First, let’s talk about the public medical schools.
Public schools were perennially broke; their buildings were dilapidated, and their students lived in poverty. The difficulty of admission was also generally considered low.
After graduation, those who hailed from private university medical programs would secure positions at high-end clinics or plastic surgery centers catering to the wealthy. They spent their days augmenting the busts of celebrities or performing facial reconstructions. In contrast, doctors from public schools were forced into slave labor at general hospitals just to pay back their scholarships.
While the academic level of the scholars at public universities was far superior, the path was overwhelmingly thankless. Since even the Faculty of Medicine was in such a state, the other humanities and sciences were a literal living hell.
Naturally, these students and faculty harbored a deep-seated resentment toward the national system.
Shino-san was a young lady from a prestigious family, so she apparently had no idea how dire the situation was. I decided to make contact through Mike & Hammer Co.—or more accurately, through the Ninja Squad.
By utilizing students who were relatives of the Ninja Squad, I managed to gain introductions to the professors. I visited them bearing gift boxes of sweets and plenty of sake.
"Is there anything you’re struggling with?" I’d ask.
"We don't even have the budget to fix the window glass..."
"Understood!"
The Kamishiro Group and Mike & Hammer stepped in as research patrons. Would other companies be wary? Not a chance. All they cared about was stealing technology; they never actually invested their own money.
That was where we came in. Honestly, it was fine—the costs were so low that I could have covered them with my personal assets without breaking a sweat.
In the end, exploitation creates societal vulnerabilities—security holes. If I brought in crates of Sake-sama and we all gathered around a hot pot for a drinking party, I was basically granted an all-access pass to their inner circles.
As for helping with the anti-government movement? That was a matter of free will. I handed out pamphlets, but I never forced anyone. It was enough to simply say, "Our presence might cause some trouble for the university."
I pushed through using pure networking. We hired graduates in droves at Mike & Hammer. We even provided jobs for retired professors. We took in so many that we could have formed our own academic clique.
Hahaha! Several private school cliques already existed. I was going to create a new faction and let them stir things up within the company. To begin with, it was absurd for a massive national corporation to only trust immediate family and relatives, or to surround oneself with school cliques for mutual surveillance. Management is much easier when you let some fresh air into the room!
And so, the national universities became our allies one after another. What were the ruling elites even doing, failing to hire such intellectuals for what was essentially pennies? They were stifling the natural benefits of capitalism by keeping the ruling class too rigid.
Meanwhile, I was currently stuck in the hospital. I was confined within a barrier for a few days of "deworming."
How tragic...
After about three days, Wifey arrived.
"Lord Groom!"
"Wifey!"
We shared a hug.
"I was so lonely~" she purred.
I patted her on the back. My solo assignment had definitely gone on too long. Honestly.
"Yo!" Melissa said, as casual as ever.
Claire offered a smile. "Leo... exactly what have you been up to?"
I could have sworn I heard a menacing rumble echoing in the room.
"Um... well, before I knew it, I was about to be propped up as an executive by the Ninja Squad and an anti-government organization..."
Ren poured some tea for everyone. "As expected of the Lord Groom, the Conquering King who has placed so many nations under his umbrella."
"Ren... those words... they’re piercing my soul..."
It was bizarre. How did it come to this?
"Well, since the Lord Groom is so incredibly good at looking after others, I suppose this was the natural result," Ren added.
"Eh?" Claire let out a surprised gasp. "You weren't aware of it!?"
"Eeeeeeeeh..."
While I was reeling from the shock, the sickroom door swung open.
"Big brother, we're here!"
"I have arrived, sir!"
"Hello~"
Tatiana, One-oh-one, and Shiyun entered the room.
"I heard you ate some crab and collapsed while we weren't around!" Tatiana teased, laughing at my expense.
One-oh-one was grinning widely. "I want to eat crab too, sir!"
Shiyun smiled gently. "I am just happy to be able to see Lord Leo."
"Shiyun is such a good girl... Look at you two!" I gestured to the others.
"Eh... Crab..."
"To begin with, they’re prohibited imports!"
"Then make some using the crabs from around here!"
"You're still hospitalized, for heaven's sake!"
As we engaged in our usual bickering, Claire peeled some fruit for me. Naturally, it was immediately snatched away by Tatiana and One-oh-one.
"Shiyun, you should have some too," I said, gladly letting her eat.
"So, what's the plan from here?" Claire asked.
"I’m thinking of heading back to Lepsitol to stir things up."
"Big brother, should I come too?" Tatiana asked.
"No. I think it’s easiest to move with just Rikochi and me."
While having Tatiana along would be reassuring, I wanted to avoid any situation where I couldn't guarantee her safety. As I tried to look stoic and cool, Claire dropped a bombshell on me.
"Hmm. You know, Leo... Raven-san was furious."
"Pardon?"
"He asked if you intended to crush the Kamishiro Main House. Also, Isono-kun was scolded by the other boys and hung upside down."
"What a disaster..."
"So, let's all go together," Claire continued. "As the Ninja Squad from the Mike & Hammer headquarters."
Wait... my heart wouldn't stop racing. Was Lepsitol about to be wiped off the map? What was happening?
"And another thing..."
"Yes?"
"You’re going to tell me exactly what happened between you and Riko-chan."
My heart palpitations and cold sweats went into overdrive. Nothing happened. Nothing had actually happened. But... the atmosphere had already shifted that way.
"Wait... is everyone... planning for that?"
"We are," Wifey replied. "What of it?"
"But why?"
"Why? She is the General Commander of Military Police, the strongest class in the Kamishiro Squad, highly compatible with the Lord Groom, has a decent personality, and harbors no personal ambition. Furthermore, she is an excellent prospect who can physically keep up with the Lord Groom's eccentricities. No matter how you look at it, it is better to simply bring her into the fold as the Lord Groom's woman."
None of their eyes were smiling. Why were they so completely fine with my number of wives increasing?
"I-I didn't hear anything about this."
"Because I didn't tell you."
"Can't we talk more about, you know, love and romance?"
"Lord Groom... I love you," Wifey said flatly.
"O-Oh. I love you too, Wifey."
"Then the talk of love and romance is concluded."
"That was way too abrupt!"
"Quiet! Enough!" she snapped. "The Lord Groom is a creature that expands his domain for as long as he lives! You must proliferate the bloodline!"
"Waaaaahhh!"
And so, it was decided that I would head into Lepsitol accompanied by my wives.
The heart-pounding New Employee Arc had come to an end. My life with Rikochi had been fun, sort of like a university student's cohabitation...
I wondered what we would eat once we got there. I couldn't afford to let them eat anything strange.
Ninja Kawagon. It seemed his training was still far from complete.
Nin-nin!