Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

(Two chapters today too~)

Saturday evening, May 18, 1991.

The trams heading to Seibu Stadium Station were never truly empty after 3 p.m.

A group of spectators had just surged from the platform toward the exit when the next train quickly pulled in along the Sayama Line. Most of them were young people; some had rolled up record brochures in their hands, others carried paper bags they had just bought from the station counter, and many more looked up and searched for the stadium entrance after getting off the train, their steps moving forward along the temporary guide rails.

Built into the Sayama hills, Seibu Stadium has been almost inextricably linked with the station name, railway line, and stadium since its opening in 1979. It only takes a few minutes to walk from the platform to the entrance, where the railway takes people to the stands below, and shops, stalls, and ticket windows line up along the flow of people.

Today, this route is even more crowded than during a baseball game.

Satsuki sat in the VIP room, looking through the glass at the crowded infield stands and grass field seats below.

The glass blocked out most of the noise, but it couldn't block out the sweltering atmosphere created by tens of thousands of people gathered together. Staff members were guiding latecomers in the aisles, and long queues still formed in front of the merchandise counters in the distance.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi sat next to her.

A small table stood between the two, on which were drinks, tonight's program, and the entry data that had just been delivered. Chizuru and Shimada remained at the back of the VIP room, each surrounded by several staff members who would not approach them unless they needed to deliver a message.

Satsuki only glanced at the first page of the entry data before putting it back on the table.

Her gaze swept past the front railing and quickly found Takahashi in the VIP section diagonally below.

The eight people sat together in a good spot. Kojima was arguing with the person next to him about the stage direction while holding the program. The girl who had complained about not being able to get tickets just a few days ago was now wearing binoculars around her neck and holding a paper bag with Sakai Izumi's name printed on it.

Takahashi noticed the gazes from the VIP room and looked up.

Satsuki gently raised her hand towards him.

Takahashi gave a slight bow. Kojima was still waving towards the VIP room, his movements so large he almost bumped into the person next to him. Takahashi turned to the side and reminded him, and only then did he sheepishly lower his hand.

"It seems your research department really likes my sports field."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi followed her gaze.

Satsuki found it somewhat amusing.

"Uncle Ti has handed over the management rights to me, so someone has to check if the seats here are comfortable."

"You gave me the ticket, but the seat is with Seibu."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi picked up the program on the table and casually flipped to the page with the seating chart.

"How come this favor is all being attributed to you in the end?"

"Then I'll remind them later."

Satsuki finally looked away, her expression becoming very serious.

"Before the event ends, remember to thank Chairman Tsutsumi."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi glanced at her and tossed the program back onto the table.

"You're so generous with this kind of useless favor."

The opening act on stage had already sung their last song. Several college students were clearly still a bit nervous; their bows to the crowd were not synchronized, and one of them had his guitar strap slip off his shoulder, which he hurriedly pulled back up.

As Yoshiaki Tsutsumi watched the equipment being removed one by one, he suddenly brought up a place far removed from tonight.

"The Paradise Pavilion is still losing money."

Satsuki turned her head.

"Seibu has already bowed down to your conditions once."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi looked away, his fingers pressing on the edge of the program.

"I've handed over everything I was supposed to, including the commercial areas around the train station, the stadium area, and the collaborations in Hokkaido. Saionji has indeed helped Seibu regain business in other areas as well."

He paused for a moment at this point.

Outside the VIP area, staff were rearranging the stage for the official performance. The spot that had belonged to a university student group just minutes before was quickly replaced with instruments and lighting equipment from Izumi Sakai.

"But the nail is still in the same place."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi looked at Satsuki.

"Is there any way to pull it out now that the person who nailed it in there has done so?"

Satsuki looked at the setup on the field, tapping her fingers absentmindedly on the table in front of her.

She reached for the entry data on the table, casually flipping through a page, as if to determine how much of his statement was a plea for help and how much was a test.

"Is Uncle Ti asking the person who poisoned him for an antidote?"

"You poisoned me, we made that clear a long time ago."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was not distracted by her teasing. He leaned back in his seat, his gaze still fixed on Satsuki's face.

"I never intended for you to take responsibility for past debts. But now that we're doing business together, it won't do you any good to let Gokurakukan continue to bleed."

Satsuki put the data back on the desktop.

"The 350 billion yen is gone forever."

This statement did not surprise Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. He simply raised his hand slightly, indicating that she did not need to repeat the fact that they had both already accepted.

I was asking about next year.

Satsuki looked at him for a moment, then looked back down at the stage.

"You have to admit something first."

She watched as the staff removed the warm-up equipment, leaving only the parts needed for the main performance.

"What we need to run from now on can no longer be the same Pleasure Palace as before."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi frowned slightly.

Satsuki raised her hand, gesturing for him to look down.

"Uncle Ti, what do you think this place is like right now?"

"Concert venue".

"What about tomorrow?"

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's gaze passed over the temporary seating area and landed on the pitcher's mound and home plate, which were covered by a protective layer.

"Still the stadium."

"The same goes for Gokurakukan."

Satsuki picked up the program and lightly tapped the stage layout diagram on the back.

"The hotel will continue to operate as a hotel, the villas will continue to be rented out, and the ski resort, hot springs, and restaurants will operate on a separate budget. We will no longer use our own cash to fill the glass dome for the parts that generate profit."

"So what about the dome?"

"Shrink the area where you normally maintain a constant temperature. Only turn on all the large equipment when someone is willing to pay to keep it lit up."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's gaze returned to the stage.

"show?"

