Chapter 2 : Making Every Effort

Even with the voice of authority from a big-name politician, things won't move smoothly.

[ TL Note 3 : Tsuru no Hitokoe, final word; voice of authority; authoritative pronouncement, ​Idiomatic expression. Lit. "Cry of a crane". ]

The Human Resource Development Plan is still in the planning stage, with everything including the funding starting from this point forwards; it's a start from a blank page, so to speak.

Other than the unchangeable framework that is "nurturing from infancy", many things will be changed.

We need to be flexible and adapt to changes.

"...It looks like it'll be a troublesome project."

I put both feet on the table full of messy documents, and continued staring at them.

If we make one mistake in the cut, let alone earning praise, this project will earn scorn.

A facility not to take advantage of children, but to help them.

We must give the people that impression.

However, these are subjects that should be handled after the project actually starts.

Currently, taking this starting stage, we are to collect children to be test subjects, and a great budget.

Further, some means to protect the children is also necessary.

I manually entered the 11-number digit from my memory and made a call.

"It's me. Please give the phone to Ooba, I have a new job to ask of him."

First, I have to think of a way to approach the pawn that I can use who won't worry about right or wrong.

After Ooba picked up the phone, I conveyed that I was looking for a way to acquire newborn infants, and asked what I should do.

However, at the point I contacted Ooba, I suppose that it will be inevitable that evil methods will be used.

During the phone call, a buzzer-like sound was ringing.

"Sorry, I'll contact you again."

I cut the conversation with Ooba, and responded to my visitor.

"Good morning. It's Kamogawa. Is Ayanokoji-san there?"

"Just come in. It's not locked."

"Excuse me…"

Kamogawa showed his face at the corner of my run-down office of 10,000 Yen in rent, though it is close to the centre of town.

"Whoah."

As he opened the door, Kamogawa clearly showed his rude manners.

However, without saying anything about it, I reacted to my visitor.

"Ayanokoji-san, are you perhaps living in this office? That's what it seems like…"

The beer cans rolling around under his feet, or the unwashed sheet over the rotten sofa.

Seeing the clothes randomly thrown around all over the place, even a child can easily imagine that I live here.

"What about it?"

"No, I didn't mean anything by it, but… Well, it is a bit unlike you, or…"

"Not fitting for my years of service, is it?"

The salary for a national parliament member is just over 1,000,000 Yen. Adding on the bonus and other things, it's over 20,000,000 Yen. Further, I am also granted various allowances under different names.

"Kisarazu-san who is three steps above me was boasting that he got a place at the top floor of a tower mansion at the centre of the city the week after he became a parliament member. Apparently, a loan examination that would normally be impassable is also a one-shot for him."

"It's not as if the loans are passed because he is a parliament member."

"Huh?"

"From any point of view, the annual income of a parliament member is indeed quite high. However, whether you are in the House of Representatives or the House of Councillors, you are restricted to be elected one time every few years. A bank would not loan money based only on such an unstable job."

"But, Kisarazu-san said that…"

"The loan amount, which bank it is, and your connections. There are many other conditions to arrange the passing of a loan."

"I see, that's how it works… I guess I can't pass for one, huh…"

It's probably the other way around. It is true that the evaluation for Kamogawa in front of my eyes is lower than Kisarazu, but, the bank will see through to his father, Kamogawa Toshizou.

If they hear that he was looking for a loan, staff from various banks would come meet Kamogawa.

Bringing one or two boxes of cake with them.

"How boring."

"Boring, is it? Wouldn't anyone long for living in a high class tower mansion?"

"Kamogawa. I will say this for your sake, don't imitate someone like Kisarazu."

For a parliament member who's only in it for the money, it is no strange thing to spend your money in such a useless way.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't buy any real estate. However, I am saying that you should not do so with the wrong timing. Money is limited, but its possibilities are limitless."

"I see…"

Kamogawa did not understand, but he nodded, as if he did.

"Let's say that 100,000,000 million appears in your hands from today on. What would you do?"

[ TL Note 4 : Doesn't say "Yen". ]

"Huh? 100,000,000? I will save around 90,000,000, and use up 10,000,000 as I want. I'd go to hostess bars, buy a car and such. Maybe I'd put some into stocks. I would buy a mansion too if I had around 200,000,000, though."

It's a model answer, in a certain sense, but still a useless way of spending the money, just like Kisarazura.

"You would use it in a different way, right, Ayanokoji-san? What would you do?"

"Think about it yourself."

"Huh~? Please tell me~"

100,000,000. If I had around that much money, I would probably use it all up in a few days.

Various bribes and investments to connect with the financial world, I would invest for my future in many ways.

I have no time to spend money on an office or a house when even small change is too valuable to spend.

All I need is the money I invest coming back to me many times over in many years.

If the title of the greatest power holder in this country, my final station, comes in such a way, then that's perfect.

"So, what are you here for?"

"Aren't you being cruel? As Naoe-sensei said, I am here to help you, Ayanokoji-san."

"No need."

"That won't work. I am one of the people who heard about that project too. I don't have any complaints about you getting most of the merits, but even I-"

Kamogawa is a talentless man living a shitty life, but I can understand his feelings that he wants to be recognized. Because it is indeed rare that you can seldom acquire it.

However, at its core, being a parliament member is a job that you cannot take a vacation from. We are special servants for the nation with no set working times.

Further, we are currently in a parliamentary session. We must participate in strategy and research meetings for the Citizens Party.

Most of my schedule is filled with support groups, visitor correspondence, government affairs, and public business.

"Can you be of use?"

"I will show you that I can. Even if I am rotten, I am Kamogawa Toshizou's son, you know?"

Your father doesn't have such a name in the world of politics that you can speak of him so greatly, though.

However, I suppose I cannot so easily ignore a directive from Naoe-sensei.

"Then, you can be as useful as you want to be."

Since he had never been given a role in anything worthwhile before, Kamogawa's eyes lit up.

"What kind of work is it?"

"We have to secure an experimental facility for the project. You will be in charge of selecting the site. The size, the budget, and an ability to avoid publicity. If it all goes well, I will give you your next assignment. You want to be a great parliament member who can be recognized by Naoe-sensei, right?"

"I, I see. That is certainly something I have to do."

"It may not be on the scale of a high school, but the number of children will be increased on a yearly basis. As such, it will naturally be required to have a suitable amount of space. It will also be important to maintain anonymity."

This project cannot be advertised openly.

We can't afford to have the press write about some dangerous education of infants and toddlers.

"Looking at it from a budgetary standpoint, it is inevitably going to be a rural place, right?"

Kamogawa's face, which had been looking so stupid for a while, changed.

He is a man who has been in warm water for a while, but he is certainly not happy to be called a second-generation.

If he is given the right work and the right words of praise, he might be useful, to some extent.

No, he has to be.

"I understand. I will give it my best."

"That's all I ask. This is the best you've looked since I've met you."

"Is, is that so?"

After praising him only a little, his silly face returned.

"What are you going to do now, Ayanokoji-san?"

"In order to prepare the facilities, money is the most important thing. I'm going to start making arrangements for that."

Applying the conditions I've talked about, we will need a considerable amount of money just for the initial start-up.

If we also take into account the necessity of securing human resources, we would need to prepare 500,000,000.

To buy safety, we will need more than 600,000,000, or 700,000,000, but…

"You mean talking about this project and asking for funding, right?"

"Of course, that is my goal."

"Wouldn't they be happy to give their kids a special education?"

This guy really can't see what's ahead of us.

Who is going to fund a project that is only a few sheets of paper?

In the first place, it isn't an amount of money that the wealthy will give over after just saying a few words.

Of course, as a politician, I cannot accept donations on the surface; as such, it is necessary to go through a process of making donations to groups such as supporting associations.

There are upper limits and such on donations, but it is difficult to find a politician who adheres to them. There are many ways to circumvent donations and many loopholes.

However, even on a piece of paper like this, if Naoe-sensei simply says the words "I'll do it", large amounts of money will come out of nowhere.

Without that, it is imperative that we find one big investor first.

Even if I don't have the same unifying force that Naoe-sensei has, if that person is to invest in us, then I have to make him believe that I do.

If that were to happen, I'm sure it would not be impossible to raise an amount of money close to 500,000,000.

As I halfway chased Kamogawa out of the office and sent him to work, I took out three bankbooks from my desk. Three bank accounts, including a regional bank.

"In total… Just a little less than 10,000,000, huh?"

It is an unreliable campaign fund, but I have no choice but to start out with this.

■■■

An upscale residential area, located in Shirokane in Minato Ward.

In the corner, a single large, soaring historical estate stands out.

Probably being remodelled many times with a lot of money, the exterior did not feel old. It was not a place for a mere politician to be living in.

With numerous monitoring cameras before the entrance, it has a strict atmosphere.

After glancing at the fine nameplate with Sakayanagi written on it and pressing the chime, the first one to come out was a middle-aged man who looked to be the servant of this estate.

Since I had already made an appointment, I was allowed to pass through the gate without any trouble.

The spacious tatami mats with the scent of soft rush grass showed no signs of spoilage.

Probably being re-papered in set periods, I could tell at my first look that there was a lot of money spent on this area.

As I proceeded further into the building, a Western-style room came into view, and I was told to sit on a sofa and wait.

