Around the time Maya arrived in Tokyo, a single video was emailed to all members of the Senate.
The sender was one of the Intelligence agents working for the Senate. He was assigned to secretly monitor the Yotsuba family and report any significant developments. The email with the video was just part of that task.
It depicted the image of Tokika standing stunned as she watched the private soldiers under her command get caught up in the collapse of a building. Then, prompted by an adjutant, Tokika finally gives the order to retreat, and the private forces led by her flee the ghost village in the mountains.
Hozumi Asuha had already been debriefed by Tokika on the success of the operation which this video depicts moments of. Although she was duped at the end, Tokika still achieved her objective in exposing the Yotsuba family's home base to public scrutiny by destroying the concealing wards. So the video, which seemed to be a taunt to the Hozumi family, had little aggravating effect on Asuha.
She could not maintain her composure for long however, as she received a suspiciously well-timed email to her personal address shortly after she had finished watching the video.
The email was from a familiar name, Toudou Aoba. Its contents at first glance were congratulatory in nature, praising the success of the assault operation. However, beneath the laudatory words were a derisive sneer at the Hozumi family, who had lost a significant number of their personnel forces to the trap set by the Yotsuba family.
Asuha didn't even read the email to the end, just turned off her terminal with a smack and yelled hysterically, "─That damned monk! Oh, but you better see what's going to happen!"
In her fit of frustration, Asuha seriously considered dragging Tokika there all the way from Kofu and giving her a stern talking-to, but then reason rained on her and she restrained herself, remembering that it was already late at night.
But then she didn't have anyone whom she could take it out on, either. Her sons and daughters had all been driven out of the mansion and given separate homes, away when Tokika was chosen as her heir. And her pride precluded her from taking out her frustrations on the servants and other individuals she felt were in a weaker position.
All that remained for Asuha was to drown her involuntary heightened emotions with the help of the finest bottle of sake.
A few moments after the clock struck midnight, a single shadow crept into the Hozumi family's mansion.
Unhindered and invisible to the best security equipment the money could buy and the finest of guards, the shadow slithered into the inner recesses of the mansion.
The tightly locked door opened without a whisper, and the shadow stepped into the epitome of luxury and elegance of a bedroom, yet far from opulent. Feet pressed on the ground, and very much like a shadow, no footsteps were heard. At the centerpiece of the elegance that was the bed rested alone a woman in deep sleep.
She is over sixty years old, with the appearance of being well over twenty years younger than that. Condition born not of the supernatural or genetic abnormality, but of the result of the money and effort he has put into it.
The shadow ─Kuroba Mitsugu─ takes a step closer.
The sleeping woman ─Hozumi Asuha─ opens her eyes in a flutter.
"So─" before the first word was completed, Mitsugu's arms had already finished their work.
Asuha's call for help failed before it could be uttered.
All the sounds she had left to say were a series of inarticulate shrieks.
In the extreme pain, beyond her or anyone could fathom or bear, her throat and tongue were unable to function properly.
The source of the pain was the tiniest of needles. Thrown by Mitsugu, it left a small wound on her neck.
It wasn't even embedded in her; it had fallen on top of the bedding.
The bleeding is minimal, if any. With the wound being literally at the scale of a pinprick. It probably did not even reach below the dermis.
Even so, still, that slight wound inflicted more pain on Asuha than any torture tool or execution device could ever have done.
[Hornet's Sting], one of the Kuroba family's assassination magic.
Her expression contorted in anguish while she weakly thrashed around on the bed, then, after convulsing violently, Asuha stopped moving. Mitsugu walks over to the bed and puts his fingers on Asuha's neck.
Her pulse had stopped.
Having confirmed Asuha's demise and recovering the needle, Mitsugu turned his attention to the outside of the room.
No one in the house seemed to have sniffed anything amiss.
Without Hozumi Tokika's magic-nullifying supernatural power, there was no one in the mansion who could have thwarted Mitsugu's deft magical feats.
Which is why Mitsugu waited until he was certain that Tokika left her side before carrying out Asuha's assassination.
[Hornet's Sting] leaves no traces, magical or otherwise, other than the faintest of wounds.
No matter how much the body is examined, the only plausible post-mortem finding of the cause of death should be heart failure. ─Unless, there is a power at their disposal similar to Tatsuya's "eye" that allows him to look back in time.
