Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 1081 Taking advantage of the situation
A celebration party for the cast and crew of "Tokyo Love Story" was held, and although Hideki Hanyu, a big name in the industry, made a last-minute appearance, the event proceeded without any major incidents.

Even when ordinary members of the crew came to toast Hideki Hanyu, he didn't put on airs, nor did he act arrogantly or pretentiously at the table.

Ultimately, it can only be said that although Hideki Hanyu has a special status, he is not the kind of old-fashioned upper-class Japanese elite who insists on using an extravagant way to demonstrate his authority.

He is gentle and refined, calm and composed, and handles people and matters appropriately.

That kind of ambiguous attitude, which makes you feel close yet subtly distant, and always maintains a certain distance, has been mastered by Hideki Hanyu.

It can be used not only between men and women, but also in other situations.

In this respect, neither Hirohashi Asako, Kitahara Eri, nor Iwata Satoshi are as good as Hanyu Hideki.

This is why subordinates speak of these high-ranking officials with fear in their hearts.

But when facing Hideki Hanyu, there is always a sense of awe mixed with a touch of warmth; I always feel that Hideki Hanyu is an approachable and powerful figure.

But ironically, whether it's the Cloud faction or the Elf faction, which of the major storms, purges, and reorganizations over the years wasn't orchestrated behind the scenes by Hideki Hanyu?

This feeling is like how Hideki Hanyu treats his lover.

Seemingly affectionate, but actually unintentional.

He seemed to love every woman and did many things for women and children.

But only he knew that it was all for his own benefit.

It's just to make him more comfortable, happier, and free from trouble.

So those lovers can do whatever they want: spend money lavishly, gather resources, build businesses, and even use someone else's influence—it doesn't matter.

But all of this comes with a prerequisite.

Hideki Hanyu, through his intentional or unintentional actions at a gathering of "Tokyo Love Story," directly bewitched Arimori Yami and Chido Akiho.

This gave both women different, yet similar, illusions.

Arimori felt that Hideki Hanyu still had feelings for her, and in the competition between her and Akiho Chido, he clearly favored her more.

Chido Akiho, however, believes that Hideki Hanyu actually prefers her, and the reason he didn't reject Arimori Yami is simply because he is a gentleman and doesn't want to hurt her.

Both of them felt that Hideki Hanyu liked them.

They all felt that if they put in a little more effort, they could completely defeat their opponents.

He further believes that Hideki Hanyu gave him enough hints.

The three great illusions of life can be summed up in these two women.

There's nothing you can do about it. When a woman encounters a top-tier "male succubus" like Hideki Hanyu, it's incredibly difficult for her to escape his grasp.

It's no wonder that Yukio Tanaka often teases Hideki Hanyu, saying that even if Hideki Hanyu didn't start a business and become a tycoon, he could still make a name for himself just by relying on his looks and cunning.

Unfortunately, Hideki Hanyu scoffed at this claim.

For him, good looks are just a bonus.

In his mind, relying on outsiders is never as good as relying on himself.

If you can get it by simply reaching out, why wait for someone to give it to you?

As the party came to an end, the cast and crew of "Tokyo Love Story" respectfully escorted Hideki Hanyu into his Rolls-Royce.

As for Arimori and Chido Akiho, who used the excuse of Hideki Hanyu's drunkenness to get into the car with him under the pretext of taking care of him, everyone seemed to be blind to them.

When faced with a powerful figure whose words can determine your career, future, destiny, or even life and death, everyone understands the principle of not looking, not listening, and not speaking.

……

The car carrying Hideki Hanyu and the two beauties finally drove back to the Yorozuya.

As for what happened next at the Yorozuya?
All Hideki Hanyu can say is that he enjoys the rivalry between the two women.

Whether Arimori and Chido Akiho were genuinely competing or simply putting on an act to please him, he didn't care.

The reason is not important; what matters is the process and result that make him happy.

At midnight, Hideki Hanyu, wide awake, looked with satisfaction at the two exhausted beauties.

“I will arrange for you to connect with Storm Advertising. Several of the products from my company are perfect for you to advertise.”

As he spoke, he placed two more checks on the bedside table.

The amount on each check is ten times the reward the two women received today for "Tokyo Love Story".

Advertising resources plus cash were the rewards Hideki Hanyu gave to the two.

As for a further relationship, Hideki Hanyu has no plans for the time being.

"rest early."

After saying that, Hideki Yuzuru left the bedroom where the two of them were.

He then went to his study on the top floor to continue working on his unfinished picture book, which was themed around the night.

"Meow..."

With a meow, Nakoruru rubbed her tail against Hideki Hanyu's feet and then quietly lay down to rest.

Before the moonlit window, a person paints, while a cat sleeps peacefully.

Silence, harmony.

…………

Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo Golf Course.

Starting from Yorozuya in Bunkyo Ward, Hideki Hanyu traveled by car for nearly an hour before finally arriving here.

Although he is not as obsessed with golf as other Japanese people, he often needs to play social golf at the course for business and social purposes.

