He Tiantian left the alley, hailed a rickshaw, gave an address, and closed her eyes to think.
The rickshaw driver was racing along swiftly, the ride was slightly bumpy, but the speed was surprisingly not too slow.
Half an hour later, He Tiantian arrived at a two-story Western-style villa.
A nameplate hung at the entrance of the mansion, on which was written "Sugawara."
That’s right, He Tiantian had made her way directly to the home of Sugawara Kosuke’s cheap uncle.
Such good, ready-made support should not be wasted.
Since she was determined to be both a coward and useless, she needed to find a solid backer. Without someone to rely on, how could she lay low and protect her husband and children?
He Tiantian held her purse and pressed the doorbell.
The Sugawara Ichiro family was having dinner when they suddenly heard the doorbell ring, causing Major Sugawara to involuntarily frown.
"Who is it? Go check."
Major Sugawara set down his chopsticks and commanded the servant, clearly displeased.
The servant hurried out and, after a moment, came back at a trot, "Major, Sugawara Kosuke requests to see you!"
"Sugawara Kosuke?" Hearing this name, Major Sugawara couldn’t help but frown.
Their Sugawara family was not considered a prominent clan, but they had several branches.
Major Sugawara was among those in the family who had achieved something, having been admitted to the Army Academy when he was young and then joined the forces after graduation.
After arriving in Hua Country, he joined other Devils in looting and burning, his hands stained with blood.
Thanks to his so-called "military achievements," he, who was from a humble background and a son of a poor family, had finally reached his current position of status.
Commanding respect in Shanghai, flattered every day by traitors and low-level officers, Major Sugawara had long forgotten his poor origins and had started to assume the air of a noble.
As a nouveau riche, he was both inferior and arrogant.
Feeling inferior about his own past social status, he did not have much affection for so-called relatives.
The existence of these relatives always reminded him: You are just a poor kid from the countryside of Osaka, even as an officer, you can’t wash off the stink of poverty.
Of course, if there was someone useful among the relatives, Major Sugawara wouldn’t mind making their acquaintance.
After all, in Japan’s military, being from the same hometown or clan was a natural alliance.
But... a weakling like Sugawara Kosuke, who didn’t have any resemblance to a descendant of Amaterasu in his bones, was a sight that Major Sugawara found painful to even look at.
Unfortunately, such a joke of the Shadow Organization, a bastard who even traitors dared to bully, was a nephew of his own Sugawara family.
Really, just thinking about it was infuriating.
Major Sugawara regretted more than once why he had acknowledged this nephew and even brought him to the Shadow Organization.
"..." He originally wanted to send the visitor away directly, but after thinking it over, Major Sugawara still said in a deep voice, "Let him come in!"
It wasn’t that Major Sugawara had suddenly become considerate of familial affection but rather that he suddenly thought of something: since they had acknowledged each other as uncle and nephew, Sugawara Kosuke, the child raised by Hua Country people, seemed to fear him and had never taken the initiative to visit.
Suddenly showing up today, the situation in itself was suspicious.
For a moment, Major Sugawara became curious: What on earth had happened that would make Sugawara Kosuke, this coward who was as fearful of him as a tiger, take the initiative to visit despite his inner fears?
He Tiantian didn’t say anything else upon entering but bowed deeply to Major Sugawara.
Major Sugawara was taken aback. He wasn’t surprised by Sugawara Kosuke’s submissiveness, but suddenly realized: This kid actually spoke with a perfect Kansai accent?
"You said you grew up in Manzhou since you were young and you hardly remember your mother tongue, didn’t you?"
Major Sugawara had his doubts and asked directly.
His tone even carried a hint of suspicion, as if gauging He Tiantian’s intentions.
"...Uncle, you said it yourself, Japanese is my mother tongue, and how could I easily forget it?"
He Tiantian sat kneeling with proper form, her demeanor humble and her tone full of the respect unique to the younger generation, "Uncle is unaware, my father and mother were both killed by mountain bandits!"
"I remember my father told them that he would give them money and hoped the bandits would not harm them. But, but those damned bandits couldn’t understand Japanese, they thought my father was threatening them, and then—"
He Tiantian purposefully acted with feigned anger and fear, her body trembling slightly, "I witnessed my parents being killed, their blood splattered on my face, and my mother, with her dying breath, repeatedly warned me: In Hua Country, do not speak Japanese lightly!"