Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 98 The List Collector

(Thanks to "Liang Wang who likes green fruit" for the great master certification! Thank you to "Seriously Injured True Lord" for the great master certification! Thank you to "Ship Defense System Terminal" for the great master certification! Thank you for your support! An extra chapter today~)

The central library of Seiwa Academy is a red-brick building from the early Showa era, featuring a soaring dome and long, narrow stained-glass windows. The air here remains dry and slightly cool year-round, filled with the sour smell of fermented old paper and the turpentine aroma of floor wax.

The library was deserted during lunch break. Sunlight streamed in through the stained-glass windows high up, turning the swirling dust motes into vibrant colors. The beams of light slanted across the rows of oak bookshelves, as if dividing the space into countless still slices.

Satsuki stood in front of the "Social Sciences" bookshelf, her fingers gently tracing the spines of the hardcover books.

She wasn't wearing her hair up today; her long, black hair cascaded down her shoulders, the ends slightly curled. She pulled out a thick book about the economic history of postwar Japan and flipped through it casually, the pages rustling softly.

Two steps away from her, at the reading table, Amy was idly twirling a mechanical pencil in her hand.

A copy of Nikkei Electronics lay open on the table, next to an open bag of Pocky. Amy was munching on a biscuit stick like a hamster, her eyes fixed on a circuit diagram of Motorola's new microprocessor in the magazine.

"Too slow."

Amy mumbled something indistinctly and pushed up her silver-rimmed glasses.

"Judging from the efficiency of data transmission, Esaki's response speed is probably still stuck in the telegraph era. If it were me, this kind of simple data aggregation would only take ten minutes."

"Humans are not machines, Amy."

Satsuki closed the book in her hand and stuffed it back into the gap on the bookshelf.

"In this circle, making the other person feel 'needed' and 'waited for' is also a necessary social ritual. Too fast, on the contrary, seems cheap."

She turned around and looked toward the entrance to the deep, dark corridor of the library.

A series of hurried, slightly chaotic footsteps approached. The sound of hard leather shoes striking the wooden floor broke the library's solemn silence as it drew nearer.

Mariko Ezaki appeared at the corner of the bookshelf.

She had been running quite fast, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, her once meticulously styled wavy hair was slightly disheveled. The moment she saw Satsuki, the anxiety in her eyes instantly transformed into uncontrollable ecstasy.

"Saionji-kun!"

Mariko lowered her voice, but the excitement in her tone was almost overflowing. She walked over quickly, even forgetting the etiquette of maintaining absolute silence in the library, and her crocodile skin handbag was slightly deformed from being gripped so tightly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! It took a little longer because we needed to verify the specific share figures and make clear notes on each person's family background..."

As she spoke, she cautiously glanced around to make sure no one else was there before carefully taking a brown paper folder out of her handbag.

"Here's what you wanted."

Mariko handed the folder to Satsuki with both hands, her movements as respectful as if she were presenting a letter of credence.

The "tacit approval" that happened a few days ago in the Rose Club activity room was like a shot in the arm for Mariko. Not only did she successfully give away the stocks, but more importantly, she felt that she had finally found the doorknob of that inner circle.

This morning, when Satsuki approached her privately and said in the tone only close friends would use, "I want to understand everyone's level of 'enthusiasm' so that I can better plan the Rose Club's activities in the future," Mariko felt as if she had been struck on the head by Lady Luck.

That is trust.

This is the necessary path to becoming a trusted confidant.

Satsuki took the folder, her fingertips lingering for a moment on the rough surface of the kraft paper.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ezaki-kun."

Satsuki's voice was soft, carrying just the right amount of approval.

"There are really not many people like you in this school who are so thoughtful and considerate of others."

Mariko's face flushed instantly. She twisted her fingers, stammering, "N-no, it's no trouble at all! It's my honor to be able to help Saionji-kun! And...and I also think that the Rose Society really needs to screen its members. Some people may have some family connections, but they're too shallow and don't deserve your class at all."

Amy bit into her Pocky stick, making a crisp "crunch" sound.

She glanced at Mariko, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes.

This poor hamster had no idea that it was handing over the list of its companions to a venomous snake, and was even worrying about the snake's appetite.

