On the winding mountain road leading to Karuizawa.
Sumitomo Yoshio, direct heir of the Sumitomo main family, leaned back in the rear seat of the car. His gaze passed over the rhythmic sweep of the windshield wipers and followed the mountain road as it snaked through the rain and mist.
Seventeen-year-old Sumitomo Takamichi sat beside his father. The next-generation eldest grandson of the Sumitomo family wore a dark school uniform, his hands resting flat on his lap. His gaze frequently drifted to the deep green pine forests flashing past the window, his fingers unconsciously clenching and unclenching.
The car's interior was filled with the engine's low, steady vibration.
Yoshio watched the winding road outside and broke the silence.
"The Hakusuikai has been very restless lately."
Takamichi turned his head. He had also noticed something unusual within the group these past few days.
"Is it because of the Ministry of Finance's 'total volume regulation'?" Takamichi lowered his voice. "Once the bank's credit lines are cut off, the loans they recklessly approved for real estate earlier probably can't be covered on the books anymore."
Yoshio nodded slightly.
"I had someone check the original records. They're in a hurry to balance the books and are transferring tens of billions in bad debts into newly registered shell companies."
"This kind of deception won't stay hidden forever. It will eventually attract the Special Investigation Department. Sumitomo's century-old reputation must not be buried with this group of short-sighted managers. We must purge them before the scandal fully explodes."
Takamichi met his father's eyes, quickly sorting through the situation in his mind.
The Hakusuikai held the actual decision-making power. Relying solely on their marginalized main-family bloodline, they were fundamentally powerless to carry out a personnel purge.
(The Hakusuikai is the core leadership and decision-making body of the Sumitomo Group, composed of the presidents of the group's core companies. However, after World War II, the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers, GHQ, forcibly disbanded the zaibatsu. The shares held by the Sumitomo family were diluted and stripped away, and family members were prohibited from holding positions in core companies. As a result, the Sumitomo family does not actually hold power.)
He glanced at the black leather briefcase at his father's feet. Before this trip began, he hadn't received any notice. He only knew that after his father left his grandfather's study, he had brought him directly to the car.
Could it be that the family wants to... seize power?
"So, is this why we're seeking out the Saionji Family this time?" Takamichi met his father's gaze. "To use the Saionji Family's vast funds to fill the holes in the books, and then use the blade in their hands to cut out the tumors within the Hakusuikai."
Yoshio looked at his son, a flash of relief in his eyes.
"In today's Tokyo, only the Saionji Family can do both at once."
Yoshio turned his head, his gaze lingering on his son's young face.
"The daughter of the Saionji Family who actually holds power—this year, she also happens to be seventeen."
Takamichi's breath hitched.
Political marriage.
For heirs of great families like theirs, he had accepted since he was old enough to understand that marriage served as a bargaining chip for interests.
But... the other party is that Saionji... Do they want me to do something like that?
"During the Meiji era, the younger brother of Saionji Kinmochi was once adopted into our Sumitomo main family," Yoshio said evenly. "Since there is this bloodline connection established by our elders, if, on the basis of this cooperation, your generation can make the two families 'one family' again, then no manager in this world will ever be able to shake Sumitomo's foundation again."
Takamichi lowered his head, looking at his hands on his knees.
"...I understand, Father."
"I will do my best."
"When facing her, be sure to be cautious," Yoshio reminded him. "But there's no rush for now. Once I've finalized the basis for cooperation between both parties, we'll find an opportunity when you meet later."
"Tonight, you just need to watch more and speak less. First, get a sense of her background, then act as the situation dictates."
Takamichi nodded solemnly.
The car drove onto a level, straight road through the forest. Ahead in the rain and mist, the dark wooden silhouette of Chosho Sanso Villa loomed indistinctly.
...
Chosho Sanso Villa. Living room.
Raindrops drummed densely against the large floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors.
Shuichi, wearing a dark gray home kimono, sat at a long red sandalwood table. He held a thick financial briefing in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed as he flipped through it by the warm light of a floor lamp.
Satsuki leaned back in a rattan rocking chair behind and to the side. Ever since she tried wearing oversized T-shirts at home, she hadn't gone back. Today she wore that same white oversized T-shirt, her legs curled casually on the chair. She held a gray-white Game Boy handheld console, pressing buttons idly.
The past few days of rest had allowed her body to mostly recover. Her pallor had faded, and color had returned to her cheeks. However, a trace of fatigue that hadn't completely dissipated still lingered at the corners of her eyes.
She gave a very slight yawn and pressed the pause button.
Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from the hallway.
The shoji door was pulled open by the butler, Fujita Tsuyoshi.
"Eldest Miss, Head of House." Fujita Tsuyoshi bowed slightly, breaking the silence in the room. "Mr. Yoshio of the Sumitomo main family is at the door with his eldest son, requesting an audience."
Shuichi's fingers flipping through the briefing paused. He looked up and glanced at the wall clock.
Eleven o'clock at night.
