Thursday, June 20, 1991.
It had been raining continuously in Tokyo for several days, and it only began to let up slightly by the afternoon.
The floral room of the main Saionji residence had been updated with June's floral materials.
Several stems of Japanese irises were already in bloom, their purple petals damp with the moisture carried all the way from the greenhouse; beside them lay green maples, scouring rushes, and two large clusters of very pale hydrangeas.
Satsuki chose a very wide, old bronze flower vessel today.
The item had been dug out from the main residence's storehouse, and it was said that her great-grandmother had used it when she was young.
The copper surface had oxidised into a dull cyan, and its rim was not high, making it very pretty for arranging those slender spring flower branches; but when facing these two heavy clusters of hydrangeas before her, it appeared somewhat strained.
Satsuki had been fussing with it for almost an hour.
The first cluster fit reasonably well once placed inside.
As soon as the second cluster was pressed down, the green maple that originally extended to the left was squeezed out of position.
When the green maple was re-secured, the hydrangeas would lean forward again.
The remaining space for branches in the vase was already small, and with several floral materials squeezed together, she could not bear to throw away any single branch when looking at it individually, yet the final arrangement looked more and more chaotic.
Chizuru stood on the other side of the table and handed over the newly trimmed scouring rush.
Fujita's report also entered its final part at this time.
He had been in the floral room for over twenty minutes.
The preceding several sets of materials were currently placed at the edge of the long table; banking, insurance, personnel, and the House of Peers were each clipped in envelopes of different colours.
After the nine families left the Kasumi Kaikan, the matters deployed by Saionji had successively yielded results.
The asset disposal of the former Marquis households was still ongoing, the institutions that had originally promised to help the Mutual Aid Association began to reassess the risks, and the documents and autumn exhibition of the Kuga Family had also been affected.
Changes in the House of Peers were even faster.
Those twenty-six people were originally just an alliance composed of names.
Once roads, hospitals, agricultural groups, and local relationships were truly placed before them, those willing to continue bearing the cost for the nine families rapidly dwindled.
Fujita had just finished reporting on the research society's situation last night.
Nine chairs had been prepared, but people did not even arrive in full, and by the end of the meeting, only three people were left sitting until it adjourned.
Satsuki used flower scissors to pare off a small section at the bottom of the scouring rush, inserted it into the right side of the vase, and tried to prop back up the already leaning hydrangeas.
"Hanazoin is still contacting the people on that list, and this morning he sent two more people to see the banks. However, the effect is not very good."
"After the matter over at Higashi-to Trust spread, several people who were originally willing to introduce financing for them have become much more cautious."
Fujita turned over the last record.
"On the contrary, the attitudes of several other families have already changed."
Satsuki slightly adjusted the angle of the hand holding the scouring rush.
"They have started looking for people to intercede?"
"Yes, there are three families in total today."
When Fujita said this, his tone finally lacked some of the formality from reporting official business earlier.
"The first family went to find the Kujo Family. The Kujo side only passed their words along for them without saying a single extra word."
"The second family took a much further detour, first finding a director of the Sumitomo group, and then entrusting that director to ask me."
"The third family probably felt this was too troublesome and directly had their family lawyers contact the Group's Legal Department."
Satsuki chuckled when she heard this.
A few days ago at Kasumi Kaikan, these people were still sitting beside Hanazoin, terrified that they were not standing neatly enough. Now that they discovered Saionji would truly push matters to the absolute limit, their speed in seeking a way out was even faster than when they established the Mutual Aid Association.
She pulled the second cluster of hydrangeas outward a little bit.
"What about the conditions? Surely they are not just telling Saionji that they already know they were wrong."
"The first family is willing to withdraw from the research society, revoke the authorisation on the letter of intent, and no longer participate in organising opposition during the autumn review. In addition, they will pay 1.5 billion yen to cover the expenses Saionji has already incurred in this operation."
Fujita took out a very thin record from the folder insert.
"The second family is willing to hand over a commercial property in Tokyo to a Saionji-affiliated trust company for management, and their family fund can also have priority in participating in joint investments organised by Saionji in the future. As for the third family, they have not reported anything for the time being. They only asked one thing—what exactly does Saionji want before they are willing to let this matter end."
Satsuki was still fiddling with that cluster of hydrangeas.
