After pondering it for quite a while, Hanadasaki Ame decided that he could probably invite her out somewhere and try to cheer her up properly.
Spending all day cooped up indoors staring at a computer screen really did make it easy for a person to grow gloomy.
And not just her—he would need to take care of the future mental health of the other institute members as well. He could borrow a few ideas from companies and corporations: set up regular little activities, prepare some perks, offer a certain amount of comfort and encouragement.
A great many corporate management systems contained the wisdom of the people who had designed them. They were worth studying a little—though there was no need to copy them wholesale.
He had no expectation whatsoever that the institute would turn a profit. Even a long-term investment of over a billion yen was still within acceptable limits for him, so he could more or less do as he pleased.
And besides, if he could truly research Magnetic Field Rotation into existence, then even going completely bankrupt would be fine!
Once he had thought through these matters, Hanadasaki Ame finally grew sleepy and lay down on his bed, quickly sinking into deep slumber.
A dreamless night.
The next day, Hanadasaki Ame continued dealing with the institute property.
After an on-site inspection and further discussions with the owner, he had already more or less decided which property he intended to buy as the base for his institute.
What came next was bargaining over the price, and then a certain degree of renovation.
But before he left that morning, the bored and restless Nibutani Shinka came over.
Clearly, after behaving herself for a full day, she had already run out of patience and wanted to do something—anything—to kill time.
After a bit of thought, Hanadasaki Ame invited her to come along and take a look at the house he was planning to buy. After that, they could also go check out the school nearby.
He called the owner in advance to arrange things, and then, around nine in the morning, the two of them headed over.
"This… is the house you're planning to buy?"
When she saw the Western European-style villa, which occupied at least eight hundred square meters of land, Nibutani Shinka was momentarily at a loss for words.
A wrought-iron railing enclosed a carefully maintained courtyard filled with plants of every kind, a riot of blossoms blooming in every season like a delicate little garden, vibrant with life. There was also a large open area left for the owner's various activities.
The main building, constructed primarily of concrete and glass curtain walls, possessed a strong artistic sensibility. Its beige-gray tones were soft and understated, blending perfectly into the surrounding scenery in a way that was genuinely pleasing to the eye.
A place like this might technically be called a detached house.
But in practice, it read as one thing only:
a luxury villa.
When she had heard Hanadasaki Ame say he wanted to build a private research institute, the image that had popped into her mind was a few dim rooms crammed with experimental equipment, full of lab-coated researchers hunching over suspicious materials, their glasses gleaming ominously in the light…
Alright, fine. She had watched too many movies and read too many novels.
A middle-aged man in beige casual clothes, Mr. Ishiguro, was already waiting for them at the garden gate. Once they met, the usual polite greetings followed.
Hanadasaki Ame gradually began speaking with him, while signaling to Nibutani Shinka that she could wander around however she liked.
This villa had already been vacant for a long time. Mr. Ishiguro himself did not live here—he stayed instead in a luxury apartment in Tokyo, only arranging for housekeeping services to clean the place and maintain the courtyard on a regular basis.
He had long since intended to sell it. Keeping this property meant paying property tax every year, along with all sorts of other tedious hassles. He would much rather liquidate it, get a substantial amount of cash for his company, and expand production.
That said, while the place was within the broader Greater Tokyo area and therefore not likely to depreciate too badly, it was also not especially easy to sell.
So when someone contacted him saying they were genuinely interested in buying it, he took the matter very seriously. Even if the price came in a bit lower than ideal, he was willing to accept it.
Hanadasaki Ame could tell exactly what he was thinking.
So while keeping his tone mild and pleasant on the surface, he naturally bargained the price down with all due ruthlessness.
Mr. Ishiguro could only smile bitterly and try his best to hold the line at a certain figure.
While the two of them dueled, Nibutani Shinka wandered around the villa by herself, curiously looking here and there.
She did not have to think about anything at all.
It was wonderfully relaxing.
This villa had originally been meant for vacations, and since no one had really lived here for so long, most traces of ordinary domestic life had faded. Yet in the details, one could still faintly sense that a family had once spent many happy times here together. How it had eventually come to the point of selling the place, she had no idea.
Letting her thoughts drift lazily, Nibutani Shinka found herself on the third floor before she realized it.
The third floor was really more like a half-floor, with the other half taken up by a terrace. Standing by the terrace railing, she could see the vast stretch of deep blue sea beyond the coastline in the distance. It was the sort of view that opened the heart and cleared the mind.
And when she turned her head and looked diagonally the other way, the school buildings of Inaba High School came clearly into view.
From leaving the villa to walking into a classroom would take only a few minutes.
Nibutani Shinka stood there quietly, gazing out at the sea, lost in thought as she imagined what it would be like if she and Hanadasaki Ame lived here together…
Something that had long existed within her chest began to stir, tangling and weaving through itself over and over, strangely hot, giving her the hazy sense that something unusual was about to be born inside her heart.
Without realizing it, she raised a hand to her chest and murmured,
"Don't tell me I'm about to awaken some kind of magic…"
The moment she said it, even she almost lost control of herself and burst out laughing.
She was no longer at the age where indulging in chuunibyou was acceptable. Get a grip!
After taking a steadying breath and calming herself down, that strange feeling faded away as well.
Nibutani Shinka did not really understand what had just happened. But when she remembered that she had just spent quite a while fantasizing about a married life with Hanadasaki Ame, her cheeks could not help flushing, and she was too embarrassed to think any further.
A lot of things, in truth, would become obvious the moment you poked at them.
She herself could distinguish them perfectly clearly—
she just did not want to.
Did not want to see too clearly.
For now, remaining immersed in her fantasies was not so bad either…
After lingering there a little longer, letting the breeze cool the heat in her cheeks, she finally went back downstairs to find Hanadasaki Ame.
He was still talking with Mr. Ishiguro, though from what she could hear, they were now discussing development prospects in various industries. Nibutani Shinka listened seriously for a while and felt as though she were hearing some kind of heavenly scripture.
She knew every word individually, and even understood the meaning of each sentence.
But string all of those sentences together, and she was completely lost.
Even so, she managed to distill the rough core of what Hanadasaki Ame was saying.
He seemed to think that…
biology was the future of science?
Something like that, probably. In any case, she had no idea how much thought he had gone through before arriving at that conclusion.
Hanadasaki Ame and Mr. Ishiguro continued talking until noon, at which point they finally settled the remaining details.
After that, Mr. Ishiguro left to prepare the contract, hoping to finish everything today if possible. He still had company matters to handle, and the faster this property sale could be concluded, the better.
Hanadasaki Ame, meanwhile, took Nibutani Shinka out to find somewhere nearby to eat lunch.
He had already inspected the house thoroughly yesterday, and there were no further details that needed confirming, so today could be taken a little more easily.
Still, once he had the deed and related documents in hand, he would need to start renovating the place.
The villa had originally been designed for vacation living, which differed greatly from the sort of experimental research space he intended to build. Adjustments were absolutely necessary.
Some of the smaller rooms would need walls knocked through and connected to neighboring spaces. Too many of the unnecessary residential design elements would also have to be discarded.
Of course, not everything could be thrown out.
After all, he planned to live here himself, and his team members might also stay overnight from time to time, so the necessary accommodations would have to be made.
Hmm…
Certain safety measures would also need to be prepared as appropriate.
…
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 172)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 116)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter119)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 66
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 52
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 55
The Way the Umamusume Look at 42
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 40
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 36
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 30
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 26
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 26
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