I'm thinking about how I should behave towards the person I am about to meet soon.

Without hesitation, I chose to deeply sit on the sofa and wait.

As someone who works alongside Naoe-sensei and someone who has a project for the future, I have no intention of making myself look small.

As I stared at the steam from the tea that was eventually brought to me, the person I was waiting for appeared.

"Thank you for waiting."

My first impression at this time was that he was a thin, delicate man.

His voice was quiet and he did not have the arrogant attitude that many rich people had.

"Pleased to meet you. My name is Ayanokoji. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule."

While keeping a confident attitude, I still showed the minimum amount of courtesy.

"I am Sakayanagi. I have heard many times about you from Naoe-sensei."

"Nothing bad, I hope."

"Of course not. I was told that you were a very brilliant person. Further, when I heard that you are the same age as me, I felt a sense of embarrassment."

There is no way a man who has been walking on the winning path since birth would care about someone below him. If it is simple modesty, I shall praise him for being a good liar.

"Thank you very much. However, I hear that you are also quite famed, Sakayanagi-san."

First, I will begin by confirming Sakayanagi's character and authenticity.

"No, I still have a ways to go. It's just that my father was amazing. That is really all there is."

He did not go with my compliment, but smiled bitterly as if he was troubled.

From then on, we continued to probe into each other with words in turns for a while, but my impression of him did not change.

He showed no signs of wanting to end the conversation, so I thought it would be best that I took the first step.

"The reason I am here bothering you like this is that I remembered that Naoe-sensei has told me I should ask you for help if I am ever worried about something. I have humbly come here to do so."

Most of the time, the wealthy do not welcome a conversation starting in this way.

As for the reason, it's because money is at the root of most worries.

Wanting to invest but lacking capital, or wanting to start a business. It's all related to money.

"What did you need of me?"

He doesn't look to be on guard, but his face changed slightly.

"Currently, I am thinking of starting a project. However, I will need a large amount of money to proceed with this project."

"I see. So, what kind of trouble... No, what kind of request did you come to me for?"

"I am not telling you to put out money after meeting you for the first time, Sakayanagi-san. However, I am here to ask for something close to that. I want you to be a pipe between me and the financial world."

I took out a new document from a clear file that I had prepared on my own, and pointed towards it.

Without reaching for it, Sakayanagi continued looking over at me.

I could not tell it from his expression, but he was wary, after all.

No, he has to be.

Even though he has heard of me by name, I am still a stranger to him.

It is not as if the titles of politicians are recognized by the public either.

If that were the case, he would not simply look over the documents.

If he knew, he would realize that it would be troublesome to get involved.

"I see. So, are you saying that you are not asking me to invest money?"

"Yes. I can't suddenly barge in and ask you to give me money. If you agree with the project, then that's fine, but the important thing is not to bow my head and ask for money, but to convince you and have many people give me money."

However, if I don't even get a chance to present the project, it will end up being nothing more than an unimplemented empty theory.

"We want to launch this project to save the lives of as many children as possible, and ensure that they receive the correct education. I am hoping to provide such a facility. I am one of the people who were strongly impressed by the advanced nurturing high school that your father has implemented ."

Children, Education, Life.

It is certain that these words will connect with Sakayanagi.

This man's father is in charge of high school education, and he is the very leader who guides children.

He cannot allow himself to go through the wrong path of not even taking a look at this.

"In that case, wouldn't you also have the choice of seeking counsel from my father instead of me?"

"That may indeed be the right course of action. However, the world of politics is not that simple. It is Kijima-sensei who informed the world of the advanced nurturing high school. I believe that your father has a deep connection with Kijima-sensei. In which case, how could I, a member of his rival's, Naoe-sensei's faction, seek his advice?"

"Did you not consider the possibility that I might have a close relationship with Kijima-sensei?"

"Of course, there is a possibility. However, I've never heard of such a thing. I thought that, in this case, I would take a chance."

There are lies mixed into my words, but the truth is the majority. Even if this man's father is a sensible power-holder, if he is in the Kijima faction, I cannot tell him about our plans.

"Let me ask you frankly, you definitely want to avoid this information being leaked to Kijima-sensei. Isn't that so?"

"I will not deny that."

"In that case, I find it a little hard to be convinced. Am I on Kijima-sensei's side, Naoe-sensei's side, or in the middle? This is not clear to you. Despite that, are you not worried about telling me about this? If I take a look at those documents, I will gather information. You can't know to whom I will tell about it."

"That is indeed true. Still, if I lied and told you that I trusted you after only talking for a few minutes… Things will just get cold."

Sakayanagi nodded without hiding.

"However, as a politician myself, there are things that I also humbly hold faith in. Which is to say, I completely trust Naoe-sensei. Naoe-sensei knows the weight of words very well. If you were the kind of person who would leak our talk to Kijima-sensei or your father, then Naoe-sensei would never tell me to rely on you if I had a problem."

"You trust Naoe-sensei, huh?"

"Most politicians join a faction sooner or later. No matter what faction you are in, once you have decided to support someone, you just have to believe them until the end. I think there should not even be a shred of hesitation in that."

"I see. So Naoe-sensei keeps you close by his side."

"As you know, Ayanokoji-sensei, my father is a close friend of Kijima-sensei. Did you ever think it strange that I would have a connection with Naoe-sensei?"

"Of course, I can't say that I have never questioned it."

"I respect my father, but, at the same time, I see him as my objective. I don't know if we will follow the same path or different ones, but I at least want to explore different possibilities. That is why I have been closely studying with Naoe-sensei, who is considered a worthy rival of my father. My father does not object to this, and, in fact, he quietly supports it."

"It is quite broad-minded to broaden your horizons even if it is with an enemy. Further, at the same time, he seems to trust that you will definitely keep your mouth closed."

In a position like this man's, it is basically a case of following his father's footsteps.

If you have a relationship with a hostile organisation, you have an opportunity to gain information about them, but there is also the risk of passing it onto them.

However, I can see that Naoe-sensei likes him, and it is probably true that Sakayanagi has his trust.

"In that case, I have even more confidence. I would definitely like you to take a look."

"Depending on your conditions, I was going to immediately ask you to take it back, but I suppose I cannot do so now.

I have certainly seen your spirit and conviction. I will take a look."

Finally, Sakayanagi picked up the documents and looked through them.

After reading through them, he muttered to himself without thinking too deeply.

"It is true that several hundred children are abandoned in Japan every year. We are not accepting this reality, and it is no bad thing for a politician to try and do something about it. In fact, it should be welcomed."

"You mean you sympathise with me?"

"Of course I do. However, this is exactly the sort of issue that should be on the government's agenda, and I don't mean to sound rude, but, as a private citizen… isn't this none of my business? I definitely hope that you will take this issue on and work on the countermeasures."

"If I could do that, I would. However, the national system is not that simple. There are still children being abandoned. There are still children who cannot receive the education they want because of a fatherless, motherless, or a poor household. This cycle of poverty shows no signs of stopping, and the inequality in society is continuously widening. Am I wrong?"

"...That's right."

"If you watch TV, I am sure you already know. Mothers in despair secretly giving birth in train stations. It is certainly not a rare story. I think it is very regrettable for a mother to end the life of her child because of the current lack of legal provisions, or because of the public's attention. Of course, there are those who can become ruthless towards unwanted births, but that doesn't mean everyone wants to become a criminal. If there is a generous place where people can be helped with open arms, the number of grieving people will be kept to a minimum."

If this project comes to fruition, it will save the lives of 10, 20, and one day, over 100 children.

No, I am sure it will increase beyond that.

"I am sure that you, Sakayanagi-san, also understand that one cannot do anything they want just by becoming a politician. Whether you are a member of the parliament or a local council, your title says that you enact laws, decide budgets, and enact ordinances, but while those who hold the real power act for their own personal gain, no one listens to young politicians. Or… Do you expect me to continue to forsake the lives of children for 20 or 30 years until I become a leading politician and earn the right to speak?"

[ TL Note 5 : Ayanokoji uses "Ore" in this sentence instead of "Watashi" like usual, indicating that he is suddenly acting more confident and overpowering in this scene. ]

Sakayanagi, who is listening to me here, is just as guilty if he does not make a move.

That's what I will strongly imply.

"But… You are still a parliament member, Ayanokoji-sensei. You are someone who should face the nation and fight against it. How do you intend to proceed without putting this on the agenda as a nation?"

"We are politicians and public servants, but it is a special job. People with special jobs are allowed to work on the side. I do not intend to profit, but I am saying that there is still a way for me to move forward with this."

"Are you saying that you will personally work to save the children?"

"I think, now that I am being heard by you, and now that I have started taking steps as a politician, the people around me may start listening to me. That is precisely why I think that you creating a pipe between me and the financial world is one of the steps to implement this."

"It is true that unlike ordinary people, people look at you differently when you simply state that you are a politician. If the project written here is realised, then there may indeed be people who will throw their hat in the ring, but…"

This man, who is a second generationer of his great father, is at least far more capable than Kamogawa and the others.

While showing a good-natured face, he does not give cheap answers.

"There are ways to raise funds. As you said, Ayanokoji-sensei, you are allowed to work on the side, are you not? If we send our message on the internet, we can not only appeal to the domestic market, but also to the world."

