Three hours after Satsuki was attacked.
Saionji's affiliated hospital, highest-level special treatment area.
This was an independent medical area dedicated to the trauma team.
From the very establishment of Saionji's medical support system, this floor was not designed according to ordinary inpatient wards.
Independent operating rooms, imaging inspection equipment, intensive care units, and blood reserves were all concentrated in the same enclosed area, with duty doctors and nursing staff maintaining a minimum standby number twenty-four hours a day, so even if a critically injured person who needed immediate surgery was suddenly sent in the middle of the night, there was no need to go through a referral from the ordinary emergency department.
Among them, the innermost treatment unit had hardly been truly used since its completion.
That was specially reserved for the Saionji Family head and Satsuki.
The equipment was configured to the highest standards the hospital could obtain, with independent power supply, oxygen supply, and communication lines all having backup systems, and even the doors leading to the outside world were different from ordinary wards.
Except for medical staff, anyone entering the innermost layer needed Saionji Security to confirm their identity, and once the highest-level medical response was activated, the entire area would automatically transition into a closed state.
Tonight, this system, which had only ever undergone drills since its completion, was truly activated for the first time.
The outermost security door was tightly closed.
Two S.A. personnel guarded the door, and the corridor inside leading to the treatment area was similarly manned.
Several special security personnel who returned from the scene with the trauma team had not even had time to thoroughly change their equipment; dust was stained on their bulletproof vests, and street stains remained on their trouser cuffs and boot surfaces, looking completely out of place with the surrounding hospital environment that was so clean it was almost free of any debris.
Further inside, no one else could enter.
Outside the door, Kenjiro had already paced here for more than a dozen laps.
He walked from one end of the corridor to the other, subconsciously slowing down when passing the entrance of the emergency room, and then turning around again.
Kenjiro had already paced here for more than a dozen laps.
He walked from one end of the corridor to the other, his footsteps slowing down every time he passed that tightly closed door, but there was still no movement inside.
Maki initially did not pay attention to him.
Until Kenjiro passed in front of her once more, she finally raised her head.
"Mr. Kenjiro."
"Please sit down for a while."
Kenjiro stopped in his tracks.
He glanced at the tightly closed door, his expression turning even uglier instead.
"Do you know how many days I have been back?"
Maki raised her head.
Kenjiro seemed to be asking her, yet also seemed to be asking himself.
"Six years, and I finally managed to step foot back into this household. I have not even had time to repay what I owe Satsuki, yet someone dares to take guns to kill her in Tokyo?"
Saying this, he clenched his teeth hard.
"What the hell kind of business is this."
Maki did not say anything more.
Because she herself was no better off than Kenjiro.
She sat in the position closest to the emergency room, with a notebook brought from the Group Control Office on her knees, a pen clipped between the pages, but it had not been flipped through for nearly twenty minutes.
Further aside were Saionji Masato and Sasaki.
Endo had also rushed to the hospital.
He had not fully recovered after falling ill a few days ago, his complexion a bit worse than usual, but tonight obviously no one would advise him to go back and rest at this time.
Fujita Tsuyoshi had rushed over from the Group Headquarters.
After Chizuru gradually took over as Satsuki's close bodyguard, although he was still responsible for the personal guard unit, he usually stayed at headquarters more often to handle security scheduling and secretarial affairs, so he was not in the motorcade when the incident occurred tonight.
After the few people arrived here, there was actually very little they could do.
After the trauma team sent Satsuki into the innermost treatment area, they only completed the medical handover to the hospital according to regulations, and more detailed injury conditions could still only be obtained by the family head and the chief medical person in charge.
In the past, no one thought there was any problem with this system.
But tonight, everyone started feeling that the wait was simply too long.
Kenjiro ultimately still did not sit down.
He paused in place for a moment, then turned towards Masato.
"What on earth is the situation at the scene right now?"
Kenjiro asked.
"Dojima is still there."
Masato had been holding the phone that had not truly been quiet since arriving at the hospital.
