Chapter 79: 79: He Felt Like He Was Capable Again

Once Takashi and Shizuka took their seats, the banquet officially began. Umeno Kentarou was the first to raise his glass. "Come on, let's toast to our reunion after seven years!" Once someone took the lead, everyone followed suit. Takashi also raised his juice glass symbolically. He was still underage. Japanese law states that only those who are 20 or older can legally drink alcohol. Of course, even after turning 20, Takashi would avoid drinking whenever possible. He genuinely didn't understand what was so great about alcohol. "Shizuka, why is your little boyfriend drinking juice? Could it be that he's still underage?" Umeno Kentarou's gaze paused on the juice in Takashi's hand before he smiled and teased. Before Shizuka could respond, Takashi chuckled and said, "If I get drunk, who's going to protect and take care of my sister?" Shizuka felt a warmth in her heart when she heard that, even though she didn't think she needed protection from someone younger than her. "Shizuka needs protection?" The elite man who had mocked Takashi before the banquet started laughed as if he had just heard a great joke. "Kid, maybe you don't know this, but with Shizuka's combat skills, even three or five strong men wouldn't stand a chance against her. If anything happens, just stand behind her." Most of the men present agreed with the elite man's words, bursting into laughter. Even Umeno Kentarou, sitting at the head of the table, chimed in. Shizuka's eyes flickered slightly. Takashi ignored them and used the serving chopsticks to pick up a small piece of sliced beef, placing it on the tiny grill in front of him. Sizzle! The sound of raw beef hitting the grill silenced the laughter, making everyone turn their attention back to him. Umeno Kentarou's face darkened. Did this brat have no manners? The host hadn't even picked up his chopsticks yet. Once the room quieted down, Takashi calmly flipped the beef, speaking in a slow, steady voice that was loud enough for everyone to hear. "A man who can't even protect a woman should reflect on himself instead." Takashi truly didn't understand—why were they laughing about being protected by a woman? "After all these years, have you made any effort to work out? Have you lost that belly fat? Have you built any muscle?" His words shut down the entire room. The men who had been laughing just moments ago all had their smiles wiped off their faces, glaring at him. The elite man who had spoken first turned completely black-faced. 'This brat has no respect for his seniors. He's going to suffer once he enters society.' He could only curse in his mind, though, not daring to say it out loud. He was afraid Shizuka would beat him up. "Whether my sister needs protection or not is up to her. But my desire to protect her is my own choice," Takashi said seriously, clearly not joking. "Takashi..." Hearing this, Shizuka was genuinely moved. After all these years, it seemed like only Takashi could see through her strong front. But saying such embarrassing things in front of so many people made her a little shy. "Here, sister, say ah—" Takashi dipped the grilled beef in sauce and held it up to Shizuka's mouth. Her face turned red as she turned her head away. "I-I can do it myself!" She had never done public displays of affection before. Let alone in front of this many people. Shizuka had a strong offense but weak defense. "Sister, my arm is getting tired." Takashi didn't lower his hand, clearly determined to keep it up until she ate it. Shizuka pursed her lips, then, with lightning speed, ate the beef in one bite. She immediately turned her back to him, only her mouth moving. 'This woman is too cute.' Looking at Shizuka and then thinking about Utaha and Eriri, Takashi wondered—what kind of miserable life had he been living before? Who had he been serving all this time? 'They need to be replaced. I have to replace them all.' Takashi silently made up his mind. Now that he had grown stronger, it was time to consider firing his two bosses. What kind of standards were they even? How dare they make him serve them? (Scratched out). 'This brat!' Umeno Kentarou never expected that he had just helped this kid score points. "Watanabe, who takes care of whom between you and Shizuka?" A young woman curiously asked. "She teaches me about life, and I take care of daily necessities. You can't really say who takes care of whom," Takashi said as he picked up a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth. "A couple should support each other, right? I'm not like some people." Takashi glanced meaningfully in Umeno Kentarou's direction. Umeno Kentarou's expression remained unchanged, but his grip on his chopsticks tightened. "Then, will you two get married in the future?" Both Takashi and Shizuka froze. Fortunately, Takashi reacted quickly. He turned to Shizuka with a smile. "That depends on whether my sister is willing." Since their relationship was fake, he couldn't make a decision for her on this matter. If he agreed now, what if he really had to take responsibility? "Shizuka, you will definitely marry Watanabe, right?" "Of course! If I were Shizuka, I'd already be preparing for pregnancy!" "So this is what they call a union of the wealthy?" "When you get married, please invite me to your wedding!" A few women teased Shizuka. They were all adults now; they wouldn't ostracize her like they had in high school just because they didn't like her. The more Shizuka listened, the redder her face became, almost spreading to her neck. 'Marrying Takashi?' She sneaked a glance at Takashi, imagining herself coming home from work and throwing herself into his arms to act spoiled. Though she couldn't even picture what she'd look like doing that, she realized she was looking forward to it. Takashi mentally gave himself a thumbs-up for his quick thinking. Shizuka was picturing their wedding, but Umeno Kentarou was deep in thought. He had caught that moment of stiffness between them just now. 'Have they not considered marriage?' That didn't make sense to him. Everyone knew how much Shizuka longed for marriage. 'Could it be... she still hasn't gotten over me?' As soon as this thought arose, Umeno Kentarou found it more and more plausible. Otherwise, why hadn't she dated anyone since their breakup? (Or maybe... she just couldn't find anyone?) Only recently did she start dating someone who looked like a younger version of him. Yes, in Umeno Kentarou's eyes, Takashi was just as handsome as he was in his youth. Maybe she was only with this young man to spite him? To show him that she could live just fine without him? With that realization, Umeno Kentarou's gaze toward Shizuka grew tender. 'What the hell is he looking at? That gaze is disgusting.' Seeing Umeno Kentarou looking at her with such deep emotion, Shizuka shuddered. His expression was even more unbearable than that dead-fish-eyed student in her class. "Sister, what's wrong?" Takashi saw her staring at Umeno Kentarou and his internal alarm went off. No way. She wasn't still hung up on him, was she? Don't forget the pain once the wound has healed. Love-brain thinking is unacceptable, sister. "I just realized how ugly he's become. What was I thinking back then?" Shizuka couldn't believe how blind she had been. 'Sometimes, people just go blind.' Takashi thought of all the cringe things he used to like. Kentaro Umeno, however, thought otherwise. 'She still loves me!' 'She's looking at me! She still likes me, and she still has feelings for me!' Umeno Kentaro noticed the complicated look in Shizuka's eyes and was taken aback. He hadn't expected his charm to be this irresistible. Even after seven years, Shizuka still hadn't moved on from him. Poor thing. 'Kid, the third party is the one who isn't loved. Got it?' Umeno Kentaro cast a contemptuous glance at Takashi. In his mind, there was no way Shizuka was seriously considering a future with this boy. She was just using him for fun because he was young. Soon enough, she would get bored and toss him aside. 'Come on, tell me—what do you have that could possibly make you win against me?' The sky had cleared, the rain had stopped, and Umeno Kentaro was convinced—he was back on top. ___ 20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you! Don't forget to leave a review too~ Check out the other translations too ___