Tokyo Wingman King

Kenjiro Nijo twitched one corner of his mouth.

He revealed the reserved smile that embodied the British elite bureaucratic culture, as Sir Humphrey explained the problem to Jim Hack.

These cultures lack clear communication; instead, they are filled with ambiguous barriers and guidance.

Asama felt that if he made a bigger crooked mouth, his mustache could turn into the Nike logo.

"Mr. Nijo, could you please explain in detail what exactly the part I paid was?"

“Both your father and the old man have mentioned to me that they want to repay this favor for you. But I have no need to accept it—you already paid for it a long time ago.”

"Very early? Could it be that you're paying for Er Tiao's consultation? Using something I can't even estimate the price of, to buy out my guidance to her?"

Kenjiro Nijo shook his head.
“You’ve already clearly refused once before. The Nijo family never does business by forcing anyone to buy or sell. Of course, if you’ve changed your mind now, you can renegotiate your offer.”

Asama has long lost the enthusiasm for collecting tuition fees from his friends, so naturally he can't revise his pricing.

"Mr. Nijo, are you referring to Epstein's intelligence and the future Ambassador Scott as compensation?"

The head of the Nijo family gently stroked the ring on his finger and chuckled softly.
"That level of effort doesn't even qualify as compensation. Within the framework of Japan-US relations, our room for maneuver is already limited. As for that counselor, the benefits that can be extracted from him alone are even more limited. Investing in him was something that happened before you took action, even though his importance has increased somewhat because of your destructive actions in KKIS."

Asama chuckled as well.

"Mr. Nijo's words are a bit like someone who's profiting while complaining. If the benefits were limited, why invest in the first place? Now that the power dynamics have shifted, are the benefits still considered limited?"

"Some investments, like buying insurance, are defensive measures. It's difficult to explain all the details. If you have any questions, you might as well ask Brother Takumo. Compared to the price paid by the Nijo family, what a diplomat can offer is just a drop in the ocean."

The head of the Nijo family stared at the blizzard in the painting "Hannibal Crossing the Alps," which seemed to engulf the sky, with the orange sun obscured by the storm like the eye of a terrifying behemoth.

He shook his head slightly and sighed.
Not all diplomats are like those idiots in Europe, willing to sell off their country's intelligence cheaply. Nor do all diplomats have access to truly valuable intelligence.

More importantly—these Americans, with their inherent sense of superiority, have never been high-performing stocks; they're just insurance salesmen disguised as protection money collectors. Actively using spare cash to deal with potential troubles may stop losses, but it won't generate wealth.

If you really want to profit from investing, is it better to talk business with someone who's never even gotten through the revolving door, or to deal directly with the people on Wall Street? The answer is clear, isn't it?

This insightful Japanese man succinctly revealed the weak essence of Counselor Scott as a "civil servant of the suzerain state," and directly dispelled Asama's idea of ​​demanding payment—he had originally planned to ask Kenjiro Nijo for payment for the KKIS intelligence fee after discussing the favors he owed.

But Asama's desire to refute wouldn't allow him to simply nod; he tried one last time.

“Even if I don’t have any investment talent, I understand that investors are different from those who invest in financial products. If a nobody becomes a big shot, Mr. Nijo wouldn’t say that.”

“That’s not how you do it. Asama-kun, you should have heard about your father’s handling of the branch family’s affairs. Controlling things and controlling people are not the same thing.”

As Kenjiro Nijo clearly stated, people like Scott are tools that are difficult to pass through the narrow gate without a miracle. It is difficult to determine the benefits of supporting a tool into a member of the upper class, but the risks and investments are enormous. After all, even if you support a relative, they may not necessarily be of one mind with you.

Asama shrugs.

“Our Asama family has no branch families.”

Kenjiro Nijo paused for a moment, then looked completely away from the painting and stared at Asama, asking,

"Seriously?"

"That's just how it is."

The head of the Nijo family shook his head, then turned his gaze again to the infinitely shrunk, blurred, and fragile Hannibal's army in "Hannibal Crossing the Alps," and said meaningfully,
"Brother Zhuomo is both enviable and pitiable."

