「 OK. I know the room 」
Margo-san comes back from the front desk.
「 Did they tell you right away? 」
Nei asks.
「 Yeah, it’s a room reserved on Shou-oneesan’s name, they told me right away 」
Margo-san replied.
I see, if Shou-neechan used Kouzuki security service’s name or Kouzuki house’s name in the reservation, it might become a problem later.
Therefore, she used her name as an individual to reserve a room.
「 Besides, it’s safer here than I thought 」
She smiled and looked at the lobby.
「 What do you mean? 」
「That plainclothes police, and SP, various security guards are watching here and there 」
From Margo-san’s eyes, it’s obvious who’s a regular guest of the hotel and a person from that industry.
「 Furthermore, those scary people hold each other back, so they have a stringent defense. It’s quite an impressive view. In addition to that, it’s not just the Japanese 」
「 Oh, there are Russians too 」
「 People from other countries are coming too. There are neighboring countries that want to dig into the economic cooperation between Japan and Russia. People from any country can come in if it’s in the name of cultural exchange, like tonight 」
I see.
The prime minister of Japan, the big shots of Russia, people from other countries, and Jii-chan. People from the political and financial world of Japan will come.
If each of them has a bodyguard and a security firm, it can’t be helped that the stance of the bodyguards is strict.
「 The security is mostly done by Japan’s police but, won’t that show that Kouzuki security service doesn’t have significant influence? 」
Jii-chan’s coming so as his bodyguard, Kouzuki security service should be dispatched.
Shou-neechan’s heading towards Green Mountain Studio.
Chief Yazawa should be coming to give directions.
Jii-chan has his personal bodyguard, Ootoku-san, and Choumoto-san with him.
「 Thanks for the wait! 」
Nagisa comes back from the toilet with Mao-chan.
「 Okay, let’s go then 」
Nei stands up from the sofa.
「 This way. I’ve studied the hotel’s structure beforehand 」
As expected of Margo-san, she’s reliable at times like this.
「 Let’s go, Megu 」
I held my hand out to Megu.
「 Thanks, Yoshi-kun 」
She grabs my hand and stands up.
Edie comes running and grabs my other hand.
「 Ah, Edie-chan’s unfair! Mao wants to hold hands too! 」
Mao-chan follows angrily.
Edie grins then take Mao-chan’s hand.
「 I want Papa, not Edie-chan 」
Mao-chan’s still angry.
「 I don’t mind, take my side instead Mao-chan 」
Megu lets go of my hand and goes to Mana.
「 Thanks, Megu-oneechan! 」
In the end, Mao-chan and Edie take both my sides.
Megu and Mana hold hands.
「 Let’s go to the back of the first floor, everyone’s in the annex 」
Margo-san said.
The hotel has three buildings, Main building, annex building, and the new building.
The venue for tonight’s party is the main building.
We’re currently in the new building.
「 Why did we not take a room in the main building? 」
I told Margo-san my question.
All of the buildings are connected on the first and second floors only by a few corridors.
It’s easier to move if we’re in the same building.
「 It’s not that we didn’t but we can’t, I guess? 」
Margo-san smiles.
「 They’ll use the rooms in the main building for their confidential meetings, so I think that they’ve gained control of the rooms as the waiting room. Besides, perhaps, the people from Russia will stay in 」
Oh, their security is strict.
「 If we use the power of Kouzuki security service, then we can also pick Misuzu-chan’s waiting room in the main building, but we would gather attention from various people if we do 」
Is that so?
「 Well, there’s another reason 」
What?
「 Anyway, you’ll see when we get to the room 」
Margo-san laughs.
◇ ◇ ◇
We go from the lobby of the annex to the elevator to the upper floors.
We’re an organization, rich in international colors, and filled with pretty girls.
Just walking through the hotel gathers a lot of attention.
That’s enough to make an alibi.
「 Okay, we’re getting off here 」
We get off the elevator on the 12th floor.
「 Then, this way 」
There are hardly people on this corridor.
We walk in the corridor.
「 Hotels have a capacity per room, right? Is it okay to have these much adults in? 」
Megu asks.
「 It’s okay. There’s capacity on people staying in the hotel, but they won’t mind people dropping off, right? 」
Nei replies with a bright smile.
「 Yes, it’s this room 」
Margo-san stops.
Huh, it’s an average room.
Ah, they mentioned renting two rooms, so I guess it’s okay.
But, Margo-san, Nei, Mao-chan, Mana, Megu, Edie, and I will stay in here.
