Chapter 96

Iris’ Past (4)
Iris and Takuto naturally became close. A month had already passed since Iris came to Japan.

Of course, Takuto had his elementary school to attend, and Iris had her distance learning. When Takuto would go to Iris's room, he usually found her sitting in front of her desktop, receiving lessons from a foreign teacher. As a special student, Iris had a higher proportion of study time compared to others her age. In fact, back in America, she was always reading papers and the like, spending most of her active hours studying.

Naturally, there was a reason for this. Neither Carls nor Shizuka had noticed it yet, but Iris was definitely pushing herself. Normally, it would be impossible for an elementary school student to learn things beyond high school level. However, Iris was driven to meet her parents' expectations, dedicating most of her personal life to studying to maintain this level of achievement.

Takuto waited patiently. He knew not to interrupt her lessons. As someone who was expected to inherit the Shishido style, he understood the importance of training. Interrupting at a time like this would only make Iris irritable. So, Takuto sipped the tea brewed by Lim and waited, and after about 30 minutes, the lesson ended. Iris closed her thick textbook and returned it to the bookshelf next to her computer. Takuto had also noticed that something was unusual about Iris.

First, there were very few toys in her room. And, for some reason, there was a glass case by her bed, displaying a wallet and a teddy bear. These were gifts from her parents for her birthday, but Iris didn’t use them regularly; instead, she polished an unused aquarium and displayed them inside it. Incidentally, the day after she received the gifts, Carls bought a collector’s glass case, so it’s now in a regular glass case. These were Iris's treasures, and there were only a few other items like them. She wasn’t living the life of an average child. The bookshelf was filled with thick books, with no picture books or manga in sight.

"Iris, what do you usually do?"

Takuto’s question was quite natural.

"Study."

"Is it fun?"

"Not at all."

For Iris, studying was the easiest way to be praised by her parents. That’s why she studied—it was as simple as that. Her motivation was far removed from what Carls and Shizuka might have hoped for.

"Then, do you want to come over to my house? The dojo and garden are different from here."

Takuto was completely smitten with Iris. Takuto was good-looking, and his grades weren’t bad—in fact, they were probably above average. He was popular with others his age, but for some reason, he was particularly interested in Iris. Her expressions when they were together, her expressions while studying—everything about Iris was different from any other child he had known. Being with her was incredibly enjoyable. This must be what a child’s crush feels like—he wasn’t thinking about anything complicated.

However, there were those who couldn’t accept this. Carls, for one. Even now, he was perched in a tree in the garden, watching through a telescope. A suspicious character indeed.

"Shit. Iris, refuse him. He’s a hunter, I’m worried."

"What are you doing up there, dear?"

Suddenly, Carls was addressed from below, causing him to fall from the tree.

"N-No, Shizuka. I was just worried about Iris..."

"Come with me."

"NOOOOOOO‼"

Carls was dragged back to the mansion. He was about to get a scolding. Even though Carls was getting scolded by Shizuka about five times a day, their relationship as a couple didn’t suffer. If anything, they were growing closer.

Takuto and Iris continued to play together almost every day. At first, Iris was expressionless, but she eventually began to smile around Takuto—the first time she had smiled at someone other than her family. Takuto, too, was stunned by Iris’s smile, but they continued to interact through studying and playing games. Incidentally, Takuto only won against Iris in games a few times at first; after that, he couldn’t beat her at shogi or go, not even once. Even Gensai, who was an expert, couldn’t win against Iris after just five matches. The sight of the old man groaning and Iris dominating him while reading a newspaper made Takuto, sitting beside Iris, clutch his stomach with laughter. Even his usually stern grandfather couldn’t win against Iris.

Time moved on. Four months had already passed since Iris came to Japan. It was time for her to return home earlier than expected, as the mystery behind the incident had been uncovered.

It turned out that a third country had been targeting Iris. A major power that had been on the rise since the early 20th century had taken an interest in her. However, Iris’s talent was still in its developmental stages, and the future was uncertain. So, they considered it a win if they could secure her. The organization operating within the U.S. had already been dismantled.

The organization, which had influence in the slums, was targeted by both slum residents and the police, leading to its destruction. Most of the survivors were either arrested under suspicion of espionage or had died. While it wasn’t entirely safe yet, Carls and Shizuka couldn’t take any more time off work. Another reason for their return was the need to revamp the security at Iris’s high school and in the special academic district where the school was located. The police were also reviewing security measures, which contributed to the decision to return.