The two remained silent for a while. Seeing that Asama did not respond, Nijo Kenjiro asked again.

"We've digressed too much. Asama-kun, what are your thoughts on this painting?"

"What ideas you have depends on what you want to associate them with. Essay prompts should at least provide a few key points for writing, right?"

"Don't you have any thoughts swirling in your mind right now? Like—the trials of heroes?"

"So, I'm that arrogant in Mr. Nijo's eyes?"

"Of course you have reason to be proud."

Kenjiro Nijo gave him an affirmative look, as if Asama were the next Hannibal or Napoleon of Japan.

"Isn't this painting Turner's critique of Napoleon's heroism? No matter how brilliant and mighty a hero is, if his soldiers are indulging in the comforts of Capua on the Apennine Peninsula, and he insists on taking a desperate gamble and challenging a storm beyond human control, then all his followers will inevitably fall into the fallacy of hope along with him."

"You even know Turner's poems? Asama-kun really knows art. No wonder you could win over that weirdo from the Togami family. The Togami family clearly experienced the art bubble of the 90s, yet they were willing to invest heavily in the domestic art market, turning Japan into an island of art against the trend. I'm very curious how you convinced the Togami family."

"This has nothing to do with what we were just talking about, Mr. Nijo?"

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. Thanks to Tetsuya-kun, our cooperation with the Togami family is going very smoothly right now."

"Is this the reward Mr. Nijo was talking about?"

"Of course not. Tetsuya-kun is already a member of the Nijo family. Otherwise, I would have handed over the reward for facilitating this cooperation to you immediately."

Asama looked at Nijo Ruri, whose smiling eyes did not reveal any opposition to her father's words.

Kenjiro Nijo turned his gaze to the fallen Carthaginian flag in the painting and asked with a smile,

"According to Asama-kun, do you think that Napoleon's failure in his northern expedition against Russia was because his soldiers, like the Carthaginian soldiers, fell into a trap of lust?"

"The focus isn't on the allure of women, but rather on portraying the defeat of the desire for conquest. I don't know if Napoleon's army was lecherous, but at least some American soldiers today are having too much fun to remember their homeland."

“Asama-kun, you’ve got it wrong. America isn’t Carthage, it’s Rome. And I don’t think Japan is qualified to be Carthage right now. Even if you gathered ten Hannibals, they might not be able to cross the Alps.”

"Crossing the Alps is not difficult; Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal did it, didn't he? Even if you successfully cross the treacherous mountains twice, Rome was still the victor in the Second Punic War."

"However, the courage of the losers in tragedy is precisely what is most admirable. Carthage, which was able to nurture Hannibal, was also glorious in defeat."

Indeed, Asama had countless thoughts exactly like Nijo Kenjiro's.

However, the same viewpoint does not necessarily represent the same starting point.

He looked at the head of the Five Regents Clan and asked curiously,
"Does Mr. Nijo want to defeat Rome?"

"Isn't it natural for someone who is neither a Roman nor can become a Roman to have such thoughts?"

"Why not 'I don't want to be a Roman,' but rather 'I regret not being able to be a Roman'? Mr. Nijo's statement makes this courage seem somewhat worthless."

As if he instantly understood all of Asama's rebellious behavior towards Konoe Takumi, Nijo Kenjiro looked Asama up and down with a fresh, first-time gaze and smiled.

"What if one is born a Roman, yet desires to destroy Rome? Catiline did just that, but he failed. However, it's hard to say what the fate of the Roman Republic would have been without Cicero."

"What's so hard to say? The fall of the Roman Republic was only a matter of time. Cicero couldn't defeat Caesar in his lifetime, and even if he lived another 100 years, he might not be able to deal with Nero. I don't understand why Mr. Nijo is so enthusiastic about the heroic view of history."

Asama failed to grasp that the focus of the discussion had shifted from contemporary political allegory back to the individual.

"Perhaps it is precisely because they lack the magnanimity of conquerors and ambitious men that they are more eager to understand them."

Kenjiro Nijo's words made Asama doubt his prejudice that capital knows no borders.

If someone were to stand up at this time and say that the Five Regents are heavily funding Japanese right-wing militarism, he would definitely suspect Kenjiro Nijo first.

