Three Hundred And Forty-One

Three Hundred And Forty-One

“Oh? Was that grandfather Takatsukasa I heard there?” Hinata said brightly, though I could still detect a brittle undertone to her words, a fragility. “I don’t suppose you can put him on? We need to talk seriously.”

I nodded at Haru-san, who started tapping away at the touchscreen set into the desk in front of her. My phone had a pop-up which asked if I wanted to accept the connection, so I consented, and soon my phone was displaying two images, one of Hinata, Miyu and their guards, the other of Takatsukasa-san, the surface screen in front of him acting as a phone.

“Grandfather.” Hinata said softly, a bit shaken by the look of restrained fury in his eyes. “We need to talk.”

“I can hear most of you thinking...” Haru-san said suddenly. “... that this is all a waste of time, what with urgent matters on China to discuss, and personal business should be discussed in private.” Her smile was surprisingly teasing, with a hint of malice. “Ordinarily I might be inclined to agree, but that’s short-sighted, and as the leading lights of the country, we can’t afford to be fools, can we?”

“What do you mean, Haru?” her father asked, and her smile broadened.

“Well, Akio-san said it himself, didn’t he? If he doesn’t like his treatment, he could just up and leave. Remember the aftermath of the War? Some of you are certainly old enough.” She nodded at Fujiwara-san, who signalled his agreement, eyes showing his understanding. He gets it, of course he would. There’s no more a political animal than Fujiwara-san. I get it too. I’m curious as to how Haru-san explains it.

“What do you mean, Takatsukasa house?” Hinata’s grandfather fumed. “You may be my daughter’s child, but such insolence...”

“After the war, scientists from defeated Germany and Japan were taken in by the USA and other triumphant powers, and it was that strength and knowledge that progressed them to world-leading industrial powerhouses.” She looked at everyone searchingly, one after the other. “Do you think that Akio-san and those like him are any less valuable? Scientist, Military Force, more... all wrapped into one.”

“Yes, that is why we have the Ministry... of which, need I remind you, you are my Under-Secretary, Suzuki-san.” Morita-san warned her.

“Yes, and again, who helped get backing for that, set out plans, shared knowledge?” Haru-san pressed, while Hinata and her grandfather were feeling around each other, trying to get past the initial outrage at her suggestion, no, her demand.

“When it comes down to it, If Akio-san says we’re out, then I’m afraid I’ll not be helping you any longer, and I’ll have to resign.” Haru-san said, surprising her father, and most of the ministers. “Why so surprised dad... err, father?” She paused, embarrassed, and I held in a smile at knowing that despite her composure, she was still the same daddy’s girl she’d always been. I should be grateful she’ll put her loyalty to me over him. “I’m not just a vassal, I’m thankful. I got a second chance, and I owe him for that. But it won’t just be me. Shaeula too, Hyacinth here... they’ll be out too.”

“I dooo not care what happens to any of you, ooor even this country, whether you live ooor die.” Hyacinth said sourly, her eyes harsh and glaring, full of deep, frightening anger, that was still within her, even now, just well buried by a happier veneer. “If Akiooo cares, I care. What he wants tooo protect, Hyacinth will protect. But what he wishes was gooone, I will turn it to dust!”

“It’s all right.” I reassured her, patting her shoulder, and as she smiled, forgetting herself for a moment and leaning into me, a happy smile on her face, Haru-san pointed at us triumphantly.

“Exactly my point. Then there’s Ixitt, Grulgor, even for you gentleman of faith, the White Snake kami. All this will be lost. Really, the primary duty of the Ministry is in appeasing and controlling the Chosen as best as we can, so that they want to stay, live in and protect Japan!” Her words echoed, and I grinned, knowing that Haru-san was exactly right. I’ve read a few of the Korean Tower and Dungeon manhwas and they usually devolve into that. Hunters, as I guess we’d be called, often changed countries, going where they were better treated, and the most powerful were laws unto themselves.