Then, Misuzu, Ruriko, Michi, Minaho-neesan, Katsuko-nee, and Agnes should be here.
Isn’t this a bit too narrow?
If Mao-chan, Agnes, and Edie run around to play, then…
Margo-san pushes the room’s doorbell.
Then.
Click.
The door of the room opens.
「 Norma-san? 」
I shouted unconsciously.
She’s Kudou-papa’s assistant together with Tony-san.
「 Noma! 」
Norma-san replied to me angrily.
Speaking of which, she’s actually a permanent employee of Kouzuki security service.
Kudou-papa said that they’re transferred, or training, I forgot.
She was working under chief Yazawa during our fight with Cesario Viola.
「 Come inside 」
Norma-san welcomes us while puffing angrily.
We enter the room.
It’s a standard hotel room where two beds are lined up.
It’s not that wide.
Instead of that.
Misuzu and others aren’t here.
「 Margo-san? 」
I look at Margo-san’s face.
「 Don’t mind it, wait for a second 」
Norma-san. Noma-san I mean picks up the phone.
Then.
「 They’ve arrived just now, yes. Certainly 」
She puts the phone down right away.
「 Which room? 」
Norma-san didn’t reply in words but instead wrote in a paper and showed it to Margo-san.
「 Roger that 」
「 Please tear this and throw it in the toilet 」
Norma-san said and smiled at Margo-san.
「 Well then, please use this room as the waiting room for Kouzuki security service until tomorrow morning. Seki-san told me 」
「 Yay! 」
Norma-san’s happy.
「 Let’s go now 」
Margo-san heads out of the room.
「 E-Excuse us! 」
I don’t get it, but for now, I bow my head to Norma-san and leave the room.
We head to the elevator again.
Margo-san pushed both the top and bottom buttons for some reason.
「 She’s the only one who knows my face and is also free right now 」
Margo-san mutters.
Norma-san stayed in front of our school from inside the car with Kudou-papa, she also knows information about us, Kuromori.
The elevator comes.
It’s an elevator heading up.
The door opens, and there were people on board.
「 Ah, sorry, we were going down 」
Margo-san tells the people inside.
The door closes.
The next elevator comes, it’s going down. There are no people.
「 Ah, don’t get in 」
Margo-san stops us from getting in.
We passed on that elevator, and she pressed the up and down buttons again.
An upwards elevator comes.
There’s nobody inside.
「 Okay, get in everyone 」
Margo-san commands, we get in.
「 It’s absurd at a glance, but they’d think of us as amateurs if we don’t do it like this 」
Margo-san said then pushed 5 buttons in the elevator.
Three above the floor and two below.
The elevator door closes, and it goes up.
It stopped at the first floor, we didn’t get off. No guest boarded in.
The door closed again, and the elevator goes up.
We stopped on the next button.
「 Okay, hurry up and get off 」
Margo-san urges us to hurry.
I try to hold the elevator doors so we can all get off quickly;
「 Don’t press it 」
She scolded me.
In the end, everyone jumped off the elevator.
「 If you do that, they can guess which floor we get off using the time the door was open, don’t you think? 」
Margo-san tells me.
Were they thinking that far
「 It’s pretty obvious to the guards of the hotel even if we do that. There are surveillance cameras after all 」
「 Hotel security and the police too 」
Nei adds.
It’s natural that the police receives information from the hotel.
「 But, well, it’s better than not doing anything 」
Nagisa said.
I think that’s right.
Even if it looks absurd, it’s better not to neglect efforts to be cautious.
This is for the sake of the family’s safety.
「 This way 」
Margo-san takes the lead when we walk in the corridor.
Then, at the corner, two men in black clothes stand, blocking the hallway.
I put my guard up.
「 Oh, they’re okay, let them through 」
I hear a strange voice from behind the men in black clothes.
That’s Jii-chan’s aide, the head of Kouzuki security service. Yazawa-san.
「 Thank you for coming all the way to meet us 」
Nagisa greets on our behalf.
She’s the eldest among us, and the two men see Margo-san as our bodyguard.
「 Ojou-sama and everyone’s waiting inside, please come this way 」
Chief Yazawa beckons us.
◇ ◇ ◇
「 We’ve been waiting, Danna-sama! 」
This time, we arrived in the room where Misuzu and others are.
Michi’s here too.
This room is so wide you can’t compare standard room we went in earlier.
Or should I say that there are no beds here, only desks, chairs, and sofa?
