Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 407 Changing Positions

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have reported on many countries on television in the past, and I have also talked about how Tokyo should move towards the world."

Isomura stood in the center of the stage and waited for the audience to gradually quiet down before continuing his speech.

"These things are certainly important. Tokyo is the capital of Japan and should continue to be a window for the world to understand Japan."

"But today, I'd rather focus on doing the things in front of me well."

His gaze passed over the workers in the first row holding their pay bags and landed on the company owners and their families in the back.

"To ensure that companies that are committed to their business can continue to operate, that those who have completed their work receive their wages on time, and that those who have lost their jobs return to their new positions as soon as possible."

"Tokyo has budgets, projects, and people willing to work."

"What the governor should do is to reconnect these things, resume construction on the halted sites, and ensure that those waiting for wages receive their paychecks."

At this point, Isomura left the podium and took two steps forward.

"Please entrust this vote to me."

"I will get Tokyo back to work."

He bowed deeply.

"Naonori Isomura, I earnestly request your support."

The applause started almost as soon as he bowed his head.

The staff on both sides of the stage raised their arms and called out his name first. The mutual aid members in the front row quickly followed, and the voices were heard again and again. Finally, even people outside the audience who had not yet entered the venue joined in.

Isomura straightened up, bowed first to the front, and then turned to the left and right. He knew exactly how long to stay in each direction and when to look up at the end of each shout.

When Yamada walked over from the side, he took the initiative to go up to him and shake the other's rough hands again.

The reporter immediately began gesturing for them to look at the camera.

"Mr. Isomura, please look this way!"

"Mr. Yamada, come closer!"

"Please take out your pay purse!"

Isomura complied with the first two requests, but left the third to Yamada. He stood under the banner, maintaining the serious expression he had during his speech, and after the reporters finished taking photos of his face, he turned to the left at their request.

Some people across the stage asked how much money the Saionji Group would invest, while others asked if he had already reached a political deal with Saionji Satsuki.

Isomura did not stop to answer.

He only told reporters that the specific amount and implementation plan would be announced tomorrow morning, then bowed to the audience again and walked to the side of the stage under the escort of staff.

Behind the curtain, several local councilors were waiting to shake hands with him.

Isomura called out their names one by one, thanking them for being there, and then posed for a second photo with one of them. His smile only relaxed slightly when the last camera was also hidden behind the curtain.

As he walked down the steps, he stretched his stiff shoulders.

Facing the camera was not difficult for Isomura.

During his years working at NHK, he knew when the camera would zoom in and when the director would switch the camera angles after each sentence.

After the news broadcast ends, viewership ratings and audience reactions are not available until the next day.

But the scene at the campaign site was completely different.

He had to be on stage to see clearly what expressions the workers made when they heard about unpaid wages, what numbers the company managers heard before they started talking, and when the reporters put down their cameras and picked up their notebooks.

When the response is good, he needs to allow enough time for the applause.

Once the room quieted down, he needed to immediately determine whether the audience was truly listening or whether his words had simply failed to resonate with them.

The most obvious change just now occurred when he promised a settlement deadline.

The workers in the front row applauded first, then the business owners in the back raised their hands, and even many reporters who were busy looking for news angles lowered their heads to write down the number.

Isomura was not surprised by this.

When companies are on the verge of bankruptcy and banks are facing loan recalls, the 21st century still feels too distant for voters. Ultimately, what people care about most is whether they'll receive their money this month.

His secretary quickly approached from the other end of the passage and opened the itinerary beside him.

"Mr. Isomura, the reporters are already waiting on the west side. The next event will start in forty minutes, and it will take about fifteen minutes to get there from here."

Isomura took the water offered by the staff and only took a sip.

"What about the Komeito Party?"

"The person in charge in Tokyo just called to confirm your remarks about the financing window in tomorrow's speech. The Democratic Socialist Party has also requested that an additional labor representative accompany you to the event in Koto Ward."

"Let the policy team reach a consensus first, and then we'll deal with it after the press conference."

"Yes."

The secretary agreed, but did not immediately turn to the next item.

Isomura took a few steps and noticed that he was still following beside her, so she turned her head to look at him.

"What else?"

The secretary glanced at several staff members nearby and lowered her voice.

"I postponed the rest of my schedule by twenty minutes."

Isomura frowned.

Why?

"Ms. Saionji is waiting for you in the reception room."

Isomura's steps suddenly stopped.

"She's here?"

"Arrived shortly after you took office."

As soon as the secretary finished speaking, she saw Isomura turn towards the reception room, so she had to hurry and follow.

"How was it arranged?"

