Chapter 61 – The Kings of America

“Hey Tokita, I heard from Katsujirou-kun that ‘more people are starting to take an interest in the Ootori family’—is that true?”

Recently, Tokita has been getting a lot more outside work, and not so much acting as my butler.
But today, he happened to be helping out in one of my other rooms in the estate, so I took the opportunity to ask him during a break.

The only other person in the room is my maid, Shizu.

This is my secondary room; the other one is my original room, which is purely a bedroom. This one is originally meant to be a playroom, but it’s gradually transformed into more of a workspace.

This room has a lock, and the only people allowed in are me and Shizu—aside from Great-Grandfather, Grandfather, Ryuya-oniisama, and Tokita.
No other servants or even the children of the Ootori household are permitted to enter.

That’s because only those who know I’m the “Dreaming Priestess” are allowed in—it’s a kind of temporal distortion, in a way.

In this room, although it’s fairly organized, there are a lot of things I’ve jotted down whenever I found the time.
They’re all “scenes or information I saw in a dream,” but to me, it’s simply a matter of outputting the “knowledge from my previous life.”

Moreover, since the flow of history has already changed, this is not some kind of “prophecy book.”
It’s more like a kind of “future prediction.” 

To add, the information sleeping in my mind about historical events is still far greater.

A few people who have a master key to this room enter it and obtain necessary information even when I’m not around.

Tokita does this occasionally too, but today he is acting as my butler.

Tokita stops what he’s doing to answer my question.

“That is correct. There is no doubt that the number has increased. However, since the Ootori family has grown too large, it is only natural that people are wary.”

“That’s probably true, but what I’m really concerned about is the Ootori family—especially the main Ootori estate. Who’s interested? Or rather, which groups have set their sights on it, and which ones might be dangerous?”

After I ask that, Tokita fixes his gaze on me.

It’s clear he’s considering what he should tell me.
So I press a little more.

“I know I’m protected by you and Great-Grandfather and the others. But there’s always a chance I might slip up if there’s an unexpected visit or encounter. I want to know as a precaution. After all, I accidentally met Chiang Kai-shek once.”

When I say that much, Tokita bows respectfully.

He has accepted my words.

“Mitsubishi-sama is aware to some extent. There are marital ties with the Ootori family, and they’ve had a long-standing relationship with us. However, I don’t believe they pose any threat—at least, not at this point in time.”

“Right. I want to believe in Katsujirou-kun too.”

“Yes. However, when it comes to the other zaibatsu…”

“We have to treat most of them as enemies. Or perhaps hyenas and vultures?”

“That assessment would be accurate. Please consider some politicians and certain military personnel in the same category.”

I let out a deliberate sigh at those words.

“We’ve become wealthy, haven’t we? But Great-Grandfather and Father are handling things well on that front, aren’t they?”

“Yes. As long as we don’t let our guard down, there shouldn’t be any domestic issues.”

“Which means…the real problem is America. Once we sell off our stocks, we’ll go on a big shopping spree, so I’d like to stay on good terms with them.”

I say that with a slightly mischievous smile, and Tokita smiles back.

“Indeed. We’ve already been spreading rumors on that front, so I believe things will go smoothly to some degree.”

“As expected of you, Tokita. Once that country hits rock bottom, we’ll swoop in and buy everything up at bargain prices.”

“Yes, I look forward to it.”

Our smiles deepen. This is the very picture of a villainous noble daughter and her loyal confidant.

But soon after, we return to serious expressions.

“And who should we be most cautious of?”

“That would be Morgan-sama(J. P. Morgan), without a doubt.”

Here it is—the King of America.
The King of Finance.

Of course, there are other financial giants, and Morgan itself is a massive conglomerate, but when it comes to the King of Finance, it has to be them.

Besides, the Ootori family is also connected to Rockefeller through the oil fields, and to DuPont recently due to Dr. Kouryuu’s new pharmaceuticals.
We want to build a large steel plant too, so we’d like to be on good terms with Carnegie.
Ford, whom Uncle Tora Saburou once studied under, is also involved in knockdown production, so we can’t treat him lightly either.

We’ve grown somewhat distant from Mellon, one of the big three American conglomerates of this era, but we can’t completely avoid dealings with them either.

In other words, that’s how it is.

“Morgan for sure, but we’ll need to be cautious in dealing with all of America’s giant conglomerates. Still, the fact that they’ve started paying attention to us means they’re finally recognizing us as worth engaging with, right?”

“Indeed. Until now, we were beneath notice—less than a minor player from the East—but during the last visit to the U.S., their treatment of us is completely different. Some even came to pitch themselves to us.”

He narrows his eyes slightly as he says this.
It must have been tough—especially before the investments began and in the early stages.

But that’s only natural. 

After all, right now the Phoenix Fund manages a solid 3 to 5 percent of the American Dow Index.
And the original source of that money is the gold bullion in the Ootori family’s Swiss account.

The fact that we aren’t an American company or American nationals might pose certain psychological barriers, but we’ve established a company over there and are operating through it.
Money is money, the employer is the employer—and above all, a success story is a success story.

