A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

Although he wouldn't engage in favoritism or anything like that, he couldn't stop others from doing it first.

"Yes, mainly two things." Uesugi Genshin placed his hand on his face, his fingers moving slightly.

"Please speak," Horikita Manabu said, extending his hand.

Chapter 326: Interest Arises

Just then, an untimely knock sounded at the door, causing both of them to frown slightly, one looking towards the center and the other towards the top. Yang Nai, meanwhile, leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, maintaining a smile.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't just one person who came to see Horikita Manabu.

Instead, it was a group of people who came together, perhaps they met downstairs or on the street, saying they had arranged to come together. Uesugi Genshin would never believe that.

Leading the group was a portly middle-aged man, followed by a handsome blond man named Nan Yunya, whose sinister gaze suggested he wasn't exactly upright.

If we put on a little airs, let's call him a handsome guy, the kind of roguish charm.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had guests, Horikita-kun." The middle-aged man paused for a moment after seeing Uesugi Genshin and said politely, probably mostly out of courtesy, because he recognized Uesugi Genshin and nodded politely in greeting.

“Anyway, it’s related to us, so we can listen in too,” Nan Yunya suggested, spreading her hands behind the uncle.

This suggestion quickly drew glances from the group, as if to say it was the right thing to do, while also whispering among themselves.

Seeing this, Horikita Manabu took a deep breath and tapped the table with his knuckles. "Silence."

However, the middle-aged man at the head of the group stepped forward with a sense of responsibility, saying, "The supplies that Uesugi-kun provided this time have been a great help."

It was clear from his words that he had been present at that meeting, while Uesugi Genshin didn't remember the other person's face, but he still raised his head slightly with satisfaction, "It's nothing serious."

Now that things have come to this, it's impossible to drive them all away, and Nan Yunya's words have made it harder to say "let's talk next time".

Therefore, Horikita Manabu looked at Uesugi Genshin and let him make the decision. If he didn't intend to talk about it here, he would end the conversation.

However, Uesugi Genshin looked towards Hino first, and the two exchanged a glance.

Then Yang Nai asked, "Are the people here all trustworthy?"

This created an atmosphere that something important was about to happen, and that those who weren't qualified shouldn't be there, thus smoothly throwing the problem back at them.

These words made the people on the other side look at each other, but no one made a move. No one would leave because it would be a way of saying that they themselves were not trustworthy.

“Ha, they are indeed trustworthy,” Horikita Manabu said first. At least everyone was willing to do something for the group, and the affairs on the artificial island couldn’t be bypassed by them. His cooperation with Mr. Furukawa was going very smoothly.

Despite being a caring company president before the apocalypse, in Japan, even small company presidents have to bow and scrape to customers, and sometimes even kneel down to apologize. If you think about it carefully, they seem no different from ordinary corporate slaves, just a more advanced kind of corporate slave.

The others were also middle to upper management here, surrounded by a group of people, so they had enough influence.

“Oh.” Turning back, Uesugi Genshin briefly explained to Horikita Manabu: “The first thing is that I made contact with a foreign diplomat at Haneda Airport last time. He can obtain a batch of weapons by bribing Self-Defense Force officers, but he needs something of high value in exchange. I happen to know that there is a bank in Nihonbashi with more than ten tons of gold stored underground.”

“I see.” Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses. “So you want me to join you?”

Although it is a question, it is spoken in a declarative tone.

Moreover, it wasn't about asking him for help, but rather asking him to join, which made the dialogue between the two parties more equal.

"Are you interested?" Uesugi Genshin leaned forward and asked. "I also called a group of people from the port area."

“Of course I’m interested,” Horikita Manabu gave an affirmative answer, “but I need some time to adjust.”

"I understand." Uesugi Genshin nodded, after all, this place was like a mess.

If we leave it unattended for a while, it will quickly worsen.

"A gun, is it?" the leader asked excitedly.

“Mr. Furukawa’s team was responsible for a large part of the scavenging work,” Horikita Gaku explained to Uesugi Genshin.

No wonder he was walking in front, while Nagumo Masa was hiding behind him; Uesugi Genshin understood.

Violence represents the right to speak, which makes him one of the most influential figures present.

But everything has two sides. If violence gets out of control, it can also lead to crime. So Horikita Manabu personally took action to find his companions and form a team to go out, so that he could be a person with two hands.

“Mr. Furukawa has a Self-Defense Force soldier under his command, and that person has the only usable gun here,” Horikita Manabu introduced again.

"Probably another deserter," Uesugi Genshin thought. "We can't let everyone in one garrison die."

Moreover, apart from Furukawa, the others seemed to be more interested in gold.

"Please sit down," Horikita Manabu said to them.

