The mayoress switched to the next page. "Here you can see how the donations were used. In consultation with Yoshiro, the city council has budgeted for the expected donations to guarantee a reasonable distribution." Midori raised her hand. "Yes, Omura-san?" Haruka struggled for a neutral tone, but her annoyance could still be heard.
"Is that normal?"
"We have some wealthy families in this city who are committed to the community. Of course, we can't expect such grants, but some make guaranteed contributions to our budget," explained the oni.
Rolling her eyes, the black-haired woman said, "Just answer my question, Narusegawa-san."
"Yoshiro had very specific ideas about what should happen with his money."
The nurse got up. "Is it common for donations to be budgeted. Yes or no?"
Taking a deep breath, Haruka answered, "No. Not so detailed anyway. Not these kind of amounts."
"Thank you." The green-eyed sat down again and wrote in her book.
Kazuki had to grin inwardly. Narusegawa-san was certainly not used to people standing up to her. A woman in her power position usually didn't have to get played by anyone, but this Midori Omura seemed to be aware of the position she'd found herself in. She knew that the city needed the money, and she knew that everything would stand or fall with her approval.
Yui cleared her throat. "Then ... is the budget for the next year already done?" All attention swayed to the middle-school student, who smiled sheepishly. Yuna blinked irritably and looked back and forth between her sister and Haruka.
The mayor smiled. "You really are like your uncle described you." The blonde grinned and nodded gratefully. "As a matter of fact. The budget for the next three years is already planned."
"Budgets can be corrected. And sometimes they can't be reached", Midori interjected.
Gritting her teeth, the oni stared at the woman opposite of her. "Tell me, what profession are you following, Omura-san?"
"I am a nurse."
Eye rolling, Haruka growled, "That fits."
"Excuse me?" The black-haired rose in her chair.
"I'm sure you've completed a business education and are of course qualified to make such comments, Omura-san."
Kazuki jumped up. "Please ... let's stay polite, yes?"
"Are you suggesting I'm stupid?" Midori's green eyes flashed aggressively.
"I don't know. Can you understand what I'm saying? Or should I make a drawing for you?"
"Ladies ..." Chigusa-san indicated to his assistant that she should stop typing. Yui followed the argument with wide eyes while Yuna next to her grinned.
"You are only keen on Yoshiro's money!" the oni was accused by the nurse.
The mayor twitched. "Oh yes?! And you?!"
"Me? The money belongs to the girls!"
"But you're probably going to manage it until they are of age, or am I wrong?"
Midori gasped. She hadn't thought of that yet. As a guardian she was responsible for all matters concerning the girls. It was a miracle that Yuna could do anything in the last few months. What had the girl lived from? She looked at her neighbor, who grinned in amusement.
"I'm sorry," the green-eyed mumbled then. Blushing, she looked at her hands, which she laid on the table.
Haruka snorted. "Let me guess: The hormones, yes? A very popular excuse for pregnant women."
"Narusegawa-sama, please. It's enough." Chigusa-san turned to her. "There is no reason for hostility. We all agree that the Takagi Foundation is in the spirit of Yoshiro Takagi, isn't it?"
"She didn't know him at all." Haruka was still staring at the nurse. The black-haired woman wanted to contradict her, but then preferred to keep her mouth closed as she looked at her hands.
"But they were friends," Yuna said to smooth the tension. Midori looked over at her in surprise. "You knew each other, right Midori-san?"
Yui leaned forward to look at her guardian. "For real?!"
"Um ... yes." The nurse thought uncertainly about what she could and should say. "He took care of the girls. He was often in the hospital. He was well known and at some point we started talking."
"That doesn't make them friends." The mayor remained tough.
"It's not about who spent more time with him, okay?" Kazuki stared at the oni. "Besides, in that case I probably knew him the longest. How long have you been in office, Narusegawa-sama? Five years? I've known him for over twelve."
Yuna snorted, but the following glance from Haruka silenced her. "Is this going to be a contest, Chigusa-san?" She rolled her eyes. "I knew him before my office, but that doesn't matter now." She turned to Midori. "Please excuse my outburst. I'm very sensitive when it comes to my close friends."
Although the nurse perceived the emphasis on the 'close' as renewed provocation, she just nodded. "It's okay. No problem."
