America: My Time

Chapter 196 The conspiracy behind it

Chapter 196 The Scheme Behind It
Looking at Riko's puzzled expression, Akio Morita said, "Do you find it a bit unbelievable? Are you surprised that I'm not angry about this at all? Are you also a little worried about your little Naoko?"

Facing Akio Morita, Riko dared not hide anything, nor could she hide anything with her abilities. So she nodded and said, "Yes, I am very puzzled. Such an unexpected event will surely affect your interests, sir. Why are you unmoved?"

"Heh, you underestimate Sanwa, you underestimate their scheming. Your vision is too narrow. You think Sanwa is targeting Sony, or even me, Akio Morita? No, their target might be Mitsui, but definitely not me. In your eyes, you only see Sanwa's provocation, but that's just the surface. Things are far more serious than you imagine!"

At this point, Akio Morita sighed, shook his head slightly, and continued, "As for Naoko, she won't be affected. If anything, she'll just have to face another woman vying for his favor. That's inevitable; she'll have to face it sooner or later. It's not a big deal. What I'm more worried about is the madness of those bastards from Sanwa. They've blocked everyone's escape routes, sending beautiful hostesses directly. They're really something, especially since they're from Takarazuka and still part of the Takarazuka Theater. Big spending, really big spending! Compared to that, my little bit of public relations is nothing!"

While Naoko was one of the most popular idols in Japan at the time, second only to Seiko Matsuda, she was still just an idol. In Japan, idols don't hold a particularly high status. Hitomi Kuroki, however, was completely different. Coming from Takarazuka, her status and position far surpassed that of an idol. This was largely due to her control of the Takarazuka Music Academy, giving her a significant advantage. For Sanwa to achieve this wouldn't be difficult, but other conglomerates would find it much harder!

Naoko was merely a beautiful public relations officer under Akio Morita's management. Although the results were good, it couldn't conceal Morita's true intentions or change her true nature. The same applied to Hitomi Kuroki; she was also a beautiful public relations officer. This wasn't a big deal in Japan; every major company had such beautiful public relations officers. However, Sanwa's actions this time were more blatant, more aggressive, and more astonishing. It exceeded everyone's expectations and added immense pressure to those who followed. Not every company has such strength or resources.

"Sir, if we allow their plan to succeed, won't that affect your cooperation with Mr. John?"

"Hahaha, no way. If that little fox John would change his plans because of a woman, then he wouldn't be worth my attention. Do you think someone who has created so much wealth in less than two years would be so short-sighted and lack a firm will? You don't need to worry about Naoko either. As long as she doesn't make any fundamental mistakes, she won't be affected. That little fox John is a man of great loyalty. He's completely different from those foreigners. Perhaps that's why he has Eastern blood! Have you done everything I asked you to do?" As he spoke, Akio Morita's tone suddenly turned serious!

"It's all taken care of. I'll tell Naoko everything, and I'm sure she'll tell Mr. John everything!"

"Good, that's good. As long as there are no problems in this area, it's not a big deal. No matter how much they fight, it won't affect Sony or my relationship with John. The schemes of those old guys at First Industrial Corporation are going to fail. Do they really think I, Akio Morita, am so cunning? This struggle has only just begun. In comparison, I'm still worried that those old guys at Sanwa have deeper schemes. Perhaps there are others secretly plotting against us!"

The struggle between conglomerates is inevitable. There is also a conflict between Mitsui and Dai-ichi Kangyo. Mitsubishi was added to the mix before, and now Sanwa has been added as well. Akio Morita had anticipated this situation and had made full preparations long ago.

Of course, Sanhe Bank's move is also cutting off other avenues. Anyone trying to use attractive female PR women to seduce John will no longer be able to succeed, at least not for a long time. Sanhe's actions have already impacted the power of female PR women. While they ostensibly use them, in reality, this tactic directly thwarts the plans of other banks and companies because the quality of the PR women they offer is exceptionally high, and the timing is too audacious. Such behavior will inevitably have a series of consequences!
"Sir, won't the shopping center issue cause dissatisfaction from Mitsui Fudosan? Will Sony's involvement in real estate at this time make it a target for enemy attacks? Many people are eyeing shopping centers and commercial centers as real estate investments!" Riko, who had followed Akio Morita for many years, knew some things. Although Sony's economic situation was very good, it was subject to certain constraints within Mitsui, especially after the Toshiba incident, which directly brought huge trouble to Sony.

