I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 34 The Price of Power

Nakano District,
Beneath the plaque bearing the inscription "Zhuyuan" with its dragon and phoenix motifs, two large wooden doors are wide open.

The walls were lined with all kinds of luxury cars, and guests dressed in formal attire filed in, entering the manor's courtyard under the guidance of servants.

The courtyard had been renovated and was filled with a Western style. Various exquisite pastries and fine wine glasses were laid out on the white long table for guests to help themselves; maids dressed in black dresses and white floral crowns stood smiling around, waiting to serve the guests.

The young men and women, chatting quietly with wine glasses in the courtyard, were all well-mannered and polite, exuding a calm and gentle demeanor. They showed no trace of the arrogance of "rich second generation".

At the end of the courtyard, in an antique-style building with wooden doors opening to both sides.

A group of middle-aged and elderly people were sitting or kneeling on the wooden floor, or sitting cross-legged in two rows, chatting casually. Coupled with the kimonos they were wearing, it had a period drama feel to it.

It can be described as a true blend of local and foreign elements!

However, no one dared to raise any objections, not even a hint of disdain.

Because those sitting on the floor in that hall were either old money with long-standing family backgrounds or newly rich and powerful individuals. Each of them was a giant in both the political and business worlds, the kind of person who could cause the collapse of tens of thousands of families with a single stomp of their foot.

These top figures from wealthy and powerful island nations have all gathered here for one person.

Tiannv Ying!
The illegitimate daughter of the head of the Nagisa family, a powerful financial group.

Of course, no one would, and could, say such a thing.

Today is the day that Tiannv Ying is 'recognizing her ancestors and returning to her clan'.

The reason for making it such a grand affair, with most of Tokyo's aristocracy and zaibatsu sending representatives to attend, was, of course...
Extraordinary!
Moreover, she is the extraordinary 'Priest Child' of Inari God, who is backed by a deity.

The bigwigs chatting in the hall glanced at the two people in the main seats, their envy almost impossible to conceal.

The lady, who sat in the main seat and looked very young, seemed somewhat dazed.

actually
Xiaoying's classmate was right!
'Mrs. Nagisa, how about we make a bet?'

"It won't be long before your partner is begging you to let Tiannv come here."

Thinking back carefully, the boy used a tone of certainty, as if he were stating something that was bound to happen; I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
"Madam, are you feeling unwell?"

The middle-aged man next to her, who was only three years older than her but seemed to be in his fifties or sixties, spoke in a low voice.

"Please hang in there,"

In his view, his wife certainly wouldn't want to see his 'illegitimate daughter' born to another woman so openly step into their home.

But... that's extraordinary! If Tennyo Eiryu turns against the Nagisa family, the entire upper echelons of the island nation will surely side with the girl.

Although the zaibatsu are the de facto rulers of the island nation, there are quite a few of them, and they are all in competition with each other.

As for extraordinary individuals—at least for now, the island nation's government likely doesn't have any.

Otherwise, the situation in Arakawa Ward wouldn't have been so passive.

"No, I'm fine."

Shaking her head slightly, the young Mrs. Nagisa did not reject Amaterasu Ei, but was uneasy about her classmate's situation.

In fact, she already knew that she could not reveal any information about that classmate in any form.

It wasn't that the lady was a big mouth, but rather that she had a habit of keeping a diary.

That night, as she picked up her pen to write down the vague reference of "a certain classmate," she suddenly froze and couldn't move!

At this point, she realized that if she made any move that revealed that person's information, she would immediately lose control of her body.

Add to the scene before us—

Who exactly is this classmate named Akihi Yu?

---

"Xiao Ying, if you don't want to..."

In Nagisa Ichiyo's room, the young lady, dressed in an elegant kimono, was tidying up her petite older sister's clothes.

"No, I just feel like it's not real."

Wearing a red and white shrine maiden outfit, Tenjou Eiryo was in a daze.

She certainly longed for family affection.

Ever since learning of her 'father's' existence, young Tiannv Ying often ran to the opposite side of the manor and enviously watched the family of three going out.

However, as she grew older, she gradually realized that a 'bastard daughter' who had never lived with her parents for a single day could never enjoy their doting love. Although she later recognized, got to know, and became friends with her younger sister, Nagisa Ichiyo, and their relationship was now like that of real sisters, she always harbored a strange longing in her heart.

