Chapter 99: The 'In Case of Emergency' Plan

"Okay. This is not good."

Aoi is staring at the whiteboard. The "Operation: Make Bloody Twilight a Lady" board is covered in checkmarks.

Walk: Passable. Talk: Mostly non-lethal. Fork Identification: C-minus. Waltz: Still a war crime, but a structured war crime. Dress: Acquired.

The plan is moving.

Daiki's guild war is the talk of the nation. He has successfully drawn the Emperor into the game, and they are now engaged in a week-long digital cold war of strategic counter-moves. The Emperor is good.

Hiroto's PR campaign is a massive success. "Aoi Isuzu" is no longer just a high school student; she is a symbol of "modern love."

But there is a problem.

"What is wrong?" Rika asks, nervously.

"The invitation," Mariko says, walking into the suite. She is not in her usual power-blouse. She is in a severe, dark suit. "It has not arrived."

I look up. "The invitation for the Garden Party? I thought you were handling that."

"I was," Mariko says, her face grim. "I submitted your name, along with Rika's, as my personal guests. My invitations were approved. Yours... was not."

The room goes cold.

"What?" Toujo asks. "So, they just... said no?"

"Worse," Mariko says. "They lost the paperwork. I submitted it again. They lost it again. I called the Imperial Chamberlain directly. He informed me that the guest list is full."

"Takahito," I hiss. "He found out. He is blocking me at the door."

"He is not an idiot," Mariko sighs. "He knew we would try this. He has locked down the Palace, and now he has locked down the guest list. Without an invitation, you cannot get within a thousand feet of the Emperor."

The entire plan. The dress. The waltz. The forks.

It is all useless.

"So... we lost?" Rika whispers, her eyes filling with tears.

"No!" Toujo shouts. "We... we... we use my plan! The zip lines! And the smoke bombs!"

"We are not using the smoke bombs, Toujo," I say, my mind racing.

Daiki grunts from his laptop. "My part is working. I am this close to getting a private chat with Kage-sama. But if Aoi is not at the party... what is the point? I cannot just say, 'Hey Mr. Emperor, my friend wants to date your grandson'."

"He is right," Mariko says. "We need both prongs of the attack. Daiki opens the door, and Aoi walks through it."

"But the door is locked!" Rika cries.

I look at Mariko.

She is watching me. Her face is calm. Too calm.

"What is it?" I ask.

"What is what?"

"Your backup plan," I say. "You have one. You are the pragmatic witch. You do not put all your eggs in one basket."

Mariko allows herself a small, dangerous smile.

"You are learning."

She walks to her briefcase. She pulls out a slim, silver flash drive.

"You are correct, Aoi. I did not expect Takahito to roll over. This... is what I call 'Mutually Assured Destruction.'."

"What... is that?" Hiroto asks, his eyes wide.

"My father's shipping company is... very successful," Mariko says, dangling the drive. "And for the past ten years, he has been avoiding certain tariffs. International ones. In a very illegal way. This drive contains... all of it. The routes, the bank accounts, the bribes."

We are all silent.

"Mariko..." I breathe. "That would... ruin him."

"It would," she agrees. "And since my family is this close to the Imperial line... a scandal that big would not just ruin us. It would taint the Crown. It would be an international embarrassment. The one thing Takahito cannot survive."

"So... you are going to blackmail him?" Rika gasps.

"I am going to negotiate," Mariko corrects. "I am going to give Takahito a choice. He can have an unsuitable daughter-in-law like Aoi, which is a minor, domestic scandal. Or... he can have a felon for an in-law, which is an international one. He will be forced to choose the lesser of two evils. He will let Aoi in."

She is a genius. A terrifying, cold-blooded genius.

"But... your family... your father..." I say.

"My father's mistake was trying to marry me off like cattle," Mariko says, her voice like ice. "I told him. I am going to run the company. Not be sold by it. This is my severance package."

She looks at me.

"But... it is a one-time shot. Once I use this, I am at war with my own family. It is the backup plan. Aoi, is it time to use it?"

I look at the board. At our failed plan.

I look at the dress. My armor.

"No," I say.

Mariko raises an eyebrow.

"This is good," I say, pointing at the drive. "This is our ace. But you do not play your ace just to get into the party. You play it to win the whole game."

I grab a new marker. I walk to the board.

"He's locked the guest list, right?"

"Correct."

"But the staff list is not locked, is it?"

Hiroto gasps. "Angel! You are a genius!"

"The entertainment! The musicians! The caterers!"

"Precisely," Mariko smiles, putting the flash drive away. "Aoi Isuzu is not invited. But I wonder... is the new cellist for the Imperial Quartet on the list?"

My Bloody Twilight smirk is back.

"I do not know how to play the cello."

"You have a week," Mariko says.

This is the worst.