Developer Blurb
When the Great War ended seventeen years ago, things were looking grim for the formerly proud nation of Zipang. Defeated by the forces of the Western Coalition, they fell into a state of constant civil unrest and uprisings against the foreign forces. Eventually, a new nationalist movement claiming to restore the old order managed to establish itself and forced the Coalition troops off the mainland within a decade after the end of the war, with only the westernmost island of Honto remaining firmly under control of the foreigners. In the rest of the country, the established democratic structures were abolished and replaced by a pseudo-democratic feudal system in which everybody still has the right to vote but the vote of someone born into a low class is only worth one tenth of that of higher blood.
Of course, with large parts of the Western world against them, the government of Zipang (calling itself the Gohzoku) has more than enough problems running the country, especially economically. Many people live in poverty, and the Gohzoku blames that on the influence of saboteurs, spies and traitors working for the foreign devils. Each week, people suspected of collaboration are arrested and disappear. Every week, someone found guilty is publicly executed.
In this bleak world, Yuu has lived a relatively sheltered life. His father died during the war, and his mother took him with her to her parents' house in the countryside until she disappeared in the years of civil unrest in Zipang. Yuu's grandparents on his mother's side raised him, but neither of them could replace his real parents, and he grew up a self-absorbed and egotistical young man.
Now his life has suddenly taken a turn for the better. His grandfather on his father's side – a former navy admiral who managed to keep both his fame and wealth during the years of turmoil – recently died and left Yuu his mansion and his wealth under the condition that he never fires the head maid, Takako. This seems quite strange since Takako is still a young woman – could she have meant something more than just a maid to the old man?
As Yuu moves in and finds himself in the position as the household's master, he slowly learns that the mansion is more than he thought: Some of the maids act strangely, and a government inspector of the Gohzoku is keeping a close eye on the place, determined to uncover its secrets. Rumors say that Yuu's grandfather was a dissident to the government, and that he actively used his mansion as a grounds to hide his co-conspirators. However, with Yuu taking over the household, many in the government and local townsfolk question whether or not there was any validity to such tales to begin with. Having said that, the fact that Takako was specifically mentioned in his grandfather's will is troublesome for Yuu, and makes him especially curious about why she's so important. Can she be trusted? Yuu wasn't very close with his grandfather to begin with, and their relationship was definitely troubled and strained. How can he trust anyone at this newly-inherited mansion?