Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 539 Simple Happiness
There was nothing important to do this weekend, even though Kujo Yui was asking about reporting interviews, Satake Gen was asking about the establishment of a financial company, and Hira Sakurako was asking about homework she couldn't do... Fushimi Shika still felt that there was nothing important to do this weekend.

There's a feeling of being very busy but not knowing what you're busy with, so you feel quite idle.

In the afternoon, some of the TV shopping products were delivered to his doorstep one after another, and Fushimi Shika was having a great time unpacking the packages.

Some large items required in-person inspection, so Fushimi Shika simply sat at the entrance to sign for them. By evening, the house was filled with cardboard boxes from deliveries, leaving almost no room to step.

Minamoto no Tamako was baffled, convinced that Fushimi Shika was being extravagant again. He'd finally earned a little money, and was just squandering it like this? How was he going to make a living in the future?
What did you buy?

She flipped through the cardboard box label: "Minolta P's wide-format point-and-shoot camera... Is this for point-and-shoots? Why is it called a point-and-shoot camera?"

"It means it's easy to use, even a complete idiot can use it." Fushimi Shika said while unpacking the package, "The advertiser's slogan is 'Shoot cinematic shots with a point-and-shoot camera,' which I found very interesting, so I bought it to try it out."

Yuan Yuzi let out a "hmph," thinking that buying a camera to record life was understandable. It wasn't a very expensive professional camera, just a small point-and-shoot camera, so it wouldn't cost much.

She opened another package, frowned, and said, "Poop-flavored chocolate... What is this? How can they sell something like this?"

Fushimi Shika didn't take it seriously, casually brushed aside Hira Sakurako who was trying to steal the cardboard box, and said, "It's a prank prop. Just pretend it's ordinary chocolate and give it to the prank target so they can taste the flavor of poop."

Genji looked wary: "You're not planning to give it to me, are you?"

Fushimi Shika laughed and said, "How could that be? You already know, how could I possibly give it to you?"

“That’s true…” Gen Tamako quickly realized, “Wait, no, if I didn’t know, would you still have given it to me?”

"Of course not," Fushimi Shika immediately denied.

Yuan Yuzi expressed her doubts, but lacking evidence, she couldn't say anything more. She could only change the subject and ask, "How was this shit-smelling made? It's not like the raw material is just feces, is it?"

"The ingredients are listed on the packaging, so there's definitely no feces in it. Otherwise, the food safety bureau wouldn't have allowed it to be on the shelves. I bought this legitimate product from a TV channel, so don't worry." Fushimi Shika planned to give the chocolate to Watanabe Shun or Kazama Takusai to try.

"But how can you know what poop tastes like if you've never eaten it?" Gen Tamako's curiosity remained strong: "How did the manufacturer formulate this chocolate? Doesn't product development require experimentation?"

“Good question. The fact that this product can be listed means that designers, volunteers, and regulators have all tried it, which is enough to show how terrible the current employment environment is.” Fushimi Shika sighed with sympathy.

Yuan Yuzi looked through the other cardboard boxes and found some kitchen utensils, all large appliances, filling the kitchen to the brim: "Why did you buy so many kitchen utensils? How are you going to take them with you when you move?"

"Oh right!" Fushimi Shika slapped his forehead. "You reminded me."

Genji thought she had enlightened Fushimi, making him realize his mistakes and change his ways. She crossed her arms smugly and nodded, continuing, "Yes, yes, how can you spend money so recklessly? If you keep spending like this, you'll be living off your savings forever. No amount of money will be enough for you..."

“It’s time to buy a house,” Fushimi Shika interrupted.

"Huh?" Gen Tamako was taken aback.

"How can you live in Tokyo without owning property? You can't just rent forever, can you?" Fushimi Shika still held a rather traditional view.

Yuan Yuzi, being a native of the area, doesn't see anything wrong with renting.

The rental market in Japan is relatively stable. The law prohibits landlords from unilaterally terminating a lease during its term. If a tenant does not have a valid reason, they have the right to request a renewal of the lease after it expires.

Rent increases must be based on changes in land or property taxes, economic fluctuations, or rent differences for similar properties in the surrounding area. Landlords must provide evidence such as tax documents and market rent data, and tenants can raise objections and request mediation.

Of course, such stability comes with various hidden requirements, such as a key money and a deposit. The former is a traditional custom where tenants give money to landlords to express their gratitude for providing housing, usually amounting to one or two months' rent. The latter is equivalent to a security deposit, used to compensate for damage to the house, and is usually refundable, but cleaning and repair costs will be deducted.

