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Chapter 178 – Toward the Next Sunrise

After the death of Ootori Souichirou, outside observers regarded the Ootori Count House and the Ootori Group as having suffered a sharp decline in political influence.

Within the family, the only remaining member with any political experience was effectively Great-Grandfather alone. Even if nominal father, Kiichirou, were to switch careers from the military to become a member of the House of Peers, it was said that he could never hope to match the former level of political power.

We had exerted influence over parties and politicians mostly through money, but there were hardly any allies close enough to be called insiders. Even the few that existed were either inexperienced or minor figures in the political world.

To begin with, until 1927 the Ootori were, at best, a mid-tier, lower-middle or upper-lower zaibatsu. Our political clout came almost entirely from our status as peers, and