The old school building of Seika Academy was not far from the cafeteria, connected by a semi-open corridor.
During lunch break, people would occasionally pass through, but it was never as crowded as the main building.
When Reiko reached the small platform at the end of the corridor, she saw a boy standing there from a distance.
He wore the uniform of the Seika Academy High School division, with a slender build and neatly styled hair.
Reiko stopped in her tracks.
Once she clearly recognized him, the expression on her face quickly faded.
She turned to leave.
"Isokawa-san, since you are already here, at least hear me out."
Reiko stopped, but she did not turn around immediately.
"I thought the person looking for me would at least be a friend."
The boy walked over from the window, a light, relaxed smile in his voice.
"Saying that hurts my feelings. No matter how you look at it, we have known each other for quite a while, have we not?"
"It is just that you have been spending so much time with Saionji-san lately that you have probably forgotten about everyone else."
Only then did Reiko turn around.
"Takashina Naoto."
When she uttered his name, there was no hint of friendliness in her tone.
"What on earth do you want to say?"
Takashina Naoto did not mind her attitude.
He took two steps forward, then stopped at a comfortable distance, as if not wanting to make her feel too pressured.
"I heard Saionji-san is applying to Gakushuin's Faculty of Economics."
Reiko did not reply.
Takashina Naoto did not mind either, merely smiling.
"Are you going to follow her to Gakushuin too? I recall your scores on the Todai entrance exam were quite good. What a waste."
"You do not need to worry about that."
Having said her piece, Reiko prepared to leave again.
Takashina Naoto watched her back, raising his voice slightly.
"Recently, my father heard some rather unpleasant rumors."
Reiko's footsteps did not stop immediately.
"Then you should go find your father's secretary, or the journalists from your Seiwa-kai."
"Around the time Osawa was taken away, several account books of the Takeshita-affiliated political funding groups did not seem to leave their original places through official procedures."
Reiko finally stopped.
The wind outside the corridor blew through the branches, and the February sunlight fell upon the wooden window frame, still looking quite gentle.
However, the expression on Reiko's face had completely turned cold.
She slowly turned around.
"Are you speaking to me as a classmate, or are you conveying the message of your father, or perhaps Seiwa-kai?"
Takashina Naoto shrugged.
"Of course, today is just a classmate-to-classmate chat about our future plans, is it not?"
Reiko stared at him, and only after two seconds did she say, "Then let us only talk about our future plans."
Takashina Naoto nodded, seemingly pleased that she was willing to keep listening.
"If Isokawa-san chooses Gakushuin, that is of course fine. It is just that outsiders will view your choice in conjunction with Saionji-san's."
"You should understand that some choices make it very difficult for a family to turn back."
Reiko's tone grew lighter instead.
"And here I thought our family's stance was already clear enough."
"That is not wise, Isokawa-san."
"Not wise?" Reiko looked at him as if she had heard an incomprehensible word. "You cannot possibly be unaware of the news about the alliance between Seibu and Saionji, can you?"
Takashina Naoto's expression finally shifted slightly.
Over the past few days, Tokyo's financial circles and Nagatacho had been talking about nothing else.
The Seibu Group bowing its head and Tsutsumi Yoshiaki taking the initiative to hand over the commercial concessions inside railway stations, hotel supplies, and stadium-adjacent business access was more than enough to say a lot.
Within Seiwa-kai, they might still be able to complain that the Saionji family was expanding too quickly and that the Kaifu Residence was too deeply influenced by them.
But as long as a behemoth like Seibu chose to bow its head, everyone would have to recalculate the weight of the name Saionji.
Takashina Naoto quickly suppressed his expression.
"That does not prove anything."
Reiko looked at him with a gaze of near-disbelief.
"The Takashina Naoto I know would not fail to see through something like this."
Takashina Naoto said nothing.
Reiko took a step forward.
"Seibu has already bowed its head, Takashina Naoto. It is you guys who need to face reality."
"Or is it that you want to make things difficult for the Kaifu Cabinet?"
This sentence caused the air between them to freeze for a moment.
Takashina Naoto stared straight into Reiko's eyes, speaking only after a long moment.
"I think you have mistaken one thing, Isokawa-san. What is happening now has nothing to do with the Saionji family. What is important is you, and those account books."
Reiko sneered.
"Nothing to do with the Saionji family?"
"At least what Seiwa-kai is discussing now is how the Isokawa family completed their severance back then, and how they sat themselves in the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Since Mr. Osawa's downfall, some members of the old factions disappeared too quickly, and some support association records went quiet too fast."
"There are rumors outside that Mr. Isokawa handed over the political funding flows of the old Takeshita faction, the construction industry donation lists, and several support association accounting records to the Kaifu Residence. Those materials later became the blade used to purge the Osawa faction, as well as the Isokawa family's tribute to enter the core of the administration."
Takashina Naoto's tone remained calm, and he did not even speak too harshly.
Reiko narrowed her eyes slightly.
This was what Seiwa-kai truly wanted to say.
They did not need to prove that the Isokawa family had committed any major crime.
As long as they leaked this, the media would write headlines ugly enough.
The Kaifu Residence would be accused of selective purging, the Saionji faction would be accused of using old money-politics materials to take over money-politics, and the Isokawa family would be nailed to the narrative of "selling out their former master in exchange for a seat in the administration."
These words might not immediately drag Isokawa Seiichiro down from the administration.
But it would make many people start looking at the Isokawa family in a new light.
For political families, the court is rarely the most troublesome place.
In court, they can tilt the scales of justice in their favor to the greatest extent possible, and they can hire the most professional lawyers to debate the other side for a whole year.
But when it comes to explaining things like this, it becomes difficult.
Reiko's fingers gently tightened around the edge of her career survey form.
