Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 507 Two Western Martial Arts

Satsuki lowered her head and took a sip of tea.

The temperature of the jade dew has dropped a bit, making it taste even milder than before.

She held the rim of the teacup with only two fingers, casually turning it halfway around, as if considering where to begin.

Tsutsumi Seiji sat opposite her, not urging her.

After a moment, Satsuki finally raised her eyes.

"If I said that I really just wanted to see Mr. Qing Er's exhibition today, would you believe me?"

Tsutsumi Kiyoshi laughed.

"I would be very happy."

He picked up his teacup.

"However, you specifically asked me a couple of days ago if I could give you some time to talk alone tonight. In that case, I should at least hear what Ms. Saionji has to say to me."

A hint of a smile appeared in Satsuki's eyes.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

She gently placed the cup back on the saucer, and her posture straightened accordingly.

"Then I'll be rude."

Ti Qing Er nodded slightly.

Satsuki looked at him.

"I hope that Saionji can gain stable operational control of FamilyMart."

Seiji Tsutsumi's gaze lingered on her face, his expression unchanged.

Satsuki subtly observed Tsutsumi Seiji's expression and continued:

"There's also the Ryohin Keikaku (良品计划) project. I hope to acquire the shares that Mr. Seiji is willing to sell, with the goal of gaining control of the business."

"In addition, PARCO is also within the target range, and I also hope to acquire some of the shares held by your side."

The room was quiet for a moment, and Tsutsumi Seiji watched as Satsuki, who had just dropped this bombshell, leisurely sipped her tea.

After thinking for a while about what this girl was planning to do, he slowly put down his teacup.

"FamilyMart, MUJI, and PARCO."

He read the three names aloud again.

"It seems you've come to me today to discuss a rather significant business deal."

"Of course, that is, if Mr. Seiji is willing to talk."

Satsuki gave another faint smile.

"Since you're already sitting here, I should at least listen to what you've said."

Tsutsumi Seiji looked at her.

"But I'd like to know first why you specifically chose these three companies."

Satsuki gently touched the rim of the cup.

"Because they are all valuable to Saionji Temple."

"That answer is too broad."

"I know."

Satsuki smiled.

"So we have to start with Seibu."

Seiji Tsutsumi's eyes flickered slightly.

Satsuki continued:

"In the past two years, Saionji Temple has been cooperating extensively with Uncle Tsutsumi. This includes development along the railway line, land, hotels, Gokurakukan, and several other projects that are currently underway."

"The outside world views the two sides as important allies, and this assessment is basically correct."

"Basic?"

Tsutsumi Kiyoji narrowed his eyes slightly, grasping the meaning of that word.

"Both Saionji and Seibu profited from this collaboration."

"As long as this cooperation remains profitable, I certainly hope it lasts as long as possible."

She put the teacup back on the table.

"However, there should always be some room for maneuver in cooperation between companies."

"Mr. Qing Er should also know what Uncle Tsutsumi's greatest strength lies in."

"You suddenly started praising Yoshiaki?"

Tsutsumi Seiji chuckled.

"I've always admired his business acumen."

Satsuki raised her eyes.

His tone even sounded somewhat innocent.

"Railways, land, hotels, large-scale developments—none of these can be done for decades by luck alone."

"The fact that Seibu has grown to its current size speaks volumes."

The smile on Tsutsumi Seiji's face faded slightly.

Satsuki saw this and continued speaking in the same vein.

"Last year was the most difficult time for Seibu, when it faced severe financial pressure. But after a year of financing adjustments, asset disposals, and the involvement of several projects by Saionji, things have improved considerably."

"Since Saionji was directly involved in some of the financing and development arrangements, I have a general idea of their current financial management capabilities."

"I can't give you the exact numbers, but..." Satsuki looked directly into Tsutsumi Seiji's eyes, "The Seibu now has the resources to spare."

Upon hearing this, Seiji Tsutsumi's expression turned serious.

"Are you saying that this kind of 'spare energy' is superfluous for Saionji?"