At this hour, showing up directly without even a courtesy call in advance was a very rude act in the strictly regulated social circles of the elite families.
Shuichi's brow furrowed tightly, and a flash of clear dissatisfaction appeared in his eyes.
"Someone from the Sumitomo family? Coming to Karuizawa in the middle of the night?" He tossed the briefing onto the table, his tone turning heavy.
Satsuki set the handheld console on the cushion beside her. She reached out and gently massaged her still-somewhat-sore neck.
"Let them in." Satsuki's tone held a hint of lethargy. "To be unable to even maintain decorum and rush up the mountain through heavy rain overnight... presumably, a great mess has broken out over in Kansai."
Shuichi sighed. He didn't get up to change into formal clothes for receiving guests.
If he were receiving the head of a zaibatsu of equal status under normal circumstances, he should have changed into a formal montsuki haori hakama. But tonight, the other party's abrupt late-night visit had already crossed the line of etiquette. Moreover, although Yoshio held the title of direct heir to the Sumitomo main family, he had long been completely sidelined within the Sumitomo Group by the professional managers of the Hakusuikai, holding no actual commercial decision-making power.
Facing an old, powerless noble family with rude behavior, receiving them in this casual kimono expressed the Saionji Family's dissatisfaction with such abruptness, and it also fit the boundaries of a private meeting between Old Kazoku families.
He simply tidied the collar of his kimono and sat upright at the long table again.
The shoji door was pulled open again.
Yoshio and Takamichi stepped into the living room.
They had already removed their shoes in the hallway and put on white tabi socks.
Even when coming to seek help out of desperation, the heirs of a family with a four-hundred-year heritage still maintained meticulous rigor and decorum in every movement.
The two walked to the guest seats across the long table. Yoshio sat with his knees together, kneeling steadily on the tatami. Takamichi sat right next to his father, his posture upright.
Their gazes met.
Yoshio looked at Shuichi in his home kimono and Satsuki, who sat in the shadows wearing an ordinary white T-shirt. He placed his hands flat on his knees and bowed his head deeply.
"Mr. Shuichi. I am truly sorry for coming uninvited so late at night." Yoshio's voice was steady, his speaking pace slow, carrying obvious apology. "The villa is quiet, and our abrupt visit has disturbed the rest of you and Miss Satsuki. I hope you can forgive such rudeness."
Shuichi picked up the teacup on the table.
"The mountain roads on a rainy night aren't easy to travel." Shuichi's tone was level, his words carrying a hint of scrutiny. "Brother Yoshio rushed from Kansai to Karuizawa overnight, unable to even wait to make a phone call. Presumably, you've encountered some urgent change."
He set down the teacup, using a bit of force, making a soft clink.
"Sit."
Yoshio straightened his back.
He didn't engage in polite pleasantries. At this time, any extra nonsense would only further drain the other party's patience.
He placed a red sandalwood brocade box he was carrying on the table.
The surface of the red sandalwood was covered with fine 'cow-hair' grain. The wood had undergone a century of oxidation, presenting a deep purple-black color.
Yoshio reached out with both hands, untied the silk ribbon on the outside of the brocade box, and lifted the wooden lid.
From the box, he took out a yellowed, old-style letter.
"Mr. Shuichi."
"Please allow me to express my apologies once more for the intrusion late at night. In order not to delay your rest, I will get straight to the point."
Yoshio held the letter, whose edges were slightly brittle, with both hands and pushed it along the smooth tabletop to the center.
"This letter is a personal handwritten note from Lord Saionji Kinmochi to his younger brother, our Sumitomo family's fifteenth-generation head, Sumitomo Tomoito."
Shuichi lowered his eyes and glanced at the private seal.
"The bloodline connection established by the elders of both families is still properly preserved by the Sumitomo main family." Yoshio's hands rested flat on his knees. "Coming abruptly tonight, I hope the Saionji Family can lend a helping hand for the sake of our ancestors' friendship."
Shuichi picked up the teacup on the table and glanced at Takamichi beside him.
Bringing the heir along is also a political signal...
"The Sumitomo family has a deep foundation." Shuichi's tone was level. "Brother Yoshio brought the letter to Karuizawa in the middle of the night. Presumably, you've run into some difficulties."
"Indeed."
Yoshio turned and opened the black briefcase beside him. He took out a thick, top-secret dossier and handed it forward with both hands.
"Although it's difficult to say, those managers of the Hakusuikai are ruining Sumitomo's legacy."
Yoshio straightened his back. He released the hands holding the dossier, folded them on his knees, and met Shuichi's gaze.
"After the Ministry of Finance cut off loans, in order to cover up the investment black holes in real estate projects over the past few years, they used peripheral trading companies like Itoman to forge a large number of fund transfer records."
He pointed at the dossier.
"In here are the internal records of Sumitomo executives illegally balancing the books, as well as signed records of large-scale fund transfers. Every single one of them can legally constitute a breach of trust and the crime of falsifying financial statements."
Yoshio looked at Shuichi.