"So what?"
Takashina Naoto saw her movement but did not point it out.
"Pass on the message, Isokawa-san. These matters are not for you or me to decide."
"Seiwa-kai does not demand that the Isokawa family oppose anyone, nor do we require you to make any dramatic choices immediately. It is just that sometimes, staying silent is safer than moving forward."
"Silent?" Reiko chewed on the word. "You want Grandfather to shut his mouth in the administration."
Takashina Naoto neither admitted nor denied it.
"I am just saying, many hope that the Kaifu Cabinet can return to where it should be. A cabinet cannot always be led by the nose by outsiders."
"Outsiders?" Reiko looked at him. "Do you mean the Saionji family?"
Takashina Naoto avoided the name.
"What I am saying is, politics should be handled by politicians."
This statement indeed sounded very much like something Seiwa-kai would say.
Reiko suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
If it had been a few years ago, she might have found some truth in those words.
Politicians handle politics, financial circles handle finance, bureaucrats handle bureaucracy, and students in school only need to think about exams and clubs.
But after following Satsuki and seeing so much, it was already hard for her to believe in such clean boundaries.
When Osawa Ichiro fell, were politicians handling politics?
When Seibu bowed its head, was the financial world merely handling finance?
When her grandfather took his seat in the administration, was the Isokawa family really chosen solely for their political ability?
Everyone knew the answers to these questions in their hearts; it was just a matter of who was more willing to put it nicely.
"Takashina Naoto." Reiko looked at him. "Having a student pass on this kind of message at school does not quite seem like the 'decency' that Seiwa-kai usually boasts about."
Takashina Naoto's gaze darkened slightly.
"I am just reminding you, there will be many eyes watching at Gakushuin."
"Then let them watch."
Having said her piece, Reiko turned and left.
This time, Takashina Naoto did not call her back.
He stood at the end of the corridor, watching Reiko's back pass through the boundary of light and shadow as she walked back toward the cafeteria.
He looked down at the courtyard outside the window, his voice so quiet it was barely audible even to himself.
"Isokawa-san, do we really have to let things come to this?"
When Reiko returned to the cafeteria, Satsuki and Ayako had already found a table.
Seika Academy's cafeteria was more spacious than that of an ordinary school, with a row of well-lit seats by the window.
Satsuki sat at one of the tables, looking down intently at the menu.
Her expression was so focused that anyone who did not know better would think she was reviewing an investment prospectus, except that the menu did not list project yields and cash flows.
Ayako stood nearby holding a tray, her expression somewhat nervous.
"Saionji-san, if you are not used to this, I can ask someone..."
"No need." Satsuki looked up and smiled. "I just wanted to see what a school cafeteria looks like."
"Then what would you like to eat?"
"This curry rice looks quite ordinary."
Ayako could not tell for a moment if this was a positive or negative review.
"The curry rice in the school cafeteria... is indeed very ordinary."
Satsuki nodded.
"Then let us go with this."
Reiko walked over just in time to hear this.
She sat down across from Satsuki, the expression on her face already back to normal.
Satsuki glanced at her, asked nothing, and simply pushed the menu slightly toward her.
"Reiko, what are you having?"
Reiko looked at her, pausing for half a second.
"The same as you."
Satsuki looked at her as well, offering a faint smile at her words.
"Is that so?"
Ayako did not notice anything amiss and simply said with a sigh of relief, "Then I will order the same thing too."
"You guys doing this makes me feel like I am leading everyone astray." Satsuki laughed. "What if it does not taste good?"
After sitting down, Reiko placed her textbooks and career survey form next to her tray.
The form had already been filled out.
In the first choice column, it read "Gakushuin University, Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science."
Satsuki took a glance.
"The Faculty of Law. That is very like you."
Reiko slipped the form under her textbook, her tone returning to its usual lightheartedness.
"Well, studying political science makes it easier to understand when adults are lying."
Ayako felt like laughing but thought it might not be appropriate to laugh in the cafeteria, so she could only lower her head and arrange her tray.
Satsuki, however, laughed out loud.
"Then you are going to be very busy in the future."
Reiko looked at her.
"When have I ever not been busy while following Saionji-san?"
Satsuki did not answer.
The sound of students queuing to order came from the cafeteria counter.
Some walked past carrying set meals and desserts, while others spotted Satsuki sitting in the cafeteria from a distance and almost stopped dead in surprise.
The entire cafeteria became much livelier than usual because of her presence, yet no one actually dared to get too close.
Satsuki picked up her spoon and looked down at the freshly served curry rice.
Seika Academy's cafeteria was, of course, not lacking.
The rice was served neatly, the curry sauce was of moderate thickness, and the side dishes were beautifully cut.
It could not compare to the level of refinement found in the kitchen of the main Saionji residence, where one could tell at a glance that every step was personally supervised, but it was by no means a perfunctory lunch for students.
It was just that for Satsuki, this style of dining was very novel.
Carrying her own tray, finding her own seat, surrounded by classmates, with people at the next table discussing graduation ceremonies and universities, and others in the distance stealing glances this way under the pretext of getting water.
This was far more interesting than the curry rice itself.
She took a bite.
Then she nodded very seriously.
"Not bad."
Ayako finally felt a bit more at ease.
Reiko, sitting nearby, also put away her form, picked up her spoon, and took a bite.
"It is indeed quite decent."
Satsuki smiled as she looked at her.
"Your tone just now sounded like you were making a political compromise."
Reiko almost choked.
Ayako finally could not help but laugh out loud.
The three of them did not talk about Gakushuin or any political disputes anymore, turning instead to various amusing stories about school.
At least for now, they were just a few students enjoying their curry rice.
There were still thirty minutes left of the lunch break.