Chapter 133

…the judgmental look in Tsukasa’s eyes did nothing to change Masato’s attitude. Once again, Masato beckoned him over to negotiate. After hesitating for a moment, Tsukasa told his soldiers to stay back, then stepped forward from his battle line alone and approached his old friend. Tsukasa was ready. He knew now that the true enemy wasn’t Neuro, it was Masato. And Tsukasa was the only one capable of bringing him down. His resolve came through loud and clear to Masato. Tsukasa’s choice to step forward marked the start of the true battle. “…I mean, think about it,” Masato continued. “What’ll happen if you funnel money to a bunch of people who don’t own companies? Salaries exist because of wealthy people doing business, and without them making investments, the economy stops functioning. When rich people have money, that money ends up flowing downstream. It’s what they call the trickle-down effect, and it’s how the economy works. Go on, tell me I’m wrong.” “That argument’s fallacious and you know it, Merchant.” With that one intense word, fallacious, Tsukasa cut right through Masato’s retort. “In the past, there have been administrations that based their economic policy around that very same trickle-down theory. Do you know what happened? “Companies’ retained earnings, the savings they kept for themselves instead of distributing into the economy, rose to never-before-seen levels. All the riches that were supposed to flow downward stopped right at the top. Instead of money trickling down, real wages declined. Trying to advance your argument while completely disregarding actual case studies hardly seems like a productive course of action.” Trickle-down economics had already proven to be ineffective, so as Tsukasa saw it, another option was necessary. “The problems our nation is grappling with can’t be solved merely by increasing the size of our economy. The issue is that a tiny percentage of wealthy individuals control seventy percent of the total wealth—and it’s the system that enables them that’s at fault.” “People like me have our money because we earned it.” “Absolutely; I don’t deny that. But if we allow the fact that you earned your money to serve as a justification for maintaining the status quo, then we might as well not have a democracy at all.” “What?” “The primary objective of UBI is to ensure our civil rights are protected by taking the money flowing through our nation like water and mandating that its waterways be maintained. That’s right, mandating. Many of our nation’s problems are rooted in how the wealthy have dug in and protected their vested interests over the past century or so. The masses don’t trust you to self-regulate, so they elected my administration to make that choice for you.” “Spoken like a true populist,” Masato said, sighing overdramatically to express his exasperation. “Always gotta pander to the masses, don’t you? Those people don’t have talent, they don’t have skills, they don’t even have a proper work ethic, and you treat them like gods. What’s your endgame here, goddamn mob rule?” “What would be wrong with that?” “Sorry, run that by me again?” “Mob rule is just an outcome. If the people’s foolishness leads them to destroy themselves, they have no one but themselves to blame. It’s a perfectly viable conclusion, one might even say a healthy conclusion, for a democracy. The worst possible outcome for a democracy is for a small group of people to recognize that possibility, denounce it as inane, and use that as a pretext to seize power for themselves and use it at their whim.” “…” “You have every right to oppose my campaign promises, Merchant, and our constitution guarantees you the right to run for office with that as your policy platform. If that’s what you want to do, then be my guest. But trying to have your way by force is something I cannot abide.” “…Big words for a guy standing where you are.” A bitter smirk spread across Masato’s face as he watched Tsukasa approach unhurriedly. The situation was such that Masato effectively had a gun pressed to Tsukasa’s head, yet Tsukasa didn’t seem daunted in the slightest. “But hey, you’ve always been a bit hardheaded. Don’t worry, I never thought it’d be easy to get you to walk back your plan. But here’s the thing…” Tsukasa’s demeanor wasn’t enough to make Masato lose his cool. He was supremely confident that he was in the right here. “If you keep pushing for UBI, the people who blindly support you for being the messiah who took down the twisted old administration are gonna get hopped up on hype, and Japan’s gonna descend into exactly the kind of mob rule you described. And you wanna know why? It’s because UBI’s got this one fatal flaw.” “Does it?” When Tsukasa stopped in his tracks and posed his question, Masato gave him a theatrical nod. “You’d be giving people an entitlement that assures them they can survive without working. You’re removing the necessity for labor.” The question was: What happened when you took away the need for people to work? The way Masato put it, their desire to try would decrease, and the labor participation rate would deteriorate. “The quality of service will go to shit. Then there’s the progressive tax you’ll need to implement to fund UBI. With the one-two combo of lower quality and worse cashflow, our nation’s industries are gonna stop being competitive in the global marketplace. And you know what’ll happen then? “Our GDP’s gonna shrink, and your tax revenue will drop with it. Eventually, you won’t even be able to keep funding your UBI.” If the government attempted to maintain UBI through lower tax yields, it would have to increase taxation. However, that increase would hurt