Gazing at Kaguya Shinomiya, Gan'an's eyes held affection for his 'daughter'.
At this point, he hid nothing, speaking his mind directly to Kaguya:
"Not being of Shinomiya blood means you won't be constrained by those clan elders - and this will be particularly important in your future husband's family."
"With the Shinomiya family's wealth backing you, as long as you're careful, your life won't be in danger."
"After all, any family that gains that wealth would protect you for appearances' sake, ensuring no accidents befall you."
Here, Gan'an Shinomiya sighed:
"Originally, I only intended for you to inherit thirty percent of my personal assets. But even that amount, though partial to me, would be enough to make certain old foxes move against you."
In Japanese society, making a woman who isn't a Shinomiya daughter yet possesses vast wealth disappear without a trace is frighteningly simple.
At the very least, the Shinomiya elders would certainly entertain such thoughts.
Previously, Gan'an had planned to marry Kaguya into the branch Shijo family as proof of the main house yielding, thereby protecting Kaguya Shinomiya.
But circumstances had changed. With the Shinomiya family nearly swallowed whole, he had no choice but to adopt another approach to preserve its continuity.
"Now, you're about to inherit the entire Shinomiya family and take it with you into marriage."
"As long as you're clever about it - avoid producing illegitimate children - even being with someone you love isn't impossible to arrange."
"After all, what matters to those people isn't you, but the Shinomiya fortune. Hand that over, and as long as you don't flaunt it, you can live out your days as a wealthy woman."
A father personally explaining to his daughter how to conduct an affair.
Both Kaguya Shinomiya, the subject of this conversation, and Seiryu Shinomiya, the silent observer, were internally screaming at the absurdity.
In contrast, Un'yo Shinomiya, the illegitimate son, remained completely unfazed.
What was wrong with affairs?
His mother had been the other woman. Without affairs, he might still be scrambling for scraps in some Japanese backwater.
Inheriting a nascent form of the Shinomiya family was disappointing to Un'yo, but still acceptable.
After all, he might have gotten nothing originally - the Shinomiya crown prince was Oko Shinomiya, not an illegitimate son like him.
His best possible outcome would have been inheriting negligible assets and surviving under Oko's thumb.
Now he could bite off a larger piece of the pie and lead his own conglomerate - this was already a major victory.
Thus, Un'yo showed the mildest reaction to these developments.
But for Kaguya Shinomiya, today's revelations shattered her worldview.
She wasn't Gan'an's biological daughter.
The Shinomiya fortune would become her dowry.
Her father was personally instructing her on how to keep a lover without angering her future husband.
From what she'd heard, Gan'an was quite experienced in such matters.
This was the same man who'd kept both Un'yo's mother and Kaguya's mother as mistresses under his legal wife's nose - the wife who bore Oko and Seiryu - even bringing them into the household. Who knew how many other women he kept outside?
Though only Un'yo and Kaguya's mothers had been permitted to bear children.
But regarding extramarital affairs, Gan'an was indeed an expert.
After imparting techniques that made even Seiryu and Un'yo internally marvel at his audacity, Gan'an exhaled deeply and addressed Kaguya: "Kaguya, I'm old now, and those old fellows who used to shield the Shinomiya family out of respect for me are about the same age."
"The Shinomiya wealth is indeed a shackle for you, but this is already the best possible outcome."
At this point, Gan'an Shinomiya coughed several times.
Seeing this, Kaguya couldn't help but step forward and gently pat his back, her face showing traces of sorrow.
Perhaps before, she had still harboured some fear towards this father of hers, but now, all that remained was grief.
After having the truth of her non-Shinomiya bloodline revealed, the not-stupid Kaguya naturally understood that her current lifestyle, having grown up in such wealth, was entirely due to Gan'an Shinomiya's favouritism.
He had adopted her before she was even born, protected her as she grew up in the Shinomiya household, and now, even in death, was considering her future - calculating the course of her life that, while not necessarily happy, would certainly remain affluent.
Though he might not have considered her opinions, Gan'an had done everything within his power.
And now, this man who had favoured her so was about to die.
"Cough! Cough!!"
After several coughs, Gan'an immediately felt better.
He waved away his second son, Seiryu, and third son, Un'yo, waiting until both sons had left before turning back to Kaguya to deliver his final instructions.
"Kaguya, regarding a husband... do you have any preferences?"
"Father may decide."
At this point, the idea of making her own choice had never even crossed Kaguya's mind.
She was, after all, just a student. Her understanding of the various factions' situations was inevitably inferior to Gan'an Shinomiya's...
When it came to matters involving the Shinomiya family's inheritance, she didn't believe her limited knowledge could perfectly resolve the issue.
Hearing Kaguya Shinomiya say this, Gan'an Shinomiya leaned back against the headboard and began considering suitable candidates.
He had no intention of hiding his thoughts from Kaguya, instead directly explaining the current situation to his daughter:
"The actions targeting the Shinomiya family are undoubtedly the Cabinet's doing."
"Hmph. Though I'm confined to this hospital, many have still whispered warnings to me."
"The Cabinet suffered massive losses during the recent Tokyo ice disaster, so they've set their sights on several conglomerates without strong backing. Our Shinomiya Group is merely one of their targets."
"Therefore, the Prime Minister's youngest son must be ruled out immediately. In that case, the third son of the opposition party leader would be a decent choice."
"In the past, he might have been acceptable. But these times change too quickly now."
"Before that ice disaster occurred, he might have sufficed. But now... it seems we must select someone with roots in the mystic side."
The Shinomiya family's hospital, located in Chiyoda during the ice disaster, was struck by the blizzard.
Gan'an Shinomiya, still undergoing treatment at the time, nearly died when his hospital room suddenly froze over.
Having truly experienced the brink between life and death, Gan'an understood now.
Compared to people like them who controlled wealth, those in the mystic side who wielded the blade were the ones who truly held power.
With this realisation, Gan'an immediately listed potential candidates for Kaguya to consider:
"Director Takayanagi of the Metropolitan Police Department Special Unit Warrior Group shares some acquaintance with me. His son Mitsuomi Takayanagi could be an option for you."
"Genichi, son of Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine, currently employed at the Onmyou Agency, is another suitable candidate."
"The Keikain House also has several promising young men in this generation."
"Hmm... Among edo yokai organisations, the Nura Clan's reputation remains decent, though that old yokai's grandson is still rather young..."
As she listened to her father meticulously listing potential husband candidates, Kaguya couldn't help but interject:
"Aren't there any SDS candidates?"
At this moment, Kaguya recalled that person from the Hidden Management Department and asked reflexively:
"Didn't elder brother suggest I approach Director Luo Shu from the Hidden Management Department? Is he on the list?"
Hearing this, Gan'an Shinomiya froze momentarily before responding with clear astonishment:
"How could you entertain such an overreaching notion?"
Kaguya's expression instantly stiffened.
O...overreaching?!!!