Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 160 The Deposit for the Sea God

(A huge thank you to "Forty-Leaf Clover" for the three "Master" certifications! Thank you for your support! Thank you to "Meow Meow Meow (Ha!)" for the "Master" certification! Thank you to "-GGTO-" for the "Master" certification! Thank you to "Yuugo" for the "Master" certification! Thank you to "berberbada" for the "Master" certification! An extra chapter today, and more tomorrow~)

April 25, 1989.

Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

The corridor outside the House Budget Committee was covered with a thick red carpet, a fabric that effectively absorbed footsteps but couldn't absorb the acrid smell of tobacco that permeated the air.

The smoking room at the end of the corridor was packed with people. Secretaries in dark suits were talking in hushed tones or rapidly issuing instructions into their cell phones.

The clock on the wall pointed to three in the afternoon.

Inside the meeting room, the vote on the 1989 government budget had just ended.

Ichiro Osawa pushed open the heavy oak door and came out.

He loosened his slightly tight red tie, his face showing neither the joy of victory nor the frustration of defeat. His expression was like that of a dried-up rock.

"Teacher Osawa."

A young councilor came forward and offered him a glass of warm water.

"Is Prime Minister Takeshita... really going to make an announcement?"

Ichiro Osawa took the water glass but didn't drink it. He glanced at the other end of the corridor.

There, the Prime Minister's lounge, heavily guarded, was locked. Just moments before, in exchange for the opposition's approval of the budget, Takeshita Noboru had to swallow the bitter pill—promising to resign immediately after the bill's passage.

This is a brutal political subtraction.

Using the head of a prime minister, minus the opposition's resistance, is equivalent to passing the budget.

After he ceased to be prime minister, he faced a reckoning from all sides...

"He's already a dead man."

Osawa Ichiro's voice was very soft, almost inaudible in the noisy corridor.

"The dead don't need to be announced, they just need to be buried."

He handed the water glass back to the young senator, his gaze sweeping over the faction members who had once surrounded Takeshita Noboru but now huddled in a corner whispering like they were avoiding a plague.

The giant ship of the Jing Shi Hui (Zhu Xia faction) has already hit an iceberg.

The captain is sinking.

The crew were frantically searching for lifeboats.

"Loyalty has a price in this industry."

Daze took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and skillfully flicked one out with his fingers.

"The price of this thing has gone up now."

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and the pungent smoke filled his lungs.

The names of party bigwigs—Shintaro Abe and Kiichi Miyazawa—are now on the Special Investigation Department's blacklist. Because of the Recruit scandal, they've all become "tainted."

No one can take over.

A power vacuum has emerged.

To fill this vacuum, to co-opt these anxious lawmakers, and to maintain the faction's dominance in the post-Takeshita era, there is only one thing needed.

money.

Lots and lots of money.

Ichiro Osawa touched his shirt pocket. There lay an S-Mart receipt, a prop he used for his TV appearances, and now his lucky charm.

But amulets can't be eaten.

The weddings and funerals in those constituencies, the "ice allowance" given to supporters in the summer, and the "cake allowance" given to supporters in the winter—every single one of these payments was real money.

Traditional chaebols have stopped donating due to the scandal, and banks are also taking a wait-and-see approach.

Nagata-cho is currently parched and its throats are parched.

"Prepare the car."

Ichiro Osawa stubbed out his cigarette, which he had only taken two puffs of, in the ashtray on top of the trash can.

"Go to Akasaka."

……

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

Akasaka Prince Hotel, 36th floor of the new building, Executive Suite.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the Tokyo sunset took on a murky purplish-red hue.

Shuichi sat on a single sofa, a glass of whiskey with an ice ball on the glass coffee table in front of him. The ice ball was half melted, but he didn't touch it.

Doorbell rang.

The bodyguard opened the door.

Ichiro Osawa walked in. He seemed more relaxed than when he was in the Diet, having taken off his coat and wearing only a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows.

"Shuichi-kun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Daze plopped down on the sofa opposite him, sinking into it completely.

"The budget has been passed."

Xiu Yi nodded slightly, his expression calm.

"As expected. Mr. Takeshita is very responsible."

"Taking responsibility?" Osawa scoffed, grabbing a bottle of mineral water from the table and taking a large gulp. "That's because he was forced to the edge of a cliff. If he didn't resign, the opposition would go on a hunger strike in the parliament hall."