“So consider this a lesson, and hold in your annoyance, my fellow colleagues.” Haru-san finished. “This is the best example of what the Ministry will be for as you could see. Besides...” she glared at the nobility contingent, her expression rather baleful. “It doesn’t please me to see Akio-san not get his due, considering what he’s done for our country already. Kyoto alone should make him a hero, if only it could be known, and that’s hardly all.”

“You’ve changed, my baby girl...” Suzuki-san said, and she shook her head.

“I don’t know. The old me died, I don’t know if that’s change or not. But I’ve fought. I was at Kyoto too, I’ve seen hell. And I assure you, upsetting and driving away your best asset to get you out of hell is a very stupid thing to do.”

“Even the Chosen will have to follow the laws. No, it’s even more important for them, that’s why we are doing all this.” The Leader of the Opposition insisted.

“What laws are we breaking?” I scowled. “All I’m asking for is what was promised, and a measure of being treated with respect, else I’ll take my support elsewhere. As any Japanese citizen can do, right? We’re not slaves. Now, sorry, we will get back on topic shortly, but clearing up this mess will give me peace of mind, and put me in a much more amiable mood, most likely. Which will benefit us all.”

I felt hands on my shoulders, reassuring, and turned to see Motoko and Natsumi, each with a hand on one of my sides, smiling warmly, though again Natsumi looked pretty nervous, as we were being confronted by the peak of the nobility. Into the silence, Hinata spoke.

“Well, now that we have a pause, and you’ve vented out, grandfather, it’s time to listen to my proposal.” Hinata said, steeling herself. “I’ve talked this over with mother and father, my other grandfather too... sorry I didn’t talk about it with you, Akio, but... I knew you’d be mad about how things were going, and I didn’t want to look weak. I’m a bit of a fool when it comes to wanting to look capable, I guess. It shows I’m still young.” She smiled weakly.

“Well, you are young. That’s not a bad thing. But... you don’t have to try and hide it. I promised to support you, as you support me, so next time... talk to me, all right? That goes for you too, Motoko, Natsumi, Hyacinth. Even you, Haru-san. Any problems, let me know.”

“Well, if I may continue?” Hinata asked, her face red, and hers wasn’t the only one. “Well, then, grandfather... I would like to ask my uncle to adopt me as a daughter of Takatsukasa house.”

“What?” he said dumbly, surprised, while Fujiwara-san nodded in understanding, and Ichijou-san let out a surprised escalation. “... that little minx. Truly she’s worthy of being a friend to my Mayumi...”

Adoption? But why?

“Oh, mother and father agree, and obviously, our parental bonds won’t change, I’ll still live with them most of the week.” Hinata continued. “But it will be a genuine adoption, legally. Oh, one thing. Uncle, no... father, he has no say in my marriage, I am engaged to Akio, and that will not be changing. So don’t worry Akio, nobody is going to take me away!” She winked at the screen, and I heard Hyacinth laughing happily. Haru-san was giggling too.

“Even if you do that, your cousin Minoru-kun...”

“My brother Minoru-kun...” she corrected him cheekily, and his face flushed.

“Minoru-kun will still be heir. And when you marry Oshiro-san, it’ll be as if you married out, and your status will drop again. You gain nothing.”

“Really? You don’t say. Firstly, I’ve been checking all the records, even beyond what we are taught at Hanafubuki. I’m sure, grandfather, that you are aware every noble house has had times when a daughter has had to inherit, or a branch family heir was adopted into the family to secure a continuation of the bloodline, even if not direct? Takatsukasa is no exception.”

“Even Fujiwara house.” Fujiwara-san affirmed. “No house lasting a thousand years will have the good fortune to avoid the death of heirs, or a barren wife. Even so, such is done when there are no heirs. Takatsukasa Minoru-kun and Sakura-chan still live.”

