Inheritance
Cast:
Cure Flower, Hanasaki Kaoruko - age 73
2nd Cure Flower, Hanasaki Futaba - age 4
Hanasaki Youichi - Kaoruko's son - age 40
Hanasaki Mizuki - Kaoruko's daughter-in-law - age 39
June, 2015
In the Director's office at Fusion Group, Hanasaki Youichi sinks into one of the richly upholstered guest chairs and rubs his temples. He has just come from a meeting where several Fusion Group executives debated heavily what should be done with his deceased mother's title and annuity.
In the chair next to him, Futaba, his younger daughter sits in his wife's lap. The little girl is dressed up in a simpler, more childish version of her older sister's Cure Blossom outfit. She has just been acknowledged as the new Cure Flower.
The Director slides a cup of tea across the desk to Youichi.
"I am sorry that you experienced that. I am sure you have enough grief without also witnessing our infighting."
Youichi takes a sip of the tea before responding. "This is indeed hard enough without... whatever that was. The things those women were saying... it felt like they were speaking some alien language. I don't know what you people want to accomplish here, and I am not sure anymore that I care."
The Director nods. "If it makes you feel better, even I have trouble with that lot sometimes. However, this time I can at least provide something of an explanation."
Youichi sighs. "If you must."
"The succession rules for Pretty Cures are complex. You might even say... arcane. However, the crux of the matter is that your mother was awarded her title as an exception to the usual rules, and the succession rules were never designed to account for a Pretty Cure dying, having adult children, while not having been succeeded by one of them. Also, you are male, which does matter, even though it really shouldn't. If Hanasaki Kaoruko had become Cure Flower as a teenager, as originally conceived under the project's rules, your succession to her title would have been announced when you were a child, probably when you were between fourteen and seventeen years old. In turn, Tsubomi would have become the third Cure Flower, most likely at the age when she became Cure Blossom.
"Instead, it was decided that since your mother became Cure Flower under an exception, that another exception would be made to recognize Futaba rather than yourself. I can't say that I agree with it, but I'm obligated to abide by that decision."
"I can't say that I like it either."
"I wish I could tell you that meetings aren't regularly like that. This time was meant to be an exception."