"There's no way I can get through all of this today..."
Last night, Wakamo transferred her land deeds to me, and the sheer amount of property is spread across all of Kivotos. It seems getting permission from the heads of each academy will take some time.
Of course, there's something more urgent than that.
'The General Student Council. I didn't think I'd be going back this soon.'
There are three main reasons for my immediate visit.
One is to transfer the ownership of the land deeds Wakamo gave me. Given the amount of land, I decided to follow Sarin's advice that it would be best to go through the General Student Council.
Another is to apply for a patent for the new bullets Sarin developed. I have 23 patent pass tickets left after applying for seven types of firearms last time. Since there are seven new types of bullets this time, that should be enough.
The last, and most important reason, is the Chief of Defense. From what I can see, there seems to be some kind of connection between Kaiser and the Chief of Defense.
When the contract eventually ends, any disputes with Kaiser will have to be coordinated with the General Student Council. Having a Kaiser-affiliated person within the GSC is definitely not good news.
"I'm heading out for those reasons. Keep a good eye on the farm for me."
Arin of Internal Affairs, Sarin of Practical Affairs, and Wakamo of Security. After leaving the work to the three directors who can act in my stead, I boarded the train heading to the General Student Council.
This time, there won't be any shaking incidents like before. Probably.
"It's been a while, Takanashi-kun."
"Just call me Kosei. I hate that last name."
Meeting the General Student Council President wasn't difficult. Thanks to the commotion I caused last time, the receptionist contacted her for me as soon as I arrived.
We weren't the type to need icebreakers, so I got straight to the point.
"Here. Transfer these into my name."
"Oh my, what are all these land deeds?"
"They're Wakamo's. I figured it would be better if they were in my name for future factory expansions."
"Are you sure Kosaka-san really gave them to you? You didn't happen to take them by force, did you...?"
"You think? How long will it take?"
"Hand them over. I'll process them while I listen to your other requests."
The GSC President took the land deeds I handed her and began to fill out some paperwork. Since she said it was fine, I moved on to the next matter.
"I'm here to file a patent. Item type: bullets. Quantity: seven."
"Firearms I can understand, but you're filing a patent for bullets?"
"You can take a look later and see if they're just 'bullets'."
The bullets Sarin and Utaha developed this time. Types Red, Yellow, Pale, and Purple. Each type, when loaded into a specific gun, produces a different effect due to the internal gunpowder ratio, even though the bullets themselves are similar.
The effect is said to be enhanced when someone who can use a Mystic imbues them with it. In short, we're talking about a bullet that allows an assault rifle to pierce through a tank.
I was the one who taught them about the concept of Mystics, yet they keep creating technology that even I can't comprehend.
"That leaves you with 16 remaining uses of your patent no-inspection permit."
"Just call them pass tickets. Anyway, can you give me more of those later? I need them more than I thought."
"Have you ever considered just getting your patents through the official procedure?"
"Even Millennium takes about three months that way. Kaiser would have stolen all our technology before then."
"That is a valid point. If you listen to my requests well in the future, I might give you some more."
Requests? Ah. The ones she mentioned before.
Successfully gaining independence from Kaiser, helping with one treaty, and helping one person who will come in the future. Good timing. My last piece of business is related to those requests.
"You know your Chief of Defense."
"You mean Shiranui Kaya-san?"
"She's colluding with Kaiser."
"Oh my..."
Judging by her reaction, it seems she already had a faint suspicion. Well, it's not like she can just arrest her without cause, nor can she arbitrarily replace a chief.
"That's all fine, but don't give that Chief too much authority. It could really screw me over."
"Don't you worry~ I do think things through, you know?"
"Yeah, right."
I can understand the hardship of managing all of Kivotos by herself. In fact, her meeting me like this alone and everything she's done for me so far is beyond special treatment; it's borderline favoritism.
Even when rescuing my employees this time, I was able to resolve it without incident thanks to the immunity ticket she gave me before.
But I still needed a countermeasure. As I was pondering this, the GSC President's smartphone rang. After a glance at her phone, she smiled as if something amusing had just happened.
"Oh my. Could this be fate?"
"What. What is it. Why are you making me nervous?"
"I just received a text from Kaya-san. She says she wants to add 'The Farm' to Valkyrie's list of official partners."
?
What the hell is she talking about.
"So, she wants the Valkyrie kids to use our weapons? Why?"
"How should I know? Perhaps she took a liking to them~"
"But I was just complaining about her a second ago?"
"In any case. Take this, and since you're already here, we might as well sign the agreement."
As if it were no big deal, the GSC President handed me the real estate certificates with the ownership now changed to my name. Seeing my troubled expression, she let out a small smile and spoke.
"Is there any reason not to? Becoming a partner with Valkyrie will increase your sales and serve as good publicity. What's more, you can use this as a pretext to meet with the Chief of Defense."
I know it's not a bad opportunity. I'm just anxious about what the other side is thinking with this proposal.
If someone you just met today handed you a gold bar as a gift, you'd be suspicious too, wouldn't you?
"Then I'll meet with her formally later to sign the contract."
"Very well. Shall I arrange a meeting for you regarding the contract?"
"You must have a lot of time on your hands, huh? To do that for me."
"I have time for things like this. When would you like it to be?"
"Six months from now. I think I'll be busy for a while."
"Then we'll see you six months from now, on July 9th, at the General Student Council's Defense Office."
"Okay. Thanks for your hard work today."
With that, I turned to leave. I felt like I wouldn't be at ease until I saw the Chief of Defense's face for myself.
"Of course."
As I walked towards the elevator, I heard her say something from behind me. It was quiet, and I figured if it were important, she would have said it clearly, so I just got on.
