The growth figures Akane had quoted were enough to crack even the stoic facade of Ichinose Hirotaka.
As the head of Centree, Hirotaka was accustomed to watching the digital landscape shift, but he hadn't fully appreciated the sheer velocity of the ACG movement. His board had been studying the other internet giants, including the steady rise of Manga World and the burgeoning engagement on niche forums, and the conclusion was inescapable: the purchasing power of the new generation was finally coming of age.
The fans who had grown up on a diet of anime and games in the late nineties and early two-thousands were now working professionals with disposable income. They were no longer just a demographic; they were an economy.
To Hirotaka, any untapped market was a gold mine waiting for the first pickaxe. If he waited for a third party to consolidate this space, he'd be forced into a costly acquisition or a hostile takeover later. If his daughter wanted to go out and stake a claim now, it was a logical, if risky, strategic play.
He looked at Akane, who was watching him with a confident, effortless poise. "Fine," he said, his voice regaining its corporate weight. "I'll have the market research team run a formal feasibility study when I get back to the office. If the data holds up, we'll talk numbers."
Akane beamed, her eyes sparkling with a mix of triumph and ambition. "I'll leave it in your capable hands then, President Ichinose."
Hirotaka managed a weary, affectionate smile. "Enough business. Let's eat."
"Gladly."
---
Meanwhile, back in the heart of the Metropolis.
In a district where the skyscrapers scraped the clouds and the villas were hidden behind layers of high-end security and manicured stone walls, Hayashi Hideo finally stepped through his front door.
A servant stepped forward immediately to take his briefcase and heavy overcoat. Hideo let out a long, shuddering breath as the weight of the week's bureaucratic struggles finally began to lift. He'd been buried in meetings for days, and the quiet of his own home was the first real luxury he'd enjoyed in a month.
"Sir, the Young Master returned for the break," the housekeeper said quietly. "He mentioned he had something urgent to discuss with you."
Hideo's brow furrowed. "Urgent? He didn't get into any trouble at university, did he?"
His expression darkened momentarily, but then he caught himself. The memory of the tragedy that had struck his brother's family two years ago surfaced, and his anger was instantly replaced by a dull, aching exhaustion. He leaned back against the wall for a second, his eyes closing.
"Forget it," he muttered. "As long as it's nothing illegal, I can't find it in me to be angry."
He'd made a conscious decision after the accident. He wouldn't push Yuto the way his brother, Hayashi Gakuto, had pushed his own sons. Gakuto and his wife had been the architects of a high-pressure academic hothouse, producing two sons who were heralded as the brightest lights of their generation.
The eldest, Hayashi Kento, had been a legend. He'd entered Seika University at sixteen and was an internet-wide sensation by twenty-three, holding dual doctorates in Applied Physics and Computer Science. He was the kind of genius that national newspapers wrote about.
Hideo had been desperately envious back then, looking at his own son who struggled just to maintain a decent standing at the Metropolitan Institute of Technology.
But then, the pressure had reached its terminal point. A human tragedy of such magnitude that it had wiped out three members of a four-person family in a single night of domestic horror. Kento had survived, but he had vanished into the rain before the sirens even arrived.
Hideo had learned his lesson. Talent was a gift, but it was also a burden that could break a man. He just wanted Yuto to be whole.
"Send him in," Hideo said, moving to the sofa in the expansive living room.
Yuto entered a few minutes later, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Dad."
"Sit down," Hideo said, his tone unusually soft. "You aren't in trouble, are you?"
"No," Yuto said, taking a seat opposite him. "Actually... I think I found Kento."
The name hit Hideo like a physical blow. He sat bolt upright, his eyes wide. "What?! You mean Kento is alive? You've seen him?"
Kento had been missing for over two years. As his only surviving uncle, Hideo had spent a fortune trying to track him down, driven by both guilt and a desperate need to honor his late brother's memory.
"I think so," Yuto said, his voice wavering with uncertainty. "I mean, he looks exactly like him. But... he's like a different person. Completely reversed."
"He's changed?"
"His hair is long and messy. He's always smiling, looking like he doesn't have a care in the world. He's... irreverent. Lazy. He looks nothing like the Kento I remember. But Dad, I saw his ID. The photo on the card is definitely Kento. Every bone in his face is identical."
Hideo leaned back, his mind racing. "He changed his name? What does he go by now?"
"Hayashi Aoyama."
"Aoyama..." Hideo's voice was a whisper. "He probably changed it to bury the past. After what happened... I can't blame him for wanting to become someone else."
Yuto nodded solemnly. "I think so too. No one would want to remember that night."
"Where is he now?" Hideo asked, his voice urgent. "As long as there's breath in my body, I have to look after him. He's family. I promised your uncle I'd watch over his boys."
"I... I didn't get his address," Yuto admitted, looking down in shame. "But he's close with a girl I know. Very close. I don't have her number, but I can get it from her roommates. I'll find out where he's staying."
Hideo's eyes narrowed. "Do it. Immediately. I want to know where my nephew is."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]