At the top of the lavishly decorated dining room, a magnificent crystal chandelier cast gorgeous, enchanting light, bathing every inch of the room in decadent gold and gilding everyone seated at the long dining table.
Behind the railing on the second floor, the orchestra played with all its might, the elegant, moving melodies of cellos and an organ echoing beneath the ceiling.
The seven or eight people at the table were either imposing men in their prime or pampered elders in their sixties, each wearing an expression of superior arrogance.
Yet at this moment, they had no choice but to lower their eyes and respectfully await the orders of the old man at the head of the table.
Dressed in a black kimono, the old man at the head sat in a wheelchair, his face covered in age spots, his body utterly decrepit. His hands rested together on his cane, his chin propped on their backs, his eyes closed in a drowsy stupor.
The mere sight of his aged, decaying presence made one wonder whether he might breathe his last the next moment and never wake again.
I'm hungry already. Why hasn't dinner started? What the hell is that undying old chairman playing at?
Though someone grumbled inwardly, he dared not let a trace of it show on his face and continued waiting patiently.
"Grrrr, grrr-"
The rumbling of a stomach, too loud for even the music to drown out, came from the portly, potbellied man seated immediately to the chairman's right.
A hint of embarrassment appeared on the fat man's face, and he tightened his belt.
At the same time, Chairman Hyodo's eyelids stirred slightly. Then he woke, placed his cane on the table, and stretched.
"Chairman!"
"Good evening, Chairman."
Everyone greeted him enthusiastically.
"Once you get old, you