Chapter 140: Truly Japanese! Brothers Killing Each Other?

Saturday, June 27th.

In the morning, learning via a phone call that Noda's family had been detained, and that Yamada Yuji had already delivered the message to Noda, Aoyama Hidenobu felt a sense of pleasant satisfaction.

Instead, he now found himself looking forward to Monday's court trial.

After washing up, styling his hair, and changing into a silver-gray suit, Aoyama Hidenobu stood before the mirror, adjusting his tie while wearing a casual, cold smirk.

"Playing games with me? I'll destroy you bastards."

Muttering this to himself, he put on his customary gentle, spring-breeze smile and walked downstairs.

At that moment, Aoyama Haruko was doing household chores. Bent over to wipe the table, her perky curves tightly wrapped in sky-blue jeans formed a high arc. Hearing footsteps, she turned back with a smile, "Good morning, Hidenobu. You look like you're in a great mood today. Breakfast is in the kitchen, would you mind bringing it out?"

There was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, with a few strands of hair stuck to it. Her pretty face was slightly flushed, and she was breathing a little heavily from exertion.

"Hai!" Aoyama Hidenobu replied, then went into the kitchen to bring the breakfast to the dining table, calling out to his sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, stop working for a moment and come eat."

"I'll just go wash my hands," Aoyama Haruko replied with a faint smile, dropping her task to wash up in the kitchen.

A moment later, she sat down opposite Aoyama Hidenobu. Because she was quite short, she sat very close to the dining table. The heavy bounty beneath her white T-shirt was slightly squeezed out of shape, making her feel uncomfortable, so she could only arch her chest slightly, resting them on the edge of the table as usual.

Aoyama Hidenobu swallowed hard at the sight.

His hands were very large, yet difficult to fully master.

Suddenly, he sharply noticed that the two fingers on his sister-in-law's right hand were bare, with no fingernails grown out.

A mischievous thought instantly arose. Hooking the corner of his mouth, he looked at her with feigned curiosity and asked, "Sister-in-law, your nails are usually so pretty. How come these two fingers don't have any?"

"Ah! This..." Aoyama Haruko hadn't expected him to ask this. Subconsciously, she hid her small hand, her face flushing red as she stammered, not knowing how to explain.

Was she supposed to tell him they were worn down from handling her personal pleasure toy?

Her flustered appearance looked exceptionally cute in Aoyama Hidenobu's eyes. "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

"N—Nothing." The tips of Aoyama Haruko's ears turned completely red. Finally finding an excuse, she feigned composure and said, "Sometimes they get in the way when I'm doing chores."

"Oh." Aoyama Hidenobu nodded in sudden realization, then said enthusiastically, "What kind of chores? Next time just let me help you with those. Sister-in-law should just focus on keeping her nails pretty. I noticed Aya has all five fingers grown out."

Aoyama Haruko was dying of embarrassment, her face practically buried in her bowl. Uncontrollably, her mind conjured up an image of her brother-in-law helping her with chores, causing her breathing to grow rapid and her legs to instinctively squeeze together.

Damn it, what on earth was she thinking? Stop it!

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, are you alright? Why did your face suddenly turn red!" Aoyama Hidenobu exclaimed exaggeratedly.

Aoyama Haruko was about to lose her mind. "No, I'm just a little hot from finishing housework. Let's just eat breakfast quickly."

Only then did Aoyama Hidenobu let her off.

He honestly dug into his meal.

Seeing this, Aoyama Haruko let out a genuine sigh of relief.

.......................

Meanwhile, far away in Saitama Prefecture, Aoyama Masamasa was also eating breakfast, but he was not alone.

Sharing the table with him was a slim woman with passable, delicate features, and in her arms, she held a chubby, toddler-sized child.

That's right, the reason Aoyama Masamasa was so happy in Saitama Prefecture that he forgot about his wife back home was because he had another wife here.

Crucially, he even had a child of his own.

Though he had been married to Aoyama Haruko for many years, and despite spending much of their time apart, they had shared a bed, Aoyama Haruko had never shown any signs of pregnancy, leaving him with a lingering regret.

As a man determined to restore the family's glory, he attached great importance to the continuation of his lineage.

After all, the Aoyama family's bloodline was far too sparse nowadays.

