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Chapter 16 – The Increasing Discrepancy in History

In June of this year, a new cabinet was formed.

And I felt a small sense of unease.
Due to the so-called constitutional protection movement, the Yamamoto Gonbee Cabinet resigned en masse, and the Katou Takaaki Cabinet was established. 

So far, so good.

However, because the Toranomon Incident was prevented from occurring thanks to my prophetic dreams and my brother’s efforts, history had diverged from my previous life.
As a result, unlike in my past world, the Yamamoto Cabinet had continued. 

I could only hope that this had at least made disaster recovery efforts after the Great Kanto Earthquake slightly better than before.

That aside, the newspaper stated that Katou Takaaki was the 21st Prime Minister.
But that didn’t match my vaguely remembered calculations.

Curious, I decided to look into the history of past cabinets.

Fortunately—or perhaps inevitably—this mansion had a well-stocked collection of such materials.
The library was so vast and specialized that it could easily be mistaken for an actual public archive.

And there, I discovered a historical change that had escaped my notice.

(Hara Takashi wasn’t assassinated? So that means the Takahashi Cabinet never existed. Well, that makes sense. Wait… the next prime minister after Hara-san is Yamamoto-san? That means the Katou Tomosaburou Cabinet was never formed either? What’s going on? This is way too different from my past life! 

I have no choice but to ask my great-grandfather about this.)

Having reached my conclusion, I decided to carry out my plan in the early afternoon—when I had free time and my great-grandfather was usually in his private quarters—seizing the perfect opportunity for a direct attack.

(“‘Now, let the charge begin!’—I feel like I’ve heard that line somewhere before.”)

Thinking such things, a four-year-old dressed in Western clothes sat formally in seiza in the hallway in front of a room with a tokonoma
Even I had to admit, the sight must have been rather surreal.

“Great-Grandfather Souichirou, it’s Reiko.”

“Hmm? Come in.”

With permission granted, I opened the sliding door properly, stepped inside with the correct etiquette, and closed it behind me.
My movements were flawless—if I did say so myself—but I still heard laughter from behind me.

“Haha, my apologies. As expected of Reiko. But when a four-year-old child carries out such a formal sequence of actions, even I am at a loss.”

A geezer who says things like that deserves nothing but my best pout.

Of course, that only made his smile grow wider. 

Hopeless. 

Fine, then.
I’d go for a sulky expression next.

“Yes, yes, that kind of age-appropriate expression puts me more at ease. So, I take it you have some special reason for visiting? What is it?”

“Ah, yes. I can sometimes see dreams of the past, and I noticed that former Prime Minister Hara’s history was different from what I remembered.”

“Hara-kun’s? By any chance, are you referring to him being attacked by an assailant?”

He hit the mark right away.
Which meant that the Ootori family had been involved.

I was sure my surprise was showing on my face because Great-Grandfather looked amused.

“Y-Yes, exactly. How do you know about this, Great-Grandfather? …Could it be—”

“Exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Following the words of your predecessor, my mother, Rin, we assigned guards near him under the guise of newspaper reporters. Thanks to that, Hara-kun is still alive and well. So then, Reiko, what happened in the dream you saw?”

I hesitated for a moment. 

Should I really talk about this?
But since I had already started, I might as well lay it all out.

“Yes. Former Prime Minister Hara was attacked by an assailant and died almost instantly. After that, the cabinet was temporarily taken over by Takahashi Korekiyo, and then Katou Tomosaburou became the next Prime Minister. And if the Toranomon Incident had escalated into something serious—”

“Who became Prime Minister?”

“Kiyoura Keigo.”

“Kiyoura-kun, huh? That’s a bit unexpected. I suppose it was the doing of those opposed to the constitutional government movement. Well, never mind that. So, Reiko, you saw the news of the new cabinet formation and—let’s see—you noticed that the Prime Minister’s succession was different from your dreams?”

“E-Exactly.”

I was at a loss for words.
He had seen right through everything.

With a family as overpowered as this, did they even need someone like me?

