I will Return

At the office of the prefectural governor, the place where Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi would normally be working if not for his three-year long absence, the only other person with the capability to do his work was tidying up her table that still contained folders of documents that require a review and a stamp that either carries an approval or an order to return it to the respective assembly for another review and amendment.

"Haah… that's another well-spent day in the office. Now, let's-"

*Ka-crack!*

"Urk-!"

As she stood up, her back created a snapping noise that made her hold onto the wall behind her and wince in pain.

"ITAAA-!"

"M-madame!"

From outside, a passing maid that was carrying a basket of clean laundry heard her shout and dropped the basket to come to her aid.

"A-Aoyama-sama! Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah… I just cracked my back after sitting too long. Owwie-!"

"S-should I get you something?"

"N-No need. I can… I'm alright now. Hooh…"

Ever since Hiroshi left Naka castle, the "Kenchiji of Kiko prefecture" has been filled by the acting governor and daimyo, Aoyama Chiyo. Normally, she couldn't be handed such a power, not because she's a woman but because officially, the Iwasawa Lordship owns Kiko as its domain by virtue of conquest and more recently, by social contract after an election was held where the public unanimously agreed to preserve the Lordship over Kiko. By that metric, Chiyo couldn't be given the title and authority.

"Ah! I finally found you, Okugata-sama! Everyone invited for tonight's banquet are about to gather in the dining chamber in an hour."

From outside, an elderly maid entered the room with a hurried expression and tone.

"Oh! I almost forgot about that. Why didn't you look for me here?"

"A-ah! There is no time to explain! Let's not delay any further then! Please, my lady. Follow me!"

However, although he has been absent all this time, Hiroshi still had the wisdom to ensure that his absence will not cause any harm or discord in Kiko's daily functions… which is why on the left hand of Chiyo is a gold ring with a small and well-cut sapphire jewel, making her legally Iwasawa Chiyo-okugata-sama, wife of Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi.

And yet, tragically, not only have they never been ceremonially married, but they have also not talked once for the past two years as the last time they met, and the last time Hiroshi attended as the Lord of Kiko, was at the funeral of Aoyama Takeshi where he attended as his son-in-law.

"We don't have enough time for a warm bath, Chiyo-sama. Although against tradition, please just take a warm shower."

"Y-yeah. Please prepare my light blue furisode kimono and the bronze hair accessories. I also have to give a speech in the television after all."

"Understood, my lady!"

Half an hour later, Chiyo, dressed with simple clothes and ornaments that gave her an air of natural beauty, appeared in the media conference room where almost a hundred reporters took photos of her as she climbed the stage and stood behind the podium where the few television cameras are directed.

"Good evening, people of Japan. From the prefectural lordship house of Kiko, we wish you a peaceful and pleasant Memorial Day. It has been three years since the end of the great civil war that shattered our nation. To many, the painful scars of such a time have been alleviated by the newfound peace that we have now and yet, it is fair to say that such scars would be visible for the few future generations… and yet, we must move. In honor of their sacrifice, in respect for the life that we are given to live more, let us dim our lights and remain in silence for a minute as we reflect on our painful past, enduring present and hopefully, a better future."

The hall turned off all lights except for one and even the chattering of camera flashes and the grunts of the reporters packed in their seats became silent for a minute.

After the minute has passed and the lights were lit up again, Chiyo was assisted to the exit of the conference room whilst the reporters were begging for a chance to interview her further.

After leaving the room, someone in a formal military uniform walked beside her and gave his comment about what just happened.

"You could've answered one or two questions, you know."

"By their looks and desperation for an interview, they're rookies. I can't believe tabloid newspaper agencies are still operating and letting underpaid greenhorns like that to claw and choke against each other for a chance to be promoted. Can't you do something about that, dear General Shimura?"

"Haah… don't kick the ball towards me again. It's a shame that they've been getting better at hiding their shady practices. We get to nab one or two every now and then, but more will just pop up once they see a potential issue to overinflate for the sake of profits… just look at this ridiculous stupidity."

