Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 110 Merciful Plunder

(Thanks to "花时何时" for the expert certification! Thank you to "安得解羽泽" for the expert certification! Thank you to "是阿莫呀amo" for the expert certification! Thank you to "薇尔莉特$伊芙加登" for the big massage! Bonus chapter~)

September 1, 1988, 8:30 a.m.

Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

Inside the lecture hall of the private St. Hua Academy, the air was filled with the smell of wax from the wooden floor and the mixed scents of antiperspirant and various perfumes from hundreds of young men and women.

This is the opening ceremony for the second semester of the high school.

The cicadas outside the window still chirped hoarsely, but the fervent restlessness of midsummer had begun to subside. In their place came an unsettling chill that crept in with the autumn breeze.

"...Let's welcome the new semester with grateful hearts..."

The principal was giving a routine address from the podium, his voice coming through the microphone with a faint static.

Below the stage, the black male students' stand-up collar uniforms and the dark blue female students' suits were clearly distinct, yet their gazes met in subtle, ambiguous exchanges.

But beneath this uniform surface, a chill is quietly spreading through the ranks.

Countless gazes drifted towards the front of the line, seemingly casually.

There stood Mariko Ezaki.

Just two months ago, the daughter of the Apex Group president was a popular figure at school. Whether it was a wealthy heiress eager for unlisted stocks or a tycoon hoping to obtain political donations or business insider information from her father, they all liked to surround her.

Now, a vacuum zone with a diameter of two meters has formed around her.

Mariko lowered her head, staring intently at her toes.

The gold watch was gone, replaced by a cheap leather watch of the school's standard style. The skirt had been lowered, covering her knees. Her once meticulously styled wavy hair was now simply tied into a ponytail, the ends of which were dry and split.

"Have you heard? The Special Investigation Department went to her house yesterday."

Several boys in the back row lowered their voices; they were the sons of several construction companies, and usually the most well-informed.

"Really? What about her father...?"

"Shh—don't get involved. My dad says their family's stock is a hot potato right now. Even the members of the Takeshita faction are rushing to distance themselves. What are we small fry getting involved in?"

The hushed whispers buzzed in my ears like flies.

Standing next to Mariko were her former best friends, including several boys who had once fawned over her. At this moment, they avoided her as if she were a plague, leaning to one side as far as possible, not even daring to look at her for a second.

In this elite, co-ed school where social standing and the exchange of benefits are paramount, losing power is far more terrifying than bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is merely a lack of money, but losing power means facing social extinction along with one's entire family.

Mariko clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

Why...? It wasn't like this just a few days ago... What did I do wrong?

Those who once praised her to the skies now wish they could trample her into the mud.

The principal on the podium finally finished his lengthy speech.

The sound of a piano began; it was the prelude to the school song.

The students sang along with the music.

Mariko opened her mouth, but found that her throat was blocked and she could not make a sound.

A tear fell onto the clean floor and shattered instantly.

……

Lunch break, 12:30.

The backyard of Saint Hua Academy.

The bench under the wisteria trellis is bathed in dappled sunlight that filters through the leaves, creating irregular patches of light on the ground.

This place used to be a gathering place for the core members of the "Rose Society," and it was also a "holy land" where boys often used it as an excuse to pass by and peek at the young ladies.

But today, this place is unusually deserted.

Mariko sat alone in a corner of the bench, holding a yakisoba bread she had bought from a convenience store. She would never have even glanced at such a thing before, but now, it was her lunch.

In the distance, on the playground, several boys were playing soccer. They were the same boys who had once fought tooth and nail to impress her. Now, the ball rolled to the vicinity of the flower stand, and they ran over to retrieve it. When they saw Mariko, their eyes were filled with indifference and disdain, and they turned and ran away without even saying hello.

Those who once owned her stocks now loathe her intensely. After all, because of her stocks, her family is in complete chaos, and the entire clan might even decline as a result.

Of course, they selectively forget their own greedy and ugly past.

Mariko had no time to pay attention to these people. She stared blankly at the bread in her hand.

The house is in complete chaos. Father is on the phone with lawyers every day, and mother is constantly in tears. Banks have frozen some accounts, and luxury stores that once flocked to them are now refusing to even extend credit.

She didn't understand... she really didn't understand why...

Isn't your own company supposed to be very stable? Shouldn't you be able to cash out as soon as it goes public? Why has it turned out like this?

Is this seat taken?

A clear, gentle voice sounded above my head.

Mariko suddenly looked up.

Against the light, she saw a slender figure.

Saionji Satsuki was holding two cans of chilled oolong tea and smiling at her.

"Nishi...Saionji-kun?"

Mariko stood up in a panic, nearly dropping the bread in her hand. She instinctively straightened her skirt, trying to cover her non-designer shoes.

She was the only one who didn't want to be seen in this disheveled state.

"You...how could you...?"

I see you're all alone here.

Satsuki sat down at the other end of the bench and gently placed a can of oolong tea between the two of them.

Water droplets slid down the metal surface of the can, leaving a dark water stain on the wooden bench.

"Please sit down."

Mariko sat down cautiously, only daring to sit on half of her buttocks.

At a time when everyone in the school, both male and female, was avoiding her, this unapproachable young lady of the Saionji family was actually willing to sit next to her.

"You must be having a tough time lately?"

Satsuki's voice was soft, like a spring breeze brushing across a lake.

These words shattered Mariko's last line of defense.

"Waaah..."

