With Curacao's issue temporarily settled, Toru finally had a basic operational team in Japan.
Although he had been the head of the CIA's Japan branch before, the people here only followed his orders on the surface. In reality, they still reported to Director Spencer.
That made many of Toru's actions difficult to carry out. Almost everything he did would be discovered by Spencer.
Now, with Curacao and Rena on board, he had reliable personnel he could use for actual field operations.
Rena was no slouch. Being accepted into the Black Organization and becoming a core operative who frequently carried out missions proved that she was a top-tier agent. As long as she wasn't compared to monsters like Shuichi or Gin, she was absolutely elite.
Curacao was even more exceptional. Her overall ability wasn't far off from Shuichi or Rei. She had her own specialty.
Just like Shuichi excelled at sniping, Curacao specialized in infiltration. With the help of her skin mask advanced technology, her infiltration abilities were no weaker than when she was active in the Organization.
A proper team, of course, couldn't be made up of only field operatives. It also needed a logistics division.
At present, Toru didn't have fully operational support staff, but he was cultivating them.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, as the most successful product of the White Room project, might not rival true geniuses like Haibara in terms of raw scientific research or innovation.
But his thinking was precise, his work meticulous, and he constantly came up with brilliant ideas, making him the perfect person for project organization and logistics.
Arisu's capabilities were slightly lower, but with her strong learning ability, she could become qualified enough to work at the CIA. She was a promising prospect.
"Sure enough, only by stepping out and becoming a regional leader can I build a team truly my own and free myself from Spencer's leash."
If he were still in America, everything he did could be restricted at any moment. Establishing his own power base right under the nose of the world's most fearsome intelligence agency was simply unrealistic.
But now, taking advantage of his relocation to Japan, Toru had laid the groundwork using his foresight and long-term planning.
From here, he would develop steadily, until one day, he could seize complete control over the CIA.
When that time came, he would become one of the most powerful individuals in the world.
...
"Good evening, Mr. Fujiwara."
"Good evening, Sakiko."
Returning to the Western-style house, Sakiko greeted Toru in a maid-style outfit.
Ever since becoming his housekeeper, she came to work here every day after school.
Toru's salary offer wasn't low, and the work wasn't particularly difficult. More importantly, she no longer had to deal with insane customers like when she was a customer service rep. Her stress had reduced considerably, and her mood had lightened up as well.
At first, Sakiko thought Toru made her wear that outfit because he had some kind of fetish.
But over time, she realized she had misunderstood. Toru had no improper thoughts toward her and simply treated her as a subordinate.
Sakiko also laughed at herself for it. She had been exposed to too much of the world's darkness and had become overly sensitive, always assuming the worst.
That's not a good mindset, Sakiko.
"Where's Haibara?"
"Ms. Haibara said she needed to work on some research and asked not to be disturbed. She already had dinner."
Sakiko found it a little strange. What could a child be researching? Was she studying Kamen Rider?
But since Haibara made the request, she simply passed along the message.
Toru narrowed his eyes slightly.
Although he hadn't been home the past two days, as the cook, Sakiko couldn't just skip preparing meals in case he came back unexpectedly.
During this time, she had also been studying recipes and occasionally tried her hand at pastries using ingredients from the kitchen.
As a girl, doing these kinds of hands-on activities made her feel quite content.
Not to mention, Toru also let her practice on the piano in the house. Sometimes, Sakiko felt like her current lifestyle wasn't so bad after all.
If only she could have spent her most difficult high school years like this, it would have been perfect.
After dinner, Sakiko headed to the kitchen to clean up. Thanks to the dishwasher, it wasn't a particularly tiring job.
Just as she was about to start cleaning the living room, Toru called out to her.
"...Sakiko, there's something I want to ask you."
Sakiko was puzzled. She didn't know what Toru could possibly want from her.
Still, she put away the cleaning tools and sat across from him like an obedient young lady.
"Mr. Fujiwara, what would you like to ask?"
"It's about girl bands."