Later, while in Saitama Prefecture, he met his current lover, Asano Kazuko. After fooling around with her for half a year, she became pregnant and gave birth to a child last year.

And it was a boy!

For the sake of his future career, he and Asano Kazuko had maintained a secret relationship, and outwardly claimed the child belonged to Asano Kazuko's ex-boyfriend. However, he had shifted his focus here, increasingly neglecting Aoyama Haruko.

At the same time, projecting his own behavior onto others, he strongly suspected that his younger brother and his wife had something going on. After all, his brother was full of vigor and vitality, while his wife was a beauty. With a single man and woman living together for so long, how could there not be some sparks?

After all, if he himself couldn't remain chaste, Aoyama Haruko surely couldn't either.

Especially after the last incident when Aoyama Hidenobu beat him up to defend Aoyama Haruko, it only solidified his suspicions.

Though slightly annoyed by this, he mostly adopted an indifferent attitude. After all, he wasn't innocent himself, having even produced an illegitimate child.

Besides, he didn't want to make a big fuss; otherwise, the fact that he had an illegitimate child might become public knowledge.

In that case, he could forget about ever talking about a future career.

In fact, he even added fuel to the fire, quite willing to facilitate the illicit affair between his wife and his younger brother. Only if Aoyama Haruko herself was tainted would she dare not make a scene when the day came that his illegitimate child was exposed.

Especially upon learning that his younger brother was about to become the Asai family's prized son-in-law, he was even more eager to promote the relationship between him and his own wife. Having slept with his own wife, would his brother really have the nerve to refuse to give his older brother a helping hand?

If Aoyama Hidenobu knew his thoughts, he would surely remark: You truly are a typical Japanese man.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

The doorbell suddenly rang.

Asano Kazuko held the child and prepared to answer the door.

"I'll get it." Aoyama Masamasa put down his utensils, wiped his mouth, and stood up. Opening the door, he found a stranger standing outside. "You are..."

"Nirei Jiro. Apologies for the unannounced visit, disturbing Assemblyman Aoyama," Nirei Jiro said with a smile, extending a hand.

Aoyama Masamasa instinctively shook it, though the confusion in his eyes remained, "May I ask who you are..."

"Assemblyman Aoyama, shouldn't you invite me inside to sit down first?" Nirei Jiro interrupted him.

"Pardon my rudeness." Aoyama Masamasa released his hand, stepped aside, and gestured with his hand. "Please come in, sir."

Nirei Jiro took off his shoes and entered the house. His gaze fell upon Asano Kazuko, who was bowing to him, and then shifted to the baby in her arms, chuckling, "The child looks just like Assemblyman Aoyama!"

"Sir, this is the child of my ex-boyfriend and me," Asano Kazuko said with a forced smile.

Nirei Jiro turned his head to look at Aoyama Masamasa with a half-smile. "Do you think your wife in Tokyo believes that story, Assemblyman? And do you think the citizens would believe it?"

The threat was practically carved onto his forehead.

"Take the child upstairs first," Aoyama Masamasa said to Asano Kazuko, then turned a gloomy gaze toward Nirei Jiro. "Who the hell are you? What do you want? If you have something to say, spit it out."

His relationship with Asano Kazuko was strictly confidential. For this person to track him down here meant he clearly meant business, and none of it was good.

"Splendid! Assemblyman Aoyama is a straightforward man. I like that." Nirei Jiro laughed heartily, then pulled a business card from his pocket. "Let's make a formal introduction."

Aoyama Masamasa took it and glanced at it; the other party was the president of a real estate company. "Does President Nirei intend to invest in Saitama Prefecture?"

Due to the economic downturn, the Japanese government was planning a massive infrastructure boom that year to stimulate economic growth. Nirei Jiro knew the inside scoop and had started a company to cash in on this windfall.

"No, no, no. I have another identity: I am the son of the Superintendent-General of the Metropolitan Police Department," Nirei Jiro replied, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Aoyama Masamasa looked at him with a shade more gravity. "Please take a seat, President Nirei."

At the same time, he recalled the scandal from a few days ago where Nirei Taro had framed Aoyama Hidenobu, roughly guessing the visitor's purpose, though he kept it to himself.

