The Red Hand

Chapter 285 – Kana’s Future.

With the matter of Amakusa's father dealt with, Akagi decided to head over to Seoul to aid in the completion of preparations for an upcoming project. This left Kana alone with her mother while Amakusa and her father spent time together in the garden catching up, and the two had much to talk about.

"All those pictures of this place didn't do it justice." Shima commented on the beauty that was Akagi's estate as she sipped on some tea. She and Kana were sitting under one of the outdoor pavilions, enjoying a bit of time together. Akagi initially wanted to kick Shima out the moment things were finished, but Kana persuaded her to let her handle their mother for the time being. "It really does remind me of the family compound, though a bit nicer." She gave a wry smile.

{I never liked going out there and now I know why...} (Shima)

"I always knew that Onee-chan was into traditional clothing and stuff, but I never imagined that one day she'd live in a villa that used to be owned by the actual Shogun." Kana chuckled. "But I think it suits her. Plus, the hot springs are to die for." She'd been enjoying their warmth and seemingly magical ability to make her skin look better.

"I do wish that the constant glares would stop..." Shima had constantly felt like somebody was watching her ever since she arrived at the estate, and that didn't change even after Akagi left.

{Its like somebody has a knife at my throat at all times...} (Shima)

"Considering you hurt what many here consider their Goddess, I'd say that you're lucky they've restrained themselves from sending their hatred at you in such a mild way." Kana gave an awkward smile.

"I... You're joking, right?" Shima asked.

{What?!?} (Shima)

"Nope, many of the clan see Onee-chan as a God. They even do ceremonies and prayers every week." Kana sighed as she recalled just how cringe the whole affair was. "Onee-chan hates it but couldn't bring herself to say no, and well... Now Misha comes over for potlucks..."

{And I hate to admit it, but the food she brings is amazing...} (Kana)

"This whole situation just keeps bringing more surprises, doesn't it?" Shima said as she looked into her tea, unsure of what to say.

"The last year has been a whirlwind of crazy, that's for sure." Kana continued. "But in the end, Onee-chan is happier, so I'm glad. At least now her future is no longer some nebulous thing, and I don't have to worry about what might happen to her." She'd always worried about what her sister would do after high school and was worried that she had no plans.

"That brings me to something I've been wanting to talk to you about..." Shima said as she took a sip of her tea. "What are your future plans, Kana? Your sister is one thing, but you're going into the last year of high school. Knowing you, I'd imagine you've given this great thought, and you've probably already got a plan in mind.” Her instincts as a mother never changed regarding Kana and even now she was still worried about her future.

"The future, huh?" Kana leaned back in her chair a bit. "To be entirely honest I haven't had as much time to think about it as I would've liked, but I've got most of it figured out." She continued, taking a bit of a cookie. "I already foresaw myself going into some kind of bureaucratic profession, likely something government-related. I thought that would be in the Japanese Government, but with recent changes that will be in Dumetor instead." While she was still considered a Japanese citizen Kana had no idea if that would last for long. Dual Citizenship was extremely hard to get in Japan, and she had little interest or need for such a thing.

{Though Onee-chan has mentioned that she'd just tell them to allow it and that they would have no choice.} (Kana)

"Listen, Kana. I say this as your mother, but is there a future in staying here?" Shima knew that asking this question would be treading dangerous ground but couldn't let it slide. "Your sister aside, and I know that she runs an actual country, but what can you even do here? There's no real prospects, Kana." She figured that Kana would accomplish nothing by staying here, doting sister or not.

"I would agree with you if Onee-chan's plans ended at this simple little estate." Kana nodded. "However, Onee-chan has already made plans for much more, and I'll admit that I'm excited for what she's got planned."

“When you say Rishia has a plan... That makes me nervous...” Shima gave a wry smile, knowing full well that Akagi's plans were rarely simple.

"Well this one isn't too bad.” Kana laughed. “Onee-chan is going to turn the pocket world where the Spirits live into what amounts to an entire planet to rule over. I can't go too deep into things as it's a secret, but her current goal is for a mass expansion of Omara and the inclusion of a lot more people if she gets her way." She'd been told that Akagi was going to undermine the Gods on Enoris and use the friction generated to force many of the races to bow to her demands.

"So what does that mean for you?" Shima still didn't really understand what Kana's role in all that was.

"It means that I'm going to be running a country." Kana's words took her mother aback. "Onee-chan joked about it once before, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it suited me." She cracked a wily smile. "Being some pencil pusher in a suit is boring. Why should I do something so mundane when I can use my intelligence to run an entire world?" Kana had no shortage of ambition the the idea of giving it her all to run something so large and complex set her heart ablaze.

{If I'm going to be called the Demon Princess then I suppose I should take advantage of that!} (Kana)

Shima was lost for words, she'd expected her daughter to climb the ladder of society quite high, but from what it sounded like Kana was going to be something equivalent to a Queen.

