America: My Time

Chapter 1380 Recognize the reality
Chapter 1370 Recognizing Reality
John's words shocked Yasuko Sawaguchi, Miho Nakayama, and the others. At this moment, they understood why John had been so nonchalant. He was a high-ranking figure in power; women meant nothing to him, merely embellishments of his life. The John of today was no longer the hot-blooded youth he once was; he had become cunning and calculating. What they needed now wasn't to continue standing out. In the US, they already had enough of the limelight. In Japan, it was better to keep a low profile, so that these Japanese guys would lower their guard, allowing them to seize more benefits, or even rip them off even more!

Sawaguchi Yasuko and the others now understood why that powerful figure in Japan had treated them the way he had. In his eyes, they were merely pawns; success would be gratifying, but failure would be of little consequence, and they might even gain something. When they were truly rejected, who would they trust, and whose protection would they be more willing to accept? Naturally, that powerful figure! Thinking of this, they couldn't help but shudder. Just a small warning from him had yielded so many benefits—this was the cunning and ruthlessness of politicians; they had been completely manipulated!

If John hadn't reminded them, would they have thought of all this? Perhaps they would have, but that would have been a long time after the event, and by the time they understood, there would be no turning back. Looking at their strategy and then at their own foolish actions, the difference wasn't just ordinary; it was a case of being outmatched.

John saw himself as prey in the Japanese, and he gave them the opportunity to see what tricks they could pull. He was afraid they would do nothing; if they did something, they would see through everything and give him a chance. Originally, John wanted to use Nakamori Akina's family to set up a scheme, but now it seemed unnecessary. Someone had already delivered the reasons and excuses to his doorstep. These guys wanted to test him, and he, in turn, wanted to scheme against them.

These Japanese guys are more proactive than I imagined, which saves me some trouble. After all, if I were to take action myself, there would be some problems, but since they are taking action, I can take advantage of their momentum and avoid so many issues!
“Yes, unless we have no more value to them, how could they let go? Our bodies, and even our identities, still have value and will motivate those crazy guys to take action. I thought everything would calm down without the threat of Tsutsumi Yoshiaki, but I didn’t expect that Tsutsumi Yoshiaki was just the beginning!” A hint of gloom appeared in Yasuko Sawaguchi’s eyes. The environment in Japan brought her endless pressure and endless fear.

"So you're forced to come back and want my protection? Do you think that's possible? Do you think it's fair to the others if I agree to that? I may be a playboy, but I wouldn't make such a mistake. You chose to leave, which severed all ties. Now that you've run into trouble, you're coming to me again. Do you think that's appropriate?"

Upon hearing this, Yasuko Sawaguchi smiled bitterly and said, "We are also desperate. If you don't take us in, we will only die. If we fall into the hands of those people and become their playthings, it will be worse than death. We might as well die!"

"It seems you understand your current situation, but I never understood why you chose to leave back then. Was it your pride that made you so concerned about dignity, or was it your arrogance that led you to make such a foolish decision?" John asked with some doubt. It wasn't that he wanted to know all this, but he wanted to relax. Before, when those guys from Japan hadn't made their move, he was under pressure, but now it's different. They've made their move, so it's no longer a problem!
"Both, I suppose. Early fame brings not only success but also foolish arrogance. The talk of dignity is probably just an excuse. It's just that I feel my pride has been swept away, which has given rise to a rebellious mentality. I'm not as rational as Akiko, nor as strong as Akina, nor as serene as Naoko, which is why I've come to this point!"

At this moment, John nodded and said, "That's right. Perhaps it was this rebellious mentality and arrogance that led you to this point. It can only be said that you didn't manage your own changes, didn't control your emotions, and didn't truly understand how realistic and terrible this society is."

At this point, John paused and then turned to Miho Nakayama and Chisato Moritaka, continuing, "Miho, Chisato, I'd like to hear your explanations. I know about Shinobu's situation, but you influenced her, forcing her to make that decision. I'd like to hear your thoughts!"

Miho Nakayama sighed and said, "My situation is similar to that of Yasuko-nee. We both became famous at a young age, which made us arrogant and conceited. In addition, our childhood experiences made me think the same way as Yasuko-nee. It's just that I'm not rebellious, but I'm unwilling to accept that situation."

John nodded and said, "I understand. Some people use their childhood to heal their entire lives, while others spend their entire lives healing from their childhood. You are the latter. Your childhood experiences have left you with many lingering resentments and have had many impacts on you. But you made the choice yourself back then, so how could you have such feelings?"

"This is the arrogance and pride that comes from achieving fame too easily and being too well protected. They think they've grown up and no longer need anyone's help! I didn't expect reality to be so cruel, and my ignorance has let down Sister Akiko's kindness, even dragging Shinobu down with me. Given the madness of those people in Japan, if we lost your protection, Shinobu and I would be in a worse state than Sister Yasuko. The allure of the twin sisters, and the madness of those people, would make our lives worse than death!" Nakayama Miho sighed, a faint trace of disappointment in her eyes.

Hitomi Kuroki had tried to persuade them, and Riko had also tried to persuade them, but Miho Nakayama and the others didn't listen. In the end, they ended up like this. How could they not feel regret?