"You want me to raise the fact that our country's laws are not up to par? Sending a message like that out into the world… It would not be my face that will be disgraced, but Naoe-sensei's. At this stage, this is a matter that must be progressed in the strictest confidence. That is why we need the help of the financial world. Please lend me your strength."

"...I have no problems with introducing you. However, it is another matter to really make it work. People will not be pleased by mere lip service. Rather, I think they will be wary."

"Then, what do you think I should do?"

"Do not lie. Lay bare all of your thoughts and goals."

If I can do that, I will not face hardship.

"I understand that it is difficult. However, I am not in the least thinking about profiting. I only want to save the children's lives. I do not want any credit. Would you believe someone saying such things, sensei?"

Indeed, if such a person were to appear in front of me, I would probably laugh him off.

"You want status and prestige. You want to earn money. That is why you save children. I think people would be more likely to believe you if you told them that. Not to mention that you are a parliament member. If they know that this is the foundation of a higher aim for you, I think some of them may think that they will gain a great reward when you eventually become a big name."

"...Indeed."

"Of course, it would be better for the children if you had no self-interests at all, and I have no doubt that this is your ideal. What is it you are looking to achieve by setting up this project?"

"Status, prestige, and money. These are indeed indispensable things, things that I will want one day."

As this man says, this is all absolutely necessary.

However, there is a big reason that I am interested in this project.

"As things are now, Japan cannot compete against the world. However, it cannot catch up to the global world by only watching the education of human resources who can compete naturally. That is precisely why I want to encourage the thorough education of our children, and develop capable people, geniuses, who can compete against the world. That is what I think. This isn't just about saving lives. I want to transform those lives into ones of high value to the world, that is my true objective."

Compulsory life aid and education. This will be hard to accept for the world.

"The education of children is left entirely up to their parents. So you thought that children whose parents are absent can be raised and educated for the sake of your ideals, right?"

"It isn't for my sake. It is for the sake of Japan's future."

After the war, Japan had grown with the bubble economy, but now that it has disappeared, it is only falling down.

We have to put an end to the current situation in which Japan is already being ridiculed as joining the group of developing nations.

"What do you think when you see that all the politicians are old people? Do you think that elders of 70, or 80 years of age truly think about Japan? They don't care what happens in the little time that they will live. They don't think about what will happen in 50 or 100 years at all, either. Even I, one day, may change to such a mistaken way of thinking. But, not now. Now, as a representative of the young people, I am thinking about the future, and I want to save it. That is why I must move to action as soon as possible."

Before I noticed, I was passionately talking to myself.

Was I seduced by this man's shrewd thinking, or did my instincts as a politician get riled up?

"Naoe-sensei knows about all this, yes?"

"No. These are all my personal thoughts."

I can't answer with a "yes" here.

However, as if he knew, Sakayanagi nodded once after looking at my eyes.

"Mine and my father's philosophy of education, and that of yours seem to be very different. However, that does not mean that it is a bad thing. Rather, I believe it is one of the important approaches. It is also a case to judge which side is right. The situation is very similar to what I find myself in, near Naoe-sensei, right now."

This man's father is in charge of the advanced nurturing high school.

It is certainly one of the new ventures.

However, as Sakayanagi says, that is largely different from my policy.

"I will introduce you, as you wish. However, I will give you one condition."

"What would that be?"

"When this project actually comes to fruition, please let me stand by you and watch over how you do it."

"Is that really all you want?"

"For me, this is very important. I will be learning a lot."

"I promise. Once the facility is actually built, you will be free to enter and leave as you wish."

It is a cheap price to pay if I can build a pipeline to the financial world.

Besides, even I am curious about many things about the advanced nurturing high school.

I may also be able to find out some information about Naoe-sensei's rival Kijima-sensei.

Whether friend or foe, information is power.

But, will things really go so easily?

The man in front of me has been smiling from the start, and even as we exchange opposing opinions, he is showing me a friendly attitude.

Is there not a possibility that there is something behind this?

Just because Naoe-sensei recommended me to do this, there is no proof that he is not under the patronage of a different person.

If what we are trying to do leaks out from this man...

I was rushing to raise money, but perhaps I stepped too far in?

Even though I have done research on this man beforehand, I did not have enough time to do as much as I wanted. It would be dangerous to accept him without questioning, but…

I must have the resolve to repeatedly deal with risks like this.

"If it is alright, I would like to have dinner with you soon. I would love to further inquire about your high school education."

"I was also hoping to hear about politics from you, in addition to this project. I would be happy to join you."

Things like dinner invitations are merely a ritual to make a simple shallow relationship seem more proper.

Well then, let's go for round two, shall we?

■■■

When I woke up, I could see the dirty stains on the ceiling wiggling and shaking.

"I think I drank too much after all…"

As I was in a daze, unable to put up the energy to get up, the bell rang three times at short intervals.

Perhaps noticing that the door was not locked, the visitor came in without hesitation.

Kamogawa, with whom I have had no contact for two weeks, came to the office, out of breath.

"Ayanokoji-san! Wake up! I found it, I found the perfect place!"

"...Don't yell out loud."

Coupled with my lack of sleep, I felt as if I was being yelled at through loudspeakers.

With my ears ringing, I had no choice but to sit up, and received Kamogawa's report.

"You very much smell like alcohol. I'm jealous, where did you eat something delicious?"

"Drinking alcohol is also my job, it is a series of hardships; I do not have the nerve to think of it as being fun."

If he thinks that I've been drinking cheap alcohol with some ladies, he is talking naively.

Even if you become a politician, you can't hold a self-important attitude, and have to repeatedly pour alcohol for those above you. It is no different from the daily lives of salarymen.

The documents Kamogawa reported with great joy were the documents of the property that was to become the stage for our project.

"Saitama, huh? It was your hometown, right?"

It is not really a surprise, as I thought Tokyo would be unrealistic with the high land prices.

"Yes. There was a pharmaceutical company factory deep in the mountains, but sales dropped after problems with pollution were reported a few decades ago, and the company went bankrupt some years back. The factory was not demolished, and it remains there to this day. The site was neither too large nor too small, so I thought it seemed like the perfect location for the project."

He put the documents on the desk and displayed the map on the computer to confirm its precise location.

I am grateful that in this day and age, you are able to get the information you want in real time wherever you are.

It is an ideal location more than an hour away from the nearest train with no buses in the area.

The site also includes the prices for both renting and buying. They are a little expensive, but we can also make the choice of purchasing it after a long-term contract.

Well, depending on the negotiations,the period and price can vary.

"However, 2,4 million is a bit high, don't you think? There is a similar place 30 minutes from the station for 2.5 million. I think there may be more room for negotiation."

"I think that they are also just testing us at first."

This place is in a situation where it can't get a tenant so easily, so it won't be hard to convince the other party to be the ones asking us to rent it instead of us asking them.

If it becomes a long-term contract, there is a possibility that the other side may agree to a suitable price reduction.

"It's a nice place, right?"

"You seem quite enthusiastic, but do you have a budget estimation for the remodelling?"

"Here it is!"

He pulled out another document from under his arm and offered it to me.

It seems that he at least has the ability to think things over.

He seems to have already accounted for all the items that would be considered necessary for the construction.

Further, he's even made a 3D model.

"Is this yours too?"

"Yes. I asked a friend of mine who works in the construction industry for help. Of course, I did not tell him anything about this project, so do not worry. How is it?"

"Not bad. However, we definitely don't need any extra paint. I'm not going to spend money on looks."

"Thorough budget cuts it is, then, yes?"

"We can worry about appearances after securing some money."

"I will re-adjust things in that direction."

The first step is to put the project on track.

However, results will also be demanded of us.

"You did well, for the time being. I'd like to contact the owner of this place as quickly as possible."

"What about an intermediary? Will you send one there?"

"No, since we already have an intermediary, playing clumsy tricks would have the opposite effect. Rather, it would be better to move them to our side."

"I understand."

I do need to keep searching for a second, or third candidate, but I'd like to resolve things in one try, if possible. The date of my party with the financial world through Sakayanagi is approaching.

"Assuming all goes well, what about the children? Even if we have the money, the facility, and the educators, we cannot do anything without the children, can we?"

Of course, things are moving forwards on that point, too.

"Don't worry. I have my target set."

"Target? Please tell me in concrete terms. I am your ally too."

As Kamogawa looked at me with expectations in his eyes, I glared at him.

"There are things in this world that you would be better off not knowing about. If you carelessly learn something you should not, I won't be able to help you if something happens to you. Let alone not being able to become a parliament member, are you prepared to spend years, or decades in a prison?"

"N-no..! I don't, not at all..!"

It's not a threat.

In truth, I've started moving with a plan that would be over at the drop of a hat if it were to get out. I can't let Kamogawa get involved in this matter.

This isn't to protect Kamogawa, but me. If this guy were to be taken in by the police,

It would be impossible to evade a vigorous inspection. Besides, I'm sure he won't keep silent to them.

"Anyway, there are many ways to secure children, so don't worry."

Normally, when a newborn baby is born to unidentified parents, it is sent to a nursery or an orphanage through the children's welfare center. From then on, foster parents are found for the baby and it is adopted.

There is no knowing if their life will be happy or not after that, but the same is true for those who are raised by their own parents.

The important thing is to  provide a favourable environment. As long as a method to secure the baby is established, here is nothing wrong with a nurturing agency stepping in.

