Chapter 115

Inside a gloom-drenched office, a man sat alone, nursing a cloud of purple smoke. The room was a monument to joyless utility, unified in a dull, metallic gray. The only splash of color in the entire tomb was a family photo resting in a lonely frame.

"That Sakura... she certainly dragged home a fascinating specimen."

Genzo, Sakura’s father, stared intently at the terminal in his hand. The screen displayed a man with a remarkably gormless expression. Below the face was a list of recent, glittering achievements that read like a hero's resume—yet everything prior to those dates was a total black hole. The man’s official ID listed a plausible education and birthplace, but Genzo knew for a fact they were complete fabrications. He had commissioned the background check himself; there was no room for error.

"I never expected much from the girl, but well, life is full of surprises. I was looking forward to a grandchild, but I didn't think the 'partner' would be the one with all the potential."

Genzo grumbled to himself and flopped back into his chair. The high-tech, viscosity-treated springs absorbed his weight with a ghostly silence, halting at the perfect ergonomic angle.

"It is merely a hypothesis, sir, but we suspect the previous battle was also his handiwork. With all due respect to the young lady, while she possesses charisma, she hasn't a lick of talent for actual warfare."

A blue hologram flickered to life on Genzo’s desk, bowing with exaggerated, oily politeness. Genzo glanced at the projection and snorted.

"That’s the only logical conclusion. We found records of unidentified outgoing transmissions. Intelligence is currently bashing their heads against the wall trying to crack the encryption, but they aren't getting anywhere. It's likely a one-time pad—primitive, but damnably effective."

Genzo tossed the terminal onto his desk and unceremoniously crushed out his cigar. It was a five-hundred-Credit stick with more than half its length remaining, extinguished simply because the taste had bored him.

"Is he Intelligence, then? Perhaps someone close to the military?" the hologram asked, squinting at its own digital notes.

Genzo shook his head. "Not just 'close.' He’s likely the genuine article. Despite having zero track record, he’s suddenly brokering massive deals with Imperial Military subsidiaries. That doesn't happen by accident."

The files Genzo had scavenged showed a paper trail leading straight to firms with deep military ties. In the corrupt hellscape of the Imperial Military, greasing palms was easy enough, but deals on this scale were a different beast. If a transaction went south, the mediating officer would be the one on the chopping block. Those sharks knew that the easiest way to climb the ladder was to kick the person above them off of it.

"The real deal, sir? At a scale that moves that much capital, we’re talking a non-commissioned officer at minimum. Perhaps even officer class? But that raises the question: why the young lady?"

The ten-centimeter-tall silhouette on the desk crossed its tiny arms in a pantomime of deep thought.

"Who knows? But he didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart. It’s reasonable to assume he’s avoiding direct Imperial Military intervention for some reason. If he mobilized even a regional fleet, he could kick the Alliance into the sun... Still, that girl is the commander of the EAP Second Main Fleet, for what it’s worth. She has her utility."

After referring to his own daughter as an "it," the man leaned forward. "Case in point: his latest move."

"He used a bizarrely roundabout strategy against Enzio. Massive amounts of free food and agricultural tech... It looks like a joke on the surface, but the damage he’s dealt to Enzio’s bottom line is immeasurable. And the concept of 'Total War' itself? That had to come from this man. Lin of Little Tokyo doesn't have that kind of vision."

During the last EAP general meeting, Lin had presented the concept of Total War. When Genzo heard the warnings, it had hit him like a physical blow to the skull. Only a handful of people in the room had understood the weight of it; Genzo personally believed that anyone who couldn't understand it shouldn't be allowed to run a lemonade stand, let alone a corporation. It was a concept that promised nothing but total, fatal disruption.

At first, he’d chalked it up to a flash of youthful genius from Lin, but his investigation kept pointing back to this "Teiro." Even though Takasaki hadn't been involved in the Dingo Front due to its swift conclusion, Teiro was apparently the one who delivered the final blow. He was also the one who mapped the detour to the Empire. Those milestones were more than enough for Genzo to pull the trigger on the emergency mass production of Small-scale Agricultural Stations.

"So, shall we proceed as planned?" the hologram asked.

Genzo gave a grand, sweeping nod and flashed a smile that was entirely devoid of warmth.

"Even if EAP burns, Takasaki will never go bankrupt. But the leadership at Little Tokyo is a different story. This man is too valuable a talent to go down with Lin’s ship. Conversely, if EAP actually wins..."

The smile widened, turning predatory.

"This man’s influence will be terrifying. We must secure him at any cost. If he can be bought for the price of one daughter, it’s a bargain. If her feminine charms can actually be turned into a profit, then she’s finally useful for something."