Nobisuke handed her a day old tabloid newspaper with a headline that is the epitome of cheap and exaggerated statements.

["THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ABSENTEE DAIMYO'S DISAPPEARANCE!!! KIDNAPPED AND FORCED BY THE MILITARY TO HAND OVER POWER?!"]

"What on earth is this…? Are they actually serious?"

"Don't waste your energy understanding these idiots. The more you think about it, the dumber you'll become. Give it to me, I'll need it later for a civil suit."

"Defamation of the military?"

"Worse. Seditious libel. I've asked Nagisa-dono to handle it since she knows the law better than me."

"Wow, Sedition, huh… that's very grave to say the least."

"We have to strike down the hammer heavily every once in a while. Besides, this one is just digging its own grave. Not only is it insinuating that the military has forced Iwasawa-sama to give up power, but it even says in a roundabout yet still very clear way that we're planning to take over the Shogunate by starting another war."

Hearing that, Chiyo's jaw almost dropped in utter shock.

"I'll make a circus out of this thing that it would call to attention the other libelous media groups. I might be hiding it well, but I'm actually excited to face them in court."

"Mmm… Don't overdo it now or else, I'll make Rin-chan nag you to death again."

"Urk! Please don't… ever since her pregnancy mood swings started, I've been forced to sleep in my office."

Hearing that, their bodyguards can't help but chuckle in his expense.

"It's not funny, you brats! You'll understand once you get to this point of your life!"

At the corridor leading to the dining chamber, they came across the Nagisa-Shinju family.

""Good evening, Chiyo-sama and Shimura-dono.""

"Good evening too, Masami and Kazuya-dono."

"C-Come on, kids. Greet them too."

""G-Goo eening…""

After the twin children of the couple greeted her, an infatuated smile traced itself on Chiyo's face.

"Ehh~? Who are these two, they're really cute."

"You hear that? Come on, darlings. Introduce yourselves."

"A-Ah! Me is Nagisa Megumi. Pweased to meet yuu…"

"Me name--- Me name is Nagisa Kiba. Nice tuu meet yuu…"

Listening to the two children mispronouncing their words caused Chiyo to melt more as she found it cute. This continued for a while until a Nobisuke told her that he'd get inside the chamber first and familiar voice came from behind.

"Hmph! Just because I grew up, you don't dote on me anymore."

"Huh? Why should I dote on you anymore? Are you still cute?"

"Hmph!"

Behind Chiyo was the 16-year-old head of the Misanagi clan and the child she used to dote on, Misanagi Rinne. Playfully puffing up her cheeks, she eventually laughed it off and exchanged embraces with Chiyo.

"I missed you a lot, Rinne-chan. The last time we met was when you took over the Misanagi clan after you graduated from law school."

"Yeah. I've been busy with finishing up grandpa and grandma's plans for the past two years. Ever since they left the world together and uncle Takeshi followed after, I've never had any time to even visit Naka and catch up with you guys."

"Now that you mention that, I heard that Chito and Yukari are coming back here after they stepped out of the succession line in Kanae estuary. Apparently, they didn't want to get mixed up with the courtiers in the Imperial court that are goading the emperor to return to power."

"I got their letter too and I'm pleased to get the three of us back again in full force… well, there is also the part of it that I just miss having our chaotic trio back."

While she is reminiscing about the past, someone from behind gently held her in a headlock and spoke with an ominous tone.

"Chaotic trio, huh? I sure can attest to that description of you three twerps."

"EEEKKK-!!!"

"Hey, hey, hey… Look who's back in the castle. It's boss Rinne of the Fubuki-gumi."

It was no other that Naka castle's current head chambermaid and Rinne's personal maid and babysitter when she was still a child, Kurayama Kaguya.

"Aaahhh!!! Stop exposing my dark past, Kaguya-san!"

