Chapter Thirty-Six: The Secret History of the Uesugi (Second Update!)

(Page 1/3)

PS: This extra chapter is in appreciation of my reader "temperance," who helped me reach Legend rank in Hearthstone.

The next day, at the end of August, colorful food boxes were laid out on the tatami mats of the Kazekaze Restaurant. Exquisite Japanese cuisine and sashimi platters were arranged together, while golden folding screens blocked out the outside noise, and the walls were adorned with patterns of cranes and pine trees.

Today was the day of the arranged marriage for Uesugi Muneyuki’s older brother, Uesugi Sadanori. The entire Uesugi family turned out in force. The grandfather, Uesugi Kuninori, and the father, Uesugi Yushinori, both wore black kimonos with gold trim and the white Uesugi Suzaku crest, holding folding fans in their hands. The mother, Uesugi Tomoko, wore a deep blue tomesode kimono patterned with orchids.

The Uesugi brothers, meanwhile, wore black suits. Sadanori looked somber, while Muneyuki appeared cold and sharp. However, one could see the outlines of their parents in the brothers' features—it was clear that no paternity test was needed.

"Is this Russian caviar? It’s delicious! I’ve wanted to try this for a long time; it’s so refined!" Mother Uesugi Tomoko exclaimed in surprise as the waiter served the various dishes. "Wow, how exquisite, and there’s herring roe too!"

"Heh, you mentioned wanting to try it last time, so I specifically asked the restaurant to reserve some. How is it? Is it to your liking?" Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori chuckled kindly, his graying eyebrows twitching.

"I’m absolutely delighted. Thank you, Father-in-law." Uesugi Tomoko nodded repeatedly, smiling like a flower.

"If you like it, have some more. If you can’t finish it, you can have my portion, too," Uesugi Muneyuki added.

"Hahahaha~" Laughter filled the dining table.

Uesugi Tomoko held a high status in the household. Firstly, because her mother-in-law had passed away, she had no one above her. Secondly, it was because she had given birth to two sons for the Uesugi family: Sadanori and Muneyuki. She became pregnant with Sadanori in the second year of her marriage and gave birth to Muneyuki in the fifth year.

For a traditional family like the Uesugis, the ability to bear sons was paramount. With these two, Uesugi Tomoko solidified her unshakeable position in the house. Even when Muneyuki’s grandmother was still alive, she had always been very kind to her daughter-in-law.

The Yonezawa Uesugi family had always struggled with heirs. The great-grandfather, Uesugi Takanori, was an only child. In the generation of the grandfather, Uesugi Kuninori, there were two brothers and a sister, but the sister had married and passed away, and the great-uncle, Uesugi Takaharu, had died in 2004 without any heirs. Only Uesugi Kuninori had produced a son—the father, Uesugi Yushinori. With the family lineage on the verge of exhaustion, Uesugi Tomoko carried the hopes of the entire clan by giving birth to two sons; it was no exaggeration to say she had practically rebuilt the family.

"I passed through the hotel lobby earlier and noticed that fewer and fewer people are wearing kimonos; everyone is wearing Western-style clothes. It’s like walking into a Uniqlo," Uesugi Tomoko said with a smile. "Chitokumaru, Yukimatsumaru, don't you dare find yourselves girls who wear Uniqlo. It would be too embarrassing to tell anyone."

"..." Uesugi Sadanori’s face looked like he was constipated, and he remained silent.

"What, does Mother shop at Uniqlo too?" Uesugi Muneyuki raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't seem like it."

"She would never go there," Father Uesugi Yushinori shook his head repeatedly. He knew his wife came from a prestigious family and held herself in high regard; to Uesugi Tomoko, even glancing at a place like Uniqlo would be lowering her own status.

"I do go there, occasionally," Uesugi Tomoko retorted stubbornly. "Don't think I don't know anything."

Everyone at the table laughed, except for the elder brother, Uesugi Sadanori, whose face remained strained. Today was his day; he was the one being matched, and he had only come after exhausting every excuse possible.

"Come, Brother, don't look so sour. Have a drink," Uesugi Muneyuki poured a cup of sake for his brother.

"..." Uesugi Sadanori wore a bitter expression. He took the cup and downed it in one gulp, looking like a prisoner about to be led to the gallows.

Seeing his grandson’s expression, Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori shook his head. Amidst the elegant and powerful sound of the shamisen, he gestured for everyone to pause. "Stop for a moment. Chitokumaru, and Yukimatsumaru, listen to me."

Everyone at the table fell silent, listening to the 32nd head of the house.

"People will die eventually," the grandfather stared at his two grandsons. "I am getting older, and your grandmother, Junko, is already gone."

"She passed her life on to you."

"Junko still lives within Sadanori, and she lives within Muneyuki."

The Uesugi brothers were both silent. Indeed, their grandmother was gone.

"You must both have children to pass on your lives and the life of this main house, so that your grandmother can rest in peace." Uesugi Kuninori’s voice carried a hint of sadness. "Sadanori, listen well: bearing children and continuing the lineage is an obligation for anyone living in this world."