This wasn't his first time at this stadium; besides socializing, he had also accompanied Yasuko Sawaguchi to participate in amateur matches.

However, Yasuko Sawaguchi is only enthusiastic about things for a short time, and her love for golf didn't last long either.

The equipment that once cost hundreds of millions of yen to buy is now just gathering dust in his house in Chiyoda Ward.

Among them is a limited edition Dior co-branded golf club set, a birthday gift from Hideki Hanyu to Yasuko Sawaguchi. Only 19 sets were made worldwide, and each set costs as much as 89 million yen.

It can only be said that while beautiful women are desirable, one must also have the money to enjoy them.

The beauties who remain by Hideki Hanyu's side today enjoy a quality of life that is unimaginable to ordinary people, thanks to his care.

Even if Hideki Yuzuru doesn't want them anymore one day, no one else could afford to support them.

Of course, the person who came here with Hideki Hanyu today was not Yasuko Sawaguchi, but the Sekimoto sisters, whom he had arranged to meet yesterday.

After arriving at the stadium, Hideki Hanyu soon met the person who had invited him to meet him.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi.

Good morning, President Yuzuru.

Upon meeting, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was the first to express his welcome.

After greeting him, Hideki Hanyu said, "I didn't expect Tsutsumi-san to arrive even earlier than me."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi explained, "Actually, I arrived yesterday. I've been feeling mentally exhausted from work lately, so I plan to meet with President Hanyu and then go to Kusatsu to rest for a few days."

Kusatsu is Kusatsu Town, famous in Japan for its hot springs. It is located in Gunma Prefecture, one of the three prefectures in northern Kanto. Mount Akina, the setting of the manga "Initial D", is also in Gunma Prefecture.

When Hideki Hanyu heard Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's words, he pretended to be surprised.

"What is there for Thisang to be tired about? I received a call from Forbes magazine a while ago. They told me that Thisang is very likely to regain the title of the richest man this year."

Hideki Hanyu was obviously just trying to fool Yoshiaki Tsutsumi.

In fact, Forbes magazine's original statement was that if Hideki Hanyu were unwilling to reveal his true net worth, he would very likely be overtaken by Yoshiaki Tsutsumi and lose his position as the world's richest man.

Hideki Yuzuru, who was not interested in the richest man in the world, would not care about such a threat. He was too lazy to even answer and had his assistant send him away.

However, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi smiled bitterly after hearing Hideki Habu's words.

"President Yuzuru, I don't think you believe that ranking list. It's meaningless to us." "Heh."

Hideki Hanyu smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

Back then, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi did a lot of behind-the-scenes maneuvering to become the world's richest man, so how could it be as meaningless as he claims?

The reason for saying this now is simply that Yoshiaki Tsutsumi has encountered a major problem and is temporarily unable to care about those empty titles.

Of course, Hideki Hanyu was also well aware that Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's Seibu Group was a large and powerful enterprise and would not be truly defeated by the current crisis.

Otherwise, by the late 1990s, he wouldn't have donated a record-breaking $100 million to the International Olympic Committee and would have taken advantage of the Nagano Winter Olympics to develop tourism real estate.

The current crisis of the Seibu Group is nothing more than the result of its reckless expansion during the bubble economy. It took too big a step and ended up making a mess of things, and then it encountered a stock market crash and a real estate crisis. Now it is finding it difficult to manage.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi sought funding from Hideki Hanyu last time in order to cope with a crisis.

However, it is clear that Hideki Hanyu's support was not enough to completely help the Seibu Group out of its predicament.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's invitation to Hideki Hanyu again is simply a way of asking for his help once more.

Unfortunately, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was unaware that Hideki Hanyu had no confidence in the Seibu Group.

Hideki Hanyu, who knew the future well, knew that what Japan was about to experience was not a short-term decline, but a long-term downward plunge.

Although the Seibu Group may make a brief comeback, it will only be a final burst of energy before it collapses, and it will be powerless to reverse the overall trend of decline.

So Hideki Hanyu's purpose in coming today is very simple.

That is to take advantage of the fact that Tsutsumi Yoshiaki needs his help and get the benefits he urgently needs first.

As for the potential pitfalls in investments, some patience is needed to reap the rewards.

Seeing this, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi promptly extended an invitation, "President Hanyu, let's go to the court first and chat while we play."

"please."

Hideki Hanyu gestured for them to proceed, then led the Sekimoto sisters and followed Yoshiaki Tsutsumi toward the basketball court.

In early February, the temperature in Saitama Prefecture was still quite low.

This season is actually not suitable for playing ball outdoors.

After all, even the beautiful women around him couldn't put on a cute short skirt.

However, neither Yoshiaki Tsutsumi nor Hideki Hanyu were playing badminton today.

The two exchanged swings for a few rounds before Tsutsumi Yoshiaki, taking advantage of the casual conversation, began to explain the purpose of his invitation to Hanyu Hideki.