"You shut up! It's time for me to pay you back ten-fold for being such a headache when you were a brat!"

"Ahahaha! Still the same vengeful one, aren't you, head chambermaid Kurayama?"

"Please, Aoyama-sama… I'm here tonight as a guest. Not a worker."

"Oh right! Is Rie-dono here too?"

"She is. I told her to not go there since we are guests tonight, but she still headed to the kitchen and are telling off her former students that are now serving as castle chefs."

"Ehehe… at least we can assure that the dishes would be delicious tonight."

As Chiyo and the others entered the new dining chamber that can now fit more than a thousand guests, they came across other more familiar faces.

"Chi-chan!"

"Rie-chan!"

The two women, setting aside their official positions, ran towards each other for a friendly embrace like they are teenagers.

"How are you?! It's been months since we last met face to face!"

"Well, I'm still good ol' Fumikage Rie! I've been busy helping out in the rebuilding efforts in the north especially around the irradiated mountain. You can only imagine how dirty it feels to work around there in lead-lined hazmat suits."

"Oh! So that's why you look thinner than before, I thought you've gotten hitched and are trying to look good!"

"How dare you! I've always been lean and sexy, you know?"

All of a sudden, a man interjected into the conversation which caused Rie to fume in annoyance.

"Apparently not sexy enough to get a fiancée and finally make father smile your way."

"Argh! Don't tell her about that!"

"Ahaha! Why, good evening, "Captain" Fumikage."

"Good evening too, Aoyama-dono. It's been a while since we last met."

The man was none other than Rie's elder brother and Kiko's admiral for the submarine service. Following the end of the war, his survival was made public although precise details of his return to the Kiko navy has been limited to being a ship captain instead of his real position as the admiral of Kiko's submarine force.

"Is General Ishida with you?"

"Ah, he's over there with his subordinates… Still in work mode although he should be here as a guest."

"Hehe! That's just usual workaholic him. He can't be calm unless he's in a working mindset."

"Same can't be said about Ayasaki-dono though who's hamming it up with his boys over there."

With an amused smile, Ryuusui pointed at the direction of a man holding a wine bottle and with arms wrapped around each other, are already celebrating around with a few men, one of which is a face that Chiyo recognized.

"Geez, it's Edogawa-dono again. Why must he look like the same kind of person in every party…? He even infected Ayato and his subordinates."

"Conversely as you said to the other, that's just usual party animal him. At least you can grease his gears for more business agreements with little effort once he's drunk enough."

"…Why are you speaking as if you're benefiting off of it?"

"A-Ah! T-that is---"

After a slip of tongue, Chiyo looked at Ryuusui intently which made him stutter while trying to find an alibi. Unfortunately, his jab at his sister earlier was returned without delay.

"Ahem, more submarine bases, ahem!"

"Urk! Rie! Learn to shut up, will you?!"

"Ehhh? I dunno what you're talking about, Ryuu-nii. I just know that you've bought off old Kashima outposts to turn it into submarine bases since I keep on receiving requests to build roads to "trading outposts" in the middle of nowhere."

"Ghh! Shh! SHHH!!!"

Although he did his best to shut her up, Ryuusui eventually heard one thing from Chiyo that was enough to make his spine tingle.

"We'll talk about this later, "Captain". Preferably alongside what you would call as a "tribunal"."

Hearing that, Rie can't help but giggle after hearing that Ryuusui was about to be court martialed in a military tribunal.

"Hehe~!"

"Darn it, Rie!"

Chiyo moved closer to the center of the chamber and saw from afar the Toshinori couple alongside the now young lady Toshinori Aki. They are surrounded by big and upcoming names in the business world who are obviously conversing with them about more public-private partnerships as well as prospective programs that they can bid on.

"Good evening, Lady Chiyo."

"Oh! Tatsu-kun! It's been a while… Ah! Is this him?"