Then again, the only reason I was treated with such importance was because, even if their abilities weren’t perfect.
They acknowledged the sheer advantage of knowing—or rather, seeing—the future.

And when I thought about it that way, it brought up even more things to ponder.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“N-No, it’s just that… another element different from the dreams I’ve seen has been added, so I need to be more careful when I look at my dreams.”

“I see. So that’s how it is. Yes, please do. This is something that only you can do. And also—”

“And also?”

My great-grandfather suddenly paused, and I found myself leaning in, waiting for his next words.

“Make sure to train yourself to think critically about various matters. My remaining years aren’t long, and when the time comes, you and Kiichirou will have to support the Ootori family together.”

His serious gaze made me instinctively nod firmly.

At the very least, I didn’t sense any intention of merely using me for his own ends.
On the contrary, I could feel his genuine concern for my future. 

And on top of that, he was essentially telling me to lead the family.

Is he being kind or strict?
He should pick one.

But if this is what he means by being strict, then there are many things I need to ask.

“Understood. In that case, I’d like to verify the differences between the world in my dreams and reality. Would you be willing to engage in a discussion with me?”

“Of course. This is also a good opportunity for me to learn what you’ve seen. Still… I wonder why you’re able to see an alternate past as well?”

“…I think, maybe… If the world we’re in now is the one where my great-great-grandmother existed, then the world I saw in my dreams might be what would have happened if she hadn’t. If the Ootori family had never existed. After all, in my dreams of the past, the Ootori name has never appeared.”

“I see. That explanation makes sense. Well, most of these things are recorded in history books, but let’s start our study session now, shall we?”

“Yes, Great-Grandfather.”

“Hmm, that sounds a little too formal. Yes, when it’s just the two of us, call me Souichirou. Now, let’s begin.”

“Yes, Souichirou-sama.”

…I feel like another hurdle has just been raised.

Still, since I need to push forward regardless, deepening my relationship with my great-grandfather is probably a good thing.

As a result of the differences in the cabinet transitions, I was able to confirm several discrepancies.

Since Hara Takashi was not assassinated, his administration became a long-term one.
Moreover, because the Hara Cabinet lasted for an extended period, by the time it was due for a transition, Katou Tomosaburou—who had been seen as the next prime minister—had fallen into poor health. 

As a result, the Hara administration continued for a while out of inertia.

It was eventually followed by the Yamamoto Cabinet, but since the Toranomon Incident was only an attempted attack in this timeline, the Yamamoto administration remained in power.

One would think that the Yamamoto Cabinet could have continued as it was, but due to bribery and corruption scandals under the long-running Hara administration, public trust in the Seiyuukai party declined. 

Unlike in my previous life, the Seiyuukai did not split apart, but its public support weakened.
This coincided with the rise of the constitutional protection movement, leading to the formation of the Katou Cabinet under the Kenseikai party.

As a result, each administration in this timeline has tended to last longer.
Corruption such as bribery and scandals may still exist, but compared to a rapid cycle of short-lived cabinets, this is probably a better outcome.

Apart from the differences in the cabinets and prime ministers, the overall historical flow has already diverged from my previous life.
People who should have died are still alive, making it clear that I need to stay vigilant in studying and gathering information.

Considering that all of Sakhalin is under Japanese control in this timeline, these historical deviations may ultimately be linked to the U.S. military’s potential landing on the Japanese mainland.

No matter what, I must find a way to prevent this catastrophic disaster.

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Hara Takashi
A prewar politician, nicknamed the “Commoner Prime Minister”.
He continuously refused to accept a peerage under Japan’s pre-war aristocratic system.

On November 4, 1921 (Taisho 10), he was attacked and killed by an assailant.

He is a politician known for extensive bribery and pork-barrel politics, channeling benefits to his local constituency.
He is also criticized a lot by the opposition for building roads that no one used.

Goken Undou (Constitutional Protection Movement)
A movement in the Taisho era advocating for the protection of constitutional government.
In essence, it aimed to shift political power from the faction-based government to political parties.

The term “Taisho Democracy” is often associated with this period.