6.3
The first thing rich people did was dress up in their finest clothes and compete on their outside appearance.
Then they moved on to the competition to display their houses, cars, and companies.
But then they ended up in unexpected places.
Usually, only adults attended these parties, and children were rarely seen.
However, when it came to the business world’s top echelon, the opposite was true and the number of children attendees immediately increased.
This was because the children were expected to meet each other in the future.
Companies that cooperated with each other. Companies that were rivals.
It wasn’t always bad to have their successors face-to-face in advance, regardless of their positions.
Above all, the more highly the parents thought of their children, the more often they brought them in.
The parents there would play their unique cards as if they were showing off their prized toys.
That was why the White Room had been accepted by the business world.
“Huh...”
Ironic, isn't it? I learned all of this from Naoe.
He may be a detested enemy now, but his power was undeniably top-notch and genuine.
The party had just begun. First of all, I greeted everyone while I showed my face to the whole floor.
“It's been a long time, Ayanokouji-sensei.”
A man with a flashy hair color, unbefitting his middle-aged face approached me with a cheerful attitude.
I quickly switched to my business face, turned around, and offered him my right hand.
“It's been a while, President Amasawa. I sent you an invitation, but I was afraid you might not come.”
“I'm sorry I couldn't make it last year. My child really wanted to spend her birthday in Hawaii. I've been so busy with work that I just couldn't find the time. So we ended up buying a house in Hawaii and have been there ever since.”
“I'm glad to hear that your work and personal life are going well.”
He should be a little older than me, but in an unpleasant manner, I didn’t feel that way.
He was dressed in a brand favored by young people and wore sandals that didn’t suit the occasion.
With that kind of attire, which couldn't even be considered within the dress code, it was no wonder that he'd be turned away at the door if he was greeted by a stranger.
He wasn’t normal. He was trying to show that he was a unique and original person.
I didn't like this man's clothes or his way of thinking at all, but I couldn't resent him because he was one of the people who had given a large sum of money to the White Room.
He didn’t attend the party last year, but he was able to offer funding for the White Room.
He was a welcome person and should be treated with care.
“It seems like you’re no longer a politician, however, it doesn’t feel that way to me. You’re an evil politician no matter which way you look at it.”
He smiled pleasantly as he pat my shoulder with the palm of his hand.
“So you'll treat me the same way you treat politicians?”
“Of course I will. I think highly of you, you know.”
As we were having this silly conversation, I was thinking back to what Amasawa had said from the beginning.
This man’s married, but it was obvious that the girlfriend he spent time with in Hawaii isn’t his spouse.
“Excuse me.”
Amasawa, who had been smiling, led me toward the window.
“Actually, I have a favor to ask of you, Ayanokouji-sensei.”
“You’re asking me of something? What's going on?”
“Well, my girlfriend in Hawaii is pregnant. She wants to have the baby in Japan and won't listen to me.”
“Congratulations, but that's a bit of a problem, isn't it?”
“Right? My wife’s also suspicious that I'm cheating on her, and if she finds out that I've been having an affair in secret, there’ll be a lot of trouble.”
If he was going to mess around, he shouldn't have gotten married in the first place, but that was another matter, wasn't it?
“My girlfriend can't possibly raise a child, but she's also afraid I'll cut ties with her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted on having the baby in Japan, being a Hawaii fanatic.”
He shrugged his shoulders in annoyance, but he didn't seem to be in a great hurry.
“I'm thinking of giving the baby an education in the White Room... What do you think?”
“Would you be okay with that?”
“Yes. She wants me to have a baby with her, that's the goal. She has no intention of becoming a mother and raising a child.”
From our view, we welcomed the idea of having more children without taking risks.
However, there were a number of things that needed to be confirmed.
“You’ve already placed your daughter in the White Room.”
“Would it be a problem to add another child?”
“Of course not, if it’s necessary. But is that okay with you?”
“It doesn't matter. She gets to keep the baby, I get to put the kid in the White Room. Everyone is happy.”
To this man, the White Room was just a convenient daycare center or something.
It's a good thing for us, as well. We couldn't wish for anything better.
“You know what this party is about, don't you?”
“Yes, I do. Of course we'll finance it, I’ll make sure of it. Right?”
He raised a finger.
“I'll give you 100 million this year, double what I gave you last year. That's a small price to pay for security.”[15]
(TL Note: The way 100 million is written here is by using the number 1 with the Japanese Kanji 億, hence the “He raised a finger”)[15]
“Thank you. Do you know when the baby is due?”
“Oh, just a minute. I’ll notify you with the details by text.”
I got the hospital and the delivery date from my cell phone and called someone to make the arrangements.
“Well then, I’ll get back to you without delay.”
“Thank you.”
I nodded in satisfaction and accepted two glasses of champagne from a boy walking nearby.
“Here's to hoping for the happiness of my newborn child,” he said.
He tipped his glass, clinked it, and downed the champagne in one gulp.
“By the way, President Amasawa, you know the rules of the White Room. Unless there’s a special reason, it’s basically impossible for you to see the child. You’ll only be able to see them on a regular basis when they’re of age or when they leave the White Room.”
“Yeah, yeah. I've heard that before.”
“Are you sure about that? There’s no exception, even for mothers.”
“Of course. I'm sure she'll understand if you send her pictures regularly.”
I didn’t care how he got the money, but we had our own rules of engagement.
There was one more thing I needed to make sure of.
“President Amasawa… I know it's been a long time since we took custody of your first daughter, but you haven't visited us once to check on her yet. Have you thought about what you’ll do in the future?”
It was relatively rare for a parent who entrusted their child to the White Room to not even visit to check on the child's progress.
Most of them come to check up on their children to see how they are doing.
“In the first place, she’s a baby that was made in a test tube, so I don't even feel like she’s my own child.”
Amasawa said disinterestedly that this was just an extension of his free time.
Various children were placed in the White Room.
Some were test-tube babies like Amasawa's child, others were siblings where one of whom was raised separately, and others were actually tested to see how well they were educated in the White Room.
We had to be aware of their circumstances and feelings, and always try to control them in a way that wouldn’t offend the children.
“So I'll leave it all to you from here.”
“So far, your child has grown to become the second best among the fifth-generation students. As long as she doesn’t drop out, she’ll be of some use to us.”
“Of course. You can do whatever you want with her.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder again in a familiar manner and started humming in his good mood.
Some people who amassed billions upon billions of dollars in assets thought their children’s lives were worthless.
Although there were very few, Amasawa was one of them.
He didn’t believe that his child had any status and was only concerned about himself.
There may be a chance in the future to take another child from Amasawa in this way.
“Well, I'm going home now. I want to enjoy Japan for the first time in a while.”
“I'll see you off.”
I left Amasawa, who was in a good mood, with my men and saw him off right there.
I was in the mood to take a break, but there was no time to rest.
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