"Yes! It's our precious little Masanobu."

At the arms of Kiko's resident diplomat was a little boy who is holding his feeding bottle filled with milk.

"Oh! He took after Kahono-san's eyes and nose!"

"Right. I was dreading if he got anything from me but I think I'll have to wait until he gets to talk to see it."

"Eh? Are you wondering if he also got a swindler's tongue like his dad?"

"It's "silver tongue", Chiyo-sama! Why are you bullying me?!"

"Agoo!"

Hearing the two argue against her, Chiyo can't help but laugh out as she invited the Tatsu to join her as she walked around.

"By the way, where is Kahono-san? I didn't notice her ever since I entered the chamber."

"She's over there with her former subordinates. Even after all these years since she handed her position to Kaguya-chan, Kahono still has a massive presence and legacy amongst the maids."

Tatsu pointed at the gathering of castle maids where the young women looked up to Asada-san who is still sporting her youthful appearance… as well as physical stature, much to her chagrin.

"Well, the Asada clan is still effectively a family in service of the lordship of Kiko. Since you entered into her family and changed your name to Asada Tatsu, you're also in the same boat."

"I guess you're right. I didn't really notice a change since I'm still doing the same things as I used to do before… I guess little Masanobu here would also get into the same work as the two of us one day."

"Bobu~?"

"Now, now. Don't look so far for him. He can't even walk or talk yet."

"Ah! Ehehe… I guess you're right, Chiyo-sama."

The two and a baby moved closer to the center of the chamber and saw more familiar people such as the twins, Yutaka Aimi and Eimi who came here with Ikehara Machiko, Hashidate's former ambassador to Kiko and now, its chief business consul that ensures the strong and efficient business between the two prefectures. There was also the Akizuki siblings, Hisako and Minori who appeared in formal garbs befitting their noble stature.

From the side, a woman uncharacteristically dressed not on her usual uniform approached Chiyo and greeted her which she returned earnestly.

"Good evening, Chiyo-sama and Tatsu-kun."

"Good evening too, Sister Camilla. It appears that you've returned just in time from England."

"Yes. It does appear that I have arrived just in time for Memorial Day. If I may trouble you for a minute, let's sit here by the table."

As the three and the baby sat down on the table reserved for Camilla and her fellow foreign guests from England, the two exchanged information that was not included in the formal missives between their sides.

"Europe is currently in turmoil after Spain and Portugal warred over the sea trading lines in the west. As you may already know, the two has dragged other nations into open conflict regarding their colonial holdings and who should be in charge of them."

"Has Britain or Prussia entered this war?"

"For now, not yet. Ever since the return of their prisoners and young Hans Zettour's report to the Kaiser's court, he has made them aware of Japan's military and economic power, both royal courts has been reluctant to join in this so-called "great plunder". Portugal and Spain have been banned from India, so they are focusing on the New World (T/N: North and south America) while both the Netherlands and France are focusing on South-east asia, particularly the islands with spices."

"You've given them our terms properly, right?"

"I did. A non-aggression pact, regular diplomatic missions between the three nations and most of all, trade offers for raw materials in exchange for manufactured goods."

"Precisely… that was the fairest deal that we offered ever since we opened Japan for international trade. Even the Shogunate wanted to ensure that we'd make the best first impression to them."

"It paid off far too much, if I can be honest. Between young Hans' report to Herr Kaiser and my own report to His Majesty, the right word would be more like an "impactful impression" than a "pleasant one"."

"What was that again that you used to say… Apples for oranges?"

"It's apples and oranges… are you saying that this is better than you expected?"

"Yes. Although we didn't get the ideal impression, which are apples. We still got a good impression, which are oranges. In the end, a fruit is a fruit."

"Haah… I envy your positivity, Chiyo-dono."

The impact of Japan's unification through the actions of Otherworlders like Hiroshi and Sora to the wider world cannot be simply understated. In order to force their enemies into submission, they brought revolutions in the economic, societal and most importantly, military facets of this new world that basically broke the balance of power across the globe.