"Yes..." Uesugi Sadanori bowed his head slightly, his expression complex.

"Muneyuki, you as well."

(Page 2/3)

"Yes." Uesugi Muneyuki dropped his smile and agreed in a low voice.

Through joys and sorrows, the threads of the era wove into the long river of history. In that moment, Uesugi Muneyuki felt the weight of a millennium-old prestigious family.

"Well, now that you are both grown, I should tell you a bit about the main house," Uesugi Kuninori said softly. "The main house can be traced back to Uesugi Norifusa, the maternal grandfather of Ashikaga Takauji of the Muromachi Shogunate. Norifusa’s son, Akenori, came to the Kanto region and became the ancestor of the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan. You know this, right?"

"Yes," both brothers nodded.

"The last legitimate heir of the Yamanouchi Uesugi, Uesugi Norimasa, adopted his vassal Nagao Kagetora as his heir—that is Uesugi Kenshin. From that point on, the true direct lineage of the Uesugi clan from the Kamakura period was gone."

"Kenshin took religious vows and remained celibate his entire life. He adopted the son of his sister, Sentoin, Nagao Akikage of the Ueda Nagao clan—that is the first lord of the Yonezawa Domain, Uesugi Kagekatsu."

"Kagekatsu passed it to the second lord, Sadakatsu, and he to the third, Tsunakatsu. But by the third generation, the main house had no heirs." Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori smiled bitterly. "After Tsunakatsu died suddenly of illness, we faced a crisis of having no heir, which would have meant the abolition of the domain. Edo intended to dissolve the Yonezawa Domain, but our vassal, Kira Yoshinaka, proposed that his own son inherit the Uesugi family. This became the fourth lord, Uesugi Tsunanori. Although we avoided the abolition, our rice stipend was cut by Edo from 300,000 koku to 150,000 koku."

Uesugi Muneyuki nodded. The Kira clan was of extremely high social standing; as early as the Muromachi period, they were a distinguished family known as the "Ashikaga Go-ichimon-shu," and were even called the "Dismounting Clan"—meaning other daimyo had to dismount when meeting them to show respect.

"Although the Kira clan saved the main house once, they used that excuse to withdraw and spend all 150,000 ryo of the domain's savings accumulated over three generations," Uesugi Kuninori said, sounding somewhat speechless. "They even borrowed substantial debts in the name of the Yonezawa Domain, living lavishly in Yoshiwara. In the end, our family was forced to pay it all back. So... it was a mixed bag."

Yoshiwara was the city of courtesans in Edo, a pleasure district. The grandfather meant that the gains and losses canceled each other out.

"So, from the fourth generation on, the main house carried the blood of the Kira clan. And by the eighth generation, Lord Shigesada had no heir. Out of necessity, he adopted a son from the lord of the Takanabe Domain in Kyushu, Akizuki Tanemi—that is Uesugi Yozan."

"So, ever since Yozan, the main house has carried the blood of the Kyushu Akizuki clan to this day."

Sadanori remained calm, but Muneyuki’s mouth hung open. He pointed to himself. "So, should I be called... Akizuki?"

*Strip armor! Strip armor!*

*Is it Marina, or Ai-ri?*

"Heh, although it was an adoption, inheritance is inheritance. The main house remains a millennium-old prestigious family; that will never change." The grandfather smiled on his aged face. "I tell you these things to explain that having heirs is extremely important!"

Uesugi Muneyuki was lost in thought, glancing at his eldest brother, Sadanori.

*It seems... this has nothing to do with me?*

After the family gathering ended, the girl Sadanori was meant to meet arrived.

"Excuse me."

A woman about 1.5 meters tall and slightly plump carefully slid open the paper door. She had long hair, a fleshy chin, and wore a standard women's skirt suit. Underneath, her slightly pigeon-toed legs curled uneasily.

She was the candidate for her brother's arranged marriage, reportedly the daughter of a high-ranking executive at the Glico Company.

Short and stout, with a chubby winter-melon face and pigeon-toed legs—it was said that she fit Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori's aesthetic perfectly, very much like the traditional women in ukiyo-e paintings.

Uesugi Muneyuki desperately looked away, thinking he couldn't stay in this family anymore. He didn't want to have an arranged marriage like this!

*Maybe I should just call myself Akizuki Muneyuki from now on.*

———— I am the divider line of winter melons ————

At the same time, at the fountain plaza near the Sakurada Gate in Chiyoda Ward.

The newly appointed Superintendent General, Watanabe Eiji, sat on a bench in front of the fountain, munching on a kebab roll with gusto, accompanied by a cola. Birds and children passed by, and the man who commanded the 80,000 police officers of the Metropolitan Police Department teased the children with genuine interest, not hiding his fondness for them.

Not far away, Inspector Megure, in a suit and tie, was drenched in sweat. Having finally found the Superintendent General, he hurried over, stood at attention, bowed, and said anxiously, "General, why are you here? This is too dangerous."

