Chapter 160

Aragaki Shun didn't think there was anything wrong with it; after all, his physical strength was strong enough that such a small thing wouldn't take him much effort.

And so, while tidying up the house, Aragaki Shun answered his adoptive mother's various inquiries and chatted with her about his life at Kodo Ikusei Senior High School. His adoptive mother even patted him on the shoulder and remarked, "It seems the food at Advanced Nurturing is really good; you've gotten quite a bit stronger."

"And his face and temperament are top-notch. My son is so handsome, I wonder how many young girls he can charm. I hope Ayase can withstand the pressure."

With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Aragaki Shun didn't know how to respond to his adoptive mother's pointed words.

Given the other person's status, it's impossible for them not to know his Advanced Nurturing stage. Hearing such a joke was quite embarrassing.

"Haha~ Your father should be back for lunch soon, Ayase won't be home until after school this afternoon."

"I haven't cooked for you for months. I'll go make some now. When we get home, you can play by yourself, Xiao Shun."

After saying that, his foster mother reluctantly rubbed his head and pinched his cheeks a couple of times, which made Aragaki Shun quite depressed.

Who would treat him like this when they're out and about?

But there's no way around it; adoptive parents who treat people sincerely are no different from biological parents, and in some ways, their kindness is even greater.

There's a saying, "If you give birth to someone but don't raise them, you can repay them by cutting off a finger; if you give birth to someone and raise them, you can repay them by cutting off your head; but if you don't give birth to someone and raise them, you can never repay them in a hundred lifetimes."

After all, they have no obligation to raise children who are not their own.

Being treated like a child by his adoptive mother, even though he felt a little embarrassed, Aragaki Shun could only turn around and run to his room.

This bedroom has been uninhabited for several months, but there isn't a speck of dust, clearly indicating that someone comes to clean it regularly.

A warm feeling welled up inside him. Aragaki Shun put his luggage aside and lay lazily on the familiar big bed, completely relaxing.

I'm already home...

When noon arrived, Aragaki Father indeed managed to find time to return.

Adhering to the common sense of "not speaking while eating or sleeping," this serious Aragaki Family Head did not say much at the dinner table.

It wasn't until after lunch that he called Aragaki Shun to his study. After a brief chat, they began discussing serious matters.

"... I've been keeping an eye on your performance in Advanced Nurturing."

"You've done very well these past six months. According to Mr. Kijima, this is the first time he's had someone like you since he founded this school, someone who is beyond the ordinary and can be called a 'true genius' in every aspect."

A smile appeared on Aragaki Father's stern face, seemingly quite pleased with his heir's actions that had brought him honor.

"I've looked into it. Your timing in enrolling in Advanced Nurturing Program is somewhat unusual. People like Dietman Ayanokoji's son, the only son of the Koenji Conglomerate, the heir to Kanzaki Heavy Industries, and Sakayanagi Narimori's daughter are all freshmen this year."

"To be able to achieve this level while competing with them is truly impressive."

If he were to attend just a regular high school, as the Aragaki Family Head, he naturally wouldn't care too much.

It would be only natural that the successor he chose would be able to stir up trouble in any school.

However, if there are other heirs from high society in Aragaki Shun's grade, and they compete to determine who is superior, then the matter becomes worth paying attention to.

No matter how profound a family's heritage is, the ability of the next generation is ultimately crucial for ensuring the family name is passed down continuously.

In other words, when Aragaki Shun takes over the Aragaki Family in the future, he will also have to face peers from the same social class.

Although the current competition among the Advanced Nurturing classes is just a small-scale skirmish, it can still reveal the differences in ability between the successors of various factions, and it is still very meaningful to see the bigger picture from small details.

"A true genius?" Aragaki Shun murmured the assessment, a subtle feeling welling up inside him. "I won't object to that title, but please don't overlook the sweat and effort I've put in along the way."

Do you know how hard I worked to acquire Source Power?

How can you ignore my hard work just because I'm called a "genius"?

"I know your personality well enough," the Aragaki Family Head chuckled. "You certainly have the work ethic and self-discipline, but there are plenty of people in this world who work harder than you, yet none of them have achieved the same results. Doesn't that prove anything?"

Talent determines the ceiling, effort determines the floor.

Some facts are harsh, but that's reality, and you can't deny it.

"Don't underestimate yourself too much. Being mature for your age isn't necessarily a bad thing, but at your age, it's okay to be a little more ambitious."

"Forget it, that's not my style. Being too high-profile isn't a good thing."

"That's fine too. Just go at your own pace. Just remember, the Aragaki Family will always be your support."

Faced with such straightforward support, Aragaki Shun nodded without saying much, simply keeping it in his heart.