Perhaps, it would be better to say that it has changed the course of history in an entirely different direction than what it could've taken. All of the people who served in the higher echelons of the government understood this fact very much.

"By the way, are those people…"

"Right. It's the Shogun and his family."

At one corner of the room, a family of four were sitting together and left alone by the other guests who watched them from afar with either glee or fear.

"Maa! Baa!"

"Mmm… Mom, Riku seems to be hungry."

"Oh? Alright, give him to me behind there."

Cradling a child on her arms, the adoptive daughter of the couple called out to their mother who told her to go behind a thick curtain with her and took the toddler from her. With great care, she lowered the collar of her gown to nurse her child and covered her exposed shoulder and chest with a handkerchief.

"Kichi, darling. Come here for a moment."

"Mm! What is it, father?"

"Someone is here looking for you."

Amanogawa Kichi, now 14 years old, went back to their table alongside her mother and brother and saw a familiar face as she got nearer.

"Y-You are…"

"I-I am…-!"

"What's with that lousy voice? Come on, kid! Tighten up and introduce yourself properly!"

After being hit lightly on the back by the now retired general Furutani Garou, the young man breathed out his sense of nervousness and finally introduced himself properly.

"I am Corporal Furutani Yuuta of the 401st Infantry Company of the Shogunate Army and the adoptive son of the Furutani Clan! Pleased to make your acquaintance."

This is Yuuta from Myoko province, the very same young boy that she last saw seven years ago when with childish innocence and pure childhood emotion, announced that he would one day marry her.

"…I see that you're ready now to give me back that scroll."

"That, I am, Your Majesty!"

"Mm… Although I believe that it's not me whom you should give that to."

Sora turned to his daughter and with a tilt of head as a gesture, told her to approach the young man and receive the scroll.

"H-hey… it's been a while…"

"R-right… It is."

As the two remembered that memory, feelings that they didn't recognize nor felt bashful about back when they were nothing more but kids showed itself on their faces.

"Are~? Ara, ara~?"

""-!!!""

From behind the Shogun, a girl dressed as a maid and was around the same age as the two formed a smug look on her face and made the two aware of her presence.

"Has my two precious twerps finally matured enough to realize they're meant to be?"

"That-!"

"Muu… I can already hear the church bells ringing."

"S-S-Shtop…!"

Hearing her quips, both Yuuta and Kichi tried to beg for her to stop but the words cannot come out properly as they are overcome with shame.

"Hehehe… just a bit more push and I'm sure you two will be- Abaf!"

"Stop it already, Ai-chan. You're ruining it for them."

Before the two became overwhelmed with her teasing, Sora used his walking cane and tapped Ai's head lightly to make her stop.

"Owiie! I'm sorry, sir… I just can't keep it down after seeing that they're together again now."

"I know that. But let them be for now…"

The party would start by 6PM where both somber silence and joyous cheers would be given to either departed or still living heroes in the long civil war. By 10PM, the party would end as the guests left and retired to their hotels in the city or their guest rooms in the castle… at least that would be true to those who are not in Japan's ruling class.

Now that the national government are made up by daimyos that carry the title of "Kenchiji" or prefectural governors that comprise the House of Lords, elected representatives of each province's population that make up the House of Commons and the Imperial Bakufu led by the Amanogawa Shogunate, decisions must now be made by in-depth deliberation instead of the will of a single person. That is, unless a critical situation comes, wherein the Shogun or a daimyo appointed by the vote of all three branches of the government will be given near-dictatorial powers to solve it.

And right now, the daimyos of the southern alliance and other notable nobles alongside the Shogunate are having a meeting in the underground bunker of Naka castle for exactly this reason.

"He's not here again, huh?"

"…Yeah. It's been three years since he talked to us. I did see him at Asura's funeral and his burial, but after that, nothing again."

