The Beginning of the Conference
The dining hall needed to be cleaned up, so we were chased out. Instead, tea was being served in the parlor. It seems that they had prepared the black tea that Aunt Rosa had bought for Aunt Natsuhi.
Maria insisted that she also wanted to drink the black tea, but was rejected by the old bastard, who told the children to go play outside.
George: Battler-kun, why don't we all go for a walk outside?
Hideyoshi: It's alright if you just go to look at the roses. But keep a close eye on the weather. The sky's still clear, but the weather report kept on talkin' about rain.
Maria: Uu-! Maria wants the beach, wants the beach!
Eva: Aw, isn't that great? Playing on a sandy beach isn't something that you get to do often, is it?
Jessica: Really? Alright, let's all go to the sandy beach then!
Maria: Uu-! Let's go, let's go!
Rosa: Maria, be careful not to gte your clothes wet. Your shoes, too.
Maria: Uu-! Won't get wet!
Kyrie: *giggle* That obedience is so cu~te. Battler-kun, make sure you keep an eye out for Maria-chan, okay?
Battler: Great, leave it to me!
Rudolf: Haah, isn't your obedience to Kyrie's request just as cute? ...Why don't you also listen to me obediently for a change?
Battler: Heh! Hell no! Let's go everyone, c'mon!
The children flew out of the parlor.
They were replaced by Genji, who pushed a serving cart in and prepared the black tea.
The parlor was filled with a sublime aroma which entertained everyone while they waited to appease their thirst...
Krauss: Hahaha... Rudolf's family sure seems close, doesn't it. That's nice.
Rudolf: Quit it. Aniki's family beats ours.
Eva: That's true~. Jessica-chan really has been raised to be cute, hasn't she? This is also the fruit of your training, isn't it, Natsuhi nee-san?
Natsuhi: ...Thank you.
Natsuhi answered coldly.
With that, the conversation halted, and the parlor became silent.
Possibly because he couldn't stand it anymore, Hideyoshibroke the silence with an exaggerated gesture.
Hideyoshi: Still, they sure do grow fast. ...I've always thought of them as children, but they've been gettin' huge right before my eyes and, before I knew it, they've joined the group of adults. Battler-kun, for example, is beyong recognition!
Kyrie: His body has gotten much bigger, but he is still a child. Well, mu husband is also still a child.
Rosa: I wonder where the border between child and adult is. I still don't feel as though I've grown up.
Krauss: Hmph, isn't that pitiful. That's not something the mother of a child should say.
Eva: That's right. We're not children anymore. We are all adults. So I want to stop this sentimental talk and move on to a more intellectual discussion.
When Eva smiled with sharp sarcasm, everything seemed to get more tense. ...It felt like the smell of the tea that had been prepared so carefully just flew out of the window.
Krauss: We have all intended to have an intellectual discussion for some time now, haven't we? ...It seems that your sarcasm is poorly timed. Just as it used to be.
Eva: "Just as it used to be", is it? My, my. I wish I could wrap those words up and send them to this room a few becades ago. Right, Rosa?
Rosa: ......
Rosa smiled with an uncertain face. Whether she agreed or diagreed, she knew that she would earn the displeasure of her brother or her sister. It was a bit of wordly wisdom she had needed to learn as the youngest sibling.
Rudolf: Quit it, Aneki. We should enter into the main topic while the brats aren't around, right? Let us make that our intellectual discussion.
As Rudolf glanced over the faces of all present, some let out a slight sigh and some let a small look of resignation cross their face. ...This was the unavoidable true agenda.
Rudolf: Last year, his life expectancy was estimated at about three months. Which means that you could say that it's already minus nine months now, couldn't you? I guess this means that I could come at any time now.
Natsuhi: The family head is still in good health. Raising such an inappropriate topic while the sun is still bright... I can't help but doubt your true intentions, Rudolf-san.
Hideyoshi: Still, Natsuhi-san. If we don't discuss this until somethin' happens, it'll be too late. He's still healthy now, so we must figure out something while we still have some time left over. It's the same as financial etiquette.
