Hearing Nanako's somewhat muffled voice from inside the room, Ohara Shijuro's conviction in his earlier suspicions grew even stronger. His precious daughter had definitely been bullied. A young man and a young woman, alone together in a room, and his daughter being so exceptionally perfect...
'That absolute bastard!' The more Ohara Shijuro thought about it, the angrier he became. His fists clenched tightly, a furious inferno blazing in his heart! If he hadn't been unsure of Lin Yu's exact address at that very moment, he probably would have stormed over to confront him then and there. However, given the current situation, that was clearly impossible. He glanced at the time; it was already quite late. Calling the editorial department at Yueisha Publishing now wouldn't be appropriate either. It would have to wait until tomorrow.
Seeing that Nanako had no intention of opening her door, Ohara Shijuro let out a frustrated huff and turned towards his own room, already plotting how he would deal with that brat, Lin Yu. He certainly wasn't going to let this matter rest; someone had dared to bully his daughter!
Yet, as he passed through the living room, his eyes fell upon the manuscript he had just put down. Ohara Shijuro hesitated for a moment, then paused, picked up the artwork, and carried it back to his room. He absolutely wasn't planning to see what happened next in Inuyasha. No, his intention was merely to gain a deeper understanding of Lin Yu as a person by studying his work. All in preparation to defend his daughter's honor tomorrow!
Ohara Shijuro successfully rationalized his actions to himself, and his footsteps even quickened a little. Such captivating work, with both high quality and satisfying volume – it was truly the kind that people loved most.
The next morning, Ohara Shijuro dragged himself out of bed bright and early. Hearing the sounds of Nanako bustling about in the kitchen, he made his way to the living room.
"Dad, why are you up so early today?" Nanako, who was in the middle of preparing breakfast, asked with some surprise upon seeing him.
Ohara Shijuro carefully observed his daughter's expression. She seemed no different from usual, showing no lingering effects from the previous day's supposed ordeal. "Ah, yes. I have a few things to take care of today, so I needed an early start," he said in a deep voice, pouring himself a steaming cup of coffee.
Nanako nodded lightly and continued with her tasks. Her morning routine was quite busy, as she had to prepare breakfast not only for herself and her father but also a portion for Lin Yu.
Ohara Shijuro covertly watched Nanako for a good while but couldn't discern anything amiss. Pondering, he tried a more indirect approach. "Nana, how has work been lately? Everything going smoothly?"
Nanako, still busy, smiled. "Oh, it's going very well! Lin-kun is always on time with his manuscript submissions, so there's absolutely nothing to worry about..."
However, this smile, in Ohara Shijuro's eyes, was immediately reinterpreted. His mind conjured images of Nanako being bullied at Lin Yu's place daily but enduring it silently, putting on a brave face so as not to worry him, suffering all alone, and forcing herself to smile. The very thought of this caused Ohara Shijuro immense distress; his heart ached for her.
"Dad, breakfast is ready. You should eat. I need to get ready to leave soon," Nanako said, handing her father his breakfast. She had also prepared a bento box and then went back to her room to change clothes, preparing to head over to Lin Yu's.
"Mm," Ohara Shijuro nodded, looking down and listlessly picking at his breakfast.
In no time, Nanako called out a goodbye, grabbed the bento, and left in her sportswear.
The moment Nanako was out the door, Ohara Shijuro quickly finished his own breakfast, hastily threw on some clothes, and rushed out after her. Nanako's unusually strange behavior the previous day had solidified his conviction: Lin Yu had absolutely, without a doubt, bullied his daughter. To rescue his precious girl from this "fiery pit," Ohara Shijuro resolved to follow Nanako. The instant Lin Yu showed any inappropriate intentions, he would emerge to stop him and bring Nanako home. As for her job? She could quit for all he cared. With his income, supporting Nanako was more than feasible. Even if Nanako didn't work, if he just put in a little more effort, her future would be secure!
Stepping outside, he saw Nanako's figure just turning the street corner, and Ohara Shijuro quickly tailed her. His furtive, sneaking figure had a distinctly unsettling air, rather like that of a creepy stalker, causing several passersby to instinctively stare and whisper among themselves.
"Hey, that guy looks like a pervert, doesn't he? So old, yet so sneaky... it's disgusting..."
"Shh, don't say that! He's looking this way! Let's go, quick! It'll be trouble if he targets us..."
Such comments were numerous. Ohara Shijuro desperately wanted to explain himself, but fearing he might alert Nanako, he could only swallow his pride and continue following her. Deep down, though, a faint sense of pride simmered. After all, he was doing this for his daughter. As a father, what did a few misunderstandings from strangers matter? Wasn't Nanako also putting on a brave smile, enduring her inner turmoil? What he was suffering now was nothing compared to what Nanako was supposedly going through!
Buoying his spirits with such thoughts, Ohara Shijuro followed her all the way to the vicinity of Lin Yu's house. He arrived just in time to see Nanako, having dropped off the bento, emerging with Lin Yu, both ready for their morning run.
'Hmph, I'll be watching you very closely. I absolutely will not let you bully my precious Nanako!' Ohara Shijuro thought with unshakeable determination, stealthily trailing behind them.
However, he had only followed them for half the distance when he started panting heavily. Compared to Lin Yu and Nanako, who exercised regularly, Ohara Shijuro's somewhat frail physique was clearly no match. Yet, even as he gasped for breath, feeling as exhausted as a dog, Ohara Shijuro pushed himself to keep up, refusing to let Nanako out of his sight.
Unfortunately for his suspicions, after trailing them for the entire route, Ohara Shijuro saw no sign whatsoever of Lin Yu bullying Nanako. They were simply jogging like any normal pair, and Nanako didn't look unhappy at all; on the contrary, she was chatting and laughing with Lin Yu.
But Ohara Shijuro remained steadfast in his belief: this was all merely a facade! Lin Yu wouldn't dare do anything too outrageous in public, of course! The real test would come when they returned home. That was when he truly needed to be vigilant!
Fortunately, the morning run, which had become an agonizing ordeal for Ohara Shijuro, finally came to an end. Watching Lin Yu and Nanako head back towards the house, he let out a heavy breath, his legs feeling a bit wobbly, but his eyes were sharp and alert. The main event was about to begin, and he absolutely had to protect Nanako!