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Chapter 11 – The New Year’s Party

The year 1924 (Taisho 13) had begun.

Although the Ootori family had strongly embraced Western customs, they still adhered closely to Japanese traditions.
That is why, on New Year’s Day, everyone refrains from doing anything as much as possible.

Even osechi cuisine (traditional Japanese new year food) existed for that very reason.

Most of the household staff were sent home to visit their families as much as possible.
Furthermore, in the Ootori estate, they were even given a monetary otoshidama bonus on top of their regular salaries.

As a result, the mansion is at its quietest on New Year’s Day.

The only non-family members who remained were those who had nowhere to return to or those who considered the estate their home—like the Tokita couple.

However, once the second day of the year arrived, the mansion suddenly became bustling.

First, the servants who had gone home nearby returned.

By midday, relatives, associates, zaibatsu members, and even other noble families, other zaibatsu leaders, and companies leaders all began arriving one after another to offer their New Year’s greetings.
The scene is similar to how samurai clans had once conducted New Year’s ceremonies during the Edo period.

Conversely, members of the Ootori family also went to pay respects to the Duke Mouri, who is nominally their head family.
Naturally, grandfather Kiichirou represented the clan at the Imperial Palace. 

Every member of the Ootori family also performed a formal bow toward the Imperial Palace to mark the new year.
Well, this is an era when virtually all Japanese people did the same.

On the other hand, the Ootori family did not make a particular point of visiting shrines for hatsumoude (the first shrine visit of the year).
Instead, they prioritized gathering as a family as much as possible, focusing their efforts on strengthening their unity for the year ahead.

The Ootori family, after all, is disliked by many.

They were part of the Choshu faction, but due to their dubious origins, those from Choshu itself viewed them as pseudo-Choshu.
And yet, from the perspective of the elite military officers and bureaucrats who opposed the rise of domain-based clans since the Taisho era, the Ootori were seen as just another member of the Choshu clique.

They were nobility, but as an upstart family, they were despised by the real aristocracy—the former daimyos, and especially the court nobility (kuge).
The Ootori family frequently took in brides from kuge families, offering financial support in return, but this only made them more hated.

And then, there is the matter of their zaibatsu status.
The zaibatsu were seen as monopolizers, making them deeply unpopular with the common people. 

The Ootori invested heavily in philanthropy, education, and hospital management, and they even ran a newspaper to inform the public—but in the end, it is like pouring water on a hot stone.

Frankly, this is a villainous family.
Given that, perhaps it is only natural that I ended up as the villainess.

Their political reputation isn’t much better either.
The first-generation head, Genichirou, and my great-grandfather, Souichirou, served as members of the House of Peers, but they were resented for speaking out with the backing of their influence.

My grandfather, Kiichirou, and my older brother, Uncle Ryuya, served in the Imperial Army as part of their noble duties, but they were often disliked by the younger officers.
The Choshu faction is unpopular within the army, and since many officers had struggled to rise through the ranks, they despised the Ootori simply for being part of a zaibatsu.

However—or perhaps it’s only natural—my onii-sama is the exception.

He is, after all, an elite among elites in terms of ability, leaving no room for criticism.
He has good looks, a gentle personality, and fearlessly presented innovative ideas, earning him high regard among the new generation of officers.

On top of that, there is his brilliant performance in the Toranomon Incident.
At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if he became something of an idol among the younger officers.

I’ve gone off track a bit, but precisely because the Ootori family is so widely disliked, the family placed even greater importance on unity.

And the New Year is one of the times when the family gathers the most.

And I had been looking forward to this gathering.
Why? Because it is highly likely that I would meet some of the male characters from the game—the ones who were potential romance targets.

In total, more than twenty adults, men and women, gathered.
The family is largely divided into two branches: the Sou family, which is the main branch, and the Kou family, which is the branch family. 

However, most of the Kou family members who had come were those from its main line. Among them, I spotted Uncle Kouryuu, whom I had seen in the fall.

Even in this body’s memories, I didn’t recognize many others.
Although I had seen their faces every New Year, my recollections from when I was a two-year-old were limited.

But about half of them matched the people in my memories—the characters who appeared at the start of the game.

And, my Ryuya-onii-sama doesn’t actually appear in the game.
He is only mentioned in flashbacks as the unfortunate son of a genius military officer—one of the backstories for a romanceable character.

