The Terumi Family's Deliberations (Not Really)
In the Genga Family, which was used as a temporary residence, Terumi Genga's father, who was also the head of the Terumi Family in this generation, was carefully reading and appreciating the book in his hands.
Behind them was an ugly middle-aged man dressed in old-fashioned, drab gray clothes, and even indoors, he was wearing an exaggerated pair of sunglasses, fast asleep without any regard for his image.
The patriarch, engrossed in reading, furrowed his brows at times and relaxed them at others. It seemed that he was completely immersed in the world of the book, or perhaps a particular sentence or description in the book had brought him a momentary incomprehensible question or a feeling of shared experience. He paid no attention to the ugly middle-aged man who was fast asleep beside him.
Just as the head of the household was engrossed in reading, a soft, yet polite knock came from the door of the study, which had a classic Japanese style. It made one feel as if they were being treated as a superior, as if they were being treated as an inferior.
Immediately afterward, the voice of the steward, who had accompanied Terumi Family head of the family to handle some matters and help relieve the pressure on him, drifted lightly into the ears of the head of the Terumi Family from outside the door.
The voice was filled with a sense of humility to highlight the patriarch's status, as well as the speaker's heartfelt respect for him.
"Master, I apologize for disturbing you, but I have requested to contact Tsukanao, the head coach of the fitness center in '①' city. He says that this is the young master's only friend at present, and the request is made by him because he needs the Terumi Family's help with some matters. He hopes to obtain sufficiently detailed information about All Might and that uncrowned king from him."
The patriarch, who was engrossed in his book, snapped out of his trance upon hearing this. Almost instantly, he bookmarked the current page, closed the book, and placed it on the wooden table in front of him, which exuded a refreshing fragrance. Then, he gave an instruction to the doorway of the study.
"Come in."
Upon hearing the word of permission, the butler outside the study gently opened the door, then stepped into the study in three steps, and casually closed the door behind him without making a sound.
After entering the study, he simply waited quietly at the door with a very respectful expression, without saying a word, seemingly a person who preferred silence.
Fortunately, the head of the family seemed to have already understood the steward's personality and did not pay attention to the steward's tendency to be silent, a trait that was hard to say whether it was a strength or a weakness.
"You said before that you went to the hospital to see the person who caused my Genga injuries, Genga only friend?"
Although the butler preferred silence, he showed no intention of remaining silent when faced with a question from the head of the Terumi Family.
"Yes, he is that young master's friend."
After receiving a definite answer from the butler, the head of the family's expression remained unchanged, only his eyes subtly deepened. However, unless one was intently watching his eyes, or someone with a particular 'Quirk,' probably no one would notice this, including the butler standing at the study door.
What happened to that kid?
The patriarch's voice remained unchanged, not even in the slightest, sounding as calm and authoritative as ever. At the same time, the patriarch's gaze fell on the steward at the door, putting immense pressure on him.
Thus, the butler's already concise answer became even more concise.
"Master, the young master's friend hopes to learn about All Might and the uncrowned king from the Terumi Family."
The patriarch continued to gaze at the steward, who in turn kept his head bowed respectfully, refusing to look directly at the patriarch he deeply respected.
Then, the patriarch's voice rang out again.
"You can handle this yourself."
The steward seemed not to have expected the patriarch to say such a thing, because based on his past experience, the patriarch undoubtedly cared for the young master very, very much.
As for those related to the young master, especially the only friend the young master has made personally so far, the patriarch should care more about them than other general news related to the young master.
But the head of the family said such a thing... or rather, issued such an order and granted such permission, which inevitably made the steward start to have wild thoughts.
'Does the patriarch trust me that much? Does he really believe I won't betray him? Does he really believe I won't use this matter to indirectly influence the young master?'
Even the butler, who was usually silent, couldn't help but probe the head of the family by speaking out of suspicion.
"So..."
There was a fleeting, almost imperceptible hesitation in the butler's voice.
"... Master, should we recruit the young master's friend into the family? Have him work for the family and for the future young master? Or perhaps... would it be better to simply make that young master's friend a Terumi Family?"
This hesitation, which even the butler himself hadn't noticed, was immediately detected by the head of the family the moment it appeared.
However, the head of the family did not directly point this out. Instead, he had some thoughts in his mind and decided to gradually distance this steward from the core power of the family. He even had the idea of nipping any danger in the bud if necessary.
However, even though the head of the family was having a series of thoughts and ideas flashing through his mind, he did not reveal any of them in his expression, speech, or behavior. Instead, he continued to give instructions to the steward as if nothing had happened and he had not thought about anything at all.
"No, no need. That brat was Genga's first friend. Although he caused Genga's serious injury, it must be admitted that he was also the one who awakened Genga. We don't need to influence that brat. Perhaps, that brat will bring some surprises to our next family head in the future."
The steward respectfully replied, "Yes," indicating that he understood, and then cautiously inquired of the head of the household:
"Then, Master, should we give our full support to the young master's friend?"
However, this inquiry was still decisively rejected by the head of the family.
"No, that's unnecessary. Although we don't need to influence that brat, he still needs training so he can bring more valuable surprises and gifts to the next head of the family... Regarding that brat's requests... send some people to keep a close eye on All Might's movements... but we can't grant all of that brat's requests. At most, we can only provide some information of limited value that doesn't need to be kept secret. I want to see if that brat can bring us any surprises now."
After the master of the house gave these two instructions, the steward finally understood the master's attitude towards Uraraka Shige and respectfully replied, "Yes."
"Yes, Master. I'll take my leave."
The ugly man behind the head of the family, wearing sunglasses, was the same man the head of the family called "Ikyu" who had cured Uraraka Shige using his "Quirk" at the hospital. He was still fast asleep and showed no sign of waking up.
After watching the steward leave the study quietly without making a sound and close the door behind him, the head of the family placed his hand back on the book he had been reading. However, he did not open the book for the first time, but instead sat there muttering to himself.
"That brat... All Might No. 1 'Hero' who has become a symbol of peace, and that guy who currently reigns supreme at the pinnacle of Japan's underworld?... Both of them have reached the pinnacle in one direction, and coincidentally, their factions are completely opposed... I'm afraid something terrible will happen soon... If... this might be an opportunity for us to the Terumi Family..."
The patriarch's words had already revealed a great deal of information, but no one could know what he was really thinking at that moment.
①: (Not yet mentioned in the original work, left blank to avoid being contradicted)
PS2: I wonder if the image of my Terumi Genga, will be established as I envisioned! I'm so nervous, so conflicted, so shy—it feels like experiencing something I've never done before (my first time attempting to establish a fictional character through extensive indirect description in an entire chapter)...