Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

After the words were spoken, the finance manager stopped halfway through his sentence.

His fingers, which had been resting on the edge of the document, paused for a moment before he pressed the page he had just opened back onto the table. Gondo also put down the flowchart in his hand, and the people on both sides of the long table who had been preparing to speak looked towards the person in the head seat.

All eyes turned back to Takahashi.

Takahashi's chest still felt a little tight.

But after they were actually interrupted, things didn't seem as terrible as they had imagined.

"We're discussing four things together right now."

Takahashi's voice wasn't loud, but it was noticeably more steady.

He closed the original agenda, stood up, and walked to the whiteboard on the side of the conference room.

"If we continue in this departmental order, we will only end up with six separate opinions."

Takahashi picked up a black marker and wrote the first line on the whiteboard.

Isomura has already proven his abilities.

second line.

The ability still needs to be verified after taking office.

The third line outlines the institutional boundaries of the three commitments.

On the last line, he paused for a moment and wrote down the conditions under which the conflict would occur.

"Next, we will reorganize according to these four items."

He turned around and looked at Saionji Masato.

"Mr. Masato, you are only responsible for the first and second items. Facts that occurred during the election campaign must be documented with meeting minutes, public actions, or at least two independent sources. Speculations within the Metropolitan Government should be listed separately and not presented as conclusions."

Zhengren glanced down at his notes.

"Delivery method?"

"schedule."

Takahashi thought for a moment.

"Put evidence and counter-evidence behind each ability, and give me the first version by noon on Monday."

"clear."

Zhengren picked up his pen and wrote down the deadline in the blank space on the agenda.

Takahashi then looked at Gondo and the finance manager.

"We need to break down the three promises made by Isomura separately."

"Settlement is due in 30 days. Please have Managing Director Gondo define the starting point, acceptance process, and possible delays. The finance department should follow his procedures and indicate at which point the debt can be financed and who will bear the risk."

Gondo looked at the whiteboard.

"Is it categorized into three scenarios: normal project, additional items involved, or acceptance dispute?"

"right."

Takahashi nodded.

"Please include the worst-case scenario as well. Don't just write down the feasible methods; I need to know under what circumstances Isomura must admit that it cannot be done in thirty days."

Gondo's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before he picked up the flowchart.

"I'll give it to you Monday afternoon."

Monday morning.

After Takahashi blurted it out, he paused for a moment first.

Gondo looked up at him, and he stared back.

"The legal department and the municipal administration also need to use this procedure. If it's submitted in the afternoon, they'll have to wait another day."

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

Gondo carefully put the flowchart away again.

I will hand it over to you before 11 a.m.

"Thank you for your help."

Takahashi then turned to Sasaki.

"The Ministry of Justice will no longer evaluate the merits or demerits of policies separately. Please categorize each measure into four types: those that the governor can directly promote, those that require a budget, those that require ordinances, and those that may affect administrative fairness."

"What about Saionji's involvement?"

Sasaki's fingers pressed against the edge of the report.

"Tag separately".

Takahashi glanced at Satsuki, then looked away.

"In particular, it should be clearly stated which conditions, if offered only to Saionji Cooperative, would cause Isomura to break his public commitments."

Sasaki nodded.

"Should the controversial situation include media disclosure?"

"include."

"Then we can't just provide legal advice. We also need to simulate council inquiries and resident lawsuits."

"Please complete this in conjunction with the Metropolitan Administration Office."

The councilor of the Metropolitan Administration Office immediately opened the schedule.

"Tuesday morning?"

Takahashi looked at the order on the whiteboard.

"We'll provide the risk list on Monday evening, and the full version will be available on Tuesday morning."

"Can."

Takahashi looked at Maki one last time.

Maki quietly observed him.

That gaze was more unsettling than any of the previous probing questions. She had probably realized the meeting had gone astray long ago, yet she had already voiced all her opinions, until Takahashi himself realized the problem.

"Ms. Maki."

"Um."

"Please be responsible for standardizing the evidence criteria and final format."

Maki picked up the red and blue pencils and twirled them between her fingers.

What if the premises submitted by different departments conflict with each other?

"Preserve the conflict."

Takahashi walked back to the main seat.

"Don't choose a better-looking answer for them."

"I want to see under what conditions the same policy works, and under what conditions it fails."

Maki's pen tip landed on the paper.

"Then the final document won't be short."

"The final document can be long."

Takahashi pulled out a chair, but didn't sit down immediately.

"But the conclusion can only have one page."

Maki looked at him, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"Understood, Mr. Takahashi."

The atmosphere around the table had changed after the meeting resumed.

Gondo no longer explained the complete engineering process from the beginning, but only confirmed the dividing points of the three scenarios. The finance manager directly marked the points where the bank could intervene next to the flowchart. Sasaki and the Metropolitan Government Office began to discuss which measure must be publicly applied to all contracting companies, while Masato matched each action taken during the election campaign with the source of evidence.

