!
"Lord Hijikata, even if you haven't fallen out with the Doma Family, even if you say all that, Kaguya is still my daughter in the end..." After remaining silent for quite some time, Gan'an Shinomiya spoke again.
"Phew..." Toshiro Hijikata exhaled another puff of smoke. "So? Commander Shinomiya doesn't think that's enough to order the Kondo Group around, does he?"
"..." Gan'an Shinomiya choked. "To outsiders, your Kondo Group and our Shinomiya Family..."
"My, my..." Before the other man could finish, Toshiro Hijikata flicked off more ash. "Come to think of it, I'm pretty upset about this too. If that bastard hadn't said so, why would I ever listen to a JK?"
"Bastard?" Gan'an Shinomiya froze, then instinctively repeated.
"Tch..." Toshiro Hijikata grinned. "If he heard you use the word 'bastard,' he'd probably punch you, you know?"
"???" Didn't you say it? For the first time, Gan'an Shinomiya understood what unequal standing meant. Behind him, Tojo was gritting his teeth and glaring furiously at a certain someone.
"Speaking of which, Commander Shinomiya once had quite the ill-fated connection with that bastard..." Toshiro Hijikata continued.
"Ill-fated connection?" Gan'an Shinomiya's eye twitched, making his aged face look even more anxious.
"Yeah..." Toshiro Hijikata smiled again. "I remember Commander Shinomiya once ordered that bastard not to leave the country. Oh, right, Miss Shinomiya was also..."
"..." Gan'an Shinomiya froze again. "You mean Doma..."
"Shh..." Before he could finish, Toshiro Hijikata stopped him. "Commander Shinomiya, some things are better understood without being said aloud. Think about it—personally, I really don't want to listen to a JK." Yet hadn't he done exactly that?
"..." Gan'an Shinomiya was silent for a long while. "Your Kondo Group truly is cut from the same cloth as the Doma Family. Isn't Keiryu Doma afraid I'll take you under