Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

The two continued forward.

The next piece took up a large portion of the wall space in the exhibition hall.

A roughly undisturbed stone lies on the ground, maintaining a distance that is neither too close nor too far from the glass standing next to it.

The spotlight fell from above at an angle, casting a thin, bright line along the edge of the glass, while the stone's shadow passed through the transparent surface, slightly offset to the other side.

After Satsuki approached, she first stood in front of the artwork for a while, and then slowly changed her perspective by looking at it from the outside.

Looking through the glass, the originally rough and heavy stone appears to have been cut open by the transparent material, and its outline has changed slightly due to refraction.

"I like this one a little better than the previous one."

Seiji Tsutsumi, who was standing beside her, followed her gaze and looked again upon hearing this.

"Yeah?"

There was a hint of interest in his tone.

"I thought you would prefer Fontana."

"Fontana is very interesting."

Satsuki smiled.

"But when I look at his work, I can't help but wonder what the artist is trying to say. This one, on the other hand, doesn't require as much thought."

She took two steps to the other side of the glass.

"A stone is still a stone, and glass is still glass. If you look at them separately, there's nothing special about them."

"But once you put them so close, people start to notice many things they wouldn't normally notice."

Tsutsumi Seiji looked at her.

Satsuki raised her hand to measure the distance between the two.

"For example, this stone is so heavy, but the glass is so thin. After looking at it for a long time, you might feel that they are too close together."

"If you move to another spot and look through the glass, the shape of the stone will change slightly."

As she spoke, she took a small step to the side.

"The most interesting thing is that even though nothing has happened, when I stand here, I can't help but think—what would happen if I got a little closer? Would the glass fall over? Would the stone break it?"

"In other words..."

Satsuki paused and looked at the artwork again.

"It seems that it's not just stones and glass that are actually put in the exhibition."

"And that little bit of distance between them."

After listening quietly, a slight smile slowly appeared on Tsutsumi Seiji's face.

"You're quite good at reading this kind of stuff."

"If Mr. Qing Er says that, I'll take it as a compliment."

Satsuki nodded slightly.

"After all, I am honored by your invitation today. It would be too impolite of me to not be able to see anything in your exhibition."

"If you really couldn't see anything, you wouldn't say these things."

Tsutsumi Seiji smiled and shook his head.

"Many people remember the artist, the year, and the price before they come to the museum. But when they stand in front of the artwork, they still see the same things."

"At least you're looking at the thing itself."

After listening, Satsuki thought for a moment and then looked at the stone again.

"Actually, I wasn't always able to understand it either."

"When I first met Mr. Seiji at the Seibu Museum, I wasn't so polite to Duchamp."

Seiji Tsutsumi clearly remembered that incident as well.

"You mean 'The Spring'?"

"Um."

Satsuki couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth slightly.

"Mr. Qing's complexion was much worse that day than it is today."

Tsutsumi Seiji sighed softly.

"You had just come from Yiming's place at that time."

"And I also have a business deal that makes me completely unhappy."

His tone was not harsh.

After all, three years have passed, and the results of the FamilyMart supply chain reform that was almost forced have long proven that Saionji was not just looking to take things from him.

On the contrary, S-Food actually turned FamilyMart's constantly dwindling costs into profits, and also provided support for the cash flow that had been dragged down by the InterContinental Hotels acquisition.

Later, when Seiji Tsutsumi went to Ginza to thank Saionji, he even bought the Renoir painting from them.

Thinking of this, he suddenly laughed.

"Speaking of which, I still have that painting, 'Girl Reading.'"

Satsuki immediately turned her head away.

"What you're saying makes it sound like you weren't sold to me, but rather left with me as a temporary guest."

"After all, it's an old collection that my grandfather brought back from Europe."

Satsuki smiled too.

"I'll still care a little, though."

Don't worry.

Tsutsumi Seiji looked at her again.

"I still don't think that three billion was a waste of money."

After saying that, he added as if he had remembered something:

"Although your Saionji family's offer at the time was certainly not polite at all."

The smile in Satsuki's eyes became even more pronounced.

Thank you for your patronage.

She bowed her head slightly in a formal manner.

"..."

Looking at her serious expression, Tsutsumi Seiji chuckled after a couple of seconds.

"You don't seem embarrassed at all."

