When the helicopter left the rooftop in Hongo, Emi was still looking down through the porthole.
The roof of Saionji Hongo soon shrank into a light gray platform, and the security personnel guarding the glass corridor turned into a few tiny black dots.
The helicopter continued to climb southward.
The dense residential area of Bunkyo Ward spread out beneath their feet, and the Red Gate and campus buildings of the University of Tokyo were mixed among the vast expanse of roofs, leaving only outlines that were barely recognizable.
The noise inside the cabin was loud, so they could only speak through the communication system inside their headsets.
Emi pressed her face close to the porthole, watched for a while, and then suddenly turned her head to ask: "Satsuki-chan, how long will it take if we fly directly there?"
"A dozen minutes or so."
"It is that close?"
"Taking a car requires detouring, but flying directly is naturally faster."
Satsuki leaned back in her seat, looking very relaxed.
Her long hair had been tied back again, and the few strands that had been ruffled by the wind on the rooftop just now had been tidied up by Chizuru.
Emi raised her hand to hold her headset and continued to look out the window.
After the helicopter passed near Ueno, the high-rise buildings in Tokyo began to increase.
The building complex around the Imperial Palace swept past on the right, and Ginza and Shimbashi soon appeared ahead.
Looking further into the distance, the colors of the city were gradually separated by the waters of Tokyo Bay.
Several huge cranes stood beside the piers in the port area, and the coastal roads were lined with shipping containers and construction vehicles.
Emi quickly spotted the bridge towers on the sea.
"Has the Rainbow Bridge been built up to here already?"
The main tower on the Shibaura side had already been erected, and the white steel structure was very conspicuous in the March sunshine.
Although there was still a large gap in the middle of the sea, the bridge deck construction platforms were already extending from both sides towards the center.
Barges loaded with steel were parked below, and the crane booms were slowly lifting a set of components up.
"The progress is much faster than at the beginning of the year."
Satsuki looked in the direction of her gaze.
"After Seibu reconnected the funding, the construction teams increased by two shifts. Now people are working day and night, and the date for the bridge deck closure is estimated to be three months ahead of schedule."
"Does Seibu still have money to continue building the bridge?"
"They did not put up much money themselves."
Satsuki smiled slightly.
"Saionji Trading places unified orders for steel for them, then Saionji Logistics is responsible for delivering it to the pier, and we are also covering the short-term funds. After the project milestones are completed, we will settle it from the share of the Odaiba project."
Emi thought for a moment.
"So we are still the ones paying?"
"Paying a portion first."
Satsuki raised her hand and tapped lightly on the porthole.
"The sooner the bridge and the track are completed, the sooner Saionji Tower can connect to downtown Tokyo. Seibu's hotels and shopping malls can also open accordingly."
"Money will not grow by itself sitting in a bank. After it is spent, the things below will continue to grow forward."
Emi pursed her lips and nodded.
"In that case, Chairman Tsutsumi can be considered our partner, right."
The helicopter gradually approached Tokyo Bay, and Odaiba also entered their field of vision from the other side of the sea.
This was the first time Emi had seen the entire development zone from this altitude.
She had been to Odaiba a few times before, but every time it was by car, passing through the long port road.
Outside the window, apart from fences, construction vehicles, and sections of repetitive gray road surfaces, she could not see anything, and it was hard to see what the whole area really looked like.
But looking down from the air, the feeling was completely different.
The reclaimed land was cut into areas of different sizes by roads and waterways.
Temporary construction roads ran through the plots, and vehicles and cranes moved slowly within them.
Near the port, one could still see storage yards, warehouses, and large tracts of unused land.
The closer one got to the center of the development zone, the denser the buildings became.
Emi, who had originally been looking at the bridge, was soon attracted by a building further away.
"Satsuki-chan, over there!"
She raised her hand to point forward, her voice noticeably higher.
Saionji Tower soon appeared in front of the helicopter.
It was simply too tall.
This was Emi's first impression upon seeing Saionji Tower.
The entire tower rose from the center of the reclaimed land, far exceeding all the buildings under construction around it.
Even the tower cranes and office buildings next to it were made to look very small by the tower body.
The helicopter was still some distance away, but the tower body already occupied most of the field of view, as if this urban area of Odaiba, which had just begun to take shape, had erected its center ahead of time.
"It has been built this high already?"
Emi subconsciously leaned closer to the porthole.
Saionji Tower was only one last section away from being topped out, and exposed steel frames and construction platforms could still be seen on the top floor.
The lower floors had already been mostly fitted with glass.
As the helicopter approached from the side, the sunlight reflected from the sea surface moved slowly along the tower body, and the whole building lit up along with it.
When they flew closer, Emi finally saw that there was still a busy construction site under the tower.
Vehicles transporting steel and equipment were entering and exiting along several roads, and construction personnel were constantly directing traffic at the entrance.
There was almost no empty road surface between the tower, the SIS headquarters, and the energy center.
Extending outward along the tower, several headquarters buildings had already completed their exterior walls, with the logos of different subsidiaries hanging on the roofs.