"Assemblyman Aoyama is truly a pragmatist." Nirei Jiro sat down with a hint of mockery, glancing around the interior decoration. "Living a cozy life with a wife and child in Saitama Prefecture is quite blissful. But how can you be so at ease leaving your stunning wife and your younger brother alone under the same roof? You must know we Japanese are quite open-minded in these matters!"

"President Nirei, watch your tongue!" Aoyama Masamasa's face darkened, and he issued a cold, stern warning. What he thought in private was one thing, but he could never let outsiders know; on the surface, he had to protect his family's reputation.

"My apologies." Nirei Jiro offered an unrepentant apology, then continued, "I know Assemblyman Aoyama has always wanted to enter the Diet, and has put a lot of effort into it without success. But if you're willing to do me a favor, I can help you secure a seat in the Diet."

"Please elaborate, President Nirei." Aoyama Masamasa's breathing hitched. He sat up straight, staring intently at him.

Nirei Jiro said with a cold face, "Aoyama Hidenobu has offended me, and I want you to help me take revenge on him."

He had grown smarter; instead of targeting Aoyama Hidenobu directly, he would approach him through his family.

This would increase the success rate of his revenge.

Since ancient times, pain inflicted by loved ones hurt the most. He wanted to make Aoyama Hidenobu experience the feeling of being backstabbed by his own older brother, forcing them into a fratricidal war!

"What?" Aoyama Masamasa's expression shifted.

Nirei Jiro stared at him. "As long as you help me punish him, our family will definitely pull strings to get you into the Diet. You should know, my older brother used to be a member of the House of Representatives. Relying solely on yourself, you might not even be able to hold onto your seat as a prefectural assemblyman in the next election."

He didn't use Asano Kazuko and the child to threaten the other man, because showing up here was already a threat in itself; spelling it out would only make him look petty.

"President Nirei, do you know who Aoyama Hidenobu is? He is my own younger brother, my dearest and closest kin!" Aoyama Masamasa said word by word.

Nirei Jiro was completely unfazed, looking entirely confident as he asked indifferently, "So?"

When he came, he had already investigated and knew that the relationship between Aoyama Masamasa and Aoyama Hidenobu had always been hostile.

"You'll have to pay more!" Aoyama Masamasa finished his sentence and continued, "An empty promise of a Diet seat isn't enough; you have to give me some tangible benefits."

"No problem. My sincerity will be delivered in a couple of days, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed." Nirei Jiro agreed, a trace of mockery flashing deep in his eyes.

A man who could sell out his only younger brother even wanted to revive his family—it was absolute comedy.

Aoyama Masamasa smiled. "Then there's no problem. Does President Nirei already have a plan?"

"You are his older brother; you know him best. Naturally, this matter is left to you. I don't care about the process, I only want results. At the very least, I want him stripped of his official post and utterly ruined!" Nirei Jiro said, his face filled with malice.

Aoyama Masamasa put on a solemn expression. "Hai!"

"I'll await your good news." With those words, Nirei Jiro stood up and walked out without looking back.

"Take care, President Nirei!" Aoyama Masamasa rose, bowing to see him off, and only raised his head after hearing the door click shut.

The expression on his face gradually morphed into a cold scowl.

He then grabbed the landline telephone and dialed his home in Tokyo. "Haruko, put Hidenobu on the phone immediately."

Although he had been at odds with Aoyama Hidenobu in the past, no matter how much they fought, they were still biological brothers. He only had one such relative left. Moreover, Aoyama Hidenobu had deep ties with the Hikawa family and was now the Asai family's prized son-in-law, poised to soar into the sky and revive the family.

As the older brother, he could share in that glory too.

So how could he possibly collude with outsiders at a time like this to harm the family's hope and his younger brother with his infinite future?

Doing so would be equivalent to shooting himself in the foot!

And setting aside personal bonds and looking purely at interests, if he really did something like that, the word would spread that he was a man who would sell out his own brother. Who would ever trust him again?

Nirei Jiro thought that framing Aoyama Hidenobu for an affair with his wife would provoke him; thought that using Asano Kazuko and the child to threaten him would cow him; thought that dangling an empty promise of a Diet seat would tempt him?

Laughable! Hateful! Pathetic! Pitiful!