Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

It was nearly noon when I left SA CIRCUIT.

The glass doors slowly closed behind her, shutting out the soft music from inside the store. Satsuki walked forward along the street, her mind still filled with the games, anime, and records that had been displayed on the same shelf.

In her time, these things were already intertwined. A work could go from comics to television, then to video games and movies; a memorable character could support records, toys, and countless other merchandise.

But it is still 1991.

Some of the names that later became world-renowned have yet to appear in any company register; some are crammed into small studios, worrying about the next production budget; and some may have already been influenced by Saionji's influence over the years and have embarked on a different path.

Satsuki raised her head, her gaze moving forward along the shop windows on the street.

A few college students who had just been browsing game magazines on the second floor of SA CIRCUIT hurried past them and turned into a shop across the street. As soon as the curtain was lifted, a burst of rapid keystrokes, electronic music, and cheers erupted from the crowd.

A huge Street Fighter II poster was pasted on the store entrance.

A crowd had already gathered in front of the poster. Some were watching the battle inside through the glass, while others had just come out of the store, still arguing about a certain character's moves.

Satsuki slowed her pace.

Amy had already walked ahead, but after noticing that she had stopped, she quickly turned back.

"Would you like to go in and take a look, Satsuki-chan?"

Although she used a question, her gaze had already passed over Satsuki's shoulder and landed inside the arcade.

Satsuki glanced at her.

"When did you become so enthusiastic about market research?"

"Didn't you just say you wanted to see where people were willing to spend their money?"

Amy took a half-step across the street, trying to make her reasons sound more convincing.

"Magazines and shelves only show what they bought, but in arcades you can directly see why they were willing to spend money."

"Well said."

Satsuki nodded thoughtfully.

Amy's eyes lit up.

"Then let's—"

"When it comes to finding excuses for playing games, my mind works really fast."

Amy's expectant expression froze for a moment.

Satsuki finally laughed when she saw that Satsuki still wouldn't look away even after she had been exposed.

"But I came out to have fun with you today anyway."

She was the first to walk across the street.

"Go in."

Amy immediately followed, her steps so fast it was as if she was afraid Amy would change her mind at any moment.

It was much hotter and stuffier inside the arcade than outside.

Rows of screens flashed different colors of light, and the sounds of coins being inserted, buttons being pressed, and electronic music from speakers overlapped together.

The area in front of the Street Fighter II machines closest to the wall was the most crowded, with players sitting on either side of the machines and several onlookers standing behind them.

Amy has obviously been here before.

She glanced at the number of people in line, then pulled Satsuki around to the other side, and quickly found a machine that was about to close.

Satsuki let her pull her along for a few steps before slowly asking:

"Didn't you only play it a few times?"

Amy paused for a moment in her grip on her wrist.

"I'm a genius, I can remember the location in just a few tries."

She let go of his hand and stood casually to the side, though the tips of her ears were already slightly red.

The previous group of players finished their match quickly.

Amy waited for them to get up, then immediately sat down in an empty seat and took out two coins. She placed one in front of Satsuki, and skillfully pushed the other into the coin slot.

"Satsuki-chan is sitting across from me."

Satsuki didn't sit down immediately, but looked down at her and then at the character selection screen that had appeared on the screen.

"So you insisted on keeping me here today because you needed a newbie to bully?"

"No, I didn't."

Amy denied it verbally, but her finger had already swiftly selected Chun-Li.

"I just think it's more fun to play together. Besides, I can teach Satsuki-chan too."

When she said the word "teach," her voice already betrayed her eagerness.

Satsuki sat down opposite her, tried pressing the buttons a few times, and finally selected Takashi.

After the first round started, while she was still confirming which buttons corresponded to punches and kicks, Amy had already controlled Chun-Li to jump in front of her.

On the screen, Ryu was forced into a corner by a series of attacks. Satsuki barely managed to block one of them, then accidentally pressed the wrong button and threw a punch in an empty direction. Her remaining stamina was quickly depleted by Amy.

When the outcome of the match was announced, the two onlookers behind him chuckled softly.

