The premise of breaking up in Tokyo

Katsuhiko left the hotel and headed straight for Shinjuku Central Park.

There's a pretty big flea market there.

I currently have less than 70,000 yen in cash, all of which was withdrawn from my credit card. Next week is the payment due date, and I definitely can't use this to pay it off.

At this time, engaging in reselling business was almost perfectly timed to be at the forefront of the times.

Although the economic bubble burst two years ago, its aftereffects have only begun to affect the lower classes on a large scale this year.

Back then, extravagance and waste were rampant; people wouldn't even pick up money if it fell on the ground. Anyone who tried to pick up money was afraid of being laughed at, and people wouldn't dare wear slightly old clothes out in public for fear of losing face.

Things are different now. People have started to value thrift and are careful not to waste anything... When everyone does this, it becomes a trend.

Around 11 a.m., it was the busiest time. It was chaotic, comparable to a crowded farmers' market.

The small stalls, covered with blue plastic sheets, sell everything imaginable: pots and pans, outdated records, yellowed postcards, game consoles... nearly new fur coats, unopened designer bags, watches, jewelry, and all sorts of luxury goods.

At this time, the second-hand brand-name and luxury goods listed are so cheap that you can buy them without hesitation, as there are virtually no fakes.

Of course, luxury goods are not currently on Sheng Yan's radar. Not only can he not afford them, but there's also no market for them, since not many people in the local area buy them, so they can only be shipped to Guangdong...

At this point, those doing secondhand business locally need to focus on "practicality," "affordability," and "low-cost emotional value," combined with the "spiritual support" trend of the next decade, such as game cards, classic records, celebrity autographs, classic photo albums, and videotapes...

Flea markets are the best channel for sourcing goods. Sellers are ordinary people who are eager to clear out their stock and are not sensitive to game prices, so they can buy at low cost.

The distribution channels are Akihabara, Nihonbashi, and various secondhand stores.

Currently, the most promising games on the market are classic titles from the FC and SFC, such as *Dragon Quest*, *Final Fantasy*, and *Super Mario Bros.*. These games have a large player base, excellent marketability, and brand new copies are priced at 4000+ yen.

Second-hand items can be bought for 100-500 yen and resold for 500-2000 yen.

Although the profit margin is not high, the turnover is quick, and the cash flow is never interrupted.

Of course, to maximize profits, we need to find individual buyers; perhaps we could consider giving Xiaobaihe a part-time job…

Katsuhiko was well aware of future trends, so he didn't consider this purchase a mere "trial run." Moreover, taking advantage of the "convenience" of knowing the value of something just by touching it, he spent all 60,000 yen he had on him and bought more than 400 game cards.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the flea market began to close up shop, the sunlight turning a yellowish hue.

Katsuhiko walked out of the park carrying two worn-out backpacks stuffed with game cards, weighing about 20 pounds each.

Only then did he realize that he hadn't slept since last night, was exhausted and sleepy, and had only drunk two glasses of wine at noon without eating lunch.

However, I was still pleased to have a used game cartridge that I could sell for over 300,000 yen.

In the small square of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, many businesses organized numerous family-friendly outdoor activities on the first day of Golden Week.

It's about parents playing games and winning prizes with their children who are under ten years old.

Katsuhiko, carrying a backpack, passed by the small amusement park. The backpack was so tight that his fingers hurt, so he sat down on a rest chair outside the park, watching the fun and shaking his hands to rest.

The family was filled with joy, especially the children, who rolled around in the sunset, chattering and laughing, looking truly carefree.

Under a cherry blossom tree not far away, a four-year-old girl with a small backpack stood behind the tree, looking into the playground.

Behind her, on the grass, was a woman wearing a beige dress with long, loose hair, kneeling on a blue plastic sheet, holding a paper bag in her arms, and placing various snacks on it.

Next to her was a light green tent that hadn't been set up yet, next to which was a portable gas stove and a small basket containing ingredients.

Katsuhiko subconsciously sat up straight, then leaned forward again to take a closer look.

Is it Chinatsu and Mikoto, the store manager?

At this time, Sayuri had already gone to work, and Mikoto was taking Chinatsu on a parent-child outdoor activity.

Unexpectedly, after Mikoto changed into a long dress and let her hair down, she looked both elegant and intellectual.

Since she's so generous, I shouldn't mind going over for a meal or a drink of water, right? I haven't had a drop of water since noon...

As Sheng Yan was thinking, he picked up his backpack and walked to the side in just over twenty steps.

At this moment, Mikoto had already laid out the snacks and was standing with her back to Katsuhiko, setting up the tent by herself.

She frowned every now and then, looking like she was struggling.

"Is this Manager Mikoto?" Katsuhiko asked, placing his two backpacks next to a pile of snacks: cookies, juice, soda, milk, chocolate...

Mikoto turned around and looked at her, her eyes filled with surprise: "Mr. Takenaka?"

"It really is Manager Mikoto!" Katsuhiko, with a look of "surprise," sat down next to the blue plastic sheet, precisely grabbed the bottle of orange soda, unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back and gulped down half of it, letting out a burp. He then tore open a bag of chocolates, stuffed it into his mouth, and said, "I looked at you several times just now, but I didn't dare to recognize you. I didn't expect you to change your hairstyle and clothes and look so beautiful."

"Huh? Oh! Uh... Mr. Takenaka, please eat slowly, don't choke."

Mikoto looked completely bewildered; this was the first time in her life she had ever encountered Katsuhiko's behavior of simply taking food and drinks without warning.

"My apologies, I haven't eaten lunch yet," Katsuhiko said, eating and drinking between sips. "It's so lucky to meet Manager Mikoto here. You saved my... hiccup... I'm alive!"

"Oh, I see." Mikoto nodded blankly, looking like she didn't know what to say.

Katsuhiko glanced at the slightly worn and bulky two-person tent and asked, "Are you setting up a tent?"

Mikoto was still holding a rope in her hand, probably intending to tie it to the tree. Two red marks had already appeared on the back of her hand from the nylon rope. The other rope she had tied was loose and not secure at all.

"Yes..." Mikoto seemed to realize something only then, and as she spoke, she turned around and continued tying ropes to the tree.

"Let me do it!" Katsuhiko walked directly to her side, took the rope from her hand, and touched it with the back of his hand. [Assets -1242 million yen]

It's commonplace for small business owners to be in debt; it's not a surprising occurrence.

The people Katsuhiko just met at the flea market all had debts of less than ten million yen, and without a doubt, eighty percent of them were mortgages.

"Uh, thank you for your help." While Mikoto wasn't quite used to Katsuhiko's overly familiar behavior, helping out was a huge relief. Setting up a tent took too much time, and they couldn't sleep there after dark; they'd have to take it down later…

"Don't mention it. If you want to thank me, how about treating me to a meal? I haven't had lunch yet."

As Sheng Yan spoke, he tilted his head to look at the steamer. The basket next to it contained many ingredients: shiitake mushrooms, radishes, eggs, fish balls, seaweed... Oden, which could be made do.

"Uh... if you don't mind, that's fine."

"That's fantastic," Katsuhiko said, crouching down and quickly winding ropes around the tree. He turned his back and said, "Go and cook, I need to eat as soon as I set up the tent."

"Uh... okay!" Mikoto blinked, turned around and placed the portable gas stove and steamer on the small table, then poured water into them...

There were also many families having dinner and picnics around here. Some even brought smokeless charcoal. The tents were all set up securely. The fathers were setting up the tents, the mothers were preparing the food, and the children were making a mess around...