"I wish there was a simpler way to obtain children, one that I could tell you about, but it's difficult for now. If we moved with a frontal attack… Even if I am a politician, no one would hand over a child to someone they don't know."

"Is that how it is?"

Of course, with a few words of warm protection, government favouritism, and some jarring nice words, a mother may be willing to give up her newborn.

However, I have to assume that such will not be the case.

"Is there not a way to take babies from an orphanage?"

"There are no orphanages in Japan. To be precise, they are foster homes. Further, in the case of newborn babies, which we are looking for, it will not be an orphanage, but a nursery. However, we cannot evade their suspicions either. Because it is a matter of life or death."

"...I see."

If you live an average life, it's not unreasonable to be indifferent to this sort of thing.

I'm sure Kamogawa had his hands full coming up with a list of potential sites for the facility.

"Of course, we are going to check into nurseries. But that will only happen once the operation of the facility gets off the ground and it is decided that it's a government-led policy."

However, the real mission will be to eventually set up and provide the children ourselves. We will either buy out the director of a gynaecology department, or, if that does not come to fruition, we will open a gynaecology clinic.

It's not that hard to find a doctor who will sell his soul to the devil, so.

I showed the concrete documents to Kamogawa on the computer and explained this to him.

That we will inevitably create a place to act as a receptacle for mothers who are unable to raise their children.

There is no reason for anyone to interfere with this.

The day a child is born from the mother's womb  counts as day 0, and babies under 28 days old are called "newborns", but, behind the doors, we will take in the newborns up to three month old babies.

The mothers will not be held responsible for their children, and, in exchange, sign an agreement to have nothing to do with their babies.

Further, the babies will be raised under strict physical supervision until they reach six months of age, at which point they will be placed in the educational program.

"So you're prepared to abandon a perfect education for the first few years?"

"Don't be foolish. We will give them a thorough education from the first year, whether there is money or not. You are naive if you think that half-baked results will move the political and financial worlds, Kamogawa."

They, too, are educating the children of their own flesh and blood to be gifted from an early age. If we are not able to show an overwhelming difference in ability compared to that, the credibility of this facility will be shaken.

We have to make them the best in both intelligence and physical ability.

"The bigger the sample, the better it is. Whether it's 10 or 20 people, we'll take them in."

No matter how many of them break, we can simply suppress the facts.

If there are 10 survivors, we'll simply pretend there were 10 from the beginning.

This will show how competent it is as an educational institution.

"But how can you educate infants? They can't even understand words."

"Do you know what baby signing is?"

"Baby signing? What's that?"

"As you say, infants can't speak. So, there are signs that were thought up to attempt communication with babies. Brain development and muscle growth are vital for learning and handling words, but, the development of hands or fingers are a lot quicker."

Of course, acquisition of these baby signs will be difficult until they are around six months old.

"Oh…"

"I'm saying that babies have a lot more intelligence than adults think they do. If you don't teach them, they can do nothing but cry , but if you teach them baby signing then they can convey the reason why they are crying to adults. This project will go beyond that."

The ultimate form of early learning. From the moment of birth, a thorough education will be imparted onto the child.

That is the goal of this project.

■■■

I've secured my chance to gain connections with the financial world.

However, I won't be able to conveniently get funded money if I suddenly take this challenge on without a plan.

A room, inside a building at the center of Kabukichou.

This evening, I was visiting this place by myself.

I visit this hostess bar 2, or 3 three times a month at most when I want to think about some things.

It is a business that is becoming old-fashioned, but it is still high in demand by the elderly.

This is inseparable from the world of politics.

"Welcome, Ayanokoji-sama."

A familiar boy in a black apron welcomed me, and guided me into the establishment with a quick reception.

"Where's Mika?"

"Yes, she's at work. She was right when she said that you would be coming soon.

Well then, over here, please."

I was shown to my usual VIP room at the back of the establishment.

There were already several bottle keep bottles in the rool, and some snacks were prepared.

[ TL Note 6 : bottle of spirits that a bar customer buys, writes his name on, keeps on a shelf at the bar, and drinks little by little on successive visits​. ]

This means that preparations have already progressed before I even arrived

"Please wait a bit."

The boy bowed his head and left the room.

As I silently sat down on the luxurious sofa, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

I leaned back against the backrest, not even bothering to reach for the drink.

"Phew…"

A deep sigh, even surprising myself a little.

I haven't been sleeping well recently.

The pressure of the human resource development project which I was hurriedly put in charge of and the heavy responsibilities that lie behind it.

A job of life or death that I cannot fail by even the slightest chance.

The location of the education facility is in sight, but there is not enough money to secure it, and no suitable educators have been found. Further, a lot of manpower is also necessary to operate the facility.

It is also necessary to gather people who won't talk too much and think of a mechanism to prevent them from leaking information to the outside.

Naturally, for this, even more money will be needed.

"Money, money, money, huh..?"

I have been given an opportunity to get the money through Sakayanagi, but I don't know what will actually happen yet.

"We'll see what happens…"

Unable to endure the sleepiness assaulting me, I closed my eyes.

I laid down to rest, reflecting on the difference between this place and the hard fabric of my office.

I wonder how much time has passed since then.

Was it one minute, or one hour?

As I unexpectedly opened my eyes and woke up, there was a face glancing at me from the side.

Familiar large eyes and lips.

The same gaze that always looks at me.

"Did you wake up?"

"...How long did I sleep?"

As I got my body up from the sofa, I washed down a glass of whisky to wake myself up.

"About 10 minutes, probably? You look really tired."

Only 10 minutes. However, it feels like my body became just a little lighter in these 10 minutes.

"Do you want some tea or water instead?"

"No, drinking is much better for my body in times like this."

Mika nodded in dismay, then skillfully added more alcohol and wiped the water droplets from the glass.

"I have something to ask of you."

"Is that your first conversation topic after waking up? How about forgetting about work for a little?"

"I can't do that."

I spontaneously put strength into the hand I was holding the glass with.

"It's very important work, huh?"

"There is no line between important or not important work. I can't miss even a single thing."

For me, even finding a chestnut in a fire is an important order.

"Being a politician is hard, huh? I watch them on TV and see them dozing off in parliament, being accused of corruption, or being accused of philandering. It doesn't seem like there's many who do their jobs properly, but…"

From an ordinary person's point of view, the world of politics is exactly like that.

The ruling party and the opposition parties are seen as doing their job while shouting abuse at each other like children.

"It's good for me. If the people above me worked properly, then there wouldn't be any gaps for me to enter through, so."

Thanks to the many old politicians acting as they please, I can aim for the few empty seats.

"I think that you can become a great politician, Atsuomi."

After saying so, she gently put her hand on my thigh.

"You say that with a lot of confidence for a woman who knows nothing about politics."

Mika next to me came to Tokyo after graduating from middle school, and threw herself into the world of cabaret after going through a few jobs.

With her good looks and confident attitude, she quickly went up to being the number 2 girl

in this bar.

I met her while looking for a place to entertain a member of parliament, and we deepened our relationship.

We even dated as lovers for a time, but that was a long time ago.

The reason that we did not break off our relationship then was not just because of the physical aspect, but because she is also talented with her work.

Mika knows how to use her weapons, and she has had close relationships with several men who are at the core of the ruling and opposition parties.

A young, beautiful woman who can only socialise as an adult without negatively affecting her family.

Politicians have a lot of secrets. The more secrets people keep, the more they want to tell.

Politicians are wary of smart women.

On the other hand, they are less cautious about women who are not so smart.

If a woman responds with a knowing but not understanding "huh" when any secret is divulged, it will be easier to have pillow talks. Because you won't have to worry if you say too much, since the other party will not remember.

But this Mika is different. She has no knowledge, but she has at least a minimum amount of wisdom.

She knew how to sniff out the money in politicians' statements and record it in any way she could.

And it all started when she demanded the number one position and money in exchange for cooperating with me.

Further, it was with the hope of not only dragging down the number 1, but thoroughly crushing her.

In response to the easy to understand price, I drugged the woman who was number 1 at the time and eliminated her.

Now she is probably somewhere earning a pittance by keeping company to dirty customers.

Since then, we have become more involved and have been maintaining a give and take with each other.

"I want to grasp some people's weaknesses."

I put the photos of the seven people I've picked out from the financial world onto the table.

"Do any of these faces look familiar to you, or do you think they are people you can pull in?"

"Let's see. I don't think any of them have shown up over here, but… Ah, I think I saw this guy at one of our affiliate establishments… Wait a minute, let me check. What's his name?"

"It's Sonezaki."

As if to jog her memory, Mika called somewhere on her cell phone.

"Ah, hey, Sofia? There's something I'd like to ask, but do you know a customer called Sonezaki-san?"

After a few moments of friendly chatter, Mika ended the call and nodded.

"Bingo. There's a big customer who's really into Sofia, it was him."

"That's very convenient, then. Can you use him well?"

"What should I do?"

"This Sonezaki is a married man with two daughters in middle school. It's only natural for him to play around with women after becoming wealthy, but he still wouldn't want his circumstances to be made known to his family."

"This ended up being quite simple, huh?"

"Try to come up with something for the remaining people, too."

"Okay."

"And one more thing. I want you to get close with Sasada too. It seems like his position has been going up lately. I want to learn one or two of his weaknesses in advance."

