Ichiro looked at the time and it was a quarter until 1300, which means he had time before he had to meet up with his parents. After leaving the airport, the vehicle that was sent by his father alongside with one of his workers had picked him up. The worker in question was actually sitting across of him in the seat that was the exact replica of the seat that he was sitting in. She had introduced herself as Ms. Nakamura Yui and she was one of the workers that worked for his father.

While he was still adjusting to civilian life, he spoke to the worker lady that sat in front of him. "Hm, Nakamura-san, if I may ask, can we stop somewhere? I am a bit hungry and I do not want to trouble my parents and/or the people working in the kitchen to make some food for me when I arrive. I would simply just like a snack at one of the stores here."

He spoke with a calm demeanor that honestly surprised Yui. She knew that this person was important but she hadn't gotten the details on who he was or what he was doing. Sure it would be rude but she had to ask but before she did, he responded with, "Oh, my apologies. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ichiro, no need to worry about my surname, just call me by my name. It's fine."

He spoke calmly and it seemed enough for Yui but she was still contemplating on who he really was. If it weren't for him messaging his parents to keep his arrival a secret, then the entire company would've surrounded the airport just to greet the young master and his entrance but this is what he hated. It's not that he hated the publicity but he hated that people simply want to use him in order to get to his parents and that is something that he hates. Sure, he can handle the betrayal and misfortune that lands on his plate but what he won't tolerate is when people are using him as an excuse to get to his parents.

Yui looked at him with a smile and said, "Sure, Ichiro-san. Where would you like to go?"

Hmmm, he hummed as he thought about the choices of snacks that could be bought on the way to his home where his parents waited his arrival. Sure, he liked a lot of food since he tried various exotic dishes from around the world but nothing gets him more than a batch of freshly made pastries that came from a lovely woman. It simply was a divine treat that was bestowed by the heavens.

"Well, is there a pastry shop or bakery nearby?" He asked in question.

She thought a bit and remembered a local shop that is 3 minutes en route from their position. "Ah, there's a local shop just about 3 minutes from here. I go there myself since it is in my neighborhood and I really loved how they make their sweets!"

Her response brought up a smile upon Ichiro's face and she blushed at the unexpected smile that illuminated her vision. His face, which had a certain aura of fierceness coupled with that ominous scar that spoke of stories had really somewhat deterred her but his smile was calming and very appealing that his fierce appearance was replaced by a cool and mellow breeze that came with his wonderful smile.

He looked at her and then wondered about her childhood as she used to live in that neighborhood that they were going towards. Yui had already signalled the driver to head towards that shop but Ichiro had wondered about her neighborhood.

"Nakamura-san, would you tell me a bit about your childhood when you lived in this neighborhood?"

The question was a bit abrupt and she hesitated for a second and Ichiro sensed it so he immediately apologized. "Ah, I am sorry for my rude behavior. I apologize and hope you can forgive me for being a person with a lack of manners."

His tone and word usage had given her a surprised as she stuttered to explain herself, "A-ah! N-no need to apologize! You weren't wrong, it's just that I lived in the neighborhood before my parents had moved on"

Ichiro's expression was struck with astonishment and he immediately placed his hands on his lap and made a deep bow while seated. His expression was very serious. "I am deeply sorry for recalling your moments of grief. I will make sure to compensate you for my misgivings and I hope you can forgive me for my mistakes. "

He bowed again for forgiveness and she was flustered at his behavior. She tried to explain that it was all in the past but Ichiro kept his head down until they arrived at the designated shop. Yui had placed her hands on his shoulders to bring him up. His gaze was filled with unexplained sadness and she could see that he truly was regretting his actions. She then attempted to cool him off by explaining.

"Don't worry, Ichiro-san...It's nothing really. My parents are living peacefully together after all and you haven't done anything wrong. Actually, you've made me happy since we came here to this shop that gave me so many happy memories." She smiled at Ichiro and in turn, he gave her his enchanting smile once more.

Yui blushed at the handsome man known as Ichiro. She was single at her prime age of 23. She had been working with the Kurogane corporation for 2 years and she's constantly happy at the good pay and excellent people she worked with. But, she wanted romance and evidently, it may come sooner to her than she knows.

