Weaving the Web (Bonus Chapter for Reader Slainpnier 15)
Although Shirakawa Shuu had left Kaede Sakon's residence, he had not truly gone far. Every part of Kaede Sakon's subsequent itinerary—where he went, whom he met, and what was said—fell under Shirakawa Shuu's watchful eyes and listening ears.
Shirakawa Shuu saw no issue at all with giving Kaede Sakon that information. The material merely pointed out the direction of technological development, a process, and the final result. That did not mean Kaede Sakon could replicate the weapons and units described in the documents with those few insignificant details.
So if Kaede Sakon ultimately wanted to cast Shirakawa Shuu aside and conduct the development himself, it might take years, even over a decade, before he achieved anything close to the same result. Shirakawa Shuu understood this, and Kaede Sakon likely understood it as well.
In truth, even if Kaede Sakon really wanted to leave Shirakawa Shuu behind, he still could not escape Shirakawa Shuu's calculations. At most, Shirakawa Shuu would employ another method and quietly wait for Kaede Sakon to finish all the preparations—contacting the necessary people, gathering the required supplies, and preparing the locations and equipment—before effortlessly taking everything over. He could also use Kaede Sakon's connections to openly and cleanly root out all the rotten elements.
Therefore, whether Kaede Sakon sincerely submitted to Shirakawa Shuu or merely intended to deceive him and work alone made no difference to Shirakawa Shuu, because the outcome would inevitably be exactly the same.
Kaede Sakon might have known that Shirakawa Shuu was monitoring him, but he certainly had not imagined that Shirakawa Shuu had watched him so thoroughly. Nothing Kaede Sakon said or did throughout the entire day escaped Shirakawa Shuu's control.
After watching each person who met with Kaede Sakon and then departed,