Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

The black sedan stopped near Changping Bridge.

When Satsuki got off the train, Akihabara was already bustling with activity.

The June sun shone on the signs on both sides of the central thoroughfare, reflecting a dazzling white light on the glass and metal surfaces.

In 1991, this was still a commercial street mainly selling electrical appliances. Staff at appliance stores stood at the entrance handing out flyers, and loudspeakers repeatedly broadcast discount information for televisions, VCRs, and audio equipment.

The parts stores under the overpass were still crowded, with wires, capacitors, and switches stacked in layers outside the stores, packaged in transparent plastic boxes. Across the street, computer stores displayed the new PC-9801 (a very representative personal computer) and Macintosh (simply called Mac) in their windows, with televisions next to them playing demonstrations on a loop.

There are significantly more game signs on the street now than six years ago.

Super Nintendo, Mega Drive (a Sega game console), and PC Engine (a NEC game console) occupied the most prominent positions in several stores. Young people passing by would stop in front of the demo machines, while store clerks held up catalogs of game cartridges and software, constantly beckoning new customers.

Anime hasn't really taken over this street yet.

Movie videos, concert LDs (laser discs), and records remain the mainstays of the audio-visual store. Animated works and game music are placed on adjacent shelves. Although the quantity is not large, it is enough to attract a group of regular young people to stay for a long time.

Amy had only taken two steps when her gaze began to move back and forth between the two sides of the street.

Today she was wearing a loose-fitting light-colored shirt and long skirt, with her hair simply tied back. To make shopping easier, she didn't even bring her usual large backpack full of tools, but instead carried a small cloth bag.

But when she reached the door of a computer store, she slowed down.

A workstation with its casing removed was displayed in the window. Inside the chassis, the motherboard, hard drives, and circuitry were neatly secured to transparent brackets, next to a structural diagram indicating the purpose of each component.

Amy stared at it for a while, and her body unconsciously moved closer to the glass.

Satsuki stood behind her, not urging her immediately.

Amy always does this when she sees new equipment. No matter how nice it sounds, if you let her stand in front of the display window for a few more minutes, she'll start thinking about which part can be taken off and what it can be modified for back in the lab.

Sure enough, Amy's hand was already on the glass, her gaze following the wiring inside the workstation downwards, finally stopping at the price tag in the corner.

Satsuki then coughed softly.

Amy shrugged and turned around, her face showing the guilt of being caught red-handed.

"Satsuki-chan, I was just looking."

"Yes, I saw it."

Satsuki walked to her side and also glanced into the shop window.

"Last time you were here 'just looking,' you ended up buying two motherboards and even had someone move a broken oscilloscope for you."

"That oscilloscope has been repaired."

When this was mentioned, Amy immediately forgot her guilt, and her eyes lit up.

"The accuracy is even better than the old one in the lab. Mr. Shimomura initially said I was wasting my time, but when he was doing the testing, he himself spent three whole days on it!"

By the end, her tone was filled with undisguised pride.

Satsuki looked at her for a moment, and a smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"So you're also planning to save money for the lab today?"

Amy realized that she wasn't really angry, so she immediately turned around and glanced at the workstation in the shop window again.

"This machine does indeed have several parts..."

"Amy."

Satsuki's voice was very soft.

Amy's remaining words caught in her throat.

Satsuki reached out and pulled the person back from the shop window.

"I'm out here to rest today."

"I know."

Amy verbally agreed, but her head was still turned away until the workstation was blocked by the passing crowd, at which point she finally turned her gaze back.

Seeing her reluctant expression, Satsuki couldn't help but smile.

"If you keep looking, I'll have someone send your wallet back to your hometown."

"Then I can keep the accounts."

"You dare?"

Amy immediately pursed her lips and finally obediently followed Satsuki to her side.

The two continued forward along the central thoroughfare.

The security personnel, now in civilian clothes, were scattered throughout the crowd, with only Chizuru following half a step behind Satsuki. Today, she wasn't carrying her usual briefcase, but only a small leather bag, making her look like she was really accompanying two young girls out shopping.

As they crossed the next street corner, Satsuki slowed her pace.

A three-story shop appeared on the street corner.

Dark wood divides the entire glass facade into several sections, with only a silver-gray sign hanging at the top.

SA CIRCUIT.

The surrounding shops were still repeatedly announcing discounts through loudspeakers, their entrances adorned with red and yellow promotional banners. This shop, however, seemed unusually quiet.

The shop window wasn't filled with merchandise.

A Super Nintendo, a new personal computer, and a Sony sound system were each displayed on separate stands, each accompanied by only an instruction card. Through the glass, one could see that the store had spacious aisles, and several customers were sitting in the demo area, being explained to them by staff.

Satsuki stood across the street and watched for a while.

She had seen the renovation plan for the shop before, but this was the first time she had come here in person since the shop officially opened.

At the height of the bubble economy, shops in Akihabara practically crammed every expensive item into their windows. Now that the economy is starting to cool down, everyone's busy cutting prices and clearing out stock, as if customers will come back as long as the numbers on the signs drop fast enough.

Itakura chose a different path.

After the number of items decreased, the store began selecting equipment for customers, completing installation and debugging, and also providing repairs, appointments, and software recommendations. The price wasn't cheap, but it saved customers the hassle of handling everything themselves after purchase.

This is very similar to Itakura.

He used to run a small shop that he couldn't even bear to turn on the lights, yet he could clearly remember which customer had bought which model, and he also knew which batch of imported calculators was most prone to malfunction.

The store has grown bigger, but the same business methods haven't changed.

