Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

The crowd density at the east exit of Ikebukuro Station on Saturday morning was even more exaggerated than Satsuki had imagined.

She stood at the entrance of the PARCO building and glanced inside. The high atrium was already packed with people, and the escalators were lined with heads going up and down.

"Wow……"

Ayako also peeked inside.

"It really is the weekend."

Reiko squeezed in from the side, still holding the crepe she had just bought from the roadside stall.

"Should we go upstairs first? There are too many people on the first floor."

"Can."

Satsuki nodded and led the way inside.

As soon as I stepped through the door, a cool breeze from the air conditioner hit me.

A popular song was playing from the stereo. It was fast-paced, and although she recognized the lyrics, she couldn't quite remember them. All she knew was that the female singer in the music video was dressed in flashy clothes and had her hair dyed pink.

The GG sign next to the escalator featured this season's main designs. The models were all young, and their makeup was completely different from what Satsuki usually saw.

She stood on the escalator and slowly ascended, her gaze sweeping over the shops on both sides.

There are many young people.

Some people were carrying several shopping bags, while others were simply standing in front of shop windows looking at items. Couples were also huddled together, with the girl tugging at the boy's sleeve and pointing to a particular garment.

This atmosphere...

Satsuki took a deep breath.

Yes, that's it—wait, why do I feel like I'm here to drain the life force of young people?

When they reached the third floor, Ayako had already taken out those few pages of magazines.

"Over here, over here."

She pointed to a shop at the end of the corridor.

"This store just changed its window display last week. I read in a magazine that this style will be popular this fall."

Satsuki followed.

Several mannequins were set up at the entrance of the store, and the clothes on them were all brightly colored.

There was an orange short jacket, a yellow hooded sweatshirt, and a green plaid shirt.

She stood in front of the shop window for a while.

"Is it really okay to dress like this?"

"Of course!" Ayako had already entered the store, turning back to wave at her. "You don't have to meet with the bank directors, why can't you dress a little brighter?"

Reiko followed them inside.

"Speaking of which, Satsuki-san's clothes are usually darker in color, or white."

As she spoke, she pulled a beige trench coat from the shelf next to her.

"Want to try this?"

"Um……"

Satsuki took the clothes and looked at them.

The material feels okay, and the cut is also good.

Just beige?

She looked down at the white top and jeans she was wearing today.

It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with it.

"Shall we give it a try?"

The shop assistant came over and led her to the fitting room with a smile.

When Satsuki came out after changing her clothes, Ayako and Reiko were already waiting outside.

"Oh?"

Ayako blinked.

"It looks pretty good."

Reiko went behind her and helped her re-tie the belt of her trench coat.

"Hmm, better than before."

Satsuki turned around to look in the mirror.

The person in the mirror was wearing that beige trench coat, the waistline perfectly cinched, and the hem falling just above the knee.

She tilted her head and looked at it for a while.

"It's actually pretty good."

Ayako had already come over carrying another pile of clothes.

"Let's try this one too! And this one as well!"

She stuffed the clothes into Satsuki's arms.

"Hey, wait a minute—"

Satsuki looked down at the pile of fabrics of various colors in her arms.

Orange, pink, light blue, and a printed top that I don't know how to describe.

"...So many?"

"Not many, not many." Ayako waved her hand. "Since we're going to try them anyway, we can just take them all in."

"We finally caught a chance for Satsuki-san to wear whatever she wanted."

Reiko handed over two more pairs of pants from the side.

"Try this one too."

Satsuki looked at her.

Then look at Ayako.

I suddenly realized that I might have made a mistake today.

She shouldn't have told those two people to "choose either one".

"……All right."

Satsuki resignedly carried her things back to the fitting room.

The curtain had just been drawn when two people outside couldn't help but laugh.

Satsuki paused for a moment while changing her clothes.

"I can hear you!"

The laughter outside immediately became even more pronounced.

……

After half an hour.

Satsuki stood in front of the cashier, watching the clerk fold one piece of clothing after another and put them into shopping bags.

Trench coat, jacket, top, pants, skirt.

There were also a few scarves and a hat.

Ayako leaned on the counter next to her, resting her chin on her hand as she watched her, finding it somewhat amusing.

"Satsuki-kun, are you moving the whole store home?"

"..."

Satsuki glanced at the row of shopping bags.

She actually just wanted to buy that beige trench coat.

