bayedsolid Chapter 109 The Great Attack Arc: Kotaro Okamine
Chapter 109 The Great Attack Arc: Kotaro Okamine
As AST, led by Mana, entered the venue, Ming simply sipped his juice, his eyes fixed on Miki Ho, who was cautiously following behind not far away, as if he was thinking about something.
"Sure enough, my niece is here too."
Ming swirled the glass of juice in his glass, his gaze towards Miki filled with a warmth rarely seen in him.
Miku simply watched Ming quietly, "Mr. Ming seems to be really enjoying himself."
"Really? I'd say it's just a little something from me, the uncle, to my only niece." Ming smiled sincerely.
This was probably one of the few genuine smiles he ever gave in his life.
"Haha, Mr. Ming's niece is quite beautiful too. If possible, I'd like to sit down and have a good chat with her when I have time."
While Miku and Ming were chatting, a maid who looked quite young and whose face was covered by her hair came over in a fluster, carrying a plate in her hand.
"Ahem, well... sir and madam, would you like some alcohol? Like whiskey, brandy... or something..."
The girl introduced herself shyly, but Ke Ming just stared at her silently without answering. The girl didn't want to leave before he replied, so the two remained in a stalemate.
"We've arrived as expected." Ming muttered to himself as if he had no idea, then looked directly at the girl, as if he could see right through her.
"Uh... sir? madam..."
The girl's eyes, hidden beneath her hair, grew impatient, and an idea gradually surfaced in her mind.
"Wait! I heard that some rich kids in Japan have... well, could this guy be that type...? No! No way!!!"
The atmosphere became extremely awkward, and even my tone became anxious. At that moment, Miku spoke up and replied:
"Little sister~ then have two small glasses of brandy, and remember to put extra ice in my glass."
"Uh... Oh! I understand. I'll go ask the others first. Your brandy will be here soon."
Then, the girl took three steps at a time, almost running, and left the table where Mingwo had set up.
At this moment, upon entering the banquet hall, Miki looked around anxiously, hesitant to sit down with Ryoko at the table slightly off-center from the center of the banquet hall.
"Miki, don't just stand there, come here quickly!" Seeing that Mikie had been standing still since entering the room, Ryoko Kusakabe urged her in a deep voice with a puzzled look on her face.
"Ah...no...I'll just stay here..."
Upon hearing this, Ryoko stepped forward, grabbed Miki with one hand, and pressed her straight down onto the banquet chair.
"No way, you're an AST member too, you have to live with us!"
Ryoko's expression was solemn as she spoke in a deep voice. Seeing that things had come to this point, Miki could only utter "Ah, woo woo!" to express her protest and struggle.
Miki was like an ant on a hot pan, unable to sit or stand still. Her face was full of fear, and even her forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat.
Even Liaozi, who was sitting to the side, noticed something was off. After all, what kind of good person would be sneaking around looking around like there was someone they desperately didn't want to see as soon as they arrived?
"Captain Ryoko, oh...right, it's because I need to go to the restroom that I'm so restless!" Just as Ryoko was about to ask, Miki spoke up first.
Ryoko looked at Mikie with a hint of disdain. "Really? Then hurry up and go!"
"Okay, I'll go now!" Hearing Ryoko's permission, Miki felt a little relieved and turned to walk quickly towards the restroom.
"Bang!" Miki had only taken a few steps when she suddenly felt a powerful force hit her. Caught off guard, she fell to the ground and couldn't help but scream in surprise.
As Miki looked up from the ground, that familiar, cold face appeared before her.
"...Why are you here?" the man in front of him asked sternly, his face ashen.
"Father!" Mikie, who had been knocked down, cried out involuntarily when she saw the person who had come.
Upon seeing this person, Ryoko immediately recognized him, exclaiming, "What! Kotaro Okamine, the director and president of Okamine Heavy Industries!"
"...So, you're the president's daughter!" Ryoko exclaimed in astonishment and disbelief.
In contrast, Jinna remained calm and slowly said, "I really couldn't have guessed..."
Looking at Mikie, Kotaro seemed oblivious to the surrounding murmurs, his expression still cold as he questioned her:
"...Didn't I tell you not to go near any places related to Gangfeng?...I'll ask you one more time, why are you here?"
"That...that...Father...I...I..."
Mikie's body trembled slightly. After a moment, she clenched her fists tightly, then slowly stood up and said with a determined expression:
"I... joined AST because I want to help others... Today is to... carry out a mission, so!"
As Mikie spoke, her eyes shone with confidence, but at that moment, Kotaro's cold words interrupted her:
“I did say that you could go wherever you wanted... I just never imagined my daughter would be so stupid... choosing to join a useless military unit…”
Kotaro's words were full of denigration towards AST, pushing Mikie, who had just regained some confidence, back into a deep freeze, and negating all the efforts made by all the members of AST so far.