"There are also corporate bookings, television recordings, and winter events."

Satsuki stopped there.

After waiting a while, seeing that she did not continue, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki had no choice but to ask her himself.

"Is Saionji willing to send someone over there?"

"SA could try organizing an event this winter."

Satsuki nodded slightly.

"SIS will be in charge of the control system, and the construction department will reorganize the equipment and traffic flow. First, let the dome learn to only wake up when needed. As for whether it's worth continuing to invest, we'll see how it fares in the end."

"Where's the money?"

"Renovation costs are negotiable on a project-by-project basis."

Upon hearing this, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi chuckled.

"I thought Ms. Saionji was going to do something really kind."

"The content, technology, and renovation funds will be provided by Saionji, while Seibu will assume the original debts and asset responsibilities. The management rights will be redistributed according to the actual investment of both parties in the future."

Satsuki tilted her head slightly, looking at Tsutsumi Yoshiaki with some confusion.

"Isn't this kind enough?"

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi stared at her, then suddenly let out a cold snort.

"First of all, from any perspective, you are not associated with the word 'kind' at all."

"Secondly, you don't touch a single yen of those old debts."

Satsuki had become accustomed to Tsutsumi Yoshiaki's "attacks" and continued to play dumb.

"Huh? Did I remember wrong?" She looked troubled. "I remember, it was you, Uncle Ti, who insisted on buying the Paradise House..."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi suddenly took a deep breath, and Shimada behind him had already expertly handed him a bottle of stomach medicine.

He poured out his stomach medicine, swallowed it with his tea, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

"Fine, fine, I can't win against you."

"Uncle Ti, what's wrong?"

Satsuki looked at him with concern, her eyes full of worry.

You need to take care of your health.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi put the medicine bottle back on the table, completely disbelieving her apparent concern.

Satsuki seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up slightly.

"By the way, Saionji is planning to establish a medical institution soon."

"What's wrong?"

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi looked at her warily.

"After looking at hotels and railways, are you planning to switch careers and sell medicine?"

"Medical institutions certainly don't just sell medicine."

Satsuki counted on her fingers and began to explain to him earnestly.

"In addition to physical examinations, specialist treatments, and rehabilitation services, we also provide emergency medical support to a small number of members."

"Whether you're at your company in Tokyo, a hotel in Hokkaido, or traveling for business elsewhere, just dial the dedicated number and the on-duty doctor, ambulance, and partner hospital will all start preparing simultaneously."

She paused, then added:

"In particularly urgent situations, helicopters can also be deployed. We will try our best to arrive as soon as possible after a person collapses and then send them to the most suitable hospital."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi slowly narrowed his eyes.

Why are you suddenly telling me all this?

"I'd like to invite Uncle Ti to be our first member."

Satsuki glanced at the stomach medicine on the table, her smile growing even more friendly.

"As you can see, the target audience and usage scenarios are already defined."

The VIP room fell silent for a moment.

Shimada lowered his head, as if carefully examining the instructions on the medicine bottle. Chizuru, on the other hand, turned her gaze to the stage outside the glass, but her shoulder twitched very slightly.

"West, Garden, Temple, Highland, Moon".

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi called out her name word by word.

"You made me so angry that my stomach hurt, and now you want to make money off my medical bills?"

"How could Uncle Ti say that?"

Satsuki's concern remained undiminished.

"Precisely because I may be one of the sources of risk, I should take full responsibility."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi stared at her for a long time.

How much is the membership fee?

"The first membership can be waived."

Satsuki answered very readily.

Just as Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was about to nod, he heard her continue:

"But the annual fee will still be charged."

"..."

"But don't worry."

Satsuki smiled especially sweetly.

"The stomach medicine is free, and I'll provide you with the best stomach medicine~"

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi held the medicine bottle, not putting it back on the table for a long time.

"Should I thank you?"

"The first member should get some special treatment, right?"

Satsuki answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi handed the medicine bottle back to Shimada, no longer intending to argue with her. He suspected that if he said anything more, the medicine he had just taken would be wasted.

The lights in the VIP room dimmed at that moment.

The screen at the back of the stage suddenly lit up, and Izumi Sakai's name appeared in full above the stadium for the first time. The cheers from the stands came through the glass, briefly drowning out the sounds in the VIP room.

Satsuki's smile faded slightly as she turned to look out the glass.

But Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was still looking at her.

Leaving aside the fact that this girl's ability to infuriate people is growing day by day, her willingness to help Seibu deal with the mess that is Gokurakukan was beyond his expectations.

Saionji agreed to send performers, technicians, and construction personnel, and was also willing to provide funds for the renovation. Even though Seibu would still bear the old debts, this was far more than a typical business collaboration.

"So, why did you agree to take over the Pleasure Pavilion in the first place?"

He only spoke again after the cheers outside had subsided slightly.

Satsuki's gaze remained fixed on the stage.

"Our hotel supply, sightseeing tours, and cold chain logistics in Hokkaido have all been integrated with Seibu. If Gokurakukan continues to lose money, it will inevitably affect our joint projects sooner or later."

She spoke so naturally, as if that was the whole reason.

After listening, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi did not immediately look away.

"So it was because they were afraid of getting Saionji's accounts dirty."

"Uncle Ti should be happy."

Satsuki glanced back at him, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"At least your health and Seibu's assets are now being eyed."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi gave a soft hum.

He still spoke as if it were a business transaction, but he had already gotten the answer he wanted. Given Satsuki's personality, his willingness to take over an old asset that he knew would be troublesome was more believable than any comforting words.