Even Cousins Are Fair Game in Japan
Thankfully, Taira Danzo appeared right then, leading his entourage, so I avoided the embarrassing situation of pitching a tent in my pants. Hmm, I should buy some better underwear. The kind that doesn't show even when things get bigger.
Beside Taira Danzo stood an elegant woman who looked to be in her early forties and a girl wearing a school uniform. A crowd of attendants followed behind them. That schoolgirl is pretty cute, though.
The woman who appeared to be in her early forties was someone I'd seen on the internet. She was Taira Danzo's current wife, Taira Saburo's mother, and my grandmother.
Her name was Taira Shizuku. She had married Taira Danzo at eighteen and was now fifty-nine. She looked like she was in her early forties, though—she must have spent a fortune on her face. Then again, Taira Danzo looked like he was in his mid-fifties despite being eighty-two. The Taira Group's technological prowess was clearly no joke.
They said she'd collapsed from the shock of losing her son at the funeral, but it seemed she'd recovered now.
But who was the high school girl in the uniform standing next to her? Before I could finish wondering, Taira Danzo's eyes lit up as he looked at me.
"I ate some medicinal herbs in the mountains, and this is what happened."
Unlike my other uncles and cousins, Taira Danzo wore an expression that said, Well, that's possible. With all his experience, he probably knew about elixirs that could transform the human body.
"Wife, this is Saburo's son."
"Saburo's…?"
The moment Taira Shizuku realized I was Saburo's son—her grandson—she rushed over and stroked my cheek. With tears welling in her eyes, she asked if I really was Saburo's son, so I nodded in a daze.
Taira Shizuku beckoned the girl in the school uniform over. Wait, I'm her nephew? That would make her the younger sister of my late father and Taira Danzo's late-in-life youngest daughter. The old man is still surprisingly vigorous. When I glanced at Taira Danzo, he gave me a faint smile.
Taira Kanna, huh… She was still a minor, so that was a no-go, but she had a great figure and was a beautiful girl with side-tail hair. There was something delicate about her that made me want to protect her.
She was stuttering a bit when she saw me, so I wondered if my large build scared her. But the way she kept stealing glances at my face told me that wasn't it.
"Yes, sir."
At Taira Danzo's command, Taira Shizuku took my hand and led me to the very front. Hmm… I might be overthinking this, but it didn't seem like Taira Saburo had been killed by the Minamoto family, the Taira clan's rivals. It felt more like he'd been murdered by someone within the Taira Group—someone who also carried the Taira surname.
Among Taira Danzo's sons, Taira Saburo had been the youngest, but with Taira Shizuku's protection—he was the eldest in the family after Taira Danzo himself—he would have become a powerful rival to Taira Ichiro, Taira Jiro, and Taira Kokoro in the race for the next chairman.
One, two, or perhaps all three of them must have felt threatened enough to wish for his death. And just a week ago, their wish had come true.
In that case, didn't it make me—the son who had suddenly appeared—dangerous too? For now, I'd better keep my head down and focus on attending the Human Resources Development Center.
The memorial service was held at the Taira family cemetery behind the main house. Taira Danzo, Taira Shizuku, Taira Yukiko—the widow of Taira Saburo—Kanna, and I stood at the very front, with the rest of the family behind us. Those who weren't part of the Taira clan followed at the very back.
Among the countless tombstones, we washed the newest, cleanest one with pure water. A monk who had come with us stepped forward and began chanting sutras. I wasn't religious, so I didn't understand what he was saying, but I figured it was something positive.
Once the monk finished reciting the sutras, the memorial service was over. But even after the chanting ended, Taira Shizuku continued to cry, stroking the tombstone and calling out Saburo's name. It was understandable—she had lost her son, after all.
Watching parents grieve the loss of a child was painful to witness. Even Taira Danzo, who seemed like the type who wouldn't bleed if stabbed with a needle, didn't show it outwardly, but the redness around his eyes suggested he was mourning his son's death as well.
Once we returned to the main house, the entire Taira family ate lunch together. It was a stiff, silent meal where Taira Danzo would ask questions and the person being questioned would answer. Still, the food was delicious. If the rice had tasted bad on top of the heavy atmosphere, I probably would've gotten indigestion.
If this had been a scene from a drama about the youngest son of a mega-corporation, that answer would've been enough to warrant shouting. But Taira Danzo simply gave Taira Ichiro a cold look and clicked his tongue.
Ah, so this grandfather expressed his dissatisfaction by giving more work to his rivals. In a way, it was even scarier than the shouting you'd see in dramas.
Was it Taira Kokoro's turn now? The main contenders for the Taira family succession were Danzo's three children, so she must have been expecting something as well.
Taira Kokoro smiled quietly. She hadn't gained anything concrete, but her result was better than Taira Ichiro's silent reprimand, which is why she was smiling. The quiet meal resumed. Then Taira Danzo spoke to Taira Yukiko, Taira Saburo's widow.
It seemed Taira Yukiko was in charge of the Human Resources Development Center. At Taira Danzo's words, she glanced at me. I gave a slight bow. She'd told me to call her Mother, but since she was also my boss, I needed to make a good impression.
After that, Taira Danzo spoke to the FitzGerald family and decided to invest in Oliver FitzGerald's company. While coming to the main house, Aris FitzGerald had mentioned her parents, so I'd looked them up. Oliver FitzGerald wasn't on the level of the Taira family, but he was the president of a rapidly rising American company called Talon. Huh…? Talon? I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before… I can't remember right now.
Afterward, Taira Danzo acted like a typical grandfather, asking his grandchildren about their daily lives. But the grandchildren who were questioned bragged about their accomplishments—talking about the grades they'd received or the positive feedback their suggestions had earned at their companies—so their parents could make a better impression on their grandfather.
I had nothing to show off, and because of my theory that Saburo had been killed by someone from the Taira family, I couldn't afford to stand out. I'd just say I'd enjoyed traveling.
It was finally my turn.
I pulled out a box containing ten stick-type red ginseng packets from my pocket and handed it to the waiting servant. The servant took the box of red ginseng and gave it to Taira Danzo. Since he'd already finished eating, he immediately took out one stick and sucked on it.
The glares from my uncles and aunt who were aiming for the chairman position were sharp enough to sting. I'd thought it was only natural to buy a small gift while traveling, but maybe it had been a mistake. I'd told myself earlier not to stand out too much, but I needed to engrave that warning even deeper in my mind.
The eventful Taira family lunch finally ended, and everyone headed back to their own homes. I was about to leave as well when a staff member blocked my path.
I really shouldn't stand out any more than this… For now, I followed the staff member. It was the same place where I'd had a private meeting with Taira Danzo before.
The moment I entered, Taira Danzo shouted at me. It seemed he thought I'd eaten random things in the mountains and grown bigger, scolding me like a mother would.
"Yes…"
When I held out my hand, one of Taira Danzo's staff pressed a silver device about the length of a pencil against my finger.
Prick!
What the hell? Was he drawing blood? The results came out quickly. After about three minutes, the staff member checked the results and nodded at my grandfather.
As I was kicked out of Taira Danzo's room, I stood there in a daze. Did he really call me in just because he was worried about my body? What a tsundere old man.