However, the CPU was still only a concept at this point. After all, researching something like that was not something one person could handle alone. Even though CPUs at this stage were relatively simple, and similar processing components already existed in GameTV, creating a CPU capable of supporting a microcomputer would require a significant amount of funding. Catherine was paying close attention to this area, because the world's first microcomputer would not be invented until 1966, and she wanted to be the first to bring one to market.
Being first would give her an enormous advantage.
Much like Seymour Cray, who was currently working in isolation, racing to build a computer and release it before IBM.
Since Catherine had delegated most of her work to Bruce, she had a bit of free time for now.
On another front, Mars reported that he had managed to get in touch with many former comrades, but they were all fairly old—the youngest was already forty.
That wasn't a problem. Soldiers who had fought in World War II made the best instructors.
Besides, there was no need to recruit only veterans. The international situation was chaotic, and many people around the world were struggling to survive. Why not create a foreign legion on a global scale?
It was worth noting that the French Foreign Legion was the most powerful combat force France possessed.
That said, things were still far from ready. The company hadn't even been officially established yet, so many plans couldn't be carried out for the time being.
As for the Magic Chess series, although business was busy, the well-established sales department meant Catherine no longer needed to handle things personally.
Incidentally, Catherine's Harry Potter series seemed to have offended some Puritans for reasons she couldn't quite understand, but fortunately the controversy died down quickly. After thinking it over, she realized the issue might lie in Hogwarts's origins in her version of the story.
In her setting, Hogwarts was a school of magic that had accompanied British Puritans when they migrated to America, and it was likely that some people were uncomfortable with associating Puritans with magic.
October 6th, Friday afternoon.
Catherine found herself at a villa in the southern suburbs of New York State.
"From now on, this will be our secret base," Lily said with a grin.
"Oh my God, did you really buy it?" Catherine asked in disbelief.
They had talked about buying a villa before, but she hadn't expected them to actually do it.
"Not yet," Ada shrugged. "We're just renting it. A one-month trial stay. We don't have enough money right now."
That was true. Although the clothing company was profitable, the largest shareholders were Catherine and Homan. There was no way Homan could have pooled money with a group of teenage girls to buy a house outright.
Still, Catherine was impressed.
Even before going inside, the villa looked great.
It had both an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool. The indoor pool used one-way glass and faced the street. The villa itself was quiet, and the back entrance opened into a residential area with even a supermarket nearby. It was a very pleasant location.
"Then let's just buy it. I can help with that," Catherine suggested.
"Kate, you're amazing!" Lily said happily, hugging her.
"But… what about the deed?" Jenny asked, sounding a little concerned.
"Just put our two names on it," Lily laughed.
"Well then, let's go inside and take a look!" Ida couldn't wait any longer.
"Relax, we've already been here before," Lisa said, holding a bag filled with swimsuits she had designed herself. "Though honestly, I can't wait either."
Once inside, Catherine noticed that the villa was sparsely furnished, making it feel a bit empty, but the basic renovations were complete. It looked like a newly built house.
The villa had three floors, with the third being an attic, though even the attic was quite spacious.
There was a bathroom at the back, and outside the bathroom was a corridor that led to two swimming pools.
The indoor pool faced the city. Because of the one-way glass, people outside couldn't see in, but from inside you could clearly see out, which was very pleasant.
The outdoor pool, connected by another corridor, had lounge chairs and was surrounded by lush green trees that completely blocked out the outside world. It felt like a paradise.
"This place is incredible—better than my grandfather's house," Jenny exclaimed. She had only heard about it from Lily, Ida, and Lisa before, but now that she was here, she realized how beautiful it really was.
"I had no idea New York had a place like this," Catherine said with a hint of envy.
If she'd known earlier, she would have bought a place like this long ago.
"Let's go swimming," Lisa suggested, pulling out all the swimsuits she had prepared.
"Which pool?"
"Let's use the outdoor one. It's still pretty warm, even though it's already October, but we won't be able to do this for much longer. The indoor pool has heating and air conditioning, so we don't have to worry about winter."
Everyone agreed.
Lisa handed out the swimsuits she had made, and they all went to the changing room.
"Kate! You've gained weight again!" Lisa called out as Catherine came out.
"Really?" Catherine hadn't noticed. She'd only felt that her bra had been a bit tight lately, but she hadn't thought much of it.
Looking down, she realized that her chest was indeed more developed and fuller.
She was wearing a white one-piece swimsuit that exposed her entire back. From the front, nothing looked out of place, but the swimsuit clearly emphasized her figure. Even though she was only thirteen, her body was already developing.
Catherine didn't react much. She had learned that the most important skill when dealing with these girls was to be thick-skinned.
"Kate, what happened to your feet?" Ida noticed Catherine's feet.
"Nothing," Catherine replied, glancing down herself.
But she did notice they looked slightly misshapen.
Well.
That was from practicing ballet.
Even though Catherine took good care of herself, some things were unavoidable.
Noticing this as well, Lisa exclaimed, "Oh my God, Kate! Your feet turned out like this!"
To be fair, Catherine's feet didn't look bad at first glance—one could even say their shape was quite nice. They were just slightly deformed. Lisa was making a much bigger deal of it than necessary.
"All ballet dancers' feet end up like that," Jenny added.
"How is that possible?" Lisa looked even more anxious than Catherine herself.
"Maybe you should see a doctor and see if there's a way to fix it."
"It can still be corrected with external tools. That kind of correction is pretty common," Jenny added.
Catherine looked at her seriously.
After all, who wouldn't want to be a little more perfect?
She hadn't paid much attention to it before, but it wasn't too late to fix it.