Chapter 920 - 920: A Conversation Between Mother and Daughter

After pouring a cup of hot tea, Saaki Funamoto set down the teapot and slowly said,

"Mari, ever since you were little, people have always said you were one of my most outstanding daughters. They often called you the pride of the Funamoto family and said that if you became the head of the family one day, you would surely lead us to entirely new heights."

"From the moment you first showed your talent as a child, whether it was members of the Funamoto family, my business partners, or even my business rivals, everyone would give you a thumbs-up whenever your name came up."

"There's a saying people use when comparing children—'Look at someone else's child.'"

"Ever since you were young, you've always been that 'someone else's child' people talked about. Whenever someone mentioned you to me, their eyes were always filled with envy."

Listening to what sounded like praise from her mother, Mari Funamoto smiled faintly and went along with her words.

"After all, I'm your biological daughter, Mom. Rather than saying the good qualities I possess are things I learned and cultivated myself, I'd say I inherited them from you."

"Ever since I was little, whenever people praised me, I never felt particularly proud. What I felt was pride in you."

"Other people might not know, but I know very clearly that all those qualities they praise me for came from inheriting your finest genes and from the successful education you gave me."

At that point, Mari Funamoto added with apparent helplessness,

"Still, learning really does depend on a person's comprehension. Even though we both had the privilege of receiving your successful guidance, I was fortunate enough to grasp a little of it, while my younger sister... never understood your painstaking intentions at all."

A cold gleam flashed through Saaki Funamoto's eyes as she listened, while inwardly she let out a silent sigh.

Seeing that her mother did not respond, Mari Funamoto did not stop. Standing beside her, she continued,

"I've advised Saori before too. If she doesn't want to take over the family business, she could at least start some small business of her own."

"I don't expect her to make huge profits or become tremendously successful. At the very least, she could settle down a little."

"If she ever needs help with capital or experience while doing business, then as her older sister, I'd be more than willing to help that troublesome younger sister of mine."

"She's already in her twenties. She can't spend her entire life indulging in drinking and pleasure, can she?"

"Our Funamoto family may be wealthy and powerful, but as the saying goes, starting a business is difficult, while preserving one is even harder."

"Even with a money tree like Harugamo Inn in our hands, we can't use that as an excuse to indulge in luxury and pleasure. After all, no matter how sturdy a money tree seems, accidents can always happen."

"Just look at what Harugamo Inn is facing now. A perfectly good hotel suddenly had a murder take place inside it."

"I wonder if Saori even knows about it? Or has she completely ignored the matter because all she's thinking about is which nightclub she's going to drink at tonight?"

"Mom, my little sister may still be younger than me, but she can't keep drinking herself senseless like this forever."

"She doesn't have much to say to me as her older sister and spends more time around you. You should occasionally advise her too and tell her to stop drinking so much."

"All right, enough about that. Mom, let me tell you how the Funamoto family's businesses have been operating over the past month."

Just as Mari Funamoto was about to begin her report, Saaki Funamoto glanced at her and coldly said,

"Oh? After seeing your mother, you don't have anything else you want to talk about? All you can think about is business?"

Mari Funamoto, who had just been about to speak, instinctively froze when she heard that.

For a moment, she even wondered whether she had misheard.

Fortunately, Mari immediately responded. She adjusted her breathing and asked in a puzzled tone,

"Mom, I don't understand what you mean. Did something happen?"

"If you're talking about the recent negative news surrounding Harugamo Inn, you don't need to worry too much."

"I have a few good friends in the news industry. Tomorrow evening, I'll call them and invite them out for dinner."

"I'll ask them to publish several more reports and use every method possible to minimize the association between Harugamo Inn and that murder."

"As for that urban gossip tabloid, what they did certainly makes me angry, but I don't currently have any direct means of punishing them."

"After all, you're still the head of the Funamoto family, Mom. For something this important, it would be better for you to take the lead."

"And if I act too proactively, people might start gossiping behind my back, saying I'm interfering too much or asking whether I'm already impatient to become the next head of the Funamoto family..."

