Harry swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.
"They believe that the launch of the Startups & Venture Capital section may mark the first concentrated explosion of commercial value on the Internet. It creates an almost delay-free window, allowing the most cutting-edge ideas to appear instantly before the sharpest capital. This isn't just a fundraising channel—this is a brand-new, disruptive model for connecting capital and creativity!"
Section Chief Nohara stood at the back of the crowd, listening without fully understanding. Instinctively, he tugged on the sleeve of the Japanese colleague beside him and whispered, "Is this Wall Street Journal that the Executive Director keeps mentioning… really that famous?"
"Nohara-san…" The colleague's face turned pale, his voice trembling. "If Sankei Shimbun is the voice of Japan's economy… then this—is the Bible of global capital."
Nohara froze, staring at Takuya Nakayama with new-found awe.
Takuya glanced at the exaggerated headlines splashed across the newspaper, then at the excitedly gesturing Harry. With a slight smile, he said to Tom Kalinske, "Tom, your speed is almost faster than FedEx. What happened just yesterday is already on every tech page in America."
But Tom didn't return the joke. He waved toward the celebrating engineers, signaling them to continue, then pulled Takuya aside to a quiet corner.
The room was loud with victory, but the corner they stepped into felt unnaturally still.
Tom cast a look at the engineers still buzzing over the article, then leaned closer to Takuya.
The face that usually wore a big, easy smile now showed not a single hint of humor.
"Takuya… KPCB and Sequoia both called me." Tom's voice was low, each word weighted. "They want to know whether Silicon Valley Online… is open to investment."
Takuya showed no surprise. His expression didn't shift—not even an eyebrow.
He simply looked at Tom and asked calmly, "What do you think?"
"Me?" Tom blinked, then let out a bitter laugh. "I can sell consoles and games, no problem. But this thing? If you hadn't suddenly decided two months ago to jump into it, I wouldn't have understood a thing about it. Even now I'm only half-literate. You want me to make this kind of decision? That'd be irresponsible. What are you thinking?"
"Tom, in terms of connections and influence in America, no one in SEGA compares to you." Takuya acknowledged first—but his tone shifted quickly. "But the Internet isn't something you can promote by shouting. Its presence has to seep into every corner, every elite circle. If we do it ourselves, it'll be too slow."
He paused, gaze drifting toward the "Startups & VC" section board.
"Let the big funds come in. They'll become our amplifiers. All of Silicon Valley—hell, all of America's capital circles—will know we exist. That's how influence is created."
Tom's breath caught slightly. He understood.
"And," Takuya's lips curled subtly, "we've built the stage. If they want to come perform on it, they ought to pay for the privilege, no? Not only can we leverage their influence, we can ride their networks to invest in the next TaWiz we discover."
"We'll do VC ourselves?" Tom's eyes lit up.
"Why not?" Takuya shrugged. "We have the fastest information flow and the highest concentration of top talent. We smell opportunities before anyone else. Why should others get all the meat? Why can't we take a sip of the soup—or better yet, hunt ourselves?"
Tom's heart hammered.
Looking at the young man in front of him, he realized his own imagination for Silicon Valley Online had been far too small.
He drew a deep breath, forcing himself to steady. "So… I reply to them now?"
"Don't rush." Takuya wagged a finger. "Right now we're not the ones begging—they are. A deal pushed too hard isn't worth doing. Let them wait."
Half-joking, he added, "Tell them you're busy. SEGA has a heap of new games launching, and you'll get back to them once the rush is over. And tell them to prepare more money. If they want in, they'll need sincerity. This is the first round. If we sell cheap now, how will we play later?"
Tom was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "You really are a devil."
"Of course." Takuya's smile faded slightly. "But don't freeze them out too long. Silicon Valley is full of geniuses and madmen—someone might copy our idea tomorrow and make a 'San Francisco Online' or 'California Online.'"
He patted Tom's arm.
"You handle the timing. You know these American VCs better than I do. You know when to slap them and when to hand them candy."
"And if the investment side gets too overwhelming, you can hire an investment director." Takuya added casually. "It's better handled in the US than through Japan's investment department. Just send regular investment briefs to HQ—I'll deal with Tokyo."
Tom had been dreading explaining this sudden "venture capital detour" to Tokyo HQ. But hearing this, his eyes lit up—then he pulled a dramatic face.
"You're my lifesaver, Takuya. I can already picture Tokyo's reaction when they read my email. They'll think the California sun fried my brain—throwing SEGA's money into a BBS."
"That's why you need a professional to write a professional report." Takuya chuckled. "A beautiful deck full of dollar signs and growth curves will beat any explanation. The credit will be yours. I'll just block the calls from Tokyo."
"Hah! I knew it!" Tom slapped his thigh. "You're way more suited to dealing with HQ than I am!"
But Takuya's smile faded again. His tone shifted to something heavier.
"And that's only the first step."
"You also need to think about promoting—or hiring—a CEO for Silicon Valley Online."
"A CEO?" Tom's smile froze. He thought he'd misheard. "For a BBS… we need a CEO?"
"Harry is, at best, a project lead—an excellent engineer," Takuya said, shaking his head. "But not someone who can run a company. Today our BBS attracts Sequoia. Tomorrow it'll attract more. One day, Silicon Valley Online will incubate new projects. Maybe even acquire them. Harry can't handle that. And take ICQ—we'll need more than engineering. We'll need someone who knows what features attract users, what keeps them here. That's beyond Harry's skillset."
Tom fell silent.
He looked at Takuya—really looked at him—and the last trace of humor disappeared.
He finally understood.
Takuya Nakayama wasn't handing him a BBS.
He wasn't even handing him a company.
He was handing him the beginnings of an ecosystem—one with infinite potential.
And he was giving Tom full authority to shape it.
The weight of that trust struck him so hard that even a battle-hardened executive felt his chest tighten.
Yes, he was president of SEGA America. Yes, he had power.
But deep down, he was still an employee.
Yet Takuya's words… were about making him a founder.
Support from SEGA Japan suddenly seemed trivial next to that level of trust.
With Takuya giving direction, absorbing pressure, handling headquarters… Tom no longer needed to fear the politics between the two HQs.
"Takuya…" Tom's throat bobbed. He looked at the young man—nearly twenty years his junior—and, for a moment, found himself speechless.
After a long silence, he let out a deep breath.
The earlier excitement settled into something steadier, stronger—determination.
His signature grin bloomed again, brighter than ever.
He nodded hard, no hesitation, no extra words—only a voice filled with rising battle spirit:
"Understood."
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