"...Sasada, right? Why?"

Hearing Sasada's name, Mika did not hide her disgust.

"I hate scummy bastards who touch my body without permission in plain sight though, you know?"

"Is he obsessed with you?"

"He even says that he'll give me any amount of money I want if I spend a night with him."

"That's perfect. Respond to his desire. He will give you more money than you think."

A weapon that men cannot possess. It's a simple and effective strategy.

"How much will I get?"

"It'll live up to your expectations if you show results."

"I got it. I'm not enthusiastic, but I'll do it well."

"And don't forget to be with Naoe-sensei too. That person values you too."

"...We'll see."

For the first time, Mika's expression shadowed a little.

"That, how should I put it… no matter how many times I get in close contact with him, I can't ever see his true heart."

She took a hand towel, and folded it suitably.

This is a habit Mika does a lot to distract herself from topics she doesn't like.

"From my point of view, he's an old man but he has an energy that makes you feel otherwise."

"I never thought I could get you to say so much. As expected of Naoe-sensei…"

He is a person who shouldn't fool you by his aged appearance.

"Be careful. I don't want you to get swallowed up."

"I wonder how many men you've presented these words to."

I pulled a handful of bills from my wallet and messily put them on the table.

"Take it."

"Are you leaving already? I have some time, you know?"

"Sorry, but I don't have the time to be so leisurely."

Alcohol and women are luxuries to indulge in, nothing more, and nothing less.

All that stuff will come eventually.

What's important now is to perfectly execute the project, and to make a name for myself in the Naoe Faction.

■■■

A few months later, in my office, I was looking at the finished photos of the building that had just finished construction.

The floors, ceilings, walls, and everything else are painted with a white base.

The reason for this monochromatic colour scheme is to give the impression that the facility is clean.

Pure, innocent, clean, and holy; white has a number of strong positive connotations.

Many government officials will eventually visit to inspect the education that will take place here.

It is a little bit of an image strategy, but it is an element that should not be underestimated.

"Good morning, Ayanokoji-san."

Kamogawa had arrived early at the Saitama site with the engineer for the final checks and reviewed the facility with a board in hand.

The work seemed to have come to an end, and he came back to the office with a look of relief on his face.

"All construction is complete."

"Well done. It looks like the facility was made exactly in the way I imagined."

"But, with that budget, how did you renovate it so beautifully? Normally, it would be no strange thing for it to cost almost twice as much."

"There are a lot of construction contractors where dust comes out when you knock on the door."

If you whisper too good to be true stories along with threats in their ears, they will cooperate without regard to profit.

"It is finally becoming a reality, huh? The human resource development project."

"That's right."

"All of it, it's all because you were able to move the people in the financial world, Ayanokoji-san. You collected around 400 million in one night, that's a pretty big thing."

The 400 million was invested in the educators, the land, the buildings, and the construction of the facility itself.

Most of it is gone now, though.

I had my life on the line to collect the money, but I won't have any trouble using it.

"These people are fed up with money, but they are always hungry for honor and prestige. If this project succeeds, they will get that in return. From the look of the party, they must have a lot of deals like this going on behind the scenes."

They are probably investing in a number of projects at the same time, including mine, and only think of it as a profit if one of them succeeds.

Some of them may have even forgotten about my existence.

"Are you saying we're not special?"

"It's fine to say so for now. Rather, it's more risky to get too much attention."

However, what's ahead of us will also be crucial.

In addition to the teachers who will provide the education, the children who will receive it must also be secured.

"But first, I have come up with a name for the facility that will be responsible for the human resource development project."

"Huh, really? What did you name it?"

"White Room. To emphasize white, which gives an image or purity, and to push it forward."

"White Room… I see, it is simple but also easy to understand."

Anyone will be able to see, that as its name suggests, this place is the White Room.

"I hope we can get the teachers and many others to visit us soon."

Kamogawa is becoming merry, but things will not go so easily.

"Kamogawa. I have something important to tell you. The world of politics is not a simple binary of friend or foe. If you go into it with an easy way of thinking, you'll end up in a mess you can't get back from."

"Huh..?"

He tilted his head back with a dumb look on his face, as if he didn't understand what I meant.

"It's fine. I guess you weren't ready for that talk yet."

No matter how favourable it looks, I am still walking on a bridge that could collapse at any moment.

Kamogawa doesn't know the fear of walking on that bridge yet.

"What will you do after this?"

"I'm supposed to meet and interview a few people here today. It's not possible to run White Room just by myself, so. It's scheduled for 4 o'clock."

It's impossible for amateurs to educate children out of the blue.

Kamogawa looked at his watch and bowed his head, looking a little offended.

He must have thought he was in the way, since the interview time was about 10 minutes away at 4:00 p.m.

"Come with me too."

"Oh, really?"

"You're also in charge of White Room, and you have a right to see who you're dealing with."

With a gleeful gleam in his eye, Kamogawa hurriedly began to clean up.

Exactly when it was about a minute from 4 o'clock, a visitor knocked at the office door.

"Come in."

Souya, a man appearing in a white coat, lightly bowed and approached.

"Hello there, Ayanokoji-san. I never thought that a stray researcher like me would be approached by a great politician like you."

"I haven't said I'm hiring you yet."

The man who showed up, Souya, was originally a doctor, but as a result of a number of problems he had caused, his medical licence was revoked.

After that, he began research on human growth. He was highly praised by some, but he has not been able to return to the limelight because of his past history.

"Kamogawa. If you have any first impressions about him, tell me."

"Is it… Alright?"

Kamogawa looked like he was not trying to interrupt, but I could easily tell he had things he wanted to say.

"I want to hear your opinion."

"Umm, I'm sorry, but why are you here in a white coat?"

"I can't come here naked, can I?"

"That's not what I… Normally, it's common sense to wear a suit for an interview, but…"

Souya looked at his clothes, and nodded somewhat unconvincingly.

"Isn't that a minor detail? My formal attire is a white coat, so I don't think there is any problem. I'd rather you take me more seriously with this than with a suit and tie."

Souya replied so, without a trace of apology.

"Ah, Ayanokoji-san… what will we do?"

Are you going to hire a man like him? That's what his eyes were telling him.

It is true that he had a lot of problems with his attitude and the way he dressed, which could not be said to be appropriate for an interview.

However, neither of these things were a necessity for the personnel that White Room needed.

"I don't have a medical license, but I'm proud to say that my background is impressive."

"I don't care about your personal history."

It seems that we need to cut away this misconception first.

Then, for the first time, Souya's nonchalant attitude hardened slightly.

"Enough… You're here to judge me for what I did too, aren't you? I came here because you said you would interview me regardless of my past problems, but it turned out to be a mistake."

"Don't jump to conclusions by yourself. I told you that I don't care about the past. I'm talking about your entire career path. What university you graduated from, what hospital you worked at, what kind of crime you've committed.

I have no interest in any of it."

Souya, about to get up from his seat, stopped moving.

"All I'm looking for is your current thoughts and abilities. You have a good perspective as a person and insight into human beings. Are you confident that you can use your skills?"

"I know most things when I see someone. That hasn't changed."

For the first time, Souya showed his face as a researcher.

"It takes a lot of guts and determination to enter the illegal world. That's all I wanted to see here. I can't really judge whether or not you're actually useful until I see you in the field."

I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing someone with a personality I like.

"...My apologies."

Souya bowed deeply, even though I didn't ask him to.

"The few years after I was discharged… I was always frustrated as I ate up my savings. I shut myself in and continued cutting myself off from the world."

"You regretted it, didn't you? The past mistakes you've committed."

"Regret? I do not regret anything. I just can't help but get mad thinking about why they sold me out."

He doesn't in the least think that he did anything wrong.

So he was exactly of a nature that was bound to fail, and he did.

Kamogawa, who had led a serious and mild-mannered life, must be a bad match for him.

"I will give you a chance to come back to life. From now on, you will work for me as a former doctor and researcher, managing the subjects and helping them grow. Understand?"

This man with nowhere to go has nothing to complain about when I employ him with the same treatment as before.

"Thank you very much. I'll make sure I'll live up to your expectations."

I told him right there and then that I would be employing Souya, and left.

"I'm really worried about whether it's okay… to hire someone like that."

"I understand what you want to say. However, this is actually more convenient for us."

"Is, is that so?"

"There is no one around him who he is close with. Further, he is obsessed with money, and does not seek honour in the outside world. If we give him money and a place to work, I am sure he won't betray us. It is impossible to contact outsiders and generate a third party income here."

Of course, there is a possibility that he will threaten us and demand higher wages, but if that is the extent of his behaviour, there is no need for us to hesitate.

"I'm sure he also understood while dealing with me, that it would not be profitable to make an enemy of me."

"I, I see…"

"If that man is the only one coming in, we won't last much longer. Leaving aside this Souya, I gathered a lot of people who are talented but were fired after causing a lot of problems, so."

I can't be negligent in terms of leadership, but as far as their competency goes, they are dependable.

In addition, we have other professionals from the field of training, including one who ran an obstetrics and gynaecology practice, an expert in ecology, and a mentor who has built up olympic athletes.

Of course, this is just the start. From here out, we will expand our reach and bring in geniuses in all kinds of fields to work on the children's development.

"But, was it okay not to ask for more details? We don't really know how well he can work."

