The Kintsugi Act

[Empire of Kusari]

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Office of the Imperial Prime Minister, Kōkyo, Imperial District, New Tokyo. 29th June, 834 A.S.

The air in the Prime Minister's office hung heavy, three years of continuously shrinking Gold reserves put a strain on the overall mood. Not even Kishiro's recent successes proved capable of increasing morale across the Imperial District. How could it when the new technology requires sizable amounts of Gold too. Imperial Prime Minister Sanae Miyasu, her face etched with worry lines unfitting a woman of her prestige, addressed her Minister of Economy, Ryuu Majima. "Majima." her voice an unusual low rasp, "Did you reach out to your contacts within the KOI already?"

Ryuu, a man whose perpetually pursed lips seemed permanently stapled to a half-smoked cigar in recent times, sighed. "Our intel confirms it, Prime Minister. They'll be auctioning off the bulk of their last reserves. Of course it's nothing official but the KOI moles within Bretonia confirm as much. If we want to act, we should do so quickly."

"Kusari Industries is on the brink here.", Sanae said, her voice tight. "Without a steady flow of Gold, our entire high-tech sector will be pushed towards collapse. We can't afford to forego any opportunities to secure the Empire the Gold it needs. Options, Majima, options."

Ryuu leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "There is...an unorthodox solution, Prime Minister." He hesitated, then continued, "The Hogosha. They have...resources. Discreet resources and access to Gold reserves the Keiretsu cannot reach."

The Prime Minister's brow furrowed. The Hogosha. She had long confirmed the Minister's shady dealings with the Hogosha through equally unscrupulous methods as the Hogosha frequently use and knew that dealing with them was a gamble, a dangerous dance on the precipice of political ruin. Yet, the alternative was grim... economic crisis.

She sighed, talking a few moments to gather her thoughts. "They'll never be able to obtain sufficient stockpiles to supply both Keiretsu, Majima. And where would they even grab it from? Pillagers? More so, can you guarantee that they will sell their stockpiles to Kishiro and Samura for equal prices and in equal amounts?"

The Minister of Economy smiled and casually responded: "Prime Minister, you have my word that my men are not taking any sides here. We'll acquire the Gold and the details are not meant for your ears. It's for the better, hai? Don't get involved in business beyond your comprehension."

She bit her lip and slightly shook her head. Since he figured out that she was well aware of his Hogosha involvement several months ago, he kept on reminding her that he became irreplaceable. It pissed her off but she knew better than to anger a Hogosha Oyabun - more so she actually valued his work. "Alright. Get that organized then. Oh and you can go ahead and do me one tiny favor." It was now her turn to smile. "You will contact the Keiretsu discreetly and inform them that your Ministry has found ways to acquire further Gold but budget restraints keep you from acting upon it. Propose the utilization of the Awaji Bank on Honshu to establish deniability. We will crush that Bretonian auction with the combined wealth of the Keiretsu and avoid exploding costs we end up having to justify to the public. Uh, tell them the Ministry can allocate ten million credits anyway."

Majima had listened closely. It was a solid proposal, a proposal fitting a Hogosha more so than a Prime Minister. From her expression, he knew that she thought the same about it but he settled on keeping this part unmentioned. "Sometimes you have very good ideas, Prime Minister. I will arrange everything further but where do you take these credits from if I may ask? It is no small sum."

"My own pocket." She said firmly, hoping to avoid preying questions.

"Your own pocket. Fascinating, well." He put out his cigar and promptly got up from the chair. "There's work to do, excuse me 'Your Highness'."

Minister Majima left quietly, not waiting for her farewell. There was a bitter aftertaste lingering for Sanae. Hogosha dealings, money laundering, Keiretsu involvement and the ever watching Tokkeitai. Too many variables, too much could go wrong. She called home, called the person she labels a Sister. A Hacker. She had to create backup plans for herself, erase any trace of Majima having been here at this day and run ten million credits through several bank accounts...

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