─After fulfilling the task assigned to him by Maya, Mitsugu shrouded himself back into shadow and left the Hozumi family's mansion.
◇ ◇ ◇
Tatsuya returned to Chofu from Miyakishima on Saturday afternoon, October 9, half a day after Maya. A minor issue at the Stellar Reactor Plant held him on the island, and delayed his return, after he had spent yesterday evening reducing the Yotsuba family village to ruins with a long-range cast of [Decomposition]. Although it was a malfunction that could have been handled by someone else, Tatsuya took the opportunity of being there to take the lead in restoring the troubled stellar reactor after finishing his family work.
The speedy repair of the reactor was a performance aimed at giving Tatsuya, the young president of the company, a good reputation as a leader. The malfunction itself was a setup that Maya had arranged without Tatsuya's knowledge.
In so, Tatsuya would have an alibi in the form of the team at his command, as well as a crowd of of employees and technicians who had come for training from outside the company to show that he was at Miyakishima from the evening of the 8th to the morning of the 9th.
For the same reason Maya insisted on lodging at a hotel rather than at the Yotsuba family's Tokyo headquarters: to demonstrate that she was, not directly, at least, implicated in Hozumi Asuha's assassination.
Once Tatsuya eventually arrived at his house in Chofu, he was greeted by Miyuki and Lina at the rooftop helipad.
Being Saturday, lectures at the Magic University finish in the morning. Typically, they would be attending a seminar or a club afterwards, but they immediately returned once they heard that Tatsuya would be back home.
"…So, all that has happened… Then Miyakishima will now be the home base of the Yotsuba family from now on, it seems." Miyuki could not hide her surprise when Tatsuya told her of what transpired over the past three days.
"That Aerial Ship. Man, you Yotsuba boggles the mind. That's like a real-life flying aircraft carrier." Their ex-military friend Lina seems to be more interested in the Aerial Ship than whatever else relating to relocation of the main house.
"Tatsuya-sama. Isn't there a plan to have more facilities related to the Stellar Reactor Plant in Miyakishima? I think we'll be running out of land in the not-too-distant future."
"Yeah, that's true. And with the increasing number of outsiders coming in and out of Miyakishima because of the Stellar Reactor Plant, it'll be a real challenge to keep all the confidentiality. How are the Yotsuba going to keep their mountains of secret technologies hidden away?"
Tatsuya heard Miyuki and Lina's concern and nodded to them in complete agreement.
"Depending on how negotiations go with the Japanese government, we may have to eventually move the Stellar Reactor Plant off the island. And we will probably need to consider expanding Miyakishima in addition to that in the future."
"Expanding an island? How do we do that!?"
By her widened eyes, Miyuki seemed to be astonished by the prospect.
"It should be possible if we work together, like eight years ago. Remember during that eruption, you guided the lava flow in the direction of the eruption and increased the area somewhat."
The occasion Tatsuya referred to was when they were still in the first year of junior high school. During the winter break they visited Miyakishima, which was still a prison island at the time, for Miyuki's training in Nifelheim. There was an eruption on the island.
It was in January of 2093, so it happened exactly seven years and nine months ago. At that time, Tatsuya and Miyuki use her magic to contain the lava eruption and direct it to the east coast, which was uninhabited at the time.
This resulted in an increase of about one square kilometer of Miyakishima's land area.
"I can't believe it… You guys even did something like that…" Lina lets out a half-smile in bafflement.
"I'm not sure if we'll have another eruption like that one back then, though…" The praise only seemed to make Miyuki even less confident.
"We don't need to bank on that if it's impractical, artificial land reclamation."
Miyuki looked slightly relieved. Tatsuya didn't seem too insistent on the idea to propose something like inducing an eruption for the land expansion.
"Do you have any idea where the Stellar Reactor Plant will be relocated to?" Lina changed the subject, perhaps reading the atmosphere, or simply due to some fickle nature of her own.
"Preferably Oshima or Miyakejima, though the Ogasawara Islands would be a good candidate, too, I suppose. If none of these are viable, then Hokkaido. Japan may seem small, but it's a big place. And there are many municipalities that would like to attract industry. But if you meant the reallocation of the plant itself, then that's the least of concerns."
