act21side

Oh, you really came, Judge Lavinia!

You must be Segretario Rubio's daughter, yes?

Yeah! I thought my father was just joking around when he said you'd come babysit me!

My friends and I all adore you.

Compared to people like my father, you're like, the only clean person in the government.

Do you not get along well with your father?

Meh, so-so, I guess.

I still like him as a person, because he always makes time for me and plays with me a lot.

But you know, I think people like him, who only care about protecting themselves and not rocking the boat, really should have bigger goals in life.

His old work friends who started out on the same level as him are way up there now.

It took him this long to land a half-decent job, and he doesn't want to do anything more with it.

His old work friends?

Yeah, one of them was Carracci, Ministro dei Lavori Pubblici, who just died not too long ago.

It's a dangerous job.

I know... But, I saw him on TV every day, and wise guys from all the big famiglie treated him really well.

I dunno, I just think it doesn't make sense trying to be a politician if you can't make it to that level.

That might be true.

So, that's why I was really surprised when my father suddenly decided to become the new Ministro dei Lavori Pubblici.

I'm not sure what finally made things click for him... But if he did it sooner, my mother probably wouldn't have divorced him.

Divorced?

Yeah, she thought he was a good-for-nothing, so she left him a few years ago.

But my mother has a temper, so I decided to stay with my father.

Oh, by the way, you know how he got appointed ministro, right? Can you tell me more about it?

Sorry, I actually don't know anything...

Aww, okay then.

Anyway, you can sit anywhere you'd like.

I'm not going anywhere today, but I do want to listen to my father's inaugural speech.

(Segretario Rubio... keeps his room tidier than I would've expected.)

You're surprised too, huh? He probably seems like he'd be a total slob, but he keeps things pretty organized.

Oh right, and he keeps a diary.

Really?

Yeah, lemme think... Right, he keeps it over here.

He only writes in it when he feels like it. It's not an every day thing.

After years of jotting stuff down, he's still got all these blank pages.

Does he not care if you snoop around his things?

It's totally fine. He left it there because he doesn't mind people reading it.

I've flipped through it a few times, but it's all boring stuff. I'd call it like, chronicles of a middle-aged man? Boring, it drags on and on.

You can take a look if you want.

March 5th

I ran into Carracci at a restaurant. We had a drink for the first time in a long while.

Reminiscing about old times, I couldn't help but to get teary-eyed.

Signor Rubio, this is where you'll be giving your speech.

Please leave me.

But we've got orders to protect you.

Nobody could get in here, right?

Right. Okay.

Hmph. Power, huh.

Now I'll barricade the door with the sofa... This is about as much as I can do.

Okay...

Well, Carracci, I won't keep you waiting much longer. See you soon.

How's it looking?

The doctor says the strike just missed her heart by a few centimeters, so she didn't die instantly.

But, she's still in really bad shape.

Where's Texas?

Umm...

She's been in a stupor ever since she got back yesterday.

She just sits there motionless. Won't even respond when I ask if she wants to eat.

Just give her some time. Croissant and I will guard the hospital, so please take care of her.

No need to worry about me. You two look after yourselves.

*sigh*... So bored.

Oh right, I heard there was supposed to be some speech today?

Maybe I'll give it a listen.

Buongiorno, my dear friends and citizens.

I imagine most of you don't know much about me, and I can't blame you for that.

After all, I came held very minor and unimportant role of Segretario di Sicurezza Alimentare before this.

In fact, I believe that most of our dear citizens, apart from the late Ministro Carracci and the honorable Judge Lavinia, know very little about our government.

I do not know Judge Lavinia very well, but I do have somewhat of a history with the late Ministro Carracci.

I believe it would be appropriate to begin my speech with him, a figure everyone here should already be familiar with.

Carracci and I both joined L'Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato around the same time.

He was strong and energetic, taking care of the fieldwork while I handled the paperwork behind the scenes.

He became known within the system for his bold words and actions, and he even dared to challenge prominent famiglie.

To be perfectly honest, it seemed like the guy was indomitable. He was almost taken out a few times by dissatisfied famiglie, but managed to weather the storm or push through the situation.

But at the time, L'Autorità staff saw him as a pain, and nobody wanted to help him.

So the job of reporting to him naturally fell to me, unpopular as I was.

And let me tell you, that job took a whole lot out of me.

But at the same time, it filled me with a sense of accomplishment.

Though I could never be as direct and straightforward as him, I could do what I wanted to do through him vicariously, and that was a reward in itself.

Throughout this process, the two of us became fairly well-acquainted.

Leon, you were working with Carracci for the last two years, and I know you thought highly of him.

Does this account match with what you knew of him?

He certainly was energetic.

He knew exactly how to deal with the famiglie, and that went beyond just being tactful. He knew how to help them under the table while also getting them to serve his interests.

A lot of what he wanted to do would've been blocked by various famiglie, but in his hands, he always managed to get things done, step by step.

I can tell you learned a lot from him.

I just thought there were some similarities in the way I saw things and the way he operated.

The days when problems can be solved with fighting and killing are over, padre mio.

If the famiglie are going to survive, they have to adapt accordingly.

You still don't understand, Leon.

What do I not understand?

You've subconsciously lumped yourself in with Lavinia and Carracci.

But don't ever forget, you are not one of them.

I know.

If you really knew, you wouldn't be standing here.

Unfortunately, you're out of time.

Padre?

Leon, if you get through this alive...

It's what it is.

Even though he was a thorn in the side of many famiglie, his talents were evident to all.

And so, he rose through the ranks long before I did.

In fact, I thought he wouldn't last long after his promotion.