Does human civilization actually have a hidden side even I don’t know about?
With that thought in mind, Shinomiya Gan’an swallowed the unknown pill.
He was one of the most powerful people in Japan.
From the perspective of capital, he could even be said to be one of the tiny handful of people standing at the very top of humanity’s pyramid.
There was no way he would not know the truth of this world.
No matter how secret a hidden side was, as long as it existed, it would inevitably leave traces.
Even if it did not interfere with the “surface,” over the long course of history, it would certainly have interacted with human governments.
Eventually, it would be organized into intelligence that only a very small number of people could access.
But in his common sense, there was no such thing as a hidden side to the world.
The legendary gods, immortals, demons, ghosts, and all supernatural elements, when analyzed through science, were either the wondrous works of nature or deliberate fraud by people with intentions.
The world was material.
And yet…
What was the young man in front of him?
What exactly was that method that seemed like spatial teleportation?
Shinomiya Gan’an had no time to think deeply.
The drastic change inside his body had already seized all his attention.
“Huu…”
The man who had been bedridden for a long time regained life and color in his face, which had been aged by illness and suffering.
From weak and gravely ill to healthy and energetic.
The entire process took less than ten minutes.
“How do you feel?”
Shinomiya Gan’an was looking in the mirror.
To his surprise, he seemed to have become several years younger.
Hearing the young man’s smiling question beside him, he could not suppress the excitement in his heart.
“Unbelievable… May I ask, do you still have that medicine?”
Only those who had suffered a serious illness could truly understand the value of health.
“You don’t need to use it again.”
“What do you mean?”
“After taking it once, you will never fall ill again.”
Seeing Shinomiya Gan’an’s flickering eyes, Makoto suddenly sighed.
“But my medicine does not seem to cure suspicion.”
“Since you think I am deceiving you, you can find scientists to research and replicate it yourself.”
After having his thoughts exposed, Shinomiya Gan’an’s heart shook.
Makoto looked at him and narrowed his eyes with a smile.
Yet that smile somehow carried an indescribable coldness.
“Why don’t you simply think that I am a complete fraud?”
Shinomiya Gan’an hurriedly defended himself.
“I would never dare think that!”
“You’ve already put your mind to figuring out how to fool me.”
Makoto’s voice turned colder.
“Even now, you still have no sense of hierarchy.”
“And you dare say you do not have such thoughts?”
“Tell me, what exactly do you mean by ‘find someone to investigate the existence of other supernatural beings’?”
Shinomiya Gan’an’s expression completely changed.
He froze there like a block of stone.
Suddenly, he noticed a detail.
When Makoto spoke to him, his mouth did not move.
The other party’s voice seemed to ring directly inside his heart.
“I told you, from now on, your life and death are in a single thought of mine.”
“Whether it is reading your thoughts or communicating through the mind, both are methods I use to control you.”
“It seems you did not believe me.”
Noticing Makoto’s gaze gradually sharpening, Shinomiya Gan’an suddenly felt as if something had stabbed deep into his soul.
He could no longer maintain his calm.
With a thud, he knelt down.
When he replied, he was actually stammering.
“I-I did not mean that…”
“Shinomiya Gan’an, how should you refer to yourself?”
“This… this subordinate was foolish…”
When Makoto plucked the line that determined Shinomiya Gan’an’s death, whether the helmsman of the Shinomiya Zaibatsu was foolish or fully aware in his heart was something perhaps even he himself did not know.
Because in that instant…
He clearly felt the shadow of death.
If he dared show disrespect again, he would truly die.
And this lord, with his unpredictable smiling-tiger appearance, made Shinomiya Gan’an deeply realize something.
This was a person who could do absolutely anything.
Or rather, he was an inhuman being completely beyond common sense.
The fear that seeped deep into his bones quickly diluted the ecstasy of regaining his life.
After realizing this, he lowered his head respectfully.
He wanted to say something, but did not dare speak.
“A servant should look like a servant.”
Makoto looked down at him.
“But you do not count as a servant. You are my subordinate, because you are a capable person.”
“This subordinate is deeply ashamed.”
“There is no need to be afraid.”
Makoto read Shinomiya Gan’an’s worries and returned to his calm smile.
“And there is no need to worry that I will do anything to the Shinomiya family.”
“As for my goal? It is very simple.”
“Even immortals need to eat.”
“It is already the twenty-first century. No matter how detached from the world an outsider may be, living on wind and dew forever would just be looking for suffering.”
“You are correct, my lord.”
“I need the Shinomiya family’s wealth and power to support my daily life in this country.”
Makoto smiled.
“Is that explanation clear enough?”
“It is my honor to serve before and behind your saddle.”
Shinomiya Gan’an expressed his loyalty respectfully.
At the same time, he secretly let out a breath of relief.
The last bit of resistance he had toward becoming another person’s subordinate disappeared.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked respectfully, “My lord, what does this subordinate need to do for you?”
“I want wealth and glory.”
Makoto added, “And overwhelming power.”
“At least in this country, you must obtain these two things for me.”
“Of course. That is not difficult.”
Money and power.
A very clear goal.
Shinomiya Gan’an finally felt more at ease.
He looked at Makoto’s overly young face and smiled.
“This subordinate does not know what profound plans my lord has, but I imagine that during your leisure time, if you had a few silent flowers like Murasaki no Ue by your side, your life would become even more pleasant.”
In Chinese, there was the metaphor “a flower that understands speech,” used to describe a woman who was intelligent, pleasant to talk to, and good at empathizing with others.
But in Japanese culture, there was an aesthetic that praised “it is better not to speak” and “silence itself is the flower.”
Just like Murasaki no Ue from The Tale of Genji.
In simple terms, the head of the Shinomiya family was testing whether Makoto needed women, and what kind of women he needed.
Makoto did not dislike this kind of careful attempt to cater to one’s lord.
On the contrary, he quite liked it.
“I will find women myself.”
“When I need you, I will naturally use you.”
Seeing that this matter was complete, Makoto no longer had any intention of staying.
He still had to find other people.
Eggs should not be placed in the same basket.
As someone in a superior position, he could not have only one force under his command.
Moreover, although the Shinomiya family was one of Japan’s top conglomerates, it had already begun to show a faint sense of decline in recent years.
It was far from enough to satisfy Makoto’s ambition and appetite.
He also planned to find several other conglomerates.
“However…”
Before leaving, he suddenly added one sentence.
“My home is still lacking a young maid.”
“Then I shall immediately…”
“No need for anyone else.”
Makoto smiled.
“I think Hayasaka Ai, who is by Shinomiya Kaguya’s side, is very good.”
“Very good.”
His figure gradually scattered until it completely disappeared.
For Shinomiya Gan’an, it felt like a dream.
But his healthy body and the surging vitality inside him told him clearly that it was not a dream.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
Countless thoughts filled his mind.
…
…
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