Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 35 The Final Shopping Spree

(Thanks to the expert "13,000 Physical Attack Points" for the verification, here's an extra chapter)

December 15, 1986.

The streets of Tokyo are already filled with the Christmas spirit. Huge Christmas trees, adorned with golden bells and red ribbons, have been erected in front of department stores in Ginza. Record stores are playing Tatsuro Yamashita's "Christmas Eve" on a loop; its melancholic yet romantic melody drifts through the cold air, making every young passerby instinctively hunch their shoulders, hoping for a snowfall.

But in the offices of Saionji Industrial in Marunouchi, the atmosphere was as tense as if a war was about to break out.

There's no Christmas tree, and no music. Only the buzzing of the fax machine spitting out thermal paper and the incessant ringing of the telephone.

Financial Controller Endo sat at his desk, holding a newly printed balance sheet in his hand.

He is fifty-five years old this year and worked as an auditor at Mitsui Bank for thirty years. Six months ago, he was recruited by Shuichi Saionji with a high salary to manage the family finances. He is an extremely conservative person. His favorite color is black (representing profit), and his least favorite color is red (representing deficit).

At this moment, as he looked at the rows of black numbers on the report, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Too high..."

Endo muttered to himself, his fingers tapping anxiously on the table.

"Our cash reserves are too high. We need to find a way to put them in a fixed deposit or buy some government bonds. Otherwise, the losses from inflation alone will be painful."

There are 12 billion yen in the books.

This is the Saionji family's haul for the year: the rent from the Ginza Crystal Palace, the settlement of unrealized profits from overseas stocks, and the final payment for previous foreign exchange hedging.

In an era where ordinary people struggle for a few million yen a year, this amount of money is enough to make any CFO laugh in their sleep.

But for the Saionji family now, this money is not a form of wealth.

It's a burden.

"Mr. Endo."

The office door was pushed open.

Satsuki walked in. She wasn't wearing her school uniform today, but a black turtleneck sweater with a dark gray wool cardigan over it. Her hair was casually tied in a ponytail, and she held a steaming cup of black coffee in her hand.

"Young Miss." Endo quickly stood up, adjusting his reading glasses. "You've come at the perfect time. I was just about to report to the president about the investment plan for these idle funds. I think buying ten-year government bonds is the safest option..."

"I will not buy government bonds."

Satsuki walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window without looking at the report in Endo's hand.

"And no fixed deposits."

She turned around and took a sip of her bitter coffee.

"Spend it."

Endo paused, then asked, "Flowers...flowers spent? How many?"

"all."

Satsuki's voice was soft, yet it was like a bombshell exploding in Endo's ear.

"All of it?!" Endo's voice changed. "One hundred and twenty billion?! Now? By the end of the year?"

Yes. Within this week.

Satsuki walked to the desk, stretched out her finger, and tapped on that dizzying number.

"Mr. Endo, you're a veteran banker. You should know better than me that money is only money when it's in circulation. Money sitting in an account is dead meat."

"But... what should we buy?" Endo was sweating profusely. "Right now, all the buildings in Ginza and Akasaka are being eyed by big conglomerates, and even the slightly better projects take months to negotiate. There's simply no time to do due diligence this week!"

"Who said they were going to buy a building?"

Satsuki took a roll of map out of her briefcase.

That was a detailed cadastral map of Tokyo, on a very large scale, showing even every alleyway.

The map was covered with countless blue circles.

"We'll buy these."

Endo leaned closer for a look, then his eyes widened in surprise.

Those areas circled in blue are not proper plots of land.

Some are narrow, elongated open spaces of only 20 pings (about 60 square meters) sandwiched between two buildings.

Some are oddly shaped plots of land located behind Shibuya Station, resembling a triangle.

Others are the property rights to an open-air parking lot in a deep alley in Roppongi, or a run-down ramen shop on the edge of Shinjuku's Kabukicho district.

"This..." Endo stammered, "Young Miss, these are all... scraps! They're garbage that mainstream developers wouldn't even consider! These plots are too small; you can't build any high-rises on them, and the floor area ratio is too low. What's the point of buying them?"

