Chapter 477: Father
"Uncle, please sit down."
Anyway, the middle-aged man was Rui's father, so Shishio quickly let him sit down next to him.
Rui didn't stand up. Instead, she just sat down. It didn't seem she was surprised to see her father. Instead, she might have expected this. Also, her body was still tingling from the previous exercise, so she wanted to calm her body for a moment.
"Thanks." The middle-aged man nodded with a smile while sitting next to Rui, so he could see her boyfriend better. "Rui, you have good luck finding such a handsome boyfriend." Still, he must admit his daughter's boyfriend was so handsome, and he could imagine how handsome or beautiful his grandchildren would be in the future.
"...." Shishio.
"...Shut up." Rui was embarrassed and looked away. Still, she hoped for her father to move away since she was afraid her dirty deeds with Shishio were known.
"You don't need to get all embarrassed, right?" He sighed, then looked at the two for a while and asked, "You just had sex before, right?"
"...."
Shishio didn't say anything and looked away since Rui beat her father hard.
"Sor-Sorry... by the way, I have never heard your name before..." Then, with his beaten face, he asked Shishio's name.
"My name is Shishio Oga, uncle," Shishio said speechlessly.
"Oh! My name is Jou Mikimoto. Nice to meet you, Shishio-kun." Jou smiled frivolously.
"......."
Shishio was lost in words since the image of Jou and Akihito were so much different.
If Akihito was a prim image of a good husband and wife, Jou was like a playboy even if he was already middle-aged.
"Still, be careful, don't get her pregnant, alright?" Jou said while patting Shishio's shoulder.
"......" Shishio.
"Do you want to die?!" Rui grabbed Jou's collar and raised her fist.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I am sorry!" Jou could only cry in front of his daughter before he let out a sigh of relief.
Shishio sipped his coffee and didn't expect to see this side of Rui. Frankly, it was quite refreshing, especially when she had always been submissive to him in bed.
"But really, how did you two get here?" Jou asked.
"We're on a date, uncle. We're hungry, so we happen to be here, but I never expected it to be your restaurant," Shishio said. Still, it was quite unexpected to see Rui's actual father in this place.
Jou was different from Akihito.
While Akihito was also Rui's father, he was a stepfather.
On the other hand, Jou was Rui's real father.
"Date, eh?" While Jou had expected this, he was still in shock when he found out his little girl had gotten a boyfriend. He then raised his hand and called the waiter. "Hey, bring me wine! The best one!"
"Boss! What are you saying in the middle of the day!"
"Just bring it to me!" Jou didn't take the "no" answer and just wanted to drink right away.
The waiter could only sigh and give up, but from his action, it could be seen it wasn't Jou's first time doing this.
"...This is really your restaurant?" Rui had a complicated expression. She knew her father had a restaurant. However, his previous restaurant was under bankruptcy. Now, after a few years, he has a new restaurant. She didn't know anything and only knew now. After all, she hadn't heard anything from her father and just happened to meet him in this place.
Still, while Rui didn't know anything about this restaurant, she had this feeling she couldn't shake away, and she was right since she met her father here.
"Yes." Jou gave a light smile while taking the wine from the waiter and pouring it into the glass.
"...Is this restaurant doing well?" Rui asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, I might plan to open a second one next year," Jou said with a laugh.
"......" Rui looked at her father speechlessly, thinking she was stupid for worrying about him, but she must admit, she was glad to know his restaurant was doing well.
"Hey, Shishio-kun, drink with me!" Jou pushed the glass of wine to Shishio.
"Sorry, uncle, I can't drink."
"Why? You dare to reject a drink from your father-in-law?" Jou squinted his eyes.
"Dad! You're troubling him!"
"What? Even my daughter has turned against me now?" Jou looked so shocked and sad.
"Sorry, but I am driving," Shishio said helplessly and suddenly understood who Hina took after.
"Eh? Driving?" Jou squinted his eyes and asked, "Are you a college student?"
"No, he's a freshman in high school," Rui answered.
"...But you're not 16 yet, right? Can you get a driving license?" Jou asked.
Shishio only laughed and didn't say much.
Still, Jou also laughed and patted Shishio's shoulders again. "Haha, I like you. This should be how man be!" Still, he looked at Shishio again and asked, "By the way, your grade should be the worst at school, right?
"Unfortunately, he has the best grade for the entire year," Rui said proudly.
"What?! Is that even fair? He's handsome and smart?! How can my daughter get him?!"
"...Do you want to die?!"
Shishio could only laugh at the interaction between daughter and father, but soon, they became quiet since the food was prepared.
"Come and eat. Let me listen to your thoughts about the dishes."