Now, all she has to do is nod, and she'll have parents and a home!

She and Xiao Yiye will also be sisters openly and honestly.

"I feel like everything I'm experiencing right now is a dream, and it will all disappear when I wake up—"

Two arms wrapped around Tennyo Eiryu from behind, and Nagisa Ichiyo gently rested her head against her sister's head while holding her in her arms.

"No matter how the world changes, you still have me."

"We will always be best friends."

"Um,"

brush,

In the corner of the room, the black fish, curled up in a ball, raised its head and rolled its eyes.

Ah this,

As soon as I arrived, I saw people posting things.
Akihi Yuu, who had transferred his will to this clone, was taken aback, and his expression turned strange.

As the 'mastermind', Akihi Yu gave Amatsu Eiraki power for one reason: to fulfill her wish. As Akihi Yu said, now the entire Nagisa clan is begging Amatsu Eiraki to return to the family.

On the other hand, it concerns the planting of the 'divine tree'.

As a treasure of the Datongmu clan, the planted divine tree can provide the planter with a continuous source of magical power, and it should have been planted immediately.

But this is a parallel world's Blue Star! It's an outer space with more than 5,000 satellites orbiting it, and countless monitoring methods sweeping it repeatedly—once mysterious areas like the 'Bermuda Triangle' and the 'Loch Ness Monster' have all become tourist attractions under the dense array of detectors.

Under satellite mapping, every inch of land belongs to an owner!

Given the divine tree's exceptional stature, it would be discovered the moment it was planted, and then—enclosed for all sorts of research!
Even if Akihisa doesn't care about the reputation of 'Datong Tree', what if the government thinks there's something strange about the tree and plans to destroy it?
Are we to expect the undeveloped Ten-Tails to get up and run in the sunset?
The picture is too beautiful, I dare not look at it.

Therefore,
In autumn, Yu prepares to openly and legitimately plant the sacred tree in Tokyo!

To prevent the government from destroying, or even to protect, the sacred tree, a condition that a powerful figure cannot refuse is required.

Medical ninjutsu is only the first step.
Even the vague promise of 'immortality' is not unacceptable.

Of course, these are all just future plans. Right now, let's fulfill Tianmu's wish.

Thinking this, the half-human-sized black fish swam toward the two girls who were about to leave.

"Hey?"

"Little Black, this won't do."

"You'll scare people if you go out."

Just as Tiannv Ying waved her hand to signal that the earthquake catfish she named 'Xiao Hei' should stay behind.

With a flick of its tail, the half-human-sized black fish leaped directly towards the girl.

The earthquake catfish shrank again in mid-air, eventually becoming only the size of a cat, and landed with a thud in the arms of the instinctively outstretched Tennyo Ying. It curled up into a ball, patted the girl's hand with its tail, indicating that its 'human servant' could leave.

"All right,"

"But you can't run around."

Holding the curled-up 'Little Black', Akira, dressed in a shrine maiden outfit, took a deep breath and stepped out as Nagisa Ichiyo opened the door and looked at her encouragingly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ichizaki, you're here too."

Young people gathered in twos and threes in the courtyard. A handsome young man, holding a wine glass, walked towards another cool-looking man.

"It's Yinchuan,"

The cool-looking man nodded slightly.
They are both from elite, wealthy families and have begun learning how to manage their family businesses. They have met a few times and can be considered friends.

Of course, in the business world, 'business is business,' and neither of them can say for sure how deep their friendship really is.

Do you know who today's 'protagonist' is?

"You do not know?"

The cool man countered with a question, only to be met with a helpless shrug.

"You know, I have an ambitious brother in my family, so—"

Being a rich kid isn't easy either.
Many people think that rich kids can just lie around eating and drinking, but how could that be?

Ambitious partners, shrewd and cunning lawyers, and scheming executives—if you don't have some ability, your family fortune will soon be emptied by these people around you through various 'legal' means. By the time you realize it, they have already become the new powerful figures.

The saying goes, "It's not that we're afraid of rich kids who are obsessed with trivial things and lose their ambitions, it's that we're afraid of rich kids who are ambitious and aspiring." Most of the time, they are the ones who fall into the hands of these clever people.