In addition, you can't just rent a house whenever you want; tenants need to provide proof of employment, and only those with stable jobs can rent a good house.

Some migrant workers who come to Tokyo for the first time often have to stay in video arcades or parks, and this is why there are always homeless people or people without homes on public lounge chairs.

"House prices aren't cheap right now, are they? Maybe they'll come down in a couple of years..." Yuan Yuzi said hesitantly.

Whether housing prices are high or not is just an excuse; in the end, it's all about saving money.

Tokyo is a city where land is incredibly valuable, and Toshima Ward is a commercial district, so the prices of good houses there remain consistently high.

But Fushimi Shika didn't take it seriously. He put his arm around Minamoto no Tamako's shoulder and coaxed, "What is money? It's currency in circulation. If you don't let it circulate, then it's just a cold number on a bankbook, invisible and intangible, or even non-existent."

"But……"

Before Minamoto no Tamako could finish, Fushimi Shika interrupted, "You may not know this, but banks use savings to lend and invest. If the loans can't be recovered, the bank goes bankrupt, and your savings evaporate. That's how financial crises happen."

"What?!" Yuan Yuzi's pupils dilated in shock; this was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing.

Fushimi Shika continued to express his anxiety: "This isn't over yet. There is inflation in the economy. Don't be fooled by the fact that the yen's purchasing power is still pretty good now. Fifty yen can buy a bowl of ramen. But in another ten or twenty years, the yen will depreciate due to inflation. Even if you still have 25 million yen in your bank account, its purchasing power will be different. It's like your assets are evaporating with inflation."

"W-W-really?" This was the first time Minamoto no Tamako had managed so much money. If Fushimi Shika hadn't told her, she wouldn't have realized that managing money was an art.

"Of course it's true. Otherwise, why would rich people like to buy financial products? Why do they like to invest? It's to ensure that their assets don't shrink."

Fushimi Shika waved his arm and looked out to Genji Tamako, outlining his vision: "Look, we're now upper-class elites too. We can buy whatever we want. Money is just a string of numbers to us. The simplest way to prevent our wealth from slipping away is to buy products that preserve value."

"For example?" Gen Tamako asked. "Buy a house!" Fushimi Shika said confidently, "Buying a house now is an investment. House prices will continue to rise in the future, which means our assets are constantly increasing. This is making money while lying down."

Minamoto Tamako thought it made sense, with a tight logic and no wrong cause and effect, but she suspected that Fushimi Shika was only saying this to buy a house, and that there might be a trap hidden in it that she was unaware of.

She calmed down a bit and didn't let herself get carried away: "I don't have any plans to buy a house yet. If you want to buy one, that's your business. We can live together then, and I'll pay your rent."

“My money is useful,” Fushimi Shika said shamelessly in a flat tone, “How can the daughter of the prestigious Kujo family be subservient to others? If you pay me rent every day, our relationship will become strained, won’t it?”

"What are you going to do with your money? Buy a point-and-shoot camera and shit-flavored chocolate?" Gen Tamako narrowed her eyes.

“Of course not. I plan to buy a batch of cheap houses in Higashisugamo. The Sunshine Apartments area we patrolled before is quite nice,” Fushimi Shika said.

Yuan Yuzi, not knowing what had gotten into him again, couldn't help but ask, "What's so great about buying things in a place like that? The security is terrible, the environment is awful, and the space is so small..."

"But it's cheap! And in a few years, it will definitely be demolished, and then we can make a fortune from the demolition compensation." Fushimi Shika was calculating.

"Then aren't you making money off the government? National development benefits the people, how can you take advantage of this?" Yuan Yuzi frowned.

Fushimi Shika had never considered such a unique perspective. His words were incisive and made perfect sense; for a moment, he didn't know how to refute them. In his ingrained belief, demolition compensation meant making money, and those who received compensation were nouveau riche.

Yuan Yuzi added, "Besides, if it's just about housing, Mom will definitely buy it for me. I think she mentioned it to me before, but I forgot. If you want to buy a new house, I don't object. I can even pay for it..."

Fushimi Shika realized what was going on and retorted, "Even if I don't make a profit, there are others who will, so it's better for me to make a profit! At least my conduct is better than those people in Higashi Sugamo, right? I definitely won't take the opportunity to raise prices, but it's hard to say if it's those people in Higashi Sugamo... You've patrolled there before, so you know what kind of people live there."

Gen Tamako was taken aback, and after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that Fushimi Shika was indeed right.

