Chapter 34: Chikari Tanishi’s Special Case
Chikari Tanishi instinctively addressed the Second Miss before the First Miss.
This was against the rules of the Natsuba family.
Moreover, a veteran steward shouldn’t make such a basic mistake.
However, Natsuba Rinrei didn’t care about this.
She was more concerned about the crimson vertical pupil incident.
Indeed, the miraculous scene last night was clearly an unregistered A-rank being revealing their power.
This caused the entire Natsuba conglomerate, a massive entity, to stir.
The core management was quickly summoned for a meeting.
But this was to be expected.
Every A-rank supernatural user was at the pinnacle of human power.
The purpose of this meeting was likely to find and recruit this A-rank. Even if they couldn’t be recruited, they couldn’t afford to make an enemy of them.
If she could find them…
She wondered if her talent would be enough to catch their eye, to be taken under their wing. Even marrying them would be a good option.
If she could establish a close relationship with an A-rank, her marriage contract would likely be annulled.
Natsuba Rinrei admired strength, and this A-rank was the only one to have revealed such immense power in recent years. She naturally felt a sense of longing and fascination.
Moreover, a newly emerged A-rank would definitely be in their prime.
Meaning, between thirty and forty years old.
If one didn’t reach A-rank at that age, their physical abilities would decline, and their chances of reaching A-rank would diminish.
And marrying a man in his thirties or forties was certainly better than marrying a decrepit old man in his sixties.
She had been assessed by the Supernatural Abilities Association.
Her potential was so great that there was an eighty percent chance she would also become an A-rank in the future.
She was definitely one of the exceptionally talented few.
If the Natsuba conglomerate hadn’t already arranged the marriage with the Kujō family, and if they had known about her potential beforehand, even as a low-status woman in the Natsuba family, she would never have been handed over to the Kujō family.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
After all, the Kujō family’s foundation was slightly stronger than the Natsuba conglomerate’s.
If it had been a mid-sized conglomerate like Natsuba Yosuke’s mother’s, the Natsuba conglomerate would have already taken action against them.
Then, Natsuba Rinrei looked at her younger sister, Natsuba Hanae.
Seeing her calm expression…
She sighed inwardly.
Her sister definitely didn’t know what had happened last night. The immense power fluctuation would have made any supernatural user’s heart race, their eyes drawn to the source.
But ordinary people, protected by the city’s measures, would feel nothing.
That was why her sister was so calm.
Even though she had shown extraordinary intelligence as a child, without power, without information, her intelligence was useless, like a rootless plant.
Moreover, she was so weak-willed, without the desire to resist. It was unlikely she would awaken her abilities through intense emotional stress.
Natsuba Rinrei shook her head, wondering how her sister would survive in the future.
She looked at Chikari Tanishi and said,
“Steward Chikari, is Hanae coming too?”
“You can just take me.”
Natsuba Rinrei still felt a pang of pity.
Today’s meeting was about a world completely different from Natsuba Hanae’s. The worlds of ordinary people and supernatural users were starkly divided.
It would likely be another blow to her sister’s spirit.
So frail on the outside, how much sorrow must she hold within?
Those occasional gentle smiles were likely just an act, a way to hide her weakness.
However, she saw Chikari Tanishi shake his head.
“First Miss, the head of the family specifically requested that all direct descendants and senior stewards attend this core meeting.”
“It cannot be disobeyed.”
In the Natsuba conglomerate, the head’s word was law.
Natsuba Rinrei couldn’t do anything about it. She stepped forward, heading towards the meeting hall from memory.
The two stewards didn’t follow.
Because they weren’t senior stewards. They would only receive the results of the meeting and carry out the orders, not hear the details.
Most of the stewards who had arrived today were in this category.
Chikari Tanishi slowly walked behind Natsuba Hanae and said softly to Chikari Makoto,
“I will take care of the Second Miss.”
“Yasha will be going to the Chikari family’s land later. Go and exchange information with her.”
Kuchiki Mei was investigating the Nenba branch’s internal affairs. Under Nenba Daiki’s protection, she would be more successful.
And since Chikari Makoto couldn’t attend the core meeting, and Chikari Tanishi couldn’t leave, he had entrusted this task to Chikari Makoto.
“Okay, Uncle Tanishi.”
Chikari Makoto nodded and walked towards the west gate.
Chikari Tanishi looked away and bowed slightly.
“Second Miss, let’s go.”
Natsuba Hanae walked forward, a thoughtful glint in her red, glass-like eyes.
She had a general idea of why she and Natsuba Rinrei had been summoned to this meeting.
The wedding was approaching.
In the Natsuba head’s eyes, all of Natsuba Rinrei’s resistance was like a child’s tantrum.
Besides admonishing them, he likely had instructions for them regarding their future at the Kujō family.
And it was also for the sake of the Natsuba conglomerate’s reputation, to show outsiders…
That even for the most important core meetings, the Natsuba twin sisters were summoned, demonstrating that they weren’t just being traded as goods for supernatural resources.
But that it was a normal marriage alliance with the Kujō family.
It was all about adding more weight to the scales.
Although the Natsuba head’s power was declining due to old age, his wisdom and cunning had only grown with time.
As Natsuba Hanae pondered…
Greeting the various stewards along the way, she arrived at the core meeting room.
Mikami Taku stood guard outside.
Because even as the third son’s personal steward, he wasn’t qualified to attend this meeting.
After all, he was still an outsider.
And he had only been with the Natsuba conglomerate for a few decades, not yet earning their full trust.
The Chikari branch was an exception.
The Natsuba conglomerate thought they had cleanly eliminated the main family line, and the branch family was unaware. Combined with the Chikari branch’s strong ability to hunt supernatural beings, their regular and abundant submission of supernatural materials, and their lack of trouble-making…
And Chikari Tanishi’s current strength…
All these factors made Chikari Tanishi a special case, a senior steward with access to the core of the Natsuba family.
Natsuba Hanae pursed her lips slightly.
She needed to be a bit more careful under the Natsuba head’s nose.
Giving herself a small reminder, she stepped through the door.
