great-warnovel Chapter 410 Working for You
Chapter 410 Working for You
(Two chapters today~)
Takahashi paused for a moment, then realized she was referring to the agreement made a few days ago.
He sat down again, took out the thinner document bag, and handed it to Satsuki with both hands.
"Here."
Satsuki took the document.
She turned down the TV volume and opened the first page of the report.
Takahashi's report this time was only seventeen pages long.
He deleted most of the nearly sixty-page document from the previous one. Unconfirmed financing terms, unfounded delays, and overly optimistic estimates of revenue from Seibu's normal completion were all removed from the final result.
He reset the three states.
There was no cooperation.
Limited cooperation.
The cooperation has already been confirmed.
In each scenario, the assets that Seibu can retain, the financing costs it needs to bear, and the business entry points and long-term relationships that Saionji obtains are all listed separately.
Takahashi omitted the assessment of "final victory," retaining only a conclusion at the end of the report that could be supported by existing evidence.
Seibu retained key facilities in the railway, hotels, land, and Odaiba, while Saionji gained access to these systems and continued to share in customer traffic, procurement, and operating revenue. The nature of what each party gained differed, and the evaluation will change depending on the observation period and the comparative circumstances.
Satsuki flips through pages quickly, often skimming over explanatory texts, but her gaze lingers a little longer when she sees tables, assumptions, and conclusions.
Takahashi kept observing her expression.
He wanted to know on which page she would pause, which changes would be approved, and which areas still had obvious problems.
There was nothing there.
When Satsuki read about the financing costs without cooperation, her expression remained unchanged; when she saw the residual revenue after the expiration of Saionji's management rights, she did not show any agreement or opposition.
A dozen minutes later, she closed the file.
"It's much thinner than last time."
"Yes, I deleted all the parts that lacked evidence."
"Does it hurt to delete them?"
"A little."
Takahashi readily admitted it.
"Some of those sections took me a very long time."
Satsuki smiled.
"Being able to delete something you spent a long time writing already puts you ahead of many others."
Takahashi did not take this statement as a final assessment.
"Any questions about the report?"
"Of course."
Satsuki spoke casually.
"However, let's talk about something else first."
She put the documents aside and turned to look at the television.
Isomura is being interviewed by reporters, and campaign staff have already pinned a large red flower on his head. The screen below continuously scrolls through the supported political parties, key constituencies, and projected final vote margins.
"Did you see the Seibu project just now, Takahashi-senpai?"
"I saw it."
"Before last night, Saionji had prepared enough financing and resumption projects to hold today's press conference."
Satsuki gently cradled her face in her hands.
"Since Seibu's involvement won't determine whether Mr. Isomura can hold that press conference, why include it in the process?"
Takahashi pondered for a moment.
Expand the scale of resumption of work.
It covers constituencies along the Seibu Line.
This reduces the political risk of Saionji supporting a candidate alone.
These are all answers that are easy to come up with.
Since Satsuki specifically asked the question, it's clear that she wanted to hear more than just these things.
Takahashi looked back at the television.
As Isomura thanked his supporters, reporters pressed him on his relationship with the Saionji Group and whether he would prioritize promoting waterfront projects in which Saionji would participate in the future.
In another small scene, a representative from the Seibu Group is also being interviewed. He emphasized that Seibu's advance payment for the project was a normal business decision, and the group is willing to cooperate with any policies that can revive Tokyo's economy.
Takahashi stared at that interview segment for a while.
"With Seibu joining, the project can indeed be expanded, and Mr. Isomura will be less likely to be suspected of only serving Saionji when facing reporters."
"Um."
Satsuki neither expressed satisfaction nor urged him to hurry.
"However, these are probably only superficial effects."
Takahashi's gaze fell on the Seibu representative on the screen.
"Seibu could have waited until after the election to decide who to cooperate with."
"Mr. Isomura won, and they can acknowledge Saionji's judgment; Mr. Suzuki won, and Seibu can continue to maintain its relationship with local organizations. Regardless of the outcome, they all have the space to reconsider their stance."
