Seeing the two women had quieted down, Harvey looked out the door; he could sense many hostile gazes in the courtyard.
"The lookouts outside are either Yashida's or Shingen's people."
Mariko looked out as well. "Don't worry, my people are out there too."
They chatted idly until noon.
The three of them took a car to Zojoji Temple.
Zojoji is located inside Shiba Park, Tokyo's largest park, surrounded by skyscrapers and adjacent to Tokyo Tower.
The ancient temple and modern steel structures complemented each other, forming a unique image.
Usually crowded with tourists, Zojoji was booked privately by the Yashida family today, considering the many public companies under the Yashida Group.
The chairman's death could cause stock fluctuations, so the funeral had to be held in secret.
The Toyota Century slowly entered the parking lot. Even though the funeral wasn't for outsiders...
The Yashida family had grown to its third generation, and the number of extended relatives was vast; the lot was filled with Rolls-Royces and other luxury cars.
Harvey, Mariko, and Yukio stepped out, already dressed in black.
"Miss Mariko, please follow me."
A guard in a black suit led the three of them through the Sangedatsumon Gate to the solemn Great Hall.
The hall was filled with Yashida family members. Shingen, as the immediate kin, was the host of the funeral.
Seeing the three of them enter, a young man in a black suit walked over.
"Mariko, who is this man? How can you bring an outsider here?"
Mariko introduced him: "He is not an outsider. He is a distinguished guest invited by Grandfather before he passed, Mr. Harvey Ferguson."
"And this is my half-brother, Kenuichio Harada."
Seeing Mariko intimately holding this stranger's arm, Harada, burning with jealousy, said coldly:
"Regardless of whether he is a guest, no outsiders are allowed today. Mr. Ferguson, was it? Please leave immediately."
Harvey ignored him, walking boldly toward the luxurious casket set in the middle of the hall.
Ignored, Harada grew even angrier. He gestured for several guards in black suits to come over and pointed at Harvey.
"Right now, immediately, get this outsider out of here!"
Mariko and Yukio knew Harvey's strength and made no move to stop him, instead crossing their arms to watch the show.
"Sir, apologies."
Five loyal guards surrounded Harvey, preparing to forcefully remove him.
But with a single thought from Harvey...
A surge of psionic power flooded out, forcefully shattering the consciousness of the five guards.
Thud, thud!
Losing consciousness, the five guards entered a state of brain death, their bodies falling stiffly to the floor.
Inside the hall, the many relatives lining up to pay respects to the casket erupted in an uproar.
Shingen stood by the casket, greeting each relative.
Noticing the chaos in the corner, he frowned and waved to the guards on either side, gesturing for them to handle it.
Beat the small ones, and more small ones come.
An impatient Harvey cast his newly developed prototype spell: Fireball Version 1.2.
Using psionic mana to commune with the fire element.
Within two seconds, spheres of fire the size of fists condensed in the air and flew toward the dozen or so guards closing in.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fireballs, traveling at nearly twice the speed of sound, exploded into larger flames upon impact, incinerating the guards' entire bodies into charred husks within a few breaths.
"Ah! A superhuman? Tenno protect me, don't kill me...!"
Inside the hall, many cowardly Yashida relatives fled in terror upon seeing such supernatural phenomena, pushing each other to escape.
Shingen watched this, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He wasn't a primitive savage; he had heard the news of the Avengers saving the world in New York.
He knew that any superhuman was not someone an ordinary person could easily provoke.
Shingen decisively lowered his pride, bowing humbly in apology: "My apologies, sir. Please forgive my error."
Harada stood frozen; having provoked a brick wall, he wondered if he would be casually killed.
But young people value pride; it was impossible for him to apologize as humbly as his father.
Harada slowly backed away, then suddenly turned and sprinted toward the hall exit.
Harvey intended to fire another fireball to send Harada to meet God.
But Mariko subtly shook her head and stepped forward, speaking plainly to Shingen: "Father, is Grandfather truly dead?"
"Baka! How can you speak like that? Would I joke about such a thing?"
Having just scolded his daughter, Shingen realized his tone was a bit too harsh.
He stole a glance at Harvey's face, guessing his daughter had some special relationship with this superhuman, and his heart settled slightly.
Mariko, however, persisted: "Then what about Grandfather's will? Why hasn't it been announced? You're not planning to secretly alter it, are you?"
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Shingen's anger was palpable.
Relying on her powerful backer, Mariko laid her cards on the table: "Don't bother. Hand over the will, or don't blame me for turning my back on you as my father!"
Fury rushed to Shingen's head; he nearly choked on his breath, almost dying from his daughter's "filial piety."
"You... you brat! Is this your upbringing?"
Harvey watched this scene of family infighting with pure delight.
For a conglomerate family fighting for inheritance, once the mask is torn off, there is no such thing as family.
After all, the right of inheritance is unique; anyone trying to snatch it is a mortal enemy.
At this moment, Mariko ignored her father's verbal abuse, a look of mockery in her eyes as she said sarcastically:
"Father, don't think no one noticed you secretly transferring the group's funds."
"Grandfather has barely died, and you're already impatient to plunder what doesn't belong to you. You truly are a 'filial' son."
Hearing that his secret embezzlement had been exposed, Shingen felt a bit guilty, but he maintained a tough exterior:
"After the previous patriarch passed, I am the only legal heir. No one is more qualified than me to be the new head."
"And you are just a woman; you will eventually marry an outsider. Do you actually want to break the rules and steal the inheritance?"
Mariko immediately fired back.
"Whose rules say a woman cannot have the right of inheritance? Tell me...!"
Their argument grew louder and louder.
Harvey grew bored of the noise and turned to walk out of the hall to breathe some fresh air.
Yukio remained cold and guarded by Mariko's side, unconcerned with the argument, only wanting to prevent Shingen from doing anything desperate.
"Baka! I have no such daughter...!"
"You think you've been a responsible father?"
Their shouting match drifted out of the hall.