The Price of Power

Nakano Ward,

Beneath the plaque bearing the sweeping calligraphy of "Nagisa Garden," two broad wooden gates stood open.

The walls were lined with luxury cars. Guests in formal attire streamed inside, where servants led them through the grounds and into the garden.

The garden had been redecorated in a Western style. Delicate pastries and glasses of fine wine stood on long white tables for guests to help themselves. Maids in black dresses and white flower crowns stood smiling around the garden, ready to serve.

The young men and women mingling quietly over drinks in the garden were all handsome and beautiful, with temperaments ranging from composed to gentle. Every one of them was impeccably polite, showing none of the arrogance often associated with rich kids.

At the far end of the garden stood a traditional building, its wooden doors open wide.

Inside, a group of middle-aged and elderly people sat on the wooden floor in two rows, some kneeling, others cross-legged, chatting casually. With their kimonos, they looked as if they had stepped out of a period drama.

It was a true blend of East and West!

And yet no one dared voice a single objection. Not one person showed even the slightest contempt.

Those sitting on the floor of the hall were either old-money families with deep roots or new-money upstarts with immense wealth. Every one of them was a titan of business or politics, powerful enough to bring ruin to tens of thousands of families with a single move.

These top figures of the island nation, all rich or influential, had gathered here for one person.

Amame Ei!

The illegitimate daughter of the head of the Nagisa Zaibatsu.

Of course, no one would say such a thing—not that they could.

Because today was the day Amame Ei would be "welcomed back into the family."

The reason for all this fanfare, and why half of Tokyo's aristocratic and zaibatsu circles had sent representatives to witness the occasion, was of course—

A supernatural being!

And one backed by a god, no less. Inari God's "Miko."

The influential men chatting in the hall cast occasional glances at the two people seated in the places of honor, barely able to conceal the envy in their eyes.

The young-looking woman seated there, however, wore a somewhat dazed expression.

So...

That classmate of Ei's had been right!

"Madam Nagisa, how about a wager?"

"Before long, someone in your family will be begging to have Amame come here."

Looking back, that young man had spoken with such certainty, as if describing something inevitable. She hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Madam, are you feeling unwell?"

The middle-aged man beside her spoke softly. He was only three years older than she was, yet seemed to be in his fifties or sixties.

"Please bear with it."

As he saw it, his wife must be unhappy about the illegitimate daughter he had with another woman making such a grand entrance into the family.

But... she was a supernatural being! If Amame Ei fell out with the Nagisa Family, the entire upper echelon of the island nation would surely side with the girl.

The zaibatsu might be the island nation's true rulers, but there were plenty of them, and they were all rivals.

As for supernatural beings—at the very least, the island nation's government probably didn't have any at its disposal.

Otherwise, the incident in Arakawa Ward wouldn't have left them so helpless.

"No, I'm fine."

Madam Nagisa shook her head slightly. She didn't resent Amame Ei; she was just uneasy about her classmate.

In fact, she had already learned that she couldn't reveal anything about that classmate, in any form.

It wasn't because she was a blabbermouth. She had a habit of keeping a diary.

That night, she had just picked up her pen to write something vague like "a certain classmate" when her whole body suddenly went rigid. She couldn't move at all!

Since then, she had realized that any attempt to reveal information about that person immediately made her lose control of her body.

And given what was happening before her...

Just who was that classmate named Akihi Yu?

"Ei, if you don't want to..."

In Nagisa Kazuha's room, the young lady, dressed in an elegant kimono, was straightening her petite older sister's clothes.

"No, I just... I just can't believe this is real."

Amame Ei, dressed in a red-and-white shrine maiden's outfit, was still in a daze.

Of course she longed for a family.

Ever since learning that her "father" existed, young Amame Ei had often gone to the other side of the estate and watched a family of three heading out, envious.

But as she grew older, she gradually understood that an "illegitimate daughter" who had never lived with her parents couldn't expect their doting love. Later, she and her younger sister, Nagisa Kazuha, had found each other, gotten to know each other, and grown close. Now their relationship was just like that of real sisters, but that inexplicable longing had never gone away.

