Chapter 3
Launch
DREAMs. IT IS said that we dream almost every day, but whether we remember them or not is related to the depth of our sleep.
Considering the fact that the dream is vividly etched in my mind, I must not be a very shallow sleeper. The dream I'm now having occurred a long time ago, that’s right, when I was still a teenager.
I was reminiscing about how I felt when I saved up money to buy a used Kei car. The mileage was well over 100,000 kilometers, and the interior was shabby—the maintenance not going as I wished. I couldn’t say it was a comfortable car, even so, I drove that car around with the feeling that I had become the breadwinner of the family.
The time I spent with just myself and the car, without making any friends or lovers, was irreplaceable.
A considerable amount of time has passed since then. Now I’m no longer driving myself. I’m currently asleep in the back seat. The deep, soft comfort of genuine leather. The warm feeling enclosing my back. All of which have changed to something far more luxurious than the car I used to drive.
But why is it that I’m far from reaching the excitement and joy I felt in those days?
“Ayanokouji-sensei, we’re about to arrive.”
Hearing this voice from the driver’s seat, I quietly opened my eyes.
Completely contrasting the city scenery, we were about to enter a rough road surrounded by mountains.
“It's going to be a little bumpy from here.”
“I know.”
It’s already been three years since Naoe-sensei entrusted me with the Human Resource Development Project.
At first, I wondered what was going to happen, but the project, officially named the White Room Project, got off to a good start amid secrecy.
(TL Note: Kei Car : Japanese Classification for cars that are considered as “light automobiles”.)
The number of people from the business world who wanted to invest in the project increased day by day, and we succeeded in creating a surplus fund. Of course, all the money raised is ostensibly for the White Room.
The knowledge of the White Room has turned into a kind of status applied only to those in the know.
A big investment story.
There weren’t many situations in the past that have generated so much anticipation despite not having yet produced results.
Just like certain stocks, by the time the public realizes its profitability, it’s already too late.
Only those who’ve invested a large amount of money in the company from the time it was still undiscovered are allowed to succeed.
Even if I don't reveal Naoe-sensei’s name, the businessmen can automatically anticipate what my next move is going to be.
Such a stream of events was all on my side.
The government is already succeeding in doing so, and the presence of high education will not be a small factor.
The government will eventually get involved in the White Room, even if they publicize it.
Those who’ve invested ahead of the curve can expect huge publicity and return on their investment.
Even if things have gone well up to this point, if the situation turns out to be disappointing, the investors will turn their backs without hesitation, and those who call them “sensei-sensei” will simultaneously hurl abuse at them all.
For this reason, achieving clear and constant results is important.
We cannot let our guard down at all.
While I was on the move, I received another call on my cell phone from a new businessman who wanted to invest in the project. Despite that the true value of the 1st generation children has not yet been announced, once the acceptance period for the 2nd generation started, applicants began to appear one after another…
This is despite the fact that we haven’t even told them how the first batch of students is developing.
Of course, this was a strategic move—to instill that the White Room’s education was going well, that it was more successful than I had imagined, and that there were so many applicants that they may not all be accepted. By secretly distributing such information about the White Room, I was increasing the value of its existence. In addition, there were people who wanted to use the White Room in a different way from what it was intended for. That is the existence of illegitimate children, an inseparable problem from wealthy people.
When a mistress insists on having a baby, she has the baby placed in the White Room as a condition for having the baby. In this way, the existence of the child can be ostensibly completely erased.
A mistress has a record of having given birth to a child and can keep a connection with her partner.
Of course, this may sound outrageous and incomprehensible to many ordinary people.
Since it would lead to the securing of human resources and funds for the White Room, there was no reason for us to refuse. We accepted the offer with a resounding ‘yes’ and immediately added the offer to our list.
“They never learn, do they?”
Does having money make people crazy? They easily repeat unwanted pregnancies in a selfish act.
I don't mind if they use them to have babies in secret, but their lower bodies’ looseness is disgusting.
Now, more than 30% of the second generation consists of illegitimate children that cannot be revealed to the public.
In other words, the value of the White Room is still at that low level. Achievement isn’t enough for the public to entrust their beloved children to the White Room.
The business people who offer money and children do not know much about the real plan, and of course, many of the staff members don’t know the true meaning of the experiment.
They won’t doubt that the purpose of the experiment is to educate children born under the unfortunate stars and return them to society after they’ve been raised in a respectable manner.
“That's understandable.”
I, myself, am still far more inclined to see children as experimental subjects.
It’s a big risk to take the wealthy’s precious children now.
How to fill this discrepancy is also an issue that we cannot avoid in the future.
Regardless of the situation, we’ll provide thorough education to all children.
The White Room will eventually become a government-approved facility, that isn’t a pipe dream.
Eventually, educational facilities all over the world will be modeled after the White Room.
Naoe-sensei and I will take the lead in building that bridge, and we’ll have a stronger voice in the party.
When the old Naoe-sensei retires, I’ll have a huge post waiting for me.
Little by little, I’m steadily moving forward, one step at a time.
This realization is beginning to sprout.
Working on the Human Resource Development Project as hard as I could from the day Naoe-sensei entrusted it to me wasn’t a mistake. This project is an essential part of my life.
There’s no doubt that bright hopes lay in the distance.
Though, it’s not without its uncertainties.
While I was working on the White Room Project, I was inevitably going to have to keep my distance from the political world. They have a very keen sense of smell. Some of them must’ve already figured out that I was working on such a project behind the scenes. There are many allies, but there are also many enemies, and many of them are trying to extract weakness from me since I’m Naoe-sensei's right-hand man.
They keep their distance from me to find out whether I am on their side or against them.
The White Room is now half of me.
But that's why I made sure to keep my connections with the business world strong.
It’s the same in any world to have an insurance policy in case of emergencies.
If you can't expand your connections in the political world, you should strengthen your position in the business world.
This is essential because the political world and the business world are two sides of the same coin.
The connections with the business world are becoming stronger by the day, and I’ve chosen to both don the mask of a politician and the mask of a wealthy man.
Money flows from right to left, left to right, and I use the money I’ve collected to consolidate myself.
“It seems that Sakayanagi-sama has just arrived in the White Room.”
“I see. I don't mind the suddenness, just hurry up a bit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Even though there’s still time until the scheduled meeting, he’s still a guest, and it’s not a good idea to keep him waiting.
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