{Kana... What?!?} (Shima)

"Onee-chan already promised me that if I graduated from the University of Tokyo with my Masters in Public Policy she would appoint me as her Prime Minister." Kana's lips curved into a nasty smile that reminded Shima of Akagi. "And I won't lie, I love that idea." She cackled a bit as she imagined having such a role. "I'll get to run an entire world, changing policy, making laws, and controlling an entire government."

{If that's not a challenge, then I don't know what is. And Onee-chan knows just how much I love a good challenge.} (Kana)

“I... Um...” Shima was flabbergasted, not expecting something like this.

"It will be my job to guide an entire world into the future and to get a nation on its feet after starting from nothing." Kana smiled, her excitement bleeding through. "And I can't wait to get started. I've already started coming up with plans, and Onee-chan has been more than happy to let me run with my ideas." She'd already been doing work in secret and both Mika and Naomi were already dreading being dragged into Kana's schemes.

"W-Well..." Shima finally regained her composure enough to speak. "At least you have some pretty lofty goals..." She let out a deep breath.

{They really are sisters, aren't they?} Shima looked at the happily smiling face of her daughter and had the feeling that Kana and Akagi were far more alike than she ever knew. {I get the feeling that together nothing is impossible for those two... and if they combine their skills... that nothing could stop them...}

If one Tomogawa sister was the terrifyingly strong brawn of the operation, the other was the brains, and together they made an absolutely terrifying combination. As Shima had come to recently understand that Kana was no less terrifying than her literal Demon sister. It was just that Kana's method of tearing people down took the form of a friendly smile and a knife in the back rather than Akagi's more direct method.

{Rishia, you gave an already terrifying girl extraordinary magical power. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Kana ends up being the more dangerous of the two of you.} (Shima)

"Oh yeah! I was talking about this with Naomi the other day about this kind of stuff actually. She's going to apply to the University of Tokyo as well! She wants to become a Doctor and Mimi is going to help her work out a way to combine magic and medicine!" Kana was happy that her friend had found something passionate about.

{Though Mika is probably a lost cause. That girl is not college material. Maybe she'll just run around as a Magical Girl and do tricks for money? Wait, who am I kidding? She's going to be Onee-chans dedicated squishy!} (Kana)

"Just... Make sure you know your limits, ok?" Shima asked with a nervous smile. "And don't let your sister's bad habits rub off on you..."

{Though its probably a bit late to say that...} (Shima)

"Hah!" Kana laughed. "Onee-chan has plenty of those, but don't worry, unlike her, I won't become a good-for-nothing that lazes around the house all day." She snickered. "I've got far more drive than she does!"

{Plus, Onee-chan is super inefficient when it comes to working. Even with all those parallel minds working at once, she still leaves plenty of room for improvement. I hope Mizumi and the others are ready to work their fingers to the bone when I get in charge, for the new management won't be as kind as the old!} (Kana)

{Why do I get the feeling that Kana is going to run things like some kind of black company?} (Shima)

"Will... Umm... Hishya be working with you?" Shima decided to move on to a different topic, asking about her Dragon girlfriend. Shima was still not entirely comfortable with Kana dating Hishya for a variety of reasons and knew better than to say too much.

"Hah! Work! Yeah righ! That good-for-nothing lizard will probably just sleep all day." Kana sighed. "Get this! Onee-chan gave her a whole private beach area in Omara, and she's gonna put a house on it! It's almost like that lizard wants to just laze around all day!" She'd briefly seen the beach area before and understood why Hishya wanted it so badly.

{I mean, that sand was nice and warm, but still! I can't let the pillow hoard take her!} (Kana)

"I'm surprised that you of all people would want to be with someone that lazy." Shima's comment earned her a glare from Kana.

"Hishya isn't lazy!" Kana huffed, defending her even though she'd just insulted he a moment prior. "She's just a Dragon, and we need to work on keeping her instincts at bay. Most days Hishya is relatively active. She just needs some prodding is all!"

{Which is it?!? Is she a lazy good-for-nothing or not?!?} (Shima)

"I just figured that you'd want your partner to be... a bit more... um... on your level." Shima didn't really want to say that Hishya was stupid since that wasn't true, but was worried that Kana was 'settling' on this issue. Though in all fairness finding somebody else as smart as Kana wasn't going to be difficult as even the Demon Lords parallel minds couldn't eclipse Kana's natural intellect.

"I don't need somebody to be as smart as me." Kana squinted in disapproval, not appreciating Shima's insinuation. "Hishya is plenty smart anyway. It's just that her mind is better suited to things like fighting and pillow arrangement than doing paperwork." She enjoyed spending time with Hishya and the chemistry the two had more than bridged any differences. "Plus, Hishya makes me happy, and that's all that matters." Her words had a tone that told her mother to drop the topic or else she'd get mad.

{How did BOTH my children come out like this...} (Shima)

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