And now, all she had to do was nod, and she would have parents—and a home!

She and Xiao Yie would also be sisters openly, with nothing to hide.

"Everything happening now feels like a dream. When I wake up, it'll all disappear..."

Nagisa Kazuha wrapped her arms around Amame Ei from behind and held her close, resting her cheek gently against her sister's head.

"No matter how the world changes, you'll still have me."

"We'll always be sisters."

"Mm."

Swish.

In the corner of the room, the Black Fish curled into a ball lifted its head and rolled its eyes.

Well, would you look at that.

He'd arrived just in time to see them cuddling.

Akihi Yu, who had shifted his will into this clone, froze. His expression turned strange.

As the "mastermind," Akihi Yu had given Amame Ei power for one reason: to fulfill her wish. Just as he'd said, it was now the entire Nagisa Clan begging Amame Ei to return to the family.

The other reason was tied to planting the Divine Tree.

As a treasured possession of the Otsutsuki Clan, the Divine Tree would provide its planter with a steady supply of chakra. Normally, it should have been planted right away.

But this was a parallel-world Blue Star! More than five thousand satellites orbited in outer space, and countless surveillance systems swept the planet over and over. Places once shrouded in mystery, like the "Bermuda Triangle" and the "Loch Ness Monster's" habitat, had become tourist destinations visited by countless sightseers, thanks to all those detectors.

Satellite mapping had left no inch of land unclaimed!

With the Divine Tree's conspicuous presence, the moment it was planted, it would be discovered—and then fenced off for all kinds of research!

Even if Akihi Yu didn't care about the Otsutsuki's dignity, what if the government thought the tree was strange and decided to destroy it?

Was the immature Ten-Tails supposed to get up and go running into the sunset?

The image was too beautiful. He didn't dare look.

So...

Akihi Yu planned to plant the Divine Tree in Tokyo, in broad daylight!

If he wanted the government not only to leave it alone, but to protect it instead, he would need to offer the bigwigs something they couldn't refuse.

Medical Ninjutsu was only the first step.

He could even promise them the nebulous prospect of "immortality."

Of course, that was all for the future. For now, he would fulfill Shrine Maiden Amame's wish.

With that in mind, the half-meter-long Black Fish swam toward the two girls as they were about to leave.

"Huh?"

"Little Black, no."

"You'll scare everyone if you go out."

Just as Amame Ei motioned for the Earthquake Catfish she had named "Little Black" to stay behind—

The half-meter-long fish slapped its tail and launched itself toward the girl.

?

The Earthquake Catfish shrank again in midair, until it was no bigger than a cat. With a soft thump, it landed in Amame Ei's arms as she instinctively held them out.

It curled into a ball and patted her hand with its tail, signaling that its "owner" could go now.

"All right."

"But you can't run around."

Holding the curled-up Little Black, Amame Ei took a deep breath in her shrine maiden's outfit. With Nagisa Kazuha at her side, encouraging her, she stepped through the door.

"Ichizaki, you came too."

The young people had gathered in little groups around the garden. A handsome young man carrying a wineglass walked over to a cool-looking man.

"Ginkawa."

The cool-looking man gave a slight nod.

They were both elite rich kids, already learning to manage their family businesses. They had crossed paths a few times, and were just barely friends.

Of course, business was business. Neither of them could say how deep their friendship really ran.

"Do you know what kind of background today's 'star' has?"

"You don't know?"

The cool-looking man asked in return. The other could only shrug helplessly.

"You know my family has an ambitious brother, so..."

Being a rich kid wasn't easy either.

Many people thought rich kids could just sit around, eating and drinking. But how could that be?

Ambitious partners, shrewd lawyers, and scheming executives—without some ability of his own, a family fortune could quickly be drained by the people around him through all sorts of "legal" means. By the time he realized what had happened, they would have become the new ruling class.

The saying went, "Don't fear a rich kid who wastes his days; fear one with ambition." Most of them ended up falling into the hands of these clever people.

