Chapter 82: Gratitude to the Late Yamamoto

Yamamoto Akihito was now bald—completely bald. Yet, he still kept his beard, neatly trimmed and snowy white, as if it was his final attachment to hair. When he saw Tao Zhiming enter, he adjusted his large round glasses and asked, “And you are?”

Tao Zhiming put on his best earnest student expression. “It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I’m Tao Dairang, a third-year in the Management Department. Shana Ueda said you wished to see me, so I came right away.”

“Oh? And where is Shana?” Yamamoto Akihito was surprisingly warm, standing up to invite him to sit, then moving to the seat beside him. “Why didn’t she come with you?”

“She… had something urgent come up,” Tao Zhiming replied apologetically. “She rushed out and only then realized she forgot to prepare a gift. I’m not sure what you like, Professor, but please tell me and I’ll be sure to make it up to you!”

“No need, no need. You’re still just a student, don’t start imitating those others. I’d be worried you’d pull a gift out of your bag and make the rest of this conversation awkward for me.” Yamamoto Akihito was affable, making Tao Zhiming momentarily feel guilty for considering jokes about his ancestors.

“Professor, as third-year students, it’s about time we learn how to face the real world.” Tao Zhiming feigned sincerity. “I didn’t have time to prepare anything today, but as you’ll be our advisor, I’ll surely learn what you like soon enough.”

Yamamoto had just pointed to his backpack. Tao Zhiming thought, there’s two million yen worth of bricks in there—there’s no way I’m giving you that. But what did he mean about making it hard to speak later?

“As for being your advisor…” Yamamoto hedged, but then asked with interest, “I heard from Shana that you’re planning to install a Bloomberg Terminal at the university?”

Tao Zhiming was a little surprised. “Professor… you know about those?”

“Now, what are you saying!” Yamamoto smiled with a touch of pride. “Don’t think that just because I do research at a university, I’m behind the times. We’re always among the first to be interested in new developments in our field!”

Tao Zhiming bowed his head. “Sorry…”

Yamamoto studied him with interest. “But you—if Shana hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have thought a student here would know about the terminal, much less plan to buy one. Dairang, I heard it’s very expensive!”

“It’s not too bad. These days, it’s about two million yen a year.”

Yamamoto clicked his tongue, though the sum didn’t trouble him much—after all, the boy was just a third-year student. “Does your family support such a decision? Two million is no small amount.”

“Actually… my parents have passed away, so I manage my own assets,” Tao Zhiming replied, eager to discern Yamamoto’s intentions. “Professor, are you very interested in the Bloomberg Terminal?”

Yamamoto grew serious. “Forgive me, I shouldn’t pry into such matters. Dairang, are you certain it’s a genuine Bloomberg Terminal? You haven’t been tricked by someone selling a fake, have you?”

“How could I be? It was introduced to me by a section chief at Nomura Securities. I’ve already seen the real thing at their upcoming Tokyo office. There’s no mistake.”

Yamamoto clapped his hands, visibly excited. “I submitted a request for the university to acquire one for research, but they turned it down, saying there were cheaper, established alternatives. I’m sure you understand that this machine is in a league of its own, right? If only I’d said from the start that it was going to be installed here, there wouldn’t have been such trouble!”

Tao Zhiming was a little dazed, recalling Yamamoto’s earlier words. “Professor… you’re not planning to use this terminal for your research, are you?”

“Absolutely!” Yamamoto nodded vigorously, then quickly added, “Of course, it won’t interfere with your use. It’s just that I’ve heard this machine provides incredibly rich and accurate economic data in real time!”

Tao Zhiming hadn’t expected the meeting was about this; so much for Ueda Shana’s worries about safety.

Seeing Tao Zhiming’s confusion, Yamamoto asked earnestly, “Is it possible? For one of my research projects, having the latest data and information would be much more convincing.”

“It must be complicated?” Tao Zhiming thought, A professor at the University of Tokyo researching the economy—he’ll need a mountain of data, which could be trouble.

“It’s true, I’ll need a lot of material, and considerable cross-checking and verification…” Yamamoto said in a negotiating tone. “What do you plan to use the terminal for?”

“I’ve invested a bit of my own money in the financial markets…”

“Then that’s fine! The stock market has opening and closing hours. Could you spare some time for me to use it outside those hours? Or in the evenings, perhaps—I could have my graduate students operate it.” Yamamoto seemed entirely uninterested in making money.

“Professor, it requires specialized training to operate—it’s not that simple. Plus, there’s only one login account, involving private credentials… Any mistakes could impact my assets…”

Yamamoto was troubled. “Is that so? Then what should we do…”

Tao Zhiming considered: if he could cultivate a good relationship with a University of Tokyo professor, it might prove useful in the future. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Professor, is there a time constraint on your research project?”

“Of course, I hope to see results as soon as possible,” Yamamoto replied reflexively, then quickly added, “But no, there’s no set deadline. It’s entirely under my control—my personal research.”

“In that case, you could have a graduate student contact me with a list of the data you need. When it’s convenient, I’ll do my best to find it for you.”

“That’s a huge help!” Yamamoto was delighted. “So, when will the installation be complete?”

“As soon as the university gives the go-ahead, installation can begin at any time.” Tao Zhiming eyed him, thinking Yamamoto seemed even more eager than he was.

“Leave the university’s side to me! Since you have no objections, why don’t I explain the direction of my research to you now, so you know what data and information I’ll need. Also… I’ll have the graduate student involved in the project come over as well.”

Tao Zhiming regretted his decision. He shouldn’t have agreed so quickly—who knew how much of his time Yamamoto would demand? His earlier qualms about making jokes at Yamamoto’s ancestors’ expense faded away completely.

Beaming, Yamamoto dialed the phone. “Kobayashi-chan, come to my office from the archives room, quickly.”

Tao Zhiming tried to excuse himself. “Professor, perhaps we should wait until the machine is installed before discussing the project? I haven’t learned how to operate it myself…”

“That’s even better! Bloomberg will send someone to train us, right? My graduate student can join you for the training. Besides, searching for data can be the perfect practical assignment during the learning process!”

Tao Zhiming began to curse Yamamoto’s ancestors in his heart. So the expensive machine he bought was really going to be used for Yamamoto’s research?

But Yamamoto was, after all, a professor at the university, and Tao Zhiming could only blame his own greed for connections with Tokyo University faculty.

One man spoke excitedly about his project; the other half-heartedly replied, his mind elsewhere.

Yamamoto was a bit surprised. “Dairang, you seem to have a good grasp of economics too? I also believe the traditional assumptions in economics are incomplete. The mathematical models of the New Classical School failed in the recent stagflation crisis—the presumed negative correlation between inflation and unemployment is questionable. It really is time to consider new approaches from psychology and cognitive science…”

Tao Zhiming’s head was spinning. He decided to stop feigning attentiveness—if he let slip something too advanced for the era, this academic heavyweight might take inspiration from it. If he were hailed as a genius, that would be fine, but causing an early shift in economic theory would be troublesome.

Even so, Yamamoto grew ever more enthusiastic, explaining his theoretical assumptions in detail and listing the types of data he hoped to obtain for statistical analysis.

Finally, recalling Tao Zhiming’s earlier remarks, he muttered, “Although you’re in the Management Department, if you help me complete this project, your name will be on the paper. Of course, only as the third author…”

He hadn’t finished when there was a knock at the door. The voice outside instantly made Tao Zhiming sit up, eyes wide in surprise.

It was a girl speaking, her accent awkward. “Professor Yamamoto, may I come in?”

Upon hearing that voice, Tao Zhiming suddenly felt grateful to Yamamoto’s ancestors after all.