Although she was a little surprised to encounter such a thing, Kaguya Sumeragi considered it for a moment and chose to stand outside the door to eavesdrop.
Just as she stopped moving, a voice laced with dissatisfaction came from within the door.
"Minister Fujiwara, what exactly is the Cabinet thinking right now?"
Hearing the title Minister Fujiwara, information about the Cabinet ministers flashed through Kaguya Sumeragi's mind, finally settling on the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Daichi Fujiwara.
This made Kaguya Sumeragi quite surprised. After all, for a minister to appear in the Imperial Palace at this early hour of the morning, and to have even dismissed the security and staff, giving a young girl like her the opportunity to eavesdrop, was very strange in itself.
Just then, the shadow spoke faintly. 'Don't worry about it. I've concealed your presence, so those guards outside haven't noticed anything amiss.'
Hearing this, Kaguya Sumeragi immediately understood. At the same time, a voice she did not recognise came from within the room.
"The Cabinet hopes that you will classify Prince Tomohito's death as an accidental death."
Faced with such a statement, the figurehead monarch in the room became instantly furious.
"My brother was assassinated, and the Cabinet is telling me to keep quiet?"
"This is simply outrageous!"
Just as the man in the room was cursing, a gentle male voice, tinged with admonishment, spoke up.
"Your Majesty, the Cabinet currently hopes you will restrain your grief and do your utmost to prevent the situation from escalating."
"This is not only the Prime Minister's idea, but also the will of the Chief Cabinet Secretary."
"What about you, Minister Fujiwara? What are your thoughts?" The figurehead monarch's words carried a hint of mockery.
He clearly did not believe that Daichi Fujiwara, who had come to meet him in secret at the Imperial Palace, would not have his own ideas.
If the Prime Minister and the Chief Cabinet Secretary, who were already engaged in a political struggle, represented two voices, then the figurehead monarch was very certain that Daichi Fujiwara was the third voice, separate from the other two.
Faced with the figurehead monarch's questioning, Daichi Fujiwara replied with a calm explanation.
"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be investigated thoroughly. What if something is found?"
Hearing this answer, the figurehead monarch's tone was filled with deep suspicion.
"Oh? Hearing you say that, can I assume that the person who assassinated my brother has some connection to the Cabinet?"
"That is only one part of it. There is an even more serious problem."
As he said this, Daichi Fujiwara lowered his voice and whispered, "I presume Your Majesty is aware of my young daughter's recent situation?"
The figurehead monarch suddenly fell silent upon hearing this. After a long while, he spoke again, his voice a mixture of shock and doubt.
"The Hidden Management Department? How did this matter get involved with those dangerous people?"
The fact that Daichi Fujiwara's daughter, Chika Fujiwara, frequently visited the Hidden Management Department was no secret in high-level circles.
Even Kaguya Sumeragi had heard this gossip from the daughter of the Head Priest of Meiji Shrine.
Rumour had it that the head of the Hidden Management Department was even interested in a marriage alliance with the Fujiwara family, and some even said that the second daughter of the Fujiwara family had already become his secret lover.
But regardless of the gossip, the fact that the Fujiwara family had deep connections with the Hidden Management Department was naturally etched into the minds of those in the upper echelons.
Therefore, it was not strange in Kaguya Sumeragi's eyes that the figurehead monarch could make the connection to the Hidden Management Department.
However, she was also very curious as to how her cheap father had become involved with the Hidden Management Department.
Just then, Daichi Fujiwara lowered his voice and said, "The Hidden Management Department conducted a secret investigation after the incident occurred."
As for what was secretly investigated, why the Hidden Management Department would investigate the death of a prince, and how they investigated it, no one curiously pressed for details. Instead, they tacitly accepted the reasonableness of the matter.
After all, one couldn't very well question the Hidden Management Department about why they did what they did, could they? What if they just slapped you in the face?
Under some sort of unspoken consensus, the figurehead monarch asked in a low voice, "What did they find out?"
As his words fell, Daichi Fujiwara asked in a low voice, "I wonder if Your Majesty knows about Classes?"
"I do."
"What about promotion materials?" Daichi Fujiwara asked again.
"I know of that as well," the figurehead monarch said, puzzled.
At this moment, Daichi Fujiwara sighed and said with emotion, "According to the Hidden Management Department's investigation, it is highly likely that Prince Tomohito fulfilled the requirements for a certain Class promotion and became the other party's material."
"Your Majesty, if even Prince Tomohito met such a fate, then think about it, could you also..."
Daichi Fujiwara did not finish his sentence, but the figurehead monarch drew a sharp breath.
"Hiss—!"
"How could this be? How could something so insane happen?"
And just as the figurehead monarch was at a loss, Daichi Fujiwara spoke in a soothing tone.
"In fact, according to the Hidden Management Department's investigation, it's possible that many families with long-standing lineages, including the Imperial Family, the Five Regent Houses, and the Fujiwara clan, satisfy the conditions for that Class..."
"Therefore, Your Majesty, I suggest we conceal the matter of Prince Tomohito as much as possible. We must even be cautious in selecting who conducts the secret investigation. If, by some chance, this were to be exposed, it would create unnecessary risks for everyone."
At these words, the puppet emperor fell silent.
Even Kaguya Sumeragi, eavesdropping outside the door, was silent.
Although burying their heads in the sand like this was not the best option, it was the only one the Imperial Family of Japan could take.
After all, they couldn't very well announce that the Imperial Family and other nobles could be used as promotion materials for a certain Class, could they?
If such a thing were made public, how would it be any different from challenging the entire mystic side, from challenging the Five Great Powers?
Faced with a choice where sacrificing a few Japanese nobles would grant them supernatural power, one could easily imagine what the great powers and mystic organisations would choose.
Aside from the British Union, Japan, and a few other small nations, most mainstream countries in the world today have no nobility, at least not openly.
And if the Imperial Family were to launch a large-scale investigation into the tragic death of Prince Tomohito, and if they actually uncovered something that exposed the details of that Class, the noble class of Japan would likely never know a day of peace again.
On this point, the Imperial Family, the Fujiwara clan, the Five Regent Houses, the Shinto Priest lineages, and even most financial conglomerates shared the same stance.
After all, through their long inheritances, their bloodlines had long since intermingled through the transfer of power. In this matter, they were all sitting in the same boat—a boat labelled 'raw materials'.
After a long silence, the puppet emperor said, full of dejection, "Does Minister Fujiwara have any solution for this?"
In response, Daichi Fujiwara spoke with eloquence.
"The investigation into Prince Tomohito's matter can go no further. And to prevent this from being exposed, the attack on Kasumigaseki must also be suppressed as much as possible. If anyone starts investigating, we can use the Kasumigaseki attack as a shield."
"We need to divert the public's attention, and preferably the attention of the mystic side and the Five Great Powers as well."
Hearing this, the puppet emperor pressed, "Then how should we divert the public's attention?"
At this, Daichi Fujiwara paused for a moment before saying:
"Your Majesty, have you ever heard of virtual reality games?"