America: My Time

Chapter 371 Cooperation reached
Chapter 371 Cooperation Achieved

When John met Akina's family, the things he least wanted to see happened. They actually started interfering in the feud between Kuroki Hitomi and Johnny's. Was this something they were allowed to do? Did they even consider Akina's feelings? Didn't they realize how much influence they had on Akina from the beginning?

If John hadn't seen the shocked and unaware look on Akina's mother Chieko's face, he would have almost scolded them. This was practically betraying their daughter. Knowing full well that John had more than one daughter, Akina, they still dared to say such things and interfere in such matters. It can only be said that these people have been blinded by money.

This wasn't just foolish; it meant they hadn't even considered Akina. Perhaps Akina never existed in their minds; they only cared about their own interests. It was precisely because of this family's ignorance and greed that John had no desire to continue the conversation. From beginning to end, these guys never mentioned Akina, except for Chieko when she saw him off.

Human greed is insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Akina's family was a perfect example. Perhaps only her mother truly cared about Akina, and perhaps it was precisely their greed that drove Akina to that tragic end. The more John learned about this family, the more disappointed he became, and the less he wanted to help them. They had chosen their own path!

On the way back, John smiled calmly and said, "Don't worry about what I think. They are them, and you are you. I'm not foolish enough to put you in their shoes. You don't need to be sad about this. Let them be. As long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough. As for Akiko, I'll handle it. I won't make things difficult for you!"

If we let Akina persuade Hitomi Kuroki to agree to reconcile with Johnny's, it would be putting her in a difficult position and causing conflict between Akina and Hitomi. Therefore, John took on this task himself and did not want her to bear this pressure.

Back home, seeing the expectant looks on Naoko and Hitomi's faces, John casually recounted everything that had happened at Akina's house, and took the opportunity to say, "Akiko, let's leave the Johnny's matter here. You don't need to make a statement; let everything pass peacefully. As for what Sanwa thinks, that's their business. However, TV Tokyo will continue to refuse to cooperate with Johnny's. As for how other TV stations choose, don't make any statements!"

As soon as John finished speaking, Hitomi Kuroki paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand. I'll handle it!"

"It's good that you understand. As for other things, there's no need to worry about them. Don't hold any grudges against Akina because of this. It wasn't Akina's fault; it was just an accident. If you have time, try to persuade her not to overthink things. This has nothing to do with her, and she doesn't need to feel pressured about it!"

John paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Naoko and said, "Naoko, you're closer to Akina, so try to talk to her more. She takes things too seriously, and this matter will leave her feeling guilty. You need to be careful!"

Naoko nodded and said, "I will, but what if the Akina family continues like this?"

Naoko had heard about Akina's greedy family, and even Kuroki Hitomi knew about it, but they were reluctant to tell Akina, as they all had reservations when it came to matters involving family.

"Don't worry about them, just let them be. Akiko shouldn't have any ideas either. You don't have the same relationship with Naoko as she does with Akina, nor do you have the same amount of time to interact with her, and there's also the past between you. So, leave this matter to Naoko."

After meeting Akina's family, John then met Naoko's family—her parents and younger sister. Naoko's family seemed much more rational in comparison. They weren't concerned about money but rather about Naoko's well-being, repeatedly asking John to take good care of her. They didn't make any other demands, not even mentioning her sister's schooling, which surprised John. Perhaps this is a case of different people, different fates; Naoko's parents were far more rational than Akina's family.

Naoko's family could choose not to mention it, but John couldn't. He couldn't just leave without saying anything, so he took the initiative to bring up Yukari's studies and told her to prepare herself so that she could travel with Naoko when he returned to the United States.

Naoko's family was much more rational, as were Kuroki Hitomi's. They simply instructed John to take good care of Kuroki Hitomi, making no other demands or showing any dissatisfaction towards him. After meeting the families of the three beauties, John finally relaxed. It was time to discuss Hughes's plan with Morita Akio.

John's meeting with the families of the women around him quickly reached the ears of the Japanese. While Naoko and Hitomi Kuroki were fine, Akina's family was in trouble. It's unclear what those guys were thinking, but they arrogantly exposed their affair with Johnny's. This situation left Akina extremely embarrassed, and many were shocked by the foolishness of their actions. Sumitomo was furious, finally understanding how embarrassed Vanguard had been. But now that it was all over, Sumitomo had no choice but to deal with it. He had to warn Ken-on to threaten Akina's family with the agreement. At the same time, Sumitomo warned Johnny's not to cause them trouble, or the consequences would be unbearable for them, ordering them to remain silent and not utter a word about the matter.

"Mr. Morita, I don't know if you've made a decision yet. There are no problems with Hughes' side. You need to hurry up and make a decision. I don't have much time to wait. I'll be leaving in a few days after I've dealt with things in Japan!"

After communicating with Akio Morita beforehand, John brought Naoko to meet him. However, Akio Morita's estate was not occupied by him alone; there were several other people John did not recognize. These people were clearly Japanese government officials, and John was not surprised by their presence.

However, these people were slightly surprised to see John bring Naoko along for such an important event, which made them feel a little uncomfortable. However, Akio Morita didn't seem to mind, because Riko was with him, and Riko would take care of Naoko.

Having anticipated this, Akio Morita directly stated their demands: "John, we are interested in participating, but we need to be involved in the research and development of this project. If the project is successful, we hope to gain certain usage rights!"

At this moment, John said with a wry smile, "Mr. Morita, you're really putting me in a difficult position. It's hard for me to agree to these conditions. It's not that I'm unwilling to accept them, but I can't make the decision myself. If it's just about participating in a certain level of research, that's fine. But having a certain amount of usage rights requires discussion. You should know how much pressure is behind this. I want to know what kind of usage rights you're talking about. If it's beyond my capabilities, I can only apologize!"

Akio Morita and the other Japanese officials were not surprised by John's reaction. They would have been worried if John had agreed immediately, as this kind of research was not something John could agree to casually.

Actually, they were overthinking it. John could have made the decision himself. The reason he reacted this way was to trick the Japanese guys and get more benefits from them without having to pay too high a price himself.

At this moment, Akio Morita remained silent, turning his gaze to the officials. The leader spoke up, "Mr. John, we need to know the progress of your research and development regarding the extent of your use. As for the right to use it, it's not as difficult as you think. We only need to borrow it at specific times. Of course, we can submit our application in advance!"

John nodded and said, "If that's the case, then it's not a big problem. I can accept it and am willing to persuade everyone to accept your conditions. However, this will require you to pay a considerable price, and the research and development of this project will inevitably require an astonishing amount of funding. I hope you can prepare in advance!"

“No problem. We know how staggering the funding such research and development would require. We are willing to cover a portion of it. We will initially invest one billion US dollars, and then contribute the remaining funds based on the progress of the research and development!” At this moment, the Japanese guys accepted John’s proposal without the slightest hesitation and were willing to pay a one billion US dollar franchise fee. John was somewhat surprised by this gesture, as it exceeded his expectations.

"Okay, let's decide on this. When the project starts, we will sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure that the interests of both of us are not affected."

“Mr. John, we don’t actually need to sign an agreement at the beginning of the project. We can sign a confidentiality agreement now. As you know, we are also worried that if such a project drags on for too long, there will be some unnecessary troubles, or even unexpected events, which is something we don’t want to see.”

"Alright, since you all put it that way, I'll have someone from Hughes' side come over and sign confidentiality agreements with you all. Everything about the project will be kept strictly confidential and cannot be known to outsiders. I believe you can all understand my difficulties!"

(End of this chapter)