Hearing the second family's conditions, she lowered her head to glance at a few leaves she had just cut off, and could not help laughing.
"Heh, they are all quite decent."
Fujita also looked at those two leaves.
"The Group's Legal Department also feels that the sincerity of the second family's condition is insufficient. That property continues to be held by them, and after their family fund enters Saionji's joint investment, if it is managed well, they can still reap profits themselves."
"That is right."
Satsuki pulled that cluster of hydrangeas out again.
Without it, the green maple that was originally squeezed in the back suddenly spread out, and even the scouring rush on the right no longer needed to be forcefully propped up.
She held the flower scissors and looked at it for a moment, then cut off most of the bottom of the hydrangeas.
"What they are thinking now is how to lose a few leaves, preferably without hurting the branches, roots, or flowers at all. Once this blows over, they can slowly grow them back."
Satsuki put the shortened hydrangeas back in. This time, the flower head was much lower, and its position was finally able to be wedged between the green maple and the Japanese irises.
"1.5 billion is even more pointless. Saionji has been busy for them for so many days—could it be that in the end, she has to rely on collecting compensation to make money?"
Thinking of the figures on that condition sheet, Fujita also smiled slightly.
"When I received the news, I was thinking that you probably would not accept it."
"Accept it, why would I not accept it?"
Satsuki looked up at him.
Fujita was taken aback by these words.
Satsuki had already lowered her head to continue arranging the flower branches.
"The money that should be compensated must of course be compensated. It is just that compensation and seeking peace are two different things; they probably lumped them together."
The floral room was quiet for a moment.
The smile on Fujita's face slowly faded.
This time, he was already clear on what Satsuki was preparing to ask for.
"You mean that the 1.5 billion can be counted among the conditions, but cannot be counted as the price for Saionji to stop her hand."
"Mhm."
Satsuki stepped back a little to look at the composition in the bronze vase.
"Withdrawing from the research society is the same. They were originally doing something that would harm Saionji, and now deciding not to do it can at most only be considered stopping the continuation of their mistakes."
"If they want to survive, they need to bring out more things."
Fujita looked down at the materials of those three families.
"To what extent do we need to take?"
This question made Satsuki think for a moment.
The flower scissors in her hand moved among the several floral materials, finally stopping on the green maple extending horizontally from the left.
That was the most eye-catching branch in the entire vase.
If kept, all other floral materials had to be adjusted around it. If cut off, the pot of flowers before her would immediately become much easier, but the original composition would also completely change.
Satsuki ultimately only cut off a small branch at the tip of the green maple.
"What is most important to each family is different, so it is hard to set a unified price. Shares, first-priority claims, voting rights of family funds, and management rights of core properties can all be discussed."
She put the trimmed branch aside.
"What I want is only one result."
"After this matter is over, they can continue to keep their original surnames, keep their mansions, and run their companies as usual."
"As for their status... just have them take Sumitomo as a reference."
When Satsuki said this, she added another sentence.
"Oh, probably even worse than it; after all, not every family has Sumitomo's strength."
Fujita slowly nodded.
This already far exceeded the scope of compensation.
Once core claims, shares, or important permissions of family funds fell into Saionji's hands, these families could of course still exist, and could even maintain a fairly decent lifestyle.
But this also meant they would be completely subject to the Saionji Family, reduced to their vassals.
"What if they do not accept?"
After asking, Fujita glanced again at the three pieces of information proactively delivered on the table.
"Although several families have begun looking for people to make peace, if they really have to surrender this level of benefits, I am afraid some people will still feel that Saionji's asking price is too high."
After listening, Satsuki's flower scissors had fallen back onto that cluster of hydrangeas.
This time, she directly snipped off an over-dense twig.
"Then there is no need to talk."
She threw the branch into the waste basket.
"I am willing to take their things because keeping them can still generate value. If it is just to get 1.5 billion or 2 billion and leave oneself with someone who will come back to cause trouble later, that business deal is not cost-effective no matter how you calculate it."
Satsuki looked back at Fujita.
"Tell the people below to continue pushing forward with the three families that have already sent word. Only stop after the conditions are signed and the things are truly handed over to Saionji."
"As for the rest who still think they can hold on, make them hurt a little more. Especially Hanazoin; since he can still go around raising money for the research society everywhere, it shows that the effort we have put in is still not enough."
Fujita noted these few sentences down on the document.
