Chapter 27 – Family Council

That summer, my great-grandfather Souichirou caught a summer cold that worsened, and he ended up needing penicillin.
I was first told he had a cold when he stopped coming to meals, and I didn’t hear about the rest until more than a week had passed since he fell ill.

The pneumonia was mild and caught in the early stages, but just thinking about what could have happened without the penicillin sent a chill down my spine.
If this world had followed the game scenario, my great-grandfather might have passed away far too soon.

If he had passed away so early, it would’ve been no surprise for the Ootori family’s political influence to weaken.

On top of that, the Ootori conglomerate is set to take a major blow in March of year 27.

Thanks to my “Dreaming Miko” previous actions, a massive investment had been made in American stocks, so a complete collapse of the Ootori conglomerate was unlikely.
But even with that, it would certainly have been a struggle if my great-grandfather was not there at that time.

However, there was still more than a year and a half until the spring of year 27.

And it wasn’t just me who thought that.

I was summoned by my great-grandfather, who was recuperating at home in the detached building, around the time when the cicadas began to sing their more melancholic late-summer songs, signaling the end of the season.

“This is Reiko.”

“Come in.”

With the usual exchange, I opened the shoji of the living room in the detached house my great-grandfather used.

Tokita, who had come with me and was now my butler, slid the door open—but he had also been summoned along with me.

The key members of the family who had been called, just like me, were already gathered.

Aside from my great-grandfather Souichirou, there was my grandfather Kiichirou; my grand-uncle by marriage, Zenkichi, who was acting head of the conglomerate; his wife Keiko, who was of the main family bloodline; and Torasaburou, the grand-uncle who rarely came near the estate.

Then there were my uncles Genji and Ryuya.
And since I was treated as my grandfather’s daughter, I was on equal standing with them. 

Anyone beyond that was not called due to being too distantly related by blood.

That’s why no one from the Kou family, who were entrusted with the hospitals and schools as part of a branch family, was present.
And as for the further-removed branches, unless someone was exceptionally talented, they typically wouldn’t be summoned. 

Apparently, no such outstanding individuals existed at the moment.

Outside the main family, the only ones present were my butler Tokita and my great-grandfather’s butler.
There were plenty of other butlers and secretaries, but they were waiting in another room.

That said, the room wasn’t very spacious, so if there had been any more people, it probably would’ve felt quite cramped.

And when I entered last, all eyes turned to me.
Especially from relatives who didn’t usually interact with me—I could feel them looking at me as if I were something strange.

(Of course they would. A five-year-old joining a family and zaibatsu council? Who wouldn’t wonder what face I think I have showing up here? Honestly, I agree with them.)

Since the incident at Toranomon, I had met and talked with my great-grandfather and grandfather in secret a few times, so part of me wondered if they could’ve at least kept this low-key too.

But I came to understand that this was, in a way, a formal introduction of me.

That must be why my seat was placed quite close to my great-grandfather.

And just behind me stood Tokita, who until last year had been standing behind my great-grandfather.
Because of that, there were some people shooting me with especially harsh looks.

Namely, Great-Aunt Keiko and Uncle Genji.

But since neither the former head of the family, Great-Grandfather Souichirou, nor the current head, Kiichirou, said anything, they had no choice but to accept it.
This was a strict matter among the family.

As for Zenkichi, the acting head of the conglomerate, being a son-in-law, he didn’t have the courage—or even the standing—to say anything.

(That said, if Ryuujirou, the former conglomerate head, and my father Kiichi were still alive, I’d probably be living a spoiled and carefree life right now… No, if I believe what the original owner of this body said—that Kiichi’s death was the trigger for my summoning—then I guess this all started before that… Fate is cruel like that.)

I avoided making eye contact with anyone and tried to act as childlike as possible while waiting for the conversation to begin.

If I were to say or do anything, it would only be in response to something my great-grandfather or grandfather said to me.

With that in mind, I looked toward my great-grandfather—and for just a moment, our eyes met.

And in the next moment, my great-grandfather finally opened his mouth.

“Now then, the reason I’ve gathered you all here today is none other than to discuss the future direction of the Ootori family and the Ootori conglomerate. Haga.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Haga—the man addressed, who served as my great-grandfather’s secretary and butler—as he spread out a single large sheet of paper in the center of where everyone was seated. 

On it was a graph of the recent movements of the U.S. Dow Index.

Next to it were what seemed to be pages containing more detailed numbers and data.

(Ohh, it’s going up, going up. Right now it’s around 120 to 130 dollars. By next spring, it’ll be at about 150 to 160, I think.)