"Ms. Saionji did not want to attract the attention of reporters, so I took her to the lighting control room on the second floor. The staff accompanying her were also instructed beforehand not to disclose any information."

Isomura nodded, his hand already unconsciously touching his tie.

His tie was still perfectly straight, and his suit was nearly wrinkle-free. But he still straightened his cuffs again, his mind quickly reviewing the speech he had just given.

The draft prepared by the firm underwent multiple revisions, with almost half of the final version originating from the policy group provided by Saionji. Publicly acknowledging Saionji's support was also an arrangement agreed upon by both parties long beforehand.

He really hadn't expected that Satsuki would come to listen in person.

"How long did she listen?"

"From the second half of Mr. Yamada's speech, you should have heard the entire speech."

Isomura took a light breath.

"Then we can only hope that Ms. Saionji is in a good mood today."

The secretary did not respond to that statement.

The entire firm knew that Isomura's ability to secure support from banks, businesses, and policy teams in such a short time was primarily due to Saionji. The 230 workers sitting in the audience today, and the financing window promised to be activated immediately in his speech, were also arranged by Saionji.

Satsuki rarely interferes in the details of the agency, but once she shows up in person, no one dares to treat it as an ordinary visit.

The two quickly arrived at the door of the reception room.

The secretary knocked twice, and only after receiving a response from inside did she open the door for Isomura.

As Isomura walked in, the first thing he saw was Satsuki sitting on the sofa.

"Ms. Saionji, you've finally decided to come and see the event live."

His expression became much more natural, and he even had a smile on his face as he approached.

"I was not informed of your arrival in advance, please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

Satsuki remained seated on the sofa. Chizuru stood on the other side of the room, and upon seeing him enter, merely gave a slight bow.

"You're welcome, Mr. Isomura."

Satsuki raised her eyes, her smile gentle.

"I just wanted to see if my money was being wasted."

Isomura sat down on the sofa next to her.

"Now that you say that, I'm even more nervous than when I was standing on that stage."

His fingers pressed lightly on his knees, his gaze never leaving Satsuki's face.

"What was the result?"

Satsuki deliberately paused for two seconds.

"It's worth it for now."

Isomura exhaled in front of her, and his whole body visibly relaxed.

"That was a lifesaver."

"If you are not satisfied, I'm afraid I'll have to commit seppuku first, and then sell the Isomura office along with the furniture to see if I can make up for some of the losses."

Satsuki blinked, amused by his earnest tone as he calculated his inheritance.

"Mr. Isomura seems to have an even stronger Showa-era aura than I imagined."

Isomura glanced down at his suit.

"To be described like this by a young lady who has just entered university, I find it hard to decide whether I should be happy or immediately go back and reflect on my actions."

"At least you know that seppuku cannot be written into the election gazette."

"That's hard to say."

Isomura answered in a very serious manner.

"If the survey results continue to decline tomorrow, someone in the firm will probably prepare a short knife for me. After all, many of them haven't been home for a month."

Satsuki's smile became even more pronounced.

Isomura laughed along, but after a few laughs, he suddenly realized something.

The girl in front of him might actually prepare a knife and a second for him after he loses the election, and then ask him with the same smile she has now if he needs help.

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Isomura quickly stopped laughing and straightened his posture.

"Since Miss Saionji can still joke with me, it seems that I haven't committed a grave mistake that would require immediate seppuku today."

"That's not necessarily true."

Satsuki glanced at the tea on the table.

"Serving this kind of tea to guests is a serious mistake."

Isomura immediately lowered his head.

"Our next stop will be Shinbashi. I'll have my secretary go to Kanedanaka and ask them which tea company they usually use."

Satsuki looked at the governor candidate who was bowing his head and admitting his mistake, and his smile became even more pronounced.

"Mr. Isomura is being so polite; it makes me seem like I'm being unreasonable."

Satsuki picked up the teacup and took a small sip.

Her eyebrows twitched almost immediately, but she then casually put the cup back in its place.

Isomura saw it.

The priority of tea procurement was instantly raised from "to be done tomorrow" to "must be resolved tonight".

"It seems to be quite serious."

Satsuki didn't make things difficult for him further, she just smiled gently.

"Let's get down to business."

The smile on Isomura's face gradually faded.

He didn't rush to speak, but waited for Satsuki to continue.

"When you publicly stated that Saionji supported it, there was a moment of silence in the audience."

"I saw it too."

Isomura leaned back in his sofa chair.

"Some people feel at ease, while others are starting to calculate how much I will take away for Saionji after I am elected. Those reporters will have something to write about."

"So the numbers will be released together tomorrow."

Satsuki spoke calmly.

"Write down exactly how much to increase procurement, how much financing to prepare, how many companies can resume operations in the first batch, and how many people can get their wages back."

