Satsuki stood up upon hearing this.
In that instant, the entire auditorium suddenly fell silent.
When Principal Kuga was speaking, there had actually still been very subtle sounds in the auditorium.
Some people flipped through their programs, others adjusted their posture, parents whispered reminders to their children to sit up straight, and in the distance, there was the sound of a camera case being gently snapped shut.
These sounds were very faint and did not disrupt the order of the graduation ceremony, but they were enough to make the auditorium feel alive.
But after Satsuki stood up from her seat, all those sounds ceased.
She placed the program on her lap onto her chair, nodded to Ayako and Reiko beside her, and then walked out from the ranks of Class 3-A.
The applause began right on cue.
First from the student section, then the parent section, and finally the VIP section in the front.
The applause was not chaotic; it sounded restrained, consistent with the typical atmosphere of a graduation ceremony at Seika Academy.
Satsuki walked toward the podium, meeting those gazes.
She did not walk quickly, nor did she deliberately strike a pose; she simply walked along the red carpet to the front of the stage and bowed to Principal Kuga.
Principal Kuga also smiled and nodded at her, then stepped aside to make room at the podium.
Satsuki stood before the podium, lifting her eyes to scan the students and parents below.
The applause quickly died down.
When the last bit of sound faded away, the auditorium returned to its previous silence.
The young faces in the student section were looking at her, and those in the parent section who were more familiar with the trends in Tokyo were also waiting for her to speak.
Satsuki did not use the common, rehearsed tone of a graduation ceremony.
Her voice sounded very relaxed, more like she was sharing a small matter she had just recalled with an acquaintance.
"Teachers, fellow students, parents."
"Today is the graduation ceremony. By convention, I should thank the school, the teachers, and my parents, and then wish all my fellow students a smooth future."
She glanced down at the prepared speech draft that the school had provided on the podium for emergencies, then reached out and closed it.
"Principal Kuga has already said those things very well just now."
In the school administration section in the front row, the smiles on some people's faces stiffened slightly.
Satsuki looked at Shuichi in the audience.
Shuichi's expression had tightened, as if he had finally confirmed that his daughter really intended to do something today.
He looked at Satsuki, his eyes clearly saying, "You had better stop while you are ahead," but with so many people between them, there was, of course, no way for him to pull her off the podium.
Satsuki smiled.
"Besides, the total amount of time I have spent at school over these three years of high school is probably less than the time Principal Kuga has spent discussing official business with my father."
"If I were to reminisce about a rich and colorful campus life, the credibility would likely not be very high."
The auditorium was silent for a moment, followed by a ripple of soft laughter.
A few students lowered their heads, as if afraid of laughing too obviously.
Principal Kuga also smiled, while Shuichi, sitting in the front row, raised a hand to press his temples.
The atmosphere in the auditorium also relaxed a little.
Satsuki's fingers rested lightly on the edge of the podium, her tone remaining steady.
"Therefore, today I want to talk about some things that everyone will encounter immediately after leaving this auditorium."
"Three years ago, when we entered the high school division of Seika Academy, the Nikkei index was still heading toward 40,000 points, land in Tokyo was still rising in value, banks were still willing to lend, and large companies were still willing to hire."
"I think many families believed that as long as we continued along the established path, life would only get better."
The expressions of some people in the audience changed.
The change was not obvious, just that the corners of mouths that had been smiling slowly tightened, and fingers gripping the programs exerted a little more force.
"Back then, the questions fathers and mothers asked their children most often were probably about which university to apply to, which department to choose, and which company to join in the future, right? Then, after gaining a few years of experience, return to help out at the family business."
She looked at the silent crowd below, her voice remaining very steady.
"These questions are, of course, still important today."
"But the parents sitting here, I am afraid, can no longer consider only these things."
"Whether the banks will roll over loans, whether the family business can still receive orders, whether the factory will still be operating next month, and how much of the real estate collateral that used to be valuable the banks will still accept now."
The atmosphere in the auditorium underwent an imperceptible change.
Some students quietly looked toward the parent section.
Some parents lowered their heads, as if trying to avoid the gazes of those around them.
Others sat even straighter, their expressions unchanged, though the programs in their hands had been creased from being gripped too tightly.
Of course, there were also those who remained calm throughout, simply watching Satsuki on stage in silence, wondering what they were thinking.
Satsuki gave them some time, not rushing to continue.
Many people sitting here had never wanted their children to hear about these issues in the past.
These words should not appear at a graduation ceremony, nor should they come out of the mouth of a student representative.
But they had already entered the dining tables, studies, and company boardrooms of every family.
Plugging one's ears would not make the bills disappear.
After a moment, Satsuki continued.
"Of course, the fact that everyone here can still come to school and sit here already shows that you possess better conditions than most people."
Her gaze shifted from the student section to the parent section.
"But these problems will not disappear from Tokyo just because the auditorium at Seika Academy is beautiful."
"This is Japan."
"The Japan that we will face after we graduate."
On the school administration side, several teachers finally could not sit still.
The grade-level director looked down at the program in their hand, then looked up at Principal Kuga.
The head of administration's gaze swept toward the sound booth, where the staff were sitting behind the equipment, their hands having left the switches, their eyes also glancing toward the school administration section.
The emcee stood to the side, holding the cards for the next part of the program, unsure whether to step in and stop her when they heard this.
They all realized that Satsuki was likely going to say things that should not be said at a graduation ceremony.
Logically speaking, the school could use the program to remind her, have the emcee step forward, or find an excuse to cut back to the graduation schedule.
However, the person standing on the podium was Saionji Satsuki.
Did they really want to be the one to stick their neck out and stop her?
Principal Kuga did not speak.
