"Old foxes like Hiiragi Shinsuke and Kujou Takayuki have iron-clad wills. Ordinary interrogation won't work on them."
"What do you mean, then?"
"To make them spit out the money, I must threaten them with what they care about most."
Ayato spoke coldly, his face expressionless.
He had to teach his sister the cruelty of this world.
"What do they care about most?"
"...Status?"
"No."
"Reputation?"
"Also no."
Kamisato Ayato paused, saying each word deliberately: "What they care about most is their bloodline, their legacy—the 'future of the clan' they wish to preserve even at the cost of their own lives."
Kamisato Ayaka understood instantly, her face turning deathly pale. "...Hiiragi Senri and Kujou Kamaji?!"
...Kamisato Ayato was a man of his word.
Half an hour later.
Inazuma City.
Deep within the dungeons of the Tenryou Commission.
Hiiragi Shinsuke and Kujou Takayuki were being held in adjacent cells.
Though they had fallen to the status of prisoners, both still wore prison clothes of decent quality, their hair was combed neatly, and their expressions even held a hint of arrogance.
After all, they were the former heads of their respective Commissions. Even if they had lost power, they were certain their lives would be spared.
Inazuma's laws had always been lenient toward the nobility.
Until the cell door was opened silently, and Kamisato Ayato walked in alone, carrying a lantern.
The light cast his refined face in half-shadow.
"Kamisato Ayato? What are you doing here?" Hiiragi Shinsuke narrowed his eyes, his tone unfriendly.
Kujou Takayuki snorted. "Is the brat of the Kamisato Clan here to laugh at us?"
Ayato stopped in the aisle between the two cells and hung the lantern on a hook on the wall.
He brushed the dust off his hands, a smile as warm as a spring breeze on his face.
"You flatter me, seniors. I've come to ask for a small favor."
"A favor?" Hiiragi Shinsuke sneered. "We can barely save ourselves right now. What could we possibly help you with?"
"It's quite simple," Ayato said gently. "You both served in your positions for many years and must have accumulated quite a fortune. Now that Inazuma is in a precarious state, funds are urgently needed to appease the people and compensate Fontaine. I humbly request that you both be generous."
Kujou Takayuki's expression changed instantly. "Kamisato Ayato! Do you know what you're saying?! That is wealth accumulated by generations of the Kujou Clan! How dare you try to seize it by force or trickery!"
Hiiragi Shinsuke laughed in anger. "Hahaha! What a Kamisato Clan! What a Yashiro Commission! You're looting a burning house! Do you think I'm completely powerless to resist? I have ways to inform the Shogun right now!"
"The Shogun?" Ayato repeated softly. His smile remained, but his gaze gradually grew cold, like a frozen pond under the moonlight. "The Shogun can barely look after herself right now; I'm afraid she has no interest in such trivial matters."
He paused, took a step forward, and lowered his voice, yet every word was clear, striking at their hearts:
"Moreover,Have you two misunderstood something??"
"I'm not asking. I'm informing you."
"Hand over all the hidden wealth, land deeds, vault keys, and credentials for overseas accounts."
"Otherwise..."
His gaze swept lightly over the two of them before finally landing on the dark corridor outside the cells, where the faint sound of dragging chains seemed to echo.
"Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that your children, Miss Hiiragi Senri and Master Kujou Kamaji, will remain safe and sound during the coming 'chaos'."
"You—!"
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