Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 522 Let them come

The two walked along the deck towards the stern.

The Highland has already sailed quite far.

Looking back, the outline of New York is still clear, but it no longer looms over your view as it did when you first left the dock.

The wind is blowing from the sea.

The silk scarf that Graham had just given her swayed gently on Satsuki's wrist.

There were indeed far fewer people at the stern.

Only a few guests were chatting by the railing, and they were quite far apart.

Kissinger stopped by the railing, took a box of cigars out of his pocket, then seemed to remember something and put it back.

"Sorry, I forgot you might not like the smell of smoke."

"It's alright," Satsuki said.

"Never mind then." Kissinger put the cigar back in his pocket. "Brook already complained once; if I light another one, she'll probably throw me off the ship."

Satsuki couldn't help but laugh.

Kissinger smiled and then looked out at the sea.

"Besides Solomon, you must have other plans for your trip to New York, right?"

"There are some," Satsuki said. "Energy assets, the Carlyle partnership, and a few other projects that are currently underway."

"Sounds like you're very busy."

"fine."

Kissinger leaned against the railing and gazed into the distance for a while.

"Miss Saionji, you seem to be quite interested in the Soviet Union lately."

This statement surprised Satsuki somewhat.

She turned her head away.

Why do you say that?

"Saionji has been traveling between Finland and Leningrad much more frequently lately than before."

Kissinger spoke casually.

"And Moscow. You seem to have some financial arrangements there as well."

Satsuki's smile faded slightly.

It's not that I'm nervous.

She took another serious look at the old man in front of her.

These things are not all top secret.

If you're willing to spend the time investigating, you can always find some clues.

But when a former Secretary of State who has been out of government for many years casually says it at a yacht party, it feels completely different.

"It seems that you are still very well-informed even after leaving the State Council."

"Sometimes, leaving the government makes it easier to hear what people really want to say."

Kissinger smiled.

"Are you Japanese all waiting to see what happens in Moscow?"

"The Japanese government may be waiting."

Satsuki gazes at the sea.

"I just feel like there will soon be a lot of cheap things there."

Kissinger glanced at her.

"Including people?"

Satsuki's smile returned somewhat.

"Especially people."

This time, Kissinger genuinely laughed.

"It seems I was right."

"You seem to have heard quite a bit."

"As you get older, you always need something to pass the time..."

The two chatted about the Soviet Union for a while longer.

Kissinger was clearly interested in why Satsuki was so certain that the Soviet Union would continue to deteriorate, but Satsuki did not explain in great depth, only attributing his judgment to a few directions that anyone could see: finance, constituent republics, and political deterioration.

After the topic had almost come to an end, Kissinger suddenly changed direction.

"Oh, right, about what happened in Tokyo in June—"

He turned his head and looked at Satsuki.

"How's your investigation going?"

The sea breeze is blowing right over.

A strand of hair that had been blown to the side of Satsuki's face swayed gently.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Because I recently learned about someone you might be interested in."

His name is Arthur Vance.

After Kissinger finished speaking, he looked at Satsuki's face.

He was probably waiting for her to change in some way.

accident.

doubt.

Or at least seriously ask who this person is.

But Satsuki only blinked once.

"Presidential Special Assistant Arthur Vance?"

This time, it was Kissinger who was taken aback.

"You know him?"

"Know."

Satsuki nodded gently.

"And we've known each other for longer than I hoped."

She leaned against the railing, her tone still relaxed.

"He investigated Saionji when he was with the SEC, and later withheld money from us under a special CFIUS directive. After June, SIS put him back on the investigation list."

Kissinger's expression showed a hint of interest.

"Where have you found your way?"

Satsuki thought for a moment.

"Arthur Vance, currently a special assistant to the president. He was in the SEC last year and later joined the White House policy circle. He now lives at 1642 31st Street in the Northwest of Georgetown, a three-story townhouse."

"It usually takes about 25 minutes to get back from the White House. When he doesn't have official business to attend to, he prefers to drive himself on Wednesdays and Fridays, but most of the time he's driven by a chauffeur..."

"You've investigated to this extent...?" Kissinger was somewhat surprised. "And, Ms. Saionji."

"I think at least some of the things you just mentioned infringe on the privacy rights of American citizens."

Satsuki tilted her head slightly.

"So, are you prepared to bring me to justice?"

"I'm afraid it's not my turn."

Kissinger waved his hand.

"Legal matters are no longer my concern; I'm just a retired old man now."

After he finished speaking, he brought the topic back to the present.

"So, in conclusion, what is your current conclusion?"

Satsuki looked out at the sea.

"As for whether he directly instigated the June 27 incident, there is still no conclusion."

She smiled slightly as she said this.

"However, if you're going to tell me that he has connections with that group, then we already know that."

Kissinger was silent for two seconds.

Then he chuckled.

"It seems that what I originally planned to give you wasn't as valuable as I thought."

"That's not how it works."

Satsuki shook her head.

"At least I know now that Dr. Kissinger also thinks this person is worth paying attention to."

Kissinger looked at her, his expression becoming complex.

"Ms. Saionji, how old are you?"

"eighteen."

"Eighteen years old..."

He repeated the number, his expression now tinged with emotion.

"When I was eighteen, I had already lived in New York for three years. That was also the year Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and the United States began fighting Japan."

Satsuki raised her eyebrows slightly.