"Detailed explanations are unnecessary. I don't know anything about medicine or education, anyhow. So, I'm going to emphasize that they will have to work hard, and employ them based on the fighting power they can bring in."

"So you're saying that… almost everyone who comes in for an interview has already been accepted?"

"That's what I'm saying. So it doesn't make any difference whether you are sitting next to me or not."

In the sense of putting pressure on them, I can see that it helps a little.

I'm not sure how much knowledge I can gain by studying now.

It's best to put the experts against the experts, rather than have a complete novice stick his neck out.

"The answer to the question of whether the guy can really do it or not, or whether the guy coming in for an interview is capable of it or not, can be found by letting the people you hire compete with each other."

A separate team of experts will analyze whether the education has produced results. If they don't see certain results, they will simply cut the head off without mercy.

■■■

"It's, it's over, huh… I'm more tired than I expected."

The interviews began at 4:00 p.m. and ended at 8:00 p.m. after meeting with a total of six people.

I understand Kamogawa's feeling of weakness.

I have no doubt that all of them are professionals in their field.

However, as human beings, they were all so immature and nauseating.

I knew that I should not think that I could have a decent conversation with them.

It would be easy to hire all of the people gathered here today, but…

"What will you do?"

"There is a big problem in regards to their characters, but, I will hire Ishida, Souya, and then Tabuchi, who seem to have the most proper personality. As for the rest, their inner problems were stronger than their ability, so I intend to let them go for now."

"Leaving aside his statements, his history, and way of thinking were great, huh? I don't really understand that well, but…"

However, it remains unknown whether this will help the project get off the ground.

I thought that I might see things a bit better with the interviews, but…

In no way can I shake off this feeling of uneasiness.

Even if they are competent, I didn't feel anything breaking through.

Is it really possible to provide the best education like this?

"Let's go eat something."

I won't make any progress even if I think about it, so I should probably reset my head for now.

"Right!? Let's go, it's just the time for it right now!"

I invited Kamogawa out to dinner for a change of pace, and right after I got up from my seat while taking my cell phone out of my pocket…

"Ayanokoji-san, did you drop something?"

After saying so, he held out a piece of paper he picked up from the ground to me. It was a business card.

"Ah, he did give this to us, didn't he? It's all crumpled, but…"

"It might be a good idea to see how useful he would be."

"Wait, are you going to contact him? His smile, it was kind of scary, but…"

It is a dubious title, but that Naoe-sensei would not put someone of no use besides him.

It might be a good idea to just get in contact with him.

I tried calling the number written on the business card on my cell phone.

If I couldn't get a connection, I am willing to dismiss it as a lost opportunity.

That's about how I felt.

After I put in the numbers and the call rang a few times...

"I thought you might be contacting me, Ayanokoji-san."

I could tell from the voice also that it was Tsukishiro, and he answered without hesitation.

"How did you know it was me?"

I never gave him my number, and this was the first time I had ever called Tsukishiro.

"Because it is only natural to investigate beforehand."

"I don't like it."

The act of looking into my number itself did not surprise me.

It's just a matter of asking around Naoe-sensei, or his secretaries.What I don't like is the way he seemed to know that I was calling.

"What is Naoe-sensei making you do?"

I don't think it's just a mere introduction.

I sensed intuitively that there was a set-up behind the scenes

"I understand what you mean, but I can't give an answer here."

"You're watching to see if I mess up, that's about it, right?"

I can't sense the other party's agitation or true nature just by his voice.

However, at the same time, that would also be a risky decision.

At the very least, it is hard to believe that this Tsukishiro man would shop an opening so easily.

"I'd like to meet you soon if it's alright. I may be able to meet your expectations as well."

As I was thinking about what to do, the invite came from Tsuikishiro's side.

"Expectations?"

"You called me because you are in trouble, didn't you?"

"You are very confident, huh? I haven't said a word about it yet. You may regret it if you set your expectations too high."

"I'm ready even now, if I am needed."

Now? He has quite some confidence, huh?

Or, he may have a different objective.

Do I stay on guard, or do I purposefully go along with him?

"In that case, it's now.. I won't let you say it's unreasonable, then."

"Of course. What shall we do, then? I can visit you myself. You are in the office right now, right?"

"...Fuck you."

Is he saying he even knows I live in my office?

"It looks like things will go smoother if I am the one who goes out. Can I have around an hour, then?"

"Do whatever you want."

Leaving aside if Tsukishiro had confidence that I would visit him or not, there is no mistaking the fact that he has been searching for my vicinity and that he has grasped it.

It seems like information about this project is already flying around with Naoe-sensei at the center.

"Umm, what happened?"

"I'm meeting Tsukishiro now."

"What, now!? What about food..?"

"Go alone. I'll meet the guy by myself."

As long as he has one foot in this project, Kamogawa is a trove of information.

As long as there is the possibility of this man being an enemy, Kamogawa's existence will be a nuisance.

■■■

One hour from then. I had been waiting outside the office to see how he would show up.

Then, at pretty much the agreed upon time, a black BMW's figure came into view.

"I'll go to the parking lot, so please wait a bit."

Tsukishiro, opening the driver's side window and saying so, put his car into a parking lot and came back.

"I didn't expect you to drive yourself."

"I work alone most of the time, so. Besides, I don't like leaving the driving to someone else. It is the same thing as having your life in their hands."

I thought the man was being exaggerated, but on the flip side, he may just be exposed to that much danger.

Moving on to the office, I sat Tsukishiro down at a suitable spot.

"You said you may meet my expectations, but do you know what needs to be done?"

He never broke his smile, which gave rise to an unpleasant atmosphere.

"Yes. It is related to the human resource development project, right?"

"Looks like Naoe-sensei sees through anything and everything. huh? I guess this means that he had no intention of leaving it all to me from the start."

That day, I thought that Naoe-sensei left the project to only me and Kamogawa.

No, maybe it's my fault for interpreting it in that way.  

My first big job. I guess it is only natural that because he must succeed, Naoe-sensei would want to have things guaranteed.

"If I go down, you'll take over the project and be left with its management, right?"

"Maybe I will, or maybe I won't."

Of course, there's no way he would answer honestly.

This man's age shouldn't be that different from mine. It seems like he's stepped into a lot of places.

In that case, it would be normal to depend on him.

"No, I'm wrong, I think. He must simply be looking out in advance for the politician who will be my replacement."

If Kamogawa and I fail, a different politician will take over the project.

"Impressive. That's a half-correct answer, Ayanokoji-san."

"Half, is it?"

"Yes. There are two duties left to me; one is exactly what you spoke of. The other one is to aid the politician who is in charge of the human development project."

"Aid?"

"A strong support. However, you don't seem to be pleased, huh?"

It sounds good when you say "aid", but a process for the case of me failing must also be included.

"I can't make sense of it. I don't think Naoe-sensei would rely on you, who is around the same age as me."

"It is true that, just like you, I am young if you look at it from the world of politics. However, if you are good at supporting the big name politicians, you will be valued even if you are young. Well, in my case, I work with any partner, regardless of if they are a politician or not."

Tsukishiro, not even trying to hide the fact that he is successful.

I don't think it is overconfidence. He's showing me confidence based on his achievements.

"Before asking you to work, there's something I'd like to confirm beforehand."

"What would that be?"

I pulled out the newspaper from this morning, and put my finger on an article in the corner.

"Ooarai City in Ibaraki Prefecture. It looks like there was a body at the port there."

"It isn't that rare of a story, is it? Many people are dying all over Japan, so."

"He was a local journalist, I know this man. He was a lone wolf who hated the world of politics… mainly the ruling party, Citizens Party."

"What about it? Does it have anything to do with now and this place?"

"Did you do it, Tsukishiro?"

"You ask very direct questions, huh, Ayanokoji-san? Do you think I will answer with a yes?"

"That doesn't matter. What I want to know is whether or not this reporter was keeping a watch on Naoe-sensei when he met you at the restaurant the other day or not."

Without even moving a brow, Tsukishiro lightly dropped his eyes onto the newspaper article."

"He seemed like he was about to write a gossip article about Naoe-sensei, you see. That he's playing around with young women even though he has a wife and children. The Citizens Party couldn't have avoided its image being damaged."

As I expected.

This is the reason that this man was moving together with Naoe-sensei in the restaurant the other day.

He put a woman on Naoe-sensei on purpose, determined the reporter who would be aiming for this, and took care of him.

Of course, I'm sure he will not admit it in daylight, but…

I made a fist, and strongly hit the table.

"That does not seem to be fear, huh? Goodness gracious… Could it actually be, anger?"

Tsukishiro continued while curiously analyzing my movements.

It is true that with this talk, shaking in fear or fright would be the normal thing.

Because it is possible that the man before my eyes has killed a man as a job.

"You're wondering why you weren't left with the work yourself… Is that the source of this anger?"

"Dirty work is my role. It's been like that up until now too."

If I get even one order, I am confident that I can deal with it just as well as this man.

"At the least, I won't be so stupid that the body will end up found."

"I know your circle of friends very well. You are very close with the Ooba Group, aren't you, Ayanokoji-san?"

Does he naturally have a grasp on everything about me?

"Then you should have already understood very quickly that I would not be afraid of you."