You can try them on and find that each one seems okay to wear.

I like this color.

That looks great on too.

There were two other pieces that I initially thought were strange, but they actually fit surprisingly well when I put them on.

Since everything is alright...

Let's buy them all then.

Anyway, I came out today to spend money.

The shop assistant handed over the last shopping bag, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"The total is 1.23 million yen."

Satsuki took out a card from her bag and tilted her head.

So all that money only cost a little over a million yen? Looks like my values ​​have been eroded by such a large sum of money…

More than one million yen.

An average family can already buy quite a lot of things.

When it reached my ears, my first reaction was—

So cheap.

Satsuki pursed her lips and handed over the card.

"Danger."

"If this continues, they will really lose their sense of money."

After the bill was processed, Ayako and Reiko each carried a few bags for her.

"What's next?"

Reiko looked towards the other end of the corridor.

"Want to go look at shoes?"

"Walk."

Satsuki is now completely engrossed.

……

Upon arriving at the shoe store, Satsuki immediately spotted the row of sneakers in various colors on the wall.

"Oh?"

She went over and took a look.

Ayako was already sitting in the shoe-fitting area, and the shop assistant brought her several pairs of shoes.

"Satsuki-san, what size do you usually wear?"

23:50.

"Then try these on, just like mine." Ayako slipped her feet into a pair of white sneakers. "Come on, try these on too."

Satsuki sat down next to her.

The shop assistant quickly brought over the same item.

She took off her loafers and put her feet in.

Before she even tied her shoelaces, she stood up and walked a couple of steps in front of the mirror.

"Um……"

Ayako also stood up.

The two people stood side by side in front of the mirror.

"How is it?"

"good."

Satsuki looked down at her feet.

The soles are much thicker than loafers.

She looked up at the mirror again.

Ayako suddenly leaned closer, grinning mischievously as she whispered, "Do you feel like you've gotten taller?"

"...How did you know?"

"Because I've thought that way too."

Ayako smiled and poked her arm.

"However, sneakers do make you look taller. If that's a concern, just buy the platform kind."

Satsuki turned around in front of the mirror again.

This is good stuff...

"These two will do."

After she finished speaking, she looked at the row of shoes next to her.

"Bring those black ones over for us to take a look too."

"And those two too."

"Hmm... those pink ones seem nice too?"

Ayako and Reiko exchanged a glance.

Reiko coughed lightly.

"Satsuki-kun."

"Um?"

Are you buying new stock?

Satsuki paused for a moment.

She looked down at the row of shoe boxes that had been laid out in front of her.

"...I don't think so?"

"What does that count for?"

"Well... they're all pretty good-looking."

Reiko sighed.

"At this point, an average person would choose a pair from among them."

"But……"

Satsuki was only halfway through her sentence.

Suddenly I realized something about that sentence was off.

She thought about it.

I still said it.

"I'm not an ordinary person."

The air was silent for half a second.

Ayako burst out laughing.

Satsuki herself realized that this sentence sounded too much like the words of some annoying chaebol heiress, and her ears couldn't help but feel a little hot.

That's not what I meant.

She reached out and gently patted Ayako.

"I mean, we were going to spend money today anyway."

"I know, I know."

Ayako laughed as she dodged.

"Miss Saionji, please continue to order more goods."

"Ayako!"

When they finally left, they still had several shoe boxes left over.

……

With the bags, accessories, and perfumes that followed, Satsuki gradually got used to this rhythm.

She doesn't consider what others need her to wear.

They don't even consider the occasion or whether it's appropriate to use it.

Stop when you see something you like.

Pick it up.

Try it.

If you think it's good, then buy it.

At first, she would occasionally subconsciously check the workmanship to judge whether the materials were worth the price.

Later, even this action was done less often.

If you don't like it, just put it back.

If you like it, stay.

A small red bag made her stop for a while.

The color is very bright.

She probably wouldn't choose that normally.

But once she held it in her hand, Satsuki found it more and more beautiful.

She stood in front of the mirror and compared the hand to her other hand.

"This is good."

Ayako leaned closer.

I think so too.

"Then I'll take it."

Satsuki handed the bag in her hand to the shop assistant, and then looked at herself in the mirror again.

Normally, she would probably also consider whether this color is suitable for formal occasions, or whether she has any clothes in her wardrobe that could match it.

