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Last Embryo Volume 1 Chapter 7 Part 2

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Editor: Weasalopes

At this point Pritt turned towards him and asked after wondering for a bit:

「Mr. Izayoi, you say that you care for Miss Ayazato and Mr. Homura and the other inhabitants of the Canaria Family Home, but if that really is the case, then why did you decide to cast them all aside and come to Little Garden?」

「Why, you ask? Because I knew that they were surrounded by many more reliable people who would take care of them in my stead, like Don Bruno and Madam or old man Ushimatsu. With all of them present, I thought that it won’t make that much of a difference whether I was there or not.」

Izayoi spoke with a somewhat nostalgic voice.

The man he mentioned right after Don Bruno and Madam, Ushimatsu, was the CEO of Ushimatsu Corporation, one of Japan’s leading conglomerates, and also one of the patrons who invested an unspeakable amount of money into the establishment of Canaria Family Home, or at least that was what the general public knew about him. In truth, he was one of Canaria and Izayoi’s acquaintances whom they have met and won over by gambling. Why did they choose to approach him in such a shady way? That’s a bit more complex than something simple like: because they wanted to use him, who was known to have gathered a great fortune all by himself, established a company all by himself and became known as quite a big shot among his circle of friends and business partners to grab some of his money for themselves. No, their goal in getting acquainted with him was a bit more deeper than that. They wanted to utilize the fact that he held both of them in an extremely high regard to get him to fund the orphanage they wanted to create.

In order to do so they challenged them to a series of gambling duels, results of which were 2 Wins, 1 Loss and 2 Draws. In consequence, this mysterious individual, whom Izayoi dubbed 「The Strongest High-roller of Heisei」 in his mind was so pleased with his opponents and the outcome of his matches with them that he declared his willingness to invest however much they desired into the orphanage building project.

「Yeah, even now, I think that man was a true monster when it came to gambling, so I knew that if there ever came a time when the orphanage would be in trouble, he would surely deal with them, especially since Homura and Suzuka were always his favorites. But if I were to choose one thing that I never could have anticipated, it would have to be that the two of them would be made to attend Hoei Private Academy. From what I have heard it is a prestigious school where the expenses are ridiculously high.」

He then laughed as if he was having fun. Thinking about it, he probably had so many older people among his acquaintances was probably because of his Gift and his origins. The fact that he was a natural-born hedonist who never hesitated to have his way with the world or to oppose the things he was unable to tolerate also probably had something to do with that. When looked at from the outsider’s perspective his behavior must have looked pretty childish and irresponsible, but in reality he wa someone who was always prepared to accept full responsibility for the cations he took and their outcomes, no matter if they were good or bad. That is why even when others would tell him that he should change his way of life or stop being so selfish about everything he would never do as he was told, because in his eyes there was no need for him to change his attitude at all. Sadly, there was no one who would understand the philosophy behind Sakamaki Izayoi’s way of life, even among those of the same generation as him, because according to common sense, no teenage boy could have it in him to be responsible or to have enough determination to push himself until every goal he set up for himself has been achieved. As such, the only people who considered him to be a 「good kid」 were the elderly, and in turn, Izayoi enjoyed the company of adults much more than his peers, because of the difference in their maturity and more firmly shaped views on life. And even among them, old man Ushimatsu was exceptionally special.

Hearing Izayoi praising that man so much, both Mikado and Pritt looked at each other and then casted their eyes down with sour looks on their faces. They were silent for a while, and when they finally spoke again, they done so carefully, as if they were looking for the right words:

「That man is dead.」

「Huh?」

「Mr. Izayoi, this might come as a shock to you, but do try to calm down and listen carefully. It happened during the Golden Week two years ago. While on a trip with his family, Mr. Ushimatsu passed away, supposedly after having a heart attack.」

Izayoi just stared at the two of them with his eyes wide open.」

「That old man… you say…. He died?」

He had trouble forming a coherent sentence.

