Chapter 61: Norika Harada’s Yearning

"Honestly!"

Norika Harada stood by Quillan’s side, looking quite indignant. "Cousin, have you made enough of a scene? What do you mean by ’never harass me again’? In your eyes, am I, your cousin, merely a bargaining chip for you to threaten others with?"

"Cousin Norika..."

Takeo Kobayashi looked at the enraged Norika, startled by her sudden outburst.

Norika continued in a cold voice, "Besides, how old is Quillan-kun? He isn’t even as tall as you, Cousin Takeo. You’re a 3rd-dan black belt powerhouse in karate, while Quillan-kun is just a student. Yet you keep insisting on sparring with him—don’t you feel your behavior is truly shameless, Cousin?"

"Shameless?"

Recovering from his initial shock, Takeo’s expression darkened as well.

Just a moment ago, he had thought there might still be a chance to turn Norika’s feelings around. From her very first sentence, Takeo had read a subtle message: his cousin, at the very least, still held some respect for him.

Otherwise, Norika wouldn’t have gotten angry over being treated as a bargaining chip for his threats.

Yet right after that, Norika went on to accuse him of being shameless!

This completely shattered the tiny glint of hope in Takeo’s heart, replacing it with a wild, agitated surge of emotion fueled by anger, resentment, and reluctance. Takeo threw his head back and laughed aloud, "Haha! Shameless? Cousin, you actually dare call me shameless! Fine! Excellent! But in truth, I, Takeo Kobayashi, am an open and upright man. On the contrary, I see that kid for the coward he is—a coward who doesn’t even dare to accept my challenge! Haha! Hey, coward, are you starting to hide behind Cousin Norika again, afraid to step out? Did you deliberately say you’d accept my challenge just because you calculated in advance that Cousin Norika would step forward to speak up for you?"

Blinded by fury and resentment, Takeo’s eyes had turned red. Deep inside, all he wanted now was to find someone to vent his frustration on.

Without a doubt, his target was Quillan!

The conversation had circled back to where it started. Norika’s efforts couldn’t stop Takeo’s urge to teach Quillan a lesson—she had tried, but her attempt felt utterly powerless!

Glancing at Quillan with concern, Norika gently shook her head at him.

She was signaling for Quillan not to accept the challenge. Naturally...

Norika also assumed Quillan would decline. Although Quillan had confidently accepted the spar earlier, in Norika’s eyes, he had likely done so just to save face.

Now that it was time to actually cross fists, Quillan shouldn’t be foolish enough to step forward and take a beating for someone who wasn’t even his actual girlfriend, right? For reasons she couldn’t explain, Norika’s mind suddenly grew complicated.

Would he... choose to step forward?

While feeling anxious, a small spark of expectation flickered within her.

Norika didn’t realize it herself, but as someone who had always been completely indifferent to romance, she had never entertained these kinds of subtle thoughts before. Yet right now, she was beginning to yearn like a young girl of sixteen or seventeen!

And once a girl begins to yearn, her awakening to love soon follows!

On the other side of the table, Gyosuke Harada hadn’t uttered a single word, nor had he looked at his wife, Kaori Harada. Even while watching Takeo act like a lunatic, Gyosuke showed no reaction whatsoever.

It was as if this entire matter had nothing to do with him—as if the conflict between Takeo and Quillan was completely detached from him and his daughter, Norika!

Such a reaction was practically a tacit approval of Takeo’s demand.

It was hard to say what Gyosuke had in mind: was it because his heart still favored Takeo, or did he want to test Quillan to see if he was truly a responsible man as he claimed to be?

Quillan was still just a boy, but he was no ordinary boy!

He didn’t take Takeo’s provocation to heart at all.

As for Takeo’s title as a 3rd-dan black belt powerhouse, Quillan simply brushed it off with a smile.

3rd-dan black belt... was that supposed to be impressive?

In America, a powerhouse was a powerhouse—there were no arbitrary ranks or tiers to define it. A true master needed not only formidable strength but also absolute self-confidence!

Quillan possessed that confidence, so he accepted Takeo’s challenge without a moment’s hesitation.

"I accept!"

Quillan looked at Takeo and said, "Cousin Takeo, shall we spar right here, or would you prefer to choose another location?"

"You... you agreed?!" Takeo was somewhat surprised, but far more overjoyed! Acting as if he couldn’t wait another second—and worried that Norika might step in to stop them again—he hastily chimed in, "Right here, of course! What do you say? Let us two men show Uncle Harada and Cousin Norika right here, right now, who the real man is!"

"Takeo!"

Kaori Harada, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke up. Her expression was quite grim, devoid of her usual gentle demeanor. "Stop messing around! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t force things this time? Now that Norika has found a boyfriend, as a man, you should give her your heartfelt blessings!"

"I’m not listening!" Takeo clearly didn’t respect his aunt Kaori. Japanese culture was steeped in male chauvinism—what man would willingly let himself be lectured by a woman in front of a crowd? Thus, Takeo didn’t bother being polite to Kaori. To him, since he was about to lose his chance with Norika anyway, there was no point in being polite to the Harada family anymore!

Panicking, Kaori looked toward her husband, only to see Gyosuke shake his head, remaining completely unmoved. In fact, Gyosuke’s subtle body language signaled for her to stay quiet and keep watching.

Having been married for decades, the couple shared a tacit understanding, allowing Kaori to guess Gyosuke’s intentions without hearing him speak a word.

Kaori let out a sigh and sat back down. She realized her husband had formed the intention to evaluate Quillan.

After all, he was their only daughter’s boyfriend—and a American youth at that—so it was natural to test him thoroughly. However...

Kaori couldn’t help but worry: Takeo possesses the strength of a 3rd-dan black belt in karate. What if he seriously injures Norika’s young boyfriend?