But as soon as these thoughts popped into her head today, she dismissed them.

Leave it alone.

She just thought it looked good, and she liked it.

That's enough.

With that thought in mind, Satsuki turned around in a good mood.

"Let's go check out some other places."

……

Satsuki spent a long time choosing the perfumes that followed.

Following her preferences, the sales assistant brought out several perfumes, sprayed them on a sample strip, and handed them to her.

At first, Satsuki smelled the scents very carefully, but later, with the different scents mixed together, her nose couldn't distinguish them anymore. She could only hold a few fragrance test strips at a distance and smell them again after a while.

She doesn't like things that are too sweet, and those with overly strong fragrances are quickly set aside.

When it was time for one of the scents, Satsuki had just brought the test strip close when her brows began to furrow.

"this……"

She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and smelled it again.

"Why does this feel like Father's study?"

Ayako paused for a moment, then laughed and leaned against Reiko.

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

"They really look alike."

Satsuki herself was somewhat skeptical, so she took the paper back and smelled it carefully again. But the second time still didn't change her judgment; instead, it made her even more certain.

"It really does look like it."

She put the perfume tester back on the table with a look of disgust.

"I don't want this. I don't want to smell like Father every day."

"If you say that, your uncle will be sad."

"Then don't tell him."

Satsuki answered matter-of-factly and picked up the remaining cards to continue choosing.

It was only at this point that she realized she actually enjoyed the process of slowly comparing things.

In the past, after these items were delivered to the residence, someone would usually have already screened them for her.

The head maid, costume consultant, or makeup artist will tell her what is suitable for everyday wear, what is suitable for banquets, and what is more in line with her age and status. She only needs to use the few options left at the end.

But today, no one is making the decision for her.

Ayako would occasionally find a particular scent very pleasant, and Reiko would take a sample of her favorite fragrance. However, after the two finished talking, they would wait for her to choose, and neither of them would tell her, "This one is the most suitable for Miss Saionji."

Satsuki laid out the last three fragrance test strips in front of her and smelled them one by one. She originally wanted to eliminate another one, but after hesitating for a long time, she still couldn't bear to part with it.

Reiko stood by and watched her the whole time. When she saw Reiko finally put all three bottles together, she couldn't help but laugh.

"So after all this time of choosing, you're finally going to want them all?"

"..."

Satsuki glanced down.

It seems there's really no difference compared to when I bought the shoes.

She herself wanted to laugh, but still offered a defense for herself.

"What can we do?"

Satsuki put down the last fragrance tester, and a smile crept onto her lips.

I like them all.

"I knew it."

Reiko was not surprised at all.

This time, Satsuki didn't argue, but just smiled and handed all three bottles of perfume to the shop assistant.

……

What truly made Satsuki realize that she seemed to be enjoying this was when she later passed by a small general store.

The store is full of things, from notebooks and keychains to all sorts of small ornaments that have little practical use, all crammed onto rows of shelves.

Satsuki had only followed Ayako inside casually, but once inside, she was drawn to a palm-sized ceramic cat in a corner.

The cat wasn't very well made; it had a white body with black ears and a tail, and its eyes were drawn round. It even looked a bit silly while squatting there.

Doesn't she look a bit like Amy?

Satsuki stood in front of the shelf for a while, then finally reached out and picked it up.

"this……"

She gently touched the ceramic cat's ears with her thumb, turned it over to look at the bottom, and then put it back in its original position.

Ayako noticed her stop there and came over as well.

"Isn't it cute?"

"She's quite cute."

Satsuki didn't deny it, but looking at what was in her hand, she couldn't help but ask again:

"But what can I do with it?"

"What else can we do with it? Just put it somewhere."

Ayako answered matter-of-factly, but seeing that Satsuki still looked confused, she looked at her rather strangely.

"Buy it if you like it. Not everything has to be useful."

Satsuki didn't speak immediately after hearing this.

She looked down, and the ceramic cat was still sitting blankly in her palm.

The first thing that popped into my mind was the excessively large desk in my study.

The corner near the window always seems a bit empty?

Putting the cat there seems just right.

Whether it can appreciate in value, whether it has collectible value, or even whether it can be considered a decent work of art, seems to be irrelevant.

Satsuki suddenly realized that when she used to buy things, she always seemed to have a reasonable reason for every purchase.

But now it's not necessary.

She just likes it.

"Then I'll take this one."

……