"The Ooba Group is not a large organization, but they are quite notorious. I am aware that you worked very hard to build up a friendly relationship. However, if the corpse is not found, then it is not a corpse. A missing person could not have put fear into the hearts of the numberless enemy rats watching Naoe-sensei, could it?"

In other words, he did not fail to hide it, but purposefully let the body be found, huh..?

Whether or not Tsukishiro is involved in the death of a local reporter is no longer relevant.

I don't think this is a guy I can threaten by reaching out with my arms and grabbing him by the chest here.

If I am being made to think so, then his strategy is working well.

"I understand how you feel, but that is proof that Naoe-sensei is putting his heart and soul into his human resource development plan. Since he decided to select you, he couldn't let you cross a dangerous bridge just to sink a reporter. Even if this incident becomes a problem, the person who would be blamed for it would be someone else, someone you don't know anything about."

This man is dangerous. However, his talent is high, and he is a quick talker if he knows what's going on.

If he could not manoeuvre over the people he faces, he could not have reached these heights.

"There are a lot of things about it I don't like, but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

"That is correct. We should keep our personal circumstances separate and think things through, right?"

Any more idle chatter is just a waste of time.

I should try to get into the main subject.

"I've been interviewing staff for a new research facility. I've managed to secure some personnel, but I'm still lacking a deciding factor. I will need time to search again."

"So you're asking if I can help you with arranging human resources? That was fast."

"If you have any ideas. I'm not looking for a half-hearted asset, though."

"Do not worry. I know of a person of talent who would convince you, Ayanokoji-san."

"Oh?"

"However, it is a different story if I will introduce them to you. You understand, right?"

This world is mostly about business.

It doesn't matter if you like your partner or hate them, or if you have a deep or thin relationship with them..

"I understand. How much?"

If I can get a reward of equal value, I have no dissatisfaction about paying money.

"In theory it is best to handle things with cash, but I have some policies of my own. I would like to sit down and talk with potential clients. First of all, would you be willing to allow me to interview you?"

"That's funny. I was the one interviewing just a few minutes ago and now I'm on the receiving end."

What a joke. However, it would be foolish to throw away an opportunity for the sake of a little time and pride.

"Alright. You can do whatever you want."

I'm going to play along with Tsukishiro's game here and see if I can use him or not.

"Thank you very much."

Tsukishiro took out a light blue clear file and pulled out several sheets of paper from it.

So, was it  all calculated to get us to this point?

"Ayanokoji Atsuomi, 31 years old. Male. Born in Kumamoto Prefecture, Aso City. Education history is high school-"

"Wait a minute. Is it necessary to confirm that stuff with an interview?"

"It is important."

He may not be joking, but his thin smile makes me want to vomit.

"You and I are equals. No, maybe not even equal. What determines our hierarchy is up to you now, and you can decide. If you feel like swearing, please do not refrain from putting it into words."

He is smiling, but I wonder how serious he is.

However,I have already made my decision.

Because I've come to understand that he seems so different, yet so similar in character.

"I have not been refraining from anything, but I still had to restrain myself with Naoe-sensei behind me. From now on, I will deal with you without reservation in the true sense of the word."

"That would be best."

After grinning, Tsukishiro began to speak again.

"I've followed your career as far as I can. Your life has not been easy, and it seems that you had a poor childhood."

I'm not sure how much research he's done, but it seems he's done his fair share.

It seems likely that he is in contact with someone who knew me as a child and as a student.

"I've also investigated your family structure. It seems your parents abandoned you when you were little, and you were raised by your grandparents from your father's side."

From the way he speaks, it would seem that a bad lie would have the opposite effect.

"No parents, no money, no proper house. That's how my life was."

"No proper house? What kind of place did you live in?"

"A shack for farm equipment maintained by the adults in the neighborhood. It had a crude tin roof and no electricity or gas. I could only take a bath once or twice a week with hot water boiled in a cassette stove."

It's not a past to be proud of; in fact, to others it would sound like self-torture.

However, I'm not pessimistic about the past.

I think it has allowed me to lead a life that has given me the determination to rise to the top.

"My grandfather died when I was in junior high school. But, it was a turning point. I was able to buy an old house nearby with my grandmother with the money from an insurance policy he had put out before he died and moved."

It wasn't the kind of house you'd want to live in.

However, I remember that I was happy because I felt like I had a big castle.

"Is your grandmother alive?"

"No. I remember that she died when I was over 18 years old. Probably."

"You don't seem to care that much."

"I didn't see her die, and I have no interest in it. I was too busy living my life for myself, so."

I did not attend the funeral, although I received one phone call from someone who seemed to be a distant relative. I paid only the minimum expenses and let them handle everything.

Including my grandfather, I don't even know where their graves are and where their remains are buried.

"I see that after all the hard work she put into raising you, her life ended in vain."

"I don't know if it was hard work or not."

Of course, I know that raising a child is hard work, and I think so.

"But it is true that it was an empty end. The son she had raised with all her heart and soul abandoned his child and disappeared, and the grandchildren who were left behind did not even try to help the parent who raised them. She had to live in poverty for decades and never had the luxury of living a good life."

If I had lived as my grandmother, I would have described it as a living hell.

"How do you feel about that situation, looking at it objectively now? Does it hurt?"

"No? Nothing has changed from that time. No, it's more than that. My grandmother lived a life of a loser and died as a loser. If she had at least abandoned me, her grandson, and made good use of my grandfather's insurance money, she would have had a somewhat better life."

I have no intention of living such a miserable life.

I can say that she was useful to me as a close antagonist.

"When was it that you decided to become a politician?"

"It all started when I was a host and a woman who came as a client told me a story. She told me that being a politician is not only about money, but also about power."

In fact, there were many parliament members in the area who played around in cabarets.

I was jealous of these people who played around with the public's blood money.

"You ran for the first time at the age of 25, but your vote count was hopeless and you lost badly, also forfeiting your deposit money."

Tsukishiro read out the profile he had investigated of me.

"At the age of 27, you announced your intention to run again when the House of Representatives was dissolved, and was first elected after being favoured and encouraged by Naoe-sensei. It seems you learned a lot about politics during those two years."

"I admit that I was the most desperate man in my life. As a former host, I used women to get close to Naoe-sensei. Of course, that alone would not have won me his approval, but I am proud to say that he bought my persistent touch, my enthusiasm, and my ambition."

Tsukishiro nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Thank you for the details."

Closing the file, Tsukishiro turned to face me.

"It should be fine. I will accept you as a client."

Saying this, Tsukishiro pulled out a new file.

"Wait a minute. You're accepting me as a client with this kind of talk?"

"You may lack some knowledge, but that is not important. You can make up for it plenty with your rich intellect and body.

What's important is your "thinking". Your ambition painted with unhidable evil, I've judged that you excel in the qualities of a politician."

I looked down at the file in front of me.

"They are excellent personnel that will live up to your expectations."

Did he even foresee that I would contact him looking for personnel?

No, there is a possibility that Naoe-sensei is backing him up from behind the scenes.

"How much?"

"Not this time. It is best if I can be repaid in a big way one day in the future, so. You may become a big-name one day. That is the biggest reason that I decided to accept this."

"Don't make me laugh. How many politicians have you whispered the same things to? Do you think that I will accept such flattery?"

Even this man who is babbling that he has accepted my talents only decided to cooperate with me after seeing my background.

"Of course, I'm sure it's not just one or two people, right?"

He admitted easily and stood up.

"If you surpass others in talent, you will increase your enemies in the political world. Your stakes will be driven down, and your political life will be snatched away. Your evil and ambition may be held down by a stronger force."

"I won't be so easily crushed, though."

"That may be so. If you find yourself in a place where you are about to be killed, you have to have the resolve to take the person next to you along with you.

That kind of person tenaciously survives."

Being a newcomer to the world of politics, I can't do anything without Naoe-sensei shielding my back.

As I left the office with Tsukishiro, a young man in white clothes came up to me.

"He is the one you are looking for. I had instructed him in advance to come at this time."

"Was this your intent from the start?"

"Of course, I had no intention of letting you meet with him if you were unsuccessful in my interview."

Interview time for another newly added person.

On his resume, a slightly rare name was written: "Suzukake Tanji".

"Hi."

"Please sit.

Even though the personnel were arranged by Tsukishiro and Naoe-sensei's side, I still can't let my guard down.

The person to be hired must be questioned in detail and checked for any problems.

The man called Suzukake who entered the room looked like a middle-aged man with a stubble beard, but he was even younger than me: 29 years old.

He had graduated from the University of Tokyo at the head of his class and went over to the U.S., but he never made any significant achievements.

He was a man without any titles except his intelligence, so to speak, but I still don't know why the Tsukishiro Side recommended such a man.

"Your résumé seems pretty blank, but what did you do abroad?"

" I was doing what I wanted to do."

"...What did you want to do?"

"Well, all kinds of things."

"I can't really understand that. Please speak concretely."

"Human observation."

I'm glad I've been seeing so many people today who can't even use proper honorifics.

I've learned that it's somewhat better to be spoken to normally than half-heartedly in honorifics.

"Then, please tell me why you decided to take this interview."

"I heard it pays well. I need money to stay abroad."

"The cost of living can't even be compared to Japan, so I can understand."

If one has the ability they should work on location, but judging from this man's attitude, I don't need to question him about the difficulty of doing so.

