Finally, the Day Has Come!

Finally, the big day had arrived.

I was standing in the Underground Facility where we’d set up the Counterfeit Note Factory. The machines were silent now, and the few remaining workers were busy packing up the last of the gear.

The factory had officially fulfilled its purpose.

"John-han, please, have a look at this," Yukime said.

Still in my John Smith persona, I followed her lead and swung open a heavy iron door. Inside, I was greeted by mountains of Gold Coins stacked all the way to the ceiling.

"Splendid..." I breathed.

"We’ve finished laundering most of the Counterfeit Notes. This should be more than enough," she explained.

We were in the deepest part of the basement. This used to be the jail cell where my sister was held, but I’d had it renovated into a massive vault. Looking at that glittering, infinite sea of gold really hit me in the feels.

The best part? No one had discovered this factory yet.

The Great Commerce Alliance and the Mitsugoshi Company both seemed to have tracked us as far as the Lawless City, but I’d been playing hooky from school to stand guard day and night. I’d successfully scrubbed any trail leading from the Lawless City to this facility.

The Mitsugoshi girls had been working hard, sure. But they’d overreached and made an enemy out of the Great Commerce Alliance. Against a bunch of grizzly, battle-hardened merchant vets, the girls didn't stand a chance. For all their "cheat knowledge," they weren't even in the same league when it came to a real-world scrap.

So, I figured, I’ll just have to become the Boss of the Great Secret Organization that Rules the World's Commerce.

The plan was simple: the Mitsugoshi Company would be absorbed into my newly minted J&Y Company, and I’d finally become a true The Eminence in Shadow. The girls might hate me for it, but I was willing to take the heat.

That, after all, is the path of The Eminence in Shadow...

"All that’s left is to exchange the genuine currency we’ve prepared at the Great Commerce Alliance, and then it’s game over," Yukime continued. "The Alliance doesn't have the liquidity to cover this much paper. It will be the spark that ignites their credit collapse."

While she’d been circulating the fakes, she’d also been quietly hoovering up real bills. Dumping those real bills back onto the Great Commerce Alliance for exchange would be the killing blow. They had almost no reserves left. Once that became public knowledge, a Bank Run would start, and the whole Alliance would come crashing down.

The Bank Run would inevitably spread to the Mitsugoshi Company, too. When the Alliance fell, people would naturally panic and think, Is the Mitsugoshi Company actually safe?

And then, we’d swoop in with this massive pile of cash, buy up their assets for pennies on the dollar, and establish the J&Y Company.

At least, that was Yukime’s plan as I understood it. The specifics might have been a bit different, but I was pretty sure that was the gist of it. Probably.

"Indeed," I said, sounding wise. "Since the total amount of currency in circulation has increased, inflation has already begun. The rate of increase is..."

I casually rattled off some stats from Beta’s reports, making sure to show off my "god-tier" information-gathering and expertise.

"John-han... you’ve looked into it that deeply?" Yukime gasped.

"Naturally."

"Joining forces with you was truly the right choice. This plan never would have succeeded without you."

"It wasn't just my doing. Your contribution was significant as well, Yukime."

"You flatter me," she said, giving me a bright smile.

We shared a handshake, though I can't remember who reached out first.

"Well then, let us move on to the final task. John-han, I need you to continue guarding the route between the Lawless City and this facility."

"Understood."

"Meanwhile, I shall head out to exchange these bills at the Great Commerce Alliance."

"...Wait, what?"

Her words gave me pause.

Yukime’s front for the Alliance was the Snow Fox Company. Her executives, Natsu and Kana, were the ones attending the meetings as representatives. As far as I knew, Yukime hadn't shown her face in public once during this whole operation.

I mean, the whole point was that she was going to be the Boss of the Great Secret Organization that Rules the World's Commerce with me. We weren't supposed to be out in the spotlight.

"Is it really necessary for you to go yourself?" I asked.

Sure, we couldn't send Natsu or Kana, but she could have just sent some random henchman. Since Yukime was supposed to be a The Eminence in Shadow too, she needed to stay in the wings.

"It is... important that I be the one to go."

She averted her eyes and smiled a little sadly.

Oh. I get it. Well, everyone’s got their own "aesthetic" when it comes to how they handle things.

"I’d like to think we’ve become quite close, John-han—assuming it isn't just my own unrequited love. Would you mind... listening to a story from my past?"

And so, Yukime began to tell her tale.

"I told you once before about how I lived with my mother when I was small. This is what happened after. While my mother was out hunting, our village was raided by a hostile tribe. My mother was a Three Tails, but the rest of the villagers had no real power to fight back. They were slaughtered or scattered. I hid under my bed, shivering. It wasn't long before the door was kicked in and men burst into my room.

"They dragged me out from under the bed. The way they looked at me... it was disgusting. I thought my life was over. But then, a man leaped through the window and cut them down. He was a reinforcement from the Great Wolf Tribe, our allies. He was a beautiful youth with glossy black ears and a matching tail.

"His name was Gettan. He smiled and hugged me, telling me everything would be okay. I was fourteen then, and he was seventeen..."

Yukime’s eyes, clear as mountain water, seemed to drift back to those distant days.

Meeting Gettan was Yukime’s first love.

Following the raid, her village began to rebuild with the help of the Great Wolf Tribe. This was shortly after the fall of the Great Hero Shiva, and the Land of the Beastkin was a chaotic mess of warring states. Every powerful tribe was busy invading their neighbors, desperate for the strength to produce the next Great Hero.

In that environment, it was only natural to seek stronger alliances.

Yukime, as the village's only daughter of the Spirit Fox Tribe with Three Tails, and Gettan, the son of the Great Wolf Tribe’s chief, were chosen as betrothal partners. Yukime had idolized him since he saved her, so she accepted happily. Her mother approved of the boy, and Gettan seemed to return the young, beautiful Yukime's feelings.

They were engaged with everyone's blessing, but the wedding wouldn't be official until Yukime turned fifteen and reached adulthood. Until then, they couldn't live together. They stayed in their respective villages, but Gettan would visit her several times a month. They both cherished every second of that time.

It was the happiest period of Yukime’s life. She spent her days dreaming of her wedding, wishing that the peace would last forever.

But peace is a fragile thing.

A massive conflict broke out between neighboring tribes, and both the Spirit Fox Tribe and the Great Wolf Tribe were dragged into the meat grinder.