“…How…how could that be? AST isn’t useless…” Mikiko, though frightened, still defended AST.
Upon hearing that her unit had been insulted, Kusakabe Ryoko, who had been sitting, stood up.
"You can't say who's no good! I can't pretend I didn't hear that... All the team members, including this child in front of me, are risking their lives to carry out the mission. You can't deny them!"
"Heh, your AST keeps saying you want to defeat the world's calamity, the [Elves], but you still haven't achieved anything. You're just wasting taxpayers' hard-earned money. Even so, you still have a hollow army. What use is this army?"
“But… but we risked our lives to achieve our goal…” Upon hearing this, Ryoko remained silent for a moment, then weakly retorted to Kotaro.
After all, the fact that they didn't mention the fact that the [Flame Beast] went in and out three times was already considered as giving AST some face.
"What matters is the result. The process is completely unimportant. Even if there's nothing to achieve, it's just wishful thinking... worthless and without any benefit." With that, Kotaro walked step by step toward Ryouko, his expression growing increasingly disdainful.
After speaking, Kotaro turned his gaze back to Mikie and said solemnly:
"I will make you leave AST, bring you back to my side, and start educating you again. With my power, it will be a piece of cake for you to be discharged from the military, understand... Mikie?"
Hearing these words, Miki's eyes welled up with tears again. She recalled the time she spent practicing origami with her, and with a resolute expression, she retorted:
"Father... the AST is not a useless force!"
Just as the situation at the central table in the banquet hall was becoming increasingly tense, Origami Tobiichi, who had been sitting silently to the side, stood up from her seat, walked to Kotaro, and said with equal firmness:
"One day, we will defeat the spirits and show you, even if it costs us our lives. Therefore, the prototype 'Ashcroft' [Alice] should be given to AST to be effective and defeat all the spirits!"
Hearing this, Kotaro thought for a moment, then calmly said:
"What a brave little girl. If you want to use it, then show that you are qualified to use it."
Kotaro did not insist on Mikie leaving the AST unit; he simply turned and left.
After Kotaro left, Mikie's tears flowed like a burst dam. She immediately rushed to the restroom, apologizing to Ryoko before leaving:
"I'm so sorry my father said so many hurtful things. I'm going to the restroom now!"
Throughout the journey, Miki's tears continued to flow uncontrollably, because her father's rejection had caused her immense pain, plunging her into sorrow as well.
Miku, sitting in front of Ming in the corner, watched this scene with some indignation on behalf of Mikie.
"Mr. Ming, what's wrong with your brother! As a father, not only does he not support his daughter's dream, but he can't do this! No way! I will use my power to make my little brother agree with his daughter's idea!"
As Miku spoke urgently, she stood up from her seat as quickly as lightning.
A hint of anxiety and determination appeared on her beautiful face, as if she couldn't wait to go and have a good talk with Kotaro.
However, at that moment, Ming, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke in a voice that only he and Miku could hear:
"Stop right there, Miku."
"Why, Mr. Ming?"
Mei Jiu looked at Ming with confusion and resentment in her eyes. Ming put down his wine glass and slowly said:
“It’s none of your business in the Gangfeng family. Or rather, this is the norm in our family.”
Despite her reluctance, Mei Jiu slowly sat down after hearing Ming's words.
“But Mr. Ming’s niece looks so pitiful. I know very well how painful it is to have your dreams shattered,” Mei Jiu muttered softly.
Ming sighed helplessly, glancing at Kotaro who was currently discussing business with his partner, and couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
'So alike...so alike! She clearly loves her daughter dearly, but chooses to kick her out of the house because she doesn't want her seemingly uncompetitive daughter to be dragged into that cruel family struggle.'
'Because I was afraid my daughter would be harmed by a terrible spirit and her life would be threatened, I chose to make the choice for Mikie. He and I, in our younger days, were like brothers, but I didn't know how to face it, and instead, I caused harm to the family I loved.'
Ming marveled at how history always repeats itself, and his gaze shifted away from Kotaro.
Just as Ming's gaze left, Kotaro seemed to sense something and turned his head to look in the direction of the gaze. For some reason, he felt as if he had just been looked at by a gaze that he had once longed for and was familiar with.
But upon closer inspection, all that could be seen was a wealthy young lady and her respectful butler.
"Ha, what was I thinking? How could that arrogant elder brother possibly watch and come here to celebrate my success? He's so arrogant that he sees the position of head of the family, which I worked so hard to obtain, as something he has no interest in at all."
With that thought in mind, Kotaro sighed for a moment before throwing himself back into conversations with his partners.