Krauss: It seems as though everyone is concerned about Father. ...Doctor Nanjo. Could we hear the details from you? It seems as though they are also hoping for that.
Nanjo: ......*cough*
Nanjo, standing by the window and staring out at the rose garden, let out a single cough when he realized that he was being called.
Rosa: ...Doctor Nanjo. ...How is Father's condition?
Nanjo: Well, first off... Because my estimate last year that he had only three months to live was not borne out, allow me to start with that revision.
Eva: No need to explain. You're saying that measuring remaining life is only a prediction, not a promise, right?
Nanjo: ...That is correct. Because of that, while I will accept everyone's repeated questions, I can by no means confirm when he will pass away. A human's life is supported by their body and their mind. ...If the body is weal, the situation becomes more dangerous, but if the mind is strong enough to compensate for that weakness, the lull in one's condition can be preserved.
Kyrie: So you're saying that even if his body is weak, his mind is still firm and spirited.
Rudolf: ...Kyrie, sorry, but please stay quiet for a while.
Kyrie: ...Sorry.
Nanjo: That is correct. Kinzo-san's body is being overwhelmed by the demon of ill health. Furthermore, to continue having a taste for that kind of strong liquor is very, very...
Rudolf: So drinking is reason why he's teetering on the edge. Is his long life also the liquor's fault? Sounds like Father, the heavy drinker.
Eva: Well then, Doctor, I know you can't give anything more than a prediction... but what do you think about Father's chances of living until this day next year...?
Natsuhi: That's quite a rude question to ask about the head.
Natsuhi jumped on Eva, unable to hide her astonished expression.
In response, Eva returned a daring glance, but Hideyoshi, realizing what was going on, tried to smooth things over with a bitter smile.
Hideyoshi: Ah, Natsuhi-san, forgive her! Eva, try and choose your words a bit more carefully, okay?
Eva: I'm sorry. I was just so concerned over Father's condition. *giggle*
Natsuhi: Is that so? I hadn't realized.
Krauss: Doctor Nanjo, please tell us. For the sake of the beautiful family love of a daughter worried about her father's lifespan.
Krauss laughed sarcastically, and Eva, smiling sweetly, returned an identical chuckle.
Nanjo: ...You ask whether he will still be healthy next year... but as a doctor, it is very hard to say. Because while I do think this lull in his condition will continue for a while, if he suffers some kind of fit, there may be nothing we can do. ...Anyway, Rokkenjima is a solitary island. It is not as though an ambulance can quickly jump in to save him. Normally, I would want to have him hospitalized in a large hospital on the mainland, but...
Krauss: Father stated that he does not want his noble research interrupted. ...It seems he holds a grudge over the way we tried to force him out last year. Apparently, he strongly suspects that he'll be shut away in some hospital if he goes outside. And that's how things are now.
Rosa: Has Doctor Nanjo been examining him?
Krauss: Father trusts Doctor Nanjo... It seems he can be examined when in a good mood...
Nanjo: I can examine his condition, but if I try to recommed medicine or hospitalization, he refuses to listen. ...I've really only been able to look.
Hideyoshi: It's true that there are people that hate doctors... Still, what a hassle!
Nanjo sighed deeply. The purpose of an examination was to determine what medical treatment was appropriate. Receiving an examination and then not following the advice given made the whole thing pointless...
Rudolf: Then, in summary, his expected life is still three months. There's no way to guess how long he will continue to live while still on the verge of death.
Natsuhi: ...Rudolf-san. Couldn't you be more discreet with your words?
Rudolf: Ah, sorry. I've always talked this way. Give me a break.
Rosa: I understand Doctor Nanjo's opinion. ...What so you think, Krauss nii-san?
Krauss: ...Hmph. To be perfectly honest, I have to disagree with Doctor Nanjo. I find it truly difficult think of Father as a person so sick that he has only three months to live. His yell s as healthy as ever, and I still get the chills at the thought of his fists raining down on me. ...Pushing the care of your father solely on the shoulders of the eldest sibling is far from fair.
