Chapter 593: Miss Saionji Who Values Scientific Research

“…Oh, right!”

Kiryu quickly sat back down.

Then he pulled another document out of the folder.

“Regarding the research funding for the first phase, we plan to apply for…”

He lowered his head and flipped through a few pages.

Then he stopped.

“Strange, why isn’t it here…”

The old man flipped through two more pages.

Yamada, watching from the side, couldn’t help but remind him.

“Professor, it seems you clipped the budget report into that structural analysis report just now.”

“Ah! Right, right, right!”

Kiryu immediately took back the previous file.

Sure enough, he found a thin budget report inside it.

“This is it!”

He quickly straightened the files and handed them to Satsuki with both hands.

However, just as Satsuki reached out to take the budget report, Kiryu suddenly remembered something.

Wait.

This budget report…

Seems a bit off.

The application he brought today was actually not the final version prepared by the technical committee for submission.

A few days ago, after discovering the special structure of SF-01, he had been so excited that he didn’t sleep all night. He simply sat in his office and listed all the research projects he had wanted to do over the years but never had the conditions to carry out.

Since they were going to study special lignin, high-performance NMR equipment was a must, right?

Since they were going to study biosynthetic pathways, a dedicated plant molecular biology laboratory couldn’t be lacking, right?

And large-scale fermentation equipment, plant tissue culture facilities, experimental greenhouses under different climatic conditions…

As for manpower, that went without saying.

Those old friends he knew at Kyoto University, as well as those guys doing cell wall research in the United States and Europe, he had wanted to bring them together for a long time.

Usually, funds were limited, and just borrowing an instrument required lining up months in advance.

Now that he had met such great research material, he simply let go and wrote down everything he could think of.

Anyway, it was just a budget he made privately.

Buy whatever he wanted to buy, invite whoever he wanted to invite.

Dreaming wasn’t illegal, right?

As a result…

Kiryu looked at the document that had fallen into Satsuki’s hands, and his expression gradually changed.

It’s over.

Got the wrong one!

That budget report truly prepared for submission was still on his office desk!

He instinctively reached out his hand.

But only reaching halfway, he abruptly stopped.

Because Satsuki had already opened the first page.

And…

Kiryu secretly glanced at the door.

There still stood two security personnel with guns at their waists.

Th-this time rushing over to grab the document…

Would probably be treated as an attack!?

Kiryu silently pulled his hand back.

Forget it.

It has already been handed out.

He couldn’t possibly tell the Eldest Miss now that he was too excited just now and accidentally handed her a whimsical budget report, right?

Moreover, every single piece of research on this document was truly what he wanted to do.

Just…

He lowered his head and recalled the numbers on the last page again.

1.84 billion yen.

Kiryu’s mouth twitched slightly.

That was an astronomical figure he barely fabricated based on the most ideal research conditions!

Ordinary university laboratories wanting to apply for tens of millions of yen had to prepare a bunch of materials, and it wasn’t certain it would be approved.

And now look at him.

The first time he applied for funds from the highest authority of the group, he directly asked for 1.8 billion!

He was too excited just now…

He secretly raised his eyes.

“Uhm… Miss Saionji?”

Satsuki didn’t reply.

She was carefully reviewing the items on the budget report.

NMR analytical equipment.

Chromatographic mass spectrometry system.

Dedicated cell wall research laboratory.

As well as researcher recruitment, overseas expert invitations, experimental greenhouse construction, and small-scale biofuel pilot equipment.

The projects were listed in great detail.

Behind many pieces of equipment, even the desired procurement models and which countries needed to be imported from were marked.

Satsuki looked through it page by page.

Seeing the end, her brows gradually furrowed.

Kiryu, sitting opposite, instantly felt his heart turn half cold.

As expected.

Too expensive!

Yamada had been quietly waiting on the side. Seeing Satsuki’s expression, he couldn’t help but become nervous.

He didn’t know how much money was actually written on the budget report.

However, even Professor Kiryu himself seemed somewhat uneasy, so it must be a very astonishing figure.

Neither of them spoke.

Meanwhile, what Satsuki was thinking at this moment was another matter entirely.

…Just this little?

She looked at the final total again.

1.84 billion yen.

She really didn’t read it wrong.

But…

Such important research, is 1.8 billion enough?

Satsuki was somewhat puzzled.

You know, what Kiryu introduced just now wasn’t just a new type of fuel ethanol production process.

Special cell wall structure, biomass separation, chemical utilization of lignin, and future genetic improvement of energy crops that might be involved.

If these studies could eventually make a breakthrough, Saionji even had the opportunity to build a completely new set of bioenergy industry.

Such a project only applied for 1.8 billion yen?

You know, according to the January financial data summarized just now, the consolidated monthly net profit of the group’s industrial operations had already exceeded 12 billion yen.

