'The pieces have already entered their regular formation...'
Seiran was quite satisfied with the seemingly calm surface of Japan. Because beneath that surface, the undercurrents were already taking shape.
Smack!
Touko Yotsuya was suddenly pushed down onto the mattress, looking completely bewildered. She could only watch helplessly as the brilliant lawyer, Eri Kisaki, aggressively took her place without a moment's hesitation.
'What... what just happened?' Touko thought, her head spinning. 'Wasn't Eri Kisaki playing the generous, dignified lady just yesterday...?'
Yes. She was indeed generous before.
With a soft "hmm," Eri Kisaki felt like she had finally received rain after a long, agonizing drought. She had to fight for this. She couldn't afford not to. A certain little bitch had started showing off her palace intrigue tactics, and Eri wasn't about to lose her standing.
That's right. She was talking about Yukino Yukinoshita.
In fact, if she hadn't managed to sit in this prestigious position, Eri naturally wouldn't have harbored such great ambitions. The problem was... ever since she inexplicably ascended to the position of the "mistress of the house," many things had become entirely beyond her control.
First and foremost... what about her daughter Ran Mouri's position?
Since Eri gained power, Ran had become a coveted prize in the eyes of many powerful figures in the secular world. They were determined to curry favor with the lawyer's daughter. As a mother, Eri naturally had to ensure Ran's comfortable, secure life. If the Yukinoshita family were to fully regain their power, Eri losing her own status would be a minor matter; the resulting difference in Ran's social status would be unbearable.
Just think of Yukino. Eri knew exactly how arrogant the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family used to be. Yet, after making a single mistake, her eyes had instantly become much clearer, her attitude completely submissive.
Perhaps, in Seiran's eyes, this was all just a trivial, amusing matter. If a woman was foolish, he could simply replace her. But for Eri Kisaki and her family, this was an absolute matter of life and death.
So, Eri had to fight. She had to fight even if it meant gritting her teeth and abandoning her old pride. Only by remaining firmly in the position of the mistress of the house could she and Ran have absolute security in the future.
Moments later, a high-pitched voice rang out, and a delicate body tensed and arched.
Eri was ultimately shoved back down with a smack by Touko Yotsuya.
'Heh... a total newbie,' Touko thought smugly.
Touko didn't know exactly what the lawyer woman was constantly muttering and worrying about, but the widow was no naive little girl. She could keenly sense the political tensions in the room. This wasn't uncommon. Even in ordinary wealthy families, there was constant intrigue and backstabbing. This place was actually quite good; there was no ruthless, physical suppression. At most, it was just a fierce competition for His favor.
If you couldn't even stand this kind of competitive atmosphere, then there was no point in playing the game. You should just withdraw. A peaceful, ordinary life was more suitable for that kind of fragile person.
But Touko Yotsuya was different. She simply loved to gloat.
Although she also faced the hardship of choosing political sides in the household, her main goal was to see which side offered more opportunities to exploit. She wasn't bragging, but once she caught someone in a compromising situation in this bed, she would suck their soul right out of them!
Therefore, among all the women present, the voluptuous widow was by far the most enthusiastic about the ongoing power struggle.
Downstairs: The Lounge
Sae Chabashira raised an eyebrow and pushed up her glasses. She wasn't actually nearsighted. But the "strict glasses-wearing teacher" look—the women's business attire, the tight pencil skirt, the sheer black stockings, and the stiletto heels—were all her little man's specific fantasies.
As the first woman to completely surrender and "woof" for him, Sae naturally had to satisfy all of her little man's demands. She painstakingly dressed up every day to prevent him from ever getting tired of her. Perhaps she wasn't the most considerate or maternal of these women, but she was definitely the most alluring…
"Madam, you know I have absolutely no intention of interfering in your affairs," Sae laid her words bare, brushing off Mrs. Yukinoshita's subtle attempts to win her over with a highly dismissive attitude.
She still had to go upstairs to be pampered. She didn't have the time or patience to listen to Mrs. Yukinoshita's political ramblings.
