The next day, the Hollywood sun was as bright as ever.
Tom Kalinske hadn't stopped talking since he got in the car.
He was full of energy, as if he had endless strength to burn.
"Takuya, my friend, I was laughing in my sleep last night!" Kalinske waved his arms wildly—almost hitting the driver. "Spielberg! Michael Crichton! Dinosaurs! My God, I'm already excited!"
Takuya was looking out the window at the palm trees whipping past. When he heard this, he only gave a small smile.
"Tom, we haven't secured the rights yet. It's too early to celebrate."
"No, no. With Spielberg making the introduction, it's practically done!" Kalinske leaned closer, lowering his voice, though his expression was like a kid who stole a jar of candy. "You know what? I got three calls this morning. All from industry friends hinting around, asking if SEGA is planning sothing big in Hollywood. Word is already spreading!"
He looked at Takuya with open admiration.
"They'll never guess that our real trump card is Crichton's unpublished novel. Takuya, how did you even find out? Does Japan have fortune-telling powers or sothing?"
"Business secret," Takuya said simply.
And that shut Kalinske up instantly.
At this ti, Bernard spoke up, breaking the atmosphere inside the car.
"Gentlen, we've arrived—the Hollywood Walk of Fa."
Since they had no business etings scheduled for the day, the three decided to enjoy so sightseeing.
Bernard proved to be an excellent guide, leading them among the star-shaped plaques engraved with famous nas, sharing stories and trivia behind each one.
---
On the third day, they left behind the leisure of tourists and drove to Paramount Pictures in the afternoon.
The massive painted backdrop of the blue sky behind the cloud-ringed mountain, and the iconic Paramount arch, imdiately reignited Tom Kalinske's excitent.
"Look at this, Takuya! This is the heart of Hollywood!" He spread his arms wide, as if he wanted to embrace the entire studio lot. "Soday, our Sonic will run out of that gate too, racing toward the whole world!"
Takuya watched the hurried employees passing by—so worried, so cheerful—and responded with a light "Mm."
Bernard had already arranged everything and guided them through several slightly worn office buildings.
"They just finished an internal screening of The Hunt for Red October," Bernard explained in a low voice. "The producer we're eting, Mr. Mace Neufeld, is handling the follow-up distribution eting."
Tom's eyes lit up.
"The Hunt for Red October? Tom Clancy's novel! I've read it—fantastic writing!"
As they spoke, they were led by an assistant into a small reception room.
They didn't have to wait long before a man in his fifties entered—slightly curly hair, tired eyes.
"Tom Kalinske?"
Tom stood up enthusiastically and extended a big hand.
"Mr. Neufeld, it's an honor! I'm Tom Kalinske from SEGA, and this is our Executive Director, Nakayama Takuya."
Neufeld's gaze swept over the two of them, finally landing on Takuya—surprised by how young this "executive director" looked.
He gave only a polite nod before sitting down.
"Sorry—today has been a bit chaotic. Hope you didn't wait too long."
"Not at all! We should apologize for intruding on your valuable ti." Tom leaned forward slightly. "I heard you just finished the screening for Red October? Congratulations! It's absolutely a masterpiece!"
"Oh?" Neufeld lifted an eyebrow with a polite smile. "Tom, you've read the novel?"
"Of course! Though I didn't an just the novel—" Tom caught himself midsentence, realizing how that sounded, and quickly corrected himself. "The novel is great! I an the film must be even better!"
His awkward flattery softened Neufeld's expression, though the smile never reached his eyes.
He had seen far too many partners eager to squeeze gold out of Paramount's film library—and their opening lines were always similar.
The polite but distant smile made it clear: he'd heard it all before.
Tom wanted to continue, but suddenly found himself out of words, frozen in an awkward grin.
The air in the room grew still.
At that mont, the always-silent Nakayama Takuya began speaking.
"Mr. Neufeld, in the original novel, Mr. Clancy dedicated extensive pages to describing the acoustic characteristics of the 'caterpillar' propulsion system, as well as the distinctive cracking noise produced by the titanium hull of the Soviet Alfa-class submarine during deep dives. These details are the true soul of Red October."
His words dropped into the room like a stone into calm water.
Neufeld's polite smile vanished instantly, replaced by genuine surprise. He leaned slightly forward, eyes sharpening as he studied the young Japanese man.
"You seem to know submarines quite well?"
"Not research, no," Takuya replied calmly. "I'm simply fascinated by the realistic and tense world Mr. Clancy created. Film, as a visual dium, can't always recreate the imaginative space written text provides—like the suffocating silence inside a submarine, or the tension of a sonar operator distinguishing friend from foe in the abyss based on faint noises in their headset. I'm curious—how does the film handle that?"
The mont his words landed, Tom Kalinske secretly exhaled in relief.
His gaze toward Takuya grew even more admiring.
He had nearly killed the conversation—and Takuya revived it in seconds.
Neufeld's expression changed completely. His fatigue vanished, replaced with bright interest—like soone eting an equal.
"We hired naval experts as consultants. Our sound team spent three weeks recording inside real submarines," he said, speaking faster as he ward to the topic. "To create the 'silence' you ntioned, we even removed so background tracks audiences are used to. All to build that claustrophobic tension. It seems you're a true fan of the book."
"At SEGA, we hope to beco Mr. Clancy's most dedicated fans in gaming," Takuya replied smoothly—revealing his true intention.
"Gaming?" Neufeld blinked.
"Yes." Takuya's voice was steady. "Mr. Clancy's works possess a highly rigorous and expansive worldbuilding system—sothing that modern and future video gas desperately need. We don't want to create a simple tie-in product. We hope to et Mr. Clancy in person, to explore the possibility of translating his military world into a structured, interactive entertainnt universe.
Would you be willing to introduce us?"
Silence returned to the room.
Neufeld leaned back on the sofa, fingers tapping the armrest unconsciously while his gaze moved between Takuya and Bernard, who remained silent.
He was weighing the risks—and the potential.
Finally, his eyes settled on Bernard.
Bernard didn't speak—he simply gave a confident, reassuring look.
"Hah…" Neufeld suddenly chuckled, shaking his head. "Young people these days—bolder than ever."
He picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and said into the receiver:
"It's . Get Tom Clancy's agent—tell him Mace Neufeld has sothing to discuss."
After hanging up, he looked at Takuya—and at Tom, who was nearly jumping in his seat.
"Don't get excited yet. Tom Clancy is a stubborn Marylander. He doesn't even like movie people—let alone you folks making 'electronic toys.'"
He paused, his smile turning aningful.
"But for Bernard's sake, I'll arrange the eting. Convincing him? That'll be up to you."
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