Chapter 29: Unable to Dream Here


    Due to the automation of a part of the waste disposal process, the proceeds at MCTBH have apparently been dramatically increasing.


    One day, at a management meeting, Ishida approached Hiroki to consult about thepanys future ns.


    [Do you remember when I mentioned how there were cooperation proposals from tradingpanies and chemicalpanies?]


    [You did mention something like that.]


    Thepany was wondering back then about how they could deepen their rtionship with suchrge customers when they started business in the field of liquid waste treatment.


    Hiroki remembers how one of the methods discussed was in the form of a partnership with otherpanies or epting investments.


    [Whats going on now?]


    [The President of thosepanies expressed their difficulty in investing in thepany, so we settled on a long-term contract.However There seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction on their side.]


    [Are they asking for a change in the way things are done now?]


    [Yes. The volume of processing ourpany does have be sorge that the clients business could be at risk if the contract is terminated. The clients management probably wants to invest in thepany to reduce management risk and to have some voting rights or some control over thepany.]


    This is a natural request, as the client wouldnt want to take the risk of suddenly being told that the price of waste processing that has been outsourced to them for 10 years would be tripled the following year.


    Hiroki had no intention to do such a thing because he isnt in it for the money in the first ce, but the clientpany isnt going to just believe him for his words.


    Even so, troublesome things are troublesome.


    [I dont like the idea of having my shares held by people I dont even know, but thats also troublesome]


    With Hiroki owning 100% of MCTBHs shares, the hole can be kept secret, and he is allowed to have his strange habits like setting up a nap room next to the hole.


    If other people were toe in, someone might find fault in Hirokis irrational behavior, or Hiroki would at least need to give out some exnation.


    Thinking of all this, Hiroki found it a real hassle.


    [Also, its not just one or twopanies that areing to us saying that.]


    [I see However, isnt this something that cant be helped? Do you have a countermeasure in mind?]


    [Yes. Thats what I came to consult with you. I was thinking that we should just buy their trading or chemicalpany.]


    [Eh? Are you talking about corporate takeover?]


    Hiroki had seen this word in economic novels and news, something about M&A.


    <em>(T/N: Mergers & Acquisition)</em>


    [Yes. We would buy the entirepany for distribution and nt processing equipment, internalize the process and monopolize the profits ourselves. That way, we dont have to let thosepanies make money from us and we can keep thepanys secrets. From an ounting perspective, we would increase fixed costs and decrease variable costs. From a business perspective, therger the size of thepany, the more profitable it is. In other words, we are steering thepany towards a greater size. I believe this is in line with the original purpose you had when you started the business, which was not to ept interference from yakuza or local government.]


    Hearing Ishidas words, Hiroki remembered that when Ishida was still a university researcher, the purpose of his consultation with him was to make thepany bigger so that no troublesome matters woulde near him.


    For Ishida to still remember that Hiroki himself had forgotten all about it until Ishida mentioned it.


    However, Ishidas proposal may sound reasonable, but it seems like it would also have its own problems.


    [That sounds like a very reasonable proposal, but putting aside how profitable thepany is, do we have enough funds to buy thepany in the first ce?]


    [We have a lot of peopleing to invest or lend money. There are even more of them than those who request partnerships. Thats part of the reason why Im consulting you about this.]


    [Are we really getting that many inquiries?]


    [To the extent that we would need to hold exnatory meetings.]


    [How in the world did they sniff us out when thepany isnt even listed on the stock exchange?]


    Money hyenas sure are scary, or so Hiroki thought.


    [People are troubled because they have no ce to invest money. Chinas real estate bubble has burst, and bitcoin, which led the cryptocurrency boom, isnt doing so well. People say that India would be the next superpower, but their caste system is dragging the country down, and their industries other than IT arent developing at all Ahh, ourpany is also mining cryptocurrency with our surplus power. Waste disposal without making use of any power is just unnatural.]