"Understood. Tonight I will have the legal and financial sides reorganise the asset structures of the three families, and tomorrow I will first present several sets of conditions that can secure long-term control. The second phase for the remaining families will also be advanced ahead of schedule according to the original plan."
Saying this, he paused his pen, thought for a moment, and asked:
"What if, at the very last step, a certain family would rather destroy the assets that could be handed over to Saionji than accept control?"
Satsuki was adjusting the Japanese iris.
Hearing this question, she instead found it rather strange.
"Then let them destroy it."
Fujita raised his head.
"Saionji does not rely on these things to make a living."
Satsuki turned the Japanese iris slightly toward the light from the window.
"We want to take the benefits because there should always be spoils of war after winning."
"But if we can only choose between the spoils and the enemy, I would naturally choose for the enemy to disappear."
With these words said, the report on the affairs of the nine families was also concluded.
Fujita re-checked the notes he had just taken and put the files back into his briefcase in their original order.
Satsuki finally turned that old bronze vase half a circle as well.
After fussing with it for an afternoon, it overall began to take shape.
The trimmed hydrangeas pressed down at the bottom, the Japanese iris extended upward from the middle, the green maple stretched out to the left, and of the two horsetails originally inserted to support the weight, only one remained on the right side.
Satsuki watched for a moment, then reached out to pull out the last remaining redundant horsetail.
Yet Fujita was still standing by the table.
Her hand stopped at the edge of the vase.
"Is there anything else?"
The briefcase Fujita had just closed was placed back on the table.
The things taken out this time were very thin.
A fax sent from the hospital, along with an explanatory note compiled by the secretariat.
"There is another urgent report this afternoon."
Fujita handed the documents over.
"Managing Director Endo has fallen ill."
Satsuki's outstretched hand stopped.
That horsetail remained wedged between the hydrangeas and the Japanese iris.
She looked at Fujita.
"What is the situation?"
"At three-forty in the afternoon, Managing Director Endo fainted after finishing a coordination meeting at headquarters, and the secretariat sent him directly to the hospital."
"The doctors have already conducted a first round of examinations, temporarily ruling out acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular issues, and primarily concluding it is severe overwork and long-term sleep deprivation."
"He is already awake now and requires hospitalisation for observation."
Fujita's voice was much lower than before.
"These past few days, the actions targeting the nine families simultaneously mobilised finance, legal affairs, insurance, logistics, personnel, and public affairs. Each department's own work has people in charge, but once it crosses departments, it ultimately still has to be sent to Managing Director Endo for coordination."
Satsuki took that explanatory note.
At the very bottom was attached the schedule compiled by the secretariat.
Monday, left headquarters at 1:40 AM, re-entered the office at 6:50 AM.
Tuesday, 2:20 AM.
Wednesday, 1:10 AM.
Last night, because the research group reconvened, the relevant departments kept waiting for the latest feedback, and Endo did not finish the last conference call until after 3:00 AM.
After reading those lines of times, Satsuki's expression had already darkened.
"Has he been like this these past few days?"
"It has been most severe since the action against the nine families began. In fact, the workload was already heavy for some time prior, with Sumitomo, Odaiba, the Soviet Union project, and group integration all converging on him."
As Fujita spoke towards the end, his speaking speed slowed down considerably.
"I saw him yesterday. I even asked back then if some of the coordination work should be handed over, and he said the first stage was almost over, and just holding on for two more days would be fine."
"And you believed him?"
Satsuki raised her eyes.
Fujita opened his mouth.
After a moment, he lowered his head.
"Yes."
"Managing Director Endo has always been like this over the years. When matters are handed to him, they can always be handled in the end. Yesterday he said he could hold on, and I also felt... he should be able to withstand it."
Satsuki could not help but clutch the paper in her hand tightly.
Several months ago, when Saionji and Seibu announced their cooperation, she had pointed at the TV at the breakfast table and asked her father whether Endo's complexion was getting worse and worse.
At that time, Shuichi even joked that ever since she began truly taking over family matters, Endo's complexion had grown worse day by day.
Later, there were too many matters, so that remark drifted away.
Looking back now, how could Endo have only started getting tired these past few days?
It was just that this operation pushed the problems that could barely be maintained all at once to the limit.
"Fujita."
"Yes."
"Go to the hospital now."
Satsuki put the report back on the table.
