After Relinquishing the Clan Leader's Seal, Fugaku Came Home for the First Time as Only a Father

The new Deliberative Group's second meeting ran a full half day past its scheduled end.

It was not because Fugaku had failed to speak.

It was because, for the first time, they realized that without someone to end their arguments for them, they had to fill every gap in the procedures themselves.

A Sealing Master applied to extend his maintenance assignment on the Lunar Surface.

His reason was practical.

The next person in the rotation had accompanied only two inspections of the outer anchors and could not yet independently assess the depth of cracks beneath the lunar dust.

If the changeover went ahead on the original date, the handover might leave the fifth Monitoring Anchor unobserved again.

Those opposed presented the very same risk report.

The applicant had led the last three inspections.

Interpretation of readings, custody of tools, and reporting of anomalies had gradually become concentrated in one person's hands.

Extending his assignment again because "only he knew the work" would only make him harder to replace next time.

The first vote passed quickly.

Seven voted in favor of the extension, two against.

The Recorder, however, did not announce the result.

The applicant's cousin was among the seven who had voted in favor.

He had not participated in the Lunar Surface work, but he was responsible for reviewing that Sealing Master's clan stipend.

That conflict of interest had not been registered before the meeting.

Under the recusal rules they had just adopted, the first vote was void.

Someone objected.

"He's only his cousin. He hasn't collected any payment on the applicant's behalf."

The rotating chair opened the conflict-of-interest disclosure section.

"Whether it affects his judgment is open to discussion. Failure to disclose it does not mean we can treat it as nonexistent."

The cousin withdrew from the vote.

The