Stray dog.
Madwoman.
This was the sole value, in this old man's eyes, of her gritting her teeth and persevering for ten years.
Worthless.
Even laughable to the extreme.
"Rentaro he... he isn't that kind of person..."
Now, even pushed to this point, Tendou Kisara's voice still trembled.
—A struggle where reason told her what the other said was true, but emotion desperately wanted to deny it.
After all.
—He was her sole emotional pillar in the ten years since losing her parents.
However.
This man who had held power for decades understood the character of his granddaughter's family all too well.
On the surface, she appeared like an unsheathed demon blade of vengeance, incredibly sharp, lethal upon drawing blood, as if she could sever all bonds for revenge.
But in reality?
Deep down, each of them still clung to that bit of laughable naivety, still craved that bit of hypocritical warmth.
—Satomi Rentaro.
Was the final vessel for this weakness of hers.
As long as this vessel was shattered.
Her blade would be rendered useless.
Thus.
Tendou Kikunojo coldly interrupted Tendou Kisara's train of thought.
"Whether he is that kind of person, you already have the answer in your heart, don't you?"
Tendou Kikunojo gave Tendou Kisara no chance to catch her breath.
Leaning on his cane, he took a step forward, staring down at Tendou Kisara's eyes, which had already begun to waver and lose focus, and continued:
"Think carefully!"
"These past ten years!"
"Every time you wanted revenge!"
"Every time you found a clue and wanted to pursue the truth!"
"What did he do?"
Tendou Kikunojo's voice wasn't loud, but it fell like a heavy hammer, blow after blow, upon Tendou Kisara's heart.
"Didn't he always urge you to let go!"
"Didn't he always tell you that vengeance begets vengeance!"
"Didn't he always look at you with those pitying eyes, as if you were a misbehaving child, and he a saint tolerating your willfulness!"
"Why!"
"Because he, too, has a guilty conscience!"
"Because he knows better than anyone that once the truth comes out, once you find out what he did back then, that he was also an accomplice in the death of your parents—"
"You won't just hate the Tendou Family."
"You'll hate him too!"
Boom—
Now.
With Tendou Kikunojo saying this.
Scenes from the past ten years, those moments she had deliberately ignored or explained away with "Rentaro is doing it for my own good," flashed frantically through Tendou Kisara's mind like a revolving lantern.
No wonder.
No wonder whenever she brought up revenge, Satomi Rentaro would always frown with a pained expression, as if she were doing something atrocious.
—"Sister Kisara, let it go."
—"That will only lead you into deeper darkness; I don't want to see you become like that."
—"More than revenge, I want you to live well, like an ordinary girl."
—"Your parents' spirits in heaven certainly wouldn't want to see you like this either."
Recalling those words now.
Every single word felt like a blade dipped in poison.
Why was Satomi Rentaro so secretive about the details of that night ten years ago?
Why was Satomi Rentaro, despite being a victim who also lost limbs, always so resistant to seeking revenge against the Tendou Family, even constantly urging her to reconcile?
Why did Satomi Rentaro always carry a strange sense of guilt, as if he owed them something, whenever he faced the members of the Tendou Family?
So that's how it is.
So that's how it is!
It turns out everyone is the same!
It's all calculated!
It's all filthy!
In this world, there has never been a distinction between black and white! There is no such thing as justice or evil!
There are only those who eat people!
And those who are eaten!
...
It had to be said.
This old fox's methods of manipulating people's hearts could truly be called masterful.
A psychological game played to perfection.
With just a few words, he had completely shattered the psychological defenses of the originally murderous and vengeful Tendou Kisara.
Not only was he killing the heart.
He even stripped away Satomi Rentaro's protagonist halo, who was likely at home eating a bento and completely oblivious to everything.
This was getting interesting.
Although as a transmigrator who had read the script thoroughly, Heimer knew clearly in his heart.
Tendou Kikunojo's words were seven parts lie and three parts truth.
Satomi Rentaro's personality might indeed be somewhat indecisive, even to the point where some of his actions could make one's blood pressure skyrocket, but as for the matter of him risking his life to save Kisara ten years ago when he was six—that was most likely out of some self-sacrificing heroic complex, and definitely not as dark and sordid as this old thing described.
But...
Does that matter?
To the current Tendou Kisara, it didn't matter at all anymore.
What mattered was that the logic had come full circle.
This was the dark side of the human heart.
Once you accept this premise, all previous beautiful memories turn into nauseating calculations.
Tendou Kikunojo's goal had been achieved.
After accepting the premise of a calculated Tendou Family.
Under this already twisted worldview, "exchange of interests" sounded far more realistic and believable than "pure kindness."
Not only that.
Next.
Looking at Tendou Kisara, whose hand holding the blade had begun to tremble violently and whose fire of revenge in her eyes was gradually dying out.