"This clumsy cover-up will eventually collapse. When the day comes that the Special Investigation Department takes the initiative to intervene, the reputation of the entire Sumitomo Zaibatsu will be completely shattered."
"I implore the Saionji Family to use this evidence to pressure the Ministry of Finance or the Special Investigation Department, forcing the current power-holders of the Hakusuikai to resign collectively as a show of responsibility."
Yoshio took a deep breath.
"Once these managers hand over power, there will be a massive funding gap on Sumitomo Bank's books. I need the Saionji Family to provide a large sum of US dollars for the transaction to fill this bad debt hole and stabilize the situation."
"Once it's done, as long as I regain control of the Sumitomo Group's board of directors..."
Yoshio leaned forward slightly, his tone solemn. Takamichi also bowed his head immediately.
"The Sumitomo family will surely offer a great reward."
The living room fell into silence.
Outside, the sound of rain drummed continuously against the eaves.
Shuichi didn't reach for the dossier. He quietly held his teacup, his gaze fixed on Yoshio's face.
Takamichi sat beside his father. He lowered his head slightly, but his peripheral vision crossed the long table, trying to see the face of the girl his age in the shadows. She had been sitting there quietly the whole time, without even making the sound of fabric rustling.
"Mr. Sumitomo."
That figure moved, and a pleasant voice spoke.
Satsuki stopped massaging her neck. She leaned back in the rattan rocking chair, a trace of fatigue that hadn't completely dissipated still at the corners of her eyes.
"Wanting the Saionji Family to act... the price won't be small."
Yoshio's gaze shifted to the girl in the shadows.
Satsuki turned her head slightly, her gaze crossing the dim light to look directly at Yoshio.
"You want to use our hands to purge the management of the Hakusuikai, and then use our funds to fill the bank's bad debts, using this to trade for the Sumitomo family's return to the stage."
"Doing this... even if the Sumitomo family returns to the stage with our help, you won't truly hold power. You understand this, right?"
Takamichi's breath caught. He even felt a slight chill at his fingertips.
Are the talks going to collapse? The other party seemingly had no intention of beating around the bush.
Satsuki still leaned against the cushion.
"Or rather, the Sumitomo family... will become a vassal of the Saionji Family. Is that also acceptable?"
Facing Satsuki's words, which didn't even bother to wear a cloak of hypocrisy, a dead silence fell over the living room.
Takamichi stared fixedly at the grain of the wooden floor, not daring to look up, his fingers unconsciously clutching the fabric at his knees.
At least for now, he couldn't see any future where Satsuki became his wife.
Is she really the same age as him?
Yoshio sat upright on the tatami, his expression unchanged.
He met Satsuki's gaze.
"Miss Saionji."
Yoshio's voice was steady.
"Even if we are controlled by the Saionji Family, we absolutely cannot let those short-sighted professional managers destroy Sumitomo's four-hundred-year legacy."
He looked at the dossier on the table.
"When disaster strikes, those employees only have their eyes on a way out to avoid imprisonment. They will only desperately try to save themselves, leaving the mess of massive debts and the infamy of bankruptcy for the Sumitomo family to bear."
Yoshio's gaze met Satsuki's again.
"Rather than being ruined along with them, bowing our heads to an old family friend with deep foundations..."
He paused.
"...is the most rational choice to preserve the Sumitomo name and our class decorum."
"This is also the collective will of all the direct bloodline members of the Sumitomo family."
"We have already made our resolution."
The living room fell silent again.
Satsuki quietly looked at Yoshio sitting opposite her.
She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth curling into a very faint arc.
"You are truly an interesting person."
Satsuki withdrew her gaze. She turned her head to look at Shuichi, who sat at the head of the long table.
"Father." Her tone was somewhat casual. "What do you think?"
Shuichi quietly held his teacup. He looked at the top-secret dossier on the table, his fingers lightly rubbing the edge of the porcelain cup twice.
"Since it is a connection left by our ancestors..."
"The Saionji Family naturally won't stand by and watch."
Satsuki nodded slightly.
She lowered her arm from the armrest, sat up straight, and her gaze fell back on Yoshio's face.
"We accept the cooperation."
Yoshio's tense shoulders relaxed imperceptibly by half an inch.
Takamichi, sitting beside his father, slowly released his fingers that were clutching the fabric at his knees.
Phew... it's good that this first step has been achieved.
He looked up slightly, his gaze once again quickly sweeping over the girl in the shadows.
But the possibility of achieving that second step doesn't seem very high.
Satsuki reached out her fair fingers and directly picked up the bone china teacup placed on the low table beside her.
"However, as you both can see, I am currently still recuperating in Karuizawa."
She held the teacup, her tone gentle.
"Specific matters will be handled by the group's executives, who will contact you later."
Yoshio watched Satsuki's action of picking up the teacup.
He didn't say another word. Placing his hands on his knees, he stood up.
Takamichi immediately stood up after him.
The father and son bowed deeply and respectfully toward the long table.
"In that case, we will no longer disturb your rest."