Rudolf: Hahaha. In the next world, get born after me. ...Alright, let's return to our discussion. In that case, according to the impartial and neutral doctor's opinion, it wouldn't be odd for him to go any time. Sorry, Aniki, but I'd rather trust the opinion of a specialist. With that, I believe the discussion of Father's fortune is no longer a premature topic.
Eva: Father's personal funds probably reach as far as several ten billion yen, right? But, it's not as though all of that is neatly gathered as ready cash. It's not as simple as neatly cutting a birthday cake with a knife.
Rudolf: ...Aneki's metaphor is interesting, isn't it? That's right, sometimes strawberries or chocolate are placed on top of the cake, making it hard to cleanly divide it into equal parts. Taking that into consideration, I think it's important to first discuss how best to stick the knife in, don't you...?
Natsuhi: I truly don't understand everyone. Even while the head is still alive, you're discussing the matter in loud voices as though he were already dead.
Eva: Come now, don't you see how important this is? After all, when the time comes, the inheritance of his fortune must be carried out immediately, right? Moreover, the glorious Ushiromiya house's wealth is vast. Don't you undersrand that a careful discussion is necessary beforehand? Because there's a huge difference between this family's resources and your family's wealth.
Natsuhi: ...How rude. The family I was born to has nothing to do with this.
As Natsuhi resentfully responded in a low voice, the already dark atmosphere grew even more hostile...
Hideyoshi: Give it a rest, Eva... Natsuhi-san, forgive us! Pardon her rudeness.
Hideyoshi, tried to smooth things over by glancing at both with a forced smile, but it only resulted in making the hostility between Eva and Natsuhi even more intense...
Nanjo: ...Staying any longer would make me a hindrance. Please excuse me.
Nanjo rose from his seat and exited the parlor. ...To an outsider it may have seemed like a normal act of courtesy, but his back was watched by several glances onvious of his ability to escape.
After the doctor had exited and his footsteps had disappeared into the distance, Krauss recrossed his legs.
Krauss: In other words, what you all have to say is something like this. ...Father's remaining life is short. You want to quickly enter into a practical conference concerning the distribution of the inheritance. ...Why are you so eager, I wonder? Certainly, as you say, estimating and distributing the Ushiromiya family's wealth is no simple task. In that case, shouldn't we carefully and deliberately calculate? It seems to me that you are all impacient to split up the cake tonight. That's true, isn't it, Rosa? Is something making you impatient?
Rosa: ...We are not impacient. ...However, a decision between the siblings is essential. It doesn't matter when, but if the day when Father's condition worsens is approaching, discussing the matter beforehand isn't what I would call impatience...
Rosa shot a glance at Eva and Rudolf. ...As the youngest daughter in the family, being cross-examined by the eldest was harsh.
Krauss: ...Oh? Is that your true opinion? I didn't expect that the most honest and pure-hearted of the siblings would say something like that. I wonder if those two told you to say that...?
Rosa: ......
Rudolf: Quit it, Aniki. Rosa is also our sibling. She had a fair right to Father's inheritance. It's obvious she would be interested, right? ...After all, Father will definitely die, and that's not something that'll happen in the distant future. ...On the contrary, Aniki, you are far too relaxed. It seems almost as though you would like nothing better than to turn the discussion away from the distribution of the inheritance.
Natsuhi: ...What do you mean by that? Are you trying to accuse my husband of something?
Hideyoshi: C-Calm down, Natsuhi-san. Listen to what we have to say...
Eva: Nii-san, I hear these are very good times nowadays. That's right, on the one hand, since last year the rise of the yen has led to an unprecedented boom in prosperity. It seems that it's no longer a dream that the dollar will reach 100 yen. Also, the ruling party says that it will establish health resort maintenance law by next year. At this moment, resort development companies across Japan are running about trying to gather as much capital as they can.