"I'm sure even the States would be open to it," Lina casually chimed in on Tatsuya's optimistic words.
She likely did without putting much thought into it, because that was quite a politically sensitive issue. Unable to react, Tatsuya and Miyuki both gave similar half-hearted smiles. Lina tilted her head, not understanding the pair of uncomfortable smiles directed at her.
◇ ◇ ◇
For as much as the Hozumi Family sought to keep Asuha's death a secret, by the afternoon of that day, rumours of the assassination were circulating among the upper echelons of political and business circles apprised of the Senate's existence.
Within the Hozumi family, there was a smoldering discontent over Asuha's decision to name her granddaughter Tokika, as opposed to her son or daughter, as her successor. Even acknowledging the value of Tokika's ability to nullify magic, there were still a number in the immediate family who believed, by that argument, that they were superior to Tokika in terms of overall performance.
Her recent success in destroying the Yotsuba family's wards in her mission was belittled in light of her inability to cope with the situation immediately afterwards, where she stood dumbfounded while her subordinates were caught in a trap. Added with this perceived incompetence that she earned, the dissatisfaction with her role as successor to the family had never been higher.
Asuha's sudden death was the match in the powder barrel against Tokika as the successor. For the disgruntled members of the family, it must have seemed like the golden opportunity to wrest the seat of the next head away from Tokika.
It was through one of these malcontents that the news of Asuha's assassination leaked from the confines of the family. They planned to void, or at the very least postpone, Tokika's succession by exposing the family's moment of weakness. In doing so, they would create a crisis in which the family would have to prioritize dealing with political rivals who would take advantage of Asuha's death.
And like a pack of hungry wolves seeing a wounded deer, the political and financial thugs who had been eyeing the Hozumi immediately rushed to sink their teeth into everything they could take.
All of those who joined in the fray to get a piece were relatively minor players in the shadow politics and business game, all things considered. None of the bigwigs who were anywhere near the same level as Asuha, or even second to that, did so much as dip a toe into the chaos.
Save for one, however they were not exactly at ease. Anzai Isao and Kashiwa Kazutaka grew tense at the prospect of someone baring their fangs in the face of the Four Great Elders.
Powerful people are not individually powerful in their own right, barring very rare exceptions. They exercise their power by means of other people and/or organizations who will follow their words. Whether it be public or behind curtains, these power structures only work when these followers abide by the powerful people's authority, be it from a systematic perspective or by the fear of any repercussions from the rest of the pyramid if they don't.
The power of the Senate and the Four Great Elders at their core are no exception to this rule. The Four Grand Elders stand on a self-sustaining footing, that only works when political figures fear and respect what their authority can do to improve, or not cull, their own position.
The assassination of Hozumi Asuha is, regardless of the motives, a statement by the assassin that they do not fear the power of the Four Great Elders. And given how effortless and effective their actions were carried out, this was a crack in the ceiling that they couldn't ignore.
Anzai and Kashiwa feared that even if seemingly insignificant, that smallest crack created by yesterday's assassination, if not addressed, could shake the foundations of power beyond just the Hozumi family. It could make the entire House of Cards that is the Senate and the Four Great Elders come crashing down.
In the Tama district, near the heart of Tokyo, there is a secluded district that is not easily distinguished from the main street. It was there that Anzai Isao, one of the Four Great Elders, had his mansion.
Seated in its reception room is a tense woman in her thirties. Her style may seem conservative for her age in light of current trends, and her simple gold ring on the left ring finger was the only other remarkable feature of her modest attire.
She stared down at the wedding ring on her left hand, motionless.
Only at the sound of the door to the reception room opening did she look up.
A woman in a pantsuit opened the door for a tall, elderly man to come in.
The woman in the room stood up from the sofa promptly into a bow.
"I apologize for the wait." It came from about the same height as her head in that deep bowl. The woman could tell that the senior man first sought to sit on the sofa as soon as possible, before addressing her.
She did not consider that rude, however.
The woman responded while keeping her face down, "By no means, Gozen." "Katsuragi, you may raise your head and have a seat." He directed the bowing woman, referred to as "Katsuragi," in a tone that seemed to take her humbling words and actions for granted. His commanding tone rolled off his tongue with a habitual familiarity.