The people who came over all found seats across the table from Uesugi Genshin and sat down. Nagumo Masayuki, as always, sat next to Horikita Manabu.

"Um, if it were gold, how much would we get?" one of them couldn't help but ask.

"That depends on the contributions of each party," Uesugi Genshin said, tapping his finger lightly on the table.

“Then we can send a lot of people,” the man continued.

But Furukawa quickly stopped them, because it was the people on the front lines who were carrying out the operation. To say it so easily clearly showed that he did not understand the hardships of the combat personnel. Nihonbashi is one of the most bustling areas in the city center.

Horikita Manabu nodded in agreement, which is also the reason why he and Mr. Furukawa got along well—cautious yet courageous and decisive.

Yang Nai chuckled softly, "We hope to succeed on the first try. After all, sacrifices aren't so easy to accept, are they?"

All the men present noticed this very beautiful young woman, dressed in an exquisite office lady outfit, exuding a capable yet elegant aura.

“What this young lady said is correct,” Furukawa nodded.

"Speaking of which, who is this?" Horikita Manabu asked Uesugi Genshin. This new face, while most people might be focused on her beauty, he noticed the confidence she exuded.

This woman is not just a pretty face; she's more like a snake.

“Yukino Yukinoshita.” Gen Uesugi casually patted Yukino’s hand. “She is the daughter of the leader of the Chiba Self-Rescue Committee, with whom we cooperate. She has always been in charge of external combat matters and is currently here with me as a partner.”

"Eh—" Nan Yunya exclaimed at this moment, "Then who is the accountant from last time?"

“They’re sisters,” Yang Nai said with a smile.

After all, they share the same surname, and other people aren't fools; they're all beautiful, so they're bound to guess the connection.

"I never expected that the beautiful Yukinoshita would fight like a man. That's truly amazing," Nagumo Masa couldn't help but praise.

"Really? It's no big deal~"

Despite speaking with a touch of humility, Yang Nai's confident smile, which seemed effortless, even bordered on alluring.

Chapter 327: Middlemen and Suppliers

Horikita interrupted Nagumo Masayuki, because what followed was very likely to be a flirting attempt.

Based on his understanding of Nan Yun, this man was a playboy who had slept with many women. Even now, there were rumors that he had slept with many girls.

Therefore, Horikita Manabu said to Uesugi Genshin, "We agree with your suggestion to decide based on contributions."

“I’ll let you know the meeting time later,” Uesugi Genshin said to Horikita Manabu. “Since Advanced Nurturing High School is right between our two houses, shall we hold the meeting here?”

“No problem.” Horikita Manabu nodded. “So, what’s the second thing you mentioned?”

“Actually,” Uesugi Genshin said, resting his arm on the table and his chin on his hand, shifting to a more relaxed posture, “we have a fish canning plant there that can be restarted.”

“I understand.” Horikita understood that he hoped the Advanced Educational High School would provide the catch.

“Well, we can provide the fuel, and we will give you a portion of the canned goods produced as payment,” Uesugi Genshin proposed his proposed cooperation plan.

Although Sobu High School also has fishing boats, they are mainly used to deliver fish to the cafeteria, leaving little room for them to be used to produce canned fish.

The Advanced Education University mainly feeds its several thousand people through fishing. Now that the staple food problem has been partially solved and they are no longer troubled by food, the surplus catch can be sent to them.

“A very good proposal,” Horikita Manabu said after a brief moment of thought.

They dare not fish extensively because of fuel shortages; if the other side provided fuel, they could go out to sea all day without any problem.

Then he looked at the person in charge of the fishing boat and discussed the feasibility.

The remaining issue is still the allocation.

Yang was the first to propose a 9:1 ratio. The most important fuel was provided by the Soubu High School, while the other side only provided manpower, but this was rejected by the other side.

This time, she didn't use the same rhetoric she used when talking to Kaguya Shinomiya; instead, she used something simpler, because the other person might not understand.

Instead, it turned into a negotiation.

The key point is that Soubu High provided factories that could produce reserve food to help them process the fish they couldn't finish, as well as fuel to support the acquisition of raw materials. The other party only contributed manpower, but they already had a lot of idle manpower, and when there is too much manpower, it becomes worthless.

Furthermore, the person in charge of fishing trips at the Advanced Nurturing High School stated that large fishing boats can now be used to fish in Tokyo Bay.

It was obvious from their voices that the man was probably a professional fisherman, and Yang Nai agreed, thus preventing the fuel they provided from being misused by the other party.

Soubu High School will also send people to accompany the ships. From now on, the ships leaving Tokyo Bay will be responsible for the factory's procurement. At the same time, the large ships that are responsible for fuel will have an 80/20 split. As for other fishing boats that are self-sufficient in fuel and also want to sell, it will be split 50/50.

