Chapter 135 – Family Meeting After Returning to Japan (2)

As I was lost in thought while looking at the people in front of me, my grandfather, the head of the family, lightly cleared his throat.

“As you’ve all heard, to the American economy that’s fallen into the abyss, Ootori, who managed to pull out ahead, is an object of envy and resentment. At the same time, they’ll be desperate to tear away the money Ootori holds.
Because of that, for the time being, they’ll no doubt put on a friendly face toward us. That’s exactly why I’m saying not to stick your hands into that wallet. Well, since all of you only attempted it, I won’t say much more. Just be careful from now on. Now then, Reiko, how do you plan to use the funds?”

“Yes. Of the 1.6 billion dollars in cash I left over there, I’ll use eighty percent of it, keep the remaining twenty percent, and in a few years, I’ll reinvest that part in stocks.”

“The remaining twenty percent is like insurance, then?”

“Yes. But if I invest when the market’s hit rock bottom, it’ll earn profit again, and since those are dollar-based stocks, if we ever need money, we can use them as collateral to borrow funds in Japan.”

“You’ve also brought back quite a lot of gold to Japan, haven’t you?”

“Yes. That will be distributed as needed throughout the Ootori Group and used for domestic purchases. As for the portion converted into gold, it’ll be our trump card, something to use only at a truly critical moment.”

“Tokita?”

“Yes,” replied Tokita, standing up before beginning to speak fluently, like water flowing off a board.

“Of the gold bars, one hundred million dollars’ worth has been left in America, fifty million moved to Switzerland, and another fifty million transferred to Japan.
The two hundred million dollars in cash has already been brought into Japan and deposited within the Ootori Group and Ootori Holdings. 

Furthermore, much of it has already been converted into yen. As a result, our capital ratio is now higher than ever before.”

“And the one hundred million dollars you brought back before that?”

Following Tokita’s words, my grandfather continued by directing the next question to me.
When those two start speaking in turn like this, it sometimes flows too smoothly, making me feel pressured to respond quickly. 

Truly capable people can be troublesome in their own way.

“That’s separate. Besides, we already used most of it, didn’t we?”

Here, I decided to drop my formal tone.
After all, it was just family here, no need to keep up appearances.

“Indeed. Thanks to that, Ootori managed to regain its strength.”

“More than that, we even swallowed up Suzuki, didn’t we? Oh, and about the funds we brought back this time, make sure to take over the remaining loans that the Bank of Taiwan extended to Suzuki.”

“That will consume more than half of it.”

“That’s fine. I’d rather keep our hands clean.”

It was Tokita, not Grandfather, who replied.
I had addressed him directly — and showing that interaction, too, was likely part of the intended seating arrangement and table placement for this meeting.

“Understood. Then what about the immediate profits from the sale of the Texas oil rights?”

“That money will be remitted to Japan, right?”

“Yes. Part of it has already been transferred.”

“As expected of Mr. Rockefeller. Distribute those funds fairly among all employees of the entire group. Day laborers can be paid later depending on the amount transferred, but give some to the apprentices too. Call it whatever ledger item you like. Oh, and set aside a portion as a donation to the state. Also allocate funds for charitable works, donations to organizations, and additions to scholarship funds. I’d like some for cultural projects as well.”

“Understood. But are you sure that’s all right?”

“It’s a gift from heaven. It would be sinful to hoard it.”

Tokita bowed respectfully at my words.
Watching that exchange, Grandfather spoke up again.

“Give me some pocket money too. Soldiers don’t make much. So, what about eighty percent of the American funds?”

“Seventy percent already has its uses roughly decided. But the remaining ten percent hasn’t been allocated yet, so feel free to decide freely for the whole Ootori Group. Great-uncle Zenkichi, be sure to allocate enough to the Kou side as well.”

“Of course, I understand. But is it right to decide this so easily? It’s like moving an amount equal to twice the national budget. I’m too scared to do that.”

“It’s easy-come, easy-go money. It only has meaning as money when it’s spent. Besides, once the way it’s used is decided, it’s no longer money—it’s just a thing.”

“True enough,” said Great-Uncle Zenkichi, forcing a wry smile as if he couldn’t help agreeing.

Great-Uncle Zenkichi only acts timid within the family, but in truth, he sees a lot and is dependable precisely because he’s cautious.
I also believe he’s someone who can read the “winds of change.” 

So long as I hold the money and the initiative—and don’t mistake the direction we should head—he’ll remain an ally.

However, Great-Uncle Zenkichi also tends to think of himself less as a member of the family and more as a representative of the Ootori Group.
So if I were ever to waste money recklessly, squander it, or gamble dangerously, he’d probably bare his fangs—to protect the group and its employees.

“So then, what about the Kou side? Anything to report?”

As I was lost in thought again, Grandfather turned his gaze toward the other table.

In response, Kouichi and Shoujirou exchanged glances, but the one who opened her mouth, ignoring them both, was Mizuho.

“Thanks to the revelation from Kouryuu’s dream, we’ve been making a profit. Our reputation is skyrocketing, and people and students are flocking to us. Well, if I had to be greedy, I’d say we could use an increase in the research budget for the new laboratory, and I’d also like a new, larger hospital. Oh, and didn’t the university want the latest equipment too?”

At Mizuho’s bold, strong-willed words, the two older men simply nodded repeatedly.
And what she was asking for happened to align perfectly with my own intentions.

“I want to continue expanding and strengthening the pharmaceutical business, and since the university’s reputation has improved, we should enlarge its scale—maybe even build a new campus. As for the hospital, I agree it should be expanded, but what about staffing?”