The line graph showed a sharp upward trend beginning around the start of 1925, rising steadily toward the first peak in the rapid growth that would continue until the autumn of 1929.

But aside from me and my Great-Grandfather, only a few others knew what next spring’s market would look like.

(If stock prices are holding this steady, then I guess both the American and global economies must be relatively stable.)

As I was thinking that, another sheet was presented.

This time, it was a “future projection” of the Dow Index, from this summer through to the beginning of next year.

Of course, it was a copy of the chart I had drawn and shown earlier.

“Sir, what is this?” someone asked.

“It’s a glimpse of the future—something only Reiko knows,” Great-Grandfather replied.

At those words, the people who were unaware that I was the “Dreaming Miko” reacted strongly.

The only one who didn’t seem too concerned was my great-uncle, Torasaburo, who loved machines.

After waiting for the reactions to subside, my great-grandfather resumed speaking.

“Reiko, just like my mother Rin, is a ‘Dreaming Miko.’ It was thanks to Reiko’s dream that, two years ago, Ryuya was able to prevent the crisis involving His Imperial Highness the Regent. And the success with the American stocks at present is also due to her.”

The talk about the “Dreaming Miko” caused even greater reactions from those hearing it for the first time.

“No way!”, “Is it true?”, “So that’s what it means…”, “I can’t believe it,” they murmured.

The only one not reacting was Haga, my great-grandfather’s butler.
Though, it’s unclear whether that was due to his training as a butler or if he had been briefed beforehand.

Once the reactions from those who didn’t know me calmed down, my great-grandfather continued.

“Eventually, rumors will spread, but Reiko’s identity as the ‘Dreaming Miko’ must not be spoken of. It’s fine to drop hints, but those who speak of it should be prepared for the consequences. Also, Kouryu of the Kou family knows about it. The new medicine he developed was also created from Reiko’s dream.”

At that point, someone raised their hand slightly.

Surprisingly, it was Zenkichi who spoke up.
He looked at my great-grandfather for a nod before opening his mouth.

“Um, I don’t quite understand what this ‘Dreaming Miko’ is. Is it something like a fortune teller or a prophet?”

“You see the future in your dreams. Both I and Kiichirou have heard this from the person herself. Is that right, Reiko?”

I was suddenly thrown into the conversation.
However, I had somewhat steeled myself for this moment, so I straightened my posture to appear as mature as possible and to control my expression.

“Yes. I sometimes see scenes of the future in my dreams. Many of them. But it’s only the larger events that might happen from a certain point in time onwards.”

“Then… What about the great earthquake from two years ago?”

At Zenkichi’s question, I shook my head.

“At that time, I was just a small child. In fact, it was after that earthquake that I began to have dreams about the future.”

“I… I see. So, what will happen to the Ootori family and the conglomerate from now on?”

His voice was quite desperate, as if he wanted to cling to something.

I could tell that the Ootori conglomerate was in a very precarious situation.

(With the economy so bad, it’s no wonder he’d want to cling to something.)

I watched Zenkichi’s desperate expression with an oddly detached feeling.

However, this exchange triggered a reaction from others.

“Hmph! Do you really think a little girl like Reiko can do something about that?”

The first to speak next was Zenkichi’s wife, Keiko.
I’ve heard that she dominates him since he’s a son-in-law, but it seems that only Zenkichi can be controlled by her large presence. 

The other members of the family don’t seem to be intimidated by Keiko’s forceful demeanor.

As a representative, my grandfather and father, Kiichirou, opened his mouth.

“Age doesn’t matter. Reiko is a prodigy, just like Ryuya. In fact, Reiko has conversations as equals with that Kouryu about specialized knowledge. Well, I didn’t believe it until I actually saw it myself.”

At Kiichirou’s somewhat lighter words, Keiko seemed to lose some of her sharpness and settled back into her seat.

“If Kiichirou says so, it must be true. Then, you should be able to answer Zenkichi now, right?”

“Uh…”

As I was about to speak, my great-grandfather silenced me with a gesture.
He then spoke.

“Both Kiichirou and I have already heard it. And now, we will discuss the future course of action. First of all, Kiichirou, I and Ryuya, who were involved in the Toranomon incident, were told about it by Reiko at the end of Taisho Year 12. That’s why we succeeded in the stock market. Tokita.”

At my great-grandfather’s words, Tokita stood up and moved a few steps forward, taking the empty seat next to me.

Now, it was time to get to the main topic.