"What's the point of saying all this if Japan can't become Carthage? Doesn't Mr. Nijo prefer this magical concept of the Glorious Arbitrators, which uses islands to control the mainland?"

Kenjiro Nijo touched the hand seal ring on his hand and smiled.

"Of course, Fukudaism was born in this study. But in my eyes, Mr. Asama, [the first paradox of economics is that what people want and what they need are never aligned.]"

After saying this, Nijo Kenjiro turned around, smiled at the second young lady of the Nijo family who had already brewed tea, and sat down on the sofa.

"."

Asama knew that the Fukuda Doctrine was a moderate proposition put forward by Japan during its period of rapid development in order to successfully expand its markets—Japan did not want to be a military superpower and was willing to work closely with Southeast Asia.

More than a decade ago, this moderate proposition was further refined by Yasuo Fukuda, the second prime minister of the Fukuda family, and his successor Yukio Hatoyama, expanding the scope of their close ties. This also directly benefited Kenjiro Nijo's earlier goal of becoming a "middleman who accumulates reputation."

However, even a permanently neutral country can freeze the assets of a third country at will, and even if Japan were to remove the Emperor and change its national flag, it would still be unable to become a "reputable middleman" when the new prime minister is constantly trying to decouple the country's military.

The reality for Japan is that there is no middle ground, nor is there any possibility of a good reputation, on the road ahead.

So what is the head of the Nijo family doing? Is he deliberately making unrealistic claims to poison the values ​​of his rival (pseudo) heir?
Or is it possible that even a prestigious family like the Five Cameras has its own information cocoon?

In any case, Asama would prefer to see the Nijo family support Fukudaism for a little longer rather than the Nijo family becoming supporters of militarism again.

Although the Fukuda Doctrine currently wields less influence in Japanese politics than the video game Uma Musume Pretty Derby, the middle-aged NEETs who play Uma Musume are genuinely willing to vote for the right wing.

Kenjiro Nijo waved to Asama and smiled:

"Come, you who knows China well, try some of China's Golden Hair Red."

Even if he didn't say it, Asama could smell a rich, sweet fragrance in the room, which swept away the chilling feeling from the Alpine storm in his heart.

The tea in the gold-rimmed bone china teacup is clear and bright. The taste is as rich and creamy as its aroma. If you close your eyes, you might even have the illusion that the tea has been mixed with condensed milk. When the tea goes down your throat, the sweet aroma of sweet potato immediately comes out.

"Genuine product."

Asama nodded. Although he had never tasted the real thing in either of his lives, this cup of black tea perfectly matched his imagination of high-quality Yingde black tea from Guangdong.

Kenjiro Nijo gestured for Ruri Nijo to pour him a cup, then sat down, took a sip, and nodded.
"But if you're going to drink it every day, Darjeeling is more to your liking. You should drink more of this Yinghong."

"Mr. Nijo probably added too much sentimentality to his score."

"No, Darjeeling is more economical."

"It's just a cup of tea, how could it possibly bankrupt the mighty Five Regents?"

“An ideal investor can tame their preferences with cost-effectiveness. In addition, restraint in the face of luxury is also a matter of etiquette for the Nijo family.”

"Mr. Nijo's Puritanical remarks have halved my expectations for lunch."

“I didn’t force Rena to follow this outdated etiquette, did I, Ruri?”

Ruri Nijo covered her mouth and laughed, "Let Rena answer it herself."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a knock came at the door.

Wearing a linen apron and carrying a plate, Reina Nijo entered the study and placed it on the coffee table. There were butter ladyfingers with holes poked in them, and raisin cookies that looked a little soggy.

Why are you staring at me like that? Is there flour on your face?

"We were just telling Mr. Asama that Rena is the best cook in our family."

"Really? Sister Liuli is too modest."

"Your mouth may lie, but your taste buds won't."

Ruri Nijo smiled, picked up a butter biscuit, and stuffed it into her mouth, making a crisp crunching sound.

Soon, Kenjiro Nijo's mouth emitted two crisp cracking sounds, not to be outdone.

"I really wish I could eat Rena's cookies every day before I die."