「 I’m sorry that it’s just a junior suite 」
Misuzu said.
「 Junior suite? 」
「 Yeah, usually, Ojou-sama should be using the best rooms but, in today’s situation, we have to endure with this 」
Chief Tanizawa said.
「 There’s a much better room than this? 」
I asked.
「 Let’s see, this is the fourth, or fifth best, I think 」
Is that so?
「 Well, we also have a junior suite on the other door. This is an adjoined room so you can come and go through that door over there. This is for family use. This suite’s capacity is for two people 」
If you rent two suite rooms, four people can stay together, is that it?
「 Where’s Katsuko-nee and Ruriko? 」
I asked.
「 They started preparations on the bedroom. Katsuko-oneesama’s with her 」
Misuzu replied.
「 Oh, Katsuko won’t be enough for preparations, well then, should I also help out with Misuzu-chan’s preparations? 」
Nagisa asks with a smile.
「 Thank you, Nagisa-oneesama 」
Misuzu smiles.
The door to the other room opens, and Minaho-neesan comes in.
「 Oh, you’re here already 」
「 Yeah, we’re here. Minaho-neesan, did you arrive earlier than time? 」
「 No, we just arrived 15 minutes ago. Shou-san and Kouzuki security service escorted us. The police also followed but, oh, Shou-san heads to the next scene 」
Green Mountain Studio.
「 Nobody will use this room so you can take a rest. If you want something, then you can call for room service 」
Minaho-neesan points at the junior suite next door.
「 Oh, I’ll tell the men in black outside. There’s another room in this floor which is used as my waiting room so the hotel guys can bring things there and our people will transfer it here 」
Chief Yazawa said.
Anyway, their security for Misuzu and Ruriko is solid.
「 These two junior suites are rented under the name of a company that has nothing to do with us at all. We’re Russians who arrived in Japan to attend today’s party 」
They’re even going that far.
「 If anything happens, don’t use your cellphones, use the hotel’s extension phone. The phones can only connect on the other room 」
So that’s why Norma-san called here via an extension phone.
She knows which room she has to call.
「 Then, let’s go over there! Megu-chan, take Agnes and Mao-chan 」
「! 」
Agnes looks at me.
She wants to say “come too, Papa” but she’s cautious of chief Yazawa.
To Agnes, there’s one outsider.
「 It looks like he needs to talk to Onii-chan so let’s go to where Onee-chan is for now. Okay? 」
Mana talks to Agnes.
「 Okay 」
Agnes holds Mana’s hand and goes to the next room.
「 Mao too, goes with Onee-chan. Be kind go Agnes-chan 」
「 Okay, Mama! 」
「 Megumi-chan, Nei-chan, I’ll leave them to you 」
Megu and Nei go with Mao-chan to the next room.
On the other hand, Edie sits down on the sofa calmly.
She feels that it’s natural for her to be here.
「 What about her? 」
Chief Yazawa looks at Edie.
「 She joined us in the end. She’s no harm. She doesn’t understand Japanese yet 」
Margo-san replied
.「 Oh what? Kyouko left her? 」
Chief Yazawa knows that Edie has moved with us during the fight with Cesario Viola.
「 Not really, She’s staying. That’s better for her 」
「 Why? 」
Chief Yazawa asks Margo-san.
「 Her preference is different from Kyouko-san and them 」
「 I see now. Then it’s inevitable 」
Chief Yazawa seems to know Kyouko-san for long too.
「 Now then, I will discuss what will happen tonight once more 」
The people remaining in the room are Misuzu, Minaho-neesan, Margo-san, Nagisa and me.
Chief Yazawa begins to talk with only Edie ignoring him.
「 To be honest, I was surprised when I received Seki’s report. 」
Chief Yazawa looked at me.
「 I don’t think I can praise that kind of plan however 」
He sighed.
「 I don’t want to do anything such as deceiving Kakka 」
「 You’re not deceiving him! It’s a surprise! 」
Misuzu tells chief Yazawa.
Jii-chan doesn’t know that Misuzu and Ruriko will appear in the party tonight.
Shou-neechan had a meeting with Chief Yazawa to discuss the surprise plan without reporting to Jii-chan.
「 You say that but, it’s my first time doing something I keep secret from Kakka 」
Chief Yazawa is a loyal subordinate of Jii-chan.
「 If so, it might better if Yazawa-san doesn’t know anything. Ruriko and I will take all the blame from Grandfather 」
Misuzu said.
