June 5, 2112
Ryuji's home, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
In early June, Ryuji was spending his holiday at home with Teru. While he was making a report on his PC, Teru was also working on a task assigned to her by Yadoya, the president of the club she is in.
"Teru, are you having fun in club activities?"
"Yes! Everyone is really nice to me."
The Astronomy Club is currently composed of only one girl amongst a group of males, but Yadoya and Koba treat her as a friend without hesitation. Teru was comfortable with that.
"I see, that's nice to hear," Ryuji smiled.
At that moment, an incoming call arrives on his smartwatch. Ryuji projected the virtual display into the air and checked the caller's name.
"Grandfather...!"
"...!"
The caller's name was displayed as "Enishi Hasena." It was Ryuji's grandfather, the head of Japan's largest agricultural company. He connected the call with a tense look on his face.
"...How are you, Ryuji?"
"Grandfather."
His voice sounded too young to be a grandfather. However, his tone of voice is regal, evoking a sense of spiritual maturity. The grandfather's edge immediately informed him about the reason for his call.
"A dinner hosted by Minister Hideyoshi Sakuma of the Agriculture Ministry will be held in Yokohama on June 11. Hasena Agriculture has also received an invitation. We are planning to send Yoshihisa and the others. I will ask you to attend."
"That's good to hear, but... where is the place?"
A meeting of the country's leading figures in the primary industries and their families was to be held the following Saturday. Enishi was trying to get Ryuji to attend the dinner in order to expose him to the social scene.
"...The place is Hotel E Bellissimo Notte in Yokohama Bay Entertainment City."
Yokohama Bay Entertainment City is an integrated resort, or casino resort, that opened in the 2020s. It was the first casino resort to open in Japan and has been in operation for nearly 90 years. In addition to the casino, which is the main tourism resource, there are hotels, amusement facilities, sports facilities, shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters, and concert halls. The Olympic Games, which will be held solely in Japan, may also be held here.
"Yokohama Bay Entertainment City within six days, right?"
"Correct, I am counting on you... Ah, if you want to take that human with you, I don't mind."
"I understand. Please give my regards to Uncle Yoshihisa... Okay, then."
The call disconnected. Immediately afterward, Ryuji groaned.
"...Ryūjin-sama, the phone call just now..."
"Yeah..."
Ryuji turned on his calendar from his smartwatch and found that the calendar for June 11 was blank.
"Teru, do you have any plans for next Saturday?"
"...No, I don't have any."
Teru shook her head. Ryuji then proceeded to explain the details.
"Next Saturday, there will be a dinner party for the bureaucrats of the Agriculture Ministry and executives of agricultural companies, and my grandfather has decided to have me attend. I'd be happy if you could come with me."
Ryuji invited her to the dinner as his companion. At that moment, Teru gave him a big smile.
"...M-me!? Yes, I'd love to!"
Attending a reception where people of high social standing gather as the companion of a scion of a large corporation naturally demands a certain level of behavior. She was delighted to be taken to such a place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 11, 2112
Yokohama Bay Entertainment City, Kanagawa Prefecture
On the day of the dinner party, Ryuji and Teru arrived at the venue, Hotel E Bellissimo Notte. As they got out of the cab, Ryuji was dressed in a suit of nearly 200.000 yen, while Teru was in her Yokohama Hisui Gakuen uniform. Perhaps because of her nervousness, her expression was even stiffer than usual.
"Hasn't uncle arrived yet..." Ryuji mumbled as he looked around. As he was about to enter the hotel with Teru in tow, he suddenly heard a voice calling his name.
"Long time no see, Ryuji!"
"...Sumika-chan!"
It was his mother's brother, Yoshihisa's eldest daughter, or cousin. Her name is Sumika Hasena, a 17-year-old high school sophomore who is four years younger than Ryuji. Sumika looked up at Ryuji and spoke to him excitedly.
"Goodness... you look even more handsome the more I see you! ...Huh? Who is this human?"
In the middle of this, she noticed a human girl waiting by Ryuji's side. Teru reluctantly turned her head and introduced herself with a bow.
"N-nice to meet you! My name is Teru Kadoma!"
"!"
At that moment, Sumika felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her.
"...C-cute!"
"!?"
Sumika then grabbed Teru's shoulders with both arms and brought her face as close to hers as she could. The first time she saw her, she was so stiff all of a sudden that she stood there like a statue.
"Ryuji, Ryuji! This is the human child you picked up back then, right?"