I quietly pressed the button for the first floor and looked at the GSC President, who was waving. Yeah, thanks.
I waved back until the elevator doors closed.
By the way, what did she say at the end?
"—get yourself killed."
Well. It was probably nothing.
The closest academy to the General Student Council is Millennium. Since I've already built a farm there, I decided to visit the next closest one, Trinity.
My first impression of Trinity was.
"Whoa, shit."
It was the very picture of what a major academy should be.
Of course, I'd been here once before with my directors, but the situation was so chaotic I didn't have the mental space to look around properly. And while Millennium is also a large academy, it's so modern it just feels like a city. Trinity is... how should I put it.
"It's magnificent."
It feels like I've come to a museum or something.
This is no time for sightseeing. I have to ride the subway for nine hours today. Let's get this done quickly.
Trinity's student council is the 'Tea Party'. Uniquely, as befits an academy formed from the merger of various factions, it has multiple presidents.
Currently, there are three. They are said to be from the Filias, Pater, and Sanctus factions.
According to the GSC President, it would be impossible for a bottom-feeder like me to meet the student presidents directly in an academy of tradition and grace, so she told me to meet with the candidates for the next presidency instead.
"From what I've seen on the internet, it seems less like an academy of tradition and grace and more like one of schemes and betrayal."
Ninety percent of their news is like political drama. Even if Chronos only reports the sensational stuff, it's still extreme.
And the other ten percent is about desserts.
After walking for a while, I arrived at the Tea Party's clubroom. It was exceptionally luxurious even among the buildings I had seen in Trinity, making it clear that these guys have a lot of money.
I probably won't be able to squeeze anything out of them like I did with Millennium.
"Halt. What is your business?"
"I'm the president of the arms factory, 'The Farm'. I'm here to greet you as I plan to establish a new factory in this area."
"You're confirmed. Please wait a moment."
The students, who looked like guards, said something into their radios, and a moment later, a voice came through.
"We apologize, but all three student presidents are currently unavailable. Could you please visit another time?"
"...What about the candidates?"
"The Justice Task Force is not permitted to publicly comment on potential candidates for external parties. It would be difficult."
So they can't even reveal who the candidates are? The school rules seem to be as strict as its luxurious atmosphere.
Does this mean my first visit is a bust? That's a shame.
Just as I was about to leave, the guards—no, the members of the Justice Task Force—all bowed their heads in unison. Not to me, but to the person behind me.
"Good day."
"Please don't do that. It's too much. More importantly, who is this person behind me?"
"Ah. He is the president of an arms factory. He stopped by to give his greetings regarding the construction of a new factory."
"It looked like he was about to leave, though."
"The student presidents are all currently unavailable..."
"It's alright. I'll pass on the message."
The girl who had been standing behind me slowly walked in front of me and offered a handshake.
"I'm sure the presidents will approve. A gun that has Millennium so excited? Just hearing about it makes me want to buy one, don't you think?"
"...Your name?"
I didn't accept her handshake, but as if she had expected that, she smiled sweetly and introduced herself.
"Urawa Hanako. Trinity Middle School, 3rd year. And you are?"
"Just the Farm Owner. Age is a secret."
"I see. I will be sure to deliver your message to the presidents, so please don't worry."
"Right. I'm counting on you."
Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Hanako entered the main Tea Party building with the same smile on her face. ...See? I told you this was an academy of schemes.
She must have only heard that I was the president of an arms factory. Yet she immediately concluded it was the one Millennium was so enthusiastic about. She figured it out with just one clue: a factory expanding its influence to Trinity at this particular time.
She's probably my age, but the depth of her thinking feels completely different. I don't know if she's just unique, but it seems you have to be at that level to be respected around here.
"...I should probably keep my distance from Trinity."
That was what I thought before I knew what the GSC President's treaty was about.
After that, I visited several other academies.
Hyakkiyako. This academy is centered on tradition, and their student council is ill-defined, so I just visited both the Onmyobu and the Hyakka Ryouran Conflict Resolution Council. That girl, Ayame of the Hyakka Ryouran, I think? The president told me an interesting story. Was it about the twilight?
Approval granted on the grounds that a free-spirited academy like theirs wouldn't mind one more factory. Separately, I also received their thanks for taking in Wakamo. She must have been quite a headache for them.
Shanhaijing. Contrary to its reputation as being 'all about the Genbu Merchant Guild,' it was a surprisingly vibrant academy. It felt more similar to Hyakkiyako than Trinity. I didn't get to meet the Black Tortoise of the Genryumon, and like at Trinity, the process was handled through reporting.
Approval granted on the grounds that they couldn't fall behind Millennium in terms of technology.
Wildhunt. As befits its name as an art school, it was a visually pleasing place. The paths were well-paved, too. My other impression was... the students' outfits were unique. I even saw a girl wearing a witch's hat.
Approval granted on the grounds that the name 'The Farm' was avant-garde.
Lastly, Gehenna. Fucking psychos. I was attacked five times on my way there. The student president was also a lunatic, saying she'd give her permission if I released a 'Makoto Special Edition', so I had to work hard to persuade her. It was late, so I went to a diner for dinner, and the diner exploded. Not that it mattered, since it was the kind of place that served steak tartare and called it 'medium-rare'.
Approval granted after I persuaded her that this would help weaken the Prefect Team.
"Done..."
With that, I've completed the tour of the adjacent academies for now.
Now I have to build factories here, set up retail stores nearby, hire employees, buy more trucks to transport inventory, create a system, and also...
"There's a ridiculous amount of work to do."
It's going to cost a ton of money and take a huge amount of time. But what can you do? I'm starting from scratch; of course it's going to be hard.
First, I should probably go back to the farm and beg the kids to work overtime. I'm counting on you guys.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register