If Shinkari is a whale in the business world, then Saitou was a veritable ocean liner. At its peak, the family-held conglomerate held stakes in Miyogawa’s agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and even military. Its organization was akin to a government than a business.

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Yet, all giants must fall, and Saitou’s influence dwindled with the advent of Miyogawa’s "new age." The country’s integration into the global economy necessiated the liberalization of trade regulations. Freed from price controls, foreign competition—especially those from Constella—broke Saitou’s monopoly in the domestic market. Ensuing antitrust laws also forced Saitou to sell off profitable subsidiaries.

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One of these was its flagship export business, which once served all of Miyogawa. Saitou received substantial compensation from these sales, but spiraling inflation offered only a limited window to redivest it. Saliently, without its transportion network, Saitou was locked out of the lucrative viridia market. Caught in a stranglehold, the old titan failed to find any leverage in this new pasture.

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On the political aisle, foreign capital flowed freely. “Clean,” low-interest Constellan loans replaced the dubious bribes Saito tendered to government officials. The introduction of a new domestic rival, Shinkari, did not help matters either. Outspent and struggling to find additional revenue, Saitou sold company shares in an attempt to revitalize its fortunes. This influx of capital  staved off bankruptcy, but the chairman was now beholden to the new board, which had a Constellan majority.

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Nonetheless, perhaps the most culpable reason for Saitou’s decline can be traced to the worsening health of its founder & chairman. Elder Saitou, Ryuichi‘s grandfather, was diagnosed with a terminal disease right before viridia’s discovery. He was an exceptional man who micromanaged all the company’s affairs. The company‘s ability to negotiate and strongarm deals diminished as illness incapacitated the once-formidable magnate. Still, this should not have raised alarm, as successors are raised to avoid this scenario.

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But Ryuichi’s father, Daisuke, was a hopeless heir. Shying from hardship, this womanizer craved flesh more than riches. Worse, Ryuichi’s own lackadaiscal ways suggested the apple did not fall far from the tree. While the father coveted the inheritance for a decadent life, the son showed complete apathy towards everything. With such mediocre descendants, Saitou seemed destined for a pitiable demise.

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Yet, Miyogawan tradition dictated that Daisuke had all rights to the throne. Unfit as he was, only the direct son could inherit the crumbling empire. Thus, panic ensued when the elder Saitou suffered a stroke. Board members unloaded their shares for pennies on the dollar, and papers predicted the company’s imminent collapse. Though its stock plumetted, Ryuichi's father was unmoved. The company’s remaining assets were still enough for him to continue his philandering ways. Thus, Daisuke bided the time until his sick father’s death.

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As expected, the senior Saitou passed away shortly after his stroke. Curiously, it occured during a chess match with Ryuichi. It had been twenty years since their last game, but Daisuke thought nothing of it. Perhaps the grandson inexplicacly felt guilt, and decided to entertain the old man’s final follies.

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Instead of paying his respects, Daisuke rushed to Saitou headquarters that same evening. He was eager to claim the birthright that he had waited decades for. To his dismay, men in dark suits blocked the entrance. They told Daisuke he was persona non grata under orders from Ryuichi Saitou. Furious, the father demanded to see his son. This time, he received his wish immediately. The guards made way for a robust young man, dressed in a ceremonnial attire given to Saitou’s heirs.

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Facing his furious father, Ryuichi flatly explained that the will was changed. A final-hour amendment disinherited Daisuke, assigning all holdings (and debt) to Ryuichi. It was a final test by the old man: to see if Ryuichi could succeed where his unfilial father could not. Daisuke was livid; he claimed the old man was demented and desired to drag his descedenats down on the same sinking ship.

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Unfazed, Ryuichi showed his father the results of the chess match. Daisuke was mortified: The elder Saitou had finished the match to a magnificent stalement. Even a debilitating stroke could not temper his flickering flame. Robbed of speech but not sight, the founder communicated by blinking; Ryuichi painstakingly jotted down his moves over several days.

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That was when Daisuke realized the extent of the old man‘s schemes. Impaired but not broken, the chairman went as far as exploiting his own health to tank share prices. The exodus of company stock was engineered… and this was snapped up by shell companies under Ryuichi. The old man had conspired with his grandson to reestablish the family zaibatsu. Their actions were ruthless and even illegal. Yet, their plan was immaculate.

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Daisuke mustered a bitter laugh. His son had chosen the madman’s path instead of the jester’s. He was not crossing a puddle, but navigating through a veritable ocean. Though Daisuke was astonished by his son’s genius, he did not praise him. He never did, and he wouldn’t now.

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Meanwhile, Ryuichi had nothing to say to his silent father. He left him to wallow in the desolate rain.