293 Your Father and I Were Good Friends Until His Untimely Death

"You are...!"

Due to shock, Tsubaki almost stumbled backward. She quickly supported herself with the cabinet behind her. The hand that was holding on to the photo trembled.

The man just calmly smiling at her despite her surprise. It was as if he had anticipated her reaction.

"Didn't you see me beside your father in the photo?" The man remained standing at the same spot. With an indifferent shrug, he gestured to the couch set at where Tsubaki sat before, "You shouldn't stand for too long. I believe you want to hear the story of your father, am I right?"

Tsubaki chewed her lower lip. The surprise that she felt earlier was instantly replaced with calmness. As if she was blessed with an epiphany, the loose threads that were constantly bothering her mind were suddenly tied together.

Her eyes lowered to the photo frame. Yes. She had seen the resemblance of the youthful teenager beside her father to the man standing in front of her.

This photo was one when the best of friends took together. Both her late father and the young version of the man standing opposite her appeared so close in the photo.

With a sneer, Tsubaki said coldly, "I didn't expect that my late father was good friends with you, Mr. Souma Hisato."

Instead of President Souma Shinjiro, it was actually his younger brother who appeared in her line of sight.

Mr. Souma raised up his hands and clapped with his smile deepened. He candidly agreed to Tsubaki's assumption in her words, "Yes. Your father and I were good friends. Until his untimely death."

At the mention of her unknown father's death, Tsubaki's heart pounded furiously. She kept telling herself inwardly to not waver while she still didn't know exactly what this man was trying to do.

Never did she expect her father to have a close relationship with this man.

Did it mean... The conflict from more than twenty decades ago not only involved her parents, Mrs. Souma and President Souma but... This man too?

"Although I was being rude for inviting you in this way, I really want to tell you the story of more than two decades ago," Mr. Souma straightforwardly admitted to his intention. Once again, he gestured to the couch with one of his hands, "Please, sit down. I shouldn't let a pregnant lady standing for too long."

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes. She glanced at Kenzou who was standing near her the moment Mr. Souma came inside the room.

For now, she could do nothing except to see what trick this man trying to play.

Turning around on her heels, Tsubaki walked to the single couch. Kenzou swiftly followed her. Her movement was steady, masking the turbulence in her heart.

Mr. Souma smiled again with a light glinted in his eyes. He took a seat in front of Tsubaki. He graciously bent down and poured her a new cup of tea. The middle-aged man pushed the cup to Tsubaki.

"Have a drink first. I shouldn't mistreat my best friend's daughter by not serving you a good tea," He drew a profound smile.

Like how she first saw him during Grandma's birthday celebration a few months ago, this man still looked languid and careless as ever. Although the air around them was tensed, Mr. Souma seemed like he didn't get affected by it.

Tsubaki responded to him with a smile of her own. Yet, the smile appeared frosty akin to the freezing winter wind.

For now, she had to play it cool.

She calmly said, "If you really treated my late father as your good friend, you won't even threaten me to come here."

Mr. Souma burst into laughter once he heard her words. His carefree way somehow irritated Tsubaki.

"Haha, if I didn't do it in this way, I don't know when would I get the opportunity to speak with you. Your husband is guarding you like a hawk so I can't approach you carelessly and... there's also someone else who doesn't want me to meet you."

Tsubaki's brows tensed at the end of his sentence. She unconsciously clenched at the holder of her handbag.

Someone else? Did that person was...

"Is Mrs. Souma the one you referred to?"

Putting President Souma himself aside, Tsubaki thought it was more probable if the one mentioned by Mr. Souma was his sister-in-law. From how she saw it now, maybe, President Souma was the one that was still in the dark about the truth of this matter.

Mrs. Souma helped her mother to escape from her demise despite the lady was jealous of the fact that President Souma loved her mother.

Mr. Souma befriended her late father. It was clear that their relationship was good from the photo that was put by the middle-aged man in his personal space.