“Yes, I agree.” Hinata pressed. “But just because it isn’t commonly done... it is still fully in keeping with noble traditions. I want to work within the system to effect change. I don’t want to tear everything down, I assure you. But changes have to be made, if we are to protect anything. Alienate Akio and you all lose a powerful protector and ally.” She warned.

“Indeed.” Takakura-san declared. “Due to similar misfortune, I had to adopt in my three granddaughters, from a distant collateral branch. It does sometimes happen.”

“Since we are having this discussion, much as I want to get back to talking about China...” Abe-san sighed, defeated. “I might as well interject. Akio-san, you wouldn’t really walk out over this, would you?”

“I fight to make my family and friends happy. If Hinata isn’t happy, I’m not happy. And an unhappy me isn’t something you want to see.” I confirmed. “Besides, I think this is an opportunity as well, Haru-san is right. The weakness of the Country to sanction Candidates is clearly visible here. You can’t imprison me, it’s not like you can easily affect my Territory without huge losses. Financially, yeah, you could take away my money, freeze my accounts, but I have an international account with Chase Midas Gold too, so that’d be difficult, and I could make as much money as I need to support my family quickly.”

“Yes, the next batch of those wanting healing will refill your coffers.” Hinata chuckled on screen.

“So, you need carrot, but also a stick. And right now I‘m your best and only stick, and I’m not going to beat myself. Longer term, that’s a problem, you can’t rely on just one person for that. After all...” I looked at Kishida-san. “...that would be tyranny, right? But for now, I’m all you have, as I doubt these boys here...” I nodded at the intimidated JSDF soldiers, who had been rattled by my display of League. “... or even Major Sasaki and the Lieutenant would be able to handle a true powerhouse.” I left unsaid that I doubted many were of my calibre, but I suspected that even without the extra aether from the clone, that ice-wielding Chinese Candidate would have proved too much for many to handle.

“Of course, those of us from the faith would be happy to help, as we believe it falls under our purview. But... well, we feel working with Akio-san here is the best way.” Saionji-san said, and Yukiko-san was agreeing too. “Better a benevolent dictator than an incompetent elected leader, in these troubled times.”

“You will not be the heir, Fukumoto-chan.” Takatsukasa-san said again.

“Why so stiff, grandfather? I’m your granddaughter, direct child of your own daughter. At least call me Hinata.” She pressed her attack. “Well, look. Sakura is going to be married out anyway, nothing has changed for her. I do believe you were considering an engagement to Akio for her before, right? But it was decided to risk me as a connected outsider, and the troublesome daughter of a major family, Motoko, who was struggling within what was expected of her. Natsumi was just a little bonus.”

Natsumi blushed at that, her smile shy. Hinata continued on. “Well, in the end, the sacrifice was no sacrifice at all, and those of us who agreed profited. And I’m happy to say it’s about more than profit. But I’m sure all you listening people don’t want to hear us being lovey-dovey during such a meeting so... I’ll get to the point. Sakura can do as she pleases. She could even make a play for Akio if she wanted, but there’ll be no arrangements. Akio doesn’t like them. The three of us are the last. If he liked arranged marriages, we’d be rolling in elves right now.” She smiled impishly, and I could see she was hitting her stride, ready to propose something huge.

That’s true. Well, Moira isn’t interested in marriage, but the other two, they’ve pretty much said they don’t mind. Elves. Okay, they are gorgeous, but... well, we don’t exactly gel, and I’ve spent little time with them. Daiyu though... It wasn’t just the profit we’d gain from taking her in, having fought with her, witnessed her pain, seen her genuine smile and rare expressions, felt that there was at least a part of her that liked me, I decided I wanted to make her happy. I’m shallow sure, but at least I’m consistently so... “Yes, I’ll pass on any more daughters of nobility thanks. I think that I have the best ones anyway.”

