Internet

After laughing, Professor Yonezawa gestured for him to sit down, then pulled out a chair and sat behind his desk.

He looked at the student, who had undergone a complete transformation, his heart filled with satisfaction and curiosity. "Tell me, you don't come here without a reason. You didn't come back today just to see this old man, did you?"

"Nothing can escape the teacher's discerning eye." Nakayama Takuya sat up straight, his expression becoming serious. "Actually, I've come today because I've encountered a difficult problem and would like to ask you for advice."

"Oh?" Professor Yonezawa became interested. "It's like this, Professor. As you know, Sega's business in the United States is growing, but currently, communication between our Japan and United States headquarters mainly relies on telephone and fax. As you know, there's an Pacific Ocean separating us, and a time difference of over ten hours. For a document to come and go..."

A whole day has passed, and someone still needs to keep an eye on things; the efficiency is just too low.

Professor Yonezawa nodded; this is a common dilemma faced by multinational corporations.

Nakayama Takuya continued, "I've heard that universities and research institutions in the United States are using something called the 'Internet' to enable instant file transfer and information sharing. I'd like to ask you, teacher, does our school have access to it?"

"The Internet?" Professor Yonezawa and Yukihiko Yamashita exchanged a glance, both seeing understanding in each other's eyes.

"You're talking about academic networks, right?" Professor Yonezawa explained. "Our university does have access ports, mainly used for exchanging research data and papers with universities abroad. However, this is currently in a non-commercial category, and the main resources are controlled by universities and research institutions."

"That's the problem." Nakayama Takuya leaned forward slightly. "Sega also wants to use this network to connect its headquarters in Tokyo and the United States directly. But I heard that it's not currently open to private companies. So, I'd like to ask you, do you know which agency in Japan is in charge of this network? Could the school help make a connection?"

The office fell silent.

Professor Yonezawa did not answer immediately. He interlaced his fingers on the table and looked intently at his student.

His student was already a pioneer who had keenly sensed the changing times.

Introducing networks that were previously used exclusively in academia into the commercial sector.

This idea is very bold.

After a long silence, Professor Yonezawa slowly spoke, "This network is currently under the management of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry."

He picked up the telephone receiver on the table, glanced at Nakayama Takuya, and looked at him with a hint of approval in his eyes.

"You've got good taste, kid."

"Wait, I'll ask around for you."

After Professor Yonezawa finished speaking, he slowly took out a somewhat old black leather address book from the drawer. The edges of the cover had been worn smooth and shiny.

He put on his reading glasses and turned the pages one by one with his well-defined fingers, the only sound in the office being the rustling of the paper.

That address book contains a network of connections among the top figures in Japan academia, politics, and business.

Nakayama Takuya also put away his joking expression and waited quietly.

He knew that his teacher was using his academic reputation to pave the way for his worthless student.

"Ah, found it."

Professor Yonezawa stopped typing, picked up the black telephone receiver on the table, and steadily dialed the dial.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The call was connected.

"Moshi moshi, I'm Yonezawa from Tokyo Institute of Technology."

There seemed to be a pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a respectful response.

Professor Yonezawa listened and nodded slightly. "Hmm, Eikura, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the professor got straight to the point. "I'm contacting you today because of a personal matter. I have a student who went to Sega after graduation and is now facing a technical problem. He'd like to consult with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry."

He paused, glancing at Nakayama Takuya was sitting upright.

"It's about an academic network. Their business in the United States is expanding rapidly, and they want to use this system to connect their headquarters in Tokyo and the United States to improve communication efficiency. As you know, this system isn't open to the public yet, so I wanted to ask if you have any alternative solutions."

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to be explaining the policy's limitations and difficulties, but Professor Yonezawa listened quietly without interrupting.

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

The senior student on the mountainside was sweating profusely, worried for his junior.

Just when Nakayama Takuya thought he was about to be rejected, Professor Yonezawa suddenly changed the subject and casually added a sentence.

"Speaking of which, the young man who spearheaded this project is named Nakayama Takuya. His father is Nakayama Hayao, the president of Sega; Section Chief Eikura should know him."

This statement, made casually, is like a bombshell.

Nakayama Takuya clearly saw that the teacher held the receiver, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, and a cunning look flashed in his eyes.

There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Immediately afterwards, Professor Yonezawa moved the receiver slightly further away, seemingly startled by the sudden increase in volume on the other end.

"Oh? No, no, it's not advice, just some thoughts from a young person."

"Yes, it is very forward-thinking."

"Is that so? That's great. Should I have him visit you directly?"

"Okay, okay, it's settled then. Thank you, Section Eikura."

After hanging up the phone, the office returned to silence.

Professor Yonezawa took off his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and looked at the shocked Yukihiko Yamashita and the complicated-looking Nakayama Takuya before slowly speaking.

"Nailed it."

He pushed a note in front of Nakayama Takuya, on which a name and phone number were written.

"He's the Eikura chief of the Information Processing Promotion Division at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry). He said that Sega, as a leading company in Japan's electronics industry, has this kind of innovative thinking, and Ministry of International Trade and Industry should not only not restrict it, but should also strongly support it. He wants you to bring your proposal to his office tomorrow for a detailed discussion."

Yukihiko Yamashita's mouth gaped open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

Where did that businesslike, trouble-ridden tone from the phone call go? Why the sudden shift to "strong support" the moment the president's son is mentioned?

Is this what the adult world is like?

Nakayama Takuya picked up the thin note, but it felt incredibly heavy.

He stood up and bowed deeply to his teacher once again.

"Teacher, thank you so much this time."

Professor Yonezawa waved his hand, leaned back in his chair, and looked at him with a mixture of pride and disdain.

"Alright, stop with the act."

"You'd better get the commercial internet up and running properly, then you won't tarnish my reputation."

After explaining the details of his dealings with Section Chief Eikura, Professor Yonezawa looked at the humbly learning Nakayama Takuya, his old face a mixture of satisfaction and disdain, as if he were looking at a worthless but somehow self-illuminating stubborn rock.