He put down the water bottle and stared intently at Shuichi.

"Shuichi-kun, let's not waste time on old times. You should be well aware of the current situation."

Daze stretched out his finger and drew a circle in the air.

"Takeshita has fallen, and I've become the villain who 'forced the emperor' to step down. But the Keisekai organization can't fall apart. If it does, the Liberal Democratic Party will be in chaos."

"I need to keep the people below me calm."

He rubbed his fingers together, making an extremely straightforward gesture.

"But my ammunition depot is empty right now."

Shuichi looked into Osawa's eyes, which were filled with desire and anxiety.

This is the true face of politics.

Behind those grand speeches lies, in essence, an arithmetic problem about resource allocation.

"Osawa-kun, the Saionji family never lets their friends go to the battlefield empty-handed."

Xiu bent down and took out a thick kraft paper file bag from the briefcase at his feet.

The file folder was not sealed.

He pushed the bag in front of Osawa.

Ichiro Osawa didn't rush to open it. He was an experienced man; he could estimate the contents just by looking at the thickness and weight of the bag.

"This is part of the 'special dividend' from S-Mart and Uniqlo last quarter."

Shuichi's voice was gentle.

"Cash draft. Bearer. Cashable at any Swiss bank or offshore account in the Cayman Islands."

Osawa pulled out a corner.

The string of zeros on it shimmered with a captivating luster in the afterglow of the setting sun.

One billion yen.

This sum of money is enough to buy the loyalty of thirty wavering legislators, or to pave the way for any puppet in the upcoming presidential election.

Osawa's fingers traced the surface of the paper.

"Shuichi-kun, this money is a hot potato."

"Money is just money, it has no warmth." Shuichi picked up his whiskey and swirled it gently. "Only the human heart is warm, or cold."

Osawa laughed. He casually tossed the file folder aside, leaned forward, and looked at Shuichi.

"Speak. What does the Saionji family want?"

"Cabinet positions? In the current climate, joining the cabinet is like jumping into a fire pit. Policy favors? Your duty-free shops are already all over Tokyo."

Shuichi shook his head.

He put down his wine glass, stood up, and walked to the French windows.

Outside the window, in the direction of Tokyo Bay, everything was pitch black. Only a few dim searchlights illuminated the construction site of the Rainbow Bridge, like fireflies struggling in the darkness.

Xiuyi stretched out his hand, his fingertips touching the glass window, pointing to the center of that darkness.

"I want land."

"Land?" Osawa paused, then asked, "Does the Saionji family need more land?"

"I don't want ordinary land."

Shuichi turned around.

"Odaiba. Burial Site No. 13."

"I want the surrounding 100 hectares of land, and..."

Shuichi's finger traced an arc in the air.

"The order to 'accelerate the construction' of that bridge, as well as the planning rights for the stations of the Lilygull (new transportation system)."

Osawa Ichiro frowned, his expression turning somewhat strange.

"Odaiba? If I remember correctly, that project was promoted by Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. Didn't the Seibu Group already reach a cooperation agreement with you? He should be in charge of the infrastructure and permits."

Osawa looked at Shuichi with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

"Shuichi-kun, are you... buying tickets twice?"

"I bought a ticket to get on the train. But I want to sit in the driver's seat."

Shuichi walked back to the coffee table and took another document from his briefcase. It was a detailed plan of Odaiba, with several key locations circled in red.

"Oozawa-kun, look."

Xiu Yi pointed to the blueprints.

"Tsutsumi Yoshiaki is clearly pushing this project. But he's relying on the old Takeshita faction, that is, the old-timers like Kanemaru Shin. Now Kanemaru Shin himself is in trouble, and Takeshita Noboru is about to resign. The political channels of the Seibu Group are blocked."

"If we wait for them to smooth things over, that bridge could take ten years to build. The Saionji family... doesn't want to wait."

Shuichi's voice became low.

"Moreover, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was too greedy. In his plan, the best plot of land was reserved for the Prince Hotel, and the station exit was also facing the Seibu Department Store."

"I contributed money and land, yet I have to put up with his attitude?"

Xiu raised his head and looked directly into Osawa's eyes.

"That's not fair."

"Therefore, I need new power. A power that can bypass the old bureaucratic system and issue orders directly."