After Sora noticed that Hiroshi isn't in the room again, Kyoko told him when he was last seen.

"Hiroshi-dono is… still not in the right state of mind, I believe."

"We can't really fault him… He took on an enormous burden that no one should take."

Koshiro and Shizuka replied respectively, fondly thinking back on their friend and even mentor who brought them this priceless peace that they are now experiencing.

"…Even with the absence of Iwasawa-kou-sama, we have to move forward with this urgent meeting. Chiyo-dono, if you may…?"

"Mm… I will represent the prefectural government of Kiko as the regent appointed by House Iwasawa and the prefectural government assembly. May you put your trust that my actions and decisions would be of equal ground to Lord Iwasawa Hiroshi."

After Nobisuke asked Chiyo to state her substitution for their absentee lord, the meeting began as the television screen in front of the room showed a bird's eye view of a certain island surrounded by a vast number of wooden ships.

"High-altitude spy plane flights has been conducted in the vicinity of south-east Asia courtesy of Kiko's 134th Reconnaissance Air Wing and so far, have confirmed our suspicions that we have stated half a year ago…"

"…So it really has come to this point, huh."

"Indeed, Amanogawa-sama… Leveraging their influence not only in their homeland's global trade but also to numerous other European countries, the Dutch has formed a coalition to once again strike our shores… and not only that, they refused to recognize our country, rendering a formal declaration of war as unnecessary."

"I believe this was confirmed in the under-the-table meeting initiated by Sister Dormer?"

"That's right, Kusanagi-sama. As all of you may already know, Sister Dormer belongs to a branch family of the British royal family, and it was only through the prestige of her name that we were able to force the Dutch to come to the discussion table back in Britain. Unfortunately, they have refused to come to any terms, demanding that we bring back their sailors that we are currently holding in a prisoner camp in Okinawa as well as paying for all their ships that we sank and the trouble that it caused to their sea trading."

"How hardheaded…"

"They still have a gall to demand that after we were clearly in the right for defending against their attempted invasion?"

Following Nobisuke's words, several people in the meeting room murmured comments beneath their breath. It was only after Sora raised his hand to ask for everyone to be silent that the discussion went back to what it should've been.

"What are their moves so far? I can see from these handouts that the Dutch are rebuilding their fleet and that picture on the screen tells me that there are already some ships from this "coalition force" that are in the vicinity."

"You are right, Amanogawa-sama. As you can see here, we have highlighted several ships whose style of construction and the flag they fly has been recognized by Shogunate officer Zettour to belong to Spain…"

Nobisuke pointed on three galleons that fly a flag with a red Burgundy cross.

"Portugal…"

He pointed at five warships that flew the coat of arms of the said country.

"France…"

He pointed at four ships whose flag had the diminutive fleur-de-lis.

"And a certain group of ships that we suspect to belong to privateer forces hired by these countries. Again, we consulted officer Zettour and he confirmed that the construction of the ships are conducive with the style used by trans-Atlantic vessels, supporting our hypothesis that these are hired forces from the other side of the globe."

"If I remember right, the number of ships we faced off long ago numbered almost half a thousand ships… if so, what are your predictions about the number of their forces here today?"

"If given ample time, I believe they would number to a thousand itself. It would be a herculean effort, but from the intel we gathered from merchants and our diplomats' trip to Europe itself, securing sea trade and forming colonies would be a prize good enough for an attack like this."

Nobisuke's answer caused the people in the room to either be worried or think up a way to solve the situation they are presently in.

"Should we strike first on these island nations?"

"That would be risky. Forget about this being our first military operation abroad, we even run the risk of making an enemy with the native populace."

"But if this continues…"

Amidst the fragmented conversation of the attendees, the sound of a chair being moved as the one seated on it stood up caused everyone to be silenced and look at her warily.

"Excuse the abruptness of this request… I have a suggestion that I believe would be worth looking into."