When people encounter unclear areas, their gaze begins to fall on Takahashi.

"Mr. Takahashi, does Isomura's rejection of certain projects proposed by Saionji constitute a conflict?"

"Look at the reason for rejection."

Takahashi turned to the last page of the report.

"If the project itself undermines administrative fairness, then rejection actually proves that the boundaries of cooperation between the two parties are still valid."

"How is political independence confirmed?"

"Let's see if he's willing to change the plan proposed by Saionji into public rules."

"What if competing companies can also use the rules after they are made public?"

"Then accept it."

After Takahashi finished speaking, the tip of his pen paused on the paper for a moment.

After he said those words, the scattered judgments in his mind suddenly came together.

He raised his head and looked at Satsuki.

"I think I can draw my conclusion now."

The people at the table gradually stopped what they were doing.

Satsuki placed the teacup back on the saucer and looked up at him.

"please."

Takahashi sat up straight.

"Mr. Isomura has proven three abilities."

"He understands the practical role of professional policies and can coordinate between campaign teams, industry organizations, and supporters. More importantly, he can translate complex mechanisms into commitments that the public can understand and is willing to take political responsibility for those commitments."

"But all of this evidence comes from the campaign stage."

Takahashi's gaze swept over the second line on the whiteboard.

"Whether he can command the bureaucrats of the Metropolitan Government, whether he can get the Construction Bureau, Finance Bureau and Audit Department to act within the same timeframe, and whether he can obtain budget and regulation support despite the resistance from the Metropolitan Assembly, are all currently uncertain."

"Therefore, policy understanding, campaign coordination, and public communication can be included in the conclusion."

"The effectiveness of his administration will have to wait until he takes office to be verified."

Satsuki nodded gently.

"What about the conflict?"

Takahashi remained silent for a moment.

Ten days ago, Satsuki asked him to investigate under what circumstances Isomura would disobey Saionji.

At the time, he always understood "violation" as a change in interests, factional pressure, or political betrayal.

Now he finally realized that the truly dangerous places were much simpler.

Saionji was not exactly a model entrepreneur.

"When Saionji's demands undermine his public commitments, administrative fairness, or political independence."

Takahashi met Satsuki's gaze.

"Mr. Isomura will have a conflict with Saionji."

"If Saionji asks the metropolitan government to shorten payment terms only for group companies, allow only designated banks to participate in financing, or obtain priority for public projects on the grounds of supporting elections, he will probably refuse."

"Even if they temporarily accept it, they will distance themselves again under pressure from the media, the Metropolitan Assembly, and bureaucrats."

"The premise for long-term cooperation between the two parties is that the method provided by Saionji can be made into a public system. Saionji can design, invest, and take on the pilot risks first, but once the rules are incorporated into the Metropolitan Government, other eligible companies must be allowed to use them."

The meeting room fell silent.

After saying his last sentence, Takahashi felt much calmer.

This conclusion is not pleasing to Saionji.

This means that even after the group invests resources to support Jicun, it still cannot exclusively enjoy the benefits of the policy.

This also means that the future governor may very well reject Satsuki to her face one day.

But if he doesn't even dare to draw such a conclusion, then there's no point in him sitting in this position.

Satsuki looked at him for a moment, then reached under the Soviet documents and pulled out another light gray folder.

"This is the draft policy that the Isomura transition team sent over last night."

Chizuru took the folder and placed the pages inside in front of everyone.

Takahashi looked down.

A clause in the original manuscript regarding settlement within 30 days was crossed out in red.

The original statement was:

The pilot program will be prioritized for participation by financial institutions and designated construction companies that cooperate with the Saionji Group.

The revised text became:

Financial institutions and contractors that meet the standards for capital, review, and information disclosure may voluntarily apply to participate in the open pilot program.

An additional restriction has been added to the accounts receivable financing section.

No enterprise may obtain priority review, credit guarantee or public works contracting qualification by providing support to governors, political parties or specific political groups.

Takahashi stared at the lines of red text.

The revision marks on the paper are still very fresh, and some places even retain discussion comments written by transition team members on the edge.

Isomura has already made his move.

Before officially entering the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, he changed the winning tools that Saionji had prepared for him into a system that Saionji could not monopolize.

Takahashi suddenly remembered the television footage from ten days ago.

Isomura, wearing a huge red flower, stood in front of the microphone, repeatedly mentioning responsibility, employment, and the people of Tokyo. At that time, Takahashi was still pondering how much of these words were campaign rhetoric.

Now, the first boundary has been drawn on paper.

Satsuki leaned back in her chair.

"This draft has not yet been released to the public."

Her tone was relaxed.

"Mr. Isomura probably thought that Saionji would be a little unhappy after seeing it."