"Oh? Isn't that exactly what you're thinking?"

While Mari Funamoto was still speaking endlessly, Saaki Funamoto suddenly cut her off with that short sentence.

"Huh?"

Mari Funamoto froze.

But what greeted her next was not an answer from her mother.

It was a cup of hot tea splashed straight at her face!

Splash!

Almost all of the scalding tea struck Mari Funamoto directly in the face.

The searing liquid felt as though it were continuously burning her skin, and after only a brief instant, Mari was overwhelmed by intense pain.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Mari Funamoto clutched her cheeks with both hands in agony.

The excruciating pain from the hot tea made it impossible for her to support herself, and with a thud, she collapsed onto the tatami.

"M-Mom... Why did you do that?"

Mari Funamoto asked breathlessly.

With both hands covering her cheeks, she concealed every expression on her face behind them.

Beneath her aggrieved tone was a cold, vicious expression hidden from sight.

"I always thought you were an intelligent child. But in truth, my judgment wasn't entirely accurate."

"You're not an intelligent child."

"You're merely... a child who's very good at acting."

Saaki Funamoto looked at Mari Funamoto kneeling painfully on the tatami, her body twisted with pain.

There was not the slightest hint of concern in Saaki's voice as she spoke indifferently.

Then, at the end, her tone abruptly changed as she coldly shouted,

"Mari, do you have any idea how unbelievably stupid what you've done is?!!!!"

"Stupid? What stupid thing have I done?"

"These past few days, I've been constantly running around and exhausting myself for the sake of the family's businesses. What exactly have I done that's stupid?"

"Mom, did one of my investments decline?"

"But investments rise and fall by nature. Even if something has dropped substantially right now, as long as the choice itself was sound, it will definitely rise again after some time, perhaps even surpassing its previous value."

"When that happens, I'll sell part of it and use the money as funds for the Funamoto family..."

Before Mari Funamoto could finish, Saaki Funamoto raised one hand and forcibly cut her off.

Although Saaki merely lifted her hand and did nothing else, Mari knew perfectly well that if she did not immediately shut her mouth, the next thing that raised hand would do was slap her across the face.

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know that perfectly well, don't you?"

Saaki Funamoto slowly continued,

"A few days ago, Miss Izumi came to stay at Harugamo Inn. For the Funamoto family, that should have been an extraordinary honor!"

"Even if you claim you were busy with work and had no time, are you telling me you couldn't spare even one hour?"

"Miss Izumi didn't need you to accompany her. I only wanted you to meet her so you could show her the respect she deserves."

"On the very first day Miss Izumi came to the Funamoto family's property, you failed to come promptly and meet her. That alone already counted as negligence."

"But for the next several days, you continued pretending you knew nothing and still refused to come."

"At that point, it was no longer a matter of negligence."

"It meant the Izumi family simply doesn't exist in your eyes!"

By the end, Saaki Funamoto's voice could only be described as a roar.

"Mom... Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?"

"It was indeed my fault that I failed to meet Miss Izumi promptly, but you also know how busy I was with work during those days..."

Now that her mother had brought up the matter, Mari Funamoto still kept both hands pressed over her cheeks, preventing anyone from seeing her expression.

But she herself knew perfectly well that while she spoke in such a weak tone, her face had to be twisted with hatred.

"Haah..."

Saaki Funamoto slowly sighed.

"Mari, stop making excuses for yourself."

"You've always believed that every business under your control truly belongs entirely within your grasp."

"But in reality, whether those businesses make money or lose money, the Izumi family and I know everything perfectly well."

"In fact, whenever one of your businesses begins suffering losses, the Izumi family is the first to know."

"Whether your excuse about being too busy with business actually holds up or not, you know better than I do."

"What?!"

Although Mari Funamoto did not panic after her lie was exposed, she still stared in disbelief after hearing her mother's words.

"Didn't the Izumi family say back then that they wouldn't interfere too much in the Funamoto family's affairs?"