When Ryuji was in his second year of high school, he asked his mother and grandfather to take Teru, then in elementary school, into the Hasena household. It was the first time Sumika had seen Teru since then.
"...That's right. But how could you say picked up—"
"Heeee! That skinny human child turned out to be so cute!"
Sumika ignored Ryuji's words and she rubbed Teru's cheek like a child who had been given a new doll. She looked up at Ryuji with a childlike gaze, as if she were asking for candy.
"Can I keep her? I'll feed her and take good care of her."
"Hell no!"
Sumika wanted Teru in a way that sounded as if she wanted a pet dog or a cat. The first thing that Ryuji did was to get emotional.
"Tch, that's too bad."
But Sumika didn't particularly care about his angry words. On the contrary, she showed Ryuji her new plan.
"Hey, Ryuji. Don't tell me you're planning to send Teru-chan to the dinner party dressed like this? Why school uniform!? I'll take care of it for you!"
"Huh...?"
The two of them are the first two to be invited to the dinner party. Sumika then pulled the stunned Kadoma's arm and took her away somewhere.
"Let me borrow her!"
"Hey!"
Before Ryuji could stop her, they were gone. He groaned loudly.
Hologram Theater Center, Yokohama Bay Entertainment City
Meanwhile, Yadoya and Koba of the Astronomy Club were seen at the entrance and exit of the Hologram Theater Center on the Entertainment City grounds. They had come here on a holiday to see a movie.
In this era, movies are mostly in the form of three-dimensional images constructed in a dome-shaped theater, making full use of holograms. With the spread of holograms and projection mapping, visual technology used in the home has also advanced dramatically, and video game consoles have been developed that project holograms throughout the room, giving the player the illusion of being in a game world.
"We've come a bit too early."
"Yeah, Prez. What should we do to pass the time for the next 30 minutes...?"
Koba checked the current time on his wristwatch terminal. The actual time is usually a little more than half an hour before the movie starts, and the unplanned time grace was bothering them.
"We can get juice and popcorn."
"Well, we have time to wait in line."
Yadoya agreed to Koba's suggestion. After receiving the electronic money from Yadoya, Koba went to the theater to buy popcorn for the two of them. But on his way, a hooded figure jumped in front of him.
"Whoah!?"
"...Kyaa!"
Koba narrowly avoided contact, but the other person lost their balance and fell. The person's high-pitched scream made Koba realize that the person was a girl.
"...Uh, are you alright?"
"!"
Koba held out his right hand to help the fallen girl up. The girl looked up at him and grabbed his right hand with trepidation.
"T-thank you very much."
The girl stood up, said, and walked away quickly. She was shorter than Koba and appeared to be about junior high school age.
"Why is that girl wearing gloves in this dreary season?"
Koba was a bit bewildered that she was wearing thick gloves in the wrong season.
Hotel E Bellissimo Notte Lobby
After parting with Teru and Sumika, Ryuji was sitting on a sofa set up in the hotel lobby. Leaning his neck and back of his head against the backrest, he looked up and saw a huge chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling. At that moment, Teru and Sumika came back to him.
"Hey there! Ryuji! ...Come on, show him!"
"R-right...!"
When Ryuji turned around, he saw Sumika in a party dress. The clothes and necklaces and other ornaments she wears are not more extravagant than necessary, but they are all items that are out of the reach of ordinary high school students, showing off the wealth of the girl's birth families. Then, from behind Sumika, a similarly dressed Teru appeared.
"...!"
Like Sumika, Teru was dressed in a luxurious party dress that she had arranged for her. The earrings, necklace, and other accessories were also made to Sumika's taste. The dress accentuated her feminine side, which could not be seen in her usual school uniform, and Ryuji couldn't help but admire it.
"...Ahem, isn't that a bit revealing?"
Compared to Sumika, Teru's clothes were designed with a lot more open around the shoulders and back. Ryuji regained his composure and voiced his complaint.
"...Really? I think this is fine. She has a scarf. And she has such beautiful skin, so I want her to be proactive about showing it off! I really wanted her to wear something with an open chest, but she said that would be too embarrassing..."
"Seriously..."
Ryuji worried that Sumika, his cousin, might have forced her to do so. However, Teru asked her, her cheeks tinted with a bit of embarrassment.
"Err... doesn't it suit you?"
"Oh, what... Well, you know... it's mesmerizing," Ryuji replied with a smile.