"President Hanyu, our last collaboration was very successful, so the Seibu Group is preparing to launch a commercial project along the railway line, and we hope that President Hanyu can participate in it. This project..."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi raved about Seibu Group's new projects and plans, making them sound incredibly promising and lucrative, as if Hideki Habu would suffer a huge loss if he didn't invest and cooperate.

However, ignoring the surface-level details, what Yoshiaki Tsutsumi wanted to say can be summarized as nothing more than this:

"I'm out of money and have difficulty getting a bank loan. I hope Hideki Hanyu can help me out again."

However, the reason why Hideki Hanyu was willing to invest last time was entirely due to ulterior motives, with the aim of setting traps for Yoshiaki Tsutsumi.

With the Seibu Group currently on the verge of collapse, Hideki Hanyu is unlikely to be easily persuaded by Yoshiaki Tsutsumi to hand over real money.

Hideki Hanyu patiently waited for Yoshiaki Tsutsumi to finish speaking before slowly opening his mouth.

“Tsutsumi-san, affected by the current Japanese financial environment, it’s not just the Seibu Group that’s experiencing difficulties with cash flow; my company is also facing problems.”

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was utterly incredulous.

If we're talking about companies in the entire Japanese business world that haven't been affected by the economic environment, Hideki Hanyu's companies are definitely among them.

It could even be said that Hideki Hanyu's companies were not only unaffected, but were among the few that bucked the trend and grew.

In this situation, if Hideki Hanyu's company is in trouble, then all other Japanese companies should go bankrupt.

However, Hideki Hanyu hadn't finished speaking.

"This is absolutely not me exaggerating. Although my company seems to be doing very well, there are actually problems all around us."

Cloud Entertainment is now heavily indebted due to its involvement in the acquisition of Universal Pictures.

Elf Entertainment's global expansion has also incurred huge costs, and recently, in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency, it is also planning a round of internal layoffs.

This matter is not a secret, and I imagine that Tissang has heard about it as well.

"And then there's the Origin Group, overseas..."

Next, Hideki Hanyu brought out his companies and complained about them one by one.

Hideki Hanyu presented facts and data, using two lies and one truth to leave Yoshiaki Tsutsumi completely bewildered.

This even gave Yoshiaki Tsutsumi the feeling that Hideki Hanyu's companies were on the verge of collapse, even worse off than his Seibu Group.

However, considering the crisis facing the Seibu Group, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi could not easily give up.

After Hideki Hanyu finished speaking, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi spoke again, boasting about the bright prospects of the Seibu Group's new plan.

"President Hanyu, this investment is different from previous ones. Seibu Group has combined the advantages of the railway hub with..."

After Yoshiaki Tsutsumi finished his long and eloquent speech, Hideki Hanyu slowly began to speak.

“Tisan, I have great confidence in the strength of the Seibu Group, and I have even greater confidence in your abilities.”

However, there is a Chinese proverb that says, "If you borrow and repay, it's not difficult to borrow again."

The investment I made in Tisang last time still hasn't yielded any returns, and I feel..."

At this point, Hideki Yuzuru hesitated, then showed a hint of unease.

Although Hideki Hanyu is not a professional actor, his on-the-spot acting skills are absolutely enough to surpass any actor in the industry.

After all, the actors' performances were filmed repeatedly, one take after another.

But in real-life confrontations, there are no chances to NG or start over.

By this point, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi had realized that if there wasn't an explanation for the previous investment, Hideki Hanyu would absolutely not budge this time.

Even though there is still some time before the deadline for closing the last investment.

"Please believe me, President Yuzuru, that I am a person who keeps my promises and will definitely fulfill the contract for the trip. However, since the agreed time has not yet arrived, there are many things that I cannot guarantee."

Seeing that Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was relenting, Hideki Hanyu knew it was time to submit the documents.

After all, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's subtext was that the time hadn't come yet, and the original promises were difficult to fulfill, but Hideki Hanyu could ask for something else.

“Tisang, we’ve been friends for many years. I can’t stand idly by when the Seibu Group is in trouble.”

I am also very interested in the new investment plan you mentioned.

Considering the problems Seibu Group is currently facing, I can waive the requirement for Seibu Group to fulfill its breach of contract commitments, and even give up the recovery of the previous investment, and, as Tsutsumi requested, fully invest in the new project plan.

but……"

Hideki Hanyu's earlier words brought a look of joy to Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's face.

But Yoshiaki Tsutsumi also knew very well that before he was happy, the key was what Hideki Hanyu said after "but".

“However, Tissa must also show me his sincerity.”

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi asked earnestly, "What kind of sincerity does Chairman Hanyu hope to see?"

"I want Seibu Department Store and its affiliated retail convenience stores, five ski resort hotels in Sapporo, Nagano, and Zao Onsen, as well as all shares of Kanagawa Fairyland."

When Hideki Hanyu revealed his true intentions, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi immediately questioned him indignantly.

"President Yuzuru, do you know what you're saying?"

"I am certain."

"You're not negotiating, you're taking advantage of our misfortune."

(End of this chapter)