He would give Australia the honor and presence they craved as a leader in the Oceania region, while Japan—as one of the world's leading economic powers—would take the practical lead. Even if Japan was primarily Buddhist and Shinto, Yugen believed that a nation tolerant of religion would face fewer complaints from other countries.
The problems each nation needed to solve were mountainous, but for that, he would need France and Germany to work hard as well. The reason he included Germany was that Hans Ernst was German; he intended to give the Eastern EU a chance to outmaneuver the Western EU.
Additionally, it was a chance for Ernst Rosen to make a comeback. Though, it went without saying that if the issues regarding Erika or Leo were brought up again, Yugen would scrap the whole deal.
"Even after all that, you still have no intention of ruling them, do you?"
"Of course not. I'm just setting the stage. Whether the negotiations succeed or not is the job of politicians and government officials. Though, I won't forgive them if they let the deal fall through."
Truthfully, if his own government were competent, he wouldn't have had to meddle like this. But considering the future "Dione Project," he couldn't afford to wait.
There were already rumors that this year's Nine Schools Competition might be canceled due to a series of scandals within the executive committee. He could already see them trying to blame him and Tatsuya, which would inevitably lead to the "Taurus Silver" incident flaring up.
Yugen wasn't unrelated to the matter, but as the current President of the Club Management Council and the head of the Kagurazaka family, he had no interest in getting involved in an international project. It wasn't that space lacked charm, but whether he wanted to go there himself was an entirely different issue.
If they spoke of "honor," he wouldn't even listen. He would only negotiate based on practical benefit—and even then, he intended to demand benefits that bordered on the impossible. For instance, if the New Soviet Union wanted to join, he would add the "unconditional return of all territories and waters in Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands illegally occupied during the Soviet era" to the conditions.
In the first place, the right to decide the partners and conditions for negotiations regarding the "Stellar Furnace" rested with him. If they tried to fabricate the "Dione Project," the USNA, New Soviet Union, and the UK would be the first to be excluded from priority negotiations. Being in a military alliance didn't mean they were allowed to do whatever they wanted. It was time they learned that lesson firsthand.
"...This isn't really a conversation high schoolers should be having, is it?"
"Well, only you and Onii-sama are capable of it, Yugen-san."
They had significantly weakened the anti-magic movement through media manipulation, but they couldn't be complacent. Since the structure of the Magicians' Council had been drastically altered, the Saegusa family—who had effectively been sidelined—might start making moves. While it was unlikely Koichi would stick his nose where it didn't belong while he still held the headship, Yugen remained vigilant.
As for the Kudou family, they had been demoted from the Ten Master Clans to one of the Eighteen Assistant Families; they would now have to spend the next sixty years subservient to the Ten Master Clans. It was the price they paid for over-relying on Kudou Retsu, who should have retired long ago. Regardless of Retsu himself, Yugen wondered if the remaining members of the Kudou family would truly accept this.
That doubt was rooted in a report that when the Ninth Magic Institute was seized, all the Parasidoll prototypes and gynoids had vanished without a trace. It was safe to assume the Kudou family had taken them, but it was possible another "Nine" family was involved. He had delegated the investigation of this matter to the Ise family.
"Oh, I just got an email from Tatsuya-oniisama..." Miyuki looked at her terminal. "Let's see... 'Would you like to go shopping together?'"
"I see. Perhaps it's finally time for your brother to 'pay the piper' regarding his social obligations."
"It's not a bad thing, though," Miyuki smiled.
Since the relationship between Minoru and Mizunami—two potential keys—had changed, even if similar events occurred, they wouldn't necessarily lead to the same result. However, reminding himself not to fall into the trap of hubris, Yugen picked up the check and stood from his seat.
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