One of the buildings closest to the tower belonged to SIS, and the other side was an office building shared by Saionji Real Estate and the group management department.
Further to the south, a large energy center had already completed its main body, and the low equipment building was connected to the surrounding buildings through underground pipelines.
The first batch of employee residences was located in an area closer to the sea.
The exterior walls of several apartment buildings had been completed, and one could still see roads being paved and newly transplanted trees downstairs.
Emi lay by the window and watched for a long time.
"Satsuki-chan, is that SIS building already usable?"
"Yes, the exterior walls are finished. Next month, we will move the network department and equipment maintenance people in first, to save them from continuing to squeeze into Shimbashi."
Emi stared at the building for a few seconds, then suddenly turned her head.
"Is my office ready too?"
Satsuki glanced at her.
"The machines have not even been turned on yet, and you are already thinking about the office?"
"This is very important."
Emi said very seriously, already starting to count on her fingers.
"At least four workstations need to be placed, and a large enough table. A regular office desk cannot hold the circuit diagrams, and it is best to leave a space next to it to stack equipment. The window should also be a bit larger; when I am tired of working, I can look at Saionji Tower, maybe I will be able to see Satsuki-chan."
Before Emi heard the second half, Satsuki raised her hand and knocked on Emi's headset.
"What are you thinking about? The building's glass is definitely one-way transparent."
"I left an office for you. According to your requirements, in a few months, it will turn into a parts warehouse just like the Hongo apartment, will it not."
"No, it will not."
Emi immediately retorted, but her voice was clearly lacking confidence.
"The things at the apartment are just being placed there temporarily."
"Are those dismantled things on the dining table also just placed there temporarily?"
"That..."
Emi's gaze drifted to the side, but she quickly leaned back.
"Those three workstations will also be fine."
"It was four just a moment ago."
"Because Satsuki-chan has already deducted one."
"When did I agree to that?"
Emi was stunned, only then realizing she had been led into a trap.
"Satsuki-chan—"
"Acting cute will not work."
Satsuki suppressed a laugh and looked back out the window.
"Go find Shimomura for the workstations. Whoever between you two can finish the computing center test first gets to choose the equipment in the office first."
Emi immediately sat up straight.
"Then it is definitely me who picks first."
She pressed against the porthole again, wishing the helicopter would land on the ground right now.
"Mr. Shimomura will not be able to take a single one today."
The helicopter continued to descend, and another equally busy construction site in the distance gradually appeared from behind Saionji Tower.
The building heights there were much lower, and the layout was more scattered.
The Prince Hotel's main body had risen to the middle section, the convention facilities next to it had spread out a huge roof structure, and commercial streets, plazas, and entertainment facilities were reserved closer to the coast.
Several temporary roads connected the Seibu construction site with the central area of Saionji, and vehicles could directly pass through the originally closed enclosures between the two sides.
Emi looked over there and asked: "Has Seibu's construction site recovered so quickly too?"
"They have people coming to check the progress every day now."
Satsuki adjusted her headset.
"The Prince Hotel was halted for a period of time, and several of the original contractors went bankrupt."
"Saionji Construction took over several key parts, and then Saionji Trading also helped them re-order materials. Now the hotel, the convention center, and the central plaza can be pushed forward together."
"Is Chairman Tsutsumi willing to let our people enter his construction site?"
"He is now eager for us to send more people over."
There was a bit more amusement in Satsuki's tone.
"The sooner the hotel opens, the sooner he can collect money. Later, the people holding meetings in Saionji Tower, people coming to talk about projects at SIS, and overseas guests invited by the group, will all need a place to stay. Large exhibitions and press conferences can also be held at Seibu's side; they are good at hosting these people."
After listening, Emi suddenly asked: "So Satsuki-chan is no longer bullying him?"
"What do you mean by bullying?"
Satsuki turned to look at her.
Emi immediately moved her gaze back to the window, pretending she had not said anything just now.
After a while, she whispered: "I heard from the people who are docking recently that every time Chairman Tsutsumi sees Satsuki-chan, he has to take an extra dose of stomach medicine after going back."
Satsuki raised an eyebrow. "Are they very free recently?"
"No, no, they are all very busy." Emi looked away with a guilty conscience.
"Then they still have time to care about Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's stomach?"
Emi blinked and decided not to betray those poor wage earners for the time being.
Satsuki did not continue to press, just glanced at the Seibu construction site.
"He has already handed over what he should have handed over, and has personally come to bow his head, so Seibu is an ally now."
"After taking things from an ally, and then watching his construction site rot there, who would dare to sit at the same table with Saionji in the future?"
Emi nodded.
The commercial space inside the railway station, hotel procurement, and stadium operation rights given by Seibu had all begun to enter the execution phase.
Those conditions would continue to send traffic and orders to companies under Saionji for many years to come, and the Odaiba project had also become a long-term project jointly undertaken by the two companies again.
Saionji took over part of the capital and material scheduling, while Seibu continued to use its experience in hotel, convention, entertainment, and transportation operations.
