America: My Time

Chapter 516 Trouble Arises
Chapter 516 Trouble Arises

Upon hearing this, Riko nodded thoughtfully. Was Kitagawa Hiroshi's appearance really just for the cooperation with Phoenix Group? Johnny's lack of resources from Phoenix Group, could there be other motives behind this?
It wasn't that Riko wanted to think about things in such a complicated way, but rather that she had witnessed far too many vicious schemes while following Akio Morita, and she had seen various kinds of scheming in John more than once. Now, John's words made her think about things even more deeply, but she still didn't know what kind of scheme or test was behind it.

Having experienced many things, Riko couldn't help but have this thought after hearing John's reminder: that Kitagawa Hiroshi's appearance was a test, a test by some people against John, or rather, a test by the Japanese government, or even more tests. After all, the Toshiba incident was not long ago, and some people couldn't help but have such thoughts in their hearts.

Having realized this, Riko felt she should tell Mr. Akio Morita about it and demonstrate her abilities. After all, she was not like those young beauties; she was already older, and if she didn't have enough ability, she might leave Mr. Morita soon.

Although Riko is still in the prime of her life, she understands her situation better than anyone. If she didn't know about her relationship with Naoko, and if she didn't have some ability, she would have left Akio Morita long ago. As a big shot, Akio Morita is never short of beautiful women, and if she can't demonstrate enough ability, then she has no reason to exist.

It was precisely because she understood her own situation that Riko was more concerned about the background of this matter and had such thoughts. Looking at Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, and Akina Nakamori's situations, Riko felt immense envy and jealousy. At least in her view, Naoko wouldn't be abandoned as long as she didn't make any fundamental mistakes, while she herself didn't have such good fortune. However, Riko still harbored some worry about Akina Nakamori, after all, that girl was too foolish, constantly doing stupid things. Perhaps this was a matter of perspective and background.

Those foolish guys only know how to make money, they'll take any money they can get, they don't care about Nakamori Akina's situation at all, they haven't considered Nakamori Akina's feelings, they only care about themselves, perhaps to them Nakamori Akina is just a tool to make money, not a family member, family affection doesn't exist in their eyes.

Such situations are very common in Japan, as Riko is well aware. This is the choice of many lower-class Japanese people. Because of their current situation and background, they will frantically leech off their sons or daughters after they become famous, without caring about their future at all. This is one of the reasons why the entertainment industry is so dark. Even their own parents and relatives do not care about their lives, so naturally, outsiders will not care about their future either!
Fortunately, Naoko's family isn't like that, and Hitomi Kuroki is doing quite well. Otherwise, Riko wouldn't be so relaxed now. She doesn't want anything to happen to her 'good friend' Naoko, nor does she want Akina Nakamori's situation to affect Naoko, or even Hitomi Kuroki, as this would inevitably have an impact on herself.

Would a big shot like John care about the record company's profits? Riko thought not, but that didn't mean you wouldn't pay any price or show any effort. Sincerity was still very important.

Is John's sincerity only directed at Johnny's and Kitagawa Hiroshi? I'm afraid not. John is also filming other things, perhaps the collaborations he discussed with Morita Akio before. This makes Riko even more cautious.

In contrast, Naoko's reaction was poor; she didn't think that much about it. Matsuda Seiko and Kashiwabara Yoshie were even less able to see through the hidden implications. Not everyone can understand all of this. People who haven't had this experience won't have this feeling. At least Koizumi Yoshiko didn't have this feeling, and even Suo Ikuo couldn't see through the secret hidden behind it.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. This has nothing to do with you, and you'd better not get involved with them. It won't be good for you!" At this moment, John couldn't help but think about how Matsuda Seiko and Kashiwabara Yoshie's fates weren't good either. Matsuda Seiko had gone astray, and Kashiwabara Yoshie didn't have a good future either. John didn't know if their fates would change now, nor did he want to know. He didn't have that much time to waste on irrelevant people.

At this moment, the old man Akio Morita was informing the people at Mitsui Bank to prepare. Although he didn't know when the repayment would happen, it was always good to be prepared. Moreover, Akio Morita also had a slight worry in his heart. Today's party was very different. There were too many problems involved. If he could refuse, Akio Morita would not accept it. It was precisely because he understood the many schemes involved in this party that he was worried, fearing that something beyond his control might happen, and that someone might resort to the same crazy methods as Sanwa.