"The Metropolitan Police Department has completed the first round of blockade, a batch of people on Washio's side has been caught, and some casualties have been confirmed."
"SIS intelligence personnel are currently re-verifying the entire attack process with personnel at the scene, because that batch of people who appeared later and Washio's people obviously do not use the same set of operation methods."
Kenjiro's brows instantly knitted tightly together.
"What about those Americans? Was it not already investigated before that someone had contacted Washio?"
"What was investigated was contact."
Masato looked up at him.
"Someone provided weapons for Washio; this point can basically be confirmed. But from providing the weapons to truly being responsible for the second half of the attack tonight, we have not fully figured it out yet."
Saying this, he placed a page of records he had just received onto his knees.
"Washio's people's actions at the very beginning were very chaotic; vehicles, personnel, and evacuation routes did not show particularly tight organization."
"Yet after the Eldest Miss's motorcade was split apart, the entry time, shooting positions, and priority attack targets of those people behind were obviously much more professional."
Kenjiro's expression sank little by little.
Masato knew what he truly wanted to ask, so he simply finished saying the remaining words.
"What can be confirmed now is that Washio is likely just that front cover. That group of people behind never intended to leave the Eldest Miss any way out from the very beginning."
The corridor was quiet for a moment.
The corners of Kenjiro's mouth twitched noticeably.
"So we were originally still thinking that an unmanageable idiot appeared under Sumiyoshi-kai."
As he spoke, he himself seemed to find this matter absurdly laughable.
"As a result, those people were simply using that idiot to force Satsuki out of the car?"
"We still cannot completely draw conclusions now."
Endo finally spoke up.
His voice was somewhat low, yet it instantly made Kenjiro turn his head over.
"There are still many things at the scene that have not been investigated clearly. What Masato said is currently the most likely judgment, not a conclusion that can already be taken out and used."
Kenjiro glanced at him, his chest obviously still holding back anger.
"I know."
"If you know, do not make judgments ahead of the investigators for them first."
Endo was considered one of the few people at the scene who could keep their composure, his tone steady.
"It is already chaotic enough now. People outside can guess, and the media can guess, but Saionji itself cannot fall into chaos first."
Kenjiro opened his mouth, but ultimately still suppressed the remaining words back down.
Masato did not mind the two people's interjections, lowering his head again to check the record at a glance.
"According to the information currently available, at least one thing is relatively clear."
"The scale of tonight's attack has far exceeded the extent that Washio himself could organize. SIS is re-investigating relevant personnel who entered Tokyo over the past week, and will also trace the source of the weapons back upwards."
"Do not just stare at Tokyo."
Endo chimed in.
Masato looked at him.
"If the guns and people were all prepared in advance, then where they came in from, where they stayed, and who provided the vehicles cannot possibly leave traces of only these few hours tonight. Check backwards through airports, ports, car rental companies, and temporary residences all together."
After finishing, he paused slightly, and added another sentence.
"First separate the facts that have been confirmed. As for the remaining speculations, do not treat them as answers yourselves just because we are anxious now."
Masato nodded.
"I have already had people do that."
While the two were talking, the phone beside Sasaki's hand rang again.
He picked it up and listened for less than a minute, his expression becoming even uglier than before.
After hanging up the phone, he did not speak immediately, but first lowered his head to write a few names on paper.
Maki noticed this.
"Is there another change outside?"
"NHK has already broadcast a news flash."
Sasaki put down his pen.
"Right now it just says that a major shooting incident occurred within Tokyo Metropolis, and automatic weapons were suspected to be used at the scene. However, the fact that the Saionji motorcade was attacked can no longer be concealed, and footage of the Eldest Miss being evacuated from the scene by helicopter was captured by someone."
He raised his head slightly and glanced at the few people present.
"Reporters have already arrived outside the hospital. The phones at the Group Headquarters, the main residence, and The Club have not stopped ringing since just now, asking all sorts of things."
"Some want to confirm if the Eldest Miss is here, some ask whether tomorrow's originally scheduled meeting should continue, and others have already started inquiring whether the Group has activated special authorization tonight."
