I know nothing about how running a corporation works. I've never pretended otherwise. I basically write out "business scenes" the way I imagine them working in a crime drama, because that suits YGO's themes. That's how I look at it, anyway.

I try to be realistic when I know what I'm doing.

But I don't worry too much about the details.

Realism has never been a big part of YGO, after all.

.

The next time the Big Five entered Kaiba Manor, Seto and Noa were both permitted to sit in for the meeting. They sat next to their father, at his right, and it seemed like he was making a specific point to the men who thought they could control him. Kogoro Daimon, in particular, looked drained. The fire he'd stoked in his chest the last time he was here couldn't be seen in him now, and both boys were honestly surprised to see him at all.

The group, to a man, seemed to understand that Gozaburo bringing his children into this little tribunal was a message to them, and it would have only been more poignant if he'd invited little Mokuba to join, too. He hadn't. This, Noa suspected, had been his mother's doing. Having a three-year-old sit in on a business meeting, just to prove a point to stuff old men, seemed like exactly the sort of move his father would make.

Then again, Noa was quite sure the Big Five were just as insulted by his and Seto's appearance; ten years were only marginally better than three to men like this.

After each director was given leave to say his piece, Gozaburo made a point of looking at his sons. "Seto," he said, and Seto sat ramrod straight in his seat. "What do you make of this proposal?"

Seto grimaced. "Anyone with six brain cells will see right through it," he said. "There's no point in making a move that's supposed to appeal to the public if you treat them like idiots. Whether it's authentic or not doesn't matter. If you're going to pivot to a more humanitarian industry, all the while refusing to take a hit for it, nobody is ever going to believe you're sincere."

"What do you propose, then?"

"Cut the timeline in half," Seto said, "at least. Shut it down now. Whatever. Whenever you decide to make the announcement, all of it goes." He glared at the Big Five when he heard them chuckling. "I know what you're thinking. All of you. You think I have no way of understanding just what nonsense I'm suggesting. I don't care. I'm not the one getting paid to work out details. You are. Work them out. If you're serious about having normal, everyday people care about anything this company does, you're going to have to prove that you're willing to stand by what you say. Take the hit. Prove your sincerity. Stop wasting everyone's time and man up."

Gozaburo held up a hand to silence Otaki before he started. "Don't . . . embarrass yourself by arguing with a child, Shuzo. This is an exercise, meant to teach my sons through practical experience, not a platform for you to pad your ego." He turned his attention over to Noa. "What about you? What do you have to say? Do you agree with your brother's assessment?"

"I do," Noa said, "but I think there's more that could be done with it. I think you should speak to Hahaue about working with other organizations, involving them in this transitional period. Have her point you to the right people, the right nonprofits. The ones who know how to aid working-class people, the people who are normally overlooked. Nothing will improve your public goodwill like helping the people who usually get ignored. I don't know if she should be directly involved all that much. Conflict of interest and all that. But I do think she's going to know who to ask, and how to ask. I think that's going to be useful no matter what direction we end up going."

Oshita shifted his weight, obviously unnerved by something, but he did not speak.

Gozaburo gave a curt nod. "Thank you, boys."

Seto and Noa stood up from their seats and bowed.

"Sir," they said with one voice.

.

Amaya sat in the drawing room, waiting for her sons to come to her, looking like a queen at her throne. "So, boys," she said loftily when they arrived, "what did you think of your first meeting with . . . the Big Five?"

"They're insecure," Seto said. "They're sad old men demanding respect when they should have earned it by now. They're angry that a younger man is in charge of them." He gestured. "When Chichiue had us speak, they wanted to vault over the table and eat him. They don't care about us, we're nothing to them, so having us critique their little speeches was a grave insult."

Amaya didn't miss that this was the first time Seto had ever called her husband "Chichiue," nor that it'd taken him quite a spell longer to do it than it had for him to call her "Hahaue." Seto didn't seem the type to stand on ceremony, especially considering how archaic these titles were, but he still wanted to fit in with the family. Amaya supposed he would've followed Noa's lead eventually, though, because it was him Seto was trying to impress.

She smiled.

That was good.