Toru thought back to the strategic ideas he had come up with that morning to boost his campaign.
He was already familiar with detective-style promotion and Karate. He had suitable people to support him in those areas.
The only area he lacked knowledge in was girl bands.
As the hottest trend among young people, it was something he needed to look into.
"Girl bands?"
"Yeah. If I remember correctly, didn't you form one before, Sakiko? I even saw a few of your former bandmates when I visited that cafe."
Sakiko's heart tightened for a moment.
But she quickly realized that Toru wasn't Soyo. He wouldn't grab her hand and try to drag her back to the past. She answered calmly, "That was just a casual hobby we had back in our third year of junior high."
"What would you like to know?"
"I'm planning to invest in a girl band. You don't have to worry about the funding. The only requirement is for the group to reach the top and have significant influence among the youth."
This wasn't a real estate project. No matter how much he invested, it wouldn't be a massive financial burden.
Soon, Toru would receive a hundred million dollars from the Sakanayagi land deal. That money came from both the Shinomiya family's reward and some CIA reimbursements.
From that sum, even if he pulled out a few million for this girl band project, it would still be a top-tier investment within the industry.
Rena was already one of Japan's most popular anchors and had a massive fan base that could be used for initial exposure.
Add to that some media channels under the Shinomiya family, or even Sakiko's old family business, the Togawa Group, which operated in both media and real estate, and promotion wouldn't be a problem.
It wasn't that politicians didn't understand the influence anime and girl bands had on the youth vote—they knew full well.
Some Japanese politicians had already tried associating themselves with anime.
But most of them were simply too old and didn't fit the image. No matter how hard they tried, it was tough to win real support.
Toru, on the other hand, was young, handsome, and already a rising figure. Girl bands attracted both male and female fans, and he could harness that momentum to get the votes and publicity other politicians couldn't.
With those votes and that kind of attention, Toru believed becoming a Diet member wouldn't be a problem.
If cabinet and Prime Minister elections weren't internal party matters and were based on public votes, he could even use this approach to become Prime Minister outright.
He told Sakiko his plan directly. He didn't hide anything, just told her he wanted to enter politics and win over the youth through a girl band.
Sakiko understood immediately. As a former young lady of the Togawa family, she knew well that every generation of the Fujiwara family entered politics.
"Funding, promotion, and venues are relatively easy to solve. But no matter how well the logistics are handled, without a strong group leader, it won't work."
"I looked into your history, Sakiko. I've seen your achievements in music and understand your personality now. I believe you're the most likely to succeed and the most suitable person for this path."
"So, Sakiko, do you have any interest in forming a real girl band—not just a casual group, but the real deal?"
After a pause, Toru added, "...Sakiko, your family still has nearly one hundred million yen in debt. That's not an impossible number."
"But if you're just a salaried employee, even in a high-paying field like law, medicine, or aviation, it would still take you twenty years from entering the workforce to making enough to clear that debt."
"But the entertainment industry is different. Even though salaries in Japan's entertainment industry are relatively low compared to global standards, it's still considered a high-income field that can help you pay off your debt much faster."
Toru laid out both the dream and the reality for her.
Sakiko's expression turned complicated. She didn't answer right away, just muttered softly, "This is a big decision. I need time to think."
Toru didn't pressure her and smiled. "Of course. It's your future, and it deserves serious thought. For now, it's just an idea. I haven't even finished the preparations. You still have time."
Even if Sakiko eventually declined, it wouldn't be a problem.
With this level of funding, countless capable people would jump at the chance. This wouldn't be a game played by schoolgirls. It would be a true career that could last a lifetime.
Sakiko finished up for the day and left, her thoughts conflicted.
That night, Toru noticed Haibara's door still tightly shut. She didn't come out, so he returned to his bedroom to rest.
The next morning, after waking up and washing, Toru walked to Haibara's door and knocked again.
From inside, he heard pained groans.
Toru frowned and, without hesitation, kicked the door open.
Inside, he saw an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, naked and drenched in sweat, lying on the bed.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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