Krauss: You sure are knowledgeable. Soon, Japan will see an unprecedent boom. Just like when Father revived the Ushiromiya family. Another case like the Korean war demands. ...The people of Japan have gotten into a frenzy trying to realize vast economic growth and become the most prosperous people in the world, glorifying the spring of our society. Private spending has increased, and institutions that can profit from that can make easy money in this era. The people's needs are not three kinds of electrical appliances. Places to ski, to golf, public pools. Resort hotels and theme parks! Have you gone to Delsney Land, which opened just a few years ago? Isn't that an excellent theme park! In that place, even an adult can be a kid and have fun with his family. The old era where only selflessly devoting yourself while failing to consider your family was considered a virtue is ending. Now, as the most prosperous people in the world, we can finally accept that.
Hideyoshi: Krauss-san, your foresight isn't something to be trifled with. ...When I heard that several years earlier, I thought it was ridiculous. ...However, when I heard about the G5 nations' Plaza Accord, that changed. The yen became increasingly strong, and the price of land will soon skyrocket, I believe. The day that Japan becomes the economic center of the world isn't far off. ...You have a very forward looking view. At least there can be no debate about that.
Rudolf: I feel the same as Hideyoshi-san. Aniki, you can read into the next decade of history. That keen sense surely came from Father. It's incredible. ...However, unlike Father, there have been cases where the timing of your predictions have been mistaken, haven't there?
Eva: Nii-san, believing that Japan will definitely face an economic boom, you have been planning resorts everywhere. And almost all of them continue to fail. ...While I'm sure that the era you predicted is arriving, it seems that you misread the timing of that boom. ...You were too early. And then you hurriedly tried to sell everything off, and as a result opened the wound even further. ...If your nose was really so reliable and you predicted the coming of a boom, then there should be no reason for you to sell off your property. Is this proof that you don't trust your own ability?
Natsuhi: ...How rude! Are you trying to insult my husband?
Natsuhi's forehead creased as she rose from the sofa.
Eva, paying this no heed, stared at Krauss with a confident smile. ...Krauss, who also maintained his confident appearance, told Natsuhi to sit down.
Krauss: Please stop, Natsuhi. My little sister has always talked that way. ...Calm yourself a little. Your headache will get worse.
Eva: Proof that you have no talent is also right here. ...After all, Nii-san, weren't you all excited about turning this island into a resort? Building a wonderful resort hotel, beautifully maintaining the garden. I'm just an amateur and don't pretend to understand, but you must have used a significant amount of money, right?
Natsuhi: Then, what are you trying to say! My husband's business has nothing to do with you!
Rudolf: Actually, that's not true, Natsuhi-san. Rokkenjima is not Aniki's. It is Father's. Of course, the hotel that was constructed is Aniki's, right? If you like, you can charge us lodging fees tonight. Right, Rosa?
Rosa: ...Well, hmm. If what I have on hand will suffice.
Krauss: If I can make in into a resort, this island's financial worth will rise. It is true that expenses have piled up, but we can hope to have a large harvest in the future. When that happens, it should prove to be beneficial to all of you as well.
Eva: I understand that. If the value of this island rises, that will increase our shares when we distribute the inheritance. Of course, I won't ask you to divide the island and the mansion into four equal parts. But that's only if the matter cn be settled by calculating its financial worth.
Krauss: If you understand that much, what about my business makes you so dissatisfied?
Rudolf: We aren't dissatisfied, we're uneasy. In the first place, Aniki, when do you plan to open that hotel? Left this way, you won't get anything out of it except our grubby hand prints, right?
Eva: That's right. It's an important tool for your business, isn't it? Surely you can't keep it locked up until the moment you open it for business, right? Buildings go bad if you don't use them and air them out every once in a while. Even so, it's a bit extravagant for a guesthouse that we only use once a year.
Rosa: ...That's right. f it is that wonderful, I'm sure that it will become quite popular once you open it.
Kyrie: Oh... The hotel that you mentioned earlier is actually the guesthouse, isn't it...