Maki, who was originally recording, suddenly paused the tip of her pen.
"Special authorization."
When a large enterprise encounters a situation where its top decision-maker is temporarily unable to fulfill duties due to an accident or illness, having other responsible persons temporarily take over partial authorization is not an uncommon arrangement in itself.
Banks, insurance companies, and long-term partner institutions are also clear about what such a procedure means.
Therefore, the question itself is not strange.
However, asking it right now makes it seem like there are ulterior motives.
Only a few hours have passed since Satsuki was attacked, and the hospital has not released any information regarding her injuries yet. People outside have already started bypassing questions like 'How is the Eldest Miss doing now?' which will not get any answers, and instead are inquiring whether Saionji has activated special authorization.
Maki raised her head.
"Who is asking this?"
"Several partner banks, two insurance companies, and the side in New York."
Sasaki paused here for a moment.
"They are probing whether the Eldest Miss can still handle the group's affairs now."
Kenjiro sneered.
"They sure are quick to get the news."
"This is normal."
Endo glanced at him.
"If it were us, we would ask too."
Kenjiro originally wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not refute.
Because Endo was right.
Unlike the previous time when Satsuki fainted within the group, what happened on the streets of Tokyo tonight simply cannot be hidden.
There were explosions and automatic weapons at the scene, and the Metropolitan Police Department sealed off such a large area.
After Satsuki was taken directly from the scene by the trauma team, Saionji's core people rushed to the hospital one after another. As long as anyone outside paid a little attention, it was impossible not to see.
In the past, Satsuki also had a period of time when she could not handle affairs personally.
That time, Saionji's internal organization also bore tremendous pressure, but at least the matter was kept within its own family.
Shuichi was able to take over the final authorization, Endo and various departments continued to execute already determined plans, and outsiders did not even know that Satsuki had fainted.
Tonight is completely different, however.
From the moment the gunshots sounded, this matter no longer belonged solely to the inside of Saionji.
By daybreak, banks, enterprises, political circles, and those overseas institutions with long-standing ties to the group will all know that Satsuki has been targeted in an assassination attempt.
Those who have cooperated with Saionji over the past few years will verify contracts, those who rely on Saionji's credit will inquire about arrangements, and even old rivals who have not dared to reach out again will inevitably want to see how big a vacancy this attack will leave inside Saionji.
Endo was silent for a moment and finally sat up a bit straighter from his chair.
"Do not stop tomorrow's work for now."
Several people looked at him.
"Approved projects will be executed according to the original plan. The securities preparation group will continue to complete the current stage of due diligence, and various corporate affiliates should not disrupt their original arrangements just because something happened tonight."
Saying this, he looked at Sasaki.
"List all matters in the coming days that require the Eldest Miss herself to attend or make new judgments. Postponable ones should be postponed, and those that cannot be postponed should be sent over separately."
"Understood."
Sasaki nodded.
Endo looked at Maki again.
"The General Affairs Office will review the existing authorities of all departments tonight."
Maki only then spoke.
"I will keep an eye on it."
She closed her notebook, her tone slightly colder than usual.
"We can only use as much authority as we originally had. Especially for matters requiring the Eldest Miss's personal approval, no one is allowed to take a step forward on their own under the pretext of tonight's situation."
Endo nodded.
"The same goes for cross-company fund transfers. Daily quotas remain as usual; those requiring additional quotas or changes in use should be put on hold first."
Maki glanced at him.
"Are you planning to come back temporarily to preside over these matters?"
"Someone has to hold things together for the next few days first."
Endo answered very calmly.
"But do not get me wrong, I do not intend to turn a deaf ear to the doctor's words completely. What should be handed over to subordinates will still be handed over as usual; I only handle matters that originally had to come to the Eldest Miss."
If this sentence were said in ordinary times, it would probably make people chuckle a bit.
Yet tonight, no one could manage a smile.
Endo himself could not either.
He slightly adjusted his sitting posture and continued:
"It is just that the most taboo thing right now is for everyone to feel they should do a little more. With the Eldest Miss not in the office, authority should be tightened even more. What can be executed as usual should remain as usual, and anything involving new judgments must be held off."