corporations all over again. “It’s a vicious circle, and it’ll end with our domestic industries in ruins. All those people who supported you will change their tunes. ‘Con man!’ they’ll call you. ‘You’ll just say whatever gets you elected!’” “That’s a pretty bold conclusion.” “Yeah, well, it’s true. That’s the way it’ll all go down. Look, Tsukasa. As a manager, I’ve observed a lot of people, and I’m talking from experience here. People are fundamentally lazy deep down. Unless something forces them, gives them no choice, they’ll drift through life slothfully. “Maybe you could call it a biological mechanism. Lions raised in captivity don’t hunt, and it’s the same deal with people. If the government raises its people like that, they’ll stop working altogether, and the nation will fall.” “Interesting. So to sum up, Masato, this fatal flaw you see…” “Is that it goes against human nature. That’s the main problem with UBI. Japan’s a country that sells tech and buys resources. If our people stop working, our companies will wither, and our economy will tank so badly that we won’t even be able to keep the lights on. Without our companies, we won’t have a nation. “Sure, wealth is getting concentrated, and maybe there isn’t that much trickling down. But if someone has a problem with that, all they gotta do is start their own business and use it to climb higher. “They can found a company, they can get a job in a public sector… Japan doesn’t have any have laws against that. It’s all totally legal, so the idea of plunging everyone into poverty for a bunch of slackers who won’t even try is straight-up pigheaded. That right there is a system that makes fools out of anyone who actually puts in effort, and there’s nothing more unfair than that. “I say some people aren’t worth saving. Nations aren’t built by gods. They’re built by people, and that means they can’t rescue everyone. Call it an evil of democracy if you like, but as long as we’re working with finite resources, our systems are gonna have limits. In democracies, politicians are meant to do their best within those limitations. “So c’mon, ditch the pipe dreams and work with me here. That’ll let you bring happiness to the most people possible. That right there is one of those ‘better compromises’ you love so much, right?” People were creatures of sloth. Masato was certain of it, and he built an argument upon that conviction to show Tsukasa how wrong he was. There was less than a hundred feet between the two Prodigies now. Masato extended his hand toward Tsukasa. All Tsukasa had to do was take it, and their negotiation would reach its conclusion. Perhaps the gesture was also meant symbolically, like he was trying to pull his friend back from the brink before Tsukasa destroyed himself chasing an impossible dream. However, Tsukasa took Masato’s words and outstretched hand… “Wrong.” …and rejected them both without a shred of hesitation. “…” Tsukasa’s tone was as sharp and unwavering as a knife, and Masato’s eyes went wide with shock. He knew that Tsukasa was exceedingly careful when it came to the future and matters unknown and that he always considered every possibility to choose the best. That was just the kind of person Tsukasa was, and that was precisely why Masato hadn’t expected him to refuse so firmly. Was Tsukasa letting his emotions get the better of him? No, that wasn’t it. Masato was sure it had to be something else. There wasn’t a person he knew more detached from their feelings than Tsukasa. Masato shot him a questioning look that asked, “What are you basing that refusal on?” Tsukasa replied, “It’s true that lazily drifting through life is a biological mechanism, Merchant, and I admit that humans are furnished with that feature. In primeval times, it may well have been the truest expression of our nature. But now… Now things are different. There’s something we now have that animals don’t, and its creation changed us on a fundamental level.” “What’s that?” “I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d need to ask. You’re the prodigy businessman, aren’t you? There’s one thing we have that animals don’t, and that thing is currency.” “!” “Its creation increased the range at which goods could be distributed and the diversity of those goods. It meant that distant civilizations could engage in cultural exchange, and it spurred on human society’s rapid growth. However, it also created the ability to use currency to pervert society—hoarding.” Tsukasa pointed out that currency didn’t degrade over time, and that gave people the ability to easily store value. “Its presence altered our very natures from creatures that live for the moment to creatures that live for tomorrow. “‘I might need this someday, so I’ll save it.’ “‘I might need this someday, so I’ll gather up more of it.’ “We began seeking value for use in the future, even though we couldn’t know for sure whether we’d be able to use it. And it turns out that behavior has no limits. The mere existence of value that you can store without it ever spoiling takes those bounds and destroys them. It stops being about having enough for tomorrow or the day after. It becomes about the next year, or the next decade, or the next generation, or the next three generations. People gather up more and more and strive for greater wealth than they could ever possibly use. They keep on hoarding it, but no matter how much they hold, it’s never enough. The future is infinite, after all. “So the question is, what happens then? “Naturally, some people will be really good at making money, which eventually leads to colossal wealth inequality. There are people who don’t have enough to feed themselves tomorrow coexisting