Area 11 was a society with a clearly defined class system.
This was even more apparent at the banquet. The wealthy ordinary people occupied the outermost area. They had money but no power, and could only serve as background decoration.
They would pay a high price for a chance to enter the inner restaurant and make an appearance. If they made a good impression, they might even get the chance to sit at the same table.
The middle section was where wealthy businessmen, celebrities, and officials mingled. They had status, influence, and money, making them members of the upper class.
The most powerful figures dined in the innermost area, where no one dared enter and disturb them without permission.
Ugou Mirai was there, seated at one side of the table with a polite smile, dining with impeccable manners.
Everyone else at the table was at least middle-aged, over forty—a group of powerful people who represented authority and status. Even the least influential among them was the president of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce.
Ugou Mirai was a minor, and a woman at that. By the rules, she shouldn't have been allowed to sit at the table, let alone attend as someone's companion.
But she wasn't human. She was a Monster, and one representing the Yuguang Family and the Iron-Cast Palace at that. She didn't need to follow human rules.
The old men had no choice but to swallow their discomfort and treat Ugou Mirai as their equal.
The person invited that evening had originally been the head of the Yuguang Family—Ugou Mirai's mother.
But the head of the Yuguang Family had something come up at the last minute, so she sent her daughter to stand in for her.
In truth, it didn't matter who came. As long as someone showed