“Lord Long…” I called out.

“Don’t call me that, you are a family,” he interrupted me with the same words as Kouzuki Miya used back then.

For a moment, my mind started racing once again, calculating the reasoning the man sitting in front of me could possibly have had to respond in such a way.

Yet another blank was drawn, with a symbol of Chaos on it.

One of the most powerful people in the world just wanted his grandson back. For all I know, this could’ve been the case, as improbable it sounded to me.

“Elder Hào,” I called out again. “I lived my whole life as Michael Roah. I learned about my origins too late for this information to be of any use. It’s not about whether we had gotten along or not, I hadn’t met you even once before.”

“Yet you met my wives?” asked Long Hào, well, more like he stated the fact instead.

“Both of them helped me a lot, without asking for anything back,” I confirmed.

“So, I was dead?” Another statement in the form of a question.

The man sitting in front of me lowered his head, and, all of a sudden, he looked much older. As if his true age had caught up to him. Looking at that, another round of calculating outcomes went inside my head.

I could have told him anything here, and it would have worked. In three to five years, this man would be gone either way, taking away the biggest possible obstacle to my nefarious, albeit non-existent, plans of taking over all three of the Three Families.

Yes, I could, but my mind’s eye betrayed me, showing me the difference between the current and future visions of the Kouzuki twins. Especially that barely hidden happiness inside the eyes of my grandmother as she stood by her husband’s side.

“Yes. It happened sometime in the next five years. No idea what was the cause, but I recommend scheduling a thorough health check.” My emotional side won over the rational.

“And thoroughly checking people who I should and shouldn’t trust as well,” the husband of Kouzuki twins finished my words for me. “I see”

“And you will just take my word for it?” I couldn’t help myself but ask.

Hazel eyes met my gaze. His expression was unreadable, and my experience in dealing with him was severely lacking. Even for me, it was impossible to fill in the missing bits and pieces in what I could read.

“I see no reason not to,” Long Hào said. “Ignoring a piece of information like that is an epitome of foolishness. Especially when there isn’t any sound reasoning for you to lie about something like that. Considering that both of my wives are on your side, won’t letting me die be the best choice instead?”

Well, if I was able to calculate the pros and cons of this situation, there was no way the Family Head of the Long clan could not.

“It would,” I agreed. “But that would sadden my family.”

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I sighed.

Ah, being humane was so exhausting. Yet, it was much more interesting overall. What a weird feeling.

Long Hào started laughing boisterously.

“What a fine son that dog, Chen, managed to produce. Truly a miracle,” he said after a minute or so. “Let me repeat myself. Welcome to the family, Michael Roah. Whatever you may think, you are my grandson. My blood. Never forget this.”

“I will keep it in mind, grandfather,” I replied.

I didn’t mean those words. Not really. At least, not yet. Especially the way I addressed the man in front of me. And the look in his eyes showed me that he knew it.

“You don’t have to believe me, but I intend to live up to those words, since this is the most interesting choice I can see in this situation,” I told him the truth.

“Then I should do my best and live long enough to see that day,” my… grandfather responded. “Now, tell me more about yourself. I think the reports are severely out of date.”

“Before that, I would like to ask something as well,” I said, and looked at my conversation partner, waiting for the response.

“I guess that would be fair,” Long Hào replied. “Ask away.”

“Why are you doing this?” I did as was told.

No matter how much I mulled it over, I couldn’t even start wrapping my head around the possible reasons.

“Because this is the most interesting way forward.” I got an answer, which I was all too familiar with giving myself. “And there is nothing to lose by accepting you, and everything to get.”

I tilted my head, waiting for the continuation.

“Fine, I will say it in plain words.” My… grandfather sighed. “My stubbornness did cost me a son. And, almost, made both of my wives leave me as well. For a long while, I could only visit Miya in her bar. And, for the first time in almost two decades, I’ve seen Maya visiting me, not as Kouzuki matriarch, but as my wife.”

One of the most powerful people in the world paused, fighting back a tiny tremble in his voice. Too bad I couldn’t judge how genuine this display of emotions was.

“I honestly don’t want to even think about what would be the reaction, in case my actions would drive away their newfound grandson, you.” He finished his words with a deep sigh. “Whether it’s Long Tian, Kouzuki Shinji, or Michael Roah, son of Leon Roah, since you are my grandson, I see no reason whatsoever to care about your time shenanigans. And whether they are even true in the first place.”

It was my turn to laugh. Truly, the Chaos was such an entertaining thing.

“I see,” I managed to say, after my moment of levity was done. “Where to even start?”

“If it’s all the same to you, how about you tell me when and how you learned about Chen’s diary?” The Family Head of the Long clan voiced his question.

“It was a series of weird coincidences. The Su clan’s first young lady leaked the information she had on me, and one of my jobs went sideways. This led to the situation that required me to lie low for a while,” I started my story.

For some peculiar reason, the usual irritation from thinking about Su’s head bitch failed to rise this time around.

“Out of my father’s safe houses, that one was the closest, so my choice fell on it,” I continued. “Since I had to turn off my phone completely and there was nothing else to do, I decided to read a book. And the first one I picked up was a strange small notebook with an eye-catching golden symbol on the leather cover.”

My… grandfather looked at me, speechless.

“This dog son of mine left something like that just lying around…” Long Hào drawled in disbelief. “Ugh, just thinking about this makes me angry.”

Muttering a single ‘Chen…’ under his breath, he shook his head, as if trying to chase away something.

“Hm, how about how you managed to meet with Miya then?” The Family Head of the Long clan switched the topic.

“Well, I lost someone too important to me, and was on my downward spiral, seeking my own death. One day, after getting wasted, and being chased away from a bar after a fight. Or, well, more like I was escaping the scene before the police could arrive… Anyway, as I was stumbling through the alleyways…”