"Satsuki-chan".

Amy had already reached the glass door and turned back to wave at her.

"Why aren't you coming over?"

"Check if the money in Bancang has been spent in the wrong place."

Satsuki walked down the street, her gaze still fixed on the storefront.

"And the result?"

Amy asked expectantly.

Satsuki reached out and pushed open the glass door.

"Barely acceptable."

She spoke casually, but there was no hint of disdain in her tone.

As the store door opened, soft music and the distinctive smell of new equipment greeted the customer.

A young shop assistant in a navy blue uniform quickly approached.

He had initially put on a smile befitting a regular customer, but upon seeing Satsuki's face clearly, his pace quickened. His hand unconsciously moved towards the telephone inside the counter, seemingly preparing to notify the manager upstairs.

Satsuki gently shook her head at him.

The shop assistant paused for a moment, then quickly stopped what she was doing and composed herself.

Welcome!

He stepped aside, only slightly bowing as Satsuki passed by compared to when he faced other guests.

Amy had been watching all along, but she was already used to it.

Everyone should respect Satsuki-chan!

She walked into the store, first looking at the latest game consoles and computers on the first floor, and then her attention was drawn to something next to the stairs.

A wooden sign with blackened edges was framed in a glass case and hung on a clean wall.

The writing on it has faded.

Itakura Chamber of Commerce.

Amy stood in front of the sign and remained silent for a long time.

Satsuki came to her side and looked at the somewhat blurred words through the glass.

Six years ago, the shop behind the Radio Club was always dark and gloomy.

Itakura sat behind the counter, worrying about the 1,000 discs that Nintendo was forcing him to order. Even the tea he poured for the customers tasted like it had been stored for too long.

At the time, Satsuki only felt that it was a sales channel that could be used.

Five million yen, one thousand games, 70% profit.

That sum of money wasn't even part of her real plan; it was just a casual move she made in Akihabara.

Even Itakura herself, she only regarded her as a decorative figure.

But Itakura didn't seem content with just being a figurehead, or rather, he believed that since he was in a position, he should fulfill his duties, and through his own efforts, he actually became someone capable of leading a company.

Later, Itakura brought her games, music, artists, and countless people who needed money. That unassuming trading company gradually became the earliest entry point for SA's cultural industry.

Looking back now, the old signboard is more effective than many investment reports filled with figures in reminding people that six years have passed.

"I still have it."

Amy finally spoke, her voice much softer than when she was in front of the shop window.

"I thought it had been thrown away during the renovation."

"Mr. Itakura originally did not intend to keep it."

The shop manager came out from behind the counter.

He was around forty years old and wore the same uniform as the shop assistants, except for a silver name tag on his chest.

Because Satsuki had already signaled to keep quiet, he didn't even dare to look at Satsuki's face, only at Amy.

"However, after the construction workers removed the sign, Mr. Itakura had it retrieved from the warehouse."

Amy turned to look at him.

"What did Uncle Itakura say?"

The person in charge thought about it.

He said the shop could change its name, but the debts and the paths traveled should remain.

Amy looked at the sign again, and a smile slowly spread across her face.

Satsuki heard it too.

It seems that the man who used to worry so much about a five million yen order that he almost lost all his hair has now learned to preserve some of his history.

This change put her in a good mood, probably like the feeling of randomly drawing a low-quality character and then seeing it grow stronger on its own.

Amy looked at the old sign again, and a smile slowly spread across her face.

"Uncle Itakura probably doesn't come here much anymore, right?"

"Yes." The person in charge bowed slightly. "We are responsible for the daily operation of the store. President Itakura only came a few times when the renovation plan was finalized and when the store officially opened. After that, he has been busy with SA Entertainment's affairs."

Amy wasn't surprised.

Six years ago, Itakura spent his days tending that dimly lit little shop, often forgetting even lunch. Now, his name appears on concert, record, and video release documents, so naturally he no longer stands behind the counter personally greeting customers.

She looked at the old sign in the glass and smiled gently.

"Uncle Itakura has really become amazing."

Satsuki looked at the old signboard from the side and nodded slightly.

"But if Itakura knew that we only looked at this old piece of wood on our first trip back, he would probably think that we had wasted our money on the new equipment in the store."

Amy laughed too.

"If he had known back then that those thousand copies of Mario would sell out, he certainly wouldn't have been sitting in front of us sighing like that."

He really didn't have any money at the time.

Satsuki spoke on Itakura's behalf, then recalled how Itakura had repeatedly confirmed when signing the agreement whether he really wouldn't have to repay the five million if the goods didn't sell.

"But he agreed in just half an hour."

"Uncle Itakura later said it was because Satsuki-chan looked more like a con artist than Nintendo's sales representatives."

After Amy finished speaking, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Satsuki slowly turned her head.

"A fraud? He really said that?"

Amy froze, sensing danger, and her laughter subsided slightly.

"They're probably praising Satsuki-chan for being good at business."

"very good."

Satsuki gave the shop manager a very gentle smile.

"When Itakura comes back, remember to tell him that I will ask him in person when I have time."

The person in charge glanced at Amy, then looked at the overly gentle smile on Satsuki's face, and immediately lowered his head.

"I will pass on the message to Mr. Itakura."

Amy has already begun to feel sorry for Itakura.

Satsuki, however, acted as if nothing had happened and turned to walk inside the display case.

"Let's go."

"Didn't you say you were coming to play games?"

Amy quickly forgot her earlier worries and followed her to her side.

I'm sorry, Mr. Itakura! Good luck to you!