Rui and Shishio didn't say much and also started to eat. While they were curious about the foods made by Joe's restaurant, they were also pretty famished, considering what they were doing previously.
"Delicious! The flavor from the shellfish is so strong!"
"Right, right, right?"
"The umami from the Asari clams and mussels and just the right amount of saltiness from the tomato sauce make for an exquisite combination!"
"Right?! It's different from the ones you had when you were a kid, right?"
"It's incomparable!" Rui nodded, but then she said, "But it's still pale compared to Shishio's food."
"Oh-ho?" Jou squinted his eyes while looking at Shishio. "You think this kid is a better chef than me?"
"Yes." Rui nodded without hesitation.
"......." Shishio was lost for words and wondered why the daughter and father had to pull him into their fight.
"Then, Shishio-kun, can you tell me your opinion about your dish?" Jou asked with a smile, wondering what Shishio was going to say. Still, hearing Rui's praise for Shishio, he knew Shishio might have knowledge over a dish. "By the way, where did you come from?"
Shishio wanted to answer but stopped when he heard Jou's other question. "Me? I am from Kyoto."
"Kyoto!" Jou was surprised and asked, "Is your home a restaurant or something?"
"No, my father is a banker," Shishio said. "But I did learn or two about cooking from someone in Kyoto. While I don't dare to say I am knowledgeable about Italian cuisine, I just know some, and I am not sure I am better than you."
"Is that so? Then can you tell me what you think about the food in front of you?" Jou asked curiously.
Shishio looked at Jou for a moment, sighed inwardly, and could only tell the truth. Still, he must admit that Jou's food was good since it prioritized the enjoyment of his guests instead of the authenticity of the dish.
While the authenticity of the dish was a good point of the restaurant, what's the point of it didn't suit the plate of the people in this country?
After all, the people who bought the food were mostly Japanese, not Italian.
Also, the most important point of a restaurant was the taste of the food.
As long as it tasted good, it was all good.
Jou was dumbfounded by Shishio's words, and their conversation quickly turned serious.
On the other hand, Rui listened quietly while making a note from time to time since she knew Shishio was good, but she didn't expect he would be this good, right?
Still, somehow Rui didn't feel that much of a surprise since his skill on the bed was even better.
Jou let out a long sigh and felt his hands were itchy. He wanted to test the change that Shishio brought to his dish.
While it might not seem like much, they had talked to each other for over an hour, which was quite surprising.
"Rui, I approve of your marriage!" Jou said without hesitation.
"........" Shishio and Rui.
Jou looked at Shishio and asked, "Shishio-kun, what do you plan for the future? Is it a chef? You have learned so much knowledge over it after all." He felt it was impossible for one to research a dish in a detailed manner like Shishio unless he planned to become a chef.
"No, I plan to become prime minister," Shishio said with a smile.
"......" Jou and Rui.
Then, Jou could only laugh, and Rui let out a helpless sigh. It might be their imagination, but they felt this guy could really become a prime minister. Still, they continued their conversation with a light topic before Jou asked, "How is your mother?" His voice was quiet and calm, unlike his previous rowdy and frivolous.
"Mom?" Rui looked at Jou and said, "She has remarried."
Jou was stunned for a moment before he showed a gentle smile and sigh of relief. "Is that so? That's great."
"........"
Shishio only sipped his iced coffee silently and didn't say much about this since those who would feel happy to hear their partner remarried. Even if they hated each other, they would think of them.
After all, there was no clean-cut relationship.
It would be great if we could determine those relationships with "like" or "hate," but a relationship wasn't so simple, and it had always been ambiguous. The memories we spent with others were real and weren't so easy to erase.
"How are you with your new wife?" Rui asked.
"Yup, she's accepting of my philanthropist, that's why." Jou gave a thump up.
"It means she has given up, right?" While Rui said this, she also looked in Shishio's direction.
Shishio could only look away with embarrassment at this moment.
Rui let out a sigh and didn't say much.
"Now that I have heard, Shishio-kun wants to become a prime minister. Have you decided on your career path, Rui?" Jou knew Rui was in her 2nd year of high school, so it wasn't too late to think about her career.
"......." Shishio.
Rui thought for a moment and said, "...I am thinking about a chef."
"Eh? Really?!" Jou was dumbfounded before he showed a happy smile.
Shishio looked at Jou's smile and thought this must be the smile of those fathers, watching their children grow up. He wasn't a father yet. Even in his previous life, he wasn't a father, but he could tell how a father felt happy toward their children.
Shishio somehow felt his bitter iced coffee taste slightly sweet, and it wasn't bad.