"I have a question for you too, but…"

"What is it?"

"Before that, please stop with that disgusting formal speech. You can look at me like I am insect all you want, but if you really want to work, then I want to know your true character."

"...I see. That's fine, but won't that just mean you'll have to leave?"

If this is what he wants, I don't have to wear human skin either.

I broke my slightly upright posture, and crossed my legs.

"You aren't hired at the moment, Suzukake. You graduated from a prestigious school at the top of your class, and you deserve credit for your brains, but you haven't left anything behind."

"Because I just wasn't even provided the stage to do so."

Replying so, he continued his words right after.

"I'm not looking for fame or a title. But, I do want to understand the mechanisms of a human. This project's policy of human resource development seemed like the perfect opportunity to solve my questions."

"You're not looking for a title, huh? If you perform to my expectations, you will be provided rewards you haven't been able to gain at the front stage."

When I handed him the materials regarding the White Room, Suzukake immediately began to look through them.

I have to dangle a large amount of carrots in front of these guys and make them show their talent without regret.

That's what I thought, but researchers are hard to understand.

With a childlike gleam in his eyes, he checked out the facilities and environment, and began to randomly murmur about his hopes and ideals.

■■■

Later, I visited the White Room in Saitama, which had undergone renovation work, and was exploring the image of the room and worrying about the selection of further educators.

Then, Kamogawa came to me.

""Thank you for your hard work, Ayanokoji-san. Have you made arrangements for the children?"

"The plan couldn't start if I hadn't. The scheme is almost complete."

"Wow, of course… Of course, you don't have to give me the details. I don't want to, umm, get caught or anything yet."

A means to gather children, which I am not speaking of to this Kamogawa.

That is, to get newborns illegally from black market brokers using the Ooba Group.

However, this entails many dangers.

As such, we must eventually switch to a more legitimate way of collecting children.

Although it is still in the planning stage, we will soon launch a website and announce that we will be a place for parents who cannot raise their unborn children due to unavoidable circumstances to be able to take their children to.

Ideally, we would cooperate with the parents even before the birth of the child. Some women can't even pay for a birth without relying on the government's system.

There are many cases of women giving birth in secret and their children dying. Of course, this is theoretically possible. However, at the same time, there are great risks involved.

A woman is not a parent in the true sense of the word yet just by carrying a child in her belly.

She may not be able to give birth,

or she may have no choice but to become a mother when she comes face to face with her child one day.

And what if there is a fatal accident?

If they sue for the return of their child, it will be traced back to the White Room in the backscene.

That must be avoided.

If it becomes public, it would be more than just a matter of tarnishing Naoe-sensei's name.

It is imperative that we only accept children from those who have given birth elsewhere, are not responsible, and cannot be mothers.

It would be good to have a myriad of beautiful and hypocritical words on the homepage.

"Don't take a life," "anonymous baby adoption," "counseling for the needy," "foster care system," and so on, all of which seem to guarantee a future for you and your child.

Whenever a mother visits a hospital, the first step is always to set up a meeting.

We don't ask her name or where she lives, we just ask her to give a reason why she can't raise her child freely.

If the child is simply unacceptable, some will readily allow the child to go to foster care. If they are strapped for cash, we can just give them some money.

If they have no choice but to give the child to the hospital, we will be sure to provide an extension of one week.

Some parents may regret giving up their children the following day.

In this way, unrecognized children will be gathered and sent to the White Room.

In order to be prepared for the possibility of being asked to return their children two or three years later, a connection will be made only with each mother in the form of a name.

Of course, you can't just return a child from foster care, that kind of reasoning doesn't work.

As long as we are doing something illegal, we need to avoid being publicized.

Further, the commodity called children must be treated very delicately.

"The problem is, if anything, beyond that. It is the medical care of the children brought to White Room."

"Medical care..?"

"Children are weak. They get sick at the slightest thing. However, as it would be difficult to take them to a hospital, it is essential to have doctors who can treat them in White Room."

Not just any doctor, however.

There are many conditions… They must have had their physician's license taken away. Their thinking must be flexible. The doctor must be as old as possible, but not too old. Further, they must be able to re-acquire their physician's license if the situation demands it. They must also need money and be unwilling to work in the real world.

"That's… Quite a lot of difficult conditions, huh? Should I say it's not beautiful, or…"

"You're right in thinking that. However, all over Japan, in every nook and cranny of the land, you will find those with unexpected histories if you search for them. In my search, I came across a former doctor who lives deep in the mountains of Tottori. He had a history of a traffic accident that killed two university students who were riding a bike in the past."

Accidents are not rare.

While returning home after a late night at the office, the doctor was assaulted by a feeling of sleepiness and started to make a right turn without realizing the distance between himself and the bike coming straight ahead, and they collided.

They could not be saved even after the police and an ambulance were immediately dispatched.

Unfortunately, the person he hit was a child of a well-known local landowner,

and after that, he fled to an unrelated region to run away from the people's eyes.

"10 years since that accident. It was possible to get his physician's license back, but, he's been living his days drowning in alcohol."

"That, that kind of person is… But, while it is good news that you found him, aren't you worried?"

"He was always a flamboyant and extravagant person. That's what I'm aiming for."

One person, at the very least.

Another one if possible.

I have to secure doctors to be in charge of the children's health.

■■■

3 months after that.

The arrangement of the children is progressing, and the operation is finally about to begin.

However, the final phase of the project, the educational part, has to be finalized with the educators.

I brought what little luggage I had into the white room and was about to gather the live-in researchers into the lab for a discussion.

Ishida, Souya, Suzukake, Tabuchi.

The four of them are sitting down wearing their white robes.

"From now on, you four will be in charge of training the first batch of White Room students. This is the first time we meet in person, but we've had many discussions in online meetings. I don't think there will be any obstacles to working together."

"Please wait a bit. We did have many discussions, but we have not yet reached a consensus in the direction we are heading or our policies.

How do you intend to align us together?"

Souya, the elder, strongly expressed his mind.

Ishida and Suzukake were not even nodding, but instead were confident that they were not mistaken in their own principles.

This was the same in the repeated online meetings too, so it's no surprise.

I could endlessly let them continue discussing the direction they want to take, but they would never get along.

"What if I tell you to twist your opinions and obey me?"

"I can't do that. In that case, I'll get out."

"Me too. I'm here to provide my ideal education. If I can't do that, I don't feel like being here."

The same goes for Suzukake.

The idea of compromising was never even in the corner of his mind.

"What is with the rude attitude towards Ayanokoji-san? I know you've been paid a fitting amount of money at the preparation stage."

Kamogawa, an amateur in the field of educational theory, could not overlook the fact that they were being disrespectful. However, I rebuked Kamogawa.

"They're saying troubling things, but there's no need to jump to conclusions."

The children we've prepared and can use right now are 15 in total.

I lined up 15 sheets of business-card sized paper with the babies' names, genders, and dates of birth written on the backs.

Then, I shuffled them as if randomly mixing cards, and put them on top of the table.

"Ishida, Suzukake, Souya. Pick 5 random cards each and take them. They are the kids you will educate and be in charge of. Educate them for a certain period of time. The first term White Room students will be trained in three groups at the same time. Tabuchi has agreed to supervise you all equally."

Tabuchi nodded, and sent a glance towards the three.

"I see. Good idea. As long as our views don't align, this is the only choice."

The conclusion I came up with was to let these three compete freely.

It would be an impossible task to ask these geniuses, who have different philosophies and beliefs, to align themselves from the start.

"However, it's not going to last forever. The training period is three years. When all the children reach the age of three, they will be given a comprehensive test, and the one who led the group with the best performance will be the official leader."

There was no cause for concern, as no one thought they would lose.

Ishida nodded, satisfied with the content, and reached for the paper, so I glared at him and grabbed his arm.

"W-what!?"

"Listen. If you lose and then say something stupid like that your children have different qualities or that you are not going to abide by the decision, you will lose the three years' worth of money you have inscribed in your bank book as a penalty. And you will completely lose your position in the underworld, and not just in the public eye. Make sure you don't forget that, alright?"

Ishida in front of me took in my words and strongly, slowly, took a gulp.

"You two are fine with it too, right?"

"No objections."

It seemed that Souya was convinced too, but I'm sure he is more certain now.

However, Suzukake was the only one with a stern expression.

"If you have any complaints, talk now."

"I understand. I'm just stuck on the follow the leader part. I don't think I'll lose, but I want to know how the people by my side will move. Am I supposed to follow a leader of different principles with blind acceptance? If so, I have no intention of taking this on."

"If all I want is a yes, I don't need a genius. There is no merit in uniting three people, much less three different people like you. The leader has the final say, and if there are any objections to the policy, I'll ask for a thorough discussion. That's also why Tabuchi is here, so."

"It's like the ruling party and the opposition party, huh?"

As if impressed, Kamogawa spoke like a politician.

"... I understand."

Ishida has also calmed down, but still has not lost color in his confident eyes.

It will delay the plan, but for now this is probably the best option.

The first term students will be trained in three groups over a period of three years, and after that, a leader will be chosen.

It will cost money and reduce efficiency, but it is a necessary step to bring these educators together.

I will create a new educational policy and start training new term students on a yearly basis.

I'm sure I will be forced to modify various plans along the way, but this is the best option I can take now.

Translated by Anime Anyway