Cabinet Meeting Hall.
A gathering of those standing at the pinnacle of power in Japan.
"In the Nijo Castle incident caused by the Gokadoin clan, there were miraculously no casualties?" A minister glanced at the dossier before him, expressing surprise.
Hearing this, the Deputy Minister of Defence in charge of the report promptly replied:
"Indeed. At the elite combat level, whether martial artists, direct command units, or yokai, there were no fatalities—only severe injuries at worst."
"In contrast, the teams responsible for clearing out the Small Yokai suffered significant losses."
"However, compared to past casualty rates, this represents a 15% reduction."
Upon hearing this response, the Minister of the Environment narrowed his eyes:
"Does this suggest the elite-focused strategy initiated a decade ago has proven effective?"
The Minister of Defence, visibly displeased, interjected:
"While deploying elite forces in supernatural incidents incurs far lower costs than sending weaker personnel, modern military forces demonstrate exceptional efficiency in handling large-scale supernatural disasters. This was evidenced by the Blood Kin incident three years ago and the recent Ghoul incident."
The Minister of the Environment merely smiled. "I'm not dismissing the military's role. But according to the data, when facing large-scale supernatural disasters triggered by small groups like the Gokadoin clan, elite-trained specialists yield better and more cost-effective results than mass-trained units."
"As the frontline supervisor, Deputy Minister of Defence, you must have received similar feedback?"
Realising the Minister of the Environment had passed the buck to him, the Deputy Minister glanced at the Minister of Defence:
"Current data does indicate such a trend."
The Deputy Minister fully understood the Minister of Defence's grim expression. The latter advocated for large-scale military deployment, while the former championed elite-focused strategies.
Of course, both sides agreed on elite training for mystic-side personnel. But as the military's representative, the Minister of Defence had to speak for his officers, while the Minister of the Environment, promoting elite programmes like the Ministry of Environment Countermeasures Office, naturally wouldn't back down from expanding influence and authority.
Their quarrel was fundamentally about power struggles. Even the Deputy Minister knew his alignment with the Minister of the Environment stemmed from his backing by the Bujin-shū, who supported elite strategies.
Ultimately, the so-called Cabinet was merely an arena for competing factions within the nation to jostle for power.
Hearing the Deputy Minister side with the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Defence coldly remarked:
"But without sufficient numbers, how can elites be cultivated?"
The Minister of the Environment looked astonished, as if hearing something inconceivable:
"You're referring to those elites filtered out from the masses recruited through lewd ads featuring 2D anime characters or idol performers?"
"Defence Minister, is that truly what you believe?"
The Defence Minister's face turned green at these words. Had they been false, he could have refuted me. But the island nation's military recruitment did indeed rely daily on anime advertisements - an awkward truth.
Seeing the Defence Minister unable to counter, the Environment Minister pressed his advantage:
"Moreover, according to reports from the Cabinet's direct action unit, wasn't the SDS - the reinforcements who resolved this incident - also employing an elite strategy?"
"Rather than pouring limited funds into endless arms procurement, wouldn't cultivating loyal soldiers with potential be better? Wouldn't you agree, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries?"
"Eh? What was that?"
Startled awake by the sudden address, Daichi Fujiwara, the drowsy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, hastily wiped his mouth:
"I fully endorse everyone's views. However, I believe talent cultivation must consider livelihoods, economics and resources. We must adopt methods suited to our island nation's unique environment to develop capable, responsible supernatural soldiers who can safeguard our nation."
Hearing this speech that said everything yet nothing substantial, the Environment Minister, Defence Minister and other spectating ministers all twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Finally, the Prime Minister at the head of the table rapped his knuckles:
"Enough. Stop bickering, and stop treating this as a press conference."
Here, he shot Fujiwara a glance before surveying the room:
"We'll table the mass cultivation versus elite cultivation debate. Our priority now is damage control."
"Kyoto citizens need reassurance. Nijo Castle requires reconstruction. We need to handle the Onmyou Agency and decide the Gokadoin clan's fate."
"Ministers of Internal Affairs, Finance, and Regional Revitalisation - coordinate using existing resources to repair the ruined Nijo Castle."
"Chief Cabinet Secretary - arrange a press conference. Have experts devise plausible explanations to calm the public."
"Environment Minister - contact the Onmyou Agency for cooperation. Defence Minister - mobilise the Bujin-shū to intensify patrols and ensure domestic security."
"As for the Gokadoin clan's disposition." The Prime Minister again turned to Fujiwara: "Fujiwara-san, please liaise with the SDS."
"Any objections to these arrangements?"
Silence filled the chamber.
Though the Prime Minister's assignments seemed reasonable, these veteran politicians instantly recognised the underlying schemes.
The Internal Affairs, Finance and Regional Revitalisation ministers handling Nijo Castle's restoration? The graft opportunities in historical reconstruction were obvious.
Having the elite-strategy advocating Environment Minister liaise with the equally elitist, landowning Onmyou Agency? A transparent favour.
As for the cleanup of the Gokadoin clan, according to intelligence, Nue – the mastermind behind this incident – was personally dealt with by the SDS Director. There's virtually no dispute over who acquired the spoils of their clan. The Prime Minister has given tacit official approval for the SDS to absorb the Gokadoin resources.
In essence, the Prime Minister has already made his stance clear.
Moving forward, Japan will likely slow its modern military development and shift focus towards elite training of supernatural personnel.
Having interpreted this implication, everyone present began making their own calculations.
Fully aware of their thoughts, the Prime Minister calmly stated:
"If there are no objections, we'll proceed."
"Yes, Prime Minister!" came the unanimous response from the officials, marking the conclusion of the meeting.
...
April 12th, 16:00.
Luo Shu looked up at the Hidden Management Department headquarters before him, a hint of nostalgic warmth surfacing:
"After all these busy days, I'm finally back."
He glanced at Sharon in the driver's seat behind him, then at the slumbering Hagoromo Gitsune in the back before saying:
"I'll handle the remaining paperwork in the underground management area. You take care of Hagoromo Gitsune."
Sharon simply flashed an OK sign before stepping on the accelerator, speeding energetically towards the headquarters parking lot.
Watching this, Luo Shu shook his head with a smile, then strode through the main entrance of the Hidden Management Department.