"Because it's fast."

Satsuki put away the map, her eyes sharp.

"Because nobody wants it, there's no need for negotiation. Because the plot is small, the property rights are clear. As long as the money is in place, the transfer can be completed in three days."

She looked at Endo.

"Mr. Endo, do you think that a piece of gold becomes worthless if it's cut into pieces?"

"Uh... no, not at all."

"The same goes for land."

Satsuki walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote down a formula.

Money = Trash

Land = Gold

"Starting next month, every inch of land in Tokyo, even the smallest piece, will turn into gold. Even if you can't build anything on it, and can only park a bicycle on it, it will float up with the tide."

"What we need to do is use this 12 billion 'garbage' to exchange for as much 'gold' as possible."

"Regardless of size, shape, or location. As long as it's within the Yamanote Line, as long as the property rights are clear, and as long as the transfer can be completed immediately."

Satsuki threw the pen away; the cap rolled across the table and fell to the floor.

"Buy them all."

……

Ten minutes later.

The conference room of Saionji Industrial Co., Ltd. has been turned into a frenzied exchange.

More than a dozen phones were connected at the same time, and the shouts of the salespeople rose and fell.

"Hello! Tanaka Realty? This is Saionji Corporation! Is that triangular plot of land in Shibuya still available? What? Nobody wants it? We want it! Bring the deed right now! Yes! Full payment!"

"Kobayashi-san! That parking lot in Roppongi, the one with 50 tsubo (approximately 133 square meters)! 300 million? No problem! If we can sign the contract today, we'll add 20 million!"

The news spread like wildfire through Tokyo's real estate agent circles.

The Saionji family has gone mad.

The Saionji family, known for their sharp eye and focus on high-quality projects, suddenly started collecting junk.

The real estate agents who had unsold land plots were overjoyed. Clutching their files, they hailed taxis and flocked to Marunouchi like a tidal wave.

3 PM.

A long queue formed in front of the long table in the conference room.

The real estate agents held the land deeds and seals in their hands, their faces beaming with disbelief. They had thought these oddly shaped plots of land were going to rot in their hands, but unexpectedly, a windfall had fallen from the sky.

Satsuki sat at the end of the table.

In front of her lay a thick stack of checkbooks, and the official seal representing the Saionji family's credit (yes, she could now use her father's seal at will).

She was like an emotionless stamping machine.

"Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, 15 tsubo (approximately 16.6 square meters). Triangular shape. 200 million yen."

The agent nervously handed over the contract, fearing the other party might back out.

Satsuki glanced at the property certificate and confirmed that it was correct.

"Smack."

The seal fell, and the bright red ink spread across the paper.

"Next."

She tore off a check and handed it to the dumbfounded real estate agent next to her without even lifting her eyelids.

"Nishi-Azabu, Minato Ward, 30 tsubo (approximately 13.3 square meters). Located deep in an alley, inaccessible by car. 400 million yen."

"Smack."

Another chapter.

"Next."

"Hyakunincho, Shinjuku Ward, 25 tsubo (approximately 16.6 square meters). It used to be a garbage recycling station. 150 million yen."

"Smack."

"Next."

All afternoon, only three kinds of sounds were heard in the conference room.

The sound of paper turning.

The sound of tearing a check.

And there were those dull, resounding thuds of footprints.

"Smack."

"Smack."

"Smack."

With each sound, hundreds of millions of yen vanished from the account, turning into faded land deeds.

Endo stood to the side, his handkerchief soaked through. He felt his heart was about to give way.

This is hardly an investment.

This is practically throwing money away!

What can you do with that triangular plot of land in Shibuya besides putting up a GG sign? How can you develop that deep alley in Nishi-Azabu where even building materials can't be transported in?

"M-Miss..." Endo stammered, "How about...we reconsider? The price at that recycling center is clearly inflated..."

"There's no time."

Satsuki didn't even raise her head, and her hands didn't stop moving in the slightest.

"You think it's expensive now, but next year you'll think it's so cheap it's like robbery."

She glanced at the clock on the wall.