And this didn’t even count the massive financial assets in the S.A. Investment accounts, nor the share earnings of various overseas companies.

1.8 billion yen…

Not even one-sixth of the group’s monthly net profit.

Satsuki originally thought that since Kiryu came over so excitedly, he would at least apply for several billion.

As a result, just this little money?

Hmm…

She thought about it.

Could it be that the technical committee felt applying for too much would be hard to approve, so they deliberately lowered the budget?

That won’t do.

Satsuki’s expectations for this project were far beyond letting people below slowly study it for a dozen years and then hand her a few papers.

If possible, she hoped to see actual results as soon as possible.

It would be best to produce technology with industrialization prospects within a year or two.

Thinking of this, Satsuki finally raised her head.

“Professor Kiryu.”

“Yes!”

Kiryu immediately straightened his body.

“This budget of yours…”

Satsuki lowered her head and glanced at the document again.

“Is there something wrong with it?”

Here it comes!

Kiryu’s heart skipped a beat.

He opened his mouth, preparing to explain that this document was actually not the final version.

But when the words reached his lips, he was somewhat reluctant.

After all…

If he could really have these equipments and these researchers…

“Uhm… Miss Saionji.”

He cautiously observed Satsuki’s expression.

“Regarding this budget, there are actually some places that can be adjusted…”

“I knew it.”

Satsuki nodded.

Kiryu’s heart instantly became even more unsettled.

“It’s like this, because the research directions involved are relatively numerous, and some equipment needs to be purchased from overseas, the budget might be slightly…”

“Professor Kiryu.”

Satsuki suddenly interrupted him.

“I think you might have misunderstood one thing.”

“…Eh?”

“I place great importance on technological research.”

Satsuki put the budget report on the table, her tone turning serious.

“Especially technologies like SF-01 that might affect the entire future energy industry.”

“Since the group has decided to conduct research, it should provide you with sufficient conditions as much as possible.”

She stretched out her finger and gently tapped the last page of the budget report.

“Therefore, Professor, you don’t have to feel too embarrassed to apply to me just because you are worried the funds are too high.”

Kiryu was stunned.

“…Ah?”

Satsuki didn’t care about his reaction and continued:

“I don’t want you to waste time on things like lining up to borrow equipment or running around looking for research funding.”

“If you lack any instruments, purchase them as soon as possible. If you need any talent, list their names.”

“The research facilities already owned by the group can also be coordinated and used uniformly by the technical committee.”

Saying this, she picked up the budget report again.

“So, what I want to ask is…”

“If I hope to see actual results from the research on SF-01 as soon as possible, and even begin industrialization experiments, how much funding do you actually need?”

The reception room suddenly fell silent.

Kiryu blinked.

Blinked again.

He lowered his head and glanced at the budget report.

1.84 billion.

Then he raised his head to look at Satsuki.

This time, he finally realized.

Wait.

The Eldest Miss’s meaning…

Could it be that she thinks I applied for too little!?

Kiryu opened his mouth and couldn’t speak for a long time.

Yamada, sitting beside him, wore an equally incredulous expression.

He had thought just now that Satsuki frowning meant she found the budget too high.

As a result, it was actually too low?

“Uhm…”

Kiryu finally recovered his voice.

“Miss Saionji, do you mean… we can further increase the budget?”

“Of course.”

Satsuki nodded as a matter of course.

“However, increasing the budget must also have a practical purpose.”

“If we just buy ten sets of the same equipment without enough researchers to use them, it would be meaningless.”

“What I hope for is to achieve results as soon as possible, rather than simply spending the money out.”

“I see…”

Kiryu slowly nodded.

But his brain was already spinning rapidly.

If they really didn’t need to worry about funding, then the research that originally needed to be carried out in stages could be promoted simultaneously.

Cell wall structural analysis, biosynthetic mechanisms, fuel fermentation, and small-scale pilot facilities…

They could even bring in the group’s chemical engineering team ahead of schedule!

He quickly made a mental estimation.

Then, he tentatively extended five fingers.

“Then… five billion yen?”

As soon as he finished speaking, even he himself was startled by that number.

Five billion!

You must know that the budget of 1.84 billion yen just now was already compiled by him based on the most ideal conditions.

Now it had unexpectedly nearly tripled again!

Kiryu even began to suspect whether he had lost his normal judgment regarding money because he was too excited.

But before he even had time to explain how this money was going to be spent, Satsuki had already nodded.

“Approved.”

“…”

Kiryu was stunned.

“…Approved?”

“Mm, five billion yen.”

Satsuki picked up her fountain pen again.

“As a special budget for the first phase, it should be enough, right?”

“Ah… y-yes!”

“Then it’s settled.”

She wrote the revised approved amount on the document and signed her name.

The nib of the pen glided across the paper.

Kiryu stared blankly at this scene.

Five billion yen.

Just like that…

It was approved?

