Bang—! At the main house of the Kyoto Shinomiya Family, Shinomiya Oko listened to the report from his secretary, veins popping on his bald head from anger. The teacup in his hand was fiercely thrown aside by him.
"Who can tell me why two new employees were able to bring all branches of the Shinomiya Bank in the Kanto region under their command in just a few days?" Shinomiya Oko's fierce gaze swept back and forth across the few people kneeling below. "I remember, those two were only middle-level managers at the branch when they were hired, right? They didn't even count as upper management, so why were they able to radiate their influence to all branches in the entire Kanto region within a few days!"
Everyone was trembling with fear, but no one dared to speak up to answer. After all, they couldn't understand it either.
"Are you sure those high-level managers at the branches haven't been replaced, or been subjected to mind control or something?" Shinomiya Oko paced in circles, then glared at his secretary and questioned.
"Yes! It has been verified; it is them personally." The secretary answered nervously. "Blood type, DNA identification, memories, and their attitude toward family and work are all exactly the same as before. The only thing that is not right is their attitude toward those two girls named Albedo and Aura, which is abnormally respectful… respectful to the point that if it weren't in a public place, they might even kneel on the ground to welcome their arrival."
"Grind, grind—" Shinomiya Oko sat cross-legged back on the cushion and bit his fingernails with his teeth.
"Why? What is their reason for doing this?" Shinomiya Oko's brain storm unfolded. "Is it because of Kaguya? No, that girl Kaguya doesn't have this kind of guts. Besides, why would she be able to get the help of those guests? Is the title of acting head of the Shinomiya Family not famous enough? Or is the acting chairman of the Shinomiya Conglomerate not good enough for them?"
"Hayasaka… damn Hayasaka!" Shinomiya Oko kicked the small table in front of him, sending it flying. "If it weren't for her suddenly resigning and unilaterally cutting off all contact with me, would I need to be so passive!"
"Lord Huanguang, should we expose Ai Hayasaka's original job to Lady Kaguya?" The secretary asked cautiously.
"It's useless!" Shinomiya Oko roared irritably. "Although that woman is an idiot, she wouldn't do something reckless. Since she dared to do this, it can only mean that Kaguya already knows her original job was to report Kaguya's daily experiences to me, and she has forgiven her."
"Hmph, that child Kaguya really doesn't seem like someone from our Shinomiya Family." Shinomiya Oko's smile in the shadows appeared particularly sinister. "Even after being raised by Untaka for so long, there is still a trace of weakness deep in her heart."
"Has that woman Nao Hayasaka's work not been completed yet?" Shinomiya Oko cast his gaze toward his secretary once again.
"It has been completed; the final handover is currently underway." The secretary replied.
"Perfect, let that woman go to Kaguya's residence and replace her daughter's job." Shinomiya Oko smiled particularly twistedly. "We must investigate clearly what the relationship between those guests and Kaguya has become, and… just how powerful those guests' strength is."
To tell the truth, before Shinomiya Oko had met Albedo and the others, he was only alarmed by the terrible power they possessed, but after meeting them… Albedo, Shalltear, and Aura were all top-tier beauties. But the moment Shinomiya Oko saw them, he was so terrified that his heart almost stopped.
They were like natural predators. Just standing there, they made him unable to breathe. The one who saved him from that atmosphere was the blonde beauty, clad in heavy armor and possessing a noble temperament.
Even Shinomiya Oko, who originally only had eyes for power and money, was almost subdued by that woman's Aura at that moment. If not for the boy who appeared at the end, whose attitude was somewhat frivolous but who was close to those four women who didn't look like normal people no matter how you looked at them.
This was also the reason why, when Kaguya asked for positions for Albedo and Aura, Shinomiya Oko not only didn't refuse, but agreed immediately. It wasn't the division, alienation, and bribery that Kaguya and the others had guessed. It was merely the purest fear.
What kind of treatment would he receive if he refused? Thinking of this, Shinomiya Oko's legs trembled, and he almost collapsed. But for some reason, it seemed he was the only one who felt that way. Because when he went to discuss this matter with Untaka, the way he looked at him was as if he were seeing a mentally deranged person. Then he understood. He was the only one who could clearly sense the abnormality of those people!
He… was the chosen one! However, the fear that surged into his heart immediately shattered his rekindled chuunibyou heart. Chosen one, my ass! You're just the little snack for the next meal!
So he chose to submit inwardly, while remaining as arrogant as ever on the surface. As for the fact that those two women who entered the Shinomiya Bank would definitely take action, he had already been mentally prepared when Kaguya asked him for positions within the Shinomiya Conglomerate. But he didn't dare to refuse and could only hold a sliver of expectation for those subordinates whose methods were also not very clean. As a result, these people defected even faster than he did! And without even trying to hide it!
There was no other way; he could only turn his rage and vent it upon the secretaries who were oblivious to the terror of those two women.
Because if he didn't vent, Shinomiya Oko was very worried that he might be suffocated by that tidal wave of surging fear.
This, this right here is what you call impotent rage!
Would the Shinomiya Conglomerate be taken away by those monsters?
This thought only flashed by, but Shinomiya Oko seemed to have caught a spark of inspiration, and an insidious smile appeared on his face.
Take away the Shinomiya Conglomerate? Ah, take it then! Take it away!
However, if you were to discover that the Shinomiya Conglomerate you took was nothing but an empty shell, what kind of expression would you make?
The impotent-with-rage Shinomiya Oko felt as if he had grasped a means to counterattack his opponents.
If the other party spent all their effort only to find that they had fished up nothing but a debt-ridden Shinomiya Conglomerate, what kind of expression would they have?
Shinomiya Oko had to admit that when it came to business talent, although he was the most outstanding among his siblings, he was far inferior to the old man.
And ever since the old man's health had been deteriorating year by year, and especially since he started delegating power to him extensively last year, the Shinomiya Conglomerate had already begun its decline.
Internal cohesion? Before the old man died, the Shinomiya Conglomerate still had cohesion.
Even if there were to be a split, it would only happen after the old man died and Un'yo started making moves.
External forces? Although there was the relentless pursuit from the Shijo family faction, that was still not the reason for the gradual decline of the Shinomiya Conglomerate.
But now, none of that mattered.
He, Shinomiya Oko, the acting head of the Shinomiya Family and acting chairman of the Shinomiya Conglomerate, was planning to abscond with the funds!
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