20th floor of Kyoto Continental Hotel.
There, the two men and women of the Fujiwara and Saionji families, who can now be called the representative royal families of Kyoto, were holding their engagement ceremony.
Even though only close relatives were invited, 500 seats were already full.
They were all looking forward to the moment when the two of today’s protagonists appeared.
“It is truly a historic moment for the two families to reconcile after 50 years.”
“Bocchan Sai, I saw him for the first time today since I was a kid and he said he grew up wonderfully.”
“Is Kumiko going to be able to get married now?”
“It’s the birth of the perfect couple of the century.”
A noisy banquet hall with the noise of each guest.
In the midst of such a commotion, someone from the entrance of the banquet hall shouted in a loud voice.
“The president is entering!”
drip-
The moment I heard those words, the inside of the banquet hall, which was as noisy as the market floor, was as quiet as a lie.
Chairman.
There was no mention of who the word was referring to.
Saionji Harunobu.
The head of the Saionji Group, which has been in place for nearly 50 years since he first took up the post at the age of 34.
He was also the current head of the Saionji family, a noble family with a long history.
As Harunobu slowly walked down the carpet, the people of the Saionji family all stood up and bowed their heads.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s been a while, everyone.”
Harunobu said so in a gentle voice and waved his hand, then headed to the seat in the front row of the banquet hall.
Waiting for Harunobu there was Yoritomo Fujiwara, the father of the Fujiwara clan and the head of the Fujiwara group.
When their eyes met, he bowed first and said.
“Long time no see. Chairman Saionji.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Yoritomo. Was it the last time you saw the funeral of the former president?”
“We met only once at a business meeting between Korea and Japan that was held three years ago.”
“Ah! It was, it was.”
Harunobu responded with applause as if he remembered it too late.
‘Knowing and pretending not to know, it’s like a gore.’
Thinking so deep inside, Yoritomo shook hands with Harunobu and sat down at the same table.
“Nevertheless, I’m glad to see you again through an auspicious event. I honestly thought that the two families would never be reconciled while I was alive.”
“I thought so too at one time. But isn’t it true that people’s work can’t even be known in the first place?”
“Ah, yes.
“Hahahahahaha, you still have a long way to go.”
After exchanging bones and greeting each other, they start asking about each other’s current situation as if nothing had happened.
Of course, I wasn’t really asking out of curiosity.
It’s just to show formality and courtesy appropriate to the place.
It was when the two heads of state were laughing and chatting.
Without any notice, all the lights in the banquet hall were suddenly turned off.
“Five….”
“Looks like it’s starting.”
Immediately after, the presenter, standing on the podium, said while holding the microphone plugged into the cradle.
“Gentlemen, ladies, and children who have taken the difficult steps up to this point today! You have been waiting for a long time! The main characters of today’s engagement ceremony, Fujiwara Sai and Saionji Kumiko, are here!”
In response to the moderator’s signal, a dazzling light shines on the red carpet in the center.
With him, two men and women in white clothes appeared.
“Waa!!”
Along with the loud shouts, applause pours from all directions.
Fujiwara Sai and Saionji Kumiko, who had been in the waiting room for a long time, finally appeared, standing side by side in front of the entrance.
From https://noblemtl.com
Maybe it’s because they have good genes, because they were both handsome and beautiful, so even people who didn’t know their appearance looked like a good match.
Sai Fujiwara said with a smile.
“Shall we go?”
Then, Kumiko Saionji answered with a hard face.
“…that’s right.”
When she reached out her right hand, which was clad in white cotton gloves, Fujiwara Sai held her hand and escorted her.
Then the two of them slowly started moving forward.
‘Yooseong-kun… .’
The stage is getting closer.
Naturally, Saionji Kumiko remembered the face of the person she admired.
Last summer, on a deserted island where no one came, the promise the two of them made.
‘Sorry.’
Even though he confessed first, he couldn’t wait for only half a year and held an engagement ceremony with another man like this.
She said that she had a light hip, and even if he despised him, there was nothing he could do.
Because it’s something I’ve been working on for a long time.