"My situation is not much different from Jingzi's. We both became famous at a young age and became arrogant and conceited. We didn't adjust our mindset properly. We thought that we could make a name for ourselves, that the outside world would be better, and that we could live a good life without relying on anyone. But reality slapped me in the face and made me realize how terrible and crazy Japan is!" Moritaka Chisato sighed as she spoke, with a trace of struggle and regret in her eyes.

The situation of these three was similar to what John had guessed, but Kikuchi Momoko was somewhat shocked. This was the result of not controlling one's mindset. She was glad she hadn't gone that far, or she would have suffered the same tragic fate as them. Zeng Li and Yang Gongru were shocked by the reality of the situation in Japan. They had never imagined that Japan would be so chaotic and so crazy, which had a huge impact on them.

Finally, John's gaze fell on Norika Fujiwara, and he smiled calmly, saying, "Tell me about your situation. Actually, I knew about you from the moment you came to my side, and I knew why you came. That's why everyone rejects you. I thought you would back down and come to your senses, but I didn't expect you to be such a fool who gained nothing. I'm curious how they managed to persuade you to come here, or rather, how you could believe those guys' promises?"

"Their promises were too tempting—a meteoric rise to the top, instant entry into high society. How could that possibly sway a woman like me, without connections or status? I can only say I was incredibly foolish, blinded by that ridiculous prospect, never considering the consequences of failure, never thinking about what I would face. Luckily, I gained nothing, otherwise I'm afraid I would have sunk into Tokyo Bay long ago." After experiencing the harsh realities of society, Norika Fujiwara understood her past folly. Heaven had given her opportunities, but she hadn't seized them. If she had proactively confessed everything, things would have been completely different, and she wouldn't be in this predicament now!
"You're just too naive and foolish. As Japanese, you don't even understand the situation in Japan. Perhaps this is the result of class stratification. You've never experienced that crazy side. In fact, this isn't just true in Japan, but also in Europe and America, and even in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It's not an exaggeration to say it's true globally. What's the use of promises? Especially those of politicians. Even we don't dare to believe them, let alone you. Out of consideration for our past relationship, I can't bring myself to watch you die. After all, you've followed me for many years. But if I don't punish anyone, it's unfair to the others, and it will make them think I'm easy to talk to. You can come back. I'll give you a chance. You have to have some value. Don't worry about what I'll do to you. I'm not that heartless to use you as bargaining chips."

Upon hearing John's words, a glimmer of joy appeared in the eyes of Yasuko Sawaguchi and the others, giving them a glimmer of hope! They had never imagined that they could return without paying any price; if they did, it would only be a deception, and they would never know what their fate would ultimately be like.

"First of all, you must give up your current identities, which means retiring. There is no room for discussion on this point. If you do something wrong, you must bear the punishment. If you cannot even accept this, then there is no need to continue the discussion. You can leave! The others can pursue their ideals, but you have already lost that opportunity."

“We can accept it.” Although there was a little resentment in her heart, this was what she had to accept. She had no other choice. Yasuko Sawaguchi, Miho Nakayama, and Chisato Moritaka all knew this.

“Alright, then we need to continue this discussion. From now on, you need to be valuable. I have quite a few businesses here, and you need to make a choice to participate, just like Peach. You don’t have the right to refuse. Of course, I won’t ask you to do anything too difficult, after all, your abilities are there. If you agree, then you’ll need to learn from Peach first.”

John's idea was to kill two birds with one stone. It was not impossible for them to come back, but they would have to pay a price and demonstrate their value. The best option was to let them try to take over some businesses. Even if they were not very useful, it would still put some pressure on the managers of the companies and prevent them from acting recklessly!
"Is it really that simple?" Yasuko Sawaguchi asked with some doubt. Not only was she shocked, but everyone else was too. Only Momoko Kikuchi understood that things were not as easy as they thought.

Upon hearing this, John smiled calmly and said, "Simple, you're too naive. You can ask Peach how much pressure she was under, how difficult it was for her when she started from scratch! If you accept my conditions, you can come back; otherwise, leave. Without value, there's no opportunity!"

John wanted them to demonstrate their value, which had a significant impact on Yasuko Sawaguchi and the others. Seeing John's indifference and the change in Momoko Kikuchi's eyes, Yasuko immediately realized how naive she had been. Things were far more complex than she had imagined. They knew nothing, and the effort they would have to expend and the pressure they would face were unimaginable! But could she refuse? Did she have a choice? No, no matter what conditions John proposed today, she had no right to refuse; she had to accept them!

However, Yasuko Sawaguchi and the others didn't see the deeper meaning behind John's words. Whether they knew or not was irrelevant to them, since this wasn't directed at them, but at those guys in Japan. John was also curious to see how these guys would change after he showed such 'loyalty and righteousness,' whether they would become even more greedy. If they dared to become more greedy, John was willing to give them even more 'benefits,' making them happy and joyful.

"We have no choice. If we don't want to die, if we don't want to face that fate worse than death, we can only accept it. Although we don't want to in our hearts, we have no choice!" At this moment, Yasuko Sawaguchi did not hide her thoughts at all. After all, hiding them was useless. John was not stupid and could see through her. It was better to say it directly. This way, she would appear more sincere and have more room for maneuver!

Having come to understand how terrifying and horrific the upper class in Japan is, Yasuko Sawaguchi has changed. She is no longer as arrogant as before, and like Hitomi Kuroki at the beginning, she wants to find a better ending for herself!

(End of this chapter)