When he reached the end, his voice slowed down noticeably.
"Wait for the Eldest Miss to come back and handle it herself."
The corridor fell silent for a moment.
Maki lowered her head and jotted down the last sentence on the paper.
"Understood."
Sasaki then took over the conversation.
"On the legal side, I will handle the on-site issues first. The firearms used by S.A. tonight definitely cannot be hidden from the Metropolitan Police Department; the source of the weapons, custody records, activation permissions, and testimonies of personnel at the scene must be uniformly organized as soon as possible."
"Other lawsuits and contract reviews without clear deadlines can be put on the back burner for now, to avoid continuing to occupy core personnel at this time."
Masato also nodded.
"All tasks of SIS other than the attack investigation will be deprioritized. However, I plan to keep a few lines open overseas, especially regarding the United States."
"Keep them."
Endo said.
"But do not pin everything on the U.S. just because Americans showed up tonight. First investigate the people, then investigate the money, and finally investigate who gave the orders behind the scenes."
Several people thus rearranged the matters that needed to be handled tomorrow bit by bit.
At first glance, it did not look much different from any ordinary ad-hoc meeting.
Yet everyone knew that these arrangements were actually just answering a very limited question: how Saionji should continue to operate at eight o'clock tomorrow morning.
This question is not difficult.
The group is no longer the small system of six years ago where everything required Satsuki and Shuichi to monitor personally.
Endo, Maki, Masato, Sasaki, and the management layers of various corporate affiliates all know what they are responsible for. As long as the existing authorization remains valid, even if Satsuki does not appear in the office for a week or two, the vast majority of daily affairs will not stop because of it.
What truly makes people feel lost is what lies further ahead.
What should be done about those questions that have no predetermined answers?
Or more directly, without Satsuki, what should Saionji do?
Over the past six years, the group's scale has grown too fast, and many cross-company coordinations, major investments, and benefit distributions actually rely heavily on Satsuki's personal final ruling.
In other words, Saionji already bears very distinct characteristics of 'strongman politics.'
Endo can maintain daily operations, and various corporate affiliates also have complete management teams, but Saionji's current governance structure has a very deep reliance on Satsuki as the highest authority.
If this authority is absent for a long time, coordination costs will rise internally first, and various subsidiaries will increasingly tend to protect their own interests; external banks and cooperative enterprises will also reassess Saionji's credit, commitments, and decision-making stability.
Especially The Club members, who can almost be considered Satsuki's personal network; if Saionji no longer has Satsuki's predictive ability...
By that time, the question will no longer be whether expansion can continue.
Even whether the current scale can be stably maintained will become uncertain.
Kenjiro evidently thought of this as well.
He stood in place in silence for a long time, then suddenly spoke:
"But we cannot just consider these few days; what if Satsuki—"
"Mr. Kenjiro."
Endo suddenly raised his head.
His voice was not loud, but it was heavier than any other sentence tonight.
Kenjiro's subsequent words stopped.
Endo stared at him for two seconds.
"Let us stop this sentence right here."
The corridor fell quiet again.
The muscles on Kenjiro's face tightened slightly.
He obviously also realized what he had almost blurted out just now.
"...Sorry."
Endo did not reprimand him further and simply leaned back against the back of his chair.
"This is a hospital."
Having said that, he glanced at the door that had remained unopened the entire time.
"What we need to consider right now is to protect what she handed over to us before she returns. As for other matters, let her decide for herself after she wakes up."
Maki did not speak, only smoothing flat again the page she had half-written on just now.
Masato lowered his head and continued reading the investigation records in his hand.
Sasaki picked up the phone that had rung again.
Fujita Tsuyoshi stood on the other side of the corridor, never leaving the direction leading to the treatment area.
No one touched upon that topic again.
Actually, there was no need to.
Everyone understood the second half of the sentence Kenjiro did not finish.
It is just that at a time like this, no one was willing to let it truly appear in this corridor.