"If that's the case, then why are they monitoring us so closely?!"

Looking at her daughter, who had responded with a question instead of offering an explanation, Saaki Funamoto suddenly felt exhausted.

She abruptly realized that she had taught Mari many things over the years, yet somehow she had forgotten to teach her what loyalty meant.

After serving as the head of the Funamoto family for so many years, Saaki understood perfectly well that what the Izumi family needed was not some extraordinarily capable head of the Funamoto family.

All they needed was an obedient dog that knew how to follow orders.

And what exactly was wrong with that?

If the Izumi family had not helped them back then, the Funamoto family would have disappeared into history long ago.

The fact that they had survived until today, risen to become Kyoto's foremost family, and taken control of the entire Harugamo Inn was largely thanks to the Izumi family's support.

Saaki Funamoto knew perfectly well why the Izumi family was willing to continue supporting the Funamoto family.

It was because, as the family head, she knew how to behave, how to obey, and how to follow orders.

Another decade or so from now, if the next head of the Funamoto family ever began harboring thoughts of breaking free from the Izumi family's control, then what awaited the Funamoto family would be retaliation from the Izumi family more terrifying than total destruction.

No matter how capable the next family head might be, it would make no difference.

As far as the Izumi family was concerned, there were countless capable people in the world.

If someone could not learn to obey, then they could simply shut their mouth forever.

Saaki Funamoto could not bear to see the Funamoto family she had painstakingly built for half her life eventually end in the tragedy of a ruined household and dead family members.

That was why she had already made her decision—

She would support Saori Funamoto as the next head of the Funamoto family.

"Mari, I only hope you'll remember one thing."

"All the success we've enjoyed over these years was bestowed upon us by the Izumi family."

"And since they were able to give it to us, that means they can take it back whenever they wish."

Looking at the emotionally agitated Mari Funamoto, Saaki ultimately offered only that solemn warning.

Silence...

For a long time, the room fell into complete silence.

Saaki Funamoto had no idea what Mari was thinking during that silence.

If only she would truly reflect on herself because of this... Saaki silently prayed.

After a long while, Mari Funamoto slowly stood up and lowered the hands that had been covering her cheeks.

Although her cheeks were visibly becoming red and swollen, there was nothing unusual about her expression.

She still looked just as gentle.

Just as filial.

Just as outstanding.

It was as though, for Mari Funamoto, the celebrated prodigy of the Funamoto family, nothing at all had happened moments earlier.

"Mom, I'm truly sorry. It seems I came at a bad time today."

"Perhaps you're still angry with me over recent events..."

"In that case, I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave now."

"I'll remember what you told me."

"I'll come visit you again when I have time."

After saying that, Mari Funamoto bowed deeply to Saaki Funamoto before turning and leaving the room.

Saaki Funamoto did not look at her daughter's back as she departed.

In her eyes, the current Mari was... far too hypocritical.

Saaki could not even stop herself from wondering whether this was a failure in her own upbringing.

How had the daughter who had always been so outstanding since childhood grown into such an arrogant woman, one who was not only hypocritical but incapable of seeing reality clearly?

After leaving the room, Mari Funamoto still wore a faint smile.

She glanced to the left and right before ultimately deciding to retrace her original path.

But after walking only a dozen or so steps, Mari suddenly stopped as though she could no longer suppress herself.

After making certain there was absolutely no one nearby, a hideous expression gradually surfaced across her face.

"That old hag actually dared splash tea in my face!"

"I originally thought she already had one foot in the grave, so I'd keep pretending to be a filial daughter until she died."

"That way, I could improve my reputation in the eyes of the world even further."

"I never expected us to nearly tear off each other's masks today..."

"Phew. That was close."

"All I did was fail to visit that useless young lady from the Izumi family, yet that old hag actually flew into such a rage."

"Looks like I still underestimated just how loyal she is to the Izumi family."

At that point, Mari Funamoto's expression turned gloomy as she looked back toward the room where her mother was staying.

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