Satsuki's fingers, which were supporting her chin, twitched slightly.
Takahashi continued:
"But after adding Seibu to the list last night, there was no room left."
"Seibu announced in its own name the advance payment of construction funds, the resumption of station and hotel projects, and publicly promised to continue these policies after the election. Mr. Isomura won, and Chairman Tsutsumi will obtain a position in the new Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and he must also help these policies be implemented."
"Even if Mr. Isomura loses the election, Seibu cannot stop immediately. If they do stop, reporters and partner companies will think that everything they did last night was just for votes."
Takahashi then looked at Satsuki again.
"All you're giving up is a line of names and a subsequent position."
"The result was that Seibu went from being a bystander who could observe the outcome of the battle to someone who had to bear the consequences."
The office was silent for a few seconds.
On the television, Isomura was still speaking, but his voice had been turned down so low that only words like "Tokyo residents," "employment," and "responsibility" could be faintly heard.
This time, Takahashi could see that Satsuki's expression had changed.
It seems... the corner of her mouth has risen a little?
Takahashi thought for a while longer.
"There's one more thing."
"After Seibu joined, Mr. Isomura's promises no longer depended solely on Saionji to fulfill."
"When the Metropolitan Government bureaucrats or the Metropolitan Assembly question this policy in the future, they will be faced with members of banks, construction companies, Seibu Group, and The Club. Saionji's political responsibilities have been dispersed, but the executive power he can mobilize has increased."
"So, what Seibu bought last night was the qualification to enter the new Metropolitan Government."
"What Saionji obtained..."
Takahashi paused for a moment.
"He is a joint debtor."
Satsuki looked at him.
A noticeable change finally appeared in those eyes.
It was shallow, but enough for Takahashi to confirm that he hadn't completely gone astray this time.
A moment later, Satsuki leaned back in her chair, loosening her hands that had been resting upright on her knees. She reached for her teacup and took a small sip.
"That's an interesting point."
Her tone was more relaxed than before.
"Uncle Ti might be a little unhappy if he hears this."
Takahashi also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Since Chairman Tsutsumi is willing to join, he must have already calculated the cost."
"He calculated it."
Satsuki's eyes crinkled into a smile.
"It's just that the calculations weren't this bad."
Takahashi could only chuckle awkwardly. Satsuki could tease the richest man in the world, but that didn't mean he could join her in mocking Tsutsumi Yoshiaki.
He turned his gaze back to the report on the table.
"So, does this count as passing?"
"Hmm... better than I expected."
Satsuki put down her teacup.
"Takahashi-senpai did a great job and gave me an unexpected answer."
She looked at Takahashi, her tone becoming serious.
"So, you can make a wish to me."
"I will use all the resources the group currently has to fulfill one of your wishes."
The office was silent for a few seconds.
On the television screen, Isomura is giving his acceptance speech, with dozens of microphones crowding in front of him. The host's voice is turned down so low it sounds like it's coming from a great distance.
In just a few seconds, Takahashi realized how weighty the promise Satsuki had just made was.
Even if he only saw the tip of the iceberg, he could still get a direct sense of the immense power of the Saionji Group—the genie in the myth of Aladdin's lamp was probably no more powerful than this.
For ordinary college students, studying abroad, starting a business, or entering a large company could all change a family's life for the next few decades and enable the Takahashi family to achieve upward social mobility.
He could even use this opportunity to reach a position that many people can never achieve in their entire lives, even before graduation.
But Takahashi didn't think about it for long.
"I want to work at Saionji Temple."
Satsuki blinked.
Then she laughed.
"If you just want to get into Saionji, you can go to the recruitment office."
"Takahashi-senpai won't graduate until next year. With your grades in the Economics Department of Gakushuin University and this report, getting a job offer from a company under the group isn't so difficult that you'd need to use up this wish."
"Isn't it a waste for Takahashi-senpai to make such a weighty promise for a regular job application?"
Takahashi shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't quite right just now."
He sat up straight and looked intently at Satsuki.
"I want to work for you."