"Hmm? Is that so?" Satsuki merely glanced at him. "I didn't say that. I was just stating a fact."

Tsutsumi Seiji paused for a moment, then understood.

"Okay, I understand. You can continue."

Satsuki maintained a calm expression and took a sip of tea.

"Mr. Qing Er should know better than anyone what Uncle Di has the most valuable assets: the railway network, a large amount of land along the line, hotels, and large-scale developments that have been underway for decades."

These businesses support each other.

"The railway handles passenger traffic, the land along the line is used for residential and commercial development, and hotels cater to business and tourism needs. As long as the project enters a mature stage, land prices, passenger traffic, and asset value will continue to support new development."

"And once Seibu fills in their last weakness, the scale of their system will definitely increase to another level."

Upon hearing this, Tsutsumi Seiji's expression revealed his understanding.

"You mean, my business division?"

"Exactly."

Satsuki nodded solemnly.

"Once Uncle Di's original projects reach a certain scale, they will continuously improve the utilization efficiency of surrounding assets."

"But to get people to stay and spend money after they arrive, and to form a stable flow of people and a community in the long term, mature business operation capabilities are also needed."

"To date, Seibu doesn't have a systematic business asset portfolio, but once they fill this gap in the future..."

She paused briefly after saying this.

"At that stage, Saionji's importance to Seibu will greatly decrease."

After listening, Tsutsumi Seiji remained silent for a long time.

The lounge fell silent for a moment.

After a long while, he spoke again.

"So you're preparing to take control of the business side in advance."

"At least control the most valuable part of it."

Satsuki nodded.

"I will not assume that this advantage will continue indefinitely just because the cooperation between the two sides is going smoothly now."

Tsutsumi Seiji looked at her for a moment.

"Your evaluation of Yoshiaki Tsutsumi seems to be much higher than that of outsiders."

"I don't believe Uncle Tee became the world's richest man by luck."

Satsuki's tone was very serious.

"Mr. Qing Er should know that I have a fairly good personal relationship with Uncle Tsutsumi. However, personal relationships are one thing, and business interests are another."

"It's normal to be cautious when dealing with a partner who is good at managing railways, land and large-scale developments and has now regained its financial strength."

Tsutsumi Seiji picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"So FamilyMart, MUJI, and PARCO are the answers you picked?"

"One of them."

"Sugatsuki said."

"I'm not very interested in Seiyu itself or its department store business. Saionji already has its own large-scale retail channels. Bringing back another massive traditional retail system would be too costly to integrate, and its strategic value would be limited."

"FamilyMart is a different story."

"Over the years, it has established deep business ties with Saionji's supply and logistics system. Maintaining the current cooperation structure is certainly feasible, but from a long-term perspective, Saionji prefers to directly control this type of consumer terminal."

Tsutsumi Seiji nodded slightly.

Anyway, over the years FamilyMart has become almost indistinguishable from Saionji, so it would be even stranger if Saionji didn't want to fight for FamilyMart.

Hearing this, Satsuki's expression softened slightly.

"Mr. Qing Er should be able to understand this reason more easily."

She glanced at the exhibition hall outside.

I talked to you about Muji three years ago.

"Remember."

"I said at the time that its most valuable feature is that it knows what should be discarded."

A slight smile appeared on Tsutsumi Seiji's face.

"I remember that sentence too."

"I still hold this view today."

"Sugatsuki said."

"Many consumer brands today rely on embellishments, logos, and increasingly sophisticated product designs to emphasize their identity."

"But the Muji you lead has chosen a different path, compressing these elements as much as possible and making the products themselves and the lifestyle the core."

"Once this concept is established, the brand value will not be limited to a single product."

"Stationery, furniture, clothing, food, and even larger living spaces in the future can all continue to extend along the same aesthetic and consumption logic."

As Tsutsumi Seiji listened, his gaze gradually softened.

"So what you want is the Liangpin Project brand."

"And its established design system and business model."

Satsuki added.

