Wednesday, June 19, 1991, 7:00 PM.
In the meeting room of the Research Association for Current Affairs and Traditional Systems, nine seats were prepared.
Only six people actually sat down.
Lord Kazanin was still in the main seat, and the Chairman of the Research Association sat on his right.
In front of the two men lay the list of twenty-six people for the House of Peers, alongside a few local newspapers delivered only that afternoon.
The seat that originally belonged to the Former Marquis Family Head was empty.
Bank personnel were still clearing out his ancestral home.
The old man had sent over all the remaining money yesterday, but it was still not enough to cover the security deposit.
By this afternoon, even the Chairman of the Research Association could no longer contact him.
The owners of the remaining two empty seats had sent word through intermediaries that they had temporary matters at home and could not attend tonight.
This explanation sounded very familiar.
Before the banquet at the Kasumi Pavilion, someone was always late whenever the nine families held a meeting, and someone always left temporarily.
Back then, no one took such matters to heart; after all, the joint charter had already been written, and the letter of intent bore all nine seals. Missing a single person from a meeting would not change anything.
Yet when the Representative of the Kuga Family pushed open the door, everyone in the room looked toward him at the same time.
He was nearly an hour late past the agreed time, the hem of his dark kimono was stained with a few drops of water, and his cuffs were severely wrinkled.
"Sorry, my family has been moving things out."
After sitting down, the Representative of the Kuga Family merely took the towel handed by the attendant to wipe his hands, without touching a single sip of the tea placed before him.
Lord Kazanin glanced at his soaked shoulders.
"Aren't there any vehicles from the shipping company yet?"
"The vehicles are there, and the drivers are too, but the shipping company simply refuses to dispatch them."
"The Matsushima Group changed its tune about the warehouse it originally promised to clear out, saying that the insurance arrangements are under re-examination." The Representative of the Kuga Family folded the towel and placed it back on the tray.
"The replies from the other two are much the same. When the family head waited until noon, he had people clear out the main hall and moved all the boxed documents inside."
The Chairman of the Research Association knitted his brows.
"Did Saionji send someone to stop it?"
"No one has come to the Kuga Family, and no orders have been issued to those three financial groups."
The Representative of the Kuga Family raised his eyes, his face bearing the fatigue accumulated over these past few days.
"The shipping company says temporary dispatching has not been finalised, and the cultural foundation says special underwriting requires re-examination. Even their refusals are written very politely. But as long as the temperature-controlled vehicles, restoration personnel, and insurance guarantees refuse to move, the documents can only remain at the Kuga Family."
The Chairman of the Research Association looked toward Lord Kazanin.
According to the original plan of the Mutual Aid Association, the documents of the Kuga Family were supposed to be received in batches by three cultural foundations. The Kazanin Family had deep ties with two of them and had confirmed their attitude before the banquet.
Lord Kazanin clearly knew what that glance meant.
"I already contacted Matsushima this afternoon. They did not completely shut the door, only requesting a re-confirmation of the insurance arrangements. The Mutual Aid Association can bear a portion of the costs, and if that is still not enough, the Kazanin Family will cover the rest."
"The family head has also considered the issue of money."
The Representative of the Kuga Family took a folded piece of paper from his sleeve and placed it on the tabletop.
"These are the new conditions put forward by the three financial groups today. Ordinary storage fees are not high, but special insurance requires re-issued guarantees from a major financial institution, and temperature-controlled transport must also be contracted separately. Even if the Mutual Aid Association is willing to pay, in a short time we still cannot find anyone willing to stamp the documents."
The paper was passed along the table to Lord Kazanin.
The numbers on it could not be considered shocking.
The truly troublesome part was that behind every single item was an additional condition requiring cooperation from Saionji-affiliated companies.
Insurance companies, shipping companies, restoration institutions, and even export underwriting required for overseas exhibitions were all re-confirming the scope of cooperation.
Before anyone knew it, Saionji had actually expanded to such an extent...
After reading it, Lord Kazanin took a deep breath and placed that piece of paper beside the list.
"Wait another two days; Saionji cannot possibly let these cooperations halt forever."
Upon hearing these words, the expression of the Representative of the Kuga Family grew even colder.