"So, is it a little inappropriate for me to be standing next to you right now?"

"Fifty years too late."

Kissinger waved his hand.

"And if we were to decide who we should sit at the same table with today based on our relationship in 1941, it would be very difficult to organize a gathering on this ship."

Satsuki thought for a moment, then looked down at the direction of the card table from earlier.

"At least we still lost $100,000 together today."

"So times have indeed progressed."

Kissinger said in a very serious tone.

"In the past, the two countries needed to use their fleets to resolve their differences; now, they only need to donate money to charities together."

He turned his gaze back to the distance.

"Since you already know almost everything about him, Arthur, I'll change it up to something you might not know."

Kissinger turned around and leaned against the railing.

"Recently, some people in Washington have started asking about Saionji frequently."

Satsuki didn't interrupt.

"Some people are asking what exactly Saionji and Solomon discussed, and others are starting to discuss how governance and regulation should be handled if a major U.S. financial institution accepts a large amount of foreign capital."

"Someone is also reviewing the investments you've made in the US over the past few years."

Kissinger turned to look at her.

"Finance, real estate, technology, communications, and some things that are not too far removed from the defense system."

Satsuki's expression gradually calmed down.

"Do you think someone is planning something?"

"I have no idea."

Kissinger answered very simply.

"At least we don't know right now."

"I can't tell you either, these people have formed an organization and are sitting around a table deciding how to deal with Saionji next."

"Things are usually not that simple."

He paused here.

"However, some of them had always been quite wary of Saionji."

"Now you've suddenly arrived in New York, and you're ready to get involved with Solomon."

"I don't believe these changes are just a coincidence."

After hearing this, Satsuki chuckled softly.

"So they're planning to come again?"

I think so.

Kissinger looked at her.

"However, it probably won't be the same as the Tokyo model anymore."

Satsuki agreed with this.

After June 27, Saionji's security level in the United States was completely different.

Besides, she's currently in New York.

If another assassination attempt were to occur on American soil, and it were related to the group from June…

When the time comes, it's unlikely that Saionji will be the first to have a headache; the White House will probably be in for quite some time with overtime work.

"So what do you think it would be?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't just be reminding you here."

Kissinger smiled.

"However, now that they've realized killing you isn't a smart move, next time they'll probably choose a method more in line with the rules of the game in the United States."

"politics?"

"possible."

"Regulation?"

"That's possible."

"finance?"

Kissinger turned his head to the side.

"You just mentioned three yourself."

Satsuki smiled, but quickly stopped.

Why are you telling me all this?

Kissinger turned his head and thought for a moment.

"It's probably because I don't like people treating a customer this way without my knowledge."

He spoke very calmly.

"and--"

He glanced at the yacht, which was still brightly lit.

"Many people on this ship today hope that Saionji can continue doing business in America. If you are ruined by those people, it will not be good news for anyone."

After listening, Satsuki slowly nodded.

"I see."

"That's good," Kissinger said. "I'm just reminding you that the specifics of how to handle this are up to you."

He paused.

"However, if you need help in the future—"

He took a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Satsuki.

"You can contact me."

Satsuki took the business card and glanced at it.

It only had a name and a phone number printed on it, without any company or job information.

She put the business card away.

"Thank you, Dr. Kissinger."

"You're welcome," Kissinger smiled. "I was just mentioning it casually."

He turned around, ready to leave.

After walking a few steps, he stopped again.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Satsuki raised her head.

"If Saionji decides to deal with Arthur in the future—"

Kissinger turned around and looked at her.

"I might be able to offer help."

Satsuki remained silent for a while.

"What kind of help?"

"I can't guarantee anything about others, nor can I dismantle the entire opposition for you," Kissinger said casually. "But if the target is just Arthur Vance, I have ways to make the political connections that are currently protecting him stop working."

After listening, Satsuki stared at him for several seconds.

She immediately understood the true weight of those words.

The SIS can investigate Arthur, his connections, and find evidence, but it's difficult for them to directly influence the White House's network of relationships that decides "whether or not to continue protecting this person," as the American establishment does.

Kissinger's words just now essentially laid this path directly in front of her.

"Why?" Satsuki asked.

"Because if Arthur really did participate in June 27, then what he did has gone beyond the scope of normal political maneuvering."

Kissinger narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I don't like this approach, many people don't like it, and I don't want anyone to think that this approach can continue to be used in the future."

"What they did has already crossed the line."

He paused for a moment.

"So if you confirm his involvement and decide to take action against him—"

He looked at Satsuki.

"Let me know in advance."

Satsuki remained silent for a few seconds.

"I don't need it right now."

Kissinger raised an eyebrow.

Why?

"Because Arthur still has one last use," Satsuki said softly. "Now that this new operation against Saionji has begun to take shape, he will likely be even more deeply involved than last time."

She turned around and looked towards New York in the distance.

"Let him continue, continue to make contacts, and continue to bring out the next generation."

Kissinger stared at her for a while.

Then, he slowly began to laugh.

"Understood."

He nodded.

"Then I'll wait for your news."

After saying that, he nodded to Satsuki and turned to leave.

Satsuki stood there, watching his figure disappear on the other side of the deck.

The evening breeze blew in from the sea, carrying a slightly salty taste.

She turned around, placed her hands on the railing, and looked at the New York coastline gradually becoming clearer in the distance.

One by one, the lights came on, outlining the entire city.