He had originally even prepared to argue with the group’s finance department for several months over the 1.8 billion in funding.

As a result, not only was not a single penny cut today, but the eldest miss even actively increased it to five billion.

Furthermore…

She didn’t even try to bargain at all?

Satsuki, however, did not notice Kiryu’s expression of profound existential doubt.

She flipped the document back to the front and continued to give instructions.

“In addition, this funding doesn’t need to be used entirely in Tokyo.”

“Shakotan already has a biotechnology center, which can continue to undertake the germplasm preservation, propagation, and breeding research for SF-01.”

“Parts that require specialized analytical equipment can be arranged in the group’s existing research facilities. If they truly cannot meet the needs, then consider purchasing new equipment or establishing specialized laboratories.”

“As for the industrialization trials…”

She thought for a brief moment.

“You can have personnel from the group’s chemical and industrial engineering sectors participate early.”

“I hope that you can produce the first batch of complete process verification results before the end of this year.”

“If progress goes smoothly, it would be best to see a real pilot production line put into operation next year.”

“Of course, that’s provided the research itself allows for it.”

Satsuki raised her head and looked at Kiryu.

“How is it, Professor?”

“Do you have confidence?”

Kiryu finally snapped back to his senses.

“I do!”

His voice was even louder than when he was explaining the technological achievements just now.

However, he quickly remembered something and hurriedly added:

“Of course, Miss Saionji, some research truly cannot be accelerated purely by increasing funding.”

“For instance, the overwintering performance of plants and the stability of long-term cultivation; these all need to go through actual growth cycles.”

“As for the genetic mechanism of the special cell wall, we haven’t even fully determined the key factors yet, so we cannot guarantee when a breakthrough will be made.”

“However!”

Kiryu abruptly straightened his back.

“If we have a budget of five billion yen, coupled with the group’s existing research equipment and technical personnel, I am confident that we can start all research that can be carried out in parallel ahead of schedule!”

“At least in the coming year, we will definitely be able to achieve more results than originally planned!”

“That’s good.”

Satsuki nodded with satisfaction.

“However, after the funding increases, the management must also keep up.”

“Especially for fuel ethanol, you must calculate all the costs of planting, transportation, pretreatment, fermentation, and distillation. You can’t just take the sugar release amount in the laboratory and tell me this fuel is cheaper than gasoline.”

She looked toward Yamada.

“Mr. Yamada, you must remember this point as well.”

“Yes! I understand!”

Yamada hurriedly nodded.

“As for the special cell wall research, this part can be treated as long-term basic research.”

“I don’t require you to produce a commercial product within a year.”

“But what discoveries have been made in each stage, which judgments have been verified, and which are still just guesses, must be clearly written into the report.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“After all, I wouldn’t want two years from now for the Professor to hold a document of several dozen pages and tell me that all the research is still lingering in the ‘very promising’ stage.”

“Please rest assured!”

Kiryu nodded immediately.

“We will definitely produce truly valuable results!”

“Mm, I’ll leave it to you then, Professor.”

Satsuki handed the signed document to Chizuru.

“In addition, five billion is only the budget for the first phase.”

“If subsequent follow-up truly requires building larger-scale facilities, you can apply for it separately.”

“As long as there is sufficient scientific and engineering basis, I will not veto a project just because the funding is high.”

Hearing this, Kiryu’s eyes lit up again.

“You mean… more can be added in the future?”

“Of course.”

Satsuki tilted her head.

“Could the Professor possibly think that I intend to spend only five billion yen and have you solve the entire energy industry’s problems for Saionji?”

“…”

Kiryu opened his mouth, temporarily at a loss for words.

After quite a while, he solemnly lowered his head.

“Thank you very much, Miss Saionji.”

Satsuki waved her hand.

“Alright, Professor.”

“The money has been approved, so I’ll leave the research matters to you.”

She glanced at the clock on the wall.

“However, before that… shouldn’t you also be having lunch?”

“Lunch?”

Kiryu subconsciously glanced at his watch.

“Ah… it’s already this time.”

Yet his mind right now was filled with the new laboratory, the research team, and the equipment that could finally be purchased.

He couldn’t wait to go back immediately and gather all the researchers for a meeting.

As for eating…

It shouldn’t matter if it’s a bit later, right?

The moment Satsuki saw his expression, she knew what this professor was thinking again.

“The report isn’t going to run away, Professor.”

She reminded him with a hint of helplessness.

“Besides, even if you rush back to the laboratory right now, it’s impossible to spend all five billion yen this afternoon, isn’t it?”

“…That’s true.”

Kiryu finally closed the report.

However, just as he was getting up, he couldn’t help but look back at the signed budget document in Chizuru’s hand.

If he had known Miss Saionji supported scientific research this much…

When he initially agreed to join the technical committee, he should have moved the entire laboratory over together