a closer look at that man - Yurina's father, Yamamoto Okagi, his face, which was said to be unapproachable, softened a little.

"It's Utsunomiya-san. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Ahahaha, after all I looked lifeless when I was a kid."

"That's not what I meant... I meant that you look great when you face others right now, so don't belittle yourself."

Yurina often complains about Okagi's strict discipline, but Okagi seems to like Zhuo very much and is happy to see the changes in Zhuo.

When it comes to his daughter, Zhuo can't say whether Okagi's discipline is good or bad. As far as Zhuo is concerned, Yurina's personality is the type that is more ruthless, and she is the type that will shock everyone when she makes a decision. In this case, it might be better for someone to keep an eye on her.

Looking back, Okamura was always a gentle and reasonable person in other occasions. Zhuo had never been averse to talking to him since he was very young, and strictly speaking, he felt that he was quite friendly.

This emotion was probably because when Okagi talked to him, he didn't use the tone of coaxing a child like other adults - this kind of thing that he used to feel close to, now made Zhuo feel a little embarrassed after hearing Okagi's admiring tone and eyes.

Then, Okagi turned his gaze to Zero and asked:

"Who is this lady?"

"Ah, I forgot to introduce her. She is my married woman."

Zhuo was a little too polite in his introduction, probably because he hadn't yet mastered the distance between him and Okagi. There was nothing I could do about it, because now when I look back, I realize that I was too "self-righteous" when I was a kid, and I actually thought I was on the same level as my friend's parents when we talked. Now it's quite difficult and embarrassing to meet and communicate with them.

Zhuo felt Ling's curiosity and confusion. Perhaps she noticed Zhuo's hesitation, but she did not point it out on the spot. She just lowered her head and greeted him.

To Zero, Okaki is a strange male, so she treats him as an outsider, but judging from Okaki's personality, this should be the right thing to do.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Utsunomiya Rei. Just as Zhuo introduced me just now, I'm his wife."

"You're welcome. I'm Yurina's father, Yamamoto Okagi."

Okagi also bowed politely and glanced at Zhuo.

It felt like there was a chill in that look, as if to say "you're amazing", but he pretended not to notice and responded with a gentle smile.

"I see... I didn't expect you to be married. That's surprising because I haven't heard anything about it."

"Yurina didn't say anything?"

"She hasn't talked to me for a long time. Maybe she feels there's nothing to talk about?"

"Well, I think I usually tell my parents about my friends' romances."

Zhuo thought with emotion: From this point of view, the relationship between Yurina and her father has been deadlocked for a long time, but it was not obvious when they were in high school.

"Being able to marry Utsunomiya-san after graduation... this means that I have received a lot of care from you in my daily life. I'm sorry."

"That's not true. It was Zhuo who was taken care of by Yamamoto-san."

"That being said, she has caused you some trouble, right?"

"No. Yamamoto has helped us a lot. I hope our friendship with Yamamoto-san will continue in the future."

Don't they usually just call 'Yurana Yamamoto' by her name? - Zhuo didn't complain "Zero, you know how to be polite", but just listened quietly to Zero's praise, while Okagi sighed.

"…Utsunomiya-san, it's great that you found such an excellent wife."

"No, thank you for the compliment."

"Hahaha, I was still wondering how I was going to explain to you about my useless dog girl's current state. Now I have no worries at all."

"That was just a joke when we were kids. Don't take it seriously now!"

Ling's transparent white cheeks clearly revealed curiosity, probably because he didn't expect that there would be such a thing between Zhuo and his friend's father.

With her intelligence, she could easily guess the general situation from the few words and her understanding of Zhuo - well, it was probably the story of Zhuo joking with Yamamoto's father when they were young, about entrusting their daughter to him. If she thought about the fact that Zhuo had been staring at her legs when she first met him, there might be something more to it.

She lowered her eyes calmly, then without letting Okagi notice, she used her palm to launch a direct attack on the back of Zhuo's hand.

Zhuo smiled secretly. The gentle patting didn't hurt, but it made Zhuo feel cute and raised the corners of his mouth.

"It's great that you two are on good terms. Although it's a good thing, such behavior makes a good antique like me feel uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry, I'll pay attention. By the way, uncle, are you here to see me today?"

"No, that's what I was planning... How should I put it, the atmosphere here makes it hard to get in."

"what……"

Okagi, who can teach his daughter in a strict way, must have little interest in life and entertainment, and has no idea about comics and games. If he walks into Akihabara like this, it will be difficult for him to stay here.

"If I were here, it would be difficult for those young people. After all, this is how I look."

"You're joking. I think there's nothing wrong with your appearance. Or rather, it's not your appearance that's the problem, but your temperament doesn't belong here. Can you wait for me for a moment? Although this is my own shop, I also need to tell my wife a few things."

"No, how can I disturb you? It's rare for couples to have free time, and... it's time for you to rest now."

"……Yes."

"I don't want to be a burden to you. I would be ashamed if I did."

Seeing Okagi's embarrassed smile, Zhuo also lowered his eyebrows, but did not force further. Although Zhuo was not sure about the fact that Uncle Okagi came to find him, he probably knew that it was because of Yurina's recent situation, and he also knew that he came to seek his help because he really had no other choice.

Even though he understood it in his heart and knew that it would be difficult to really help, Zhuo still couldn't help but hope to eliminate the gap between them. Although this was just his wishful thinking as a friend.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I'll go take a walk around the neighborhood. Maybe I really can't keep up with the changes of the times."

"But……"

"Because I don't want to disturb others. You guys should have a good rest."