Amy sat on the other side, her lips already curved into a smile, but she tried her best to make her voice sound considerate enough.

"That's how it is the first time you play. Satsuki-chan, do you want me to tell you how to use the moves?"

Satsuki glanced at her through the machine.

Amy immediately suppressed her smile.

"I'm not being smug."

"Yeah?"

Satsuki tossed in another coin and adjusted the position of her fingers.

"Then play one more game with me, Ms. Amy."

After the second round started, Amy quickly noticed that her opponent's moves had changed.

Satsuki stopped chasing after her and randomly pressing buttons. When Chun-Li jumped over, Takashi would step back a little and wait for her to land before throwing a punch; his continuous attacks were also being blocked, and he could occasionally catch her in a moment of pause and launch a counterattack.

Although Amy still won, her stamina on the screen was reduced to a tiny bit.

She watched the game's outcome and then peeked out from beside the machine.

"Satsuki-chan, have you really never played this before?"

"no."

Satsuki flexed her fingers, her expression becoming much more serious than when she had just sat down.

"However, I've pretty much seen the move you just made."

Amy paused for a moment, then peeked out from the other side of the machine, her eyes noticeably brighter.

"real?"

She was trying to suppress her smile when she won the second game, but now she's even happier than when she won herself.

"Let's do it again."

Satsuki had already taken the coins out of her wallet.

"There are other people waiting behind."

"Just one more game."

Amy quickly sat up straight, and even her tone became serious.

"I won't use those moves again this time, Satsuki-chan, be careful."

"Teacher Amy just said she'd teach me, and now she's going to hide it away?"

"I didn't hide it."

Amy immediately retorted.

"I just want to see if Satsuki-chan can learn it so quickly."

After the third game began, Satsuki showed more patience than in the previous game.

She rarely approached first, instead waiting on one side of the screen for Amy to make the first move. Chun-Li moved forward several times, but Ryu blocked her each time. Just as Amy habitually jumped up again, Satsuki suddenly moved her character closer and slammed her to the ground.

Amy paused for a moment.

After Chun-Li stood up again, she did not attack immediately, but looked at Satsuki through the machine.

"Was Satsuki-chan waiting for me to jump over here?"

"Um."

Satsuki's gaze remained fixed on the screen.

"You like to come up from above when you're a little further away."

Upon hearing this, Amy's face showed no annoyance, but rather an even more obvious smile.

"You even remembered this?"

She gripped the joystick again, deliberately changing her approach. But after several attempts, Satsuki still managed to catch one of the pauses and slam Chun-Li to the ground once more.

"here we go again."

Amy called out softly, but there was no trace of anger in her voice. Her body had unconsciously moved closer to the screen, her fingers moving rapidly between the keys, as if eager to see how Satsuki would react next.

"If Satsuki-chan keeps acting like this, I'm not going over there."

"Then I'll go over there."

Long suddenly took two steps forward.

Amy instinctively prepared to back away, but Satsuki only feinted before quickly returning to her original position.

"Satsuki-chan is lying."

"Not even in games?"

Amy laughed when asked the question.

That smile slowed her movements for a moment. Ryu seized the opportunity, moved closer again, and drained Chun-Li of her last bit of strength.

The outcome of the match appears on the screen.

Satsuki released the button, and the smile on her lips finally became fully revealed.

Amy remained seated on the other side, glancing at the fallen Chun-Li, then at Satsuki across from her. After a few seconds, she suddenly burst into laughter, as if she herself had just won.

"Satsuki-chan has only played three games."

She stood up from her seat, walked around to Satsuki's side, her eyes still brimming with excitement.

"In the first game, he didn't even know how to press the buttons. In the second game, he was able to block me. By the third game, he was already waiting for me to get past him."

"Because your habits are very obvious."

Satsuki casually straightened her sleeves.

Amy immediately shook her head.

"No, that's not it."

She spoke very seriously.

"Even if it were someone else, they might not be able to tell even after playing thirty games. Satsuki-chan is really good at games too."

The players who had been waiting behind her had already walked forward. Satsuki gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Okay, stop praising me."

"Let's play again in a little while."

Amy made way for him while glancing back at the screen.