"Since Mr. Seiji liked the painting, and Saionji got a satisfactory price, isn't that good?"

"That's true."

Kiyoji Tsutsumi did not deny it.

That 3 billion was never just for buying a canvas.

For someone in his position, collecting is also a form of expression.

The Seibu Museum of Art, PARCO, those theaters and GG, and even the cultural elements he's been desperately trying to cram into his distribution business over the years, are all telling the outside world one thing—

Seiji Tsutsumi's business did not only include department stores.

At least he himself always believed that.

Satsuki understood this a long time ago.

Even during that unpleasant negotiation at the Seibu Art Museum back then, she didn't use profit margins to persuade him.

Instead, he told him that the poet should continue to do what a poet does.

At the time, Seiji Tsutsumi also knew that there was a fairly clear negotiation objective behind those words.

But even today, he still remembers it.

Because what truly makes people feel comfortable is never being complimented on being a poet.

What's truly remarkable is that Satsuki knows why he cares about that title.

Seiji Tsutsumi looked again at Satsuki, who was standing on the other side of the artwork.

Years have passed, and she has transformed from a young girl who walked into a closed exhibition hall with a FamilyMart proposal into someone that the entire Japanese business world cannot underestimate.

But at least one thing hasn't changed.

She does understand these things.

"Let's go."

Tsutsumi Seiji looked away, the smile still on his face.

"There are a few more items here that I think you'll like."

"Then I'll trouble Mr. Qing to lead the way."

Satsuki walked back from the other side of the glass and stood beside him.

For the next period of time, the two of them really did just look at the exhibition.

Seiji Tsutsumi would occasionally stop to explain the origins of the work, and Satsuki would watch it for a while longer when she was interested, and would also say a few words based on her own understanding.

When they disagree on something, the two will stand in front of the artwork and argue for a while.

More and more guests arrived later.

Many of them recognized Tsutsumi Seiji, and some even recognized Satsuki, who was standing next to him. After a few pleasantries, the originally quiet pace of the exhibition viewing was gradually interrupted.

After seeing off another guest who came to offer his greetings, Seiji Tsutsumi glanced around.

"If this continues, it will probably be difficult to watch the whole thing in peace tonight."

Satsuki also looked to the side.

Several people are now standing in front of the section of the exhibition wall that was just empty.

"It seems Mr. Qing Er has too many guests."

"But at least half of them are there for each other; I'm just providing a convenient and respectable social space."

Tsutsumi Seiji smiled.

As he spoke, he turned his body slightly to the side.

"There's a lounge in the back. Would you like to go sit there for a while?"

"Then I'll take my leave."

Satsuki bowed slightly.

Tsutsumi Seiji accompanied her as they left the exhibition hall through a side door.

The lounge was small and simply furnished. A staff member quickly brought tea and some snacks, then quietly left.

After the door closed, the conversation outside immediately quieted down.

Satsuki sat down on the sofa, picked up her teacup, and took a sniff.

"Is it Jade Dew?"

Seiji Tsutsumi sat down opposite him.

"I heard you prefer this."

Satsuki looked up, clearly somewhat surprised.

"Mr. Qing Er even knows this?"

"Since we invited you here, we can't just leave without asking what you like to drink."

Tsutsumi Seiji smiled.

"I had someone inquire beforehand, and it seems the information is fairly accurate?"

Satsuki lowered her head and smelled the aroma of the tea again, a slow smile curving her lips.

"Very accurate."

"I really like Gyokuro."

She picked up her cup, took a small sip, and then looked at Tsutsumi Seiji again.

"Thank you for your trouble."

"If you like it, that's good."

Seiji Tsutsumi also picked up his teacup.

"Hospitality only has meaning when you prepare properly."

The two chatted for a while longer about the artwork they had just seen.

Satsuki was still talking about the composition of one of the GG designs when Tsutsumi Seiji listened and occasionally chimed in with his own opinion.

When talking about some of the promotional projects PARCO had done in the past, he even casually pulled out an old booklet from the shelf next to him and showed it to Satsuki.

The atmosphere was so relaxed that it felt like tonight was just a regular private exhibition.

Satsuki didn't finish flipping through those pages of information until she put the booklet back on the table.

Tsutsumi Seiji lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

"So——"

He gently placed the cup back into the saucer.

"What is it that you, Ms. Satsuki, really want to talk to me about today?"