Most importantly, Akio Morita was not completely unaware of the situation of the three women around John. Riko had told him a lot of things, and when he learned about Akina Nakamori's situation, he was naturally worried. Moreover, the fact that Mitsui was behind Akina Nakamori's greedy family made Akio Morita even more cautious.

Although Akio Morita didn't know what Mitsui was planning, he didn't want Nakamori Akina to get into trouble, which would then affect Naoko, himself, and Sony. The Toshiba incident had already worried Morita. Although John hadn't shown any aversion yet, Morita understood that the relationship between Mitsui and John was deteriorating. If Mitsui caused any more trouble, it would only affect him as well. John had brought up the Shin-Oji Paper issue again recently, and for someone of John's status to bring up such a trivial matter again was something to be taken seriously. Favors dwindle with use, and Morita naturally understood this. He knew he couldn't keep squandering his relationship with John, but there were always some foolish individuals within Mitsui who were willing to participate in foolish actions, making worthless attempts to test the waters and benefit others.

After communicating with Mitsui Bank, Akio Morita thought for a moment and then told the other banks that cooperated with John about it, so that they could be prepared in advance. This was also a way to make good relations with these guys. Now Akio Morita was also wary and dared not completely trust Mitsui.

After Akio Morita's actions, the banks in Japan couldn't rest. They all needed to come up with a solution as soon as possible and discuss how much John's repayment would affect them. Currently, major Japanese banks have a lot of funds and are looking forward to more loans. If John repays early, it will have a significant impact on them. As for Akio Morita's statement, it also made these people think deeply, hoping to find a way out of the predicament.

Not long after Mika Koizumi left, Hitomi Kuroki and Mao Daichi also ended their conversation with the people from Takarazuka and came to John and Naoko's side. It wasn't that Hitomi Kuroki and Mao Daichi didn't want to talk about their sisterly bond, but more and more people were appearing, forcing them to get rid of them. These people all had unspeakable secrets, so Hitomi Kuroki and Mao Daichi had no choice but to end their conversation and come to John and Naoko's side for 'refuge'.

Those who flocked to Kuroki Hitomi's side were no pushovers; each one had their own ideas and schemes. Even the appearance of the beautiful Sawaguchi Yasuko from Toho made the two of them feel the pressure. Behind this beauty, there were probably some astonishing figures and schemes. Kuroki Hitomi had experienced it firsthand and understood the kind of pressure that women like them would face in front of zaibatsu. In front of zaibatsu, they had no choice at all.

If Yasuko Sawaguchi were to speak and say something they couldn't refuse, that would be the beginning of trouble. So when this beautiful woman from Toho appeared, Hitomi Kuroki and Mao Daichi had no choice but to leave, not giving her a chance to speak, and avoiding getting themselves into trouble or facing unnecessary pressure.

The current Kuroki Hitomi is not the same as when she was in Takarazuka. She has John, a powerful figure behind her. As long as she takes the initiative to 'avoid trouble,' it won't matter if some people are dissatisfied. At least no one will be foolish enough to make things difficult for Kuroki Hitomi directly.

As they watched Kuroki Hitomi leave, the beauties couldn't help but sigh. It seemed impossible for them to use Kuroki Hitomi's opportunity to get close to John, let alone have any ideas about it.

While Hitomi Kuroki was facing similar troubles, Akina Nakamori was no exception. Naturally, many idols tried to curry favor with her. However, Akina Nakamori didn't have the same abilities as Hitomi Kuroki, nor did she have a close friend like Mao Daichi to remind her. She didn't realize the 'malicious' intentions of the people surrounding her.

In comparison, the least pressured group is Naoko Kawai. With Riko around, she has been shielded from a lot of trouble. At least no one is willing to confront Riko directly. Riko has Akio Morita behind her, and the beautiful women who can appear at the party naturally know about the relationship between Riko and Naoko, so no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble.

Although this party was full of schemes, most of them failed, causing those sitting in the corners to sigh. This was not the result they wanted, but there was nothing they could do about it!

(End of this chapter)