Chapter 68: You Are Also Tokura
The Tokura family truly lived up to its long-standing prestigious reputation, with a comprehensive collection of materials in all aspects.
Uesugi Kiyoshi found many interesting things inside.
The ephemeral images they created were said to only last for 20 years, but it wasn't exact to the seconds, minutes, days, or even years.
The lingering presence of the former head of the Tokura family, Tokura Ryozo, still looked very strong after almost ten years, according to Tokura Kazuo, maybe lasting for 22 to 23 more years.
Meanwhile, Ikeda Lizi, who passed away a bit earlier, had started to become translucent, as if she could disappear at any moment.
According to records kept by the Tokura family, these lingering presences could last anywhere from 17 to 25 years, with hardly any two lasting the same amount of time.
The bigger the influence and the higher the status of the person, the longer their presence tends to linger, while members of smaller branches of the family often fade away much quicker.
Therefore, Uesugi Kiyoshi deduced that the duration of these lingering presences was closely related to the memories that the Tokura family had of them.
It might even be possible to measure this in terms of how often they were remembered.
Being the head of the family with a wide network of connections, even if each person only thought of him once a day, it could still sustain the lingering presence.
On the other hand, for those in the family who were lesser-known, no matter how much their loved ones remembered them, it might not be enough to sustain their presence.
As for Ikeda Lizi, her existence relied entirely on her husband, Tokura Makoto. When Tokura Makoto moved on from his grief and fell in love with someone else, her presence naturally faded away.
"Sir, please have some tea."
Tokura Kazuo kindly offered tea and quickly massaged Uesugi Kiyoshi when he saw him twisting his neck.
"Sir, forgive me for being bold, how should we make the best use of this ability of our Tokura family?"
Uesugi Kiyoshi smiled and asked, "What do you think?"
Tokura Kazuo shook his head.
He was not being modest.
The ability to create afterimages might sound impressive, but in reality, it only helps ease the pain of family members who have lost loved ones, and it doesn't contribute much to the family's development.
Moreover, this ability is unique to the Tokura family, and even if they wanted to transfer it, they wouldn't know how.
"Actually, I came this time mainly for your daughter-in-law, Ikeda Lizi," said Uesugi Kiyoshi.
So that's how it is!
When Ikeda Lizi was mentioned, Tokura Kazuo understood it all and felt a mix of emotions.
The other person was both filial and hardworking. If it were a living person, he wouldn't have any objections. But unfortunately, it was just a lingering shadow, occupying the only son's life for nearly ten years.
As a father, he really couldn't accept it.
"Are you a friend or relative of Lizi, sir? So, are you here this time to prolong her shadow's presence?"
"Exactly!" Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded.
Tokura Kazuo looked troubled.
"But once the shadow is formed, we can't change it. If it disperses, we can't summon it again!"
"Don't be so absolute in your words!" Uesugi Kiyoshi closed the materials in his hand and said. It's true that living people's memories of the deceased fade over time, but what if we add some fresh support now? How might that work?!
"Are you talking about Hideo Ikeda? He's not part of the Tokura family!"
"Then let him become part of the Tokura family!"
It's not easy for a prestigious family to become and stay prestigious over time.
The Tokura family records clearly show that during the Warring States period, the powerful Akamatsu family forcibly adopted and made their son the head of the Tokura family.
During the Edo period, some branches of the Tokura family also adopted sons on their deathbed to prevent losing their family estate.
In Japan, it is very common for adopted sons and sons-in-law to inherit the family name. Compared to the inheritance of DNA, the passing on of the family name is seen as more important.
Even Tokura Kazuo, tracing back five generations, has no blood relation to the Tokura family of his time, but this doesn't affect the continuation of the family line.
Therefore, allowing Hideo Ikeda to join the Tokura family should not lead to his exclusion.
Given Uesugi Kiyoshi's order, the Tokura family naturally dared not disobey. They held the adoption ceremony that same day.
Just having the ceremony was enough; they didn't even need to invite the officials from the household registration office to change their family relationship.
At the moment the ceremony was completed, Uesugi Kiyoshi's guess was confirmed.
Watching Hideo Ikeda embracing his daughter who had solidified once more, Tokura Kazuo couldn't help but sigh, tears streaming down his face.
"They finally got what they wanted."
"No, it's not enough, it's just the beginning!" Uesugi Kiyoshi corrected.
............
After leaving the cinema, Murakami Mio was still teary-eyed.
The latest movie showing tells the story of a father and daughter depending on each other.
The actress playing the female lead was unfamiliar, probably a newcomer, but her acting was truly superb, the sincere mutual affection deeply moved her.
"Sob... so touching..."
"The heroine is really nice, she has a classy vibe!" Her boyfriend also gave very high praise, although he had a different perspective.
Murakami Mio glared at her boyfriend and eagerly said. Let's join her fan club!
"Okay, let me search for it, Ikeda Lizi, right... Found it, her fan club is currently recruiting members, the first fifty can even get a personally signed photo, are you interested, Miya?"
"Really? Let's hurry and go!"
They took the subway and excitedly arrived at the address mentioned online.
A large group of young men and women had already gathered there. After chatting, they discovered that they were all fans of Ikeda Lizi.
"Do you guys know what the event is about?!" Murakami Mio asked.
"No idea, I guess the organizers want to surprise us!"
The fans were having a lively discussion when suddenly a deep bell rang. Soon, stern-looking uncles in traditional Japanese clothing appeared and surrounded them tightly, then knelt down on the ground.
"Bow~~"
"Stand~~"
The uncles performed mysterious movements, and after a good ten minutes, the host finally approached them.
"Nobuaki Nagai, Shingo Kurata, Murakami Mio... Do you agree to join...?"
The host spoke at lightning speed but with unclear pronunciation.
Although the fans couldn't hear clearly, they understood that they were being asked if they wanted to join the support group.
Of course!
They came for this!
"Alright, after the ceremony, please line up to get your signed photo!"
The number of Tokura family members kept growing at an unimaginable speed, and all the new members were fans of Ikeda Lizi.
For them, this was a win-win situation. With their help, Uesugi Kiyoshi believed that the Ikeda father and daughter could be together forever.
Next, he was ready to carry out a grand plan.
The plan was to make all Japanese people adopt the surname Tokura.
