After Inari and the others left, the headquarters of the Echigo Trading Company was in complete turmoil.
“Damn it… Damn it all!!”
The man throwing anything within reach was Echigo Jiro. The uncle of the former clan master, he was a bottom-tier awakener in terms of combat ability, yet he had a knack for using people. That talent—along with his bloodline—was what had placed him among the current candidates for succession.
His outward appearance was that of a kindly middle-aged man, soft-faced, grandfatherly even. At first glance, one might think him gentle. But that was only when he was in a good mood.
“Calm yourself. Yes, they got the better of us, but what can a slip of a girl possibly do? Running Echigo Trading Company is not something so simple.”
The other man was Echigo Ryoichi. Though roughly the same age as Jiro—somewhere in his forties or fifties—his appearance was more youthful. A lean, well-toned frame, glasses, and slicked-back hair combined to give him the impression of a capable man.
Neither looked like the sorry excuses for adults and leaders they had just revealed themselves to be. Well—Jiro still did, in his current tantrum. But here, there was no one willing to offer him counsel.
“Ryoichi, you’re fine with this!? We’ve been humiliated! By them! You think just having a little strength is enough to run this company!?”
“Calm down. Losing your head here won’t change a thing.”
“Then what do you propose!?”
“Nothing at all. Even if she’s gained a bit of backing, it won’t change that I will become the head here.”
Saying that, Ryoichi left the room. Jiro immediately kicked a chair with a snarl.
“Already acting like the president, is he!? That seat is mine! Mine! Damn them all… damn them!!”
“Please calm down, Jiro.”
The door opened, and in walked a man who looked every inch the thug. A garish purple shirt, a gaudy golden watch—the very image of sleaze. Then again, perhaps that was part of his trade.
“You…! I told you to dress properly, didn’t I!?”
“Give me a break. This is the most respectable outfit I own.”
“Tsk… Everyone! Everyone is useless! Bring in the press! We’ll expose their outrageous conduct—”
“Calm down, I said. It’s pointless.”
Jiro blinked. The man smiled as though humoring a child.
“Pointless!? Early responses are everything in these matters!”
“Quit your whining. I said it’s pointless. Don’t you have ears?”
“You insolent—ugh!”
The man kicked Jiro’s leg out from under him, sending him sprawling. Looming over him now, the man’s smile had vanished.
“Listen. You’re up against Kogami Inari. Right now she’s the beloved darling of the public, respected for her character and feared for her strength. She’s no flashy idol, but her local reputation is sterling, leaving no openings to exploit. On top of that, she’s adored enough to pull out the Japan Headquarters of the Awakener Association itself. And you—you just made a fool of yourself at Headquarters last time, didn’t you?”
“Guh… uuugh…”
“Call in the press and it won’t go your way. They’re careful when reporting negatively on awakeners. They won’t want the blowback from slandering a popular figure.”
Indeed. Japan already knew all too well the consequences of enraging awakener society as a whole. No media outlet wanted to earn the legacy of “the one who brought about a second disaster.”
“If anything, you’d be the one they’d drag through the mud. With you, they can swing away as hard as they like without fear of a backlash. Get that through your thick skull.”
The Echigo Trading Company’s family feud was already widely known. Reporting that the fools mired waist-deep in it were “acting like idiots” would only make the awakener community nod along: Indeed they are.
“So you’re saying we should just sit back like Ryoichi?”
“That’s right. For now, that’s the best play. Stay quiet, and watch.”
The man left the room, muttering as he went.
“Well… he’s an idiot. He’ll rebel and force his way through with his own half-baked scheme. That’s the kind he is—can’t accept anything against his will. A mountain lord who once managed to make it stick, at least a little. He’ll use the men I planted with him to try something. And we both know what that ‘something’ will be.”
The man chuckled.
“Looks like Red Dragon is finished… But maybe I’ll get the chance to see Kogami Inari with my own eyes.”
He pulled out a phone and dialed. On the third ring, the other end picked up.
“What is it? Regular report isn’t due yet.”
“It’s decided. I’m moving to preparations. Congratulations—you’re the star of the show.”
“I see. Then I shall dance with all my might—for the sake of true order.”
“Yeah. For true order.”
Ending the call, the man slicked back his hair with a grin. He was the one chosen to judge. Therefore, he would see this outcome through to the end.
And at that moment, the assistant master of the Red Dragon clan—Tanaka Tarou—chuckled. His name, laughably fake as it was, would soon be discarded. That fact amused him as much as anything.