Isomura looked at her with some surprise.

"You seem completely unconcerned that the Suzuki camp refers to me as Saionji's agent."

"Saionji has already publicly supported you. Avoiding this name now will only make people think that there are still things between us that cannot be made public."

Satsuki sat upright on the sofa, her tone still composed.

"They say you are controlled by the business community. You should ask Mr. Suzuki how many companies that completed projects in the past twelve years are still waiting for payment."

"Tell the voters what Saionji wants from this election, and tell them what Saionji has already given."

Isomura paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Looks like I finally won't have to go to the public bathhouse anymore."

Satsuki's lips curled up slightly.

That photo proves at least one thing.

"What?"

"Mr. Isomura must be quite skilled at rubbing the old man's back."

Isomura immediately showed a helpless expression.

The event was originally arranged by his agency to downplay his elite image. His photo did appear in many newspapers, and it's hard to say whether voters' opinions of him changed, but the elderly people in the bathhouse all remembered him.

A reporter even interviewed the old man, who gave his scrubbing technique a very high score.

"Ms. Saionji never liked that arrangement."

"Because it's too obvious."

Satsuki looked at him.

"There's nothing wrong with putting on a show, but at least you have to convince voters that you genuinely wanted to go to the bathhouse at the time."

Isomura could only manage a wry smile as he recalled how he, dressed in a yukata, had been scrubbing the back of an elderly stranger under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen staff members and reporters.

"You have the support of the party headquarters, Komeito, DSA, and the business community. These things are there, and they won't disappear no matter how you try to hide them."

"The more effort you put into proving that you are not distant from ordinary people, the more people will notice how distant you are from them in your daily life."

"Turn that support into projects, funding, and wages, and voters will know how to judge."

Isomura looked at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Ms. Saionji is very suitable to participate in the election."

"Which banner will Mr. Isomura make for me?"

Satsuki asked with great interest.

"Is the promotional slogan 'Tokyo's first female governor,' or 'Japan's first female prime minister'?"

When she mentioned the latter possibility, her shoulders trembled slightly as if she had suddenly remembered someone.

Isomura was somewhat puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Suddenly, I feel this idea is not very auspicious."

Satsuki quickly returned to normal.

"And I have no interest in standing on the roadside, repeatedly shouting my own name through a megaphone."

"That's certainly not like you."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

After receiving permission, the secretary came in and handed Isomura a newly compiled record.

"After the speech, the firm received seventeen inquiry calls."

"Eleven of them are construction companies. Two hope to submit financing documents tomorrow, and another inquired whether the resumption of work can be publicly announced at tomorrow's event."

Isomura quickly reviewed the list.

"Inform them to send the documents that can prove the progress of the project and the amount receivable to the firm tonight."

"If everything is confirmed to be in order, we will announce it tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

The secretary noted down the request and turned to leave the room.

After Isomura closed the door, he handed the record to Satsuki.

"Looks like I've earned some interest for you today."

Satsuki took the list, her gaze lingering on the names of several companies for a moment.

"Seventeen phone calls cannot change the election."

"But after these seventeen companies go back, they will ask their own members of parliament, as well as Kenjiro Tochu, why the Isomura office was able to answer their questions, while Mr. Suzuki is still asking them to wait."

Isomura understood what she meant.

"You've already started mobilizing local organizations."

"They started it."

Satsuki put the record back on the table.

"At 1:47:29 PM yesterday, Eiichi Shibata entered Yasuhiro Sugimoto's residence."

"Left at 3:09:51".

There was a two-second silence in the reception room.

Isomura knew that SIS had been providing information to Saionji, but he still felt an inexplicable pressure from the precise timing down to the second.

"So the Qinghe Society found Du Zhongjian."

"The fact that Mr. Shibata was willing to sit at the Sugimoto house for more than an hour at least shows that he was willing to listen."

Do you know what they talked about?

"have no idea."

Satsuki answered very decisively.

"But there's not much they can talk about."

Isomura thought for a moment.

"Sugimoto told Shibata that Saionji was preparing to bypass Kento and directly control its member companies."

"almost."

"So, how do you plan to answer?"

"I will tell Shibata that Mr. Sugimoto is right."

Isomura paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

Satsuki had already stood up from the sofa and reached out to straighten her skirt.

"Mr. Isomura, please continue preparing for tomorrow's speech."

Isomura also stood up.

"What about China Construction?"

"Managing Director Gondo has already gone."

Satsuki walked to the door, then turned back and smiled slightly at him.

"He will ask Mr. Shibata on behalf of Saionji."

"Since we can't even stay in our current spot anymore, how about we move to a better one?"