As the saying went, "If Heaven gives you an opportunity and you don't take it, you'll be punished for it." If you couldn't protect your fortune, don't blame us for taking it!

That was why great families trained their best children to inherit the business, while giving the others a share of the profits and keeping them like pigs.

If several capable heirs emerged, it could turn into an internal power struggle.

All in all, it wasn't much different from the succession battles of a thousand years ago.

The main difference was that it was less bloody. The winner continued to lead the zaibatsu, while the loser admitted defeat, left the contest, and settled down as a wealthy idler.

"You don't need to know her background. Just know she's the undisputed 'star' today."

The cool-looking man gestured toward the other female guests, most of whom were between fourteen and eighteen years old.

And—

They were all dressed in fresh, understated styles. Not only did they wear no jewelry, but none of them had even put on much makeup.

"I see. Thanks."

The handsome young man raised his glass, thoughtful.

Just then, a man dressed like a middle-aged driver walked up to the hall.

"Let's begin."

The middle-aged man seated at the head of the room nodded.

As soon as he spoke, everyone in the hall and the garden seemed to freeze. Not a sound could be heard.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The sound of wooden sandals approached. Amame Ei, dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit with a white top and red skirt, came slowly from the back garden, with Nagisa Kazuha following a step behind.

?

Many of the young rich kids in the garden, unaware of what was going on, looked confused.

A shrine maiden's outfit?

To people in anime and foreigners, it seemed mysterious and elegant. But in the island nation itself, it wasn't exactly a good thing.

After all, shrines belonged to the priests. The shrine maidens' status... Well, that was hard to say.

Even the shrine maidens at major shrines today were all just girls doing a job.

Though plenty of places had shrine maiden cosplay outfits...

And—

Was she holding a toy catfish?

Most of the young people in the garden were still utterly confused by the proceedings, but the middle-aged and elderly people in the hall—

At the sight of Amame Ei, every one of them could barely contain the longing in their eyes.

A supernatural being with healing abilities.

When their gazes fell on the "Black Fish" in the girl's arms, they all showed apprehension.

If they angered the girl and she tossed the "Earthquake Catfish" in her arms—

It wouldn't just be a case of "closing the door and beating the dog."

It would turn into a bloodbath on the spot!

Amame Ei took off her wooden sandals and walked into the hall step by step. She stopped in front of the man and woman seated in the places of honor. Gathering her courage, she looked at the man before her.

His graying hair was combed back. Deep lines framed his stern face, and crow's feet surrounded his eyes, accustomed to looking down on others. He wore a dark kimono, like a stiff-necked patriarch straight out of a period drama.

"Fa... Father."

Her lips moved. Without thinking, Amame Ei clutched Little Black tighter.

Now that the moment had come, she couldn't bring herself to say the words she had practiced for more than ten years.

"That's enough."

The stern middle-aged man nodded and gestured slightly to the woman beside him.

"This is Kazuha's mother."

Amame Ei was about to speak to her younger sister's mother, but the woman interrupted her.

"If you don't mind, you can call me Mother, too."

?!

"M-Mother."

Unlike her "father," who had never once spoken to her, Amame Ei already knew her younger sister's mother quite well and felt close to her.

With half the island nation's influential circles as witnesses, the "welcoming her back into the family" ceremony was complete.

The so-called red tape could only restrain the weak.

Amame Ei was clearly no weakling. In fact, she had already risen above most heads of the great conglomerates.

"Amame, thank you for helping me that day."

"Amame, I'm—"

"Hello."

Once they left the hall, it was time for the young people to socialize.

Wherever Amame Ei went, everyone's eyes followed. The young elites formed a whirlpool around her.

"Hello, hello, hello."

If Nagisa Kazuha hadn't been beside her, introducing her and helping her socialize, then

faced with greetings coming at her from every direction, Amame Ei would have practically seen stars. Though she was nearly there already.

Everywhere she looked, people approached with perfect manners. Even in the distance, whenever their eyes met hers, they smiled, nodded, or raised their glasses in greeting.

This feeling of being surrounded by the "world"...

So exhausting!