Satsuki ignored Mariko's declaration of loyalty. She opened the folder and took out several densely printed A4 sheets of paper.

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the paper.

The list is very long.

It must be said that Mariko's work was extremely meticulous. This was not just a list, but a detailed intelligence map.

[Yumi Takahashi: Daughter of the Chairman of the House Budget Committee. Subscription amount: 5000 shares. Note: Her father is currently in charge of budget approval for the Shinkansen project and is said to be very interested in her father's company's "information network deployment plan."]

[Sasato Kiko: Niece of the Director-General of the Industrial Policy Bureau, Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Subscription amount: 3000 shares. Note: Her family urgently needs cash flow and she is very much looking forward to realizing the profits after the listing.]

[Matsudaira Reina: Daughter of the Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police Department's Second Investigative Division...]

……

Familiar or unfamiliar names are arranged in rows.

Behind these names are families who control the country's purse strings, seals of authority, or police batons.

1988 years.

This was a crazy year. The Nikkei index was hurtling toward 30,000 points, and Tokyo land prices were breaking records every second. Everyone believed that buying stocks was like buying a ticket to the future.

Greed, like a virus, spread along this list.

In order to ensure the continued success of its stock after its IPO and to create a protective umbrella for its illegal expansion, Apex Group chose this most covert and efficient method of bribery: transferring unlisted shares (pre-IPO) to the children or relatives of powerful figures at low prices.

Although this was in a legal gray area at the time, it was essentially a blatant transfer of benefits.

Satsuki's gaze swept quickly over the numbers.

5000 shares, 3000 shares, 2000 shares...

Every line of numbers is a ticking time bomb.

In a few months, when the scandal is exposed by the media and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department intervenes in the investigation, every family on this list will face annihilation.

The chairman of the budget committee will resign and apologize.

The director of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry will be suspended from his duties pending investigation.

As for those young ladies who are still dreaming of getting rich... they will soon find that the stocks they hold are not tickets to Paris, but tickets to send their fathers to prison.

Of course, even without going through these young ladies, their parents would still find a way to contact them through other channels if they really needed to.

But if they ended up sending their entire family to prison through their own actions, those young ladies would probably feel guilty for the rest of their lives.

"This is what they call an 'all-star lineup'."

Satsuki sighed softly to herself.

Her gaze lingered on the last line of the list.

There was a name circled in red pen, with a question mark next to it.

[Kudo Kyu (Student Council President): Refuse.]

Satsuki raised an eyebrow.

Pity.

So, one hint wasn't enough after all?

"President Kudo didn't accept it?" She looked up and asked casually.

Mariko paused for a moment, her smile froze, and then she revealed a disdainful expression.

"Yeah. That bookworm... he's just ungrateful."

Mariko pouted, her tone full of resentment.

"I specifically had someone deliver a letter of intent, and even hinted that it was my father's 'support' for the student council's work. In the end, he not only returned it, but also said something about 'the student council not participating in commercial activities.' Ha! What's with the high-minded act? Everyone knows that his father is just a prosecutor who gets paid but is penniless."

"The prosecutor..."

Satsuki nodded thoughtfully.

However, this is just right.

Now that we have variables, let's use them.

Kudo Kei's refusal means he's an uncontrollable variable, but it also means he's a clean blade. When the time for reckoning comes, this blade might prove unexpectedly useful.

"It's okay."

Satsuki closed the folder and tapped the cover lightly with her fingers twice.

Some people are destined to only admire the view from the foot of the mountain. We don't need to care about what they think.

This made Mariko overjoyed.

"You're absolutely right! That's what I thought too!" Mariko nodded vigorously, her eyes fixed intently on the folder in Satsuki's hand. "So... Saionji-kun, are you satisfied with this list? Do you need me to...?"

"No need, this is enough."

Satsuki interrupted her.

She slowly folded the folder, her movements elegant and composed, as if she were folding a love letter.

"This list is very valuable. It has made many things clear to me."

For example, who is the greedy fool, who is the incompetent gambler, and... who will vacate that crucial position in three months.