“We can recruit as many people as we want right now. All thanks to Kouryuu-sama.”

The “sama” in question looked slightly displeased, but Mizuho-san seemed to be in high spirits.
Maybe she was just putting on an act—but as long as she’s facing the same direction as I am, I don’t mind.

“Alright then, write down the amount you need and send it to accounting for review.”

“May I have a word?”

The one who spoke just as I finished was Great-Aunt Yoshiko.

She usually only scolds or provokes Great-Uncle Zenkichi, so I turned my gaze toward her, wondering what she was up to.
What I saw, however, was a surprisingly calm look.

“So, the 320 million dollars you’re leaving in America and the 200 million dollars’ worth of gold you’ve distributed among various parties belong to the Ootori heir, while the 200 million in cash is money that the Ootori Group and Ootori Holdings are free to use—is that correct?”

“Yes. I deposited it in Ootori’s bank for the purpose of being used. Aside from the portions already allocated, the Ootori Group can use it freely for business.”

“So, that means not a single sen will go to the Ootori family or the Ootori Count’s household, correct?”

I nodded once. But I didn’t intend to end it there.

I couldn’t quite grasp Great-Aunt Yoshiko’s real intent, but recalling the game’s background settings, I decided to loosen the reins a little.

Yes—many of the women in the Ootori family have a tendency toward extravagance.
The original owner of this body was one of them, and if I remember right, there was an aunt who, after returning home a few years ago, ended up practically under house arrest, she too was known for her wasteful spending.

So, even as I spoke, I decided to loosen the reins a bit more. 

Personally, I was being very lenient.

“That’s right. However, a portion of the profits from the Texas oil fields will go to the Ootori family. How about a total of 100,000 yen?”

“Just 100,000 yen?! Even though you earned over four billion?!”

Great-Aunt Yoshiko suddenly jumped up from her chair and screamed.
Judging from her tone and expression, it was truly a cry from the depths of her soul.

(I probably shouldn’t have mentioned the amount… but seriously, calling three hundred million in 21st-century value ‘just’—what kind of sense of money is that?)

For a moment, I almost snapped.
My eyes were probably glaring right now. 

But after taking a deep breath internally, I finally opened my mouth.

“Even if it’s just 100,000 yen, it’s money that I personally discovered, you know? And as for the money used for social gatherings and such, I’ll prepare that separately. That amount will probably be even larger.
Besides, Ootori is already resented by many other groups, and now with this American stock market windfall uproar, the entire family is being looked at in a bad light. And yet, you still want to flaunt luxury? Don’t blame me if you end up getting stabbed by a robber, alright?”

“…!!”

Just as Great-Aunt Yoshiko’s face changed color several times and she was about to explode in anger at my blatant provocation, a loud, hearty laugh echoed from the other table, a woman’s voice.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! I heard you were an interesting girl, but I didn’t expect this much! I like you! The Kou family fully supports Reiko — no, Lady Reiko! Isn’t that right, Kouichi, Shoujirou?”

At the same table, the two men she called nodded their heads vigorously. 

I’d seen it earlier too, a clear display of the power dynamics within the Kou family.

It seems that beyond gender differences, the sheer difference in personal caliber defines their relationships.
I thought that, being the head of a pharmaceutical company, she might have a personality similar to Torasaburou’s, but she turned out to be an even greater woman of strength than I imagined.

At Mizuho-san’s words, Great-Aunt Yoshiko was left gaping, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

Then that formidable woman stood up and strode, just a few firm steps, toward our table.
True to the Ootori bloodline, she was tall even for a woman, and despite being around sixty, her legs and back were still strong. 

Her gait and presence made it hard to believe she was nearing old age.

That same woman planted herself squarely in front of me, standing tall, and held out her right hand.

It was a commanding gesture that left no room for refusal, so I extended my own hand, and she gripped it tightly.

She had quite the grip for someone shaking hands with a child.

“Ow! That hurts, Great-Aunt Mizuho!”

“Oh, whoops, sorry! Seeing you up close, you really are something for a kid. The ‘Dreaming Miko’ title isn’t just for show, huh?”

“Ouch, ouch. I’m just an ordinary child, really. Though, I sometimes wish I were an adult.”

When I said that, she burst out laughing again, so loudly I could almost see down her throat from where I sat.
I honestly had no idea what exactly she found so amusing.

“Well, whatever it is. The Kou family’s been treated better than we have in ages ever since Kouryuu started listening to you. And now you’re even offering to increase our funds, so I’ve got no complaints. If I had to ask for more, I’d just want some knowledge for making more profitable medicine.”

“I’ve already run out of ideas. But a few years from now, Kouryuu-sensei should be winning the Nobel Prize, so you’ll just have to be satisfied with that.”

“This Kouryuu winning a Nobel Prize, huh? I’ll wait without getting my hopes up. Anyway, the Kou family will carry Lady Reiko on our shoulders. That’s the family’s consensus, so our influence should be about the same as one branch of the Sou family.”

“More than that. Shall we continue the discussion?”

Picking up on the latter half of Mizuho-san’s words, my grandfather responded.
It was true, though; the one who suddenly burst out laughing and interrupted the flow of conversation had been the formidable woman right in front of me.

After waiting for her to calmly return to her seat, my grandfather gave a deliberately small cough before continuing the discussion.
Maybe he wasn’t very good at keeping a meeting on track, despite being such a cunning old fox.

(Is this meeting going to drag on? I’m getting a little sleepy.)

Now that I had gained more allies, I started to relax a bit.
That was probably the influence of both my past self’s mind and this still-childish body.

From a quick glance around, though, the adults still looked full of energy.