Tendou Kikunojo instead wore a look of composure.
It could even be said that with a martyr-like tragic bravery, he slowly spread his arms, actively welcoming the blade toward his chest.
"Alright."
"Old stories, there's no point in saying more."
"Since you've decided that this old man is the culprit, then do it!"
"Kill me!"
"Kisara!"
"Come on!"
"But—!"
Tendou Kikunojo suddenly changed his tone, his voice becoming even colder.
"Before your blade pierces through, you'd better think clearly!"
"Though I am but a piece of rotten wood, as long as these old bones sit in this position for one more day, as long as I haven't drawn my last breath, the sky of the Tokyo Area will not collapse!"
"But if I die!"
Hmph.
Tendou Kikunojo gave a cold snort.
"You should know!"
"Among the high-level officials in the military, political, and business sectors of the Tokyo Area, which position doesn't have my people planted?"
"If I die suddenly tonight!"
"Those conflicts that I forcibly suppressed with my prestige and methods, those beasts locked in cages, will spiral completely out of control overnight!"
"The heavy industry groups in Osaka have long been salivating over the Tokyo market, and the warlords in Hakata are watching like tigers, itching to pounce and bite off a piece of meat!"
"What is it that allows our Tokyo Area to stand firm in this wasteland of chaos surrounded by wolves, and still maintain this decent prosperity?"
"Is it the world's highest production of Varanium?"
"No!"
"It is this delicate balance of power that I have built single-handedly over the decades, dancing on the edge of a blade!"
"With only resources!"
"And no status!"
"The Tokyo Area would have been gone long ago!"
"It was I who saved all of this!"
"Now, as long as I die!"
"The balance of power will collapse instantly!"
"The suppressed factional struggles will erupt completely!"
"The military, the financial cliques, the Civil Security Organizations... those guys who usually act all dignified will tear this city to shreds like mad dogs to fight for the power vacuum left after my death!"
"We won't even have to wait for the Monoliths to fail and the Gastrea to invade a year from now!"
"Even if it's just for one night!"
"The Tokyo Area will fall into civil war on its own! Gunfire will echo through every block! Flames will consume every building!"
"Lives will be devastated! Blood will flow like a river!"
"At that time..."
Tendou Kikunojo stared intently into Tendou Kisara's eyes, which had begun to waver, speaking word by word, each one piercing the heart.
"The entire Tokyo Area! These millions of innocent citizens! They will all be buried with me!"
"Your revenge!"
"Will drag down the lives of this whole city as a sacrifice for me!"
"So come on!"
"For your own selfish desires! For your ridiculous hatred!"
"Do it!"
"Let millions of people in the Tokyo Area rush to the Yellow Springs with me!!!"
...
Dead silence.
The entire conference room fell into a suffocating silence.
Even the sound of a needle dropping on the floor would probably be heard clearly right now.
It had to be said.
Shrewd.
Truly too shrewd.
As expected of a politician who had spent most of his life struggling in the politics of this apocalyptic world.
Heimer narrowed his eyes slightly, observing with great interest this old man who could still reverse the situation even when death was imminent.
Even though the tip of the blade was already pressed against his heart.
Tendou Kikunojo was still able to turn the situation around, placing himself on the moral high ground, using righteousness and the common people as a shield to force Tendou Kisara into a desperate dilemma.
What a psychological quality a villainous BOSS should have.
A politician full of high-sounding rhetoric but actually selfish to the core is truly troublesome and disgusting.
"..."
And.
As it turned out, this trick really worked.
Faced with Tendou Kikunojo's remarks.
The Seitenshi and the other ministers, who were already terrified by Tendo Wako's tragic death, all changed their expressions, turning pale.
Especially the Seitenshi.
Right now, she looked as if her worldview had collapsed, covering her mouth with her eyes wide open.
She never expected that her loyal, steady, and hardworking perfect advisor could be so calculating to this extent.
Even daring to take the lives of the entire Tokyo Area as hostages for blackmail.
But.
Tendou Kikunojo obviously didn't care about these things anymore.
Since the fig leaf had been forcibly torn off, and even the Tendou Family's unspeakable dealings had been exposed to the sunlight.
Then he might as well stop pretending.
As long as that ultimate goal could be achieved—
—preserving the Tendou Family.
Even if he were to lose his reputation at this final moment, even if he had to bear infamy for ten thousand generations.
To this old man who had already carved the interests of the family into his very marrow, none of it mattered!
Furthermore...
As the administrators of this region, the other ministers present were equally clear on the weight of Tendou Kikunojo's words.
This was no alarmist talk.
If Tendou Kikunojo truly died a sudden, violent death,
then the entire Tokyo Area would absolutely be like a high-speed train that suddenly lost its driver, derailing, overturning, and exploding in an instant!
"..."
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