"See the doctor in person, and also see Endo. However long the doctor tells him to stay hospitalised, he stays. Not a single group document is allowed to be sent into the hospital room, and if he asks about work himself, you tell him this is my command."
Fujita nodded.
"Then the coordination work for the nine families—"
"Split it up."
Satsuki answered very quickly this time.
"What each department can decide for themselves, let them decide. Those requiring higher authority should be sent to Father or me. If we really encounter something that only Endo knows how to handle, leave it aside for now."
"Saionji will not collapse from handling one less matter."
She looked at that schedule.
"Without an Endo, the trouble would truly be big."
After hearing this, Fujita put away the hospital report.
He walked to the door, but was called back by Satsuki.
"Also, do not sort out the new work allocation schedule tonight."
Fujita turned back.
"Go see him first."
"...Yes."
After Fujita left, Satsuki also had Chizuru and the remaining attendants in the flower room withdraw.
The sliding door closed.
The post-rain wind blew in from the half-open window, carrying the moist scent of vegetation from the courtyard.
Satsuki sat back down in front of that bronze vase.
The branches and leaves trimmed just moments before still remained on the table.
That floral arrangement was basically finished.
She reached out and grasped the last horsetail, preparing to pull it out.
The moment she pulled it outward just a bit, the cluster of hydrangeas on the right sank along with it.
Satsuki's movement stopped.
Turns out this thing that looked already redundant had been bearing the weight of the hydrangeas all along.
Pulling it out would not cause the vase to topple for the time being.
The Japanese iris would still bloom, and the green maple would still be there.
But the composition on the right side would instantly collapse.
Satsuki re-inserted the horsetail back in.
She sat before the table and watched for a long time.
This operation targeting the nine families inherently carried the meaning of a test.
Saionji had expanded far too quickly over these years.
Finance, logistics, construction, insurance, retail, cultural industries, overseas investment, SIS, and public affairs—each piece taken out individually already possessed a quite complete system.
Satsuki had always wanted to know just to what extent they could achieve when all these things were fully mobilised under the same goal.
Now the answer had already come out.
Less than a week after the nine families left Kasumi Kaikan, the alliance began to loosen.
Saionji's money could make banks change their choices, logistics and insurance could cut off the channels of cultural consortiums, corporate relations could influence personnel, and the resources of the House of Peers and local areas could truly translate into roads, hospitals, and political support.
This machine was already far too powerful than it was six years ago.
Yet today also gave another answer.
The gears of the machine were increasing, yet the people who could truly connect them together were still those few.
Endo was in charge of finance, and later began managing mergers and acquisitions; after the group grew larger, he also had to coordinate banks, assets, and various companies; Sumitomo matters went to him, Odaiba matters went to him, and funding issues in overseas projects would also lead to him.
Every piece of work had a reason to fall onto Endo's desk.
Because he understood.
Because he was reliable.
Because Satsuki trusted him.
The result was that everyone had grown accustomed to one thing—when encountering cross-departmental trouble, hand it over to Managing Director Endo.
People could continue to be promoted from within the system.
After the bubble burst, Tokyo had never lacked professional managers with beautiful resumes.
Yet in some key positions, capability was only part of the requirement.
Family funds, SIS, political connections, overseas accounts, and many matters that would never appear on the group's organisational chart all needed to be handled by truly trustworthy people.
Such people could not be resolved through recruitment advertisements.
And the speed of Saionji's development would not stop to wait ten years.
Satsuki looked at the vase before her eyes.
That horsetail was still propped right there.
Thin, straight, even inconspicuous.
Yet she no longer wanted to pull it out now.
Endo was only the first.
If this continued, who would be next?
Satsuki gazed at the post-rain courtyard.
She began searching through the candidates in her mind once again.
A few more people could be promoted within the group.
The Head of Family Office also needed to add new positions.
Young people could be trained slowly, and outstanding external talent should likewise continue to be recruited.
Yet none of these could solve the most core gap right before her eyes.
She needed someone who could enter the true inner circle of Saionji.
Ideally familiar with this family.
Ideally having experienced enough matters.
Ideally...
Satsuki's thoughts stopped here.
A name that had not appeared before her eyes for many years resurfaced in her mind.
She looked at the rain-drenched wall at the end of the courtyard and remained silent for a long time.
Saionji Kenjirō.