Sumika sighed loudly as she witnessed the two of them being shy at each other.
"Hah, you've seen each other's bodies before, so why are you being embarrassed now?"
"Ngah—! Why you!"
"...!!"
Ryuji heard Sumika's words and, indignant, forgot that he was in a public place and raised his voice. Teru's face turned red like a boiled octopus.
"...Huh? You're not? I thought you were doing what you were supposed to be doing."
"...!"
This time, Ryuji's face turned bright red. But then Sumika's parents, who brought her here, appeared before them.
"Long time no see, Ryuji-kun."
Sumika's mother, Rei Hasena, noticed Ryuji's presence and called out to him. She was a quarter of the Enma, a race of demons that can manipulate flames, and a native of the Dragon King Village, a demi-human community.
"It's been a while, Aunt, and Uncle."
Next to Rei was her husband, Yoshihisa, who was Ryuji's mother's younger brother. He was wearing an aged dark suit, different in style from the one Ryuji was wearing. The couple's actual age is in the late 40s, but both of them are descended from powerful and long-lived demi-human races, so their physical appearance has stopped aging in the late 20s. Upon closer look, there are a few men and women dressed in formal attire. Perhaps they are the attendees of the dinner. Since it was a large meeting held by the current cabinet members, their attire gave off an impression of nobility.
"Hm?"
Yoshihisa noticed a girl standing by Ryuji's side. When he turned to look at her, Teru quickly bowed.
"Huh? So you brought that thing with you too. Well, whatever."
Yoshihisa took one look at Teru and, with a nonchalant air, turned his gaze again to his blood relative, Ryuji.
"Don't be too nervous. We are here. Even though you are dealing with active cabinet ministers and dignitaries, you should be able to hold your own with people."
Despite his stern demeanor, Yoshihisa advised Ryuji, who was experiencing social gatherings for the first time, to keep an open mind, saying that he would help him if the need arose. He then turned again to Teru, who was standing by Ryuji's side.
"...You too. Even though you are Ryuji's companion, if you are going to go with us, you better watch your manners."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Teru braced herself once again and replied meekly. When her own behavior will be related to the reputation of her master and his family, she must be aware that she must not do anything to disgrace them.
Banquet Room, Hotel E Bellissimo Notte 22nd Floor
Shortly after that, it was time for the banquet to begin, and the invited guests were ushered into the banquet hall. The staff handed them a seating chart, and they sat down at their assigned seats. Yoshihisa, Ryuji, and the other members of the Hasena family were assigned to a table near the organizer's table at the front of the hall. The other participants were staring at the Ryūjin demi-humans seated at their seats from a distance.
Their company, Hasena Agriculture, supplies food mainly to people living in the Kantō metropolitan area, producing food that is consumed by 20% of the Japanese population. It is one of the largest companies in Japan.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience."
The time for the opening of the banquet had arrived, and a man from the hotel staff acting as the host began to make an announcement from the podium. In front of him at the organizer's table sat Hideyoshi Sakuma, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and his wife.
"Everyone, please pay attention to the front of the room. The organizer will give his remark."
The host pointed to Sakuma, who stood up from his chair with a glass of wine in his hand. While receiving the full attention of the invited guests, Sakuma slowly spoke up.
Yokohama Bay Entertainment City Amusement Park
While a lavish dinner party was being held at the hotel, a group of men in black, whose appearance did not match the spectacular atmosphere, were at the amusement park being built on the grounds of the Yokohama Bay Entertainment City. They were running around with expressions of frustration on their faces as they communicated with their companions via intercom.
"We've checked the entrances and exits! That person must be inside Entertainment City!"
"This is the Chairman's orders! Find that person at all costs!"
They were looking for "someone" under the order of the person called "the Chairman." However, since they could not find that someone, they were afraid of the Chairman's punishment, and were desperate to find that person.
"That Midas demi-human girl... must be found at all costs!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yoshihisa Hasena
A quarter Ryūjin. Shiori's younger brother. Enishi's second child. Eldest son. Nominal adoptive father of Teru.
Rei Hasena
A quarter Enma. Wife of Yoshihisa.
Sumika Hasena
A Ryūjin girl. 17 years old. She is the eldest daughter and first child of the family head, Yoshihisa. She is elusive and loyal to her ego. She considers humans to be a different species from herself, and although she has no malice toward them, her words and actions are particularly noticeable when she treats Teru like a pet animal, which causes Ryuji to express his displeasure.