Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 146 We Will Be Everywhere

December 31, 1988.

New Year's Eve.

It's 11:30 PM.

Bunkyo District, Saionji Headquarters.

The snow outside the window had stopped, and the accumulated snow on the old pine trees in the courtyard made a very slight cracking sound. Inside the mansion, the underfloor heating system operated silently, maintaining the room temperature at the most comfortable 24 degrees Celsius. The air was filled with the aroma of black tea and the smell of ink from paper.

The large mahogany table in the study was piled high with thick stacks of documents.

That was the final financial report of SA Group for 1988 (written overnight by an unknown person).

Shuichi sat in a high-backed chair, holding a heavy stack of reports. His tie was undone, two buttons on his shirt collar were loose, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The physiological reaction caused by the excessive secretion of adrenaline made his fingers tremble slightly.

"Satsuki".

Shuichi's voice was a little hoarse, and his throat was dry.

"Come and take a look at this."

Satsuki walked barefoot on the thick Persian carpet. She wore a wine-red velvet house dress, the hem of which swayed gently with her steps.

She walked to the table, but instead of sitting down, she placed her hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward, and got closer to the densely packed numbers.

Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks were flushed slightly.

Over the past year, she has plotted, fought, and plundered. Now, looking at the numbers that have finally come together, she feels a chill run down her spine. This feeling is more intoxicatingly pleasurable than any alcohol or praise—power and capital dance in her palms, she controls everything.

"Read it to me, Father."

Satsuki's voice was light and cheerful, carrying the anticipation of a child about to unwrap a Christmas present, like a real little kid, her eyes sparkling.

"I want to hear exactly how much we've taken from the pockets of Tokyo residents this year."

Seeing Satsuki's rare display of childishness, Shuichi's excited emotions calmed down a little.

Yes, my daughter is so cute.

He put his glasses back on and ran his fingers along the rows of the form.

"First is S-Food (food section)."

Shuichi's voice echoed in the study.

"This is our most stable cash flow at present. Thanks to our absolute control over the supply chains of the three major convenience store chains, FamilyMart, Lawson, and 7-Eleven, as well as the extremely low raw material costs of S-Farm in Hokkaido... the monthly net profit of this segment has stabilized at 2.5 billion yen."

He looked up at the chandelier above him.

"Twenty-five billion... That's equivalent to receiving over eighty million yen every day we open our eyes. Every single person in Tokyo who opens their mouth to eat is paying us money."

Satsuki tilted her head as she listened, her eyes equally excited.

"Keep going, Father, don't stop."

Xiu Yi swallowed hard, turned to the next page, and his emotions rose even higher.

"S-Collection and Uniqlo (retail sector)."

"While S-Collection's high-end custom clothing still maintains stable high profits, Uniqlo is even more outrageous. That Tadashi Yanai is truly a retail genius. Even with several of our newly built factories operating at the same time, his sales speed can still keep up (in fact, Tadashi Yanai is almost burnt out)."

Shuichi's voice involuntarily rose several octaves, even cracking.

"This segment's monthly net profit reached 2 billion yen. Moreover, in the past week alone, the 'tax prevention promotion' brought us an additional 3 billion yen in cash."

"We can squeeze out a large number of competitors again. Clothing, which has a high replacement cycle, has already exhausted some of next year's consumption capacity, and business will be dismal for at least the next quarter."

Satsuki let out a pleasant chuckle, her fingers unconsciously scratching at the table.

"We'll be slightly affected, but it's okay... this money will be perfect for getting through the winter. Anything else?"

"Next up is... Technology & Finance (SA Investment & SIS)."

Shuichi looked at this section, his expression becoming somewhat complicated. This was the part he understood the least, yet also the part he held the most reverence for—a black box created by his daughter.

"The 'millisecond-level' dedicated line rental fees that Saionji Information System charges investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, plus the interest generated by our huge cash reserves in overseas accounts... even if we do nothing, we still have a net profit of 1.2 billion yen every month."

"This doesn't even include our unrealized profits from our holdings in Microsoft, Cisco, and Oracle—that's an astronomical figure."

Finally, Shuichi turned to the last page and slammed his hand heavily on the line of numbers.

"SA Real Estate & Entertainment"

"The Crystal Palace in Ginza is fully rented, the Pink Building in Akasaka has a daily turnover of 50 million yen, plus the endless stream of coins from the karaoke boxes scattered throughout Tokyo..."

