In a tavern, Tenraku and Baraqiel sat facing each other.
Baraqiel's face had a full beard, he is unsmiling and had an old-fashioned and serious personality, but Tenraku knows that his father-in-law is actually a serious ma*ochist. He should not judge him by his appearance.
"Kamiya Tenraku, I have heard about you and Akeno from Azazel, thank you for taking care of Akeno," Baraqiel said.
"You're welcome, father-in-law, Akeno is my wife, and I should do all of this," Tenraku replied with a smile, intentionally or unintentionally accentuating the tone of "wife", but Baraqiel shook his head when he heard the sound:
"You can just call me by my name, you don't need to call me father-in-law," Baraqiel said.
"Why, you don't approve of my relationship with Akeno?" Tenraku asked.
"No, I know what you have done for Akeno and I approve of your relationship, but I don't have that qualification, the qualification to be Akeno's father…" Baraqiel said, with a guilty expression on her face.
At first, Tenraku thought that his father-in-law would disagree with his relationship with Akeno and he would have to go through many tests before he could safely hand over his daughter to him, but when he saw the guilty expression on Baraqiel's face, Tenraku realized that he was overthinking it.
"That child, is she still resenting me?" Baraqiel asked again after a moment of silence.
"Well, even though it's been so long, Akeno still hasn't untied the knot in her heart," Tenraku said.
"Denying her own Bloodline also negates her own power. If she had used the power of Thunderlight in the previous match, she wouldn't need to use that kind of method to defeat her enemy." Tenraku spoke and the guilt in Baraqiel's expression became even worse when he heard his words.
"Sure enough, I owe Akeno and her mother too much, she will never forgive me," Baraqiel said.
"Actually, what happened back then wasn't your fault. It was the Himejima Family who hurt my mother-in-law while you were away," Tenraku said, trying to comfort him.
"You don't need to comfort me, kid. In fact, you understand that. I failed to protect my wife and daughter. If it isn't my fault then whose fault is it?" Baraqiel said with a sad expression on his face while Tenraku was left speechless.
Indeed, if it's not the man's fault then whose fault it is that he can't even protect his wife and daughter?
However, Tenraku couldn't blame the other party as Akeno did, but he seemed to have nothing to say to comfort him, and the atmosphere became awkward for a while.
"Tell me about Akeno again." Seeming to have finally recovered from the guilt and sentimentality, Baraqiel said again.
"Father-in-law should know about these things, right?" Tenraku asked.
"I just know some general information. You are Akeno's closest and most trusted person, so I would like to hear more from your side."
"Ok..."
Although his father-in-law seems to be a little troublesome, Tenraku did not refuse because of his love for his daughter and told him everything about how he and Akeno met and separated when they were young, and then reunited.
As Tenraku recounted his story, Baraqiel's demeanor was tense and anxious, with occasional chuckles and a constantly changing expression. Tenraku inwardly acknowledged that his father-in-law was difficult to read and understand.
He also left out certain indescribable aspects of his relationship with Akeno while narrating.
"Father-in-law, would you like to meet Akeno? I can arrange it for you," Tenraku suggested, noticing the complicated expression on Baraqiel's face after sharing his story.
Baraqiel's eyes flickered with emotion but ultimately, he shook his head.
"Forget it, if we meet now, it will only cause that child's displeasure," Baraqiel replied. He didn't want to cause Akeno any discomfort, but he also had some apprehension about meeting her, which Tenraku had noticed.
"Then how about we go back to the Human World later? In fact, I don't want to see Akeno can't let go of the past," Tenraku suggested. He realized that the matter of Akeno had to be addressed sooner or later and didn't want to delay it any further. Baraqiel was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Kamiya Tenraku, Akeno is counting on you, take good care of her," Baraqiel said earnestly as he stood up.
"I will," Tenraku replied, nodding his head and making a solemn promise.
Baraqiel gave Tenraku a deep look before saying goodbye and turning to leave. Watching Baraqiel's back, Tenraku couldn't help but feel a little sad for him. He could see that Baraqiel loved his wife and daughter deeply, but was unable to protect them well, was resented by his daughter, and lived with self-blame. It was a sad situation.
…
It had been over a month since Tenraku and the girls returned to the Underworld and the summer vacation was coming to an end.
They had planned to return to the Human World after the match between Rias and Sona, but Tenraku was also scheduled to play in a Rating Game, so they stayed at Gremory's house for a few more days and planned to return after the game was over.
Tenraku's opponent was the talented young master of the Stolas family, one of the seventy-two pillars. In terms of family ranking, the Stolas family was higher than the Phenex family.
"Damn it, I was killed by a mere member of his Peerage!" The young master of the Stolas family exclaimed, lying on the ground covered in blood, looking ashamed and unwilling.
He had even made bold statements before the game, boasting of his power and promising to show the half-breed of the Phenex family his place, but in the end, he and his Peerage were killed before they could even see Tenraku's face.
He and his Peerage were defeated by a group of women!
"His Royal Highness Stolas, I accept your defeat," Yubelluna said, looking down at the so-called genius young master of the Stolas family with a sarcastic smile on her face. She thought it was arrogant and ignorant of him to think that he could win over their master at this level.
With a touch of her wand, Yubelluna launched a burst of magic, delivering the final blow to the opponent. There was a violent explosion, an unwilling scream, and then Grayfia's voice announced the end of the competition: "The winner of this competition – Kamiya Tenraku!"
The venue outside the different space erupted in cheers, and Tenraku, who was watching his Peerages fighting in the war room, stretched and stood up. He thought that the game was over too soon and it was quite boring as he didn't even have a chance to make a move.
To be continued…
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