The underground passages, pedestrian platforms, and equipment pipelines that were originally constructed separately were merged again, and the construction sites on both sides finally began to advance according to the same blueprint.
Looking down from the air, the most obvious change was an elevated passage under construction.
It extended from the central station area in front of Saionji Tower, with one side leading to the SIS and group headquarters cluster, and the other side crossing the road to connect to the Prince Hotel and the convention center.
The underground commercial level below had also begun construction, and in the future, people coming out of the rail station would be able to directly enter the buildings on both sides.
Emi watched for a while, then suddenly pointed to a location closer to the coast.
"Are those ships also ours?"
Two small white passenger ships were docking at the temporary pier, with the Saionji Logistics logo printed on the side of the hull.
A small queue of people waiting to board had already formed on the shore, and there were several deeper-draft barges nearby, unloading prefabricated components, pipes, and crates of equipment.
"Employee commuter ships."
Satsuki said.
"Now that the bridge and the track are not open, it is still troublesome to come from the city. Saionji Logistics opened water routes from Shibaura and Harumi to Odaiba first, responsible for picking up and dropping off employees in the morning and evening, and can also transport some small goods during the day."
"Are the buses over there also ours?"
On the temporary road, several white buses with the same appearance were turning.
The sign on the front of the bus read "Shimbashi — Odaiba Central District," and there was another line leading to Harumi and Ariake next to it.
"There are buses at Shimbashi Station, Tamachi Station, and Harumi, with one bus every ten minutes during the morning peak. After arriving at Odaiba, there are three internal loop lines."
Satsuki watched those buses pass by different construction zones.
"After the bridge and the Yurikamome line open, the temporary lines will be reduced, but they will not all be removed. The employee dormitories, the port, and several remote plots are still some distance from the station, so it is convenient for the buses to keep running. When there are more people moving in later, they can be directly converted into regular lines."
And they could also take advantage of the situation to occupy a portion of the power over public transportation — this point Satsuki did not say out loud.
"Are the ships also staying?"
Emi did not think so much, just felt that it was quite novel to take a boat to work every day.
"Keep them for now."
"Then I can take a boat to work in the future."
"You can."
"And take a helicopter when returning."
Satsuki reached out to pinch her cheek and pulled it to the side.
"You really know how to arrange things."
Emi covered her face and protested inarticulately, and the helicopter also circled around Saionji Tower at this time, flying toward the ground landing pad next to the comprehensive management center.
As the altitude continued to drop, the areas that looked neat and clear from the air just now were quickly blocked by buildings and construction fences.
The rotors stirred up a large cloud of dust, and several staff members waiting next to the landing pad pressed down their hard hats, while ground crew stood outside the marker lines waving command flags.
Emi saw through the porthole that two black Mercedes-Benz cars and a small commuter vehicle were parked next to the landing pad.
Saionji Construction President Eguchi Tokuhiro stood at the very front.
He was not wearing his usual suit today, but a dark gray work uniform, with a white hard hat on his head.
Several heads of Saionji Construction and SIS stood behind him, their clothes also changed into styles convenient for activities at the construction site.
After the helicopter landed steadily, ground crew quickly stepped forward to secure the fuselage.
The cabin door opened, and the wind outside poured in at once.
Chizuru walked down first, then turned to support Satsuki.
Emi followed behind, and as soon as she stepped on the ground, she looked up at Saionji Tower, which was close at hand.
After standing under the tower, she could truly feel the height of this building.
The entire building almost filled the sky she could see after looking up.
The completed glass exterior wall extended upward, turning back into steel frames and construction platforms at a very high position.
The faint sound of metal knocking from the top of the tower was already very light when it fell to the ground, and the components being hoisted had also shrunk into a slowly moving black shadow.
Emi tried hard to look up for a while, always feeling as if the whole building was about to press down on her.
"This... looking at it this way, it really has such a sense of oppression, it always feels like I am about to be unable to breathe."
"That is right, this is also one of the original intentions of this building's design."
Satsuki walked past Emi and said casually.
"The design is like this?" Emi was a little confused, "Why make the building look so scary."
At this time, Eguchi had already hurried up to meet them.
"Big Miss, Ms. Suzuki."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Satsuki glanced at the construction site behind him.
"How is the situation today?"
"The work above is normal, and the wind speed is also within the allowable range. The underground center completed the power supply inspection this morning, the cooling system has been running continuously for six hours, and the current temperature and pressure are within the predetermined range."
"Mr. Shimomura has been in the machine room since eight o'clock, urging us to open the computing zone in advance."
Hearing this, Emi immediately asked nervously: "Has he already turned on the machines?"
"The input/output equipment and control terminals have been started, but the computing nodes are still waiting for final instructions."
Emi was visibly relieved.
"That is good then."
Eguchi looked at her reaction and said with a smile: "Mr. Shimomura said that the first batch of nodes must wait until Ms. Suzuki arrives before starting. He also asked me to tell you, it is best to walk faster."
"He is clearly more anxious than I am."
Emi said this, but her footsteps had already moved toward the commuter vehicle.
At this time, Satsuki reached out and grabbed her sleeve, pulling her back.