Chapter 66 – Episode 10. We’re Not Related by Blood.
In the evening, after dinner time, Taira Yukiko entered a social gathering place. These upper-class social parties were not to her taste, so she did not attend them when Taira Saburo was alive, but after Taira Saburo’s death, her position in her family diminished, so she was forced to attend. It was one of the banquets she had to attend to protect herself and her new family member, Taira Ryuta.
Because Taira Yukiko is the director of the Taira Group’s core organization called the Human Resources Development Center, she, Taira Ichiro, Jiro, and Kokoro have become frequent attacks on Taira Yukiko in order to make their loyalists the director of the Human Resources Development Center after Taira Saburo’s death. .
Today was the day of a party hosted by the Hiramoto family, a collateral branch of the Taira family. Although Taira was famous for its collaterals not being able to use their power, some collateral families still had some influence on the Taira group, so it was necessary to at least borrow the power of these collateral families to keep Tyra’s three successors in check.
The Hiramoto family was not simply a subsidiary of the Taira family, but a family that produced influential politicians in Kamogawa (鴨川市), southern Chiba.
The Hiramoto family’s banquet was attended by famous politicians from Chiba and Tokyo, high-ranking members of the Taira family, and local officials from Chiba, but there were no people from the three successors of the Taira family. I don’t know if it was Taira’s direct lineage’s characteristic arrogance that caused her to not send someone, or whether she was busy with other things and couldn’t come, but it was a good thing for Yukiko Taira.
“Taira Yukiko~! Welcome to our Hiramoto family’s banquet. I hope you enjoy it… !”
Hiramoto Masujiro (平本 益士郎), the successor of the Hiramoto family, who led the Hiramoto family’s banquet, held Yukiko Taira’s hand and waved to welcome her. It didn’t feel good when Masjiro Hiramoto’s hand caressed his own, but he forced himself to smile and accept it.
Masjiro Hiramoto was a man in his 50s with slightly dark red skin and a mustache. He had a good body, and there were rumors that he had undergone body modification. His father, Hiramoto Nobuhira (平本延平), was actively working as the head of the clan despite being 88 years old, so he still only had the status of successor. According to rumors, he was dissatisfied with his position and was very dissatisfied.
That may be why he was a problematic figure whose scandals were constantly heard even though he was in his 50s. Taira Yukiko also didn’t want to come to the banquet held by someone with a bad reputation, but she recently heard a rumor that Masujiro Hiramoto had inherited a stake in Taira Bio from the head of the family, Nobuhira Hiramoto, so she had to attend at least to confirm it. Since Tyra Bio was a holding company that controlled Tyra Robotics and its subsidiaries, the value of Tyra Bio’s shares was beyond imagination for the successors competing to become the next owner of the Tyra Group.
The Hiramoto family’s banquet was a kind of garden party, with people chatting and drinking alcohol and snacks carried by servers in a well-maintained Japanese garden. Taira Yukiko picked up her wine glass from her passing server’s tray and took a sip.
‘It’s a Japanese liquor…’
I thought it was white wine, but she was serving Japanese sake in a wine glass. As Yukiko Taira, who doesn’t really enjoy drinking alcohol, she frowned after drinking Japanese sake, which was stronger than white wine, but she was drinking well without worrying about other people around her.
“Hello? My name is Takagi Iwazo (高紀 岩蔵), and I run Chiba Jeil Precision Industries. Who is the beautiful lady… ?”
A slightly grumpy-looking man in his early 40s approached Taira Yukiko. When she came to places like this, she always hid her dark intentions and many men approached her, so Yukiko Taira introduced herself in a somewhat dry manner. Judging by the fact that they came to the Hiramoto family’s banquet, even though they were somewhat mid-sized companies, Chiba First Precision Industries could not compare to the Taira Group.
“This is Taira Yukiko, director of Taira Group’s Human Resources Development Center.”
“Ah, Tyra’s widow… !”
It seemed as if the thought came out of her mouth without her knowledge. Taira Yukiko looked at Takagi Iwazo with a cold expression, excuse me. She left a word and went somewhere else.
