SIDE STORY: THE TAKEDA HOUSE — WHEN "LEGENDS" RAISE A CHILD

SIDE STORY: THE TAKEDA HOUSE — WHEN "LEGENDS" RAISE A CHILD

While Minamoto Akane sat quietly by her stone bench, lost in thought—

At the Takeda estate, another "battle" was breaking out right at the dinner table.

Ren was enthusiastically stuffing his face while talking at the same time:

"Mom! I met a girl from the Minamoto family! She's insanely strong! I tried to punch her but she almost killed me! I'm definitely going back tomorrow—fighting is the fastest way to make friends!"

Each word he spoke was like pouring oil onto fire.

On his mother's forehead—

Takeda Shizuka, a woman from the Hiyori intelligence lineage—

veins began popping one after another.

SWOOSH!

Before Ren could even finish—

an overwhelming pressure exploded from her body.

Shizuka activated two powers at once:

The crimson glow of the Takeda bloodline—Borrowing the Future

and the pure white light of the Hiyori lineage—Biological Control

She forced her body to release adrenaline and neural stimulants, pushing her brain capacity to 120%—

far beyond the normal human limit.

"Ren..." her voice dropped dangerously low.

"Do you even know who the Minamoto are... before talking about 'punching' them?"

The moment Ren sensed danger—

his survival instincts activated instantly.

But instead of fighting back—

he used his superior intellect.

In a split second, he forced his brain to produce tears—

without any actual emotion.

His eyes turned watery, his face crumpled pitifully:

"I... I was wrong, Mom! (I don't even know what I did wrong but crying first is safer!)"

Shizuka froze.

The red and white aura around her slowly faded.

She let out a sigh, her anger softening at the sight of her son kneeling with his "ultimate crocodile tears technique."

She was just about to let it go—

Click.

The door opened.

A heavy, suffocating presence filled the room.

Takeda Masao—

Ren's father—

had returned.

Standing at over two meters tall, with stern eyes faintly glowing red, he looked like a mountain forged through countless battles.

He didn't raise his voice.

Didn't release any flashy aura.

He simply spoke—

and the air froze.

"What's going on here?"

In an instant—

Ren vanished.

The so-called "young lord" immediately slipped behind his mother like a ghost.

He knew very well—

his mother might be angry, but she would still protect him.

His father, however...

believed in the "way of warriors."

And that usually meant—

a month in bed.

Taking advantage of the moment while his mother stepped forward to calm things down—

Ren quietly slipped away—

ran straight back to his room—

and locked the door.

And that—

was the reason why, for the next two weeks—

the stone bench at the Minamoto estate remained completely peaceful.

Because the usual "disturbance"—

was currently under strict house arrest.

Too afraid to step outside—

in case his father decided to educate him with iron fists.

CHAPTER 3: THE UNSTABLE FISHING TRIP AND THE CALLED A FISHING ROD

The moment the towering figure of Takeda Masao disappeared behind the train's smoke—

Ren instantly dropped his "good son" act.

He dashed toward the Minamoto estate at full speed, his chest bursting with the excitement of someone who had just regained freedom.

But instead of the expected earth-shattering battle—

Akane appeared in a light outing dress, holding two bamboo fishing rods.

She tilted her head slightly, a rare mischievous smile on her lips.

"Not fighting today."

"Let's go fishing at the lake behind the mountain."

⸻

On the way there, Ren couldn't stop complaining, waving his hands dramatically:

"Akane, you have no idea! My dad is a literal monster! Every time he looks at me, it feels like gravity increases ten times!"

He puffed his chest proudly.

"But that's only because I was holding back! If I go all out—Borrowing the Future at maximum—I could totally beat him... and you too!"

Akane simply smiled.

Her amber eyes narrowed slightly, hiding something unreadable.

She didn't argue.

Because she knew—

that delusional confidence was exactly what made Ren interesting.

⸻

At the lakeside—

a perfectly contrasting scene unfolded.

On the left:

Akane sat cross-legged, her back straight.

One hand held the fishing rod.

The other held a thick book.

She was completely still—

like a jade statue blending into nature.

On the right:

Ren squatted on a rock.

Scratching his head.

Then his ear.

Then his neck.

His entire body twitched like ants were crawling all over him.

For a Takeda heir with restless warrior blood—

sitting still for 30 minutes was nothing short of torture.

⸻

"AAAAA! I can't take this anymore!"

Ren suddenly jumped up and threw the fishing rod onto the grass.

He activated his spiritual energy, ready to charge at Akane.

"Take this, Akane! Stop sitting there reading—"

But—

just as his fist was about to move—

he froze.

From the bushes in the distance—

two familiar figures slowly emerged.

The bodyguards.

Number 1 and Number 2.

Holding alcohol bottles.

Eyes scanning around—

like they were searching for someone to "educate."

⸻

Ren's face turned pale instantly.

In less than a second—

he withdrew all his energy.

Bent down.

Picked up the fishing rod.

Sat back in his original spot.

And stared at the lake—

like a seasoned master of fishing.

⸻

Akane didn't even lift her eyes from the book.

But the corner of her lips curled up slightly—

a subtle, cunning smile.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you catch something, Takeda-san?"

Ren muttered under his breath, sweat dripping down his face:

"Yeah... something big..."

"...a shark."

"Troublesome..."

⸻

The two bodyguards glanced at each other.

Nodded approvingly.

"See? Kids should be calm like that."

Then they casually walked off—

back to drinking.

⸻

Ren let out a long breath of relief.

Inside his head, he swore:

Next time—

he would pick a place with absolutely no adults.