As soon as he returned home, Katsuragi Ren was told by the old butler that his father wanted to see him. After a quick rinse in the washroom, Ren followed the butler who had been waiting for him.
"Young Master, the Master is inside." The old butler pushed the door open and respectfully stepped aside.
"Yes, thank you." Ren replied and walked straight into the study.
Roberta, who had come with him, did not follow. She stood on the other side of the entrance, waiting quietly. She and the old butler stood like two guards on either side of the door.
Unlike the other maids, Roberta was Katsuragi Ren's personal maid, a position equal to the old butler who always followed Katsuragi Retsu.
Retsu looked at his son, whose long hair fell to his waist. Ren wore a white robe with a black dragon embroidered on the shoulders. Retsu pointed to the Go board already set up on the desk and said with a smile, "Ren, care for a game?"
Katsuragi Ren nodded without asking why his father had called for him.
Click—
A white stone was the first to be placed on the board. Katsuragi Retsu knew how terrifying his son's skill was in Go, so there was no room for courtesy.
A father letting his child play first is a sign of affection, a gesture made because the father is stronger.
But that rule didn't apply here. Every time Retsu had politely let Ren go first, the game had always ended with him being utterly crushed.
Whenever Retsu was about to lose his temper during a game, Ren would always look at him with innocent eyes and say, "Father, please don't go easy on me."
This left Retsu speechless and frustrated.
"Ren, it's been a long time since we've played."
As more stones were placed on the board, Katsuragi Retsu couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.
"Father, you've used that nostalgia tactic many times before."
Ren was not affected by his father's words. He precisely placed a stone, blocking Retsu's last escape route, and spoke calmly.
The game was over. Retsu had been completely defeated.
"Ren, can't you just let your father win for once!"
"Father, was there something you needed to see me about?" Ren ignored the comment about the game and shifted his gaze from the board to his childishly pouting father.
Ever since he had been soundly defeated by his son, Retsu rarely played Go with him anymore. The reason was simple: he found it embarrassing to be no match for his own child.
Today, he had suddenly asked for a game. Ren knew this meant his father had something important to discuss but was too hesitant to say it directly, choosing this roundabout way instead.
"Ren, have you decided which high school you want to attend?"
Seeing that Ren had asked him directly, Retsu still decided to probe a bit first. He wanted to see if Ren had a school in mind. If he did, there would be no need to mention Advanced Nurturing High School.
"High school? I don't really care." Not knowing why his father was asking, Ren decided to be honest.
For him, it didn't matter which high school he went to. He could even skip school altogether.
To put it bluntly, even if Ren learned nothing, the various think tanks under the Katsuragi Conglomerate could manage the business and ensure its prosperity.
Attending school, in his view, was more about experiencing the so-called student life.
"Then... how about Advanced Nurturing High School?"
Seeing that Ren had no preference, Retsu got straight to the point.
So that's why he called me here today.
"Advanced Nurturing High School?" Ren rubbed his smooth chin, wondering what was so special about this school that his father would recommend it so strongly.
"Yes. It's rumored to be a school with a one hundred percent employment rate for its graduates."
Katsuragi Retsu continued, trying to spark his son's interest with the claims from the school's brochure.
After hearing the description, Ren just rolled his eyes at his father, a little speechless.
"Father, let's not even discuss if that promise is real. Even if it is, what use is an employment rate to me?"
"If you try to tell me that I'm not allowed to leave the house unless I go to this school, I'll call grandpa and mom right away."
"I'll tell them you're trying to control my life."
Ren's situation was very different from his father's. Back then, Katsuragi Retsu had fought hard for his position as the head of the family. He seized every opportunity to strike down his rivals, all to win the family's favor and support.
But Ren, with the incredible talent he had shown since childhood, was adored by everyone in the family.
The affection from the older generation was even more extreme. If Ren had asked for the stars in the sky, they would have found a way to get them for him.
It was this all-encompassing affection that meant Retsu could only persuade his son, never force him.
"Alright. The truth is, Kōgenji called and said their heir is going to Advanced Nurturing High School."
"Since you don't have a school in mind, I thought you might want to go and check out your future rival."
Katsuragi Retsu raised his hands in surrender and told Ren the whole story. Although he knew Ren was joking about telling the elders, he decided to play it safe.
"Kōenji Rokusuke, that arrogant lion from the Kōgenji Conglomerate? Interesting. I'll go."
Ren was aware of the rivalry between his family's conglomerate and the Kōgenji Conglomerate.
When he learned that Kōenji Rokusuke would be at the school, he immediately understood why his father had suddenly asked him about something as trivial as which school he wanted to attend.
Knowing his father's good intentions—to use this little lion to pave the way for him—Ren naturally wouldn't refuse.
Although, it didn't really matter whether the way was paved for him or not.
"Good! Then I'll register you right away. You can start tomorrow."
Katsuragi Retsu was a man of action. Now that Ren had agreed, it was time to prepare a few things for his son.
"Tomorrow? Fine. See you later, Father."
"Yes, see you later."
...
Back at his own residence, Ren stepped into the entrance hall, clapped his hands, and called out, "Koharu, Mochi."
"Meow~"
Hearing her master's call, a pure white Ragdoll cat with light blue eyes forgot all about her usual elegant steps. She trotted over and leaped into Ren's arms, rubbing her small head against his chest.
Behind Ren, the large white tiger that had returned with him lay quietly on the floor.
It silently crept toward the young man. Once it was close enough, it lunged forward.
Just as the tiger was about to tackle him, Ren, who had already sensed it, quickly put down the little cat in his arms and opened his arms wide to embrace the larger one.
"Koharu, you've gotten much heavier."
Ren hugged the front half of the tiger, burying his face in its warm fur, feeling its weight with a sense of helplessness.
"Roar~"
Koharu didn't care. It rested its massive head on Ren's and nuzzled him, just like the little cat had.
This made the little cat, Mochi, a bit jealous. She opened her mouth and tugged at Ren's trouser leg.
Koharu was a white Bengal tiger, its snow-white fur marked with greyish-black stripes. Its eyes were the same beautiful light blue as the kitten's.
As a cub, it had been abandoned by its mother and nearly froze to death, but was lucky enough to be found by Ren, who was camping at the time.
Ren had just cooked some rice porridge with meat. Seeing the poor creature, he fed it all and took it home, eventually naming it Koharu.
Holding the tiger now, Ren felt a momentary daze.
Time had passed so quickly. The cub that was once the size of the little kitten had grown so big he could barely hold it.
"Alright, alright, Koharu, that's enough."
Ren pushed away the still-nuzzling tiger and picked up the little cat that was tugging at his pants, placing her on the tiger's head.
After calming down the two cats, big and small, Ren turned to Roberta, who was waiting at the door.
"Roberta, I have to be away for a while. I'm leaving everything here in your care."
"Yes, Young Master."
Roberta accepted the key to Ren's rooms from his hand.
"Roberta, is there anything you want?" Ren asked as he handed her the key.
He had "found" Roberta, and she had served as his exclusive maid ever since. During her time with him, she worked diligently without complaint and never asked for anything.
Whenever Ren gave her a gift, she would always accept it with a smile, never revealing what she truly liked.
"Something I want?" Roberta tilted her head. She couldn't think of anything she really wanted.
Looking at the young man who had taken her in, she opened her arms on an impulse. "Young Master, may I have a hug?"
He hugged her. After they separated, Ren smiled and said, "That doesn't count as a gift, Roberta."
"I hope that by the time I return, you will have found what you truly want."
Ren turned and went into his room.
It was time to rest.