Tsuruki Trading (鶴木貿易, Tsuruki bōeki?) is a midsized trading company.[2]
Description[]
The firm is established after the Meiji Restoration.[2] It is run by the Usuba family under their Tsuruki identity,[3] and serves as their main income.[4] Arata Usuba currently works as a senior negotiator for the company.[2][5]
The firm's headquarters is located in the Imperial Capital, a few minutes away from the Usuba estate.[5]
History[]
About twenty years ago, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy following declining business.[2] The management at the time failed in negotiations with a major business partner and the company was performing very poorly, the worst since the founding of the company. The family was facing a mountain of debt that was beyond their means. The situation was very dire.[4]
Just before the whole family was about to be forced into the streets, the head of the Saimori family somehow heard of their plight and offered a marriage arrangement in exchange for financial support.[5] They would take on a large amount of the debt if the daughter of the Usuba family, Sumi Usuba, would marry their son, Shinichi Saimori.[4] At the time, the head of the Usuba family, Yoshirou Usuba, could see that the Saimoris were heading into decline and never wanted to hand his precious daughter over to a family like them.[5] He was against the marriage and rejected the offer, but the Saimoris were persistent and would keep sending proposals. Ultimately, in order to save her family, Sumi overcame Yoshirou’s objections and accepted their offer without consulting Yoshirou.[4]
Later, it is revealed that the Emperor was behind this period of economic slump for the company. Fearing the power of Dream-Sight after Sumi was born with Telepathy, he wanted to weaken the Usubas’ power. Even if a Gift-user with Dream-Sight would be born, they wouldn’t pose a threat while the Usuba family was on the verge of ruin. The Emperor used his influence behind the scenes to ensure business went poorly for Tsuruki Trading. The Usuba family was then pushed to the brink of extinction.[3]
After Sumi went to marry the Saimoris in order to save the family, the family received financial assistance from the Saimoris.[5] The money is later revealed to have come from the Emperor, who passed the Saimoris a heavy sum, and incited them into pursuing Sumi. He couldn’t care less whether the Usubas recovered or faded away thereafter. All that mattered was separating the woman from her family; as he feared that Sumi would otherwise marry another member of the Usuba family and produce a child thick with Usuba blood, causing the stronger the power of Dream-Sight in the child would be. The Saimoris were almost entirely lacking in Gift-users, and their fall from nobility was clearly on the horizon.[3]
The Tsuruki Trading company has since recovered and is now stable.[2]
References[]
- ↑ Novel, Volume 5 Chapter 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Novel, Volume 2 Chapter 2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Novel, Volume 2 Chapter 5
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Anime, Episode 11
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Novel, Volume 2 Chapter 3