"Saionji could open his own company selling furniture and household goods, but he couldn't make Muji like that."

This statement clearly pleased Tsutsumi Seiji somewhat.

"What about PARCO?"

"PARCO is even more special."

Satsuki recalled the morning she spent in Ikebukuro a few days ago with Ayako and Reiko.

"Only after visiting the site myself did I truly understand what Mr. Qing Er has been doing all these years."

Tsutsumi Seiji raised an eyebrow.

"That sounds like you're about to praise me first."

"I was just praising you."

Satsuki answered in a very serious tone.

"The real value of PARCO lies in its ability to transform commercial spaces into destinations."

Consumers go there not just for the purpose of buying a single product.

"GG, exhibitions, music, clothing, food, and the ever-changing cultural tastes of young people all contribute to why they are willing to spend a few hours there."

"Saionji is indeed relatively weak in this aspect of business operation."

Tsutsumi Seiji looked at her.

"In that case, it must be the same for Yoshiaki Tsutsumi."

Satsuki nodded naturally.

"Yes."

After the word was uttered, there was a brief moment of silence between the two.

Tsutsumi Seiji slowly placed the teacup he was holding back on the table.

"So what you're worried about is probably not just that Seibu will reduce its dependence on Saionji in the future."

Satsuki looked up at him.

"You don't want Yiming to acquire these business capabilities either."

Satsuki's lips curved slightly.

"This was said by Mr. Qing Er."

"You've already gone this far with your words."

"I only analyzed Seibu's current industrial structure."

Satsuki picked up her cup and took another sip of tea.

"As for what Uncle Ti plans to do in the future, I haven't heard him mention it."

Tsutsumi Seiji narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Really not?"

"no."

Satsuki's expression didn't seem fake.

"I can tell you this clearly."

Tsutsumi Seiji looked at her for a few seconds.

"Then why did you consider this aspect?"

"Because from a business management perspective, this direction is very natural."

Satsuki put the cup down.

"If I were Uncle Titchey, already owning railways, land, hotels, and numerous development projects, and had regained strong financing capabilities, I would definitely study how to supplement the business operations."

"There happens to be a number of mature assets in the market."

"Any rational manager would consider it if the valuation, control, and financing conditions were right."

"Moreover, these assets belong to Seibu."

"If Uncle Ti were to expand his commercial portfolio, which assets would you prioritize?"

The room fell silent.

This time, Seiji Tsutsumi remained silent for a long time, his expression becoming serious.

In recent years, he has been gradually withdrawing from the group's daily operations, handing over more decision-making power to the various companies and professional operators.

This was the direction he actively chose.

However, as power gradually disperses, the boundaries that were previously maintained by his personal will will inevitably change.

FamilyMart has gone public.

PARCO has an independent operating system.

Ryohin Keikaku is also gradually establishing a more complete corporate structure from the original Seiyu system.

In the future, it will be difficult for him to make any capital operation decisions permanently.

Meanwhile, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's Seibu is recovering.

If someone really raises this point—

broken!

For the first time, Tsutsumi Seiji felt a very strong sense of crisis.

The business system that he has built up over most of his life, which he regards as a work of art, may very well be bought back and ruined by his vulgar younger brother with dirty money.

Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.

Is Yoshiaki Tsutsumi planning to replace the floors with marble and hang crystal chandeliers after getting his hands on Muji?

His gaze returned to Satsuki's face.

Satsuki was looking down and picking out a very small wagashi (Japanese sweet), seemingly not prepared to continue explaining.

"Your concerns... seem quite likely to come true."

"At least from the perspective of banking and capital markets, the story of 'the divided Seibu reuniting as one' is indeed very appealing."

Satsuki then looked up, still holding a piece of wagashi in her mouth.

Tsutsumi Seiji spoke slowly.

"So, if someone proposes a restructuring, the banks might not necessarily object..."

"That's what I think too."

Satsuki took a small bite of the pastry.

"The capital market especially likes simple, complete, and appealing stories."