Noa spoke up now: "I think they're mad I survived." He grimaced. "Daimon wanted to take over when Chichiue retires. He was probably so sure he'd have the job when I got hit by that truck, but . . . I lived. I'm on the mend, and that means the company won't belong to him someday."

Amaya rubbed her chin. "I see," she said. "And do you think they can be controlled? Reined in? Do you think we should see about replacing them with more . . . amicable department heads?"

"I don't know," said Noa. "I think if anyone can control them, it's Chichiue. But I don't know how much longer they're going to put up with him throwing his weight around, or whatever they think he does. They only like following his instructions when they already agree with him. As soon as he says anything they don't like, they start doubting he's fit to lead them at all."

"I think there's gonna be a point," Seto said, "where he takes it too far. Maybe he'll have to let one of them go. Maybe he'll demote one of them. Maybe he'll do something they think is too weak to forgive, or whatever. I don't know. Men like that don't have consistent standards. But whatever it is, they're going to decide that it's time to get rid of him. They'll band together behind somebody else, some competitor or whatever, and they're going to make a move."

"You're sure they'll risk bringing someone else in?" Amaya asked.

Seto nodded firmly. "They can't stand on their own," he said. "They need a leader. That's why they're so mad. They know they're too chickenshit to take responsibility for their own moves." He gasped, then averted his gaze. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Amaya laughed. "Don't worry. It's quite all right. Go on."

"Chichiue is their shield," Noa put in. "Whatever the Kaiba Corporation does, he gets the heat for it. They like it that way. They prefer it. But what gets them mad is that he also gets all the credit. They want to share in his glory but, unless they open themselves up to the consequences, they can't."

". . . You boys got all this from one meeting."

Seto and Noa glanced at each other, then shrugged. "They aren't very good at hiding what they're thinking," Seto said. "I could be wrong. I don't know. But what I do know is this: they're mad at Chichiue, and they don't like the idea of him changing the Kaiba Corporation. They don't like that they can all say no, but it won't matter."

"They don't like that he listens to you," Noa added, nodding at his mother.

"They especially don't like that you're the reason he's doing this," Seto said. "Even if you aren't, they think you are."

"Oh," Amaya said, waving a hand, "they're right about that part. I suppose I have to give them some credit for figuring that part out." She sighed. "Your father is more sentimental than he would have you believe. He took them on, initially, because they saw him through some rough patches during his days as a mercenary. He now has himself convinced that they're the best in their fields, that having them onboard is vital to the company's success."

"You don't think that's true," Seto guessed.

"I've never understood what he sees in them," Amaya said. "They're impetuous, reckless peacocks. They retch at the idea of slaughtering their own meat, but they surely love the barbecue."

.

"I tested the Big Five today," Gozaburo said, slowly, "under the pretense of teaching Seto and Noa about the nature of my work." He didn't look at his wife; he was too focused on the window, the way he always was whenever he was gearing up to say something he didn't want to say.

"How did it go, dearest?" Amaya asked, after the silence went on for too long.

"About as badly as I suspected it would." Gozaburo's face twisted. "Damn them. I always thought better of them, but here they are proving you right at every turn." He hung his head, in as close to a gesture of defeat as he'd ever allowed himself. "I can't afford this kind of chaos. Not now. Not with this Paradius group putting targets on our backs."

"Our?" Amaya repeated. "Not just Noa, then."

"No." Gozaburo shook his head. "They want my head, too. Chances are, they'll make a move for you too. Soon. I imagine the only reason they haven't yet is because you tend to spend more time here than I do. You'll note they sent Raj for the only incident that took place within shouting distance of the grounds."

"They're careful," Amaya noted.

"Not careful enough," Gozaburo said. "They're only men. Possibly boys."

Amay sat up straight and leaned forward. "Boys. What do you mean?"

Gozaburo grunted. "They disguise their voices."

"You've run into them. Directly. Haven't you?"

"Yes."

"That's what you were doing two nights ago."

"Yes."

"And you've waited until now to tell me."

"Yes."

"Honestly," Amaya said, holding her head in her hands. "What am I going to do with you. I've told you that you aren't invincible."

"I don't believe you."