Rudolf: It's slendid. Just as Rosa said, if you were to open it, I'm sure it would become popular.
The lodging they had been guided to had not been constructed with the intent of building a guesthouse.
...It was originally constructed as a resort hotel. However, even though it was constructed two years before, there was absolutely no prospect of it opening.
Eva: Nii-san, it's just like all of your enterprises. Your attention and planning are both fabulous. Then, it always becomes unable to maintain itself partway, and ends without being able to collect any profit.
Rudolf: It was brilliant of Aniki to spot that this island, when used only as a place to live, was a waste. I think that turning it into a resort which could use things like marine sports, fishing, or honeymoons to attract customers was a pretty good plan. If I were the oldest son, I'm sure I would be puzzling over what kind of profit I could get out of this island.
Eva: But, two full years have passed since you finished building, right? After two years, you still haven't had the opportunity to open it? Where is the managing company you entrusted it to?
Natsuhi: ...Impertinence! That is not my husband's fault! There has just been some trouble with the company that my husband contracted with. No matter how you look at it, we are victims here!
Hideyoshi: And yet... This company that Krauss-san hired... I haven't heard many good rumors about it.
Eva: Just spit it out. ...Did you think that rumors about nonpayment, embezzlement, and projects that disintegrated mid-way wouldn't reach my ears? I've been collecting evidence.
Natsuhi: I don't know what kind of evidence you found, but it's all baseless! As new members in the sightseeing business, it is necessary to lay the groundwork with various people. It is also important to discuss how trustworthy the other party is. This is nothing more than taking some time to meet that end!
Krauss: ...I'll accept that, in my rashness, the hotel was completed too early. However, we are not paying maintenance costs. It's a slow and vital strategic arrangement.
Rudolf: Liar. I'll bet you want to sell it but can't. There's no reason for anyone to buy such an extravagant hotel on an isolated island without any established sightseeing routes. What happened to the financing that you collected for this project?
Hideyoshi: Even if you aren't incurring maintenance costs, the borrowed money that you can't return is steadily swelling. ...Sorry, Krauss nii-san. I investigated the development plan for this island a little. ...Honestly, I have also heard nothing good.
Krauss: Hideyoshi-san. I'm sure that only looking at the current financial condition could lead you to that impression. However, that is a prior investement. I have no choice but to admit that my prediction was mistaken, and that up until now, several liabilities have been created. However, the times habe finally cought up with me. I will soon regain everything that I have lost up to this point. No, actually, all of the investments I have made until now will finally return to my possession. That's right, just like throwing away a small fry which then becomes a salmon, they will come back even bigger than before.
Hideyoshi: I'll acceot that. Starting soon, the resort business will probably see an unprecedented boom... Whether it'll be enough to bury all of your liabilities is... ...However, Krauss nii-san. After all your miserable and repeated failures in the past, who in the world would supply you with funds? It would have to be a massive amount of funds. Enough funds to cover your massive debt, right?
Natsuhi: ...What are you trying to say, Hideyoshi-san?
Hideyoshi: Ahh, Natsuhi-san, please don't get angry! We also investigated that. We investigater to see if anyone loaned Krauss nii-san, who has continued to lose so much, a large enough investment to support him recently.
Rudolf: ...And the result, there is none. There is no backer. Turning things around during a time of weakness is the iron rule of the money roulette. Aniki's was a well known time of weakness in this neighborhood. Surely this era seems set to welcome an economic boom, but when we asked who, with respect to Aniki's failures, would find him worthy of funding, there was no one.
Eva: Then what...? Where did you raise that money from? ...That's the question, now.
Krauss: ...Ho. Isn't this an interesting story. And?
Natsuhi: D-Dear! How long do you plan to ignore these abusive remarks!
Rudolf: Sit down, Natsuhi-san. Let me say it directly. Aniki has been diverting Father's private funds for his own business. There is almost no doubt. If we made some mistake, please, feel free to explain it for us.
Eva: Rudolf, this isn't diverting funds. This is embezzlement, isn't it? This is a huge crime that can be criminally prosecuted.