with those carrying fortunes substantial enough to do as they like for generations and never fear going broke. Our homeland exists at the endpoint of that history, where we have people starving to death while dumpsters overflow with food.” “So you’re saying that what drives humankind…,” Masato began. “Is greed,” Tsukasa finished. “It drives people in our world of extreme wealth inequality, and it motivates the citizens of this world that recently had a revolution. Greed motivates citizens to seek better futures for themselves. By doing so, they change society. You’ve stood by Roo’s side and seen how powerful that drive is yourself.” “…” Roo was a slave girl who, spurred by a desire to buy back her lost family, put her life on the line to convince Masato of her hunger. There was a value to the avarice burning in her young eyes, and Masato recognized that better than anyone. Masato had no way to refute Tsukasa’s assertion. He sank into awed silence. Meanwhile, Tsukasa strode onward with intensity in his steps. “With that fact in mind, I not only refute your theory that people are inherently slothful, but I can also state that your fears about UBI destroying the framework of our society are baseless! No matter how the system changes, there’s no end to humanity’s appetite. We can never go back to being wild beasts. “With UBI, I intend to take our countless welfare systems, the ones that have purposely been needlessly subdivided to create power structures, and unify them to break down the barriers keeping wealth stagnant and create a vast financial canal that flows back and forth between our nation and its people. It will set countless things in motion. “And the first thing it will do is change our relationship with work. “The fact that UBI gives people enough to live off of means that workers will possess a lifeline to escape from abusive workplaces. Companies won’t be able to exploit laborers anymore. That will lead to moral working environments, which in turn will have a direct impact on employee motivation. A lot of people have big dreams for the future but are tied down by simply having to survive, and this will give them an opportunity to embrace new challenges. They can start businesses, go into research, create works of art—the world will be their oyster. As you said, Merchant, Japan is a nation with few resources that gets by selling technology. This will allow more people to embrace their potential, which will serve our national interests. “On top of that, the flow of goods will shift as well. “When the massive waterway that is UBI sends wealth flowing to the masses, tons of goods produced only to be sent to dumpsters will end up in the hands of people who need them instead. The interplay between supply and demand shall become more efficient than ever, and the scale of our nation’s markets will expand dramatically. “It will fundamentally change the way money operates in the long run. “Once people know that there’s a baseline income level they’ll always have access to, they’ll stop thinking of money as something to be hoarded. It will become something to be spent, or perhaps invested. Of the estimated two quadrillion yen the Japanese public owns in personal assets, nearly sixty percent is held in bank deposits. That number is almost unreasonably conservative by international standards, and if we can get that asset ratio more active, it’s impossible to estimate how much good it will do for our economy. “People, goods, money…the massive UBI river will carry them through our nation with hitherto unseen mobility. That will allow us to systematically build a country where nobody starves again. We’ll be trailblazers for a new era and a guiding light for democracies heading into the twenty-second century. That’s something I feel deeply confident about.” Tsukasa’s stance on human nature differed from Masato’s. And after laying it bare, he made his stand. Tsukasa stood before Masato’s proffered hand, but rather than spare a glance at it, he looked his old friend straight in the eye. His gaze declared that UBI would work. “…You seriously think you’re gonna be able to pull that off? You’re not talkin’ about changing Japan anymore. You’re talking about changing the whole damn world.” “I do. People’s greed has altered the world before. If people want it, I’ll get it done. After all…that’s what politicians are for.” “…” Seeing Tsukasa talk like that, with his blue and red eyes shining with ice-cold rationality and fiery passion, dredged up a memory of Masato’s from a few years ago. He recalled the night when Tsukasa, who was just a boy, came to him and suggested they take down Tsukasa’s father. “Your old man is a problem for me, too. He’s already laying the groundwork to sell off our nation, and I can’t be who I am in a socialist state. This plan of yours has my full support.” “That means a lot. