"Team K?" Fuma Kotaro frowned deeply. The term was completely unfamiliar to him. "What is that?"
Tachibana Masamune turned his gaze to Miyamoto Shio, signaling him to explain, while he slowly filled in the background. "Japan is a democratic nation that prides itself on the rule of law and transparency. But even so, one capability has never truly been abandoned in the deeper layers of this country's policy. It is regarded as the ultimate cornerstone of national strategic security, and an indispensable ticket to future great-power status—that is, quasi-nuclear weapons capability."
Miyamoto Shio adjusted his tortoiseshell glasses and spoke in the tone of a researcher explaining an experimental report. "However, the true leading force behind Japan's nuclear fuel cycle program has never been the government agencies in the public eye, nor the major nuclear energy conglomerates. The ones who truly hold the final say over the use of plutonium materials, and can even veto the opinions of high-ranking government officials, are a technical group that has long lurked at the deepest level of the entire nuclear policy system—Team K."
"This group has no official establishment. Its membership list is never made public, and it is not subject to oversight or questioning by Congress in any form. Yet it consists of the nation's foremost fast breeder reactor experts, plutonium materials management engineers, and nuclear physicists. Its members have infiltrated and taken control of every critical link in the production, purification, and stockpiling of nuclear materials. It has no physical form, yet it wields real power—a true shadow organization."
Fuma Kotaro sucked in a breath and abruptly turned to Miyamoto Shio. "Could it be—?"
Miyamoto Shio gave a slight nod, acknowledging the astonishing truth. "Most of this organization's key technical personnel and decision-making members have countless ties to the Miyamoto Family. Quite