“You heard him.” Hinata flushed at my praise. “But Sakura has always looked out for me, her annoying cousin, in her own way, so... well, if she does decide to win Akio over, I’d be happy to give her some pointers. But enough of that. Minoru-kun... well, let me ask you, Grandfather. Takatsukasa house is only functioning due to the wealth Fukumoto house pumps in every year, as payment for my mother’s marriage. Well, that and help from the nobility. Fujiwara-sama, Ichijou-sama...”

“Call me Kira, Hinata-chan. I insist, being as you’re my Mayumi’s only true friend.” He said, and Hinata shook her head.

“I wish I was. But she sees me more as a jester, a lackey. But she’ll have no choice but to accept me soon, Kira-sama. So, it’s true, isn’t it grandfather? Takatsukasa house is the oldest surviving noble house, but it has no industry, no resources, only historical treasures and rich history. Things the nobility needs, but does Japan?”

“Of course Japan does! Without our heritage, we are nothing but barbarians!” Takatsukasa-san insisted.

“True. But without power and wealth, you have no way of protecting it. So, here’s my proposal. Since I’m kind, I’ll even let Sakura have a shot. The three of us, the children of Takatsukasa house, we’ll compete, to see who can restore most of the fallen glory of Takatsukasa house. Whoever can make it stand freely on its feet once more, free from needing special treatment and support, gets to be the heir...”

“The Regalia.” Yukiko-san agreed.

“... and likely even the nobility are hoarding treasures they don’t know the purpose of. Well, if we have them, they should be gathered and put to use. Fight fire with fire, Cultivators with Japanese occult traditions.” He finished.

“But how do we know what is usable?” one minister asked.

“Well, we have to rely on Akio-kun again. He has good eyes, as he always says.” Saionji-san, no Gin-san, I could be informal too, laughed. “Just one more reason that we need to keep you onside. You’re a damn multi-tool of uses. I can get Yasaka-san to help as well though. He might even be able to track down lost items, if we know what we are looking for.”

“I see. Progress.” Abe-san said, relieved. “Yes, that would strengthen our hand, but even so, there’s a bigger issue. Numbers. The Chinese lost twenty-three Chosen in this battle, which is good, but a loss of twenty-three of ours would be a disaster. The population disparity between our two countries is huge. Assuming there’s a linear relationship between Chosen numbers and population, they would have more than ten times our tally.”

“Yeah, and more numbers mean there has to be more powerhouses.” I agreed. “Well, I think there may be other factors in play, such as compatibility, but with China having Cultivators and possibly other old traditions, no worse than ours, I doubt we’ll be blessed with more than our fair share compared to them. So... there’s one other thing to consider.”

“Oh, like what?” Abe-san asked, searching for any light at the end of the tunnel, as the situation seemed precariously out of balance, in China’s favour.

“Well, this isn’t just human versus human. The Boundary and lower Astral is teeming with life and civilisations. We can make alliances with them. I already have cordial relations with the Seelie Court, and the Night Parade... well, a little trade and mutual interest.”

“Trade?” Suzuki-san perked up at that.

“Yes. While the Fae and the Yokai are alien, living by different rules and thinking in different, often very unpredictable ways, all living beings with intelligence seem to share some common ground. I had support from many Fae during the battle of Kyoto, and some died.” I bowed my head respectfully. “But not even counting Shaeula, who killed enemy Chosen herself, our Fae did defeat Cultivators and living soldiers.” And their zombie counterparts.

“I see. So... allies. We can plug our gaps with those.” One man said, and another agreed.

“Of course, alliances only work if both parties gain.” I warned. “And China may be doing likewise, though from what Daiyu tells me, she doesn’t think so yet.” Though honestly, she wasn’t in the loop that much. We need to press our captives on this. The golden-eyed devourer wasn’t shy in enslaving others, and the last Renyu were fairly pitiful, but their destruction meant one resource lost to China.

“Your influence is a bit worrisome.” Kishida-san declared. “One man holding so much...”

