3.4
A red light shone in the darkness, followed immediately by a plume of smoke.
I saw a silhouette emerge from the sunset and sat up.
“I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?”
“Don't worry, it's time to go back.”
The plan was to leave at 11 p.m., but the date had changed.
“Busy day for a politician, isn't it? I can't believe they're working you this late.”
“It's easier to move around at night than in the daytime.”
Mika's brand of cigarettes changes every time I see her.
This was Mika's usual way to show that she was in love with each new man she slept with.
“How long are you going to keep doing this job?”
“Well, it can't go on forever… I've aged a lot since I met Atsuomi.”
Women are all about freshness. As time goes by, year by year, they lose their freshness and become rotten. The world tends not to recognize this, and in fact, hates to acknowledge it, but only those who understand this will succeed.
They not only use their youth as a weapon, but they also have another weapon at hand.
“My advice to you—it's time to get out of the game.”
“I'm a little surprised to hear that from you, Atsuomi.”
After a funny grin, Mika got up from her bed, still in all her clothes.
“Well, I thought it was time for me to move on too. But I don't have a vision for the future. I don't envision myself marrying someone and having a happy family. I don't see myself having kids, making mom friends, or sending my children to elementary school… I can't help but laugh at myself.”
“You'll do fine.”
“I don't know. I'm rarely liked by people of my own gender. I might have a harder time than you think. But… I think I'll take the plunge. You've made me a lot of money, and you allowed me to dream.”
Mika's wealth should be enough for a decent life.
But this woman got her money at a young age.
She must be more than a little scared to lower her standard of living.
“Lastly, I want to entrust you with a big job.”
“...What?”
I took out a marriage certificate and put it on the table.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“I want you to marry me.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Of course I'm not kidding.”
“Atsuomi...”
Mika approached, with her eyes slightly teary… she gave a small laugh.
“What do you want? You're not the kind of guy who would choose me, are you?”
“Don't you see me as a man who wants a pure marriage with the woman he loves?”
“Not at all.”
“That's right. It's a very different kind of marriage than the one you want, a one-size-fits-all kind of marriage.”
I have a future to achieve. And I need someone like her to make it happen.
“What do you mean?”
“I have a new puzzle. And I'm going to need your help to solve it.”
“Explain it to me in a way I can understand.”
“A child. A child of my own flesh and blood. It will be an important move in my rise to power.”
Mika was taken aback, but soon realized what I meant.
“You mean… You want me to have a baby?”
“Yes. Of course, I'll pay you enough money to make it worth your while.”
“Wait a minute. Why me? There are plenty of women willing to have a baby if you're willing to pay for it.”
“That’s true if it's just about the money, but you're convenient in so many ways. You have some contacts in the business world and you're a good liar. The important aspect is the ability to fool people. If people find out that an unknown woman gave birth to my child, it won't matter. You also need to play the good wife.”
“I get it… But for how long? How long are you going to make me play the role of a good wife for?”
“Don't worry. I'll announce the pregnancy and hold the ceremony when the time is right. I'll let you go as soon as we have the baby.”
She understood, but she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around the situation.
“There's one more reason why I chose you. Your origins are clearly inferior to society’s values in general. Your mother’s an uneducated woman in the mizu-shoubai[10]. So is your sister. It’s a family that’s been repeatedly married and divorced and lives a life of no value.”
(TL Note : mizu-shoubai : it refers to those who work in businesses that serve alcohol or sex work)[10]
“Wow, isn't that a little rude…? It's true, though.”
A superior child from a superior mother is just a diamond in the rough.
“It's my job to polish a plain stone on the side of the road so that it shines like a gemstone. I’ll refine it so that a mere stone will be valued more than a diamond.”
“So that's why...”
“As I said before, it's never a good idea to fool everyone around you. It's easy to get an incompetent woman to be a surrogate, but it's hard to hide the whiff of artifice. You can't fool the business people; those who have a keen sense of smell.”
You have to go through the proper channels to get your precious child on the show.
In this respect, Mika would be a natural choice for many people who’re aware of my connection with the project.
“You can choose any method you want. Ideally, you should be able to have a baby within a year to a year and a half.”
By placing my child in the White Room, I’m further demonstrating the existence of the White Room.
This is truly a revolutionary plan.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login