The two got out of the vehicle and approached the shop that sold confectionaries and various sweets. Ichiro had bought his sweet treat and opted to pay for Yui's and even gave the driver a snack of his own. The three of them ate quickly as they were on a timeline and Yui had smiled brightly as she remembered the various memories that occurred at this particular shop and the surrounding neighborhood.

They returned to the vehicle and drove to streets and finally after 15 more minutes of driving, they had arrived at a modernized traditional home in Tokyo. The house had the traditional home but it became modernized with the security gates at the entrances and exits. Along with various cameras at hidden angles, men in suits and even another building that was connected to the traditional home. The traditional home had that feudal era vibe with the tiled roofing and the wooden floors but it was a bit weird since one of the foyer/hallways was connected to a literal two-story home compound. It had a white painting that gave it a fresh feeling and from the outside, you could see a balcony located on the east side of the compound. Ichiro was a bit shocked since that connected house did not exist before and certainly the cameras and "heavily armed" men in suits did not exist either. Was his idea of expanding technology a bad idea, he thought.

But, his thoughts were crushed when he saw his parents that seemed to have aged a bit but they are still young and beautiful. He felt a bit weird calling his father beautiful but what the hell. It's not like his father could read his thoughts.

As if his father could actually read his thoughts, Kaguro had smacked the boy on the head and spoke, "Haah! This son of mine returns and he's become more cheeky!" Kaguro smiled and gripped the shoulders of his grown up son that finally returned.

His mother looked at him tenderly and she noticed the visible scar on his face. She nearly fainted from seeing that her baby boy's face was damaged. She quickly approached her son and placed her hand on his cheek.

"Dear...are you okay? How did you get this scar?"

Ichiro looked at his mother after being gripped by his father and he smiled at her. "Don't worry mother, it was a simple issue that I resolved already. It's just there to remind me to never underestimate the world and the reminder of how you must always achieve what you strive for."

He spoke with certainty and his parents smiled at him. His father, Kaguro was actually smiling for once. The nearby people, namely Yui and the men in suits, were astonished. Kurogane Kaguro certainly was a businessman but he was literally serious all the time. He had never smiled, only in the presence of his wife. But, they had yet to register the words that Kaguro had spoken earlier. He certainly said that this man was his son so.....?

Then it finally clicked in. Especially to Yui, who was shocked and she was worried that she hadn't treated him better than usual. She actually had the gall to treat him as someone who was normal but in fact this man was the son of Kurogane Kaguro and Kurogane Aina. Two powerful people within the Asian countries. One was a powerful businessman that had his connections with the government of Japan and the other was actually a moderator for foreign nations and worked for the IAFA.

Before Yui could apologize, Ichiro spoke. " Ah, father, mother, I would like to compensate someone. She certainly deserves the praise of being a worker of the Kurogane Corporation and she is a polite and honest woman." He turned to Yui and continued, "I would like her to receive a promotion and also clearing her debts of any kind. If she is attending college, pay for her tuition for how many years she may need and if she needs help with payments or anything, I will pay for a new house just for her. She deserves better and I am willing to compensate."

His parents were stunned but they wanted an answer but from the expression that Yui gave and the determined gaze from their son had explained it a bit, albeit a bit unclear but it was more than enough to get the gist of things. It was probably just a misunderstanding but their son was just too serious at this point. In fact, he wasn't playful as he used to be in the past. After that incident, his mind had been influenced by so much that he became a literal genius but at the cost of his playful emotions. Sure, they still existed but it would take a hell of a lot in order to break down that wall he's built around himself.

Yui broke down crying after hearing his words and Ichiro simply smiled. He stepped forward and patted the grown woman on her head. It felt odd that a woman like her was being patted on the head but strangely it felt good to her. Normally, she would've glared and even slapped the hand of the impudent sod that touched her beautiful hair but she did not hate it because it was Ichiro that did it. Actually, it was because she had fallen...quite hard.

