Eizuka had not originally been much stronger than Old Hand, but she had more information channels. As the effects of Wall-Pushing continued to expand, information from various channels began to overlap, giving her a vast amount of useful intelligence in a short time. She gained a relatively clear understanding of the current world situation, especially the struggles among those at the very top of power.
Looking down from a higher vantage point, many things suddenly became clear.
Whenever Eizuka learned of an event, she would discuss it with Matsudaira Yoshio, and he would offer fairly pertinent responses.
Eizuka knew that this former colleague of hers understood the Inner World at a level far beyond her own.
Knowing was one thing. Whether one could influence or change anything was what truly mattered.
The problem was, at this stage, at this level, how could people like them possibly possess that kind of power?
All they could do was say nothing, no matter how much they had to say, and quietly wait for fate to make its arrangements.
Even though she knew events might not develop as negatively as Old Hand imagined, some matters hinged on nothing more than the thoughts of those powerful people. Eizuka did not dare guarantee anything and could only remain silent.
Fortunately, Old Hand had seen much of the world and still had the ability to adjust his state of mind. Soon, he smiled broadly. "No matter what, it's good news. Better than being dragged straight to the Execution Ground in a few days... Ah, ptooey!"
As he spoke, he slapped himself again.
No matter what, he did not want to continue. "Getting up early in the morning and slapping myself twice... Forget it. You young people go run. I'm heading back for breakfast."
Eizuka had originally wanted