When he arrived in Kyoto, Shishio didn't see his parents everywhere in the station. Instead, the one he saw was the maid of his house, who was present to pick him up.
"Shishio-sama, please follow me."
Kayo was in her usual kimono as she welcomed him with complex emotion.
As usual, even if she reached middle age, the charm on her body couldn't be erased.
"Thank you, Kayo-san."
"It's my job. You don't need to thank me."
Her voice was meek with a hint of distress as she looked at him with an upturned gaze. "Master had been waiting for you and expressed his desire to play billiards with you."
With the difference in their height, he had to look down, yet, why, even with the air of solemnity around him, he felt like his conviction was being tested. Still, he knew the place and the occasion and what kind of issue he would encounter.
Usually, his father would invite him to play billiards when he was either in a good or bad mood.
His father might seem gentle and amiable, but that wasn't his everything.
When one touched his nerve, he would be like an angry lion whose territory was breached by enemies.
They didn't stay in the station too long.
Kayo took his suitcase a little forcefully while telling him that he should be the one who drove since she was afraid that she might crash the car with her current emotion.
He didn't show disagreement, but his heart was beating faster as he imagined his current problem might be of a similar magnitude to his previous fight with Yuujiro.
As he started the car, neither of them talked, and it was quiet.
Even if he didn't say anything, Kayo understood that Shishio knew what kind of trouble was waiting for him. There was nothing that she could do, and she could only hold his hand, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be alright, yet even she didn't have confidence that everything would be alright since she had seen the anger on Shishio's father.
Before long, they arrived at his house, and they were welcomed by his mother.
"...your father is waiting for you in the billiard room."
When he looked at his mother, he could see that her smile was restrained. Her emotion was complex, and the more he looked at the expression, the more he realized his situation.
"I understand, Mother."
He nodded and walked toward the billiard room.
"Shishio!"
"Yes?"
He looked at his mother, who hesitated for a moment before she let out a helpless sigh. She rubbed her temple as she looked at her only son. The son that had made her worry whether he could have a bride or not in the future had surprised her understanding and became out of control.
When she thought everything was moving in a good direction even though she wasn't fully satisfied, a problem that she had never thought would appear emerged so suddenly, giving her no time to react, and she couldn't fully know what to do.
"...it's okay. You should go. Your father is waiting for you."
"Yes." He nodded and left toward the billiard room.
In the end, she couldn't say anything and could only helplessly watch his son enter the billiard room.
---
Shishio pushed open the heavy door and walked in. The light was quite dim, but even so, it was enough to illuminate the billiard table in the center of the room. When he saw how the oak paneling gleamed in the light, he had the feeling that he had entered this place for the first time.
Takumi Oga, cue in hand and face pressed close to the baize, was in the act of taking aim at a white ball. The fingers of his left hand, cradling the tip of his cue, made Shishio think of the bridge under a koto string.
"Shut the door," said Takumi to Shishio, who had just stopped inside the half-opened door. His father's features were tinged by the reflections from the green surface of the billiard table so close to his face that Shishio found it difficult to gauge his expression.
As Shishio closed the door, Takumi also straightened his back, still with a cue in his hand. He stared at his son's features for a moment, feeling slightly irritated as he looked at him helplessly. He had heard this news for a while, yet he had a hard time calming himself when he saw his son. Still, as someone who used to stand on top of people, he had always been good at masking his emotions.
There were only two of them inside this room.
No one would hear or listen to their conversation, so Takumi didn't waste his time.
"Is it true that you have a relationship with your aunt, Chihiro?"
Takumi's voice might seem cool, but even so, Shishio could tell the bubbling anger inside.
Takumi was like a volcanic mountain that was about to erupt.
The dark cloud had already shrouded this room, and whether it would turn worse or stop depended on how he was going to answer this question.
If Shishio was a coward, he might pretend he didn't know anything, afraid of angering his father any longer, but he wasn't someone like that. He wasn't afraid to admit his relationship with Chihiro, but he didn't answer his father's question immediately because he had confirmed his doubt.