The cause of his death is left vague, but by the time the game begins, he has either died in battle or succumbed to illness.
The accomplished adults of the Ootori family always seem to have tragic fates like this.

That’s why the game is called “Tasogare no Ichizoku” (Tasogare/ 黄昏 can mean dusk, twilight years or melancholia; essentially means they are a dying family)—but personally, I want as many of them to survive as possible, not just the romanceable ones.

I truly feel that way.
But right now, there’s nothing I can do.

At the very least, I want to cherish this moment of happiness.

With that thought, I shifted my focus to the ones who mattered most to me.

• Gentarou (3 years old, Genji’s eldest son)
• Kojirou (2 years old, Genji’s second son)
• Ryuichi (3 years old, Ryuya’s eldest son)
• Youko (2 years old, Ryuya’s eldest daughter)

(Genji = Reiko’s father’s younger brother. Ryuya = An uncle from the lineage of Reiko’s grandfather’s younger brother.)

Once these four were joined by the arrogant heir of another conglomerate, Yamazaki Katsujiro and the mysterious servant, Suzumiya Teruo, the full set of main characters would be complete, ready for the game’s protagonist to arrive.

That said, as someone with the mind of an around-forty woman inside…

I only had one thought.

(C-c-c-CUTE!! I want to take them home! …N-no, no! That’s not good! There’s a saying that “the soul of a three-year-old lasts a hundred years”—so for the sake of avoiding my downfall, I need to start raising my favorability with them now!)

With that resolution in mind, as soon as all the formalities were done and it is time for just the children to gather for playtime, I spring into action.

The best approach is to start with someone of the same gender, because she is already looking at me.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Reiko.”

“I-I’m Youko…?”

“Yes, Youko-chan. Let’s be friends, okay?”

“Okay! Let’s play, Reeko-chan!”

This girl is Youko-chan.
Unlike me, in the game, she becomes close friends with the protagonist, Yamanashi Himeno.

She’s a year younger than me, and by the time the game begins, when she is fifteen, she grows into a gentle, beautiful girl.
She takes the role of the soothing, supportive female character, with large, soft eyes and slightly wavy, light-brown hair.

That said, between a two-year-old and a three-year-old, this is about the limit of our communication.

But this is fine for now.
Our first contact is a success.

And before I could make my next move, a boy approached me of his own accord.

“Who~are you?”

“I’m Reiko.”

“Youko… desu.”

“I’m Kojirou!”

“Nice to meet you, Kojirou-chan.”

“Nice to meet!”

“Yes, nice to meet you. Wait just a moment.”

Curious little Kojirou-kun flashed a bright angelic smile and trotted off toward another boy.

(As expected of an angelic-type character.)

A two-year-old with this kind of smile.
It was an overwhelming angelic grin that could make anyone think that way. 

His fluffy hair is exactly as it was in the game.

This boy would go on to display a natural talent for music in elementary school, but for now, he is simply an angel.
And honestly, that alone is enough to make me feel like I could eat three bowls of rice.

The one he brought back is his older brother, Gentarou-kun.

“I’m Gentarou. Nice to meet you.”

For a three-year-old, his speech sounded oddly mature, already hinting at his future as an intellectual-type character.
Honestly, I want to say, “Dude, you’re still three”.

That said, he isn’t wearing his trademark glasses yet.

But his tsundere traits were already showing, and since I didn’t have any particular fetish for glasses, this is more than enough.

And watching the four of us—no, more specifically, watching Youko from a short distance—is her older brother, Ryuichi-kun.
Thanks to the influence of his grandfather and father, he is set to become a lean, muscular military man, but he also has a gag-level sister complex. 

And apparently, that setting—or rather, that trait—is already implemented at the age of three.

Truly, the soul of a three-year-old lasts a hundred years.

“Ryuichi-kun, come play with us too. Look, Youko-chan, call your onii-chan over.”

“O-okay… Onii-tamaaa!”

“U-uh… yeah.”

I accidentally spoke in my natural tone, but since there were no adults from the family here—only a maid standing a little way off—it should be fine, at least for a little while.

Besides, this place is such a paradise that it made me drop my formal act.
Even if I indulged in it for a short while, no one could really blame me.

(I can only wish that this happiness lasts for a long, long time…)