"Then, if you excuse me." She sits down as told, but does not allow her body to rest completely.
Eyeing her with no warmth in his gaze he asked in a perfunctory manner, "How's your new life been treating you?"
"I am thankful for your kindness, Gozen. Because of it, every day since has been fulfilling for me."
To that the old man replied, "I am glad to hear that," again without much emotion.
He is no other than Anzai Isao of the Four Elders. Similarly referred to as "Gozen" by his followers in the same manner as Hozumi Asuha. Although in Asuha's case, it has the extra "sama" honorific.
Across from him is Katsuragi Asuha, formerly Kudou. The second daughter of the Kudou Family, a former member of the Ten Master Clans.
She caught Anzai's attention a year ago. He solicited her loyalty, and she accepted his offer to help her restore the Kudou family's position in the Ten Master Clans.
One of the means was through an arranged marriage presented by Anzai. And since Asuka did not have a boyfriend, let alone a fiancée, she had no reason to refuse Anzai's offer.
Her to-be husband was not a magician, but he made it up with wealth and a bloodline with possible roots in the Katsuragi lineage. He is currently a secretary for a politician under Anzai's influence, and is expected to join the Senate in the future. Being one with no interest in talks of romance and marriage, Asuka wasn't particularly bothered with being under what's essentially a political marriage. Love is a secondary factor, if she can find a way to climb the ladder of success.
So, if her dismissal, and Anzai's passion, or lack thereof, in their exchange wasn't enough of a clue, this meeting wasn't to check if Asuka's been happy with her married life.
Anzai sliced through the middle of the topic to get right to the point, "Hozumi Asuha was assassinated."
"Gozen, you can't be-!" Asuka raised her voice in surprise. But then restrained herself and hurriedly apologized, "No. Apologies for my outburst."
Anzai didn't bat an eye at the rough reaction.
Although the information eventually leaked, despite the Hozumi Family's policy to keep the death of the Head under wraps, only a limited number of people knew of the assassination.
Anzai continued as if he did not notice Asuka's reaction.
"At the time, the Hozumi were in a feud with the Yotsuba family. The day before the assassination, the Hozumi Family directly attacked the Yotsuba Family's home base with some success."
"So are the Yotsuba the main suspects behind Hozumi-sama's assassination?" Asuka couldn't keep her voice from slightly wavering at the mention of that infamous reckless Yotsuba Family.
"There is no substantial proof, but I have no doubt it was them."
"If you say so, Gozen, then…" Even in her back-channeling her voice was slightly raspy. "One thing still puzzles me, however. How did they manage it? They ought to expect a counterattack from Yotsuba, and yet the day after the full-scale attack, virtually on the same day, the Head of the Family was assassinated."
"Gozen, if I may…"
"You may speak."
Asuka bowed, "Then, with all due respect, Gozen." After taking a deep breath she continued, "Couldn't be that Shiba Tatsuya from the Yotsuba have a hand in this matter?"
"Unlikely. At the very least, both Shiba Tatsuya and Yotsuba Maya have alibis that show them nowhere near Hozumi mansion."
"My apologies for my erroneous presumption. I wasn't aware of that fact." Asuka bowed her head again in shame of her unnecessary interruption.
With Anzai's permission, she did so.
"Once someone violates a taboo, and nothing happens to them, it is bound to happen again. And there is no guarantee that the Yotsuba family won't turn on us next time."
"─Yes…" Asuka returns with a tense expression, as if she herself is being rebuked.
"In that event, I'd like to know how Hozumi Asuha was assassinated."
"Gozen, if I'm correct to interpret this as an order to investigate the fact. Then, please trust that I'll bring answers."
"I'll be sending my condolences to the Hozumi family. You are to join the delegation and look for any traces of the investigation once there. Examining the body would be the ideal, but even if it turns out unfeasible, you still will be able to find some clues in the mansion." "As you wish, Your Excellency."
Asuka stood up and bent deeper than her most respectful bow to Anzai so far.
At about the same time, Izayoi Kanau, the head of the prestigious Izayoi family, renowned for their ancient-style magic, was invited to Kashiwa Kazutaka's mansion.
"Good that you came, Izayoi-kun."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Sensei." Kanau bent down at the waist at Kashiwa's words of appreciation.