"And that is why I am being badgered into an engagement with you. So, how about it? Want to take me for a spin?"

Sakura dropped the bombshell with all the grace and romance of a drill sergeant announcing a latrine inspection. Taro, who was currently tossing fried rice in the Plum’s galley, nearly suffered a heart attack and came inches away from painting the floor with the entire meal.

"No, no, no, no! Wait, what?! No, no, no! What do you mean 'and so'?! Also, they've totally figured out who I am!"

Taro’s eyebrows shot so high they nearly vanished into his hairline. Wasn’t the whole point of our deal that she’d keep my secret?!

"Umu. It seems Father has indeed sniffed you out, but he’s pretending he hasn't. It’s his way of saying, 'I’ll look the other way, so keep doing what you’re doing.' I thought he’d be furious, but he actually praised me again! Hah-ha-ha!"

Sakura laughed, looking positively radiant. Taro sighed and killed the heat on the frying pan—an item he’d had to custom-order because the concept of "tossing food in a metal bowl over fire" didn't exist in the local market. He began portioning the food onto plates.

As a follow-up to the "Food Bomb" dropped on Enzio territory, Taro had been flooding the Resistance with recipes for rice and potatoes. It had taken Earth's humanity thousands of years to go from "eating meat and bread" to "inventing the sandwich," and new culinary concepts didn't just appear out of thin air. Eventually, the galaxy would figure it out, but the Galactic Empire had one massive, glaring problem.

They didn't have cooks.

Since every meal in the Empire was dispensed from a Synthetic Food machine, the very concept of a chef was alien. To the average citizen, a "cook" was basically a high-level chemist. While methods like boiling or frying existed, they were strictly the domain of automated factories. That made Taro’s recipes the secret weapon of the revolution.

"I’ll release this one to the public if it tastes okay... But seriously, I don't know the first thing about the family systems here. Engagements? Marriage? Is that even a thing?" Taro asked, realized he’d never actually checked.

"Of course it is! Well, it’s mostly gone out of style except for the ancient families and the corporate dynasties. I don’t know how your people did it, but here, it’s the legal right to establish communal property, produce offspring, and ensure inheritance... Regardless, that smells divine. What do you call this?"

Sakura stared at the pile of fried rice with an expression bordering on the erotic.

"It’s Chahan. Fried rice. Livestock takes too long to breed, so the 'meat' is just Synthetic Food. I think the labels said [DEGRADED PRIOCTANIAN] and [TRIANOTRANS ACID ECTUNION]... What the hell kind of names are those? What happened to 'Onion'? It tastes exactly like an onion! Just call it an onion!"

Taro grumbled under his breath as he sprinkled toasted sesame seeds over the rice.

"So," Sakura prompted, "what do you say? If you join with me, you’ll eventually be the head of Takasaki. You’ll even snag a seat at the bottom of the Imperial Noble class. I dare say I’m quite the catch, wouldn't you agree?"

She puffed out her chest with a confident smirk. Taro recoiled slightly, waving his hands in a frantic "No."

"M-Marriage is, you know... it’s supposed to be the finish line for two people who are in love! And since when were there nobles?!"

Taro’s voice cracked as he devolved into a stuttering mess. Sakura tilted her head, looking genuinely confused. "Mu?"

"If two people love each other, they can just be lovers forever. Why bother with the paperwork? Marriage is a tool for social and legal fortification. It has nothing to do with romance, does it? Or... do you actually dislike me?"

Sakura crossed her arms, her lower lip pouting in dissatisfaction. Taro gave a weak, strained laugh.

"It’s not that I dislike you, it’s just..." Is the future actually more primitive than my time, or is it just her? Taro glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She’s definitely out of her mind. I can’t trust her as a source for 'common sense'—her upbringing was way too sheltered. Even Marl and Alan look at her like she’s a space alien sometimes.

"Hey, Teiro! Is it ready yet? It smells so good, I’m dying over here!" Marl’s voice drifted in from the common room.

"Coming!" Taro called back. He picked up a plate that was buried under a mountain of sesame seeds. Marl had developed a strange obsession with the little toasted seeds, and she was always happiest when he went overboard.

"Look, uh... thank you. Really. But the whole engagement thing is a bit much. My hands are full with the war right now," Taro said as gently as possible.

Sakura didn't seem hurt at all. "I see."

"So, you view romance and marriage as the same thing? If that’s the case, this is actually much simpler. I just have to make you fall for me, and then I have to fall for you. Hmph. You have much to look forward to, my friend!"

With a triumphant smirk, Sakura snatched up her plate and marched out of the galley. Taro watched her go, his spine tingling with the distinct, terrifying premonition of impending disaster.