Another reason... well, Carls and Shizuka’s research institute had been pleading with them daily to come back. Both Carls and Shizuka were talented scientists, and losing them would be a significant blow.

"Such a busy life. And what about the mansion you just bought?"

"Well, we’ll use it as a vacation home."

They hadn’t planned to stay there permanently. The mansion was intended as a place where Shizuka could easily return to her hometown. Having a house there would make it easier for her to visit. Carls had bought it, thinking it would be nice for Shizuka to have a place to relax occasionally.

"Such luxury."

"Otherwise, the money just keeps piling up…"

"I have a license, but I don’t drive myself."

"Oh my, I wouldn’t want that. Who knows what might happen if I got into a vehicle you were driving."

Carls held licenses for cars, small boats, and even planes.

He had obtained them to invite Shizuka out on dates when they first met, but every time he bought a vehicle, something unfortunate happened. A car was t-boned by a truck running a red light (he was uninjured), a small cruiser he bought was mistaken for a police boat by a smuggling ring and attacked, sinking it (it was later found entangled in a fishing net), and a Cessna he purchased was hijacked by two masked men who forced him to fly them to Mexico, where they were pursued by fighter jets. Given this track record, Shizuka absolutely refused to ride in any vehicle Carls was driving.

Because of these incidents, Carls was sometimes called "McClane." Though it wasn’t a misfortune limited to Christmas...

In any case, he was completely hopeless when it came to operating vehicles. Moreover, nothing ever happened during his tests, making it all the more frustrating.

"Iris... are you really leaving?"

"I have school too."

"I’ll write you letters."

"Email is faster."

"But Dad said letters are better for this kind of thing."

"Alright. I’ll reply too."

Takuto and Iris exchanged their addresses. Although their houses were close, they hadn’t known each other’s addresses until now. Incidentally, it was the first time Iris learned the exact number of her address. She had known it existed but had never had a reason to use it, so she never memorized it. In fact, when Shizuka first mentioned their home address, Iris had tilted her head in confusion. Iris had believed that letters would reach their destination no matter where they were sent, thanks to a mysterious organization running the postal service.

"Iris, did you have fun in Japan?"

On the plane, as she stroked Iris’s head, who was dozing off, Shizuka asked.

"It was an interesting country. There were many things that America doesn’t have."

"That’s true. But some things you’ve never seen before are just things you hadn’t noticed yet. Friends are treasures for life. Though you should be wary of that boy, I’m...happy that Iris made a friend."

Even Carls was thrilled that Iris had expanded her circle of friends. But in his heart of hearts, he wished her first friend had been a girl of the same age.

"You should give up. Iris has made her first friend. Well, who knows what the future holds."

"No way. International marriages are complicated! Especially since Iris has caught the government's eye as a next-generation leader."

Yes, in the wake of the recent incident, Iris had been added to a list of several hundred key figures for the future. In this era, that was a guarantee of a promising future. However, it was not recommended for someone of such importance to marry a foreigner due to concerns about information leaks. Shizuka also remembered how difficult it had been for her. The only reason they managed to get married was because Carls’s determination finally wore everyone down.

"What is marriage?"

Carl was momentarily thrown into confusion, but Iris's simple question brought him back to his senses and lifted his spirits. If this was all, there was no problem. Iris was still pure and innocent, and she wouldn’t learn about something if it wasn’t necessary.

"It's when you stay with someone you love."

"I don't really get it. Can I marry you, Mama?"

"It's difficult with someone of the same gender. It's not impossible, but parents and children can't marry. Besides, I'm already married to Carls, so that’s out of the question."

"Hey, Shizuka, I haven't told Iris yet that she could be Papa’s bride in the future! Jim, who lives next door, bragged that his daughter promised him that six months ago, and now you're hitting me with reality at a time like this... It's too much!!”

"That Jim... I heard his daughter made a boyfriend and ran away from home. She hasn't come back."

"It can't be helped. He just didn't have enough love. But Iris would never do something so ungrateful, right?"

"Mmm... I'll always be with Papa and Ma..."

Before Iris could finish her sentence, she fell asleep. Last night, the Shishido family had held a party all night long, and Iris and Takuto had played until they couldn't keep their eyes open. Takuto had also stayed up to see Iris off until the car left, but he looked sleepy too. As she slept soundly, Iris held both Shizuka's and Carls’ hands. Gently stroking their daughter's hand as she slept peacefully, they decided to skip the meal, and both Shizuka and Carls patted Iris's head before deciding to sleep as well, knowing that they would have a lot to deal with once they returned home.