"…Fine, what is this suggestion that you have, General Himeji?"

Still having almost all eyes in the room affixed on her, she walked to the front of the room at the other side of the screen as Nobisuke and after a pause, spoke out her proposal.

"With a preemptive strike being less than ideal with our lack of diplomatic ties with the native populace of these nations and leaving it for later being a risky venture that may just aggravate the situation, my suggestion is for us to conduct a protracted offensive on those lands."

Hearing her suggestion, the reaction of the military officers in the room was immediately halved.

"That's the right course of action."

"We must do that immediately!"

Those who agreed, who are mostly made up of young officers who has just graduated from military academy, supported her idea.

"With all due respect, General. Starting a conflict like that would only cause more harm than good!"

"Right! That's too risky!"

On the other hand, those who resisted her idea, most of which are veterans of the sengoku era, voiced out their opposition.

"Excuse my ignorance on these terms, General. But what exactly do you mean with a "protracted offensive"?"

Shizuka's question was answered by the one who looked to be least likely to know about it.

"It's a proxy war, Daigo-dono. What General Himeji is proposing is to have the people of the nations currently held as colonies to revolt."

"…Well said, Mizuki-sama. It seems like you have been taught well by your husband, General Shimura."

"Oh please, General Himeji. You honor the two of us too much with that praise."

The exchange between Rin and Kotori made it clear to everyone in the room that there is still a visible rift between the two given that Rin was one of the people almost always opposed to the ideas of Kotori.

While those who would see this from an outside perspective would think that this is entirely because Rin intends to support her husband, Nobisuke, who are on the opposite stance as Kotori, those who know of Rin's identity as the sole survivor of the past world's destruction knows that she is resisting any unnecessary start of another war.

The tense atmosphere was only broken when someone voiced out their opinion that bore more shock.

"…I have to admit, General Himeji's suggestion seems viable."

"Shogun?!"

"…What do you mean, Amanogawa-sama?"

Sora closed his eyes, thinking about how he should say it as clearly as possible.

"Everyone, I want you to forget for now the ethical side of this entire situation and put yourselves entirely on the vision of servants and soldiers of our country… we are in a dilemma where we're debating between striking first which could ruin our image or being passive, which may end up having our people pay the price for our incompetence."

"With all due respect, Amanogawa-sama… and may the earth swallow me whole right here and now if need be… but don't we have the strongest military power in the entire world right now?"

"You're right about that, General Shimura… and yet, looking at things in that way is far too naïve."

"And what is that supposed to mean, Shogun?"

Once again, the room was filled with a tense atmosphere as Kyoko, who seemed displeased with Sora's tone, weighed in on the exchange while openly showing her dismay using her tone and lack of honorifics towards Sora.

"Isn't it obvious? Though no army or nation in this world can resist us if we truly pour out our entire power on them, are you truly willing to make us the enemy of the entire world?"

"-!"

"That is…"

"I see… so that was your point."

After Sora cleared up his point and Kyoko loosened the pressuring aura that she is exuding out, everyone heaved a sigh of relief before thinking through what he just said by themselves. Many recognized the merit of his opinion.

"I implore you to remember why your four provinces allied together in the first place. Wasn't it because you feared that I and the Shogunate are your enemies? Such was also the case when my allies in the north either sided with Miyazono Keiji or was replaced by his followers and we joined forces to retake those provinces and defeat him once and for all."

"So you are saying that we should follow General Himeji's proposal with that idea in mind?"

"There is room for adjustment, of course… Even I do not like the idea of conducting a proxy war for our benefit while those people bleed and die for it. At the very least, supply them with weapons that are already in the technological capacity of this era so we can lessen the impact of having it taken by the enemy, alongside a select few individuals who would teach them how to use said weapons and optimal strategies to make them an effective force."

"You're talking about guerilla war, I presume?"

"Roughly around that idea, yes."