"I'll switch to a character that Satsuki-chan hasn't seen before. If you play a few more rounds, you might even be able to remember everyone's moves."

"There are other places to visit today."

"Evening is fine too."

Satsuki did not answer, but led her away from the crowd of onlookers.

New players quickly sat down, and the sound of coins dropping into the machine rang out repeatedly. The person who had just lost didn't leave; he simply stood behind his companion, watching the screen and quietly explaining why he had lost.

Further away, a group of young people were arguing about who was stronger, Chun-Li or Ryu. Some could accurately name the characters, while others imitated the actions in the scene, making their companions laugh.

Satsuki looked around for a while before her gaze finally fell on the coin slot.

Amy noticed immediately.

"Is Satsuki-chan checking how many coins they tossed in again?"

"I'm watching you too."

Satsuki turned her head to the side.

"After losing, the first thing you want to do is play another round. The person behind you does the same."

Amy looked at the player who had just rejoined the queue at the end, then looked down at her own hands.

"Because I want to see how Satsuki-chan will play in the next game."

As she said this, her eyes curved into a smile again.

"The last three rounds were completely different. If we keep playing, Satsuki-chan will definitely come up with new ideas."

The reason is not important.

Satsuki looked again at the crowd gathered in front of the screen.

"As long as the loser is willing to put in another coin, there will always be someone sitting in front of this machine."

Amy followed her gaze for a while and gradually understood what she was observing.

"And they all seem to really like these characters."

"Yes, that's enough."

The battle had only lasted a few minutes, but the onlookers were no longer talking about the machines themselves. They remembered each character's name, moves, and wins and losses, and they got angry for the images on the screen when their favorite characters were defeated.

The machine is simply the place where these characters appear.

Once players leave the arcade, game cartridges, music, videos, and other merchandise will have a reason to be bought if people still want to see them.

"Do those shelves in the store look clearer now?"

Satsuki asked.

Amy followed her gaze to the game store and video store next to the arcade and slowly nodded.

"A character can encompass many things."

She quickly came up with a new direction.

"It can also be made into animation. If it's very popular, it can also be made into toys and clothing."

"So buying just one company that manufactures game consoles isn't enough."

Satsuki turned and walked outside.

"Machines will always be replaced. What truly stays with players as they leave this place are the stories and characters they remember."

Amy caught up with him.

"Is this the kind of person Uncle Itakura is looking for who can portray this kind of character?"

"First, find someone who can actually complete the work."

Satsuki lifted the curtain, and the June sunlight fell on her again.

"Whether such a large number of people can form a queue will only be known after they take their items out."

……

It was 2:30 p.m. when the group returned to SA CIRCUIT.

Amy now has three boxes of games, a game music CD, and an animation videotape that she has looked at several times on the second floor but still couldn't put back on the shelf.

When the shop manager saw her put the items on the counter, he hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and pushed the top game box back.

"These will be delivered to you by the store."

Why?

Amy had already opened the cloth bag and was looking down to find her wallet when she heard this and looked up in surprise.

The person in charge glanced at something not far away.

Satsuki was standing by the magazine rack, flipping through a newly published game industry magazine. She seemed completely oblivious to the activity on the counter, only looking up when she heard her name called.

"Ms. Suzuki rarely comes here, and besides, you and the young lady..."

The person in charge did not finish speaking.

In his view, SA CIRCUIT was originally a shop under Saionji's umbrella. Amy was involved in the group's most important technical project, not to mention that even the young lady was here; he definitely had to be more sensible…

However, Amy, who was standing to the side, did not understand the person in charge's "progressive ideas" and had already taken out several banknotes.

"These are things I wanted to buy myself, not things the lab needs."

She put the money on the counter and then rearranged the game box that had just been pushed back.

"Please pay the normal price."

The person in charge looked at the banknotes on the table and hesitated for a moment before reaching for them.

Amy waited for a moment, but seeing that he still didn't make a move, she had no choice but to turn to look at Satsuki.

"Satsuki-chan, could you tell him?"

Satsuki turned a page of the magazine and looked up at the counter.

