Sarcasm!

"Chikage, you're here! Come in, come in!"

It was only after hearing her mother that Kondo Miki came back to her senses and said,

"Come in first."

"Mm."

After changing into the guest slippers, Natsume Chikage followed Kondo Miki into the house.

The house was spacious overall, nearly two hundred square meters, with simple decor.

Compared to the cramped three-tatami-mat room Chikage lived in now, it was worlds apart.

Still, he did not feel much about it. It was not as though he had never lived somewhere better.

When Kondo Miyuki saw him arrive, she happily said,

"Chikage, you're here! The food will be ready soon. Find a seat first and chat with Miki and my husband."

Chikage nodded.

"Okay."

At that moment.

Kondo Masasuke put down the detective novel in his hand and turned toward the approaching footsteps.

The moment Chikage walked in, it became difficult to look away from him.

Masasuke's brows rose slightly. He was clearly surprised that this young man he had met before had changed so drastically in just a year or two.

He had once seemed dull and ordinary, but now he was far more handsome, even carrying an indescribable air of mature composure.

After thinking it over, Masasuke guessed that the enormous upheaval in Chikage's family had caused the once carefree boy to mature so quickly.

To be honest, Masasuke had never been particularly interested in Chikage.

But the Natsume family had once owned a well-known IT company in Japan.

Even if they had truly gone bankrupt, there should still have been wealthy and influential relatives among their kin.

He was curious whether the Natsume family had truly fallen into ruin, as other acquaintances claimed, with no relatives willing to help them.

It was only out of that curiosity that he had agreed to let Chikage come over for dinner at his wife's request.

He had always known that his wife had wanted to set their daughter up with Chikage.

Back when the Natsume family was wealthy, the head of the Natsume family had also intended for Chikage and his daughter to be together, planning to have them get engaged after graduating high school.

Naturally, he had been willing.

When there was enough money, many flaws could be selectively ignored.

Unfortunately, before they graduated high school, the Natsume family suffered a massive upheaval.

If no wealthy relative had taken Chikage in now, things naturally could not proceed as they once had.

He had no intention of letting his outstanding daughter date someone from a poor family with no prospects.

Masasuke gestured toward the seat beside him. "Chikage, sit here."

Chikage did not remember much about Masasuke.

He only remembered that the man was a civil servant with a decent salary. An annual income of twenty million yen was indeed considered high by ordinary people.

But in the eyes of the wealthy, it was merely so-so.

Back then, he would occasionally come over with the Kondo mother and daughter, and he always acted extremely humble around the previous owner's father.

But after the family suffered its great misfortune, he had not even attended the funeral.

When you are flourishing, you are surrounded by "good people." That is nothing to celebrate. If good people remain by your side when you have fallen on hard times, that is true fortune.

So Chikage had little fondness for Masasuke.

Still, the shifting warmth and coldness of human relations were only natural. Chikage had no desire to condemn him for it.

Of course, he had absolutely no intention of staying on good terms with the man either!

Knowing what someone was like and still holding expectations for them would make him a complete fool.

As for why he had come today, it was purely to retrieve that heirloom.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Kondo," Chikage replied politely.

Masasuke nodded. "Sit."

"Mm." Chikage sat down.

"Chikage, it's been a long time. Where are you living now? Are you still over in Shoto?" Masasuke asked casually.

He knew that although Tokyo looked prosperous on the surface, it still had wealthy districts and poor districts.

And he knew exactly where those districts were located.

So, by simply asking where Chikage lived, he could basically determine whether he had been taken in by wealthy relatives.

"No. I currently live on the outskirts of Shibuya." Chikage had no intention of hiding it.

The moment Masasuke heard that location, his interest dropped sharply.

Shibuya's wealthy areas were generally places like Shoto, Yoyogi-Uehara, and Kamiyamacho.

Chikage had once lived in Shoto.

Now he lived on the outskirts of Shibuya?

Those places were mostly inhabited by ordinary people and the poor.

It was easy to imagine Chikage's current circumstances.

Now that he knew Chikage truly had not been taken in by wealthy relatives, just as the rumors said, Masasuke naturally had no need to give him much face. His expression immediately turned far colder.

"How have your studies been lately? Are you in the top fifty of your grade?"

Chikage thought about it. The previous owner had always ranked near the bottom of the class, so his grades naturally had not been good.

But Chikage himself had at least attended a top university.

Though he had forgotten some things, these were ultimately only pre-high-school courses.

That stage should not pose much of a problem for him.

Still, this was not China. The curriculum and exam questions would certainly differ.

Give him some time to brush up on the material, and even placing conservatively in the top three of his grade should not be a problem.

But school had not started yet, so his grades naturally remained at the bottom.

Chikage shook his head.

"No. I'm still near the bottom."

Masasuke repeatedly shook his head, his tone even carrying a hint of condescension.

"At your age, you need to study hard."

"After all, your father ranked near the top of his school when he was young. If you aren't doing well now, you should work hard to reach his level."

"Even if it's difficult, you should at least be like my daughter and rank in the top ten every semester. Otherwise, how could you live up to your father?"

"I'm not just saying this for show. If you can really achieve that, I'll take you to Sushi Ikko!"

As he said this, he was rather proud.

His daughter was pretty and an excellent student. Compared with girls her age, she was far superior!

Kondo Miki knew that her father had no real intention of treating Chikage.

Chikage himself had said he was near the bottom, yet Masasuke was asking him to reach the top ten in his grade. What was that if not wishful thinking?

Chikage knew Sushi Ishiko. It was a three-star Michelin restaurant!

It was also a century-old establishment run by a famous Japanese sushi master.

Even to dine there, one had to book months in advance.

The prices were steep too. It was the kind of expensive sushi restaurant ordinary people would hardly ever visit.

But it was not as if he had never eaten there before. The taste was really just average.

Chikage smiled calmly.

"Thank you for your concern. I also think studying is very important."

"As for the top ten in my grade that you mentioned, I think I should be able to reach that in the first semester after school starts."

"But as for going out for sushi then, let's forget it. There's no need to spend so much."

Those words made Masasuke freeze, before he was rendered speechless.

He had merely been saying it, and this kid was actually trying to act humble?

Back when his family had money, he had been taught by so many famous tutors and still failed to learn properly. Now he thought he could reach the top ten in his grade within a single semester?

What a joke!

Kondo Miki shook her head repeatedly as well, feeling somewhat disappointed. She had thought he looked much more mature now, but in reality, he was just an ordinary boy who liked to brag.

Still, she understood part of how boys thought.

After all, when there was a pretty girl nearby, many boys would instinctively tell lies to make their status and standing seem higher.

Chikage was probably no different.