I returned to Lepsitol accompanied by my wives, Tatiana, and One-oh-one.
For some reason, Zashiki-warashi-chan presented me with a tree. She explained it was an offshoot that Suematsu-san had cultivated while pruning Himorogi-chan.
I hadn't realized Himorogi-chan needed thinning-out pruning...
He’d apparently soaked the thinned branches in water and used an iron-ion-based booster to encourage root growth. Once they took, he’d planted them in seedling soil.
Suematsu-san really could do anything.
Wifey and Shiyun stayed behind. There was no way I could have brought them along even if I'd wanted to. Besides, both of them had recently been told it was "high time they returned to their home countries."
Oh well. Time to handle the tasks at hand.
Since Tatiana was with us, I set up a barrier on Mike & Hammer Co. property on the Capital Planet without asking for permission.
Hah! I was already doing whatever I pleased.
I planted Himorogi-chan’s offshoot as well. Invasive species? Don’t worry about it.
And so, peace returned to Lepsitol... aside from a sudden rash of disappearances among conglomerate executives.
There was my answer.
Then there was the collateral damage: the entire staff of the Parcion Embassy vanished overnight. Every last Parcionian staff member was gone.
I couldn't say for certain they were Ghouls, but one couldn't help but suspect a connection, right?
The disappearances of the conglomerate executives and the Parcion Embassy staff sent shockwaves through the nation. Wild rumors flew, and conspiracy theories spread like wildfire through word of mouth.
It didn't help that the Lepsitol government—or rather, the Four Great Conglomerates—offered no official statement. The corporations stayed silent, terrified of being held accountable.
This is exactly what happens when you don't separate administration from for-profit enterprise. It was a massive security hole.
I see. So administrative penalties like business suspensions are actually designed to protect the companies as much as punish them. It was quite an experience to learn about governance firsthand in the field like this.
Of course, in peacetime, it’s probably more efficient for corporations to hold the reins of power. But a corporate dictatorship isn't omnipotent. Look at the mess I’d caused with just a little meddling.
In the end, it’s all about moderation—finding that perfect balance.
In that sense, the franchise-style feudalism of the Galactic Empire was incredibly resilient against external threats. If the Emperor—the CEO, essentially—was incompetent, you could just kill him off.
The Duke Association eventually rotted the system from the inside, nearly destroying it, but even then, it took a long time to decay completely. If the exploitation of the Low-tier Territories was eased and internal turnover was encouraged, the Empire might actually be sustainable.
Man, ruling is hard.
Anyway, we moved into a new place. The old apartment building had been moderately aged and surprisingly cozy...
The new residence was a luxury apartment near the office. It was massive. It was likely meant for high-ranking corporate families. The terrifying part wasn't that my wives would all be living in this unit—it was that they’d taken over the entire apartment building.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Their spending habits had completely eclipsed my imagination.
They each had their own room. However, only my room—the penthouse suite—was to be shared with Tatiana, One-oh-one, and Rikochi.
Tatiana and One-oh-one were used to communal military life, so I didn't think they'd turn the place into a pigsty, but...
Yeah. I was the one who ended up looking after them.
Tatiana immediately started hanging carpets on her walls.
"I always wonder, why don't you put those on the floor?"
"Because it's cold," she replied.
Apparently, it was a custom in Tatiana’s Colony to hang rugs or carpets on the walls for insulation and soundproofing. Since the walls were thin concrete, they stayed cold and let noise through. They even sold specialized wall-hanging carpets. Tatiana’s was one of those, featuring an intricate pattern. The world is full of things I don’t know.
On the floor, she’d laid a dirt-cheap, long-piled carpet.
"Don't eat snacks over that," I warned. "You'll get insects!"
"Ehh..."
"Who do you think has to clean that up!?"
"Big Brother Leo, obviously!"
Cruel. Absolutely cruel.
And One-oh-one was in the same room too. They really were inseparable.
"I am feeling quite lonely without Shiyun here, for she is my dear comrade, sir!"
Yeah, they really were good friends.
I checked out the training room. This building had everything. Claire, Melissa, and Rikochi were already there.
Rikochi and I didn't have much baggage beyond books and games. Maybe a kotatsu and a hot pot set. That meant we could get right to exercising without worrying about furniture arrangement.
The three of them were running. I figured I’d do some pull-ups.
I started doing reps until failure. There’s no scientific basis for this—military pull-ups are more about building grit than scientific muscle gain. In a real fight, spirit and willpower matter more than raw strength, but still...
It wasn't enough. I wanted to do some strikes with a wooden sword.
"What's the matter, Leo?" Claire asked, finishing her run.
"I’m... I’m not satisfied. If I don't get some wooden sword strikes in, my hands start to shake."
"Where were you doing that before?"
"At the Ninja Squad training facility in the basement of Mike & Hammer's Sushi Bar... Ah!"
I could just go there.
We all headed over to the sushi bar. A crowd had gathered out front. Pushing through, I found a group of Armored Rikishi squatting on their haunches.
They were puffing on e-cigarettes. It was irritating. One of the Armored Rikishi spotted me.
"Ah, there he is! It's Kawagon!"
So they had business with me. What was it?
"Are you the Ninja Boss!?"
I wasn't the boss. I was a low-ranking ninja and the owner of Mike & Hammer Co.
"Get him!"
Rikochi immediately hoisted one up with a One-handed Nodowa. Claire threw a standard punch, and Melissa delivered punishment with a single strike from her wooden sword.
As for me...
"Vertical Drop Brainbuster!"
The gallery actually cheered for some reason. I kept finishing them off with flashy showmanship to humiliate them. After tossing the lot of them, I demanded to know what was going on.
"So, what's your business?"
"It wasn't even a fight, de-gowasu!"
He was annoying me, so I clamped down with an Iron Claw.
"Ow-ow-ow-ow! I’ll talk! The Four Great Conglomerates put a bounty on Ninja Kawagon’s head!"
"Excuse me?"
"I said! The Four Great Conglomerates decided that Kawagon is the dangerous one!"
"I see..."
I hoisted him up for another Brainbuster.
"S-stop—"
"Hmph!"
I released my grip mid-air, transitioning into a Piledriver. Specifically, a Steiner Screwdriver. There was no love in the move. If there had been, I would have used a more graceful technique.
The Armored Rikishi was driven headfirst into the pavement.
"...Well, I guess that’s that."
My beloved wives and Rikochi gave me looks of pure exasperation.
"In the end, it always turns into this with you, Leo..."
"Claire... I swear, I had no idea about this one. Really."