Regarding President Souma, Tsubaki doubted he had already gathered the truth of what happened after her mother disappeared. Mrs. Souma herself said that man still thought her late mother was the one he slept with more than twenty years ago.

Which meant... He might still think that she was his daughter.

"It's no fun when you could assume it correctly," Mr. Souma indirectly conferred to her assumption. He leaned back against the couch and sat with one leg over the other. With an arm resting on the armrest, he continued in a leisure way, "How about this? To save both of our time, let me just tell you what you want to know?"

One corner of Tsubaki's lips raised up. She gave out a sarcastic laugh before she replied, "Do you mean your words are trustable?"

Mr. Souma cocked up his brows and shrugged, "Why don't you listen to me first and then judge whether it's true or not?"

Tsubaki pondered for a while.

What he said was right. She won't lose anything by listening to what he wanted to tell her. Even if he wanted to create a false illusion to her, there would still be some truth in it. If not, he would just waste his time planning such a crude way to make her come here.

After a long stretch of silence, Tsubaki assented with a nod. She said coolly, "As you're benevolent enough to spill the secrets for me, I shouldn't be ungrateful by not giving you a chance to speak."

Mr. Souma cackled as if he was amused by the young lady's words. In between his laugh, he said, "You are really... Like how your father used to be. Despite looking gentle, hehe, Takahisa really knew when to retort in a roundabout way."

The man sitting in front of her was covering his face with one of his hands while he laughed but, in the gap where Tsubaki could see his face, a faint sorrow could be discerned from his eyes.

He was laughing yet he looked like he was suppressing tremendous sadness behind his laughter.

Was it because this man was remembering her late father?

Despite the tiny seed of sympathy sprouted within her, Tsubaki didn't show it on the surface. Her gaze was still calm and collected.

"I've just recently got to know who my birth father is," Tsubaki opened her mouth once Mr. Souma's laughter subsided, "Since you said that you're best friend with my father, tell me, why did your action seems like I'm your enemy's daughter instead?"

Ever since the first time they met, Tsubaki faintly understood that this man was quirky. Because of it, she had to be careful when she confronted him. Tsubaki wanted to avoid being played in the man's palm.

"Ah, it's true you are my best friend's daughter but..." In the next second, a cold fury gleamed in the man's eyes, "...You are also my enemy's daughter."

Tsubaki was caught by surprise. Her parted lips slowly closed as her eyes narrowed in confusion and disbelief.

What did this man say?

"What do you mean?" She asked frankly.

Mr. Souma quickly returned to his quirky state as he laughed like he didn't say anything startling. After a good bit of laugh, he spoke again.

"While I was happy because Takahisa got a lovely daughter, I hate the woman who gave birth to you."

Tsubaki was once again alerted by his words.

This time, she couldn't swiftly mask her calmness as her pupils trembled in shock. What surprised her was what she was currently seeing.

The hatred in Mr. Souma's eyes was too obvious. His cheery laughter was unable to conceal it.

"...My mother?" Tsubaki gasped. She was incapable to speak coherently as words were forced out of her mouth one by one, "Why do you... hate her?"

Hate was a strong word. For a carefree man like Mr. Souma to use such a word to describe what he felt to her birth mother, Tsubaki couldn't help but only think of the worse.

Mr. Souma let out a series of chuckles. His action was in contrast to the deep disdain he showed in his eyes earlier. Tsubaki waited for him to stop laughing with bated breaths.

Somehow, she felt what this man wanted to tell her was not something easy to be heard.

"Ah, love..." Mr. Souma raised up his eyes to the ceiling above them, his voice softened for a moment before snarkiness came back in his tone, "Why must love be so complicated? Because your foolish father dared to fall in love with your mother, he easily lost his life."

Mr. Souma lowered his gaze. He quietly stared at Tsubaki. His lips stretched into a mocking smile.

"Besides your mother, I hate my brother too."

The unrelated confession startled Tsubaki.

Why did this man openly telling her his hatred toward President Souma in this topic?