Chapter 107 part 1 – Do you want to go to New York?!

On September 20th, we finally arrived in New York.

After seeing Niagara Falls, we headed east and arrived in the old city of Boston, where Kouryuu-sensei had to give numerous lectures.
Or rather, that’s what I’d like to say, but in reality we had to make a pilgrimage, like Shikoku’s eighty-eight temple circuit, through all eight Ivy League schools.

What’s more, aside from those eight, Kouryuu-sensei was also asked to visit other universities, and he readily agreed, so the number of destinations kept increasing. 

Thanks to that, the whole journey ended up taking nearly two weeks.

I worried about Kouryuu-sensei’s health, but although he was mentally exhausted, his body was perfectly sound.
He even grumbled that he almost resented how sturdy he was.

As for us, there was no point in tagging along on a university pilgrimage, so while we could have abandoned Kouryuu-sensei and gone on to New York ahead of him, there was no need to rush. 

Instead, we spent our time leisurely sightseeing in cities like Boston and Philadelphia.

In the meantime, I had someone look into whether I might meet any historical figures, but all those I was interested in had to be given up.

The great inventor Edison was still alive, but I remembered that in his later years he had become deeply absorbed in the occult.
I decided it was better not to meet him—mostly for my own sake—and gave up on the idea.

When it came to famous people, Lindbergh, who had crossed the Atlantic, immediately came to mind.
But when I looked into it, I found out he was newly married, so it wouldn’t be right to intrude—I gave up on that too. 

Besides, he would come to Japan a few years later anyway.

Naturally, all politicians were rejected.
Meeting them now would be troublesome, and to be honest, there were a few among them my heart couldn’t bear facing.

On the other hand, the people who would become my business partners seemed unwilling to make contact until I actually stepped into New York, so I was able to spend my time relatively leisurely.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I did nothing.

There were receptions and parties arranged for Kouryuu-sensei, where I was expected to show my face.
At those events, I mostly played the clown, but occasionally I would whisper a few genuine words to those eccentric enough to want to hear them.

Meanwhile, Tokita and Sebastian spread the word that Ootori had completely pulled out of stocks and was moving into negotiations for a major purchase. 

In some cases, they even went ahead with preliminary meet-and-greet sessions without me.

And so, after such a pilgrimage, we finally arrived at our destination—New York.

“What you’d expect of the world’s greatest city.”

“…Yes, indeed.”

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

“Well, I’ve seen it many times in dreams.”

In response to my remark, Shizu was completely overwhelmed by the scenery and bustle of New York.
Tokita, having been here many times, was used to it, but even he looked a little surprised at me.

Well, any ordinary Japanese person of this era would naturally be astonished standing in the heart of Manhattan, New York.

But to me, it actually felt rather unimpressive.

After all, thanks to my past life memories, I was more than accustomed to great cities. 

I had even visited New York once as a tourist.

Sure, the skyscrapers lined up like walls, and I could spot a few high-rises I vaguely remembered.
Countless cars, not just carriages, ran along the roads. 

It was truly the sight of a metropolis. 

Compared to this, Tokyo of the present day was nothing more than a country town.

Still, there weren’t many buildings I recognized from memory.
I hadn’t exactly kept track of when each building was completed in my previous life, so I had researched it later along with the subsequent era. 

If I had come about five years later, I would have encountered some familiar landmarks.

As of early autumn 1929, the two pointed skyscrapers—the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building—were both under active construction, competing with each other. 

The Rockefeller Center, famous for its Christmas tree, if I remembered correctly, wouldn’t begin construction until after the Great Depression.

By the way, the Ootori Hotel’s Christmas tree was essentially done ahead of its time because I remembered about this.

As for other landmarks, the main Tiffany & Co. store, famous even in movies, wouldn’t open until 1940, so it didn’t even exist yet.
I also went to Times Square, one of the places synonymous with New York, but it looked a little different from the image I had seen in the 21st century. 

It wasn’t just a matter of billboards and neon signs either.

The only things instantly recognizable were the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan Bridge, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Honestly, the fact that both bridges were already there was pretty surprising.

Among all this, one thing I had been looking forward to a little was Broadway musicals.
After all, “Show Boat,” which even I knew of, was being performed at the time.

Of course, I had to consider racial discrimination, but if I threw in enough money to get a box seat, there was no problem. 

Long live being rich.

And since I was wealthy, I wasn’t staying at a hotel.

With plans to stay about three months, including some diversions, I had rented out a villa in the suburbs as my base of operations. 

Naturally, in New York, Ootori Group’s Ootori Trading and Ootori Holdings’ American branch had properties and facilities accordingly.
There was even the idea of borrowing an employee’s entire residence, but that just felt a little too shabby.

That said, renting out an entire floor of a luxury hotel for a long period would be a bit too blatant, and it wouldn’t be looked upon kindly by those around me.

Besides, staying in the middle of the city the whole time felt cramped, so I purchased a villa in the suburbs to use as my residence.
Of course, I had no intention of wasting money—once I returned to Japan, it would be repurposed as a retreat for group employees.

So, after spending a few days in this temporary mansion, there were still no formal invitations or visits from America’s “kings.”
The most I got was a messenger from the Morgans visiting once, telling me that they would be coming to pay their respects eventually.

“I can’t wait any longer. Let’s go to Wall Street.”

“Yes, understood.”

Growing restless in my room, I spoke up, and Shizu bowed politely in response.

Thus, accompanied by attendants and guards, I set foot into the very heart of New York—Wall Street.
From there, I went further into the New York Stock Exchange. 

The place was filled with clamor.

After all, since the peak of September 3rd, the Dow Index had been at the height of its “festival.” 

It was the very situation immortalized in the famous anecdote—often said to have been made up by President Kennedy’s father—where even shoeshine boys were interested in stocks.

However, after September 3rd, the market had been showing a subtle decline.

And then, on September 26th, the Bank of England raised its interest rates, causing funds that had been in America to flow into Britain.
This triggered a sudden, sharp drop. 

For a moment, even I panicked, but with $320 as the bottom, the market turned upward again, and people breathed a sigh of relief, convinced that the “eternity” would continue.

Now the market hovered with small fluctuations, peaking around the $360 range.
The atmosphere was as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the next surge—just before the climax of the festival.

In the midst of all this, the Phoenix Fund, which had completely sold off its stocks, stood out as an ominous presence.