“Well, I’m prepared to give a little. Since my Territory is going to receive state largess, even though we all know that is because my Territory is the one that can be leveraged into providing the whole of Tokyo adequate protection, not just as a favour to me...” I reminded them. “... I’m prepared to set up an Embassy of sorts for Japan, and train some staff with Chirurgery to work there. You can conclude any deals with the Seelie or Night Parade you think is beneficial, though obviously as Shaeula’s husband, I have my own arrangements with them.”

“That sounds... fair.” Abe-san allowed. “But it still doesn’t address the fundamental issue of us being outnumbered. If Material Japan is invaded, these spiritual beings won’t be much help.”

“That’s rather short-sighted,” I shook my head. “The prisoners I have from the Kyoto battle include spiritual beings, who were able to come to Japan as they were granted Material bodies en masse. Now, I confess the sheer weight of aether required is beyond me for the foreseeable future, but it should get easier as the ether density of Japan increases. So eventually we’ll be able to field allied armies.”

“Well, that raises the problem of... well, immigration.” Abe-san said, and I grinned.

“Well, isn’t the special passport scheme part of the legislation we are passing right now during this crisis? See, planning ahead is a good thing. As for immigration, well, we can manage it, but aren’t we worrying about the declining birth rate? This is one fix nobody thought of.” I chuckled.

“That’s all well and good, but ... what about crime? Spiritual beings, Chosen... Oshiro-san, you’ve just hammered home the importance of appeasing Chosen where possible, but... when it’s not...” Morita-san declared triumphantly. “... we cannot allow Japan to be dictated to by the unwise or the criminal.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve started recruiting police officers under Detective Kato. When we’ve gathered them all, I’d like Haru-san to inspect their minds, check they are clean. They too will have Chirurgery and training, and sadly then we run into the same problem we do with the miliary, father-in-law, grandfather-in-law.” I addressed the Tsumuras. “Even a little elemental training, while it would be a nice surprise and might turn a battle against another soldier, is going to be useless against other Chosen. What we need is trusted Chosen to take up the mantle of law enforcement, which is going to be a hard sell, as likely they can live a better life trading off their own merits. But... I have some ideas. We need specialist skillsets. Powers like Haru-san’s would be helpful, also the ability to restrain or neutralise. The last thing we want are death battles in public...” Well, there is one power we have that is perfect, though the current wielder... well, we’ll see...

“Any Chosen we have in law enforcement won’t be in the military either, which is a loss of power where we need it most.” Motoko’s grandfather mused. “How can we encourage participation? Many who awaken these gifts will be unused to fighting, and unwilling to do so.”

“Well, we need to make it worth their while. I do concede that Chirurgery for snipers, Rangers and pilots is probably a good time and cost to benefits ratio, so... I can be persuaded to schedule that in, for a reasonable fee.”

“It would make more sense to train up some ... Chirurgeons... for the military.” Minoru-san said, and I held in a sigh.

“It certainly would, but do you think the skills required grow on trees? It needs to be someone with special eyes or senses at a minimum. Screwing up Chirurgery would be deleterious to the health of the patient. But... if you find the right person, I‘d consider it. But the prestige of the technique would mean I would need heavy compensation.”

“Fine, we’ll search. We can’t rely on one person anyway. If you were to emigrate, we would then be left high and dry.” He conceded, before speaking to Motoko. “And I would miss my beloved daughter. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

She nodded, pleased. “If you learn from it, father.”

“Right, so, back on topic...” Abe-san chivvied us on, not wanting to get back into unrelated drama, not that I could blame him. “... China. So, we’ve considered the options for our defence, but politically... they have no case to attack us, other than they have the power to do so. With the prophecy, it seems like it’s a certainly. But...”

“We need to delay.” Yukiko-san said urgently, her face ashen. “I... I don’t feel ready to face it. Nor is your friend, the one who is supposed to help defeat it. Right Akio-san?”