"Now, now. Please take a seat."
Kashiwa sat down first on the sofa, then Kanau at his urging.
"Have things settled down at home?"
"Indeed, thanks to your help, Sensei," Kanau said in response to Kashiwa's friendly inquire with a polite, but not overly formal, bow. "My brother also seems to have finally calmed down."
"Then things are a little easier for you now, aren't they?"
"Yes, somewhat… But again, very much due to your wisdom, Sensei." Kanau gave a wry, amiable smile, as if to remark, "You are just a mischievous teacher yourself."
They were speaking about Kanau's younger brother, Izayoi Shirabe, another one of Kashiwa's pieces on the board. Some of the most outspoken would claim Shirabe was the better of the two brothers. Thanks to this running of the mouth, Shirabe is considered by some in the family to be more valuable than Kanau. They all fail to recognize the fact that Kanau is superior in all aspects other than magical skills, especially in his organizational leadership skills. Which is why their father picked Kanau as his successor. Shirabe and his supporters mistakingly argue it was simply a choice of convenience.
Kashiwa very much agrees with their father, preferring Kanau to Shirabe. To him, Shirabe is at the end of the day just a soldier to be sent to the frontline, a platoon leader at best, whereas Kanau is a real leader in the real sense of the word, and a man who he would want at his side.
Incidentally, their conversation on Kanau's brother "calming down" refers to an episode in which Laura Simons escaped from Shirabe's custody. A storm had been raging around him for some time after that, but it had finally calmed down.
Shirabe's pride was further wounded when he got caught up in the enemy's formation magic ─a type of ancient-style magic─ when he thought he had his fugitive cornered, only to be stranded for several hours. Because of this, Shirabe would occasionally get hysterical, letting his magic run amok and injuring the servants in his mansion.
Ironically, this disgraceful behavior convinced the Izayoi family members, who were firm supporters of Shirabe, to revise their opinions on who was best suited to be the head of the family.
"By the way, Kanau-kun, have you heard of the tragic event surrounding the Hozumi family?"
"I heard there has been a tragedy with the Head of the family." It would seem the news of Hozumi Asuha's assassination reached Kanau today, if not yesterday.
"Sharp ears as always, huh." "Thank you, Sensei. Am I correct in assuming that this is the reason for my visit today?"
"Indeed," Kashiwa responded with a nod. "I'd like to entrust you with an investigation that may be a little troublesome."
"I am at your disposal. Whether it is identifying the assassin or unraveling the manner of the assassination, I will do everything in my power to find out what happened."
A slight smile broke on Kashiwa's face with the confident response of Kanau.
"I'm sure, my friend. But there is no need to look for the culprit. This was undoubtedly the work of the Yotsuba family. Considering any other suspects is foolish. Once they have their mind set on it, there is nothing that can defend against their attack."
"…Very well said, Sensei." Though Kanau was honestly reluctant to admit it, the "indefensible attack" part was undeniable.
It was probably during the time in his life where he finally accepted the fact that his magical skills were inferior to those of his brother, Kanau strove to excel in other skills instead. In the process, he developed the spirit to measure, and more importantly, to acknowledge the strengths of others, regardless of whether they were his friends or foes.
"What concerns me the most is what is unfolding beyond the Yotsuba family."
"Are you apprehensive about the Yotsuba garnering the support of magicians sympathetic to their cause and rebelling against the Senate?"
"I am confident that the Yotsuba Family has no plans for rebellion. This event was them simply retaliating in a somewhat extreme manner against what they saw as unjustified behavior on the part of Hozumi-dono." Kashiwa Kazutaka failed to mention his tacit approval of the just referred unjustified attack by Hozumi Asuha.
Kanau was not aware of this detail, but even if he did, he would not have noted it.
"Still, while I'm not so concerned about the Yotsuba, their successful assassination set an example that some might follow and disrespect the authority of the Senate. We can laugh off the shortsighted small players who do not know their place all day, but it won't be a laughing matter if someone at the caliber of the Ten Master Clans makes the same error of judgment."
Kanau has been sitting with his back straight throughout the entire conversation, but at this point he straightens his posture even further. "So, you wish for the Izayoi family to keep a close watch on the Ten Master Clans, Sensei?"