Then, remembering that Aragaki Father had just mentioned Ayanokoji and Koenji, he asked again, "The Masterpiece of the White Room, why did you go to the Advanced Nurturing Institute? Aren't those two institutions competitors?"

"It's just those two factions having another falling out." The Aragaki Family Head said calmly.

He had seen this kind of intra-party competition many times and was already used to it.

"Dietman Ayanokoji is ambitious for the prime minister's position, but even if he inherited Naoe's power, his own foundation is still lacking. Now he is probably pinning his hopes on his son."

"However, your appearance was probably unexpected by him. If he doesn't put his Masterpiece into practice, all the research on the White Room might just become a joke."

Upon hearing this, Aragaki Shun was initially puzzled, but quickly realized that his presence was indeed a major blow to the concept of the White Room.

This was solely because he was recognized as a "true genius" by the upper class, while the goal of the White Room was to cultivate the legendary "artificial genius" through various training courses.

If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's Masterpiece were easily suppressed by him, then all the achievements of the White Room would become a joke.

Why bother with "artificial geniuses" anymore? Just follow tradition and adopt capable sons as heirs.

Extending this line of thought, the competition among first-year students has evolved to the point where, due to the involvement of several factions, it may indeed have taken on a different meaning in the eyes of high society.

Leaving aside Ayanokoji, the fact that Kanzaki Ryuji became his deputy in Class A is, in other words, the heir of Kanzaki Heavy Industries became the subordinate of the heir of the Aragaki Family.

If it weren't for the significant disparity between the two forces and Kanzaki Heavy Industries' ongoing pursuit of political advancement, this incident would have undoubtedly caused countless controversies.

But as things stand, this is a good thing for Kanzaki Ryuji.

Aragaki Father told him that in the past six months, Kanzaki Heavy Industries had made a special visit to discuss some cooperation intentions.

Sakayanagi Narimori's sudden decision to train a successor was also related to Sakayanagi Arisu's easy defeat.

On the other hand, Koenji Rokusuke's sudden surge of enthusiasm likely stemmed from this consideration as well.

As the only son of a chaebol, if he were easily defeated by another peer, it would not only threaten his position as heir, but would also certainly make his family question his abilities and doubt whether he could shoulder the responsibilities of the next generation.

This was clearly not a pleasant thing for him.

Aragaki Shun shook his head. It was truly speechless that a simple class competition could involve so many things.

After seeing that he understood these hidden strategies, Aragaki Father nodded in satisfaction and said nothing more.

Instead, he put aside his business and suddenly became concerned about the private life of his adopted son.

"Kanda told me you had several girlfriends at school?"

229. Ability is everything; a living god or a reincarnated immortal?

"Kanda told me you had several girlfriends at school?"

When his adoptive father suddenly brought up this topic, Aragaki Shun, but quickly regained his composure.

This was something he had to face sooner or later; he had already prepared to be honest with his family when he accepted Shiranami Chihiro.

If he wasn't confident, he wouldn't have been dating other girls while still Advanced Nurturing to Ayase.

"Yes, it's true."

Aragaki Shun nodded, making no attempt to hide his relationship; choosing to deceive at a time like this would be the most foolish thing to do.

"I was quite popular at school. Driven by curiosity and physiological factors, I developed relatively close relationships with some female classmates I got along with."

Rationally answering his adoptive father's question, Aragaki Shun also briefly explained his own thought process.

This left Aragaki Father somewhat amused and exasperated, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

"I remember when you were little, you didn't have any hobbies other than reading. While other little boys were playing house with their friends, you had already started reading books and absorbing knowledge from them."

"Later, I asked your mother to arrange various ball games, chess, track and field, art, and Combat activities for you, hoping you could have other interests, try more age-appropriate entertainment, and make some suitable friends."

"The results were surprising. No matter what sport or interest you have, you can easily get started in a short time. With just a little persistence, you can surpass what ordinary people take more than ten years to achieve and easily enter the professional field."

It was precisely because he saw his adopted son's incredible talent that, as the Aragaki Family Head, he began to groom him as his successor.

Prior to this, it wasn't that Aragaki Shun had no right to inherit.

In fact, if Aragaki Shun wanted to, he could always have fought for it.

However, at that time Aragaki Family Head considered himself young and wasn't in such a hurry.

According to him and Ayase's Mother, the normal procedure was to wait until he and Ayase came of age, and after some investigation, to decide on an heir.

This is related to the unique customs of Sakurajima, where people like to adopt outstanding individuals who have already demonstrated their abilities as adults, so that they can inherit the family name and contribute to the growth and development of the family.

