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Chapter 51 part 1 – The Ootori Financial Holding Company

About two weeks had passed since the de facto top-level meeting between Ootori and Suzuki.
Since then, the two groups continued to hold talks at ryotei and secret meetings, building up to the eventual day.

These were no longer one-on-one discussions; the number of participants gradually increased.

In the midst of this, on March 23rd, the supplementary budget bill for the 2nd year of Showa was finally passed at the last minute.
The point of contention in passing the budget was whether to exclude certain zaibatsu from the handling of the earthquake promissory notes.

Naturally, the zaibatsu burdened with a large volume of bad debts opposed the idea.

However, in the end, Suzuki Shouten, which held the most bad debts, gave in, and the issue was settled.

Interestingly, there was even an unusual incident where Mitsui tried to persuade Suzuki to fight the bill to the bitter end.
In fact, it was widely whispered behind the scenes that Mitsui had opposed the bill just to bring down Suzuki — a clear case of lifting them up only to drop them.

On the government’s side, even before finalizing the decision on the earthquake promissory notes, they had already resolved to increase the issuance of Bank of Japan notes using the foreign currency reserves that had been accumulated.

This led to the issuance of a certain amount of deficit-covering government bonds, primarily boosting the military and public works budgets.

As a result, other zaibatsu besides Suzuki also accepted the earthquake promissory note arrangements.

Some financially unstable banks were said to have caught their breath thanks to this as well.

After that, representatives from the Mitsui Zaibatsu—closely tied to the Seiyukai party—paid repeated visits to Prime Minister Tanaka and Finance Minister Takahashi, but their efforts achieved absolutely nothing.

On the evening of March 26th, as many members of the press as could be gathered had been assembled at the Imperial Hotel, the finest hotel in the imperial capital of Tokyo at the time.
It was my idea to go big with this, inspired by knowledge from my previous life—these kinds of announcements are usually done with a crowd at a hotel, right?

Ideally, I would’ve preferred to use one of the Ootori buildings, but truthfully, the only place befitting such an event within the Ootori Zaibatsu, known for its no-frills, solid values, was the academy.
So we hurried to secure a venue elsewhere.

The venue was then set up as a temporary press conference space with long tables and plenty of chairs.
We had rented the Peacock Room at the Imperial Hotel, typically used for dance parties.
Originally, we wanted a venue with a stage like a theater, but given the short notice, that was the only large room available.

“Did it really have to be this flashy?”

“It’s a fresh beginning, so a bit of flair seems fitting, don’t you think?”

I answered in a slightly refined, high-society tone to Great-Uncle Zenkichi, who had asked.
He responded only with a wry smile—one that didn’t quite agree with me.

It was quite rare for just the two of us to have a conversation like this, but actually speaking with him made me realize something—Great-Uncle Zenkichi really doesn’t feel like someone from the Ootori bloodline.
I suppose this is what people mean when they talk about lineage.

At the same time, I was able to reaffirm that I am indeed a member of the Ootori family.

By the way, since Great-Uncle Zenkichi is the head of the Ootori Zaibatsu, he’s technically one of the main figures in today’s event.
Alongside him, as family representatives, we have my grandfather, Kiiichirou, who is unusually wearing a suit; Great-Uncle Tora Saburou, also unusually suited up; and Uncle Genji, seen by outsiders as the future of the Ootori group. 

My brother Tatsuya is also present in military uniform.

Over in a corner of the venue, there’s a group that seems to be Nishida Zei and his companions—probably here to see my brother.
They’re dressed in civilian clothes, at least. 

On closer inspection, I can spot several military officers of higher rank than my brother mixed into the crowd—buzz cuts and round glasses galore, which honestly does my heart no favors.

Also backstage, though not appearing publicly, are members of the Kou family, led by their head, Ootori Kouichi.
For added prestige, Professor Kouryuu is here too, dressed sharply and seated in the wings.

Great-Grandfather isn’t appearing at the press conference either, but he’s with me backstage.
That said, I’m the only woman—or rather, the only child—present.

As for the Suzuki side, there’s Mr. Kaneko Naokichi and a few others.
From the Suzuki family itself, which forms the core of the Suzuki Zaibatsu, the second-generation head, Mr. Suzuki Iwajirou, is attending.

The lineup clearly showed that Suzuki Shouten was being led by Mr. Kaneko.

“Um—ladies and gentlemen gathered here, may I ask for your attention. We will now begin the press conference.”

With that cue from the host, the press conference began.

In my previous life, there would have been several TV cameras lined up, but in this era, it was a barrage of monochrome cameras instead.
As for radio, only NHK was present, but press conferences weren’t broadcast live over the radio in this period. 

The room was mostly filled with newspaper reporters, often referred to as bun’ya.

A few businesspeople were mixed in as well, including representatives from foreign conglomerates and companies—some of whom had been invited as a goodwill gesture.
After all, a major part of the event’s purpose was to make a show of things.

As part of the show, we had a large number of our household staff present.

The reason Ootori family staff were allowed into the Imperial Hotel in the first place was because, when we suddenly requested to rent the venue, we were nearly turned down due to a lack of manpower.
We got approval by offering to supply our own people.

As a result, the Peacock Room and the surrounding areas were bustling with our maids in uniform.
Since we went to the trouble, we issued maid outfits to all the women and even called in temporary reinforcements from various places, so there was quite a crowd—an impressive sight, really.

Naturally, the newspaper reporters attending the event found themselves mesmerized by the scene.

Some photographers were taking advantage of the venue shoot to photograph the maids.

My presence here was also part of the presentation.
I hadn’t come in secret. 

I was entrusted with the important role of presenting the bouquet after the press conference.

And this press conference was a celebratory event that required a bouquet.
There is another reason why I was going up on stage, but even I thought it was a bit calculated.

“Ootori Financial Holding Company and Suzuki Shouten have decided to make a major organizational overhaul.”

“Does that mean Ootori is buying out and merging Suzuki?!”

At those words from Ootori’s head, Zenkichi Ootori, a reporter immediately shouted out loudly.
Everyone, including reporters from other companies, made sour faces, but everyone knew the question was influenced and pushed by Mitsui. 

Moreover, no one in the business or press circles was unaware of the bad relationship between Suzuki Shouten and the Mitsui conglomerate.

Maybe that’s why Uncle Zenkichi continued calmly without showing any particular concern.

“I ask you to refrain from interruptions. Questions will be taken at the end of the conference, so please wait until then. Any questions or comments during the conference will be ignored.”

(This person basically only asked questions about the major reorganization of Ootori without complaining or criticizing. Even though his wife, or rather Great-Aunt Keiko, was seriously pissed off. I wonder how it was in the game. In the game, he was kind of a forgettable character, wasn’t he?)

“I will say it again: Ootori Financial Holding Company and Suzuki Shouten have decided to make a major organizational overhaul.”

This time, no interruptions.
From the perspective of those hostile to Suzuki and Ootori, it was probably just a light jab.

But from now on, will they be able to afford that kind of leisure?

I consciously suppress a somewhat malicious smile creeping onto my face.