Although the Saionji family did not participate in this grand feast, it does not mean that they cannot be responsible for "cleaning up the battlefield" after the feast.

When these families fall from grace due to scandals, the political vacuum they leave behind, the resources they control, and even the valuable assets they are forced to sell off... will all become her prey.

This is a list of the dead.

It is also a treasure map.

"Well..." Mariko rubbed her hands together, tentatively asking, "At this Sunday's Rose Tea Party, could I...?"

She hoped that Satsuki would give her a formal title, even if it was just as a staff member.

Satsuki looked at her.

The distance in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by a gentle intimacy.

She reached out and gently patted Mariko's shoulder.

"You did very well, Esaki-kun."

Satsuki's voice carried a bewitching power.

"At this tea party, you can sit to my left. I think everyone is eager to hear your insights on the 'information superhighway'."

boom.

Mariko felt as if a firework had exploded in her mind.

On the left!

That's the spot for core members! It's a spot only people of Yoshino Ayako's and Isokawa Reiko's caliber can sit in!

She finally... finally climbed up!

"Yes! Yes! Thank you! Thank you, Saionji-kun!"

Mariko was so excited that her face turned bright red, and even her voice trembled slightly. She bowed deeply, her waist bending at almost a ninety-degree angle.

"I will definitely prepare well! I absolutely won't let you down!"

"Go."

Satsuki smiled and waved.

"Don't keep everyone waiting. After all, you're the most popular 'God of Wealth' in our school right now."

"yes!"

Mariko, like a knight awarded a medal by the queen, turned and walked away with her head held high. Her steps were light, her leather shoes tapping out a triumphant rhythm on the floor, as if the whole world was beneath her feet.

The library returned to silence.

Only the dust in the beam of light continued to churn silently.

Amy, chewing on the remaining half of her Pocky, watched Mariko's retreating figure and pushed up her glasses.

"Data overflow."

Amy said vaguely.

"What?" Satsuki put the folded folder into the inside pocket of her jacket, close to her heart.

I mean her dopamine levels.

Amy picked up the can of oolong tea and pulled the tab.

"And then there's the expected stock price for the Apes Group. All the metrics are too high, illogically high. It's like a program full of bugs; it's running perfectly fine now, but the slightest fluctuation in memory usage will cause it to crash with a blue screen."

She took a sip of tea and turned to look at Satsuki.

"Were you just writing her a 'suicide note'?"

Satsuki smiled.

She walked to the window and pushed open the heavy stained-glass window.

The afternoon breeze blew in, ruffling the hair on her forehead. Outside the window, in the courtyard of Saint Hua Academy, carefree girls were playing on the lawn, their laughter carried on the wind.

"Amy, do you know what 'alchemy' is?"

Satsuki looked down at the vibrant figures below.

"Alchemy?" Amy blinked. "Turning stones into gold?"

"Pretty much. But that's just the most basic alchemy, and it's not safe."

Satsuki shook her head.

"True alchemy is turning other people's greed into your own leverage."

As Amy listened, a chill ran down her spine.

She looked at the girl bathed in sunlight. She was only sixteen years old, and her smile was so gentle, but in her shadow, it seemed as if a giant beast was grinding its teeth.

Ah...that's how it is...

So cool, Satsuki-chan like this... I love her so much...

"Then... what are we going to do?" Amy lowered her head slightly, hiding the unnatural flush on her face, and asked softly.

"Do nothing."

Satsuki turned around, leaning against the windowsill, the sunlight gilding her silhouette with a golden edge.

"We just need to sit quietly in the audience and watch the play finish."

"Wait until the stage collapses, until all the actors fall to their deaths."

"Let's go up again and pick up those gold coins scattered on the ground, one by one."

She took a fruit candy out of her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

"Crunch."

The sound of candy being bitten was particularly clear in the empty library.

"Let's go, Amy. It's time for class."

"I heard that today's history class will be about the collapse of the Taisho bubble. I think that will be very interesting."

Satsuki straightened her collar and walked towards the door.

"Uh-huh..."

Amy grabbed the magazines and snacks from the table and jogged after him.

The library doors slowly closed.

Sunlight streamed into the room, yet golden dust particles continued to dance erratically.