Kazuki rubbed his beard. "Um ... yes ... back to the Takagi Foundation. We all agree that this would be a good thing, yes?" All present nodded. "Then we should think about what resources the foundation should have."
"Of course the largest possible amount, so that the foundation only has to distribute its profits and not reduce its equity," Haruka said.
"That was clear," Midori snorted.
"Please, speak free, Omura-san." Still ready to fight, the mayor cocked her head.
"I think we should keep a part for ourselves," Yuna said frankly, whereupon she got questioning looks.
"Yuna-chan ... that's what we talked about." The oni looked at the girl a bit confused.
"Sister," Yui breathed.
"Sure, the foundation is a good thing, but we should also think of ourselves." The blue-haired looked up. "You never know what the future holds." A grin crossed Kazuki's face. "I mean, what if we can't do our studies or lose our job? Should we live on the street then?"
Midori smiled. "You really thought about it, Yuna-chan."
"Of course." The high-school student looked at Haruka. "I know you had a different idea, but should we really turn down a billion-heirloom because you appeal to our good heart?"
The mayor's facial features hardened, but then she admitted, "Of course not, Yuna-chan." She looked at the three women one at a time. "What you do with Yoshiro's inheritance is entirely up to you."
"We want to donate, right?" Yui asked no one specific.
"Of course, Yui-chan." Her guardian answered faster than her sister, who now looked over to the nurse.
"Yes," repeated Yuna.
"That's all good news." Chigusa-san smiled confidently in the round. "Then we would have to discuss the amount of the sum." For a moment, everyone exchanged helpless looks. In the background, the keyboard clattered to Mika's hands.
Thoughtfully, Midori chewed on her right thumbnail before expressing her thoughts, "Why does there have to be a foundation?" She glanced over to the other side of the table. "Yoshiro ... Takagi-san didn't need that either. The girls could do the same thing in the same way without adding extra administration."
"Surely you agree that such a responsibility is a big burden, Omura-san," Haruka pointed out.
"I can't deny that. That's why Takagi-san had the help of a financial adviser." She looked at the man at the table. "You, Chigusa-san."
His deep baritone laugh sounded. "Why do you think that, Omura-san?"
"The way I knew Takagi-san, he was not the sort of man who wanted to deal with such things. He was not interested in the business. He was interested in the people around him. He needed to act and get things done."
Even the oni had to admit that this characterization of her deceased friend was absolutely correct, and that required to known him. Once again she studied the black-haired woman. How close has she been to Yoshiro? How well did she really know him? How much did she know about him - and possibly about the oni?
The use of Shinji's gift seemed to be inevitable. She needed to know what Midori Omura knew.
The blue-haired girl chewed on her lower lip and stared at Kazuki. "Would that be a possibility, Chigusa-san?"
"Yuna! You can't possibly consider that," the middle-school girl breathed.
"Why not? The city receives its share anyway, but we retain control." For the first time, the high-school girl seemed to be sitting on the longer lever. So far, Haruka has always pushed her around, but if she could now turn her money off, the oni would over think more than once whether it was worthwhile to annoy Yuna. She tried to suppress her burgeoning grin, which she barely managed. The mayor snorted but said nothing.
The financial adviser rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "That would be a possibility. That way, you would not jeopardize your existence and be more flexible in influencing the flow of donations." He looked at the oni. "What do you think, Narusegawa-san?"
"I submit to the decision of the community of heirs," she answered without emotion.
Agitated, Yui looked at her neighbors. Why were the two so greedy? Why did they want to keep everything to themselves? She was afraid that donations would soon stop flowing. "I want the foundation," Yui said seriously. Everyone looked over at her. The blonde stared at her sister. "I don't want the money. I want to donate it."
"Yui, come on."
"No!" She propped her elbows on the table and ran her hands through her hair. "What should I do with so much money? I don't deserve that."
"Yui-chan, we don't have to decide anything now." The nurse looked at Kazuki. "True?"
"Of course. Today was all about getting to know what it's all about." He looked at the middle-school student. "Think about this, Masuda-san. All options are feasible. You can still donate the money or parts of it if it's in your possession. In addition, you would then also be favored by tax benefits."
"I'm not interested in anything!" Yui slapped her hands on the tabletop. "Do you know what I really want to know?" Upset, she stared at everyone in the round. "I want to know who killed my uncle!"