Natsuhi: Th-This is rudeness in the extreme! How can you even face the successor to the Ushiromiya head house and level these abusive accusations!
Eva: They aren't abusive, they're right on the mark, aren't they? I'm sure he'd like to make his business succeed so that he can recover his losses, but his debt is actually growing! He's just trying to cover up the failure of one gamble by making an even bigger one. If he had funds close at hand, it's only logical that he'd try to use them! Let me say it clearly. Nii-san, what you are doing is embezzlement. You're betraying our father. You know that we'll have the courts settle it after this is all over, right? Do you think that kind of person has any right to assume the position as successor to the Ushiromiya family?
Natsuhi: Y-You can't that... s-saying that he's betraying the head isn't something that can be easily overlooked! You have no right to straddle the threshold of the glorious Ushiromiya family! Leave this place immediately! Alright?! Get out!
Natsuhi, who had already reached the limits of her anger, shouted at Eva in a rage. She then pointed alternately at Eva and the hallway, indicating that she should leave.
Eva took out a folding fan and fanned herself with it, glaring maliciously at Natsuhi as though silently daring her to repeat what she'd said. However, her mouth was still smiling, curved in the shape of a crescent moon. ...In that unpleasant silence, Rosa gulped.
Eva: Hey... Natsuhi nee-san? Who do you think you are speaking to?
Natsuhi: I'm speaking to the extremely impolite sister of my husband! As the person in charge of the main family's kitchen, I cannot overlook any more of this!
Eva: In charge of the kitchen? Huhuhu, hahahaha, ahhahahaha! Shut up, you maid servant!
Eva folded the fan with a snap and rose powerfully. Compared to the elegance and playful behavior she had shown until just now, she was unimaginably aggressive.
Eva: How foolish. Bow down! Before Eva of the Ushiromiya family! I'm telling you to bow down before the third ranked in the Ushiromiya family hierarchy, who is allowed to stand at the left shoulder of the head! Know your place! And then look in a mirror at your shabby figure! Where on your clothes is the wing? Where are you permitted to wear the One-winged Eagle? Aren't you nothing more than a borrowed womb to house the next successor to the Ushiromiya family! Understand your place, you lowly maidservant!
While Eva's face grimaced unattractively, her words cut into Natsuhi's heart, as though pierced by claws, and painfully twisted in.
Natsuhi: ......!
There were a hundred ways Natsuhi wanted to respond. However, her anger and sorrow crushed her throat, and not one of them managed to make it to her mouth. The anger which had lost any place to go became a single hot tear which slowly dripped down...
Eva: Whaaat? If you have something to say, please, say it now. Come on.
Eva faced her with a provocative gaze. ...However, Natsuhi's fist was shaking; she trembled all over, unable to do anything...
Krauss quietly broke that powder-keg tension.
Krauss: Natsuhi. Leave your seat. You should cool off your head.
Natsuhi: Wha-!
Natsuhi, resenting the fact that her husband had not come to her aid, shifted the focus of her attack.
Natsuhi: D-Dear, don't you understand what they're saying about you?! These people are baselessly calling you a traitor to Father! They are making light of the fact that we protect the glory of the Ushiromiya family and in order to receive that glory from Father, we have been purely spending our days expending every effort. They trample all of that underfoot; what a painful rambling! You are you. Why don't you talk back! Since you won't talk back, I have, but for a while you have been relying completely on me! Are you telling me to go cool my head and come back?! It's always me! Even though I have always seriously considered this family's affairs, you've...! Whaaaa, whaaaa!
Natsuhi was already unable to hide her tears. She flew from the room in that state. After that, all that remained was an somewhat embarrassed mood about the parlor...
When the sound of footsteps grew distant and silence returned, Krauss shrugged his shoulders slightly.
Krauss: ...I apologize for my wife. She has always been bad at controlling her emotions. It's hard even for me right now.
Eva: If she's been managed like that, it must worry Nii-san to no end, huh? *giggle*giggle*
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