She felt the lustful gaze of Takagi Iwazo that had just passed her by, so she left even faster. A lot of things like this happened after Taira Saburo died. The eyes of men who knew she was a widow were like hyenas targeting her body. Although her own adopted son, Taira Ryuta, sometimes looked at her with passionate eyes, for some reason the look in her Taira Ryuta’s eyes was not disgusting, but rather made her feel good, making her feel needed. Taira Yukiko herself didn’t know why she felt different from other people.
Takagi Iwazo’s sorry in the background… ! A voice was heard, but Taira Yukiko disappeared between the people.
Rather than continue to be harassed by unknown men like this, Taira Yukiko sought out Hiramoto Masujiro in order to quickly achieve her own goal. Masjiro Hiramoto was smiling and drinking, surrounded by her guests. Perhaps because she had been drinking, her skin became even more red, and she didn’t look very good.
As Yukiko Taira approached, Masjiro Hiramoto smiled happily and introduced her to her guests.
Haha, I’m so happy that Taira Group’s daughter-in-law, Taira Yukiko, graced our banquet!”
She tried to quietly call me aside to talk, but at this rate, she wouldn’t be able to talk in private. Masjiro Hiramoto was using Yukiko Taira as a propaganda piece for her own banquet. Look, the daughter-in-law of the main Taira family also came to the banquet I hosted! She is doing it and bragging to the guests around her.
“I’d like to talk about business alone, just the two of us.”
“Business? Oh, that’s good~! “Then shall we go to the inner room?”
When Yukiko Taira, who could not stand the stares of her guests, spoke to Masjiro Hiramoto, Masujiro Hiramoto led Yukiko Taira into her house.
Tomorrow, rumors will spread that Yukiko Taira may have proposed something to Masujiro Hiramoto. Anyone who is astute will know that this is to buy a stake in Tyra Bio, one of the two companies that control the Tyra Group.
“I understand why Yukiko Taira called me. “Isn’t it because of the 0.5 percent stake I own in Tyra Bio?”
“Yes, I will pay 1.5 times the price. Sell it to me.”
“Hmm… !”
At Yukiko Taira’s suggestion, Masujiro Hiramoto narrowed his eyes at her and stroked his chin.
“It’s not a very attractive offer. I think that if the three successors of the Tyra Group start a succession war in earnest, the price will be enough to be 10 times the current price. Of course, Taira Yukiko can’t pay me 10 times that price.”
It was Masujiro Hiramoto who expressed his refusal, citing the Taira Group’s succession dispute. That is not wrong, so if the succession battle becomes more intense in the future, the price 10 times the current price suggested by Yukiko Taira, rather than 1.5 times, seemed sufficient.
Yukiko Taira sighed at Masujiro Hiramoto’s words. Seeing that, Masujiro Hiramoto smiled with a sly expression on his face.
“Then how about doing it this way? I won’t sell the stock, but I will become Taira Yukiko’s friendly stock. “I own the stock, but I will let you wield this 0.5 percent of the stock as you please until I sell it at a high price someday.”
“What is the price?”
Yukiko Taira did not receive it right away. Such a sweet offer would definitely require a big price. When Taira Yukiko asked her price, Hiramoto Masujiro suddenly smiled obscenely and took Taira Yukiko’s hand.
“Tonight, we’re going to have fun alone, just the two of us. “If you give me just one night, you can use 0.5 percent of my Tyra Bio stock as you like.”
Without hearing anything more, Yukiko Taira shook off Masjiro Hiramoto’s hand and stood up from her seat. She then glared at Masjiro Hiramoto.
“Just say no or you will regret making such an ugly offer.”
“Regret? You will regret it. I took pity on the woman whose husband died and lost her rope, so I tried to help her a little… Don’t regret selling your shares to Ichiro or Jiro. Mr. Widow.”
It was Masujiro Hiramoto who continued to speak to Taira Yukiko without hesitation, as if he thought that his chance to embrace Taira had already passed. Yukiko Taira ignored those words and went out.
Taira Yukiko saw herself in her garden, ignored the people, and literally escaped from the Hiramoto family’s mansion. In her haste, she stumbled as she came out of the mansion. Just when Yukiko Taira was about to fall, her thick and strong arms suddenly appeared and caught her body.
“Yukiko, are you okay? He said it would take a long time…”
It was Taira Ryuta. When Taira Yukiko looked at her Taira Ryuta’s face, she shed tears without realizing it.
————
What if it was a fun banquet?