"This segment generates a monthly net profit of 800 million yen."

"Smack."

Xiu closed the report.

He stood up, walked to the fireplace, looked at his daughter in the firelight, and his voice trembled with extreme excitement.

"S-Food 2.5 billion, Retail 2 billion, Finance 1.2 billion, Real Estate 800 million..."

He stretched out his hands and made a huge circle in the air, as if to embrace this overwhelming wealth.

"Sixty-five billion yen."

"Satsuki, do you know what this means? It means the Saionji family can make a net profit of 6.5 billion yen every month! And that's just net profit!"

"We are even healthier than those tycoons who own banks, because we either have no debt or an extremely low debt ratio!"

Shuichi paced back and forth excitedly, his indoor shoes making a rapid, rhythmic sound on the floor.

This is even faster than the Ministry of Finance printing money.

Money, when it reaches a certain level, can be transformed into power.

It is a power that can buy dignity, power, and all the rules of this world.

"So beautiful..."

Satsuki reached out and gently stroked the cold folder with her fingertips, as if she were caressing a lover's skin.

She closed her eyes, as if she could smell the intoxicating stench of blood and money behind those numbers.

"Father, can you feel it?"

She opened her eyes, and a joyful light shone in her obsidian-like pupils, a light that made Shuichi feel a slight unease.

"This is the sound of blood flowing. It's so beautiful... This feeling of my heart almost jumping out of my chest is more intoxicating than any red wine."

She walked around the table, went to Shuichi's side, and took his hand.

"We are no longer the old Chinese class who had to be subservient to banks."

"Now, we are the bank."

Shuichi held his daughter's hand. That small hand was warm and soft, yet it held the helm of this vast empire.

"Yes," Shuichi sighed, "Sometimes I wonder if this is all just a dream?"

"You said the same thing last year, didn't you?"

Satsuki let go of her hand and walked to the TV cabinet by the wall.

She turned on the TV.

On the screen, NHK is broadcasting a special news program. The scene is solemn, and the announcer's voice is deep and serious.

[Emperor Showa's condition continues to deteriorate; the Imperial Household Agency releases the latest health briefing...]

In the scene, countless people lined up in the cold wind in front of the Nijubashi Bridge at the Imperial Palace to register their prayers for the Emperor. The entire city of Tokyo was shrouded in an atmosphere of "self-restraint," making what should have been a lively New Year's Eve feel somewhat somber. (The "Self-Restraint Period" at the end of the Showa Era)

"look."

Satsuki pointed at the television screen, her excitement fading slightly before returning to her usual elegant smile.

"That era is coming to an end."

"Based on the current situation, it should be within the next few days."

As Shuichi watched the television, his excitement gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression. As a member of the former aristocracy, he held a natural reverence for the imperial family. Hearing his daughter so bluntly predict the Emperor's death sent a chill down his spine.

Satsuki didn't pay attention to her father's reaction. She walked to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote two words on a piece of white paper.

The pen strokes are sharp and powerful, penetrating the paper.

【Heisei】

"Father, this will be the new era name."

As Gaoyue looked at those two words, the smile on her lips deepened.

"The land is flat and the sky is clear, the inside is peaceful and the outside is prosperous. It sounds like a peaceful era."

"But believe me, this will be the craziest, most turbulent, and most opportunity-filled beginning in Japanese history."

Xiuichi looked at those two words and his expression turned serious.

"What should we do in 1989?"

He pointed to the huge map of Tokyo on the wall.

"Land prices have gone crazy. Even land in Nerima Ward has reached astronomical prices. The land we acquired from Ezaki in Odaiba has now tripled in value."

"Shouldn't we sell them now? While Tibet is still promoting the concept of 'coastal sub-city center,' let's cash in on those land plots at their peak? Just one resale and we'll have billions in pure profit, cash in on it all."

"No."

Satsuki turned around and shook her head decisively.

She walked up to the map and picked up a red marker.

The pen tip drew a heavy circle around the blue Tokyo Bay in the lower right corner of the map.

That's Odaiba.

The reclaimed land, known as "Plot 13," floats alone in the sea, surrounded by a blank planning area.

"It's too early, Father."

"The main course has just been served; it would be a shame to leave now."

"Not a single ping (3.3 square meters) of land in Odaiba can be sold."

