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Chapter 25 – The Greatest Revolutionary of the Showa Era

One day in May, we had a visitor at the estate.

I had heard the day before that my ‘onii-sama’, Uncle Ryuuya, would be coming, so I eagerly went out to the entrance hall to welcome him.
But when I got there, I saw that my onii-sama had brought someone along.

The person with him is wearing a military uniform, just like my onii-sama.

“Welcome, Uncle Ryuuya! And who is this gentleman?”

I dove into my onii-sama’s arms and hugged him while turning to face the guest.

As he patted my head, he smiled kindly and answered:

“This is Nishida Mitsugi, a junior of mine from the military academy. Don’t just cling to me—go on, greet him properly.”

In that instant, I froze.

(Noooo!! A named character! And not just any named character—he’s an extremely dangerous one! Why would my onii-sama bring someone like him here?!)

While I stood frozen, my onii-sama gently urged me on.

“I get that you’re nervous meeting someone for the first time, but as a member of the Ootori family, you know what to do, right?”

“Y-yes. Um, I’m Ootori Reiko. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nishida.”

“I’m honored by such a polite greeting. As he introduced me, I’m Nishida Mitsugi. I owe a great deal to Mr. Ryuuya—no, to Lord Ryuuya. It’s a pleasure, Countess Reiko.”

“Hey, Nishida, don’t tease my Reiko. Sorry about that—he doesn’t mean any harm. He’s a good guy, really.”

“Apologies, Ootori-senpai. And sorry, Reiko-chan.”

Wearing a mischievous expression, Nishida gave a hearty laugh.

It was a charming smile—one that people naturally gravitate toward.
They say quite a few supported him, and I feel like I’m seeing a glimpse of his ability to charm others.

(Come on, let my “history girl” knowledge roar… Let’s see, didn’t he leave the military around this time due to illness? And wasn’t he already under the influence of Kita Ikki by then? …No matter what, I need to get this hazardous material away from my onii-sama!)

I found myself mentally striking a firm pose of resolve.

But first, I need information.
Meeting him like this from the start might actually be a stroke of luck.

“Not at all. Thank you for your courteous greeting. So, Mr. Nishida, may I ask what brings you here today? My onii-sama is almost like a regular guest of this estate, so if you don’t mind, I’d be happy to extend a welcome on behalf of the household.”

Nishida seemed a bit surprised by my unusually formal speech for a child, but he quickly composed himself and responded.
It’s in moments like this that a person’s intelligence and character show through.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Countess. However, today I’ve come to pay a visit to the head of the Ootori family, Mr. Kiiichirou.”

“I’m his escort,” my onii-sama chimed in. “Surprised, weren’t you, Nishida?”

“Yes. I can see why you’d be proud to show her off, Ootori-senpai.”

“U-Uncle is proud of me?!”

Overwhelmed by a mix of embarrassment, my already high-pitched little girl voice shot up another octave.

“She’s still so small, yet already a fine young lady. I just had to say, ‘She’s my proud daughter,’ you know?”

My onii-sama said that with a wink.

I could tell he was half-teasing me, and I also knew that his gaze was filled with genuine affection—but even so, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling my face heat up.

Sure, my young body’s emotions are more easily swayed, but still—having a handsome man say that in a nice voice and wink?
Anyone would blush.

Especially someone like me, who in her previous life had very few such experiences outside of anime.

But thanks to the calmness I’ve cultivated as a villainess, I was able to act right away.

“Oh, please don’t tease me. Now then, I shall go prepare some tea. We’ve acquired some rather rare sweets today, you know.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The one who answered wasn’t either of the two.
Just then, another man entered the spacious entrance hall.

And it was a familiar older man I’d seen often lately.

“Kouryuu-ojisama?”

“Yes, it’s been a while, Reiko. And Ryuuya. So this is the guest you mentioned?”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Nishida Mitsugi. I owe my life to the new medicine you invented, Lord Kouryuu. I am truly grateful.”

“Oh, no. It’s just fulfilling my duties as a doctor. Your recovery is the greatest encouragement for me.”

(Wow, this guy can actually do the usual social niceties? But new medicine…)

As I briefly caught onto my doubt, Kouryuu-san continued speaking.

“Ah, speaking of which, the new medicine that Mr. Nishida used—it was actually thanks to Reiko, who brought me good luck.”

“Is that so?”

Surprise and curiosity appeared on Nishida’s face.
Kouryuu-san went on.

“Reiko had brought me some mandarins, which I, being the unhealthy person I am, forgot to eat. They ended up getting moldy. And that mold fell into one of the petri dishes I was working with, which ended up being a major clue in discovering the new medicine.”

“I read the article written by the doctor who mentioned that. So it was like that. So the sender of those mandarins was the Countess’s daughter.”

“Yes, that’s right. She’s like my goddess of good fortune. In the West, she’d be the goddess of luck.”

He laughed heartily—unusually so, but due to his sharp, narrow eyes, it lost some of its effect.

By the way, I had read the article he mentioned.
My name was kept out of it, but since Nishida is a junior to my onii-sama and has many connections, it’s likely that he revealed the story as part of the narrative.

In this way, he was probably trying to make the discovery of the new medicine appear as natural as possible, putting on quite the performance.
It was a finely crafted touch.

