Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World-Chapter 151 - : Red Wedding

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Wednesday afternoon was unusually pleasant.

For a cold month, the bright sun shining overhead completely dispelled the chill, raising the temperature noticeably. It didn't feel like the kind of weather expected for this time of year.

Somewhere in Beika City, a church was packed with people.

Today, the church was hosting a wedding.

The groom was the only son of the Takasugi Zaibatsu.

Because the Takasugi Zaibatsu had a vast social network, the wedding drew a large crowd.

Of course, for the Takasugi Zaibatsu, this was more like the sunset after their prime.

Compared to other rising families, the Takasugi Zaibatsu was on an irreversible path to decline.

At such a critical moment, the marriage of Takasugi Toshihiko, their only heir, carried significant weight.

The reason why so many people still attended this wedding was largely because of the bride, Sayuri Matsumoto.

Her father was a superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, one of its senior officials.

He was part of an influential government organization.

And this particular superintendent's rank carried considerable weight.

So, even though the Takasugi Zaibatsu was fading, the wedding still attracted a large number of guests.

"The Takasugi Zaibatsu has been running at a deficit for years. Their stock value keeps falling, and most internal shareholders have already sold off their shares, leaving only a handful of loyalists."

Hayasaka Ai gave a concise analysis of the current state of the Takasugi Zaibatsu.

"Takasugi Minami, the current director, is also Takasugi Toshihiko's adoptive father."

"He's competent, but he suffers from a terminal illness, requiring costly treatment to prolong his life. That ongoing expense has further drained the Zaibatsu's resources."

"Takasugi Mikako, his wife, is a traditional housewife. She's never been involved in business, nor does she understand investment. But she has a gentle personality and has always been a supportive wife."

"After Takasugi Minami fell ill, she dedicated herself to caring for him and doting on their adoptive son, Takasugi Toshihiko."

"At this point, nearly all decisions regarding the Zaibatsu rest in Takasugi Toshihiko's hands."

"Unfortunately, he lacks experience, and his indecisive nature has only worsened the Zaibatsu's situation."

The detailed analysis painted a clear picture: the Takasugi Zaibatsu was crumbling both internally and externally, with little hope for survival.

The real leader of the Zaibatsu was gravely ill and had little time left.

His wife lacked the ability to run a corporation and focused solely on caring for her husband.

This left their adoptive son, Takasugi Toshihiko, in charge.

But rather than stabilizing the company, his leadership had accelerated its decline.

The Takasugi Zaibatsu was little more than an empty shell.

"This is the worst possible scenario."

Nagi couldn't help but comment.

"A capable father gets sick, and the mother is a traditional housewife who neither understands business nor has the ability to manage a conglomerate."

"The incompetent son takes over, and instead of saving the Zaibatsu, he hastens its downfall."

"The outcome is inevitable."

"Has Takasugi Toshihiko been attending a lot of upper-class banquets lately?"

"Yes."

Hearing Hayasaka's confirmation, Nagi was certain of her conclusion.

"Well, that settles it. The Takasugi Zaibatsu is as good as finished."

"Even if they have some liquid assets left, they're probably being used to keep the father alive and to ensure the mother has some financial security in the future."

"The Zaibatsu itself is a hollow shell, barely holding together in Toshihiko's hands."

"If he were competent, he might be able to maintain it for a while longer. But with his lack of skill, it's only a matter of time before it collapses."

Kaguya agreed.

"The worst part is that his personal abilities are nowhere near enough to sustain a Zaibatsu."

"An indecisive personality is a fatal flaw for a leader. At a critical moment, someone like him won't be able to make the right decisions."

"All he'll do is hesitate, and that hesitation will push the Zaibatsu toward an even worse fate."

"Combine that with his lack of ability to judge what's right, and you get the worst possible combination of flaws in a successor."

"Agreed."

Sonoko had met Takasugi Toshihiko before.

She used to attend upper-class social gatherings before her parents discovered her involvement in the occult and stopped sending her.

Back then, she often saw him mingling with various people, clearly searching for a potential wife.

However, the declining state of the Takasugi Zaibatsu was no secret.

Who in their right mind would willingly marry into a sinking ship?

If Toshihiko had been competent, perhaps some heiresses might have considered it.

But with his lack of ability and his indecisive personality, it was obvious that the Zaibatsu was doomed.

Which wealthy family would willingly form ties with such a person?

"At previous banquets, most of the heiresses rejected him outright."

"The ones who turned him down were from either powerful Zaibatsus or influential families with strong business acumen."

"They knew better than to get involved."

"Well~ I think the main reason many people rejected him was that his personality seemed... frivolous. Unstable."

Chika added at the end.

"Wait, Fujiwara, you attended those banquets?"

Kaguya looked at her in surprise.

"Of course."

"But my father didn't allow me to go, so I snuck in with my sister."

That made sense.

Kaguya had been wondering why she would be at a marriage-focused banquet.

If she went with her sister, then it wasn't surprising.

"In that case... does Matsumoto-sensei know about all this?"

"Or is she completely unaware?"

Hearing the analysis from Sonoko and the others, Ran started to worry about Matsumoto-sensei.

After all, today was her wedding day.

Did she even know what kind of man she was about to marry?

No one spoke.

Instead, they all turned toward Ren, who had been standing quietly to the side.

He hadn't said a word this entire time.

When everyone's attention shifted to him, they saw that Ren had finished shuffling his tarot deck and had drawn three cards.

He looked at them and spoke.

"A wedding of blood."

Ren's words were a chilling prediction of what was to come.

(To be continued.)

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