    [Huhh]


    [People in Europe are in an uproar, you know? They went to the trouble of setting up a clean technology business topete with the US, China and Japan, but now, some randompany appeared in Japan that had reduced everything to zero. They will have to rethink their industrial strategy at the national strategic level.]


    [The topic getting that far is too big for me, so I dont really understand.]


    Hiroki blurted out.


    Even when people say that MCTBHs business of processing any kind of waste at a very low cost will affect the world situation, it doesnt make any sense to Hiroki at all.


    Hiroki just wants to stay by the hole and keep throwing as much waste into the hole as possible.


    What was more shocking to him though were Ishidas subsequent words.


    [And thats why, were going to hold an exnatory meeting for investors at a hotel in Tokyo.]


    [Eh?]


    [In three months, we would like President to speak in Tokyo.]


    [Ehhhh]


    It seems like Hiroki would need to pull out his suit, which he hadnt worn since the previous interview.


    As for where and at what hotel will the investors meeting be held


    The selection of such a hotel is said to be strongly influenced by the coordinatingpanys brokerage firm.


    Since Hirokispany is an amateur in this area of management, they paid amission to outsource this work.


    This time, the exnatory meeting was to be held in a hall of a 5-star international hotel in Tokyo because of the high interest of investors from overseas.


    In the hall, there were a lot of hyenas in high-end suits sitting in a row, all of them wearing custom-made suits.


    All of them were probably wearing suits that were specially made for them and watches that cost more than their cars.


    Hiroki thought that his suit might be the cheapest one in that room.


    When the seats were 80% filled, it was time for the event to start, and MCTBHs investor presentation began.


    Although English is the preferrednguage for presentations like this, the investors were already told that Hiroki was unable to speak Business English, so he had to exin things in Japanese through an interpreter.


    [And so, our strategy is to take the number one global market share in the growth of the global green business sector. Specifically, we aim to reduce the value-added costs of the entire value chain by establishing a low-cost global supply chain of waste materials, starting from CO2 and various waste emitters in the petrochemical industry, which is the upstream sector of the industry, to consumer goods, which is the downstream sector of the industry]


    Unnn. Even though Hiroki was speaking in Japanese, he himself couldnt understand what was being said because of the many foreign words involved.


    The interpreter was actually given an English trantion of the draft beforehand, so regardless of the content, the participants should have heard a beautifully pronounced and well-written English presentation.


    Ishida had reassuringly told him President has a powerful physique, so please look ahead and speak confidently. We will take care of the rest, so even though itsted only 20 minutes, Hiroki managed toplete the presentation.


    After the management finished exining the business, apuse simultaneously rang out in the hall and it was time for the question-and-answer session.


    An Anglo-Saxon-looking white man stood up and spoke in rapid English.


    Hiroki had no clue what he was saying though.


    [I will answer your question.]


    Lightly nodding his head, he left it to Ishida to deal with it.


    Subsequent Q&A sessions were between Ishida and the foreigners.


    Simr exchanges took ce with a Chinese-looking old man, a Japanese-looking old man and a Hispanic-looking old man, all of which were answered by Ishida.


    Just like that, the investor meeting ended peacefully.


    After the meeting, there was a light dinner party, where Hiroki was asked to speak to some people, but he just left it to the interpreter and Ishida, and concentrated only on his meal.


    Thepany is paying for this meal after all so he had to make up for their moneys worth.


    That night, thepany personnel stayed at the international hotel.


    Perhaps, because of the generous hall rental fee, they were offered a suite room with some kind of service.


    [Good grief. Im more tired than when Im disposing 100-ton shovels of garbage down the hole.]


    The spacious room, the soft bed and the night view of Tokyo from the hotel window were all somewhat tasteless for one person.


    The only desire he had in mind was to go back to that bleak room near the hole as soon as possible for Hiroki doesnt think that he would be able to have a good dream here.