The reason for this is that the family power on Sakurajima's side is more like a "corporation" than the bloodline-based families on the mainland. Such family businesses take "the continuation of the family business" as their highest principle and have very high requirements for the strength of the heirs.

If the biological son is incompetent, it's better to let him go and let the adopted son, who has enough ability, take over to maintain the family name.

According to this tradition, if Aragaki Shun does not demonstrate the corresponding abilities after reaching adulthood, the Aragaki Family Head either have to find a suitable husband for Ayase, or they will have to adopt another son from a branch family.

"Actually, I noticed a long time ago that you didn't seem to have much interest in the Aragaki Family business. You only took on this responsibility because you were worried about Ayase."

"Sometimes I wonder, Xiaoshun, do you have any other hobbies besides reading?"

"Now it seems that at least you still have the sexual orientation of a normal man, so I'm relieved."

Aragaki Shun: "..."

Father, what do you mean by this?

At that time, I was only indifferent to various temptations because I was obsessed with becoming stronger and was constantly trying to find ways to develop Golden Finger and supplement my knowledge.

How come in your eyes I've become like an otherworldly monk?

"Mainly during junior high school, I remember you were always surrounded by all sorts of cute girls, but in this situation, you didn't make a move on any of them, which worried your mother and me a lot."

"Father, are you out of your mind? How old was I back then? You want me to lay a hand on girls who were 15 or even 14 years old?"

"Is there a problem? We've already reached the legal age of sexual consent. As long as no one gets killed, it's fine."

Seeing his adoptive father's matter-of-fact attitude, Aragaki Shun's lips twitched, and he found himself speechless.

Who knows what the people who made the law were thinking? Marriage requires adulthood, but the age of sexual consent is so young.

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Minors cannot marry or buy adult products, but can they directly hug members of the opposite sex?

"Speaking of causing a death," seeing Aragaki Shun's speechless expression, the Aragaki Family Head felt he still had to remind him, "Shun, you've always been independent. Your mother and I can't interfere with how you play outside, but before your child with Ayase is born, I hope you can pay more attention to safety measures."

In other words, Aragaki Shun can keep a mistress, but he shouldn't have an illegitimate child with another woman before he has a child with Ayase.

From the perspective of a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law, this requirement is practically a dream come true.

Ultimately, the underlying meaning is that as long as Aragaki Shun and Ayase have a child, it doesn't matter if he has illegitimate children outside the marriage.

"Also, you need to talk to Ayase yourself. You've always doted on her the most since we were little. I don't want to see my daughter and adopted son turn against each other over this kind of trivial matter, causing chaos in the family."

After glancing at Aragaki Shun, whose expression was somewhat subtle, his adoptive father's tone became much more serious.

From Ayase's father's perspective, he would naturally hope that Aragaki Shun would be faithful to his daughter and not have affairs outside.

However, Sakurajima has its own unique circumstances. In many large families, it is not uncommon for adopted sons-in-law to have extramarital affairs after gaining power.

To put it bluntly, the key to the son-in-law/adopted son status lies in the adopted son, not the son-in-law.

The head of a family who prefers to marry off his daughters to his adopted son is mainly to add a blood connection to the successor. However, even without this connection, an ordinary adopted son can still inherit the family business in name only.

According to Sakurajima's civil law, adopted children have the same inheritance rights as biological children.

Therefore, even if the adopted son-in-law divorces the daughter of this family, he still has the right to inherit the family property as long as the adoption relationship is not terminated.

Therefore, it is actually quite difficult to prevent adopted sons-in-law from keeping mistresses after gaining power.

Due to its unique historical background, this country still retains many feudal remnants, and the traditional concept of directly passing down family property to daughters is relatively rare.

Unlike the sons-in-law who are looked down upon on the mainland, the adopted sons here can truly wield power in the family after taking over as head of the household, and their status is closer to that of the eldest son.

On the contrary, the daughter who was his blood relative through marriage usually didn't have much power.

In this situation, if the previous head of the family passes away and the adopted son-in-law consolidates his power, the new head of the family can keep one or two mistresses if he wants to, as long as he keeps a low profile and doesn't make a big fuss, no one can restrain him.

In particular, some families would make some rather strange rules, such as that the men of the family should establish another family or be sent to another family as adopted sons, and that sons would never be allowed to inherit the family business; the inheritance of the family business was limited to adopted sons.

In this way, the heirs of such families will all be adopted sons or sons-in-law, while the men of the family will either live in seclusion or become adopted sons, and will have no connection with the family business.

Under these rules, it becomes even more difficult to prevent adopted sons from having extramarital affairs—it might be possible to restrict this for one or two generations, but it's unrealistic to expect every head of the family to remain faithful after taking power.

For these reasons, the Sakurajima family takes a relatively open-minded view of such matters.