Shuichi did not speak either.
Whoever stood up to stop her at this moment would become the center of everyone's attention.
And so, the people in the school administration section just exchanged glances, constantly signaling to others, their eyes almost crossing from the effort, but no one dared to actually step forward.
Satsuki seemed not to notice these reactions.
"Therefore, I will not tell everyone here that hard work will definitely lead to success, nor will I say that as long as you get into a good university, you can rest easy about the future."
"A diploma is important, and family background is also important. But in the coming years, what banks need is cash flow, what enterprises need is orders, and what employees look at is whether wages can be paid on time."
"Things that could maintain appearances in the past may not necessarily be able to sustain a company in the future."
"Relationships that could provide peace of mind in the past may not necessarily be able to help one secure loans in the future."
Her gaze turned to the parent section.
"Everyone here should be clearer on this than the students."
After these words fell, not a single sound of conversation could be heard in the parent section.
Many people suddenly understood at this moment that since Satsuki stood on the podium today, the audience she was addressing had never been just the students.
She was speaking to the entire auditorium.
And she was also speaking to those who had not come to the auditorium but would certainly hear these words.
Satsuki gripped the edge of the podium with both hands, leaning slightly forward.
"Therefore, the Saionji family also gives everyone an answer today."
Shuichi's fingers pressed lightly on the armrest.
Principal Kuga's gaze toward the podium paused for a moment.
Reiko looked up in the student section, her fingers subconsciously gripping the graduation certificate on her lap.
Satsuki continued:
"We will continue to open stores, continue to expand warehouses, continue to increase food processing lines, continue to invest in information systems, continue to expand our procurement list, and we will also continue to integrate companies that are still operational into our system."
"As long as your family businesses can still produce, send the samples, quotes, and delivery schedules."
"If you have warehouses, fleets, factories, or storefronts at home, you can also send the information."
"If any students are worried about not having a place in the future, you can also remember these words today."
Satsuki looked around.
"The Saionji family is expanding."
"And in the foreseeable future, we will continue to expand."
The auditorium became even quieter.
This sentence could no longer be treated merely as a student representative's speech.
The school staff could hear it.
The parents could hear it.
The board members sitting in the front row could also hear it.
Saionji Satsuki had publicly placed the Saionji family's stance before everyone at the Seika Academy graduation ceremony.
She did not avoid the outside world's discussion about Saionji's expansion, nor did she choose to keep a low profile when the Seiwa faction was testing the Isokawa family.
She made her words very clear.
The Saionji family would continue to expand.
It also indicated that the Saionji family would continue to maintain an extremely aggressive stance, and was in fact becoming even more aggressive.
The Seiwa faction wanted to know how Saionji would respond.
Now, the entire auditorium had heard the response.
In the auditorium, one parent slowly lowered their head, as if rethinking something.
On the other side, a student looked at their father, only to find that their father was staring at Satsuki on the podium, his face no longer holding the relaxation that a graduation ceremony should have.
But just when the atmosphere of the entire venue had become heavy, Satsuki suddenly smiled.
The silence that had been pressing down on the auditorium just a moment ago was gently pushed aside by the smile that reappeared on her lips.
"Of course, everyone can also just take this as a bit of a willful speech from the student representative today."
Satsuki turned to look at the principal's section.
"After all, when Principal Kuga invited me to the stage, he probably did not expect that there would be a temporary corporate briefing added to the graduation ceremony."
A ripple of moderate laughter rang out in the auditorium.
Principal Kuga also smiled and nodded, though his smile was somewhat stiff.
The teachers sitting next to him were also laughing along, but their eyes were much more complex than before.
Shuichi lowered his head, his shoulders moving slightly.
He had probably already given up on pulling his daughter back from this speech.
Satsuki bowed slightly toward the principal's section.
"I have caused you trouble, Principal."
Principal Kuga also nodded at her, as if accepting this apology.
Satsuki looked back at the audience.
"Everyone, happy graduation."
She paused for a moment.
"After today, those who want a place can come to Saionji."
As the last sentence fell, the auditorium was quiet for another moment.
Then, applause broke out.
This time the applause was more enthusiastic than when she had first taken the stage.
Someone in the student section started clapping first, and the parent section quickly followed.
The VIP section in the front also joined in.
Many people's expressions had not fully settled yet, but their hands were already instinctively clapping.
Satsuki stood before the podium, bowing to the audience.
When she walked off the stage, Principal Kuga took the microphone and continued to preside over the graduation ceremony according to the program.
But the subsequent atmosphere could not return to what it had been before.
The awarding of graduation certificates, the farewell speech by the current student representative, the graduates' departure—the program moved forward item by item.
The school administration tried hard to maintain decorum, and the emcee's voice was as usual, but the students and parents were clearly distracted.
People in the parent section were constantly whispering to each other.
After saying a few words, some people would turn back to look in the direction of Class 3-A.
Others took out their business card holders, as if suddenly remembering something, and lowered their heads to write a few words on the back of a business card.
It was the same in the student section; many people could not help but sneak glances at Satsuki while clapping along with the program.
When Satsuki returned to her seat, Ayako was already looking at her with an expression bordering on adoration.
"Saionji-san..."
She seemed to want to say a lot, but in the end, she only managed to squeeze out one sentence.
"That was amazing just now."
Satsuki sat down, her tone very natural.
"Thank you."
Ayako wanted to continue, but seeing Reiko on her right, she held back her words.
Reiko had not said much since Satsuki returned to her seat.
She was still holding the program in her hand, but her gaze was not on the paper.
Satsuki's words in her speech just now about protection, about expansion, and about where to stand kept echoing in her mind.
She could not afford to delay any longer.