"I want your first action after taking over power to be to expedite the Odaiba project under the guise of 'stabilizing prices and building a super logistics center'."

Shuichi pointed his finger heavily at a red circle on the map—the planned location for the Saionji Pagoda.

"Furthermore, in the new plan, the Yurikamome's final stop must be here, not in front of the Seibu Hotel."

Ichiro Osawa understood.

He looked at the map, then at the bag of checks.

This is not just bribery. This is a power grab.

Taking advantage of the political reshuffling and the fall of the Seibu Group's political backer, the Saionji family forcibly altered the script for the Odaiba development.

They want to wrest the steering wheel from that "real estate tycoon".

"That's ruthless."

"Ichiro Osawa sighed, but a smile appeared on his lips."

"If Yoshiaki Tsutsumi knew that you spent a billion yen to poach his employee, he would probably be so angry that he couldn't sleep."

"In business competition, everyone relies on their own abilities."

Xiu Yi said calmly.

"Furthermore, this is also for your political achievements, Mr. Osawa. If Odaiba can be quickly built and become a new landmark of Tokyo, that will also be a credit to the 'reformists,' won't it?"

"really."

Osawa Ichiro slapped his thigh.

"Okay. This deal is done."

"Once the new cabinet is formed, the new Minister of Construction will be one of my people. The planning map for Odaiba will be redrawn according to your wishes."

Xiuyi reached out his hand.

"A pleasure working with you, future...kingmaker."

Osawa grasped his hand.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Their hands were clasped tightly together.

In this luxurious suite overlooking Tokyo, at dusk as an old era was drawing to a close, a deal involving betrayal and power grab was struck between a glass of whiskey and a bag of checks.

……

7 PM.

Shibaura Wharf.

This is a corner of Tokyo Bay, and also the only way to Odaiba.

The sea breeze was strong, carrying the humidity and fishy smell of early summer. Black waves crashed against the breakwater, producing a dull roar.

A black Mercedes armored vehicle was parked at the end of the pier.

Satsuki stood beside the car, holding a can of hot coffee. She was wearing the uniform of Seika Academy, with a black men's suit jacket draped over it—it belonged to Fujita Takeshi.

Her long hair was tousled by the sea breeze, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks.

"Young Miss, it's windy at the beach."

Fujita stood behind her, his body like a wall, blocking most of the wind for her.

"fine."

Satsuki shook her head.

She looked out to the shore. It was pitch black there. There were no lights or buildings yet, only a few navigation lights blinking lonely in the darkness.

That's Odaiba.

The artificial island is known as "Burial Site No. 13".

"Father should have already reached an agreement." Satsuki's voice was soft, slightly dispersed by the sea breeze. "Osawa Ichiro is a smart man. He knows he's guaranteed to make a profit on this deal. And given his position, he has no right to refuse us."

"Young Miss, please forgive my bluntness."

Fujita hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question.

"We've already signed a cooperation agreement with the Seibu Group. Now we're spending another billion to get Mr. Osawa to revise the plans... If Chairman Tsutsumi finds out about this, what will happen...?"

Will they turn on each other?

Satsuki turned around, leaned against the railing, and looked at the bustling Shibaura city in the distance.

"Fujita, you underestimate Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. He's a pragmatist."

She took a sip of coffee, the heat flowing down her throat into her stomach.

"With Takeshita Noboru's downfall, the old forces he relied on have been paralyzed. If we don't intervene, the Odaiba project will rot in our hands."

"I helped him repair roads and build bridges. Although... I also moved the bus station to our doorstep."

Satsuki took a coin out of her pocket.

It was a brand new 100-yen coin from the S-Mart checkout. The silvery-white cherry blossom design glittered under the streetlights.

"Once the deed is done, once the bridge is repaired and the road is open, even if he's angry, he'll have no choice but to swallow his pride and accept it."

"Because only by following us can his land be converted into cash."

"This is what 'domination' means."

Satsuki's finger snapped suddenly.

"bite--"

The coin traced a silver parabola through the air, spinning as it plunged into the dark sea.

"thump."

The faint sound of water hitting the surface was instantly swallowed up by the waves.

"The Saionji family's tower is the true owner of this island."

She looked at the spot where the coin had disappeared.

"This is a deposit for the sea god."