"Uncle, Aunt, here you go."

Takashi and Ogitsu Yoshiko handed four cups of tea to the Kasugano family.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Kitahara-kun."

Mrs. Kasugano handed over a small gift.

Takashi politely declined it at first, but in the end, he accepted it.

"The last time I saw you, you were just a month old. Hard to believe how much you've grown."

Looking at his nephew, Mr. Kasugano couldn't help but sigh.

The last time they met, Takashi was just a baby—he probably had no memory of it.

Mr. Kasugano had occasionally kept in touch with Takashi's father over the phone, but they rarely met in person.

"Why didn't you come to visit me, Uncle?"

Takashi calmly blew on the surface of his tea and responded.

"I was living far away from your father. It wasn't easy to travel back and forth."

Thinking Takashi was accusing him of being absent all these years—especially after his parents passed away and he never showed up—Mr. Kasugano hurried to explain,

"And I have two kids to take care of. Sora was in poor health and hospitalized for a long time. I really didn't have the time."

Takashi smiled slightly but said nothing.

He knew the truth himself.

He didn't have much emotional attachment to his biological parents anyway. He was only saying this as a warning not to make any unreasonable demands.

Perhaps to change the subject, Mr. Kasugano said, "Compared to your father, you look more like your mother. You inherited her beauty."

Takashi smiled faintly and asked casually, "I heard my mother was very beautiful when she was young?"

His biological mother was French, so technically he was mixed-blood.

"Of course. Your father met your mother in their third year of high school. She had just transferred from France, and it caused a huge sensation at school."

"By the way, I still have her photo here. Would you like to see it?"

Mr. Kasugano offered.

"I'd like to."

Takashi had photos of his parents, but those were from their older years. His mother had already gained weight, and it was hard to tell how beautiful she once was.

Mr. Kasugano pulled a photo from his wallet and handed it over.

Takashi first looked at Mrs. Kasugano.

Her expression clearly wasn't very pleasant.

A wallet is a personal item.

Even a wife seldom looks through her husband's wallet.

Carrying a photo of another woman in his wallet—what that implies goes without saying.

Even if it's your sister-in-law, that's still crossing a line.

And from her reaction, it was clear Mrs. Kasugano didn't even know the photo was in there.

Hitomi gave Takashi a discreet nudge under the table. They exchanged a glance and silently chose not to expose it, instead looking at the photo.

When he saw the stunning beauty of his mother in her youth, Takashi was momentarily stunned.

Hitomi, her small head resting on Takashi's shoulder, was also momentarily dazed when she saw the photo.

Her deep-set eyes sparkled like stars. Her high nose bridge exuded elegance. Her slightly upturned lips carried a charming smile.

Her beauty wasn't just in her delicate features, but in the aura she exuded—lively, graceful, elegant.

She looked like a goddess from a classical oil painting—noble and mysterious.

After a while, Hitomi furrowed her brows slightly.

"She looks like a famous French actress… what's her name again?"

Hitomi couldn't recall the name for a moment, but Takashi knew what she meant and replied, "Christiane Éli."

Looks are determined by your parents—Takashi had often wondered whether his good looks came from genetic inheritance or system modification.

Now he finally understood.

Thankfully, he looked like his mother, not his father.

"How did my mother fall for my father?" Takashi was puzzled.

How could such a beautiful woman fall for his father?

"Your dad used to be very handsome," Mrs. Kasugano added.

At that moment, to Takashi and Hitomi's surprise, she removed the phone case and pulled out a photo of Takashi's father.

Takashi exclaimed inwardly, Well, damn!

One carries a photo of her sister-in-law in her wallet, the other hides her brother-in-law's photo in her phone case.

No wonder the two of you ended up together.

Bless you two—locked in tight!

Hitomi instinctively glanced at Mr. Kasugano's face.

His expression had darkened.

Then she turned to eye Kasugano Sora suspiciously.

Better keep an eye on that girl.

If the parents were like this, who knows if the daughter might be targeting Takashi too?

Takashi came to the same realization and stared coldly at Kasugano Haruka, deciding to have Hitomi hire a female sniper later—if that guy came within 100 meters, take him out instantly.

Anyone in range gets headshotted.

With their thoughts aligned, the two of them looked back at the photo of Takashi's father.

The man had a lean face and medium-length hair that might have looked effeminate on someone else, but on him, it looked elegant.

His striking features were so handsome that the Mediterranean blue seemed to reflect in his deep eyes.

He looked just like AC Milan's legendary No.9—Filippo Inzaghi.

"Your dad was really handsome."

Hitomi nodded repeatedly and kept glancing between Takashi and the photo.

She realized he had inherited all the strengths and none of the flaws.

"No wonder I'm so handsome."

Takashi suddenly understood.

A mother who looked like Christiane Éli, and a father who looked like Filippo Inzaghi—when two people like that have a child, it'd be weird not to be good-looking.

He used to think his mother had bad taste.

Now he saw that she had excellent judgment.

That's how it should be.

Beautiful women should be with handsome men.

That's what makes a pleasing couple.

No wonder you two couldn't compare to my parents.

Takashi put the photo away and glanced at the couple opposite him with pity.

They weren't exactly ugly—after all, their kids looked good, so they couldn't be that bad.

But it depends on who you're comparing with.

No wonder they never visited their nephew in all these years. Who could stand seeing their old crush together with someone else?

The weirdest part—one had a crush on their sister-in-law, the other on their brother-in-law. Truly… one-of-a-kind.

The Kasugano couple saw Takashi pocket the photo without any intention of returning it.

Their lips moved as if to speak, but whether it was because of their kids or each other being present, they ended up staying silent.

They didn't ask, and Takashi wasn't going to return it either.

He was their son.

What's wrong with taking back a photo of his parents?

___

20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics

Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!

Don't forget to leave a review too~

Check out the other translations too

___