"Since she chose it herself, we'll accept it according to the store's rules."

With the boss speaking, the person in charge no longer hesitated and entered the items into the cash register one by one.

Amy discovered it quickly.

"Too few."

She picked up the receipt and checked it against the prices listed on the items one by one.

"This is a customer discount as per store policy."

The person in charge explained very cautiously.

"Ms. Suzuki has been involved in the group's projects for a long time, so this category is certainly applicable to her."

Amy wanted to make up the shortfall, but Satsuki reached out and snatched the receipt from her hand.

"Discounts stipulated in the rules are not free."

She folded the receipt and put it back into the paper bag containing Amy's games.

"If you keep arguing with him, the people behind you will have to wait for you to pay the bill."

Amy glanced back.

There were indeed two more customers holding game cartridges next to the counter. Only then did she give up on paying more, quickly put her wallet back into her cloth bag, and picked up the paper bag that was full.

"Then I'll buy more next time."

The person in charge paused for a moment, then smiled and bowed to her.

"You're welcome anytime."

Satsuki glanced at the games in Amy's arms and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Didn't you buy enough today?"

"These will be over soon."

Amy answered matter-of-factly, clutching the paper bag tightly as she followed her out of the store.

Just as Chizuru was about to open the car door for Satsuki, a security guard walked quickly from the other side of the street and whispered a few words in her ear.

Chizuru's expression did not change significantly; she simply turned to look at Satsuki.

"Young Miss, a letter has just arrived at our residence."

"Whose?"

"The Kujo family."

Satsuki paused for a moment.

The security personnel handed Chizuru a long, narrow paulownia wood letter box, the Kujo family crest printed only in the lower right corner of the lid.

After everyone got into the car, Chizuru opened the letter box and handed the folded washi paper inside to Satsuki with both hands.

The letter was not long.

The person who wrote the letter was the head of the Kujo family in this generation.

He arrived in Tokyo yesterday and invited Satsuki to visit the Kujo family's Tokyo villa tomorrow afternoon. The letter did not explain the specific reason, but only added two extra lines at the end.

"Recently, there have been frequent exchanges between various families, and during the gatherings, people have often mentioned Saionji Temple."

"This matter should not be spread to your family by strangers first."

Satsuki read those two lines of text again.

The Kujo family is the maternal family of Satsuki's mother.

Although the two families have not interacted frequently over the years, when Saionji really encountered trouble in Kansai, the Kujo family never treated him as an outsider.

The Hakusui-kai attempted to use the old family background of Kyoto to suppress Saionji, so Lady Kujo sent over the old letter from Kitayama; now, people are talking about Saionji among the various families, and the current head of the family has also not allowed the news to reach Tokyo through outsiders.

The fact that he personally came to Tokyo and sent this letter before anyone else could speak suggests that the matter was far more than just a few casual words.

Amy sat beside her, holding the paper bag she had just bought.

"Why does the Kujo family want Satsuki-chan?"

"I don't know yet."

Satsuki folded the letter back to its original shape and put it back in the letter box.

"Can I come along?"

"You're going to Odaiba tomorrow."

The expectation on Amy's face vanished immediately.

"You didn't take me with you again..."

"You've already taken up half my day."

Satsuki raised her hand and gently patted the paper bag she was holding.

"I've bought the games and played the arcade games. Time to go to work tomorrow."

Amy opened her mouth, but in the end she hugged the paper bag tightly and leaned back in her seat.

I'm going to savor these days with Satsuki-chan for a long time to come.

Satsuki turned to look at Chizuru.

"Reply to this post for me."

"Yes."

"I will visit you on time tomorrow afternoon."

Chizuru carefully put away the letter box.

The car slowly drove away from the roadside. The signs outside the window advertising computers, games, and stereos gradually receded into the distance, and the music emanating from the arcade was quickly blocked out by the car window.

Satsuki leaned back in her chair and tapped the Kujo family's mailbox lightly with her fingertips.

"Someone wants to use the names of various schools of thought to discuss Saionji..."

She placed the mailbox beside her, a smile slowly spreading across her lips.

"It looks like tomorrow's tea will be quite interesting."