It's 4:50 PM. The bank is about to close.

"There are only ten minutes left," Satsuki's voice rose slightly. "Who else?"

"Me! Me!"

A middle-aged man, covered in sweat, squeezed in.

"I work for Daejeon Real Estate! I have... I have an item that's very difficult to deal with."

The middle-aged man took out a drawing, somewhat embarrassed.

"In Meguro Ward. It's a... long, narrow piece of land. Only two meters wide, but fifty meters long. It's sandwiched between two roads. Originally, it was planned to be a green belt, but later..."

"How much?" Satsuki interrupted him.

"Uh... because it's really unusable, so I'll just need... fifty million."

"I bought it."

"Smack."

The seal fell.

The middle-aged man was completely stunned, holding the check. He even tripped over the threshold as he went out, almost falling flat on his face, but when he got up, he was still laughing, laughing like a madman.

It's exactly five o'clock.

The bank's transfer system is closed.

Satsuki put down the seal in her hand.

Her wrists were a little sore. She rubbed them and looked at the mountain of documents piled up in front of her.

That thick stack of checkbooks, only a few slips remain.

"Mr. Endo."

Satsuki leaned back in her chair and let out a long breath.

"Let me report."

Endo picked up the calculator and his fingers flew across the keys, though his hands were still trembling slightly.

"The account originally had a balance of 12.3 billion. Today's expenditures..."

He looked at the number and swallowed hard.

"11.8 billion."

"The remaining working capital... is 500 million. That's just enough to cover next month's employee salaries and utilities."

empty.

All the money I earned through a year of hard work turned into this pile of seemingly useless "waste paper" in just one afternoon.

Endo raised his head, his eyes filled with fear.

As a conservative finance professional, this extremely tight cash flow felt suffocating. If the rent payment for Ginza next month were even one day late, the company would face the risk of default.

"very good."

Satsuki smiled.

She stood up, walked to the pile of land deeds, and reached out to gently stroke the rough papers.

"Mr. Endo, don't look at me like that."

"These are not waste paper."

She picked up the deed for the triangular plot of land in Shibuya.

"Although this plot of land can't be used to build anything, it's within sight of Shibuya Station. Next year, I'll erect a giant LED screen here and play GG every day. The cost of the GG alone will pay for itself in a year."

She picked up the deed for the long, narrow plot of land in Meguro Ward again.

"This piece of land, though only two meters wide, is perfectly positioned between two large residential complexes. If any developer wants to connect these two complexes in the future, this land will be a bottleneck. In that case, fifty million? I'll make them pay five hundred million to redeem it."

Satsuki turned around and looked out the window.

Night falls quickly in winter. The streetlights in Marunouchi are already on.

The golden lights stretched out in a continuous line, like flowing lava.

"We are not buying land."

Satsuki said softly.

"We are buying 'right of way,' buying 'view of sight,' buying 'gates' that others have to pass through."

"In this rapidly expanding city, every corner has its value, as long as you're in the right place."

She picked up her coat and put it on.

"Let's go, Mr. Endo. It's time to go home."

"Go back and get a good night's sleep. Don't worry about not getting paid."

Satsuki walked to the door, stopped, and looked back at the empty safe.

"Because starting tomorrow, we won't need cash anymore."

"We live by 'credit'."

"And every piece of paper on this table is a reason why banks are begging us to give them money."

The door closed.

Endo remained alone in the conference room.

He looked at the table full of land deeds, then glanced at the bustling Tokyo night view outside the window.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that the little girl was right.

In this crazy age, money really is the least valuable thing.

Only by replacing them with these real, even oddly shaped, plots of land can they have a foothold in the impending flood.

Even if it's just a two-meter-wide foothold.

He took a deep breath and began to organize the land deeds.

Their movements became extremely careful, as if they were sorting through a pile of priceless treasures.

Downstairs, the melody of Christmas carols could be faintly heard.

Silent night, Holy night...

Christmas Eve is almost here.

But for the Saionji family, this night was far from peaceful.

Just before the storm hit, they exchanged the last bag of food in the hold for a heavy ballast stone.