18 Four Old Men

The two Mercedes Benz cars sped along the Tokyo streets. Compared to Australia, the size of Japan could be considered a speck of sand in an entire beach. Despite that, Japan had a population of a bit less than six times that of Australia. In such a case, it was impossible for everyone to live in a house.

The high-rise buildings that signified the business offices in the centre of the city, the apartment complexes that had multiple levels and multiple apartments per level, and the small, narrow streets and storefronts were all proof of a compact and dense city.

The plan was to meet at the Hattori's mansion outside of town, and have a chat about future plans there.

Since it was a mansion, and owned by one of the ancient families, it was necessarily large and out of the way. After all, if their mansion was easily accessible by everyone, they wouldn't have remained so well camouflaged within modern society.

When Basara, Iwatani and the butler finished their spiel about the family businesses, only a quarter of the distance to the mansion had been travelled. By now, the subtle vibrations and jolts of the car, combined with the droning of the three and Plato's jetlag, put Plato into a tired and lethargic state.

Despite trying his best to fight the sleepiness, in the end, Plato succumbed to dreamland and dozed off.

Seeing that, the other three didn't bother him and smiled wryly.

When Plato woke up, they were already at the mansion. Even during his nap, he kept his vigilance up, so he knew when the car had stopped moving and arrived. Opening his eyes groggily, he rubbed his eyes to get the rheum out.

The other three had already vacated the car, and were currently speaking to the servants in the mansion. Plato left the car soon after, and straightened his clothes. When the servants saw him, they bowed and greeted him, as instructed by the head of the family.

Plato had no idea why he was being treated like this. He was not naïve enough to believe that his friendship with Basara and Iwatani were the cause, so there was definitely something else in play – something that even Basara and Iwatani did not know of.

However, Plato did not bother much about it. Getting the support of these two ancient families, no matter the reason, could only be a good thing for Plato. Even if they had nefarious purposes for getting on his good side, he was confident that he could run away and hide.

In any case, after five years, there would probably be no-one on Earth who could match up to him.

Casting his thoughts away, Plato inspected the mansion. It was a typical Japanese-style building. From afar, it would look similar to a Japanese castle. It had two floors, a multitude of windows, and was made of wood. The roof was made of tiles. There was not a single part of the roof that was flat, and had all been angled to make a sort of triangle. The eaves were particularly prominent, with flashy designs of eastern dragons on it.

Being in Japan, this sort of house was not uncommon. However, ever since the introduction of apartment complexes, such houses were getting more and more rare. Using "All-Seer", Plato could see that this house was very ancient. It dated back to before the Sengoku Period, and had been renovated and restored to its current condition.

The inside also encapsulated the traditional Japanese style. The doors were made of wooden frames with fabric covers, and they were all sliding doors. The floors were made of floorboards for the hallways, and tatami mats for the rooms. There was a living room on the right hand side of the entrance, with a large kitchen attached and a TV. Instead of luxurious and flashy western dining tables, there was a low-set, black wooden table, and some seats without legs.

Evidently, dining in this mansion would follow the traditional custom of sitting on the ground. The seats had been put in place in consideration for the older generations, whose backs might not be able to handle the strain.

The left hand side of the entrance hallway was walls. A bit further on, there was an extremely spacious dojo, with shinai lining the walls. There were also sets of protective gear, but it was not in the kendo style. If one had to describe it, it looked like the samurai armours of the ancient times.

Opposite the dojo was a large array of rooms, each fitted with a futon, not a bed. The floors were of tatami, so it wouldn't get cold at night. The futon also added an extra layer of insulation against the coldness. Since it was in the sticks, there were little vegetation and obstacles for the wind, so it was almost perpetually chilly.

In the back of the mansion was a traditional Japanese garden. There was a shishi odoshi made of metal, and an array of bonsai and other traditional Japanese trees.

There were also a multitude of cherry blossom trees, which meant that it was possible for a private hanami (cherry blossom viewing).

Finally, in a corner of the garden, there was a small shack, which served as the private retreat for the master of the family. The rooms in the mansion were usually occupied by the servants, and most others were left unused. It was in this shack that Plato was to meet the head of both the Miyamoto and Hattori families.

If it had been Naofumi, he would have been extremely nervous. It could be said that he would be more at ease if it had been meeting his in-laws. Although he had treated Basara and Iwatani as joking when they said they were successors of ancient families, it was clearly evident that they weren't lying, given the sheer size and age of the mansion.

In that case, Naofumi, who had neither background or wealth, would not be welcomed readily.

Alas, Naofumi was no longer present. To Plato, this kind of wealthy, ancient family was only a fleeting thing in front of the invasion from the Beast Emperor. Therefore, he was not worried in the slightest. Add on the fact that he had come before numerous leaders in his days as the First Century's centurion, he was as calm and collected as he could be.

The group of people made their way through the mansion. The servants, upon seeing them, would scoot over to the side, not caring about whatever they were doing beforehand. When they passed, they would do a 90° bow, only raising their body after the group were out of sight. After that, they would continue scurrying around with their jobs.

Plato was slightly displeased to see this. While being obedient and showing respect to a leader were good things, over-subordination and meek subservience were things that dulled a human. If you can't even stay standing when someone of higher status than you comes along, how could you face the enemies of mankind?

As such, when Plato walked past the servants, he shook his head slightly. This sight was caught in the expert eyes of the butlers, who attributed it to disbelief and a slight sense of jealousy. They made a mental note to tell their masters this important information.

The steps of the group slowed down as they reached the door to the shack. The butlers knocked on both doors simultaneously, but only the Hattori butler spoke. It was, after all the property of the Hattori family.

"Master, the two Young Masters and Amakusa-sama are here."

"Good. Let them in."

A gruff voice that sounded like it had experienced all the vicissitudes of life echoed from beyond the door. 'This sort of gravelly and magnetic voice only belongs to a leader,' Plato thought.

The door opened to reveal two middle-aged men with excessive wrinkles on their faces, and another two old men with white hair and walking sticks. They were facing each other, with the middle-aged men and old men opposite each other.

From "All-Seer", Plato could see that the pair on the left hand side were the Miyamoto's, and the right hand side were the Hattori's.

At the same time, he discovered why he had been treated so well.

*****

When all of this was happening, Ashikage Junko had also made it back to her residence. What awaited here was an interrogation session by her father and mother, both demanding to know the results of her latest mission. What the two heard astounded them beyond belief…