After that situation was dealt with, his parents entered their home and their guards were dismissed. In accordance to what had happened though, Yui was somewhat forced to stay for the day and enjoy their company. It was a joyous day actually since their son had arrived home after being away for four years and extra company was a plus. But, for Yui, she was freaking out. Her boss had invited her into her home and her boss' son had actually done something for her that would've taken years to pay off. Yes, she was attending school, actually a University while working for the Kurogane corporation. The thing that she really enjoyed was that she had flexible hours for her schooling and she had a good income flowing in. However, she still had to pay for her school and maintaining her apartment while paying for tuition would've been tight and maybe she might have had to move out into a cheaper, less clean apartment room or give up furthering her education. Luckily, her savior and love interest had saved the day and she was more than happy to spend some time with him after he came back home.

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The afternoon passed by quickly as Ichiro told some of his stories that he experienced around the world. Of course, he omitted majority of them and simplified some so it wouldn't seem as if he were a bloodthirsty mercenary that killed great underground warlords that controlled a lot of the drug trade and even human trafficking. No, he made it seem as if he were doing peace corps jobs from around the world. Well, it wouldn't be a stretch since he is actually bringing peace. Well, he already did since he semi-prevented a world war by averting crisis with certain militant groups. Anyways, Yui became engrossed at Ichiro's life and his parents smiled as he told his adventures. They already knew about what he did and they sure as hell were proud of their son.

Evening came and they had prepared dinner. Of course, their personal chef would've cooked but this time Ichiro opted that he will cook for them. His cooking skills had increased to the point where even a sous chef would be embarrassed to cook for him. His excellence in cooking had developed interesting recipes and this was one that he created. Using exquisite peppers from South America, combining it with the spices of India along with European seafood, this gave birth to ichiro's secret dish menu No. 5: Umi no Natsu.

The food was excellent and they had enjoyed each other's company. Ichiro's parents told Yui to stay for the night thus she slept in one of the many guest rooms that were in the traditional portion of the house/mansion/duplex-ish building.

Ichiro laid in his bed thinking about what he was going to do from now on. He could simply get his degree in the fields that he's already mastered but it wouldn't feel right for him. Ichiro feels the necessity of proper completion and this actually carried onto his contracting jobs. He has never failed a single mission, always bringing a successful and guaranteed response from his contracted "people". It always gave him a sense of pride to complete everything at a perfect rate rather than skipping and maybe missing a few minor details but those details could be essential later. Thus, he will attend classes at a University but there is also the company that his father had built. His father, Kaguro, had built an entire corporation that is mainly for him. The technological corporation is something that he will have to take over and he can't just let his father control the group since there wouldn't be any point because he is back home.

Ichiro sat there contemplating his future and what he might want to do....

'Everything has literally fallen into my hands but I don't want to succeed over my father yet...Maybe after school but not now at least...It is a bit early and I will have to continue my research on Molecularites and how to implement them into society. KTC has been using minor portions of my technology to create a better society but there seems to be something missing....Something new....wait. There was something that recent came up on the reports I received while on the plane. Something about a Virtual reality/simulation. It allows people to project their bodies using brain waves and sensory fragments thus creating a virtual body within a specific space in the data world. By using this, coupled with advanced technology derived from Augmentation systems and their holographic reality systems, you can simulate a person's body within a video game. It sounds interesting like those fiction novels that I've heard about. It certainly seems plausible but the thing about virtual reality is that....things don't always end up being perfect. There is always a code that falls behind or code strands that end up being manipulated by third parties or even hacking procedures that could literally hack a person's data, thus enslaving a person but....it seems interesting...'

Ichiro continued to wallow in his thoughts and began to plan a timeframe for his future.

1st: Attend a University - Timeframe: 3-4 years will paid tuition and even a degree in the field. [Choices - Physics, Math, Computer Science, Engineering, Linguistics, Culinary Arts, Arts, Chemistry, Computer programming, Computer Design, Information Technology]

2nd: Take over KTC from Father - Time Frame: After University, give or take one year after. [Note: In the mean time, research Molecularites and develop a new technology to further advance society]

3rd: Find and enter that so called VRMMO game that is developed by KTC and Fenix Corp. Game name: PRO--[Phantasy Realm Online]--, - Timeframe: Undecided. If there's an option to do it during University like a limited degree in virtual reality and how they function, then yes. If not, play at home or after schooling hours. [Note: The game will be released in a week]

4th: Get married - Timeframe: Undecided [Have to find love interest first] - [Note: Make sure to never bring a girl home or parents might marry you off to any girl that you do.]

