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Chapter 4 – The Ootori Estate

On the very day of the Great Kanto Earthquake, I arrived at the Ootori family’s main estate.

The Western-style mansion where I had experienced the earthquake was located in Yokohama.
I later learned that because it had been near the old foreign settlement along the coast, the rubble from its collapse would likely become part of the rubble used for land reclamation when building Yamashita Park.

The estate I had arrived at by car was to be my new home.

And the sight of it left me speechless.
It was an opulent Western-style mansion, identical to the background art I had seen in the game.

(Is this really not inside the game?)

The grand mansion stood in Roppongi, southwest of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, towering over its surroundings with an air of dominance.
The fact that the Ootori family had secured such a large estate in what was essentially a government district near the palace spoke volumes about their close ties to the Japanese government. It was proof that they were not just nobility but also a financial powerhouse.

Even the main residence of the Mitsubishi Zaibatsu was only around Shinobazu Pond in Ueno.

There were numerous military-related facilities nearby, and the central government offices were just a stone’s throw away.
For military officers of this era—or even for high-ranking bureaucrats in general—this estate was the most convenient and prestigious location imaginable.

And the mansion itself was every bit as grand and luxurious as its location demanded.

A solid, heavy gate. Sturdy perimeter walls. A magnificent garden sprawling inside. A stately two-story Western-style mansion with an elaborate exterior, standing proudly at the end of the pathway leading from the gate.

It was like something straight out of a historical landmark from the Meiji or Taisho era.
Which made sense—according to the game’s official setting materials, the design of this mansion was based on actual historical buildings.

The reason the estate was so vast was also part of the lore—supposedly, a portion of an old daimyo residence had been sold off to the Ootori family in the early Meiji era.

The front entrance of the Western-style mansion protruded slightly, with a veranda on the second floor.
This design ensured that passengers coming out from cars or carriages would not be exposed to the rain.

Though mainly decorative, the mansion also had small towers at each of its four corners.
Additionally, windows were visible on the roof, suggesting the presence of an attic. 

Multiple chimneys for fireplaces could also be seen.

Beyond the main mansion, several other buildings stood within the estate.
In one secluded corner was a separate Japanese-style annex, which the “retired master” typically used.

There is also a garden which has a glass greenhouse and a gazebo.
In the game, these were places where the protagonist would enjoy romantic encounters with potential love interests.

Not me, but the game’s protagonist.

The estate’s total area must have been at least 1,000 tsubo (approximately 3,300 square meters). Though my senses aren’t the best at calculating scale, so it might have been even larger.

Most importantly, the mansion had remained completely unscathed by the Great Kanto Earthquake.
Perhaps the solid ground beneath it played a role, but the structure itself must have been exceptionally well-built. The outer walls were not made of earthquake-prone brick, and the entire building gave the impression of having been constructed with seismic resilience in mind.

Standing on the mansion’s grand porch, a group of distinguished-looking individuals awaited our arrival.

At the center stood two men—one in a military uniform and the other in a hakama. Their appearance was the very picture of Taisho era.
As the mansion’s servants opened the gate, the car carrying me proceeded directly to the front porch.

“I have returned, Master, Retired Master.”

“Good work, Tokita. And?”

The two men, addressed as “Master” and “Retired Master”, exchanged a brief glance before the “Master”, the man in uniform, turned to speak to the butler, Tokita.
The man in the military uniform was my grandfather, Ootori Kiichirou. The one in the hakama, the previous head of the family now living in retirement, was Ootori Souichirou.

There were a few other people present, but they didn’t matter for now.

“Yes. Kiichi-sama was caught under the rubble at the Yokohama residence and lost his life. It appears he died instantly.”

“I already heard that from the messenger. I also know that Ryuujirou was taken to the Ootori family hospital. And this child?”

“Yes, this is Kiichi-sama’s eldest daughter, Reiko-sama.”

As Tokita spoke, he gestured toward me with a respectful motion of his arm.

Kiichi was my father’s name. But being told he was my father didn’t evoke any real sense of reality or attachment.
He only existed in the memories of the “not-me”.

Back at the collapsed Yokohama estate, when I had asked, “Where is Father?” Tokita had plainly answered, “He has passed away.” Yet, the words felt unreal to me.
To me, he was just someone I knew of—nothing more than a figure from information, not someone I had deep emotional ties with.

So I could only maintain a blank, expressionless face.

However, those around me seemed to interpret it differently.
The middle-aged man in the military uniform knelt down to meet my gaze as closely as possible. He had the sturdy build and impeccable posture typical of a soldier.

From what this body’s memories told me, I had apparently met him a few times when I was very young, though the recollection was hazy.
The only reason I recognized him as my grandfather now was because I had recently been shown a photograph of him.

His usual expression was said to be rather carefree, but at this moment, his face was filled with gentle warmth.

“You’re a strong child. Listen, from now on, this will be your home. And you should think of me not as your grandfather, but as your father.”

I blinked a few times, unsure of how to respond.
Seeing this, he gave me a gentle nod, as if telling me I didn’t need to say anything.

And his face—looked strikingly similar to the father from my inherited memories, Kiichi.