「 No, wait, I’ll go too if he scolds you 」
I’m ready for it.
「 Anyway, we need to fix Jii-chan and Ruriko’s relationship. I’ll do anything to make that happen, I don’t mind if he gets angry later. I can take all the blame 」
Chief Yazawa.
「 I know that. Shigeaki-sama’s death has made Ruriko-sama and Kakka’s relationship sour. But, it’s not going to end well if this continues for longer 」
Oh, he doesn’t know Jii-chan’s illicit love for Ruriko.
Jii-chan feels that Ruriko is the shadow of his first love.
He’s in love with Ruriko as a man.
Therefore Ruriko was isolated away from her parents and was raised from where he could reach.
If Jii-chan was ten years younger, he might’ve done Ruriko.
But, Jii-chan’s old now and his body can’t have sex anymore.
So, for Jii-chan to break off his feelings for Ruriko;
He sold Ruriko to me.
He purposely made her my sex slave.
「 It’s troublesome if Kouzuki group’s main house continues their dispute. But more than that, I’m more worried about Kakka’s health 」
Jii-chan’s health.
「 Since you begin to take care of Ruriko-sama, Kakka’s losing energy day by day. He’s forcing himself to be like usual on official business, but I knew he feels lonely when alone. He immediately got bored with the former secretary too 」
Katsuko-nee trained Jii-chan’s former secretary because he lost Ruriko.
I knew it, that secretary wasn’t enough to fill the empty hole in Jii-chan’s heart.
「 The biggest problem is that Kakka’s mind isn’t clear. The shadow of his mind affects his body. Kakka’s already at old age 」
Jii-chan’s 82 this year.
「 How is Yoshiko-sama doing? 」
Misuzu asks
「 That’s also a big problem, Misuzu-sama 」
Chief Yazawa looks at Misuzu.
「 Since Kakka has publicly announced Yoshiko-sama as his granddaughter, more people are trying to get closer to Yoshiko-sama 」
Those aiming to become successors of Kouzuki house.
「 Lately, a lot feels that Ruriko-sama’s kept away from Kakka 」
Did they misunderstand that Ruriko’s father’s death lost her right to succession?
「 Besides, Misuzu-sama has publicly announced her partner to the executives 」
Misuzu declared in front of the executives and their children that I’m her partner.
Jii-chan also acknowledged it.
In that case.
「 A lot of people have come to Kakka, offering to marry their child and relatives to Yoshiko-sama 」
Those aiming to connect their lineage to Kouzuki house’s branch family head to Yoshiko-san right away.
「 Yoshiko-sama’s very mature. Is she in trouble? 」
Misuzu asks worriedly.
「 Yes. She’s by Kakka’s side, taking care of him but, even for Kakka, he makes sure to have Yoshiko-sama with him ever since she was introduced as his granddaughter 」
Of course, even in today’s party, Jii-chan will bring Yoshiko-san.
「 However, Yoshiko-sama has always been hiding behind Ruriko-sama. It must be excruciating for her to be by Kakka’s side and gather all of the attention 」
Yeah, Misuzu and Ruriko were born and raised as the daughters of Kouzuki house.
Therefore, they’re ready, they’re mentally strong.
No matter where they go, they can keep their behavior as the lady of the house.
But, Yoshiko-san.
She’s always hidden behind Ruriko, working as an attendant.
She’s not trained to have the mentality of a daughter of Kouzuki house.
Instead, she has the humble attitude as a vassal.
「 I knew it, I think that Ruriko and I should be with her 」
Misuzu said.
「 I think it’s painful for Yoshiko-sama to stay with Grandfather alone 」
Even in today’s party, a lot of guests will come and greet Jii-chan.
I think it’s painful for Yoshiko-san to respond to them as the daughter of Kouzuki house.
Jii-chan won’t be able to support her that much either.
In the first place, Jii-chan himself is damaging Ruriko’s heart.
「 Therefore, I’d like to consult Yazawa-san about this now 」
Minaho-neesan speaks.
「 I think it’s better if we hasten your original surprise plan 」
「 You’re right. Yoshiko-sama will be bearing the full brunt once the party begins 」
Misuzu replied.
「 For now, on our side, the plan was to have Kakka arrive barely on time with the party’s start. Kakka hates going to the venue early and meeting all of the people greeting him, so he accepted the schedule I made 」
Jii-chan and Yoshiko-san will arrive at the party venue at the last moment.
At the same time, they arrive;
Misuzu and Ruriko need to start their actions too.