The head of the Nijo family hadn't even finished his biscuits when he uttered this remark.

"Dad, what are you saying?!"

"Then let's change it to once every three days," the head of the Nijo family immediately changed his mind, "once a week?"

"How embarrassing!"

Before Asama could give a positive answer, Nijo Rena awkwardly fled the second-floor study.

Kenjiro Nijo laughed.
"See, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Kenjiro Nijo was not lying.

His leniency in educating his children was second only to that of the Kujo family.

If the head of the Nijo family were truly a rigid and serious father, he certainly wouldn't have approved of the romantic relationship between Nijo and Takishima, much less have welcomed Takishima into the family as the young master's butler and said things like, "[Tetsuya-kun is already a member of the Nijo family]."

The fact that the old butler had previously addressed Takishima as "young master" confirms this assessment.

He examined the parenting styles of the five heads of the Regent families and suddenly realized that Kenjiro Nijo actually gave the most love to his children.

At least, neither Rena Nijo nor Ruri Nijo showed any signs of being bullied.

The environment of the Five Photographers' House fostered their collective unconscious maturity, but it did not diminish Reina Nijo's innocence and romanticism.

Of course, I-san's current state is all the more precious, given that he has been bullied by all sides.

Asama's mouth was suddenly pressed against something hard.

Nijou Ruri blinked her beautiful eyes, which were even bigger than her younger sister's, and smiled.

"Aren't you going to try it?"

I briefly ate the butter cookie and took a bite.

It's crispy and sweet, much better than the Walkers I ate when I was on a business trip in England in my past life.

"It really is delicious. I didn't expect Nijo's cooking skills to improve so much."

"Oh? Has Mr. Asama eaten Reina's cooking before?"

Nijo Ruri asked curiously.

"No, but I know that one of Nijo's whims caused Takishima to be hospitalized for half a day."

"Don't you have any doubts now? Maybe Rena is just responsible for serving dishes?"

What are the benefits of questioning this?

"At least there's no cost to being suspicious, is there?"

"Doubt is indeed a free question mark, but the price is that you have to take action to prove that it is not a paid comma disguised as a question mark."

"Is Mr. Asama also a believer? No wonder he gets along so well with our Nijo family."

Kenjiro Nijo also laughed.

"Asama-kun was never an outsider."

Asama was unsure whether the head of the Nijo family meant that the five regent families were of one mind or whether he acknowledged Asama's status as Takishima Tetsuya's adoptive father.

He took a sip of tea and asked,

"Since you don't treat me like an outsider, you should be able to tell me now what the payment I made in advance was, right?"

"The potential for a great deal—a deal good enough to impact the future of the Nijo family."

"?"

Kenjiro Nijo broke the biscuit in his hand, dipped it in his black tea, put it in his mouth, and after finishing it, slowly looked at Asama and explained,

"Have you heard of the high-yield bond market in the United States? In the 80s, it was called 'junk bonds,' and nobody touched it."

He paused, then continued.

"But Milken discovered the problem—it wasn't that these companies couldn't repay their debts, but that nobody believed they could. He did one thing: facilitated the transactions and then monitored the repayments. One deal, two deals, three years, five years. Gradually, the same companies, the same bonds..."

“But [garbage] has become [high-yield], and in terms of results, it’s the same as what Mr. Asama did on KKIS,” Nijou Ruri said with a smile.

Asama rubbed his temples. He suddenly realized that if he didn't keep quiet about the heads of the five families, his affair with KKIS might become common knowledge within the five families in less than a month.

Kenjiro Nijo chuckled and shook his head, glancing at Ruri Nijo who had interrupted.
"No, these are two completely different things."

Asama's weapon is information asymmetry, while Milken's weapon is consensus.

In his operation, the assets remained the same, but the trust changed. Trust is a compressed package of transaction costs—it eliminates the need for due diligence, collateral, and litigation enforcement. On a micro level, it's the denominator of the discount rate; on a macro level, it's the switch that allows a market to go from 0 to 1—the most magical lever.

He picked up a teacup from the coffee table, handed it to Asama, and smiled.
"I'll give you the goods, but you won't pay until six months later. During those six months, there's no collateral, no IOU, but negative news about your company is flying everywhere. So, what's holding this deal together?"