That’s one of America’s better traits.

Especially in the prewar period, that “good old American” mindset is still very much alive.
A successful person is treated like a sort of “King of Something,” seen as a representative of the people.

And now, not the Ootori family, but the Phoenix brand is starting to be nicknamed the “King of Investors.”

Of course, there’s the immense wall of racial discrimination typical of this era.

That’s where relationships with America’s great conglomerates become crucial.

Because many of America’s biggest financial groups were founded by Jews or people of Jewish heritage.
Moreover, Jewish people are heavily represented among business leaders, investors, economists—also in the legal profession, and in the media. 

Even in the film industry, it’s the same.

And the Jewish people, while being a wandering people with a long history of being excluded by white society, also tend to interact on equal footing with non-whites.
By doing so, they gain access to information and wealth that white people cannot obtain.

Even in the 21st century, it’s apparently common to go on a study abroad program in some rural town in America and assume your host family is white, only to find out they’re Jewish.
That in itself shows that even in the 21st century, there are still unresolved issues—but on the other hand, the Jewish people possess a certain kind of tolerance.

No, rather, I think it’s more accurate to say that because they’ve been discriminated against, they don’t discriminate within the lines they themselves are willing to cross.

Yes, they are merchants.
In that sense, they can be said to be of the same type as the Ootori.

“When should I next go to America, then?”

While I had been lost in thought, Tokita had switched into business mode—or rather, vassal mode.
He is looking at me seriously.

So I faced him head-on and straightened my posture.

“This year’s fine as is. The real action starts next year, after the big spike.”

“Big… spike, milady?”

Ah, I had unintentionally used 21st-century slang.

I let it pass with a small, wry smile.

“Yes, a bakuhatsu-teki na joushou—an explosive rise. You remember the line graph, right? So far, there’s no sign that it’s going to change, so we’ll keep going as planned. All we need to do is give the people over there detailed buy and sell instructions. And starting around this year, let’s start spreading rumors in earnest.”

“Yes. That the Ootori are going to cash out their stock profits and go on a major shopping spree.”

“Exactly. If that’s the case, America won’t complain about our massive gains.”

“Yes. They might even come begging with clasped hands.”

“I’d really love to see that. That’s why I’m going to the U.S. before the decisive moment.”

At those words, both Tokita and Shizu stare at me.
Their expressions read, “Wait, seriously?” Shizu had been about to pour more tea, but froze mid-pour.

So I continued speaking.
My face may have taken on a slightly mischievous look, but I didn’t let it bother me.

“If I don’t witness this moment in history, then what’s the point? It’s the biggest reason I was born. And if I make it through that point, everything afterward is just a victory lap. If I don’t go, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

I finish my words and meet Tokita’s gaze with as much force and determination as I can muster.

Several seconds—or maybe dozens—pass.
Though it’s not hot at all, sweat repeatedly rolls down from my forehead.

Then Tokita lets out a small sigh.

“It seems you’re not going to budge on the matter of going to America. Very well. However, my lady, please handle the task of persuading the master and the retired head yourself. I will devote my full efforts to preparations over there.”

“Of course. I’ll be going with you too.”

Shizu, who had come to refill the tea, speaks unusually firmly and even meets my gaze as she says this.

(Well, I wonder about that.)

I thought that to myself a little.
I already had a travel plan I’d been considering for some time.

Noticing the look on my face, Shizu furrows her brows.

“Um, it goes without saying that I want you with me, Shizu. I can’t do anything alone. But… hold on a second. It’s not confirmed yet, but I have an idea about how we’re getting to America.”

“An idea? Not by ship, but by airplane? That does sound like something you’d do, but isn’t it dangerous?”

“Close! But since it’s not decided yet, let’s talk about it when the time comes.”

“As you wish.”

To my childish and utterly unconvincing explanation—with hand gestures and all—Shizu responds with a courteous bow.

Tokita had a look on his face that said he’d noticed something, but he didn’t say it aloud.
Still, since I’ll need him to pull a lot of strings, I’ll have to talk to him properly later.

As for Shizu, keeping it a secret from her will make it more fun for me.

“I’m counting on you. And—look forward to it.”

――――――――――――――――――
The Kings of America

In America, successful people were called “some kind of king.”
In this era, that would include things like “Finance King,” “Oil King,” “Steel King,” and “Automobile King.”

These were almost all also the names of giant conglomerates:

• The Rockefeller conglomerate
• The Morgan conglomerate
• The Mellon conglomerate
• The Du Pont conglomerate
• The Carnegie conglomerate

These are often referred to as the “Big Five Conglomerates,” though of course, there are many more.
Needless to say, they were vastly larger in scale than Japan’s zaibatsu of the time.

And even in the 21st century, they are still the true rulers of America.
The celebrities in the public eye and companies that ballooned in value just from stocks are only the tip of the iceberg above the surface.

Even Bill Gates of Microsoft is reportedly treated like a curiosity in American high society.
(Supposedly because he absolutely insists on wearing jeans all the time.)