Being the mistress of the house… Sae hadn't been entirely unaware of the appeal. But she was very clear about her own position. She was alluring, a little vixen who sucked people's bones dry, but she couldn't hold onto a leadership position. After all, weren't there already enough little vixens here?
The most flamboyant, Eriri.
The most playful, Sayuri.
The perfectly submissive, Ai Hayasaka.
The adorable Yukino, who always blushed and said "no, no, no!"
There was also Mrs. Yotsuya, who worked tirelessly to extract every drop of juice, the lawyer Eri who was rising to prominence, and the mischievous younger girls.
Finally, there was the gentle, kind-hearted, and dangerously cunning Mrs. Yukinoshita. And those four little policewomen who always liked to play 'cops and robbers' weren't exactly innocent bodhisattvas either. Perhaps knowing there were too many fairies on shift, they were also secretly vying for power…
"You misunderstand me," Mrs. Yukinoshita said softly.
With a delicate hand brushing her hair across her forehead, Mrs. Yukinoshita's gentleness wasn't feigned. It was a genuine warmth radiating from her very core. She also knew exactly what her little man loved most about her, so here she would never be the domineering matriarch of the Yukinoshita family, but simply a submissive, affectionate little woman.
Her purpose in stopping Sae Chabashira wasn't to cause trouble or seize power. The Yukinoshita family was currently in a "recovery" phase and didn't have that much political energy to spare. Perhaps Yukino's bold words had changed their status from "being relegated to the sidelines," but Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't have the immediate ambition to rise to the very top… yet.
"I just wanted to ask if your workplace is too far away?" Mrs. Yukinoshita smiled warmly. "Do you need me to use our family's connections to help you relocate closer to the estate?"
"…No. No need. Thank you for your kindness, Madam," Sae replied, remaining entirely unmoved.
Her goal was Advanced Nurturing High School. How could she give up halfway? She hadn't even seen the arrogant higher-ups at the school properly repent yet. Besides, Sae had a very discerning eye. She had said before that she was a teacher, but one utterly lacking in professional ethics.
So, she had secretly set her sights on the female students.
To be honest, Advanced Nurturing High School had quite a few exceptional beauties. Shouldn't she bring them out for her little man to enjoy? She remembered clearly: there was a girl who looked and acted a lot like Yukino Yukinoshita, named Suzune Horikita. A figure arguably superior to Yukino's. She firmly believed Seiran would be very interested in taming her. And there were other girls there, some hot, some cute…
Wait!
As if she'd just thought of something, Sae's eyes instantly sharpened behind her glasses. Her gaze towards Mrs. Yukinoshita turned entirely meaningful and hostile.
'This woman... could she be thinking of reaching her family's hands into Advanced Nurturing High School...?'
No way. That was Sae's exclusive territory. It was where she kept her little man's future "mistresses." That was her only unique advantage in this crowded house. Mrs. Yukinoshita reaching out to "help" her relocate was undoubtedly a veiled attempt at touching the very roots of her power.
Perhaps the public narrative was that Mrs. Yukinoshita only wanted to be a decorative, submissive vase. But only a fool would believe that. Everyone in this house needed a "dowry" to secure their standing, right? It was obvious. Advanced Nurturing High School was Sae Chabashira's "dowry."
"What exactly do you mean by that offer?" Sae asked, her tone no longer pleasant.
Mrs. Yukinoshita was somewhat bewildered by the sudden, hostile questioning tone. What was going on? She was merely trying to build good relationships with the other women—a small, casual political move. There was no need for such extreme vigilance...
'Could it be that Eri Kisaki said something to poison her against me?' Mrs. Yukinoshita wondered. 'Perhaps...'
She smiled awkwardly. Mrs. Yukinoshita indicated she had no intention of offending anyone and politely gestured for Sae to head upstairs to be "scolded" by their master.
However... watching Sae Chabashira's retreating, defensive figure, Mrs. Yukinoshita fell into deep thought.
'Eri Kisaki... you are proving to be quite a nuisance.'