Kashiwa nodded calmly to Kanau, then gave him the specific instructions, "I would like you to find out if there is any movement among the magicians with roots in the Research Institutes, the Twenty-Eight Families, especially the ones who are sympathetic to the Yotsuba Family. I will pass a word to the Army's Intelligence Department to see if they can be of help."
"Very well, Sensei. Please leave it to me."
Kashiwa's order might be interpreted as Kashiwa asserting his trust in the Izayoi family over the Ten Master Clans. Kanau's face was full of motivation as he bowed deeply until his face was parallel with the floor.
◇ ◇ ◇
Later in the evening, Tatsuya received an email from Fumiya stating, "I have something I wish to discuss in person." For him to be this roundabout, it was obvious this wasn't a chat to have over a phone call.
After consulting with Miyuki, Tatsuya decided to invite Fumiya and his sister to his apartment for dinner. As opposed to the restaurant downstairs.
Their response came from Ayako, "I'd like to help in the cooking, so if you don't mind, I'll be making an early visit."
After some longer than usual preparation time, the dinner table was decorated with an assortment of colors and textures worthy of a full course dinner.
Fumiya, who was barred from entering the kitchen in the meantime, sat dejectedly at his corner (figuratively speaking).Tatsuya, by contrast, showed himself to be a man of a different caliber (or with guts), showered Miyuki and Ayako with a smile of appreciation for their work at display at the table.
Once they started to enjoy their meal and the small talk had died down, Tatsuya spoke to Fumiya, "If you don't mind talking now, what do you want to talk about?"
Fumiya sets down his cutlery and straightens his posture.
"─We finally managed to get in touch with our father."
"Is everything alright?" Tatsuya was feigning ignorance. He hasn't told the twins, or even Miyuki, for that matter, about Mitsugu's attack on him two nights ago. "Yes, he wasn't injured or anything of the sort. He…" The words seemed to get stuck in Fumiya's throat.
The three, Tatsuya, Miyuki and Lina ─who was also at the table and collaborated on the dinner─ looked quizzically at Fumiya in his hesitation.
Seeing his brother unable to say more than mumbled lines, Ayako took the reins, "Otou-sama has announced he'll be resigning from his position as Head of our family and handing it over to Fumiya, out of the blue."
Miyuki's hands reached to cover her mouth as a surprised gasp escaped. Lina reacted with pure confusion, "Huh!?". Both of them shared similar wide-eyes.
"Did he give any reason?"
"Only that he had committed an unforgivable betrayal of some kind." Fumiya seemed to have recovered and answered Tatsuya's question. "He didn't elaborate any further than that. …Tatsuya-onii-san, do you have any idea what could have happened?"
At that point, Fumiya regresses from referring to Tatsuya with just the "-san" honorific into the old "Tatsuya-onii-san".
The developments seemed to have thrown Fumiya's mind out of gear to the point where he could no longer maintain his university student mask.
"You probably know that I was summoned to the Main House two days ago and just returned yesterday."
"Yes, I know," Fumiya confirmed, and Ayako commented, "I heard you played a big part there." "I came across Kuroba-dono there, but I didn't have a chance to ask him what he was doing because of the tight schedule. I think I should apologize for not being of more help."
That was quite an inaccurate confession, of questionable veracity, at best. Even if they met face to face, per se, the opportunity to have a catch-up chat between the two of them had never presented itself.
"No, no. I'm not trying to make you apologize, Tatsuya-onii-san," Fumiya hurriedly shook his head and raised palms.
Ayako followed up with her brother, "We fully understand that you were busy with a major undertaking. I apologize if it sounded like we're pressuring you."
"So… Does this all mean that you are now the head of your family, Fumiya?"
Lina interjected at this point, probably trying to change the subject to stop the tennis game of apologies from continuing.
"I think it'd be a good idea to inform Oba-sama about this change in head of the branch family, before anything else." Miyuki jumped in with Lina, then looked over for some endorsement.
"I still believe that it is too sudden. I think we should put it on hold for now. We'll talk about it again with our father once he seems to have calmed down."
"I agree. Even if he insists on handing over the title of head of the Kuroba family, I still think it's a good idea to have a dialogue with him."
" ─Yes." Tatsuya's approval seemed to have some positive effect on Fumiya's mind.