The last time frame made Ichiro a bit wary. During their dinner, his parents had often teased him about finding a lover and they continued to pester him after finding out he hasn't found anyone that fancies him. It was bad to the point where they even suggested Yui to him. It wasn't a bad option though. She is very beautiful and I would be lucky but it still doesn't excuse the fact that his parents were trying to marry him off. It wouldn't be shocking if the next day, they had scheduled an Omiai of some sort, just so they could have him take over the family business and give them grandchildren.

Ichiro sighed to himself as he thought of the nearby future and how he would have to deal with the unknown variables in his life. Let's just hope no one chases after him or even worse, a lot of people chasing after him like crazed animals. Well, he won't find out until later in the future.

After Ichiro's arrival, things got a bit hectic since his parents kept on asking what he did and who he met throughout the years he was gone. It was good but then everything began to slow down and their lives returned to normal but then Kaguro and his son began their talk about 'that'.

"Son, you need to get married", Kaguro said with a serious expression.

"Father, wait I haven't even done anything yet! I just got back 2 weeks ago!"

"Exactly son! Go out there and give me and your mother some grandkids! I don't want to get old to the point where I can't even hold my grandchildren!"

"Chichiue! Ahhh! Wait! First, I should go and finish my schooling THEN take over the company AND FINALLY I will get married! Is that alright father?!"

"Mhm, I don't know. You always have these excuses. I swear after you came back from experiencing that kind of world, you've been a bit cunning to the point where you make excuses for everything...."

"Father! I do not!"

"What about 4 days ago when we said that you should visit Yui and take her out on a date but then you said you had to do work on your "innovative ideas on improving today's society" but then your mother found you practicing some foreign martial arts!"

"Whaaa!? I mean....still dad, Muay Thai and Capoeira is good for the body...not only does it help stretch your muscles, you get flexible and--"

"Son, you need to stop making excuses and be a man for once!"

"Father! I am...it's just that..."

"Haaah, I know how you are son, why wouldn't I be your father if I couldn't tell how my son feels. You may have forgiven those two in the past but you don't have to forsake your future just because of a little teenage drama. I know that you've had a harsh time during those four years since you've been gone but you need to experience love or else you will become a hermit! DO YOU WANT TO BE LIKE YOUR SHISHOU WHO SAID "I forsake humanly desires such as a woman's body to pursue the life of martial arts" SON! TELL ME DO YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THAT!?"

"F-father! Of course not! I mean....I do like women it's just that who would like me?"

"Son....you seriously need to look in a mirror or ask Yui how she feels. You just have no idea. I would be jealous of you if I hadn't married your mother already. You...are you just making fun of me!?"

"N-no father...I was just" Ichiro avoids eye contact like a person attempting to be incognito

"I was just...haaa....Okay father. I will at least try to court someone. I mean...how hard could it be? Surely it couldn't be harder than executing a one-man mission in a subterranean territory while undercover and intercepting a highly valued target....surely it couldn't be that hard....right father?"

"Son....you have issues. You need to get out and enjoy life. Your mind has been tainted by that world....Haaa...."

Thus the conversation has been spoken and Ichiro took the time to finally register at a University. Coincidentally, it is a University that Yui is attending. It is a big campus with their own dormitories and specific stalls to cater to the students of Tokyo University. The school is a highly prestigious university that requires their students to maintain their high grade point averages and excel in their skills on whatever they are studying. They are granted the equipment to further their skills and professions towards their future. It is also one of the highest ranking schools in Asia.

Ichiro had finished his enrollment and coincidentally, it would be starting the fall semester. He had applied for their newest installment of Virtual Reality classes where they will allow their students to participate in simulated classes and even there's a segment that allows them to enter PRO.

Thus, Ichiro waits until he finally enters Todai--[Tokyo Daigaku]-- but what he doesn't know is that he's going to meet familiar faces. Ones that are really familiar and some that he has met only once but it will be somewhat interesting....If only his past wouldn't affect his future but there may be a setback, just a little bit.