The archery courtyard behind the Council hall was unusually crowded. The new intake of the Council members started early in the year every five years. They were usually handpicked by the existing Council members, with the blessings of Grand Elder Marion and many other elders in a signed paper, and they had to start their duties in mid-January.
After the one-week holiday, these promising young men and women, around twenty years old, left their homes to depart for the capital city Council hall, meeting their mentors and personal merit officers. Chiaki saw there were fifty of them this year. These were the best candidates, the cream of the crop, of thousands of youth who applied for the position after graduating from the academy.