"The family head has asked me to convey to you all that the Kuga Family will not continue to handle the affairs of the Mutual Aid Association in the near future. Once all the wooden crates in the courtyard are properly placed and the humidity of the documents stabilises again, we will discuss how much use this charter still has."
The complexion of the Chairman of the Research Association changed, and he looked at the Representative of the Kuga Family with a somewhat gloomy face.
"Withdrawing now will only make it easier for Saionji to pressure each family one by one. Miss Satsuki deliberately regarded the nine families as a whole in the Kasumi Pavilion precisely to make you suspect each other first."
"Mr. Chairman, the Kuga Family has not withdrawn."
"Then what did you mean just now?"
"I mean, before it rained this noon, what the Kuga Family needed was a vehicle and a warehouse."
The Representative of the Kuga Family looked toward the rest of the people at the table.
"The people who said in the Kasumi Pavilion that they would bear the consequences together are all here. Yet by today, not a single family can tell me where those wooden crates should be placed tonight."
The meeting room grew quiet.
A family head sitting on the left had originally prepared to urge the Kuga Family to wait a few more days. Saionji had just started moving, and the three cultural foundations had not formally refused; as long as the nine families still sat at the same table, they could always find a new shipping company and insurance guarantee.
But as the words reached his lips, he saw the two document bags in front of him.
One came from Saionji Finance, and the other bore the logo of a Sumitomo-affiliated manufacturing company, with only a few hours difference in their delivery time to his home.
He had rushed to the Research Association today originally to ask the other families for help.
An older junior in his family had endured three years at Saionji Finance and finally entered the list of director candidates for evaluation, but was now transferred to the Saitama branch. Another young man had already obtained his passport and was heading to the American factory in August, yet the Sumitomo manufacturing company transferred him out of the new production line preparation room yesterday.
Both children still retained their ranks and compensation.
Because of this, he could not find a disciplinary document that could be used for appeal, and could only pin his hopes on the Research Association utilising old connections to push open the doors that had already been closed for them.
Thinking of this, the words "wait a little longer" that he had originally prepared to say seemed somewhat difficult to utter.
The documents of the Kuga Family were getting damp in the main hall; if he was unwilling to even find a temporary warehouse for them, on what grounds could he later ask the Kuga Family to contact their connections in the cultural circles and the Imperial Household Agency for him?
He moved his hand away from the two document bags, deliberated for a moment, and then said to the Representative of the Kuga Family:
"I cannot solve the temperature-controlled warehouse and special insurance for the time being. However, my family still has some dealings with a local archive. They have two ordinary warehouses in Yokohama with fairly complete fire safety and security. I can ask for you tonight and move the batch of documents with better durability over first, so at least they do not all have to be piled in the main hall."
The Representative of the Kuga Family looked at him, the expression on his face not softening much because of this.
"Ordinary warehouses can only store organised modern materials. For those ancient documents that have already become damp, leaving temperature-controlled equipment makes them even more dangerous."
"I understand."
That family head lowered his eyes to look at his document bags.
"What I can bring out is only this for now. As for the rest, if the Research Association still believes that the nine families should bear things together, it cannot just let the Kuga Family continue waiting for the cultural foundations to reply."
After he finished speaking, he pushed the upper document bag in front of the Chairman of the Research Association.
"By the same token, please give me a solution regarding my family's matters as well."
The chairman glanced at him and opened the transfer notice.
"I have already sought out the Sumitomo Main Family, and also asked someone to inquire at the personnel department of Saionji Finance."
That family head still maintained a steady tone when speaking, but his hands resting on his knees gradually clenched tightly onto the kimono fabric.
"One of them needs to supplement local branch experience, and the other is a training plan adjustment. The positions are still there, the salary has not been reduced, and not even a single disciplinary notice that can be taken for appeal can be found."
Lord Kazanin looked at the two documents.
"The list of director candidates for Saionji Finance is handled by Endo, so it is difficult for the Research Association to directly interfere. On the Sumitomo side, we can contact the people of the main family again through Seiwakai to have them explain whether this adjustment complies with the original selection procedures."
"My father already contacted an old acquaintance of the Sumitomo Family yesterday."
That family head showed a bitter smile.
"The other party only asked one thing—whether the letter of intent of the Mutual Aid Association bears my family's seal."