"So what if they're not satisfied? We're not going to take the benefits right in front of us. Are we going to let those bastards have them? Even if we did, they wouldn't say anything good about us. Mitsui Fudosan has nothing to do with us; we don't need to care about their feelings!" Akio Morita didn't care about Mitsui Fudosan's thoughts at all. Although everyone was part of the Mitsui system, they had no obligation to provide them with benefits. "Alright, don't worry about the real estate matter. Just keep in touch with Naoko. The Toshiba issue must be resolved as soon as possible. It can't drag on too long, or something terrible will happen. Sanwa's actions give me an uneasy feeling. There might be more reasons behind this. Perhaps someone was secretly plotting from the moment that little fox John agreed to attend the party!"

At this point, Akio Morita couldn't help but sigh softly, a dark glint in his eyes. As a powerful figure, he instinctively felt there was something seriously wrong behind this, but he didn't know who was orchestrating it. He was now also facing certain constraints within the Mitsui system, as Toshiba was squeezing Sony's growth space.

If Sony were to be shackled at this time, it would be difficult to make any progress, which is unacceptable to Akio Morita. Although Sony is a member of the Mitsui system, it does not mean that Sony should be subject to Mitsui indefinitely. Sony has its own development path, and its development should not be affected by the Mitsui system.

Most importantly, Sony now has ample financial reserves and doesn't need to rely on Mitsui Bank. This is Sony's confidence, and Morita Akio's confidence. Although it's only been a short year, the returns for Sony have been astonishing; the gaming market has brought them enormous profits!
"Every man for himself!" It's impossible to get Sony to give up the profits it has already secured, and it's an outcome that Akio Morita cannot accept. Sony cannot accept such oppression, and regardless of Mitsui Bank's intentions, it's impossible for Akio Morita to accept this humiliation and the danger behind it. Therefore, Riko took action.

"Sir, are you saying that Mr. John's experience at the party was orchestrated?" At this moment, Riko was also extremely shocked. If things were really as she thought, it would be truly terrifying. The power of capital could actually do this. From the very beginning, it was a setup, a setup targeting John and Naoko!

"No, you misunderstood. Just because someone is orchestrating things doesn't mean it was all arranged by someone. If they really were to make a move, there would be clues. Anyone who's willing to look would find out, and it would all be exposed to everyone. That would actually be a good thing, as it would reveal who the other party is. The real fear is that it's all just a coincidence, a coincidence created by the other party using human nature. If that's the case, then this is truly the work of a master, something to be terrified!"

A true master is one who sees through human nature and orchestrates events intentionally or unintentionally. If things are as Akio Morita suspects, this party is definitely not as simple as he understands it to be. Perhaps this is all part of Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank's scheme, but all of this is merely speculation without any evidence. The only party Akio Morita can think of is Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank; after all, they are the organizers, they are the ones who invited the idols and singers, and only they could have orchestrated all this.

Even if you know, there's nothing you can do about it because you have no evidence. The reason Akio Morita told Riko all this wasn't to spread it to John, but to warn Riko to be careful and not to be careless or be taken advantage of. Riko represents his reputation, and Akio Morita was worried that she would be tricked and lose face, which would have serious consequences.

The atmosphere in Japan is very abnormal right now, and there is constant infighting within Mitsui. Although it is a struggle without a complete breakdown, it will give the enemy an opportunity. Naturally, personal safety is of utmost importance. Akio Morita does not want anything to happen to Riko and ruin his plans!

According to Morita Yukio, someone manipulated people like Kondo Masahiko, Saijo Hideki, and Kuroki Hitomi, and fully planned this coincidental scheme based on human nature. They simply gathered them together and then carried out this coincidental scheme according to their different personalities. Everything was so natural that no one could see any scheming.

"Sir, is it worth it?" Riko found it hard to accept. Such a lavish gesture at a party like this, and for a young man like John, seemed a bit too extravagant! Although it sounded simple, Riko knew that an astonishing amount of effort must have been put in behind the scenes.

(End of this chapter)