Fushimi Shika seized the opportunity and promised to report the demolition compensation at a fair price, which was saving the country money!

Of course, this was utter nonsense; even Fushimi Shika himself didn't believe it. He would definitely try to hold out until he was paid the full amount, becoming a holdout. In the 90s, Japanese evictions relied on gang intimidation to drive people away, but Fushimi Shika wouldn't fall for that. No amount of gangsters could work on him; he was determined to make this money.

Genji was persuaded and felt that Fushimi Shika's 'real estate investment plan' was a good thing that would benefit the country and its people. She nodded in agreement with Fushimi Shika's investment plan and decided to take advantage of the weekend to look for a new house... Of course, she would pay for the house herself.

Twenty-five million yen could buy a luxury house in Tokyo. Minamoto Tamako's requirements weren't that high; she didn't need to be like her mother, just a small yard would be fine.

The matter was settled, and Fushimi Shika was in high spirits.

After buying a house, he wanted to buy a car. Fushimi Shika had wanted to buy a car for transportation before, but he was lazy and various things delayed him, so he didn't put it on the agenda.

"How about we skip eating at home tonight and go to a car dealership or showroom for a free meal?" Fushimi Shika suggested, sounding quite eager.

"How can this be? What about Sakurako?" Gen Tamako felt it was impolite to bring her family along for a free meal and politely declined the suggestion.

But she relented and agreed to go look at cars first, and then houses, the next day.

Fushimi Shika was overjoyed; getting something for nothing brings happiness, so he decided to reciprocate by cooking a delicious and healthy low-fat meal for Minamoto Tamako tonight.

Yuan Yuzi ran around for two hours in the afternoon and spent half a day tidying up cardboard boxes. She was exhausted and wanted to lie down on the sofa to rest and watch some TV.

She had just picked up the remote when Fushimi Shika darted out of the kitchen, spatula in hand: "I suddenly remembered, there's a really good movie..."

Fushimi Shika, fearing she might see the news about Mutsuko Sakai's murder of her husband, pulled out a videotape without a word, plugged it into the player, and occupied the TV screen: "It's 'The Fog Flag,' adapted from Seicho Matsumoto's novel of the same name. It's very good, I recommend you watch it."

Unsuspecting, Minamoto Yuko accepted Fushimi Shika's recommendation. She already enjoyed reading Matsumoto Seicho's mystery novels, so she was naturally interested in the movie adaptation and soon became engrossed in it.

The film tells the story of Kiriko, a younger sister, who battles a cold-hearted lawyer to clear her brother's name of murder. Through the case, the film exposes the corruption of the judicial system and the hypocrisy of human nature.

Minamoto no Tamako was so engrossed in watching that when Fushimi Shika called her to eat after cooking, she barely responded, only saying perfunctorily, "Coming, coming," "Almost there," or "Just five more minutes..."

Fushimi Shika was worried that she would watch TV after finishing her meal, so he simply put the dishes on the coffee table and let Minamoto Tamako sit on the sofa to eat while watching TV.

Eating while watching TV is generally considered a bad habit and violates table manners. Minamoto no Tamako would never have done this before, but unfortunately, the movie was so appealing to her that she couldn't leave her seat, so she had to make do with Fushimi Shika and Hirai Sakurako sitting on the sofa to eat.

"Tonight's dinner is avocado and shrimp tartare, sous-vide Icelandic cod with quinoa and pumpkin puree, and pan-fried Brussels sprouts with Parmesan crisps," Fushimi Shika introduced tonight's dinner.

Gen Tamako glanced at it and thought it looked like a snack, appearing to be high in calories. While watching the movie, she casually asked, "Isn't there a healthier dinner? If not, could you make me a salad?"

“These are healthy. I’ve calculated the calories, and they add up to no more than 500 calories,” Fushimi Shika said.

"Eh? Real or fake?"

Gen Tamako paused, finally shifting her attention from the television to the food. She picked up a tartare; the fresh shrimp paired with avocado tasted exceptionally harmonious, with a hint of onion spiciness and the sweet and sour flavor of tomato—it was absolutely delicious!
Her eyes lit up, then she became suspicious: "Really only 500 calories? Didn't you say before that delicious food is unhealthy?"

“I’ve improved the recipe,” Fushimi Shika said.

Yuan Yuzi was taken aback, but then she understood and felt a little touched.

She watched a movie, ate dinner, nestled on the sofa, and immersed herself in this simple happiness.

(End of this chapter)