She let out a mournful cry like a drowning person, her back arching uncontrollably. She quickly covered her mouth, but tears still streamed down her face.

"Saionji-kun... I really don't know what to do..."

Mariko cried uncontrollably, her long-suppressed fear and grievances erupting at that moment.

"Dad... Dad has been summoned by the Special Investigation Department three times. The phone line at home has been cut off, and there are reporters all over the door... The bank says they're going to withdraw the loan, and if Dad can't repay the bridging loan next week, he'll be arrested..."

"Those people... those who took the shares before, now they're all saying our family cheated them... it was clearly their own greed that made them..."

Satsuki listened quietly, then took out a clean white handkerchief from her pocket and handed it over.

The handkerchief was embroidered with an exquisite family crest on one corner.

"Let's wipe it."

Mariko took the handkerchief as if it were a lifeline.

"Saionji-kun, could you... could you help us?"

She looked up, her eyes filled with desperate hope.

"I know the Saionji family has a lot of influence in political and financial circles... even if it's just a matter of putting in a good word with a bank... please..."

Satsuki looked at this girl who was once so glamorous but is now as insignificant as dust.

She did not answer immediately.

She reached out, her slender fingers gently tapping the pull tab of the oolong tea can.

"Da, da, da."

"Mariko."

Satsuki spoke up, changing her address from "Ezaki-kun" to the more affectionate "Mariko".

"I really want to help you. After all, we're classmates."

She sighed, a perfectly measured look of embarrassment on her face.

"But as you know, right now, anyone who gets involved with the name 'Aipes' will get into trouble. Even my father doesn't dare to make any statements at this critical juncture."

The light in Mariko's eyes dimmed instantly.

"but……"

Satsuki changed the subject.

"If it's just a purely commercial transaction, there might still be a chance for things to turn around."

"Business...commercial activity?" Mariko was stunned.

"I heard that your company, 'Epes Properties,' owns several plots of reclaimed land along Tokyo Bay?"

Satsuki turned her head to look at Mariko. Her eyes were filled with deep concern, but they appeared exceptionally profound in the shade of the trees.

Mariko nodded: "Yes...yes. Dad bought it the year before last, saying he was going to build our future headquarters in Odaiba...but the project has been halted now."

"Since construction has stopped, it's a non-performing asset."

Satsuki picked up the oolong tea and pulled the tab.

"laugh--"

The sound of bubbles escaping was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

"If you keep this land tied up, the banks will keep a close eye on your cash flow. But if you liquidate it..."

Satsuki took a sip of tea, feeling the cool liquid slide down her throat.

"Saionji Corporation happens to have some idle funds recently. Although the board of directors is strongly opposed, feeling that taking over Apes' assets at this time is too risky... I can try to persuade my father."

She turned her head and looked at Mariko with a compassionate smile that seemed like that of a savior.

"We can buy that land. Cash payment."

"This money is enough for you to repay the bank loan and fill the hole in your books. Once the hole is plugged, the Special Investigation Department will have no reason to arrest you for the time being."

Mariko stared blankly at Satsuki.

Although she didn't understand business, she knew that it was the piece of land her father valued most. It represented the future hope of the Apes Group.

"But... Dad said that piece of land will be very valuable in the future..."

"after?"

Satsuki chuckled softly.

She reached out and gently tidied Mariko's messy bangs.

"Mariko, do you think Apes has a 'future'?"

The witch's voice was incredibly gentle.

Mariko shuddered.

Yes.

If we don't get through this week, my father will go to jail. If the company goes bankrupt, even the most valuable land will belong to the bank.

"Mariko, there's something you need to understand."

"Now, for my uncle, the land is not an asset, but 'evidence of a crime.' As long as that land remains in Epes's name, the Special Investigations Department will keep a close eye on it, and the public will think that you are still hoarding wealth."

She leaned down slightly, her clear eyes looking directly into Mariko's tearful eyes.

"Only cash—clean cash that can be deposited immediately—can become compensation, bail, or 'sincerity' that silences the prosecutor."

"Although my financial advisor told me that taking over Apes's assets now is like catching a falling knife, the risk is ridiculously high..."

Satsuki sighed, a perfectly measured look of helplessness on her face—a dilemma born of having to defy reason for the sake of her friend.

"But I can't just stand by and do nothing."

"I will try to persuade the board. I will use SA's reputation as collateral to take over that 'hot potato'."

She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped away the tear stains from Mariko's eyes, her movements as tender as if she were polishing a beautiful piece of porcelain that was about to become her own.

"Although the price might be driven down a lot—after all, right now, no one dares to touch this stuff except us."

"You can go back and discuss it with your father before giving me an answer."

Mariko looked at Satsuki.

In that instant, she felt that the girl in front of her was radiating a holy light.

"Thank you... thank you so much, Saionji-kun!"

Mariko held Satsuki's hand tightly, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.

"I...I'll go home right now and tell Dad! You're our savior! Really!"

"Go."

Satsuki patted the back of her hand.

"We need to act quickly. After all, the banks don't have much patience."

Mariko grabbed her schoolbag, not even bothering to eat lunch, and stumbled towards the school gate.

Satsuki sat on the bench, watching her receding figure.

She picked up the fried bread that had been forgotten on the chair and casually threw it into the trash can next to her.

"Clatter".

"How pitiful."

She spoke softly, her tone still compassionate.

She took out her notebook and checked the box next to "Odaiba Development Plan".

"Saionji Pagoda (Candidate Site: Pending)"