This sentence caused several people in the room to look away simultaneously.
That family head folded the two documents neatly again.
"Before the banquet, you all told me that Saionji would not dare sever ties with all nine families at once. Now both juniors in the family remain in their original companies, and Saionji can even say that it has complied with all regulations. But what future do they still have staying there?"
"People are still here, so there is still room for manoeuvre," the Chairman of the Research Association said, "As long as the nine families continue to hold out, Saionji will eventually have to reconsider the cost."
"How long do we have to hold out?"
"Two weeks, or a month. At the very least, we must wait for the initial pressure to pass."
"A month from now, the list of director candidates will have long been finalised, and those heading to the United States for training will have already arrived."
That family head raised a hand, his fingertips tapping twice against the document folder from Sumitomo.
"You all urged me to hold out, but in the end, it was my child who lost their position. What does the Research Association plan to give them as compensation?"
The Chairman of the Research Association opened his mouth.
An evening newspaper was slammed heavily onto the table.
The teacup bounced from the impact, and the lid struck the rim, producing a crisp sound that made several people at the table turn their heads simultaneously.
The old man pressed his hands against the table and stood up, veins bulging on the back of his hand holding down the newspaper.
"At the very least, they managed to keep their jobs!"
Even the secretary by the door froze at the sound.
"From site selection and land coordination to the statements of the Medical Association and local banks, this hospital took a full two years to negotiate."
"The prefectural governor was willing to wait, and several local companies were willing to invest alongside us, because I personally told them that this matter had reached its final stage."
The old man raised his hand, his fingertip rapping heavily against the newspaper headline.
"Yet just yesterday morning, the neighbouring city was suddenly included in the same batch for priority review."
"By afternoon, the cooperative hospital, construction company, and financing arrangements were all submitted together to the competent authority."
"A matter that took two years to negotiate was put together as a complete plan by them in just one day!"
Lord Kazanin lowered his head to look at the evening newspaper.
"Entering priority review is ultimately not a final decision."
"You have operated locally for many years, and neither the prefectural office nor the Medical Association will immediately change their stance just because a neighbouring city suddenly appeared."
"Of course they will not change their stance immediately."
The old man abruptly turned to him, his chest still visibly heaving.
"So today, the road project that I was originally coordinating also gained an alternative plan."
"The agricultural groups that have interacted with my family for many years even sent people to ask whether their budget arrangements for next year will be affected after the autumn vote."
His palm slammed down on the table once more, causing some of the tea in the bowl to splash out along the rim.
"Saionji does not need to take away the hospital, the roads, and the subsidies entirely."
"It is enough just to make those people start doubting whether the things I promised can actually be accomplished!"
The three House of Peers votes that the old man was able to stably coordinate did not all belong to him personally.
One seat came from an in-law, while the other had long received political support from his family.
Over the many years, the reason those two people were willing to follow his stance, and the reason local officials, banks, and industrial groups were willing to coordinate matters for him, had never relied solely on a House of Peers member certificate.
Family status could open doors for him.
What truly kept the people behind those doors standing on his side was that he could still honour his commitments.
"What is the use of still having the seats?"
The old man stared at the Chairman of the Research Association.
"Why were those votes willing to follow me?"
"Why were the prefectural office, local banks, and agricultural groups willing to cooperate when the Research Association needed it?"
"Because they believed that what the family promised would not ultimately turn into empty words."
The Chairman of the Research Association reached out to remove the newspaper, but the old man pressed the corner of the paper down even tighter.
"Delete my name from the list."
The old man still pressed down on the evening newspaper, and the splashed tea slowly seeped out along the edges of the paper.
The Chairman of the Research Association looked at him, then glanced at the twenty-six-person list on the table.
If these three most stable votes wavered first, what happened tonight would soon reach the ears of the others.
"The list has already been sent out."
"Issuing a new explanation now is tantamount to us admitting ourselves that the shared stance in Kasumi Hall only lasted a few days."
"Then admit it."
Having said that, the old man moved his fingers from the newspaper to the list.
"Two legislators who have followed me for more than ten years called three times in one afternoon, wanting to know if the road and agricultural budgets will continue to have problems."
"Things have reached this point, and the Research Association is still preparing to have me tell them that everything is under control?"
