Chapter 406: Refusing to Become Clan Head

“Uzuki, this is Mr. Emlyn Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of Citibank,” Tsukiyuki Kyoichi introduced him to Uzuki.

The blond man rose to his feet, nodding and smiling at Uzuki. “Hello there, little girl.”

Uzuki’s heart pounded wildly. Inside this Tsukiyuki Group Center Building, whose security rivaled the White House’s, even the very air she breathed felt suffocating, almost stifling. She knew it was terribly impolite to let her gaze wander in a social setting.

“My name is Tsukiyuki Uzuki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She bowed a full ninety degrees to Hughes, her normally cheerful face turning stark pale once more.

Uzuki had heard of Citibank, but only that it was a very powerful bank in North America. She knew absolutely nothing else about it. In Uzuki’s eyes, a bank was simply a place to deposit money, nothing more.

She truly could not understand why Patriarch Kyoichi had summoned her. If this was about work, shouldn’t Cousin Rio be here instead?

“Uzuki, please, sit. Why are you still standing?”

“Yes, Patriarch. Pardon my rudeness.”

She sat obediently on the black leather sofa, like a little dog responding to its master’s command.

Her ears were filled with countless terms she had never heard before: “inflation,” “Nikkei index,” “stock index put options,” “debt resolution strategy,” “Bretton Woods system,” “Global Environment Facility,” “Dow Jones Industrial Average”…

To Uzuki, these words sounded like a language from another world.

A mistake. This had to be a mistake. The person meant to be called was surely Cousin Rio, and they had accidentally summoned her instead. Patriarch Kyoichi had only told her to sit down to gloss over the awkwardness.

She kept her head lowered. Every single second she spent here felt longer than an entire year. The black tile floor beneath her feet felt scorching hot. Uzuki blushed at her own ignorance, yet at the same time, she felt she had no need whatsoever to understand the matters Grandfather Kyoichi spoke of.

Her future ambition was simply to live as a commoner and earn a living by writing. She wanted no part in clan affairs, nor did she harbor any interest in vast wealth. To stand behind Gao Sijin and witness his future path—that alone would be more than enough for her.

“Uzuki, what are your thoughts on the future direction of the Tsukiyuki Family?”

As Uzuki pondered with her head hung low, Tsukiyuki Kyoichi suddenly directed the topic at her. She was momentarily at a loss, her lips parting hesitantly as if about to speak, like a little girl who was being bullied.

“I don’t know…”

“It’s alright, Uzuki. Much of this knowledge will come to you sooner or later. You are, after all, a daughter of the Tsukiyuki Family. I had heard before that you seem interested in becoming the head of the Branch Family. Is that true?”

Tsukiyuki Kyoichi showed no anger at her reply. On the contrary, he appeared remarkably kind, his encouraging tone striking Uzuki as utterly inconceivable.

At previous family banquets, Patriarch Kyoichi had always worn a stern, solemn expression, utterly devoid of humor. Many family members who failed to answer his questions on the spot had been harshly rebuked by him without any mercy.

“I’m sorry, Grandfather Kyoichi. I will study hard. I swear I won’t bring shame upon you.”

“This child is quite sincere,” Hughes remarked in fluent Japanese.

“As one would expect from a child of the Tsukiyuki Household.”

“Mr. Kyoichi, let’s conclude our talks here then. I eagerly look forward to our future collaboration.”

Hughes put on his bowler hat, his gaze sweeping briefly over Tsukiyuki Uzuki.

So this was the child the Gu Family had been searching for.

No matter how one looked at her, she did not appear to be an existence capable of standing against the Prophesied Girl. Yet, when he recalled the capabilities of Gu Shuhan, the Gu Clan Chief, he couldn’t help but dismiss his previously naive thought.

In this world, one cannot judge a person by appearance, just as one cannot measure the ocean with a pint pot. Judging solely by her outward display of timidity and assuming she was nothing more than a frightened little girl would lead only to a loss. What the eyes see is forever only the surface.

After Hughes departed, only Tsukiyuki Uzuki and Tsukiyuki Kyoichi remained in the room.

The Daughter of a Branch Clan and the Main Clan Head—though they shared the surname Tsukiyuki, the difference in status and the gulf in age meant they had never formally spoken before now.

“Grandfather Kyoichi, may I ask what you truly called me here for?”

“Don’t become the Head of the Tsukiyuki Branch Family.”

Uzuki pressed her lips together tightly. Not becoming the Branch Family Head meant she wouldn’t be able to help Cousin Rio in the future. If she couldn’t serve as Cousin Rio’s pillar of support, she wouldn’t be qualified to remain by her side. And if she couldn’t stay by Cousin Rio’s side, she wouldn’t be able to stand in the background, gazing at Gao Sijin’s retreating figure.

“I’m sorry, Grandfather Kyoichi. I’m just too useless…” Uzuki lowered her head, a pang of sorrow stinging her nose. “Compared to the others of my generation in the Family, I understand nothing. I’ve always lived inside my own little world. I have failed the Tsukiyuki name, and I have failed you, Grandfather Kyoichi.”

“Become the head of the Main Clan.”

“Eh?”

Uzuki snapped her head up.

What had Grandfather Kyoichi just said?

Uzuki’s eyes fixed on Tsukiyuki Kyoichi, utterly motionless, as if she had turned to stone.

She must have misheard. That had to be it.

“Uzuki, my time may be running out. I entrust the future of the Tsukiyuki Family to you. From this day forward, you are the Head of the Main Clan. Do not attend school tomorrow. Go directly and familiarize yourself with the various industries under the Tsukiyuki Zaibatsu.”

“Wait, Grandfather Kyoichi, you must be mistaken! How could I possibly become the Head of the Tsukiyuki Main Clan? I’m so clumsy and afraid of strangers. Isn’t Cousin Rio supposed to inherit the position of Tsukiyuki Family Head?”

“Do not refuse, Uzuki. You possess a noble quality that no one else in the Tsukiyuki Family possesses. I firmly believe you can lead the Tsukiyuki Household to even greater heights in the volatile times to come.” Tsukiyuki Kyoichi looked at Uzuki with deep affection. “How I wish you were truly my own granddaughter…”

This was far too strange.

Uzuki shook her head repeatedly, an expression of sheer disbelief on her face.

If this was a dream, she needed to wake up, and fast. She pinched her arm and felt the pain, confirming she was not, in fact, dreaming.

“Grandfather Kyoichi, I must refuse. I truly do not possess the ability to lead the Family. Cousin Rio is the only suitable candidate.”

“You dare to refuse me?” Tsukiyuki Kyoichi’s weathered brows furrowed deeply, striking a chord of fear in Uzuki.

“I truly cannot accept this…”

“If you cannot even muster this much courage, then no matter what you attempt in the future, you will achieve nothing.” Tsukiyuki Kyoichi slammed the table forcefully, sending a teacup crashing to the floor where it shattered into pieces. “Fine. As it stands, this old man is still alive and can continue to contribute his final efforts to the family. Before I die, you will have time to mentally prepare yourself. Go home for today.”

The Old Man sat there, his silhouette appearing lonely and forlorn. Uzuki knew he was deeply disappointed in her. That emotion plunged into her heart like a needle, piercing it sharply.

But Uzuki still could not accept the role.

She could not steal the position that rightfully belonged to Cousin Rio. She had neither the virtue nor the talent. She yearned only to live out her days as an ordinary person.