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have in my corner than you, Merchant.” Tsukasa and Masato had met at night in the park, beneath a streetlight that had been left broken to save on infrastructure renovation costs and atop a bench with all its paint peeling. Tsukasa’s father, Mitsuhide Mikogami, was running Japan into the ground with his misgovernance, and Masato and Tsukasa had come together to discuss their plan to oust him. Masato had already made a name for himself as a talented businessman, and he offered Tsukasa his full support. At the same time, though… “But here’s the thing. When the plan succeeds, your old man’s gonna get executed, no ifs, ands, or buts. The only statutory penalty on the books for treason is the death penalty. In other words, you’ll be murdering your father with your own two hands. You’re gonna regret it no matter what.” …he also issued a warning. Masato was all too familiar with the pain of losing one’s family. Blood was nothing to be made light of. To that… “You’re right. I’m sure I will.” …Tsukasa had given him a small nod. Then… “I loved my father. He cared for me and gave me the best life and education I could have asked for. Without my mother’s and father’s unconditional love, I wouldn’t have the clothes I’m wearing or the knowledge I possess. I wouldn’t even exist. He gave me more time, energy, and love than a child could possibly hope to repay. My father is a great man. He’s a kind man. A kind man! So why? Why?! Why couldn’t he care about the masses the same way he loves me?!” …he let out a violent wail of grief and tore at his hair. The roots were already starting to go white. Masato distinctly remembered Tsukasa’s expression that night. It stuck with him partially because it was the first and final time Masato ever saw him sob in public, but more importantly… “Every person possesses the kindness to care about other people. Everyone loves and is loved by someone—their mothers, their fathers, their children, their friends. “So why do tragedies like this happen? Why do people forget their nobler instincts? “The thing about me, Merchant, is that I never want anyone to feel the way I do right now. I want to build a nation where things like this don’t happen. A country without starvation, where no one has to kill or be killed, and everyone can live happily. “I’m not going to rely on some vague notion of humanity’s inherent goodness like God did when he forbade us from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. With proper logic, I can manipulate humanity’s wickedness and create a systemized Eden! “I don’t know what method will make that possible, not yet. But someday, I’ll find it. Just wait and see. “This battle is only the first step on that journey.” “…” …it was the awe and dread he felt over his friend trying to achieve something that even God himself had failed to do. You really found it, huh? You found the road to your destination. As he reflected on the past, Masato realized something. Ever since that day, Tsukasa had never stopped looking for a way to regulate people. People, who had the beautiful ability to love others yet were unable to rid themselves of their inherent evil. After all that searching, the answer he’d arrived at was UBI. That’s why Tsukasa’s explanation of how UBI would change the world didn’t rely at all on the innate goodness of humanity. Humankind’s greed had built the world as it currently stood, and Tsukasa was trying take that avarice and carefully direct it toward constructing a world that was kind to as many people as possible. It was the same thing he’d done with the People’s Revolution on this planet. As a prodigy businessman, Masato couldn’t flat-out deny the possibility of Tsukasa’s vision. Beasts knew nothing of currency, whereas humans did. While both were technically living creatures, it was difficult to truly describe them as being one and the same. Beasts existed for the moment while humans lived for tomorrow, and that formed a fundamental difference to their approaches. Now that humanity had obtained the standardized, quantifiable happiness that money represented, for it to return to being beasts would require so much effort that it was about as far from sloth as you could get. “Tsukasa, I get where you’re coming from.” Unlike Tsukasa, who’d rejected Masato’s opinion immediately, Masato confessed to understanding. He was unable to do anything else. As a prodigy businessman, he knew full well the power and allure of currency. He couldn’t reject it, and yet… “But at the end of the day, that’s just a single possibility. For rich people like me who already have it good, that’s not a strong enough reason for us to shell out. If you decide that you’re gonna push your UBI plan through no matter what, then the long and short of it is one of us is gonna have to put the other guy in the ground.” Masato agreed with Tsukasa’s logic. However, that didn’t mean he needed to actively work with him. The prodigy businessman and prodigy politician’s negotiation had concluded. As Masato lowered his outstretched hand, he reached into his suit with his other hand and pulled out the same miniature flintlock pistol he’d shot Shinobu with. He trained it straight on Tsukasa. The other Prodigies had been watching from afar, and a stir ran through their ranks. Tsukasa wore the slightest smile, and without a shred of trepidation or shock… “You’re the best businessman in the world, Merchant, and you’re connected to nearly a third of Earth’s wealth. If I can’t sell you on UBI, then I harbor no delusions that I’ll be able to make it work. So if I have to bet my life to set my ideals against yours, then so be it.” …he stepped toward the barrel leveled at him. Masato tensed his trigger finger. Aoi dropped her center of gravity, ready to break into a dash. The next moment… “But the thing is…” “Yeah, the thing is…” ““…that’s a conversation for another time.”” …Masato cast his gun aside and high-fived Tsukasa. “Guh-GAHHHHH?!?!” Neuro’s screams erupted from a cacophony of gunshots. The shots came from the Qinglong Gang mercenaries who’d been stationed around the grandmaster. They’d originally surrounded Neuro to protect him, but then they whirled around and fired at him. Masato casting his gun aside had been the signal. “Wh…why?!” Neuro collapsed, his body full of lead. Death claimed him slowly, though. He posed his question with his face drenched in blood and contorted with the rage of being unable to understand what had happened.