Yet, Shishio didn't expect that Chihiro would tell his parents about their relationship.
She was the one who had always told him that they should keep their relationship a secret since, without a doubt, many would think that their relationship was taboo.
However, they had to be together, knowing the consequences, but in the end, she chickened up. She didn't dare to face the world, and she also didn't dare to face him, saying that they should stop their relationship. Instead, she went to his parents, so they could help her to tell him that it was better to stop their relationship.
He felt a bit disappointed, but like his father, he was also good at masking his expression.
Still, he was angrier instead of disappointed since he knew she couldn't trust him. He knew that he needed to meet her, and he needed to punish her.
"Answer me!"
He looked at his father, who couldn't control his emotion in the end. He stared at him for a moment before he nodded.
"Yes, we're in a relationship."
His voice was calm, but it caused his father to lose his calm.
"You..."
His hand grasped the cue tighter as Takumi pointed in his son's direction, showing disbelief and anger. Many emotions erupted in his chest that almost burst out, but in the end, he took a deep breath.
Even if Takumi had previously heard this news from Chihiro, he still couldn't believe it and wanted to hear it from his son, but when he confirmed everything, he wondered whether someone wanted to curse his lineage.
Takumi thought that there was nothing to worry about Shishio, but this guy became an animal who couldn't even control his lower body and even attacked his aunt. While he couldn't fully blame his son since Chihiro had told him that everything was her fault since she had been seducing him and didn't even reject his advance, he just couldn't control his anger.
Takumi thought that everything would be so smooth.
When his son went to Tokyo, Takumi had always been worried, but in the end, Shishio surprised him since he brought many honors to him and the Oga family. In the future, he knew that the governor of Kyoto would be in his son's hands.
The future of the Oga family was prosperous without a doubt, yet everything almost went to drain because of Shishio's lower body.
Knowing all of this, while Takumi was angry, he was also helpless. He took a deep breath, trying to forcefully calm himself since he knew that there was nothing that he could do currently. Nothing could be done. It was like how toothpaste couldn't be put back into the tube.
Then, there was only one answer.
"Forget about her, and don't meet her again."
His words were simple.
Since there was nothing that could be done, Takumi didn't want anything to worsen. He didn't want his son's future to be destroyed because of a woman. To be honest, he didn't care about what kind of a woman was with him. Even if Shishio had hundreds of harems, he didn't care. Even if some of them were housewives, he was okay with it, but a family was a different thing.
It was taboo.
Even if there was no law that forbids an aunt and a nephew from being together, the public viewed this matter negatively.
This was a stain.
If the world knew about this, what would their family be?
Takumi cared about his son and his family, so this was the best decision for all of them. While he knew he might make his son hate him, he didn't care since his son was still young, and when he grew up, he knew he would understand him.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late, so it was better for them to cut their relationship.
Shishio wasn't a child, and he knew that Takumi cared about him. Being with Chihiro would bring nothing but harm to his life. After all, he knew the consequences of their relationship. It wouldn't be weird that he would be disowned by the family. Maybe some people might think he was exaggerating, but when one was living in a big family and receiving their facilities, he also needed to pay a certain price.
However, as a human... no, as a man, there was something that he shouldn't have given up.
For people in high positions, women are nothing but an accessory. They are nothing but something to make their lives a little more interesting. For them, their lives are for their career and ambitions.
Women are only for part of their lives.
If their existence might put danger to their everything, they won't hesitate to throw them away.
For them, losing everything to a woman wasn't worth it.
Yet, could he do that? No.
His feelings for her were real, and he was ready for the consequences.
No, those consequences meant nothing to him.
So, his answer was obvious.
"I am sorry, Father, but I can't do that."
While Shishio understood his situation fully, Takumi couldn't understand it. His emotion reached its peak instantly, and he couldn't control it anymore. Like an angry lion, he approached his son with heavy steps and brandished the billiard cue at his hand.
"YOU IDIOT!!!"