“Yeah, I’d definitely like to do some strengthening of everyone before any future clashes. Really... if we know it’s definite...” Yukiko-san and I smiled at that, and I continued. “... then we need to bring it to a schedule we can control. If we are prepared, we can win, just like Kyoto. If we were blind to that attack, the situation would have been desperate.”

“Our eyes are blinded without the Diviner.” Abe-san began, but Gin-san shook his head.

“Not so. We have a replacement, as well as other sources of information, such as Yasaka-san. Perhaps we cannot replace her, but we are not without options.”

I nodded. “I think for now, we have little choice but to publicly accept Chinese disavowal of this whole mess, treat it as the terrorism they claim it to be. I mean, it’s functionally the truth, and it isn’t like they’ll pay us compensation, like the USA did, is it?”

“No, of course not. They’d never admit fault like that.” Abe-san snorted. “But we’ve seen public sentiment. If we don’t tale a hard line on this, the situation could escalate, and we don’t want civil unrest, now of all times.”

“Better that than war.” Fujiwara-san said, and others echoed him. “A war similar in scale to the Second World War would destroy all we have rebuilt. Let the populace vent, prevent what damage we can, and prepare.”

“Damn, my chances of re-election are about to turn to dust.” Abe-san sighed.

“Well, when my Party controls the Diet, I’ll do you the courtesy of allowing your party oversight of this Ministry.” The Opposition leader laughed.

“You’re so generous. Well, my daughter will disown me if I lose shamefully, so... any ideas on how to deal with the public outcry, without provoking the Red Dragon until we are ready?”

A few actually. And some are even from my sis, oddly enough. “Your son is senior in MEXT, right, Fujiwara-san?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Well, MEXT covers culture, sports and education, right? Well, education is for the long term, but culture...” I outlined my plans. “If we use television, music and the arts to start subtly preparing people for the changes to come, we can build acceptance. We don’t have much time at all, so... instead, we use them to promote peace and forgiveness.” I could see the JSDF soldiers looking angry, and I didn’t blame them. I hated to gloss over attacks on our soil, but I was pragmatic, and what we needed most now was calm and time. “Things like idol performances for the young, TV documentaries and news pieces for the old... anything to distract from the troubles.”

“Bread and circuses.” Fujiwara-san approved. “Clever. It worked for the Roman Empire, though modern times are different.”

“Well, anything that cools the heat down. The US still owes us more, so get them to help with perception management. Get them to record messages of support for our stance, or something...”

As we continued to discuss this, I had another thought. Hang on, wouldn’t that be perfect? “How about a fundraiser for the victims? Put together by MEXT, and supported by a mixture of nobility, faith and even you, Princess.” I smiled at Yukiko-san.

“Me? I... don’t usually take the limelight.” She said.

“Well, that’s why it’s so perfect. As Amaterasu’s Chosen, soon you’ll have to, but your appearance will spark a lot of interest. We can use it to rally the populace and steer them away from escalation. Even if it just delays their rage, gives them a distraction, it looks like we are doing something.”

“Military drills as well.” Tsumura-san said, agreeing. “We need to be careful not to provoke China, but I believe they will understand if... it pains me to say it, but if we use our few remaining diplomatic channels to stress it is a move to calm our internal unrest, we can probably get them to agree to cool their sabre-rattling. Though as a proud Japanese man, it pains me to give our enemies the satisfaction.”

“The thing is, they aren’t our enemy yet.” I said, impressed at his willingness to consider unpalatable, humiliating options. Well, I’ve done my fair share of sad pandering in my life too. It’s what happens in the end that matters.

“Well, I can only tank my re-election chances to zero, I guess.” Abe-san laughed bitterly. “All right, any other matters to discuss on China?”

After a little more planning, we then moved back to legislation, this time on crime. “So, we’ve come up with a basic list of potential powers, and how they might be regulated and legally protected...” I stifled a yawn, maintaining my focus. This one’s important. Well, everything is... damn, I know I wanted respect, but that sure comes with a lot of effort to maintain it...