After saying that, Okamura left without waiting for Zhuo and the others to stop him. Zhuo sighed softly.

"...Yura Yamamoto...?"

(Ah——Just now I was calling you Yamamoto-san, Zero-san.)
"Well... I've heard Ren talk about this before. It seems that Yurina has started to take a different path. Frankly speaking, I can understand Uncle Okagi's behavior. I can even say that I agree with him. The times are progressing. Whether it's good or bad, there are differences between men and women. Uncle Okagi is like me. He certainly can't stand Yurina becoming a different person."

Even though Zhuo and Okagi had only a few opportunities to interact and communicate, his serious and conservative character could still be seen.

Zhuo couldn't blame him at all on this point.

On the other hand, Yurina herself did nothing wrong. In the environment of Neon, people in elementary and middle schools already boast about their "experience". Yurina was such a popular girl, and she was able to study diligently and go to university. Even Zhuo, who had "conservative oriental ideas", could not find anything wrong with her.

He was able to date Zero in high school and get married after graduation. And Yurina was even still choosing a boyfriend, so there was nothing wrong with that.

Although Yurina is not a person who follows the rules, she is not careless either. She is also a person bound by her own principles.

Neither of them wants to be forced into a framework by the other, and it is impossible for them to listen to what the other says, so conflicts are bound to arise.

However, if there is a result that can allow Yurina to fall in love freely and get the approval of Uncle Okagi, the answer is naturally no.

Yurina is already an adult, and although Uncle Okagi is a little inflexible, his behavior is still within the scope of common sense.

"Yurina's own standards are high. She usually communicates with male classmates around her, and I've never heard that she likes anyone... Uncle Okagi's requirements are naturally higher. It's unlikely that Yurina can find a man who can be recognized by him. And he doesn't mean to embarrass Yurina with malicious intent, he just hopes to be entrusted to someone he recognizes. It is precisely because of this, because there is no other way, that we are in a deadlock... Eh?"

"impossible."

"Well, I didn't say anything."

"That won't work either. It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust Yamamoto Yurina. She will definitely turn her fake behavior into reality."

"...No way. Okay."

If Yurina could find someone that Uncle Okagi would approve of, he would have approved of him long ago.

It is not advisable for parents to interfere too much in their children's relationships, but it is understandable that parents want their children to find better partners.

Although Uncle Okagi didn't mention this much... Although he might be taking himself too seriously by saying this... But he might...

Zhuo usually doesn't realize that Yurina and Okagi have such high expectations of him. But this incident shows that he has such a feeling.

No wonder Okamura no longer seeks his help.

But it is not necessary to pick Zhuo. There is another childhood sweetheart who left a deep impression on Okagi - that is Kiritani Jin, who is still at his own pace.

"It would be nice if Ren could find a way to get Yurina. But it's a pity that he couldn't do that."

"Is that so... I'm not trying to stir up trouble. I think they are a perfect match and have been together since childhood. If you have to pretend to be my boyfriend, I'll feel bad."

"It won't work. Uncle Okagi has seen what we are like, he won't believe it. It will probably remain a stalemate until one of them compromises or reaches a consensus. The only thing that worries me is..."

"?"

Zhuo sighed again. Ling held Zhuo's arm and tilted his head, expressing his doubts wordlessly.

"I'll tell you a secret. When you celebrated my birthday, I was worried for a while because I wasn't sure if it was true. You know I'm a bad person, timid and cowardly, so..."

"so."

"Eh? Zero, your voice is a little cold?"

"I remember I found you in the Internet cafe that day. That's what happened before, right?"

“Sound, sound! Ok, okay, don’t look at me like that. I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I didn’t feel anything at the time, and I forgot about it later... Actually, before going to the internet cafe, I made an appointment with Yuri, pain, pain—”

Although Zhuo cried out in pain, she did not actually pull her arm away and hide aside. Instead, she allowed Ling to pinch the flesh hanging under her arm while looking pitiful towards her.

"…Yurina really gave me a fright after that."

"She confessed to you?"

"Well, that's not the case. It has nothing to do with that. She and I are not that kind of relationship. She prefers Ren, and we are buddies. Um - but I was really shocked at the time. She said she could help me get angry with you, meaning that you should care about me more and pay attention to me. So she suggested doing that together. Oh ~ Although I don't understand it, it's really a sense of loyalty. It's precisely because of this that I worry about her, worried that she will really do something irreparable, because sometimes she is really out of line... Why are you looking at me like that?"

It is because Zhuo knows that Yurina, who appears to be well-behaved and quiet in school, is actually a very unconventional girl who agrees with the Japanese high school students' concept of love, that he is worried about her. He is worried that she will really do something that she will regret in a fit of anger. However, Ren should be able to stop it.

Zhuo just hoped so.

But for some reason, I thought that saying these words would make Zero unhappy, but I didn't see what I imagined. Or rather, it was the opposite. Zero looked at me with a gentle look.

After the lunch break, they got a short break and rested together in the lounge. Then when they woke up, they found that there were queues in front of and outside the store that were longer than the ones in the morning when they sold breakfast.

When they sell breakfast, they occasionally look at other shops to see if they are busy. However, the business is even more lively now than in the morning, probably because of the good reviews that have spread like wildfire.

Anyway, it would be best not to be attracted by "a super beautiful waitress wearing an apron and long skirt".

Even if he was mentally prepared, it was still uncomfortable. Zhuo didn't want others to focus all their attention on Ling, so he rushed here after hearing the news.

(End of this chapter)