Again, the blonde girl reaped all glances. Instantly, Yuna's heart rate quickened as she thought of the fateful night. Tense, she stared at her hands in her lap. It had been her. She had murdered Yoshiro, but she couldn't possibly tell her sister.
She had to shoulder this burden for the sake of their relationship without ever telling Yui. This message would destroy everything she had fought for.
Narusegawa-san glanced at the high-school student, then cleared her throat. "The police is still working on the case, Masuda-san."
"For almost three months? How is that possible?" Nervously, Yui licked her lips. "Explain that to me. Where is the problem?"
"I am not authorized to give information, even if I should have anything on the case. This is part of the remit of the police," said the oni calmly and objectively.
The violet eyes were pinched together. "Fuck you, Narusegawa-san." Jerkily, the girl pushed back the chair, got up, grabbed her backpack, turned on her heel, and marched out of the meeting room.
Startled, all looked after the blonde girl. "Yui!" The blue-haired jumped up and pursued her sister. Baffled stared Haruka after the Masuda girls.
"Excuse us, please." Midori folded her hands in front of her face and bowed. "I'll get them back right away."
"Don't worry," Kazuki protested. "At the moment we all seem to be a bit emotional. Please leave your business card and a copy of your power of attorney with my assistant. I will contact you for a new appointment."
The mayor reassembled. "That seems reasonable." The outbreak of the younger heir had taken her completely by surprise. She knew that the girl was in psychiatric treatment - after all, she had lost her entire family - but she hadn't expected a violent, emotional reaction.
"Agreed." The nurse came to her feet. "It was nice to meet you, Chigusa-san, Narusegawa-san. Please excuse the outbreak of Yui. She suffers greatly from the loss of her family."
"We understand that, Omura-san," countered the financial adviser gallant. "Take good care of the girls." Nodding, Haruka agreed.
"I will. Have a nice evening."
Tears streamed from Yui's eyes as she stormed to the elevator. She wanted to get out of here. Away from here. Ashamed, she realized that she had lost her temper. All the losses she had suffered caused her agony, every day. Repeatedly, she pounded on the call button of the elevator as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Yui ..." Yuna had caught up with her and looked at her uncertainly from behind. "Everything alright?"
"Everything alright?!" The blonde whirled around and stared blankly at her. "What is wrong with you?!" Surprised, the older one blinked speechless. "Our family is dead. Yoshiro is dead." Hysterically, the girl yelled, "It'll never be alright!"
"Yui ..." She kept looking at her sister as she cried on. The middle-school student hid her face between her hands and continued sobbing. "Yui ..." Yuna stepped closer to her and wrapped her arms around the hurt girl. "Hey, Yui ..." She stroked her.
"How can you always be so calm?" the younger wailed. "How do you do that?"
"I had more time to mourn than you."
Yuna hated herself for causing her sister so much grief, but without Yoshiro's power she would never have beaten Tirr. That monster would still be messing up and threatening the city with its existence - worse - the whole country. She had done what was necessary, and now she hated herself for it.
After a few minutes Yui calmed down. A few employees had heard the incident, but they were professional enough to ignore it.
"It's just too much for me, Yuna," the blonde confessed.
"Don't worry, Yui. We just have to stick together. Together we can overcome this tragedy." The younger one broke away and looked at her sister. "We can do it, Yui." The older girl smiled encouragingly.
"I'm such an emotional cow." Embarrassed, the middle-school student turned her violet eyes to the floor.
The blue-haired put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Relax. Just apologize for your outburst, then everything will be fine. They know how difficult this is for us."
The remaining participants from the meeting gossiped as they walked down the floor. Instantly the youngest tensed. Yuna turned around so she could look at the group. Nobody was angry. Midori and Mika went on to a desk where they exchanged documents.
"I'm sorry," Yui mumbled, bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Masuda-san. I understand that this is not easy for you. This situation is difficult for all of us." Haruka nodded to her.
"Good night, Masuda-san," Kazuki said. "We will make another appointment with Omura-san. Then we can discuss the further procedure."
"Agreed." Satisfied Yuna patted her sister's arm.
The guardian and the assistant came back to them. "Okay. Then we go. Have a nice evening everybody," Midori said goodbye. They exchanged phrases and then parted.