Now that Kotori's idea is being refined, Nobisuke realized that it has been tamed down enough to the point that he can tolerate its lesser than ideal aspects. He inserted himself into the discussion again with a simple question.

"If we are going to continue with this proposal, we need to acquire a better way to gather intelligence than what we currently have on hand."

"And by this, you mean what, general Shimura?"

"I'm talking about the impracticality of our current way of acquiring photographic information which is mostly conducted by high altitude spy plane flights. This image we have on the screen right now required two-weeks of preparation and a lot of money for a single roundabout flight. In the long run, this will be too impractical."

"I second General Shimura's words and would like to add that it is not limited with spy plane flights. We also lack the capability to communicate wirelessly across such a large distance, as proven by the fact that we only got to confirm that the diplomatic mission to Europe was a success once they arrived in the vicinity of our radio tower in Okinawa. If a ship equipped with state-of-the-art communication instruments cannot communicate halfway across the world, how less does a man-portable radio set have a chance to communicate reliably?"

"So that was the concern, huh?"

Faced with the new problem given by both Nobisuke and Kotori, those in the room began to think about a solution.

"How about making hidden radio towers in uninhabited islands?"

"Too time-consuming to construct."

"Right. Not to mention that it would be a logistical nightmare to service those towers if they go haywire."

One good suggestion floated out but was eventually turned down due to its impracticality.

"How about using wired communications then? We put undersea cables to connect our island prefectures to the mainland after all."

"That would guzzle up resources that can be better put on other things."

"There's also the fact that unlike the seabed around Japan, the seabed around those countries is dotted by undersea canyons and chasms."

"Is that so, Admiral Fumikage?"

"Yeah, we conducted sonar mapping using ships and submarines before and that was the result."

Every idea aimed to solve both problems are too unviable and focusing on only one problem ended up aggravating the other problem such as the proposal to have a fleet of planes who are scheduled to fly and act as a mobile transmitter all around the clock and every date in the calendar. The only problem is that this would massively worsen the other problem with the time and resource consuming spy plane flights.

As the room began to dry up with ideas, frustration set in as tempers became loose among the two sides of Kiko's military that either supported Kotori or Nobisuke.

"You really know nothing do you?!"

"This is the problem with brats like you lot!"

"Haah?! Speak for yourself, you fossils!"

"Aren't you guys the one who should know that no victory is won without sacrifices?!"

The root of the growing argument was that the young officers are proposing to have an expeditionary force join in the proposed war, making the construction of communication infrastructure necessary regardless of the logistical or time expenses. The veterans voiced out their disapproval, stating that the entire reason why they accepted the proposal for a proxy war was because it gave the best outcome with as little damage to Japan's people and image as possible.

Amidst the growing banter of their subordinates, the daimyos and the shogun remained silent, reflecting on the complicated world that they must now navigate in the era after the great sengoku period.

"…If that's the problem that you want to solve, then let's solve it."

"That voice-!"

"Y-You…"

The words spoken by a voice familiar to all of them silenced everyone in the room as they all looked towards his direction and slowly gave way for him as he walked nearer to the table where the leaders are seated.

"You have a problem with capturing images from above and reliably transmitting communications? Then there's only one way to solve it using this solution."

Without missing a beat, he laid out a roll of paper that had everything from the blueprints to a detailed drawing of how this "solution" would work. Seeing it, Sora snickered and gave out a comment.

"Hehe… anyone who came from the otherworld would know that thing."

Returning at the most crucial time, Hiroshi gave out his last great invention for his people.

"Buckle up everyone, we're going to need everyone in Japan for this one."

"Right… leave it to this guy to be the one to come up with it again."

At the exchange of Rin and Sora who like Hiroshi, are Otherworlders, Nobisuke took the initiative to ask what the strange thing drawn on the paper was.

"Does this solution have a name, Iwasawa-sama?"

"Yeah. We're going to make a satellite. One that can capture images and transmit communications."