Asama thought of the [belief-based ideology] that Nijou Ruri had mentioned.

"You believe I will keep my promise, and I believe you believe I will keep my promise."

Kenjiro Nijo put down his teacup, and the bottom of the cup made a soft sound against the porcelain saucer.

"This is what we call 'common knowledge.' It's extremely costly to build, but costless to destroy. So smart people spend their lives doing two things: accumulating it and never overdrawing on it."

A few birds chirped outside the window.

The mornings in Denenchofu are unusually quiet, unlike those in Tokyo.

Kenjiro Nijo looked at the painting again, his tone carrying a different meaning. He almost abandoned his reaction to the tragic undertones within and outside the painting, and praised it.

“Look at the army in this painting—Hannibal is going to cross the Alps, promising his soldiers the wealth of Rome. But why should the soldiers believe him? Is it because of Hannibal’s past achievements in Spain? Because of the prestige of the Barca family? Or because of a decree of authorization from the Carthaginian Senate?”

The head of the Nijo family quickly answered himself.
"None of those. It's based on his record of fulfilling his obligations every time before. Those records are the shared knowledge, consensus, tacit understanding, or anything similar between him and his soldiers. Without this, he wouldn't have been able to leave the gates of Carthage, let alone cross the Alps."

Ruri Nijou looked at her father, nodded, and smiled.

"Some say that those who are good at managing religions are the most suitable people for doing business, and I think that's absolutely true. Trust is more valuable than any precious metal."

Kenjiro Nijo gave his daughter an approving look, then turned to Asama and said,

"In my view, the second paradox in economics is that people always pay an emotional premium for intangible things, but are picky about tangible things."

Trust is indeed a precious metal, but it's also more easily oxidized and corroded. If such a ballast stone is placed in a container as a commodity, the ship will inevitably capsize in a sea of ​​doubt.

Asama took a sip of tea, shrugged, and said...
"So, Mr. Nijo's mention of 'the possibility of a great deal' is a way of converting the price I should have paid into the cost of investing in the trust between us?"

Kenjiro Nijo rubbed the hand ring on his hand again.

"Because you yourself possess a magic that makes people believe, and you have fulfilled all your promises in front of Rena, in front of Rize Shinazugawa, in front of Daigo Bookstore and Mugensha, haven't you?"

"Leaving aside whether I have such magic or not, Mr. Nijo's actions have not given me any desire to make a deal. After all, your investment and goodwill are as light as air, but the trouble your lies have caused me is heavier than the Alps."

"You also gave me this kind of burden through Tetsuya and Rena, didn't you? In my opinion, you and I can easily cross that Alps called [hostility and suspicion], which is why we can talk for so long."

Based on this, you can get more from me in advance than you would have wanted from your father or anyone else.

This is not out of benevolence, nor is it confined by self-interest; rather, it is a shared knowledge that transcends reason yet reciprocates it.

As expected, it's absolutely impossible for Kenjiro Nijo to be without resentment about interfering in the love affairs of the five regents' children.

Asama finished the tea that Nijou Ruri had poured in one gulp, sighed, and said...
"Mr. Nijo, doesn't this contradict your earlier statement that 'the ideal investor can tame their preferences with cost-effectiveness'?"

"The difference between ideals and reality does not equate to conflict; the necessity of transcending rationality lies here. Furthermore, even from a rational perspective, making such a choice when you are not even 18 years old is both cost-effective and in line with my preferences."

"."

"I need to reiterate that because of Rena and Tetsuya, I don't need to have the natural connection and consensus between us like Ichiro and Fumi. I can also show you my utmost honesty—what I value is your potential, not the potential to be the heir of the Konoe family. Even if you really intend to change your allegiance and establish the Asama family, I will still make today's decision."

"How honest is the 'maximum honesty' that Mr. Nijo is referring to?"

"Hehehe, even if I'm not the kind of person who likes to go all in, it's not a problem for me to treat you like a son in advance, just like he did."

What do you think, Liuli?

Kenjiro Nijo turned his gaze to his second daughter. (End of Chapter)