The Talent Development Center
During the drive, I decided to break the ice by asking something that had been nagging at me. It was a question I'd wondered about for a while, but I couldn't bring it up over the phone last time.
"But are there originally staff members who live inside the Human Resources Development Center?"
"There are."
"How many?"
"Including you, that makes two."
"It can't be that the other one is Mother, right?"
No way. Even though her husband had passed, she was still the daughter-in-law of a major conglomerate family. She had to have her own place. At my question, Taira Yukiko's face clouded over slightly.
"That's right. The house I used to share with him was sold off. It was too... quiet. I hated it, so I just got rid of it."
"Ah... I see. Then Mother and I really are neighbors?"
I spoke up quickly to keep the conversation from sliding further into gloom, and only then did Taira Yukiko smile. "Yes," she murmured. "We're neighbors." The mood was turning strange. Time to change the subject.
"I got my driver's license recently."
"Did you? Then you'll be buying a car. What kind are you thinking of getting?"
I hadn't given the car much thought, but there was a reason I'd brought up the license. I wanted to ask about the Taira Group's employee discount program.
"I don't have anything specific picked out yet. Still, now that my family name is Taira, I was thinking of buying a Taira vehicle. Does being a direct descendant of the chairman get you any special discount on Taira cars?"
Taira Yukiko's eyes widened as she glanced at me, clearly surprised I would ask about discounts. She probably hadn't expected someone from a chaebol family to worry about saving money on a single car.
"As far as I know, Taira Group employees get fifteen percent off, and Taira Motors staff get twenty. Beyond that, nothing. I don't believe there's any additional discount just for being one of the chairman's children."
Even fifteen percent was worth something. Living at the development center would cut my housing costs dramatically, which meant I could afford a pretty decent ride.
"Then I should take a look at the Taira Motors catalog. I'll need to pick something that fits my budget."
"As a welcome gift for joining the company, I'll buy one for you."
"Huh? You will, Mother?"
Yukiko mama...! She's even buying me a car? This is fantastic. That meant I could save on both housing and the vehicle, then use whatever was left to invest in a few stocks I knew—from my game knowledge—were going to explode.
"As your mother, I can at least do this much."
She wasn't my real mother, but watching her try so hard to be good to me felt strangely touching.
"Thank you. Since it's a gift from you, Mother, I won't refuse."
At my sincere thanks, Taira Yukiko's expression turned rather proud. Hmm. Her side profile is beautiful too. I'd looked her up online—she was thirty-three, still in her prime. She'd met Taira Saburo when she was a college sophomore and he was a young university professor. A classic professor-student romance, I suppose.
By the time our conversation about cars wound down, the Human Resources Development Center had come into view. The grounds were enormous, with what looked like a grass athletic field, hotel-style lodging blocks, and numerous attached facilities.
Taira Yukiko parked behind the main building, in front of a detached three-story residence that looked extremely high-end. So this was where the two of us would be living alone together?
"Follow me."
"Yes, ma'am."
I trailed after Taira Yukiko like a baby duck waddling behind its mother. The first floor contained the living room, a reception parlor, the dining area, and a laundry room.
"The first floor is mainly for meals. You can watch television in the living room, but there's one in your bedroom as well."
I see. On the second floor, the largest room at the far end was Taira Yukiko's (she didn't open the door, simply explained from the threshold that this was her space). Next to it was a study she used for work from home. There was also a bathroom that had been her private one until now. Since I was moving in, she suggested we set up a schedule for its use.
The room nearest the stairs was mine. It came with its own shower and toilet, and the space itself was massive.
"The third floor has guest rooms and empty spaces."
"For laundry, just put it in the basket in front of the first-floor laundry room. The housekeeper washes everything daily. If you need anything or have a craving, just tell her."
A housekeeper... I'd only ever seen them on television. Seeing one in real life felt oddly novel. She was currently out shopping for ingredients before preparing dinner. Apparently she'd been asked to make something delicious because I was arriving.
"It's fascinating to actually meet a housekeeper. I've only seen them on TV."
"Is it? You'll get used to it soon enough. Oh, and I'll set a couple of house rules. No guests. And if you'll be staying out overnight, let me know in advance so I don't worry. Just those two. You can manage that, can't you?"
"Of course. That's easy enough."