「Yes. After his passing, his company, Ushimatsu Corporation backed away from financing Canaria Family Home any further. Also, around the same time it happened, the rest of the patrons who have not done so by now took this opportunity and stopped financing it as well, getting to the point where the orphanage was left with no one to support its further operations for a while.」

「From what I heard the only two things that saved Canaria Family Home from closing down was the nanomachine research left behind by Homura’s father and Everything Company, or at least that’s the talk of the town.」

This time, Pritt’s words made Izayoi genuinely astonished.

Two years ago, when all of the patrons suddenly decided to stop financing the orphanage.

Mr. Ushimatsu was the only one who continued to support the orphanage with his money even when all the others stopped doing so. During the Golden Week, he was supposed to take the youths for a trip after returning from the separate one he was going on with his family like he always did, but before that could happen, the news of his death reached them. Although they were devastated to hear it, they decided to plead with Ushimatsu’s company to continue supporting them, but his second son, who took over as CEO declined their request. Then, just when it would seem that there was nothing more they could to do to secure the orphanage’s continued existence, along came Kudou Ayato, the only daughter of the CEO of Everything Company.

「Everything Company… and Kudou, you say?」

「Yes, that is indeed what we said. You really haven’t heard about them? They are one of the five great companies that emerged after World War II. A certain rumor claims that a Japanese girl who came here form a different world is connected to their rise to fame.」

「No, this is my first time hearing about this. So, why did they decide to invest in the orphanage again?」

「In exchange for Homura continuing the work on nanomachines left behind by his father… or rather, its reproduction. Are you even aware of the nature of the Gift in Homura’s possession?」

Homura nodded.

「His {Proto Idea} allows him to recreate any thing he destroyed or disassembled… I see, so they are using the nature of his Gift to continue the research, is that what you’re saying?」

「Yeah, essentially, that is what it is about. Also, his Gift has become a bit stronger than the one you might remember.」

Tokuteru informed him while exhaling the smoke from his cigarette. In order to ensure the orphanage’s survival, this 15-years-old brat decided to use the power granted to him by his Gift to its full potential.

「I acted as a middleman between him and the company. He might have condemned himself to a lifetime of work on the nanomachines research, but at least he managed to save the orphanage with that decision. So, what do you think, Izayoi? That was quite a tough decision for a kid like him to make, don’t you think?」

「Tokuteru… did you just stood idly by and did nothing as he made that decision?」

「Of course I did. How could I have done anything when Homura made that decision himself?」

Speaking as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, he turned the car to the right. When they entered Tokyo from the Kan-etsu highway, he lit up the second cigarette.

「That being said, I still think it was a hastily-made decision of a reckless brat who knew jack-shit about the world around him. When kids stumble on their way and fall down, it is a duty of us adults to help the back up on their asses, but only if they are unable to do that on their own. If such a time ever comes, it means that I… or you, will have to take responsibility for them.」

「……………..」

Unable to either deny or confirm Tokuteru’s words, Izayoi simply looked through the car’s window. Whether he liked it or not, it looks like the situation in Canaria Family Home has changed quite a bit since he left it all those years ago.

As for the matter with Homura, Izayoi was on board with what Tokuteru said. When you force a kid to do something, it is your duty as said kid’s guardian to help him or her when they fail. He planned to do exactly that for the younglings of the {No Name} Community when the time will be right for it, but he will only be able to do that for them because they are somewhere where he can reach them. The current Izayoi had too many friends and responsibilities on his plate not to go back there.

In other words, in order to help Homura and Suzuka, he could only do so while being here in the outside world, so he had to make sure to do everything within his power. Given the situation, he could at least agree to do that much. Also, he didn’t want to leave such an important matter to Tokuteru. If he was ever forced to choose between him and someone else, he would gladly go and bow down before Don Bruno and ask him for his help with all his strength.

「Relax, will you? Nobody is saying that you’re obliged to do anything now. Mr. Ushimatsu’s death was simply too sudden, and as a result, Homura decided to shoulder the responsibility for the orphanage on his shoulders, so be sure to keep that in mind the next time you get a chance to talk to him. Okay, we’ll be at our destination in a bit, so get ready to leave.」

Tokuteru reduced the car’s speed and took another turn. After arriving at Shitamachi he parked it on the parking lot and stepped out into his domain: Shibamata Taishakuten.