Takahashi looked up, somewhat surprised.

"You don't mind?"

Why should you mind?

Satsuki glanced at the revised terms.

"Rules that can be used by others have a chance to last longer."

"Moreover, many of the first batch of banks, construction companies, and information systems that met the requirements originally came from Saionji."

Her eyes curved slightly.

"Takahashi-senpai's judgment was correct."

The nameplate bearing Takahashi's name, which was placed in front of the head of the table, still stood quietly on the table.

When he first entered, he felt that the sign was something he had temporarily lent to him.

It still falls under the permissions granted by Satsuki.

But the six people around the conference table were already waiting for him to arrange the next step.

This change is very small.

This will not result in an additional official position being added to the group's roster.

For the first time, Takahashi felt that he had truly entered the "pre-decision stage".

Satsuki took a new task sheet from Chizuru and pushed it across the table in front of him.

"The second task."

"Please design the operational boundaries for the long-term collaboration between Saionji and Isomura."

Takahashi picked up the task sheet.

There are only a few lines of requirements above.

Which matters can be negotiated privately by both parties?

Which measures must be transformed into a public system?

What can Saionji Temple offer, and what can it not demand?

When disagreements arise, how should information, projects, and political responsibility be separated?

The handwriting on the last line is from Satsuki herself.

— To ensure that cooperation can continue, and that conflict does not destroy cooperation.

"What about the deadline?"

Takahashi looked up.

"Let's build the framework first."

Satsuki rested her chin on her hand and thought for a while.

"But you need to give me the first draft next Friday."

"clear."

Takahashi turned to the people around the conference table.

This time, he skipped the overly polite opening.

"Ms. Maki, please continue to oversee the integration. Mr. Sasaki and the Metropolitan Government Office should first clarify the boundaries between public procedures and private coordination. Mr. Masato, I need a diagram showing the relationships between the Isomura transition team, the main bureau chiefs of the Metropolitan Government, and the various factions in the Metropolitan Assembly."

"Manager Gondo, I need you to select one project from each of the three policies that is most likely to succeed and one that is most likely to fail."

"The finance department should develop a funding model based on these two sets of projects."

Maki opens her schedule.

"First internal confirmation, Tuesday at 3 PM?"

"Can."

Gondo put the task sheet into a folder.

"Is the project scope limited to projects contracted out in Tokyo?"

"Let's look at the parts directly controlled by the municipal government first. External groups will be placed in the second batch."

Sasaki also looked up.

"What if Isomura demands that Saionji disclose some of its financing documents?"

Takahashi thought for a moment.

"Classify this as a conflict situation. First, determine to what extent the disclosure will not harm the group, and then determine what political cost would be incurred by refusing."

Everyone took notes of the requirements.

The meeting has now concluded.

Maki closed the document and bowed slightly to Takahashi as she stood up.

"See you on Tuesday, Mr. Takahashi."

Gondo and the others also left one after another.

When Saionji Masato reached the door, he glanced back at the four lines of writing on the whiteboard, then nodded to Takahashi.

Soon only Satsuki, Chizuru, and Takahashi remained in the meeting room.

Takahashi's shoulders, which had been tense, finally relaxed a little.

He looked down to organize the documents and then noticed a deep red mark on his right hand where he had been holding the pen.

"How are you feeling?"

Satsuki stood up from her seat by the window and walked to the whiteboard.

"It's much more difficult than leading a research conference at school."

"Is there only a lot?"

Takahashi gave a wry smile.

"For the first forty minutes, I was probably just extending the meeting time for everyone."

"It's good that we were able to discover that."

Satsuki picked up the eraser and slowly erased the top line of text.

"Many people who chair ten-year conferences simply let everyone speak in turn."

Takahashi watched her retreating figure.

"Did you know the meeting would turn out this way?"

Satsuki turned her head, a slight smile on her face.

"I just want to see when Takahashi-senpai will be willing to interrupt them."

really.

Takahashi's last shred of hope vanished.

As Satsuki put down the eraser and passed by him, her tone returned to the relaxed one she used at school.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Takahashi-senpai."

At that moment, Chizuru stepped forward and handed him a white envelope.

The envelope had SA Entertainment's silver logo printed in the upper left corner, and the recipient's name was written on the front.

Graduate School of Economics, Gakushuin University

Takahashi.

"This was delivered by President Itakura last night."

Chizuru's hand was still supporting the bottom of the envelope.

"I guess this is... a perk for employees of Saionji."

Takahashi took the envelope and glanced down at the seal.

"Can I open it now?"

Satsuki had already reached the door of the conference room.

Upon hearing this, she stopped, turned around, and her eyes curved into a slight smile.

"sure."

"However, I think it would be more interesting if Takahashi-senpai dismantled it after he returned to the research club."