◇ ◇ ◇
At the Kyuuchiyouji temple, Kokonoe Yakumo served tea to Toudou Aoba.
"Is Your Excellency sure you wouldn't like a meal to be prepared. I will say, vegetarian Buddhist cuisine can be surprisingly good at times."
"I do habitually eat more of said cuisine."
"Do you? Your Excellency must be a very healthy man."
His all-too-casual tone made Yakumo sound a lot like a tea-server sycophant, kind of like the monk that he is. Although, if someone pointed that out, he would likely retort with his classic "I'm a shinobi".
"So, what can this humble monk do for Your Excellency today?"
"Nothing in particular. I am just in the mood for some small talk." Toudou's tone was a little more informal than his typical.
"Oh, that's unusual. Then you would prefer a taste of hannyadou instead of the average cup of tea," Yakumo offered Toudou sake with a Buddhist jargon.
"No need, this is fine."
"If Your Excellency insists. …Well, it appears that the Yotsuba family's ways have pleased Your Excellency very much."
"So they did, quite well." Toudou expressed his good humor over the fact that his pawns had buried his political opponents. "Honestly, the setup for the assassination of Hozumi was one matter, but I can't deny the ingenuity with which they escaped the Fourth Institute village was quite brilliant. I had no idea they had that thing secretly built under their roof." "So Your Excellency also wasn't aware of that airship?"
"Well, I didn't. But, what is the name of that thing? Aerial Ship, am I correct? I won't deny it was reprehensible of them to conceal such a significant object from my knowledge, but I will overlook it in light of this great accomplishment." Toudou's smile was bitter, but he did not seem displeased.
"Does this great accomplishment also mean Your Excellency will excuse the Yotsuba family from leaving that land behind?"
"No problem. It was about high-time they were set free, regardless."
The land and infrastructure the Yotsuba took over and built their home atop of upon their independence, the former Fourth Institute, was constructed by the National Defense Forces and was originally a military facility. Now that they left, there was an open backdoor for the NDF to take back control of the facility.
When Toudou seized hold of the Yotsuba family, he also seized control of that backdoor. In doing so, he not only had a major say in their activities by being their financial backer, but through that backdoor he could control the resources to the Main House, essentially tying a rope around the Yotsuba's neck, ready for him to push, pull or tighten if the situation called for it.
The Yotsuba family was his biggest ace up his sleeve. Without their strength, he would not have been able to win the status of one of the Four Great Elders, let alone succeed in the battle to become the head of the family.
They were his Golden Goose who allowed to build the castle he stands on. In a sense, the fates of Toudou Aoba and the Yotsuba family are intrinsically linked. Even if he had the means to choke off the Yotsuba family, Toudou had virtually no freedom to do so. Threatening with unusable means of coercion is not only futile but also detrimental, as it only makes the other party feel isolated. That said, Toudou was, by no means, willing to give up a back door that could be the fatal weakness he holds over the Yotsuba family. So long as it exists, someone may get hold of it.
Now, with the reallocation of the Main House, the entire system becomes completely moot. Still, Toudou appears to see this outcome in a positive light.
"But if things continue, at this rate I see the Yotsuba family establishing an independent state on that island."
"Good for them, then. Achieving self-sufficiency doesn't make them enemies. If anything, without the intervention of the little people, we can expect a more genuine contribution to the national interest."
"Certainly. While I personally still can't quite follow the temperament of the current head of the family, I have a great deal of faith in the next generation. It should be fine, as long as they know to pay their due respects to their benefactors."
"And, if they are wronged, they will not hesitate to bare their fangs, right? It's all part of the fun."
"Your Excellence seems quite excited with your pieces at the board. In that case, why don't Your Excellency encourage them to become independent?"
Not even someone like Toudou could hide his surprise at this suggestion. "You're advocating that we actively recognize the autonomy of the Yotsuba family?"
"There are some areas in the South and North Seas that are not well serviced by our nation. I say, why don't we leave those areas in their capable hands?"
"Hmm… Sounds interesting. I'll give it some thought."
Seeing Toudou share his enthusiasm on the prospect, Yakumo's mouth curved into a smirk.
It wasn't quite a smile of someone who sold their acquaintance a profit, but simply a smile of amusement.
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