"So..."
Kazehara Tetsu raised his eyes, looked past the rising heat, and stared at Sakayanagi Narimori sitting opposite.
"Mr. Sakayanagi deliberately chose this time and place for the meeting today, and even went so far as to use his personal schedule... What is the important matter that you need to discuss with me, a junior?"
Sakayanagi Narimori Hearing this, the gentle smile on the corner of his mouth did not diminish at all.
"Is it important? It's actually not that exaggerated."
"As the little girl said just now, it's just a father who is busy with official duties on weekdays. Taking advantage of a rare vacation, he wanted to come and see what kind of person the 'boyfriend' who kidnapped his precious daughter is."
These words sounded very humane, almost like a drama that would happen in any family.
"It seems..."
Kazehara Tetsu leaned back slightly and changed to a more comfortable sitting position, with a self-deprecating wry smile on his face.
"Are you worried that I am not qualified as a 'boyfriend'?"
"Does Mr. Sakayanagi think that I am not worthy of Arisu, who has impeccable intelligence and family background?"
"But that's right."
Kazehara Tetsu shrugged, with a bit of careless laziness in his tone.
"Compared to those geniuses who are outstanding in various fields, or natural leaders like Arisu... I don't have much ability myself. Except for being lucky enough to be assigned to Class A, I am just an idler on weekdays."
However, Sakayanagi Narimori is obviously not that easy to fool.
"Hehehe..."
"Young people, excessive modesty can sometimes be seen as another form of arrogance."
"I don't care much about the outdated concept of being well-matched. I never have any tough and high standards for my future son-in-law. Whether he comes from a poor family or has mediocre talents, those are just additional conditions."
Sakayanagi Narimori turned his head and glanced at his daughter who was sitting next to her quietly drinking tea, with a hint of true love in her eyes.
"As long as Arisu can feel happy, as long as you can make her smile in this Campus life... Even if you are just a child with nothing, as a father, I will definitely nod in agreement."
Having said this, he changed the topic and locked his eyes on Kazehara Tetsu again.
"Besides..."
"Kazehara-kun Based on your true identity, you can't be said to be 'without strength', right?"
As soon as these words came out, the air in Private Room seemed to freeze for a moment.
Although he didn't say it clearly, the look in his eyes revealed everything.
Through the information review at the time of admission and subsequent special attention, the chairman has obviously checked the "background" of Kazehara Tetsu.
Kazehara Tetsu's heartbeat did not speed up. He had already expected this situation of being seen through.
In This School, there is no real secret as long as the chairman wants to find out.
"Ah... so that's what it means."
Kazehara Tetsu did not show any panic at being exposed. Instead, he scratched his head helplessly as if some burden had been lifted.
"I thought you were referring to my performance in school."
He spread his hands, looking nonchalant.
"That's really not much of a strength, right? It's just 'luck' that your reincarnation skills are relatively good."
"Those so-called resources, background, power... all belong to my father's abilities and are the empire he built. And me?"
Kazehara Tetsu pointed at himself, with a helpless smile on his lips.
"Essentially, I just want to be a 'second generation' who is waiting to die. If that layer of identity were stripped away, I might really be just an ordinary student."
He attached the label of "mediocre" tightly, trying to attribute everything to his background without any effort.
"Since you have read the information, you are not opposed to it..."
"So, can I understand that... what you called 'taking a look' today is really just to examine my character?"
"If that's the case, I can breathe a sigh of relief."
"Well... this is it."
Sakayanagi Narimori put down the coffee cup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a dull sound.
"You're half right about examining character."
"Half?"
Kazehara Tetsu raised his eyebrows, pretending to be confused.
"The other half is because..."
"It's about some of Kazehara-kun's 'private life' scandals in school."
This time, there was less ridicule in his tone and more scrutiny as a father.
"Although this child Arisu has never complained to me. But... as the chairman, I occasionally hear some rumors about students."
"Kazehara-kun seems... to have a very good relationship with one, two... no, even several other girls in the school?"
The air became subtle again.
Sakayanagi Arisu on the side put down Black Tea Cup in her hand. She did not interrupt, but looked at Kazehara Tetsu quietly with her eyes, with a smile at the corner of her mouth as if she was watching a good show.
Faced with this question that went straight to the core, Kazehara Tetsu did not choose to deny it or explain in a panic.
He looked at Sakayanagi Narimori, and after a few seconds, he suddenly chuckled.
"Heh..."
It was a kind of helpless but extremely calm laughter after being caught by an elder.
"How should I put it..."
Kazehara Tetsu picked up the slightly cold coffee and drank it as if drinking wine.
"This kind of thing... is it really discovered?"
He said it in that mocking tone, as if this was not a scandal involving many people, but a harmless little naughty thing.
"Discovered?"
Sakayanagi Narimori shook his head, seemingly dissatisfied with this wording.
"This word is not used accurately. 'Discovery' usually refers to the revelation of a secret that has been deliberately hidden."
He looked at Kazehara Tetsu's magnanimous appearance, and a complicated light flashed in his eyes.
That's the surprise at this kind of courage, and also some kind of... understanding of this kind of behavior?
"But Kazehara-kun you..."
"About this, there is no hiding at all."
"Whether it was a public contact or a private date, you acted as if it were a matter of course. Even when rumors leaked out, you never deliberately clarified or avoided suspicion."
"Your behavior..."
Sakayanagi Narimori paused, seeming to be looking for a suitable adjective.
"It's not so much a 'carefulness' as it is a kind of extreme 'confidence'. Confident enough to think that you have the ability to balance all this, or... confident enough to not care about the eyes of the outside world at all."
He looked at his daughter.
"And what surprises me the most is that Arisu... seems to be in the same situation as Tacit Approval?"
"Or is this what you young people now call... an open relationship?"
At this point, Sakayanagi Narimori is waiting for Kazehara Tetsu's explanation, and at the same time is ready to accept any ridiculous answer.
The weight of this question is far heavier than the previous discussion about family background.
This is about morality, about emotions, and more about his bottom line as a father.