“When you cry, it’s okay to let your voice out. You’re a strong child.”

With those words, my grandfather gently wiped my cheeks with his handkerchief.

I hadn’t even realized it, but tears had been streaming down my face.
To me, these were just memories—but for the owner of this body, the loss of her father must have been something deeply profound. 

These tears belonged to her, not me.

So I decided to surrender myself to whatever instinct was guiding this body.

When I came to, I was lying in an opulent Western-style room.
I must have cried myself to sleep.

(A canopy bed… I haven’t seen one of these since that fancy hotel I stayed at during a trip.)

The room I found myself in was luxurious yet tastefully decorated, with elegant furnishings arranged in a refined manner.
For now, it seemed to be a guest room, but given the setup, this was likely meant to become my room from now on. 

As if to confirm that, there were stuffed animals and dolls scattered around—ones that a three-year-old girl might like.

“Nice to meet you, little doll and stuffed animal. My name is Reiko. What are your names?”

The first time I introduced myself by name in this world… was to a Western-style doll and a stuffed cat.

After greeting the room’s previous occupants and confirming that I felt fine, I got up and began exploring—no, inspecting—the room.
There was a desk and a large bookshelf, the latter filled with an impressive collection of beautifully bound books. Just from that, it was easy to tell this was the home of a wealthy family.

Unfortunately, more than half of the books were out of my reach.

“I never thought I’d find this cute little body of mine so frustrating…”

Since there was no helping it, I dragged a chair over, climbed up, and reached for my target book.

It was a history book written in this era—modern, or rather, contemporary from this time period’s perspective.
Flipping through the table of contents, I found mention of the “World War,” referring to what I knew as the First World War.

I skimmed through the book for a while. If I wanted to avoid careless slip-ups in conversation, I needed to understand this world’s history and verify whether it matched my memories from before my reincarnation.

(Ugh… this is hard to read…)

I nearly stumbled right at the start.

The book was written in a pre-World War II format, meaning the kanji were old-fashioned and complicated. On top of that, kana was written entirely in katakana, and the text was arranged from right to left instead of left to right. 

The printing quality was also noticeably rough compared to the 21st century.

(Well, that makes sense… this is nearly a hundred years ago, after all.)

Still, my efforts paid off. The history of this world was nearly identical to what I remembered, with only a few exceptions. The same went for geography.
Additionally, aside from the Ootori family, at least from what I could tell, there were no discrepancies in the names of historical figures.

Despite the Ootori family’s influence, there didn’t seem to be any major divergences in the broad strokes of history.

However, there was one particular instance where history differed from what I knew, and it was due to my own family.
The cause wasn’t simply the existence of the Ootori family or its role as a financial conglomerate. Rather, it was the actions of my grandfather, Kiichirou, the very same man who had warmly welcomed me upon my arrival at this mansion.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Ootori Kiichirou had caused quite a stir.

He had served as a cavalry officer, but more than that, his primary role had been to pacify and win over the local ethnic groups. He carried this out extravagantly, using the Ootori conglomerate’s private funds to disrupt Russian supply lines and wreak havoc on their rear operations.

As a result, Japan managed to secure victory in the war with a slightly more advantage beyond what I knew from history.

As compensation for Japan not claiming extensive rights in Manchuria (northeastern China), the entire Sakhalin Island was ceded to Japan. This is different from my previous life where only half of the island was ceded.
Thanks to this, Japan avoided having an unnecessary land border. More importantly, it acquired the coal mines in northern Sakhalin, as well as the oil fields that, at the time the war ended, were of little significance.

Japan’s acquisition of the entire Sakhalin Island was also part of the setting in the game Tasogare no Ichizoku.
By attributing the wealth gained from northern Sakhalin to the Houoiin financial conglomerate, the game’s setting ensured that the assets of real-life historical conglomerates remained untouched as much as possible.

After all, in the game’s setting, the Hououin Zaibatsu was a major financial group on par with Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Sumitomo.

However, in the game’s storyline, the Hououin Zaibatsu began to decline in the late 1920s, much like the real-world Suzuki Shoten, and had effectively collapsed.
By the game’s start in 1936, it was already in complete decline.

As a desperate revival attempt, they leveraged their noble lineage as a bargaining chip to form marital ties with other major financial groups, striving to ensure both the survival of their conglomerate and, above all, their family.

The noble lady who orchestrated this marriage was Hououin Reika, who might very well be the model for my current self.
However, she was branded as someone who would bring ruin to Japan and was exiled from her family. 

As a result, the family was forced to take responsibility and ultimately fell into ruin.

That was the game’s standard ending pattern.
And in this world as well, all of Sakhalin belonged to Japan, and the Ootori conglomerate held significant interests in the oil fields at the island’s northern tip.

It would be difficult to dismiss this as mere coincidence.

To some extent—or perhaps entirely—I might need to act under the assumption that this world follows the game’s setting.
However, I still lacked information. 

Right now, what I needed most was knowledge.
Without sufficient information, I couldn’t recklessly talk to others in hopes of gaining allies.

(That said, as a three-year-old, my only real option for now is only to behave and build peaceful relationships.)