Another wave of surprise rippled across the classroom. No doubt the question on everyone’s mind was, Rikka is volunteering to become a horse?
On a kibasen team, three people were horses while one acted as the rider on top. I was the villainess; there was no way I’d be a horse. But a Sakurazaka riding on top of a horse named Yukishiro? That was problematic in its own way.
Unless she was preparing to fight me for the role of rider? Whichever way, I had a bad feeling about this.
“Ms. Rikka. You wish to join my team?” I questioned, hoping to insinuate that if she were to join, I wouldn’t be giving up my position.
She just smiled at me. “Is there a problem?”
Yes. Many problems. But glancing at the grumpy Nonoka, I realized that if I were to decline Rikka, Nonoka would volunteer herself right after.
Ahhh, darn it!
“No. No problem at all,” I said. “Welcome to the team, Ms. Rikka.”
Riku observed our exchange with a mixture of disbelief and mild amusement before he announced, “Well, that settles that,” and wrote our names on the blackboard. Nonoka next to him had her cheeks puffed out in displeasure.
Very cute, Nonoka, but why have you taken so much of a liking to me? I’m serious. Like why?
“Are there any other volunteers for the kibasen?” Riku broadcasted as he turned back to the class.
Nonoka, right? She was supposed to participate as well. But she looked so depressed about not teaming with me that she didn’t even seem to realize what was happening.
“None? Then we’ll draw the remainder by lots.”
Oh, fine! I guess I have to do something here, don’t I?
“Nonoka? I thought you said you wanted to participate?” I shot at her.
“I do!” she replied near-instantaneously. She then asked some of her friends if they wanted to team with her. They caved to her charm in short order and that was another team settled.
Phew. At least with that, I’ve avoided the worst-case scenario of the heroine participating in an event she wasn’t supposed to.
And no, Shannon, it couldn’t be helped, so would you please stop looking at me as if I’ve done something completely uncalled for?
Heaving a sigh, I sat up straight in my chair.
Thinking on it, I’d made the faculty swear secrecy on the matter of my intervention, so how did Rikka find out? A silly question, after all, as Yukishiro was far more powerful than Sakurazaka. Whatever we could do, they could do better. Was this their way of entrapping me or helping me? The latter, if I had to guess. In that case, this outcome was perhaps an inevitability.
Lost in my thoughts, I hardly noticed it was break time. As soon as the bell rang, I noticed Rikka approaching. “Ms. Mio, do you have a moment? I’d like to discuss our approach at the upcoming Sports Day.”
“Of course,” I replied with a nod.
She went on to declare suddenly and unequivocally that she intended to be a horse. Her entourage erupted in protest, but Rikka silenced them, explaining that it was only appropriate because she had volunteered to join my team.
Thank goodness. That was one potential headache pre-empted, I thought when Rikka said, “While I have you, Ms. Mio.”
Oh. Of course, that wasn’t the heart of the matter. Here we go.
“I was wondering if you knew whether Ms. Shizuki will be in attendance at the financial gala coming up in a few days?”
“She’s studying abroad. I doubt she’ll be able to make it,” I conveyed. “I could confirm with her if you wish?”
“No, no, that’s quite all right. I just had a few questions for her, but perhaps you may be able to help me out instead?”
Despite my feigned indifference, Rikka hung on, clearly unwilling to let the matter go. I got the feeling she was probing me for information. I was an outsider who’d studied up on the bare necessities to become the villainess. There were many holes in my knowledge, and I could only hope she wasn’t trying to find one of them.
Concealing my wariness behind a polite smile, I asked, “Yes, what is it?”
“As I’m sure you know, the Yukishiro, Tsukinomiya, and Sakurazaka families are known as ‘the big three’ Japanese zaibatsus. I needn’t explain why that is, correct?”
“I’m familiar, yes.” These zaibatsus were considered the big three because of their immense assets and the significant gap between them and the fourth-largest zaibatsu. Each of the big three had total assets in the hundreds of trillions of yen, with only a fluctuating difference of a few tens of trillions between them. However, the gap between the third and fourth largest zaibatsu was much more substantial, spanning orders of magnitude.
What if the Japanese zaibatsus had never been dissolved? This was the premise of the otome game this world was based on. It was a seemingly minor change, yet one that resulted in major differences down the line. However, this knowledge, including the looming financial crisis, was information that Rikka and I, ordinary denizens of this world, should not have been privy to. So, why was Rikka bringing up the zaibatsus now? I looked at her for clarification.
“You’re aware that Ms. Shizuki has significant holdings overseas?” she pressed.
“Of course,” I answered after a pause. This was a lie. I had no idea she had holdings overseas. It did sound familiar; perhaps this was one of those things Shizuki had mentioned in passing.
“Previously at a New Year’s party, Ms. Shizuki had mentioned these overseas companies of hers were a small side project and nothing more—something she started with her allowance money.” Her eyes bore into mine, clearly trying to see if I would react to this information at all. Sorry, honey, I have no idea what Shizuki is doing behind the scenes, so you won’t be getting anything from me.
“If that’s what she said, then who am I to question it?” I asked. “Though, if it’s her usage of the word ‘allowance’ you’re hung up on, I wouldn’t be.”
Shizuki knew the future. Forget millions—with that kind of foresight, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was getting a return of tens of millions, hundreds of millions, from her “allowance” alone.
Yeah, I might have found all this surprising a few months ago, but not now.
“You never cease to impress me, Ms. Mio,” Rikka observed.
I fluttered my eyelashes in confusion. “Excuse me?”
She flashed me an awkward smile. “Say, do you happen to know the name Akizuki?”
“Of course,” I replied instantly. This was something I actually did know. The Akizuki family was the aforementioned fourth-largest zaibatsu, the ones traditionally excluded from public discourse due to the significant wealth gap between them and the Sakurazakas in third. My tutors had explained that despite this disparity, the Akizukis liked to claim they were part of a “big four,” though no one else recognized this. “Did you have something to share concerning those pretenders?”
“The word is they’ve been aggressively chasing mergers and acquisitions by way of marriage. Some might say they’re attempting to upset the status quo.”
I understood Rikka’s warning right away. Though the gap between third and fourth couldn’t be surmounted by four alone, perhaps four plus five certainly could. It was a prudent warning—if Shizuki hadn’t possessed knowledge of the future. If this had been something for me to worry about, it would’ve come up much earlier. “I’ll take that to heart, thank you,” I acknowledged, flashing her a noncommittal smile.
Rikka’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed knowingly. “But yes. It’s of no concern at all—not compared to what Ms. Shizuki has in the works.”
I… Hm?
Don’t tell me Shizuki isn’t just stockpiling hundreds of millions but…billions?