"This cooperation has been a great help, and I am extremely grateful for Soubu High School's support." The person in charge of the fishing boat seemed to breathe a sigh of relief immediately after the agreement was reached, and bowed respectfully.

"I dare not accept such praise. It would be our good fortune if you would take our abrupt suggestion into account." After responding to the stiff diplomatic language, Yang Nai also bowed deeply once again.

Then Uesugi Genshin and Horikita Manabu looked up at each other and exchanged gentle smiles.

At the same time, the person next to him handed two draft contracts to Horikita Manabu. After carefully reviewing them and confirming that they were correct, he signed them and then handed them to Uesugi Genshin.

Uesugi Genshin took a look and saw that the preliminary principles he had just drafted were written on it. He also showed it to Haruno, who said that there were no problems and signed her name as well.

At this point, Horikita Manabu suggested that they could add a protective film, since a piece of paper is easily lost or damaged if not handled carefully. Uesugi Genshin then handed the contract to the other party first, and would retrieve his own copy later.

After that, the factory produced a steady stream of canned goods, which he could then use to exchange for crops with the Yukinoshita family. Also, Shuchiin's family didn't have any fishing boats and couldn't go out to sea to fish for the time being. It was unclear whether they had any plans to do so in the future, but Shirogane Miyuki would likely be happy to exchange his goods for their canned goods as well.

Valuable items they looted in the port area, such as necklaces, rings, watches, fine wines, and other things, could be used as currency for transactions.

The value of their efforts in traveling around is now evident, and they are all happy to make such a deal.

If it were to involve highly advanced educational institutions in a transaction with them, unnecessary concerns would arise.

This undoubtedly shows that Uesugi Genshin's influence is very useful. He and the Soubu High School behind him have a high reputation in various places. For example, now the entire Advanced Education High School knows that it was Chiba Soubu High School that brought the food, and everyone present remembers him.

"I'll have someone draft the formal contract; it should take a few hours," Horikita Manabu said to Uesugi Genshin, implying that they could wait a little while.

"There won't be any problem before sunset." Uesugi Genshin was a little, no, very worried about whether the boatmen could properly moor the boat at night and return to Chiba by dusk at the latest.

“That’s all then.” Horikita Manabu nodded, then said to the others, “That’s all for now. Also, the contents of this meeting must be kept confidential.”

With so many people and so much to say, it's worth reminding them, but everyone said it was no problem.

Uesugi Genshin and Haruno planned to leave the meeting room only after everyone else had left.

However, at this moment, Nagumo Masa walked alone to Haruno, who was standing by the window enjoying the breeze, and asked, "Would you mind chatting for a bit?"

"What?" Yang Nai chuckled lightly, "Trying to pick someone up?"

"Yes, I was just thinking about how to say hello and get to know you. You might think it's cheesy, but I really think you're quite pretty. And my name is Nan Yunya," Nan Yunya said gently. "Could I buy you a cup of coffee?"

"Ah, thank you for the compliment." Yang Nai covered her mouth and chuckled, then walked behind Uesugi Genshin's chair and put her right hand on his shoulder. "Unfortunately, I'm very busy."

"I see." In his opinion, an independent woman like Yang Nai should still be single, but... he guessed wrong.

Nangumo Masako looked at Uesugi Genshin and gave him a "you're really something" look. Isn't this the older sister of that accountant from last time? He originally thought that the one from last time was the one Uesugi-kun liked.

"..."

"Nagum, let's go." Horikita Manabu called out from the doorway.

"Yes, yes." Nan Yunya shrugged helplessly, then waved goodbye to the two of them.

He acted as if his failed attempt to flirt was nothing, and although he was a seasoned player in the game of flirting, he was probably quite experienced in being rejected when trying to flirt.

"I didn't find that guy's flirting particularly cheesy," Yang Nai remarked after Nan Yunya left.

"Pfft." Uesugi Genshin laughed. "That must be because he says that line so often that he's tired of saying it himself. But... don't you really think so? I thought you used to be very popular."

Yang Nai rolled her eyes and poked his cheek with her finger as if teasing a cat. "Did you think I used to have a lot of time to go out and have fun?"

I felt relatively free after starting university, and sometimes I would go out with my university friends.

Therefore, I have very little experience being approached by strangers.

Chapter 328: Do you know your homeroom teacher's room?

Once the meeting room was empty, Uesugi Genshin also prepared to leave, walking outside with Haruno.

"Hmm~" Yang Nai slowly stretched. "I guess everything's alright now?"

She noticed Uesugi Genshin was lost in thought and called out, "Hey~"

"Ok?"