As the saying goes, "If you don't take what Heaven gives you, you'll suffer the consequences." If you can't protect your family's wealth, don't blame us for being impolite!

Therefore, large families cultivate elite offspring to inherit the family business, and then give the others a share of the profits to raise like pigs.

If a few of the offspring become quite capable, it could escalate into internal strife.

Overall, it's not much different from the 'succession struggle' of thousands of years ago.

At most, it's not as bloody; the winner continues to lead the conglomerate, while the loser admits defeat and leaves the stage, obediently becoming a wealthy man.

"You don't need to know her background, you just need to know that she is the absolute 'star' today."

The cool-looking man pointed to the other female guests, most of whom were between 14 and 18 years old.

and--

Everyone was dressed in a fresh and elegant style; not only were they not wearing jewelry, but even those with slightly heavier makeup were not noticeable.

"Oh, I see. Thanks."

The handsome young man thoughtfully raised his glass to express his gratitude.

Just then, a man dressed as a middle-aged driver walked into the lobby.

"let's start."

The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table nodded.

As soon as he spoke, everyone in the hall and courtyard seemed to be put on pause, and there was not a sound.

tap tap tap,

The sound of wooden clogs grew louder as they approached. Tenjou Akira, dressed in a white-topped, red-bottomed shrine maiden outfit, and Nagisa Ichiyo, slightly behind, slowly emerged from the backyard.

Many young, wealthy second-generation individuals in the garden, unaware of the inside story, showed expressions of confusion.

Shrine maiden outfit?
This thing is considered mysterious and elegant by anime fans and foreigners; however, it's not a good thing in Japan.

After all, shrines are the property of the priests. As for the status of the shrine maidens... well, it's hard to say.

Even the shrine maidens in modern shrines are all working girls.

However, those kinds of shops have quite a few shrine maiden cosplays.
and also--

Is she holding a catfish toy?

Most of the young people in the courtyard were completely bewildered by what had happened today, but the middle-aged and elderly people in power in the hall were equally confused.

Upon seeing Tiannv Ying appear, everyone's eyes were filled with an irrepressible longing.

Exceptional healing abilities.
When their gazes fell on the 'black fish' in the girl's arms, they all revealed wary looks.

If you anger this girl, she will throw the 'earthquake catfish' in her hand away.

That's not as simple as 'closing the door to beat the dog'.
Instead, blood flowed like a river on the spot!
Taking off her wooden clogs, she walked step by step into the hall and stopped in front of the man and woman kneeling in the host's seat. Tiannv Ying mustered up her courage and looked at the man in front of her.

His graying hair was combed back, and his nasolabial folds outlined a serious face. Around his eyes, which were accustomed to looking down at people, were dense crow's feet. He wore a dark kimono, looking like a rigid patriarch who had stepped out of a period drama.

"Father."

With her lips moving, Tiannv Ying subconsciously hugged 'Little Black' tightly in her arms.

When the moment came, he couldn't bring himself to say the words he had practiced for over a decade.

"Okay."

The serious-looking middle-aged man nodded and slightly raised his hand to the side.

"This is Ichiyo's mother."

Before Tiannv Ying could speak to her sister's mother, she was interrupted.

“If you don’t mind, you can also call me Mother.”

? !
"Mother, Mother,"

Compared to her 'father' who had never uttered a word, Tennyo Ei was much more familiar and closer to Ichiyo's mother.

With half of the elite circle as witnesses, this 'recognition of ancestral roots' drama was completed.

So-called red tape can only bind the weak.

Tiannv Ying is clearly not weak; in fact, one could say she has surpassed most heads of conglomerates.

"Thank you for saving me that day, Tiannv."

"Tiannv, I am..."

"Hello."

Once outside the lobby, it's time for the young people to socialize.

Wherever Tiannv Ying went, everyone's eyes followed her, and a 'vortex' of young nobles formed around her.

Hello, hello, hello.

If it weren't for Nagisa Ichiyo's introduction, socializing...
Faced with greetings from all directions, Tiannv Ying almost developed mosquito coil-like eyes, though she still does now.

Everywhere you look, people are politely approaching you; even from a distance, if your gaze sweeps over someone, they will smile, nod, and raise their glasses in greeting.

This feeling of being surrounded by the 'world'
so tired!
(End of this chapter)