Since he was originally born as a child of a prestigious family, it is a luxury to date the person he wants and wish for a romantic marriage.
Since ancient times, marriage or engagement has been one of the best strategies for those in power.
“Miss Saionji.”
At that moment, Fujiwara Sai, who was walking next to him with arms crossed, suddenly spoke.
“What happened?”
“Smile. There aren’t many eyes around you.”
“…I’ll take care of that.”
pretentious smile.
Normally, you could do whatever you want, but today it was somehow not built well.
From https://noblemtl.com
Maybe it’s because of the complicated feeling.
However, as he said, if he had an expressionless face in a public place, he could damage the family name.
So she forced a laugh.
Fujiwara Sai, who had been watching Kumiko like that from the side, turned around with a satisfied expression.
Eventually, when the two stopped in front of the podium, the host from Genin began to speak hard.
“Hey~ Today’s protagonists are both good-looking men and women. If my girlfriend looked like this lady, I’d wear it every day!”
hahahahahahahaha!
As the audience roared, the moderator, who gained more confidence, began to scold harder.
“When did you two first meet? 5 years ago? 10 years ago? 20 years ago? Oh, 20 years ago, they wouldn’t have been born yet.”
hahahahahahahaha!
The moderator who becomes proud of the laughter of the guests bursting out one after another.
After raising the atmosphere in the banquet hall with one-shot gags, the host started the event in earnest.
“Then, as the first order of the engagement ceremony, let’s hear the congratulatory remarks. Today’s congratulatory speech is from Japanese Minister of Finance, Hatsuhiko Fujiwara! Please welcome all guests with applause!”
With the host’s name, the old man in a neat suit who was sitting in the front row stood up.
No matter how close they are, the fact that they are not the deputy head of the Ministry of Finance and that the Minister of Finance directly recites congratulatory remarks clearly shows the power of the two families.
“Ah, ah, mic test.”
The finance minister, who came up on the podium, as if familiar with it, checked the condition of the microphone and spoke the first word of luck.
“Now, autumn is the season of heavenly paralysis, when the sky is high and the horses get fat. I will start the congratulatory speech by expressing my sincere thanks to President Saionji and President Fujiwara for inviting me to such an auspicious occasion…”
That was then.
bang!
Suddenly, an incredibly loud sound came from the ceiling of the banquet hall where the guests were sitting.
“Ahhh!”
“An earthquake?!”
“What’s going on?! Check it out right now!”
The guests in a panic state as a group.
And the same was true of the security guards who were guarding the 20th floor.
bang!!
But before he could understand the situation, another roar rang out.
The security guards rushed into the venue all at once, thinking that it was necessary to understand the situation now and to protect the distinguished guests.
Saionji Kumiko hurriedly grabbed a security guard who was passing by and asked.
“What happened?”
The security guard then responded with gibberish.
“I don’t know either. I heard that the captain said you were going down to the 21st floor earlier…”
Kwa-ang!!!
At the third moment of an unidentified roar, a huge hole like a sinkhole was pierced in the ceiling of the banquet hall.
Stone fragments falling like rain and clouds of dust rising.
“Protect the president and distinguished guests!”
“aah!”
Chairman Ahn, who became a father-in-law in a sudden situation.
“Collock! Colloc!”
Kumiko, who was trying to figure out the cause of the sudden hole in the ceiling, coughing in a situation where it was difficult to tell even an inch ahead, was startled.
It must have been because the shadows of two people were visible over the wreckage of the collapsed ceiling.
Eventually, when the cloud of dust lifted, the people in the banquet hall were able to identify the two people, and some guests were startled as soon as they saw their faces.
This is because after Kotaru Fuma disappeared 10 years ago, Hanzo Hattori, who is now called the strongest man in Japan, has fallen like a corpse.
And the man in black, who he had never seen, standing next to him, who had passed out, said as he slowly walked down from the wreckage.
“I’m here to save you. Kumiko-senpai.”
At that time, people did not know yet.
The fact that the man standing in front of them was later called the 18th Fuma Kotaro, Inwang, and the strongest in Japan.