In Meiji 33 (1900), eight years before the Shinyu Case, at the meeting of his promotion to Baron, Eiichi Shibusawa declared the necessity of a commercial college, and expressed his true feeling that he had the desire to promote the Tokyo High Commercial School (THC) to a college. It may have been the start of this complicated matter.

The junior Tsubune is just repeating what the document says. Eriko and Mari seem uneasy.

Tsubune: "In the next year Meiji 34 (1901), the eight professors studying in Europe including Tokuzo Fukuda and Hajime Seki announced the paper of Berlin Declaration which says, ' Our school has its ability to be a college at any time.' Was it a fuse for the college, sir?"
Suga: "It is said so, but the things didn't go smoothly as expected. The Russo-Japanese War broke out just after that. It mainly stopped this trend for a while. However, it was true that the school was ready to become a college at any time."
Suga continues his talk.

In the result of setting up major course in the school system in Meiji 30 (1897), THC became the school of 7-year education, that is, preliminary course of 2 years, regular course of 3 years and major course of 2 years. It means, therefore, this school was already all the same with the national high school plus imperial university from the both point of view of education years and the system.
On the other hand, for the Government, if it left THC as it was, the education system would remain strange. So, the twists and turns until Shinyu Case occurred as a matter of fact.
In THC the graduates of major course were presented with bachelor's degree of commerce, which was the same level with the one by imperial universities. And so, it was natural for THC to long for its promotion to a commercial college.

Now this time, Tsubune expresses his idea confidently without seeing the ducument.
"Most of the professors supported the Shinyu Case were who studied in Europe, weren't they? It means the thought and culture they obtained then there lay in such a background as they banded together with students openly against the Restoration Government, am I wrong?"
Suga smiles favorably. Tsubune, pleased, returns his eyes to the document, though seemingly not having any space to pay attention to the feeling of Eriko and Mari.

In Meiji 40 (1907), six years after Berlin Declaration, there was a big move here in Japan. The bill "Suggestion to Establish a Commercial College", representative Sho Nemoto subumitted, passed the Imperial Diet. This suggestion indirectly meant that it would be suitable to convert Tokyo High Commercial School (THC) and promote it to a college.
However, contrary to the original intention, the direction winds to the idea to establish a commercial faculty in Tokyo Imperial University.

Suga's document refers to Mr. Nemoto as follows.

Sho Nemoto, a member of the House of Representatives, is noted for the builder of the "Law to Prohibit Minors' Alcohol Drinking and Smoking."
Besides, he recommended to the spread of the Hepburn romanization system.
He was a pious Christian and an unmatched defender of justice.

Tsubune's talk goes ahead.

The winding river changed to the main stream. That is, in Meiji 41 (1908), the next year of the pass of the bill, the Government made the cabinet decision to add the economic faculty to the Law College of Tokyo Imperial University, and after half a year the class began there.
On the other hand, in THC, in February Meiji 42 (1909), most of the students strongly requested the principal Kuranosuke Matsuzaki to submit the petition for realizing a commercial college to the Government.
Conversely, the principal, abusing them as outrageous, not only rejected their request but also decided to expel the five representative students and to impose to one student the suspension from school for an indefinite period.

"What on earth did the principal think of?"
Eriko and Mari cries at the same time.
Elderly Suga adds further explanation this time.
"Matsuzaki, a former government official, was expecting the carrot of vice president of Toyo Takushoku Company, a national policy company at that time. He seemed to feel dizzy of it."
Tsubune restarts his talk under Suga's eye-signal.

It was natural that the school was thrown into an uproar. Shibusawa and some others made a hard effort to keep them calm and to work out corrective measure.
Besides, concerning the professors of THC, Zensaku Sano and ten professors together negotiated with the Education Minister. But the negotiation broke down with no room for compromise, because the insistences of both sides differed significantly as follows.
THC: A commercial college should be set up independently, not in Tokyo Imperial University (TIU). It does not mean to promote THC to a college.
Education Ministry: It is not necessary to establish an independent commercial college. It is good enough to be set up in TIU as a faculty.

In the result, the four professors, Sano, Seki, Takimoto and Shimono, resigned for protest, and principal Matsuzaki was forced to resign.

Tsubune, breathing a little, moves his eyes to another document which includes a famous writer's article.
"Soseki Natsume wrote his impression on that case like this."
He reads, frowning at it.

The students of THC do bargening from their school days. It would be happy if the decision of more than 1,000 of them would not be threatening, let alone to make arrangements with the newspapers so as for them to publish such exaggerated articles.
Who is Old Shibusawa? If they would rely upon him so much, it would be honest for them to confess their disability and cling to Shibusawa.
A couple of professors of THC offered to resign. It is reasonable. They should go away quickly. --- April 25, Meiji 42 (1909)

Tsubune gets back to the main document.

After that, Eiichi Shibusawa had a heated argument with Education Minister.
Shibusawa says, "Stop such a makeshift measure as to set up commercial college in TIU.
On the other hand, the opponent says, "The measure has already been decided, and under this measure the graduates of THC can enter the TIU wthout examination. Aren't they lucky and grateful? So, it is truly regrettable for the Baron to criticize and interrupt us."
In the result, the Education Ministry noticed the abolition of the major course of any schools as a ministrial ordinance in May.

According to the note, ...
The major course is the 2-year period of the highest level study in a college. It means this course was the core for promoting THC to a college, and the Government tried to smash it.

Tsubune reads forward.

In the evening on the day before over 2,000 audience the supporters appealed them about the unjust measure of the Education Ministry. They were Shigenobu Okuma, Saburo Shimada, Kiroku Hayashi, Motoyuki Ebara, Sho Nemoto and Isowo Abe.

Eriko cries in a low voice.
"Shigenobu Okuma? Various celebrities!"

During the time, the student convention resolved the withdrawal of all the 1,500 students from school, and they left the school, pulling the badge Mercury from their caps and flunging them on the soil at the main entrance.

The elderly senior has an annotation here.
"Their address of leaving the school at that time is, so to speak, the Bible of Students afterward. I can mostly recite it now."
"Please!"
Silent Mari cries.
Holding the document for confirmation, Suga is pleased to say, "Sorry only the beginning and the ending."

　悲風惨澹(さんたん)天日曇る明治四十二年五月十一日、吾等同胞一千五百、袂(たもと)を連ね、茲(ここ)に最愛の母校を去る。
　悲憤痛恨胸塞がり感極まりて慟天哭地(どうてんこくち)、言ふに辞なからむとす。（中略）
　天下の公論と吾等十年の主張とを無視し、且つ既得の権利たる専攻部亦其の奪ふ所となりて、光輝ある一橋校三十年の歴史を其の蹂躙(じゅうりん)に委(ゆだ)ね了(おわ)らむとは。
　想うて茲に至れば腸(はらわた)九回せんとす。噫(あぁ)吾等は遂に血涙を呑みて母校を棄てざるべからざるか。
　一橋の空雲愁ひ風怨みて、長(とこし)へに吾等が恨(うらみ)を封ぜん。

On May 11, Meiji 42 (1909), under the weaping sky of sorrow and misery, we, 1,500 students, leave the dearest alma mater.
We are filled with too much anger and hatred to have any hope in the future. ...

... The Government is going to neglect the public opinion and our claim for 10 years, and also to abolish the existing major course. It is about to violate the 30-year glorious history of our Hitotsubashi school.
Thinking of our present situation, we gnashed our teeth and made a heartbreaking decision to leave our alma mater.
The sky, cloud and wind in Hitotsubashi will curse the Government and make our hatred stay here forever.