Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

Maki who had left the banquet hall and entered the lounge, had already switched on the satellite phone inside.

"Mikado, Aunt was more lenient than I expected."

…It's more or less as I predicted from the beginning. Even if Kaguya accepted the authority of the Shinomiya family, at her core, she's fundamentally different from the family itself.

"Well, didn't I say that a long time ago? But Dad and Mom insisted it still needed to be tested."

This same conclusion had already occurred to Maki herself, but her words had failed to convince their parents.

Of course, it wasn't just her opinion that failed to convince them, even the Mikado's words hadn't changed their minds.

No matter what, they needed to confirm with absolute certainty whether the traditional Shinomiya family was truly dead.

Right now, the Shinomiya family had completely knelt under the Sanzenin name. Completely overthrowing them had become unrealistic.

The Shijo family didn't have the strength to contend with Sanzenin.

Still, what they could accept—barely—was the fact that Kaguya had taken control of the family, and with Sanzenin's support, had completed a total internal purge.

Everyone knew that Kaguya and Oko were different.

One was a daughter treated as a disposable pawn. The other, the eldest son, ruled the family with an iron grip.

But once outside power intervened, that structure collapsed.

The pawn-like daughter inherited the family. The so-called rightful heir was banished into obscurity, stripped of all authority.

Two months of fallout had let most outsiders, especially the Shijo family, catch wind of what had really gone down inside the Shinomiya house—especially since they had planted spies long ago.

Was this not a good thing? For the Shijo family, it was complicated.

They all knew Kaguya's succession was different from Oko's. But that distinction needed firmer confirmation.

"But the test Dad and Mom chose is too risky. It's practically a curse meant to provoke Aunt. No wonder she's so pissed."

Maki could also understand why Kaguya would be bitter toward the Shijo family.

After all, her aunt had only jailed the people bribed by the Shijo family. She hadn't even moved directly against the family. That restraint had already shown where she stood.

But even with that, the Shijo family had kept trying to infiltrate the Shinomiya clan. Such blatant provocation… Even to Maki, it seemed absurd. In her view, her aunt had already shown remarkable composure.

Because speculation alone wasn't enough, both Dad and Mom insisted they needed to see Kaguya's choice with their own eyes.

It wasn't just her parents. The entire Shijo family needed that assurance.

Too many of them still feared that the Shinomiya family's power transition had been a façade. It wasn't that their thinking was too complex—rather, they had simply been tormented too long by Oko.

"I know."

Maki understood the pain everyone carried. That's why she had agreed to test her aunt.

At least between her and her aunt, there wasn't any deep resentment. Maybe because they were close in age, her aunt would go easier on her.

"But we should have our answer now, right?"

"And I don't think this shift in power is just for show. All the upper-level positions have been replaced by Hayasaka family members. That's not a reshuffle. That's practically the Shinomiya family being wiped out."

"Do you think the Shinomiyas gave up their positions willingly?"

"Absolutely not," replied Mikado without hesitation.

The arrogance and pride of the Shinomiya name made each of them cling desperately to their status. There was no way they'd just roll over for the sake of appearances.

Besides, once they were ousted, no Shinomiya would remain in power. It would be entirely replaced by the Hayasaka family.

That was something Oko would never tolerate. Only Kaguya could make that happen.

She trusted Hayasaka, and she also trusted Hayasaka's parents. That's why she willingly transferred so much authority into their hands.

Oko had always been wary of the Hayasaka family, which is why he had planted Hayasaka Ai as a wedge between himself and Kaguya.

That act had nearly shattered their relationship entirely. In fact, it was exactly the result Oko hoped for.

But fate is unpredictable.

Kaguya, who despised betrayal more than anyone, ultimately accepted Hayasaka Ai. After taking power, she allowed the entire Hayasaka family to benefit enormously—going so far as to demolish a faction that had once lorded over them.

Even if this had all been theater, only Kaguya could have pulled it off.

This much, at least, had become undeniably clear.

Maki figured that her parents should be able to accept the truth now. At the very least, the old traditions of the Shinomiya family had been dismantled—by Kaguya.

"Yeah. I think Auntie won't let the people who once looked down on her keep acting like she's beneath them."

At this moment, Maki understood her aunt's feelings perfectly. She had witnessed too many instances of the Shinomiyas belittling the Shijos.

"But the cost of this test was steep. I feel like Auntie really wanted to teach our family a hard lesson."

Well, maybe she thought we weren't getting the message, so she decided to break our bones until we understood. Still, it might not be such a bad thing. If Kaguya did that, Dad and Mom would finally believe it.

Especially considering Kaguya could've been more ruthless. The fact she wasn't… might just be the most convincing argument.

Listening to her brother's analysis, Maki let herself collapse onto the bed.

"So where did Dad and Mom's masochistic personalities come from? Are they really so emotionally scarred from dealing with the Shinomiya family?"

Hahaha… maybe. They're hypersensitive when it comes to this topic. You could also say the resentment of the previous generation runs too deep. It's imprinted in them.

Honestly, if the Shijo family hadn't run out of ways to oppose Sanzenin, they might've even gone after them next.

What a joke.

Even Maki couldn't bring herself to laugh.

(To be continued.)