She pointed to the red circle with the tip of her pen, then expanded it outwards, encompassing several undeveloped plots of wasteland around it.

"Not only will I not sell, I'll buy even more."

"I want it here, here, and here."

"I want to turn this entire reclaimed land into the territory of the Saionji family."

"Buy more?" Shuichi frowned, pushed up his glasses, "Satsuki, do you know how much the land prices there have been inflated? And if we were to develop it ourselves, the investment in infrastructure and breakwaters alone would be astronomical."

"At current construction costs, building on that stretch of sea is simply burning money. We could just sell the land to Mitsubishi Estate or Mori Building and let them worry about the construction..."

"It is precisely because no one dares to easily burn through this money that we can establish our own rules there."

Satsuki turned around, leaned against the map, and opened her arms.

"Father, what I want is not the difference in land price."

"What I want is a city."

"An independent kingdom belonging to the Saionji family."

"We are going to build a tower here—Saionji Tower. It will be the absolute center of the group, with its own power generation system, satellite communication system, and security center."

"We're going to move the headquarters of all our subsidiaries, including S-Food, Uniqlo, and SIS, to the area around Saionji Pagoda. We'll also build luxury apartments, schools, and hospitals around there."

Her voice became increasingly inflammatory.

"We want our employees to live there, live there, and consume there; from food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to birth, aging, illness, and death, all their activities should be there; and their families, their property, and everything they care about should also be there."

"I want my employees to know how to live without Saionji."

"I want my employees. I can't imagine what the world would be like without Saionji."

"That will be a 'Noah's Ark' that can still operate independently even if Tokyo sinks or the Japanese economy collapses."

As Xiuyi listened to his daughter's description, he felt a chill run down his spine.

She wants to build a "city within a city" on an isolated island in Tokyo Bay, completely controlled by the Saionji family.

"But... this requires us to put all our profits into it," Xiu Yi reminded him.

"Money will lose value if you keep it."

Satsuki walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. The cold midnight wind blew in, ruffling her long hair.

"Beyond Odaiba, we want to extend our reach even further."

She held up a few fingers.

"First, semiconductors and precision manufacturing. Nikon's lithography machines, Kyocera's ceramic materials, Shin-Etsu Chemical's silicon wafers. Buy their stocks, or directly acquire their upstream suppliers. This is Japan's only barrier to entry right now, and we need to secure our position."

"Second, technology-driven acquisitions. Let SA Investment continue its acquisition spree in the United States. Whether it's software companies in Silicon Valley or special effects studios in Hollywood, as long as they have unique skills, buy them all."

Third, healthcare and elderly care.

Satsuki turned her head and looked at her father, who was growing old.

"Japan is aging. We need to invest in the best medical equipment companies and build the most advanced nursing homes. In the future, life will be the most valuable commodity."

"besides……"

She pointed to the empty vase in the corner of the study.

"Go to Sotheby's and Christie's. Buy paintings and antiques."

"Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso. As long as it's an original, I'll buy it no matter the price."

Xiu paused for a moment, then said, "You mean... like those nouveau riche, using art to decorate your facade?"

"No, Father."

Satsuki smiled, a smile that carried a hint of composed arrogance.

"Nouveau riche buy paintings to prove they're wealthy. We buy paintings for 'asset allocation'."

"When money becomes worthless, a Monet hanging on the wall is still a Monet. It is a harder currency than gold—more portable, more discreet, and more valuable. We already have enough gold."

"Moreover, as the former Chinese, only by holding these crystallizations of human civilization in our own hands can we have the right to define the 'upper class'."

"when……"

In the distance, the first bell rang.

That's the New Year's Eve bell.

One hundred and eight bell chimes will eliminate one hundred and eight kinds of troubles in the world.

But at the Saionji family's residence, the bell sounded more like a bugle call to arms.

Shuichi stood up and walked behind his daughter.

He looked at the "Odaiba Kingdom" circled in red on the map, then at his daughter's ambitious profile, and felt an unprecedented surge of pride swell in his chest.

A desire to hold the whole world in one's hands.

"Father."

Satsuki reached out and caught a snowflake that drifted in.

The snowflake melted instantly into a drop of water in her burning palm.

"Are you ready?"

She turned her head to look at her father, her eyes shining brighter than the fireworks outside the window.

"1989..."

"We will be everywhere."