(And with how Nishida is, he’s likely to spread the word around, too.)

For now, all I could do was give a polite lady-like bow and withdraw.
While I asked the maids to prepare the tea, I moved to a corner of the room to continue my thoughts.

(Alright, Nishida Mitsugi is from the 34th class of the Army Officer Academy. The 34th class had a lot of troublemakers, so I remember it well. At this rate, I should brace myself for Hattori Takushiro’s appearance as well. But Hattori is just a mere elite staff officer; the real problem is Nishida. After all, he’s called the ‘Walking Coup.’)

Just thinking about it made cold sweat trickle down.
So I took a moment to run away into a bit of escapism.

(Well, my onii-sama is a genius, so he was accelerated a year in elementary school and belongs to the 33rd class of the Army Officer Academy. Yeah. It’s really great that he’s a genius. He was top of his class in elementary preparatory school, central elementary school, and the Army Officer Academy. Now, he’s also expected to be top of his class at the Army University. A well-rounded ultra-elite. Plus, because of me, he prevented the Toranomon Incident and gained recognition and merit. Sigh, my onii-sama is truly my onii-sama, huh?)

I took a deep breath.
Now, it was time to get to the main issue.

(So, he is a year behind my onii-sama, and Nishida is probably hospitalized in either the Ootori family’s hospital or maybe Keio’s hospital due to my onii-sama’s arrangements. Then, he is treated with penicillin there. Additionally, since he’s in military uniform, unlike in my past life, he’s still an army officer. Well, maybe it’s better than him quitting the military and doing something strange?)

Yeah, thinking it over, I felt a bit calmer.

That’s why I could dive deeper into my thoughts.

(But why come to our house on purpose? Even if it’s to thank us, isn’t it a bit exaggerated? The gratitude may be the excuse, but there’s definitely something more to it. After all, he’s a guy with cheat-level connections. I think there were royals in my onii-sama’s class, and the 34th class had Prince Chichibu, right? Plus, Nishida… didn’t he have connections with the Tokugawa family? Was it the Owari branch? Anyway, at this point, I have no idea who he’s acquainted with.)

As I was pondering these thoughts, the three people who had finished talking entered the room where I was waiting.
I was about to fulfill my role as a hostess and leave the room, but I was stopped.

Furthermore, Nishida, the guest, invited me with a bright smile: “Wouldn’t the Count’s daughter join us as well?” 

How could I possibly refuse?

So, the four of us ended up having tea, but Uncle Kouryuu was greedily devouring multiple pieces of the newly made Mont Blanc cake.

My onii-sama and Nishida were eating like gentlemen, which was a stark contrast.

I, too, acted as the harmless little girl, pretending to be completely absorbed in the cake.

“Nom nom.”

“However, I am truly amazed by the breadth of your social circle, Nishida. But with this, the spread of the new medicine will surely advance. I’m grateful for that.”

“Please, raise your head, Kouryuu-sensei. I’m merely repaying the favor.”

“But to think you’re on such familiar terms with people who are difficult to approach… I’m honestly surprised.”

“Well, the same could be said of you, Ootori-senpai—no, Ryuuya-senpai. After the Toranomon incident, you’ve made acquaintances with those who are above the clouds, haven’t you?”

“That was merely a matter of having my face and name remembered. It’s far from a close relationship. That’s why I’m grateful to Nishida.”

“What do you mean, Uncle Ryuuya? Uncle Kouryuu?”

I had an inkling of what they were talking about, but I asked the question in a manner befitting a little girl.

“Nishida is someone with a wide social circle. I asked him to help with spreading Kouryuu’s new medicine, which has been somewhat slow to take off.”

“So, does that mean Nishida-sama didn’t come to meet with the head of the family, but rather you asked Nishida-sama for help?”

“Exactly. As expected of you, Reiko.”

With that, my onii-sama smiled brightly at me.
His handsome smile was one I could easily imagine wanting to see forever.

And Nishida, the guest, was watching this exchange with a calm expression. 

Then, with that same expression, he threw a bomb at me.

“The Countess refers to Ryuuya-senpai as ‘Oni-sama’, doesn’t she?”

“Ah, haha. I know it sounds that way, but I don’t have any siblings, and my grandfather has been like a father to me, so I’m just being a little spoiled.”

I managed to deflect the question with a forced laugh and a flimsy excuse.
After all, the real reason was my personal fantasies and desires as a woman in her late 30s. 

But I definitely didn’t want to reveal that in front of my onii-sama and, most importantly, Kouryuu-san.

So, I decided to attack instead.

“But Nishida-sama, you must be quite fond of Uncle Ryuuya, too. It’s almost like you two are onii-samas.”

When I said that, both my onii-sama and Nishida laughed warmly.

(Ah, if only Nishida weren’t Nishida, this would be my personal heaven!)

Nishida, unaware of my inner thoughts, cheerfully responded.
And that response led to a topic I never would have anticipated.

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Nishida Mitsugi
One of the ringleaders of the February 26 Incident.
He was involved in many of the military coups in Showa-era Japan, making him Japan’s number one coup-master.

He had connections in many places.

While he had remarkable bad luck, he generally gave off the impression of someone with poor fortune.