The chairman lowered his voice.
"You personally stamped it back then."
"If even you withdraw, on what grounds should the other families continue to stay?"
Hearing these words, the anger on the old man's face instead subsided into a heavy calm.
"I stamped it because you said the nine families would jointly bear the consequences."
"Yet when the documents of the Kuga Family were piled into the main hall, no one could produce a storeroom; after the futures of those two young people were cut short, the Research Association could only say they would go make contact again."
"Now that it is my turn—my local relationships painstakingly cultivated over many years—to start loosening, you only want to use that seal to remind me to keep my word."
He pushed the evening newspaper in front of the chairman, the dampened corner of the paper dragging a trail of water across the tabletop.
"Trust is not just written on that piece of paper in Kasumi Hall."
"The prefectural governor, banks, the Medical Association, and the people willing to vote following me are all waiting for me to fulfil the things I promised."
The old man straightened his posture again.
"If you can tell me how the Research Association plans to protect the hospital, the roads, and those three votes, I can still stay tonight."
"If you cannot say, remove my name from the list before tomorrow morning."
"I will personally go to the Saionji Family to apologise at their doorstep."
Hearing this, the Representative of the Kuga Family finally picked up the tea that had completely cooled.
"Chairman is right."
He only took a sip before putting the teacup back in its place.
"Therefore, the family head also asked me a question today."
"Since everyone says we must jointly bear it, once the documents of the Kuga Family were dampened, whose account should the loss be charged to?"
No one answered.
The family head whose junior relative had been reassigned looked at his two document folders, then looked at the newspaper on the table.
"If the Mutual Aid Association is willing to compensate for the losses, things would actually be easier."
"But positions, constituencies, and centuries-old documents—none of them have a figure that can be compensated at market price."
"That is precisely what Saionji hopes you will do."
Lord Kazanin's hand pressed against his cane, his voice heavier than before.
"Miss Satsuki singled out what each family cares about most, precisely so that the nine seals would revert back to nine separately calculated accounts."
"If anyone backs down first today, tomorrow she will simply use the exact same method on the next family."
"Then which one does Lord Kazanin plan to bear first?"
The old man asked directly.
"Is it the insurance of the Kuga Family, the positions of the two young men, or my hospital?"
Lord Kazanin looked at him.
The old man did not back down either.
A moment later, the ringing of a telephone came from outside the door.
The secretary of the Research Association answered the phone, spoke in a low voice for a few words, and then walked quickly into the conference room.
"Chairman, another legislator on the list called."
"He said he only agreed to a re-examination at the time and hopes the Research Association will no longer publicly claim that he supports long-term confrontation."
The chairman's complexion sank completely.
"Tell him that the names on the list have been confirmed by the individuals themselves, and the Research Association will not modify official documents because of a single phone call."
The secretary agreed and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute."
The old man stopped him.
"By the way, tell the other party that before tomorrow morning, I will also send a written explanation."
"What are you planning to write?"
"Make it clear that I am willing to continue deliberating the bill, but the Research Association has no right to promise constituency interests on my behalf."
The Chairman of the Research Association stood up abruptly.
"How is this any different from withdrawing?"
The old man folded the newspaper neatly and put it into his own document folder.
"Whether there is a difference or not, we can talk about it after the hospital remains in my constituency."
He bowed slightly to Lord Kazanin and subsequently left the conference room.
The family head whose junior relative was affected also tidied up two notices.
"As for Sumitomo and Saionji, I ask the Research Association to continue contacting them."
"If there is no response by Friday, I will go find Managing Director Endo personally."
After finishing, he also stood up.
The Representative of the Kuga Family was the last to leave.
When he reached the door, he glanced back at the twenty-six-person list on the table.
"The family head also had me convey to Lord Kazanin that the Kuga Family will not deny the seal it stamped."
"Only before discussing joint burden-bearing the next time, please everyone first prepare a storeroom that can actually hold things."
After the door closed, only three of the nine seats still had people using them.
The Chairman of the Research Association stood by the table, his complexion terribly unsightly.
Lord Kazanin sat in the main seat, and the cup of tea in front of him had completely cooled.
The rain outside the window was still falling.
The list on the table lay flatly there, not a single one of the twenty-six names missing.