They weren't difficult rules at all. Kazuhiro had said he'd come visit once I had my own place, but if it wasn't allowed, there wasn't much I could do. Sending a quick message on Line to say I'd be out overnight wasn't hard either.
"Good. Go unpack in your room. I'll see you at dinner."
"Yes. Oh, I forgot to thank you earlier. Thank you for driving me here."
"It's nothing. Dinner is at six-thirty, so be on time."
Taira Yukiko answered somewhat curtly before disappearing into her room. Hmm. Did I do something wrong? I brushed off the pointless thought and stepped into the bedroom that was now mine. The bed was enormous, and a computer sat on the desk. There was even a clothing styler, and several suits hanging that had been tailored to my new measurements. When exactly had they learned my sizes? Were there ninjas in this house?
Since I only had clothes and toiletries, unpacking was simple. I finished in about fifteen minutes. With nothing else to do, I decided to try out the computer. I was curious just how good it was... The moment I powered it on, it booted almost instantly. The specs... let's see. CPU was an Intel 27th-generation i9, graphics card a GeForce 15090Ti. They'd really gone all out with top-tier components.
Obviously, judging by the generation of the parts, this was a future setting compared to my previous life. In the game it had been labeled 20XX, so right after my possession I'd looked up the current date. It was 2053 now. There had been a third world war and various other incidents in between, but the key points were that South Korea had achieved unification, China had fractured into three separate nations, and Japan—unable to revise its peace constitution even during the global conflict—had never been able to maintain a standing army.
Instead, the country had created numerous Private Military Companies. The government indirectly controlled them through legal loopholes, which had drawn heavy criticism from Korea. Of course, our Taira Group owned several PMCs as well, nearly all of them under the direct command of the chairman. It was a safeguard so no one could seize the chairman's seat through force. There was even a saying that whoever Taira Danzo grandfather entrusted with a PMC would be the immediate successor.
"Still, virtual dive computers are all the rage lately. No matter how good these specs are, it's a little disappointing."
I clicked the wireless mouse and browsed YouTube, and before I knew it, it was time for dinner. Better head down. The house was definitely well-built; even for Japanese architecture it stayed warm. I headed to the dining room wearing just a short-sleeved shirt and jeans.
"Oh, hello there. You must be the new young master?"
"Ah, yes. Hello."
This must be the housekeeper. A pretty maid would have been nicer, but she was just an ordinary woman in her late forties. Nothing to be done about that. Taira Yukiko was already seated, so I pulled out a chair and sat down. The meal consisted of roast chicken, salad, grilled salmon, and bread. Western cuisine, then.
"Eat plenty."
"Thank you for the meal."
I transferred a chicken leg and some salmon to my plate and picked up a knife. Taira Yukiko watched me and smiled.
"Eat comfortably. There's no need to use a knife for chicken."
"Right."
Exactly—what was I thinking, using a knife on a drumstick? I grabbed the leg with my hand and tore into it with gusto. The housekeeper was an incredible cook. The skin was perfectly crispy, the meat moist and flavorful. The salmon was grilled just right, the salad fresh, and the bread—though clearly from a premium brand—practically melted in my mouth. When I went back for seconds, Taira Yukiko looked at me with warm eyes and spoke.
"It's nice to see you eating so well."
"I have to eat this much to maintain this body."
At my words, Taira Yukiko's gaze subtly traveled over my frame. When she looked, I flexed just enough to give her a hint of sex appeal. She cleared her throat with an awkward "Ahem...!" and took a sip of water. Middle-aged women usually liked muscular men, so I figured Yukiko would too.
"Regarding work, having the Taira surname means you won't face direct harassment or unfair treatment. However, I won't be able to help you. Your grandfather dislikes that sort of thing, so you'll have to succeed on your own. That said, if you have questions, I can teach you what I know."
"I never expected to rely on Mother's help like a child. I'll handle it myself."
Not getting bullied by superiors was already a massive advantage, but Taira Yukiko—who held real power from the start—seemed genuinely sorry she couldn't assist. She didn't need to feel that way. I'd never planned on having an easy corporate life anyway.
If I didn't have the status window, I might have kept my head down and played it safe. But with the window and all my special traits, I couldn't settle for being just the youngest son of the Taira family.
I still didn't know why I'd been dropped into this world, but whether I inherited everything from Taira Danzo grandfather or seized it with my own hands, I was going to build a new megacorp like the game protagonist. The first step was taking control of the Taira Group Human Resources Development Center.