(Page 3/3)

"I just met with the president of JR East," Watanabe Eiji was tall and radiated authority. "No need to be so nervous. This is the Sakurada Gate, the headquarters of our Metropolitan Police Department. Sit down."

"It's precisely because this is the Sakurada Gate that I'm nervous, General," Inspector Megure thought to himself. This new chief was truly something else.

In 1860, the Sakurada Gate Incident took place here, shocking the nation. Radical ronin from the Mito Domain, dissatisfied with the Edo Shogunate's Chief Councilor and Lord of the Hikone Domain, Ii Naosuke, ambushed him right outside the Sakurada Gate. Ii Naosuke was killed on the spot, an event that had profound effects on the country's historical trajectory.

"No need to be so formal. Sit," Watanabe Eiji emphasized again. Only then did Inspector Megure dare to sit.

"I read the forensic report on the case. My, that guy named Uesugi Muneyuki is really something. Megure, you're a lucky man." The Superintendent General picked up a kebab roll from the bench with ease. "Here, take this. It's a reward—a different kind of Superintendent General's award!"

"Uh, this?" Inspector Megure didn't dare take it.

"It's shawarma. It's very tasty, with ketchup added," General Watanabe pushed it a little further. "Eat it. I can't finish it. I'm getting old—my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I wanted to try both, but I didn't expect the portions to be this generous. One is enough to fill me up."

"Then... I won't stand on ceremony." Inspector Megure had no choice but to take the kebab roll.

The rank difference between them was vast; under normal rules, Inspector Megure would not have the authority to report directly to Superintendent General Watanabe.

However, beyond their superior-subordinate relationship, Watanabe had once served in the First Investigation Division, and they shared a bond from their time working together. Their relationship was closer, and since they were outside the department, a slight breach of protocol was acceptable.

Yes, the Japanese are just that rigid and conservative.

"I’ve been keeping an eye on that Uesugi Muneyuki," Watanabe Eiji leaned back on the bench and said casually. "This kid just does whatever he wants without considering the consequences. The president of JR East just found me and asked why the police didn't give them a heads-up about such a big incident... How was I supposed to know this little forensic examiner would be so capable? He just had to blow the lid off the case."

"The most interesting part is that he was completely right," the Superintendent General said with interest. "So I told JR, 'Is this really a bad thing? Isn't this actually a good thing?'"

"What do you mean by that, sir?" Inspector Megure didn't understand.

"The incident happened, but how you handle it is what shows your capability. I told JR, isn't cleaning up and helping the homeless the perfect way to build a positive brand image? Furthermore, many of JR’s facilities are old. With this incident happening, don't you have the perfect excuse to tell the public that you're suspending operations for maintenance? You now have sufficient reason to convince the board to replace the equipment," Watanabe Eiji laughed. "Opportunity always favors the prepared mind. The incident has occurred; whether it’s good or bad depends on how you handle it. Megure, you did well in this. You trusted the kid's judgment. Solving a case in a day—you've earned merit."

"I am grateful for your recognition." Inspector Megure still felt a lingering fear. "It’s just that the kid is too bold. He didn't even consider what would happen if the knife didn't hit anything solid. It was so reckless."

"I used to be like that, too. When my sense of justice flared up, I thought I was invincible. The difference is, if the forensic report is anything to go by, that kid is truly exceptional," Watanabe Eiji sighed. "My daughter has noticed him, too. Sigh, she always hates it when I eat this street food and drink cola. Here I am, a dignified Superintendent General, having to run outside just to eat a shawarma."

*So that’s why you were missing?* Inspector Megure was torn between laughing and crying.

The new Superintendent General was 50 years old and had only one daughter, whom he cherished like the apple of his eye.

"In any case, he handled these few cases beautifully and brought great face to our department. I've said it many times: we are the Metropolitan Police, not pizza delivery guys. A big corporation makes one call, and a high-ranking inspector has to go personally... does that make any sense?" Watanabe Eiji wiped his mouth and turned his head. "Let the local branches continue to work with him. We need to see if he truly has talent or if he’s just lucky."

"Yes, but with his personality, and the way he offends people..." Inspector Megure still hesitated.

"He followed standard procedures. So what if he offends people? JR East is a Fortune Global 500 company. Faced with a kid who followed the rules to the letter, they can't retaliate—they have to thank him." Watanabe Eiji tilted his head slightly. "He is a sharp sword. Used well, he can hurt others; used poorly, he will hurt himself. Our job in the police department is to keep him from going off the rails."

"Yes." Inspector Megure thought for a moment and decided to ask, "And if it turns out that he really is that capable?"

"Then that’s an opportunity for us. After all these years, it's time for the Metropolitan Police to change." Watanabe Eiji picked up his cola and looked up at the magnificent police headquarters. "When that time comes, I'll find a way to bring him into the main department."

"The local branches aren't allowed to have—and don't need—such a high-caliber talent."

"Such talent belongs only to us."