Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

He tilted his head, using his slender little fingernail to pick at the green vegetable leaf stuck between his front teeth. Then, with a flick of his tongue, he spat the leaf onto the glass, looked around like a thief, and walked away with his head down.

"No means no, I'm not a pervert." Ayako wrinkled her nose and mouth, then glanced at the outside of the curtain wall. "You're not one of them, how do you know they can't see? What if they're faking it? Even if you check it yourself, what if they have special abilities, like X-ray vision?"

“You’re right, that makes sense. I won’t argue with you.” Xiuming shrugged, put the black trench coat he had taken off back on her, tightened the belt around her waist, patted her lower abdomen, and stood up, saying, “I’ll go out and find some renovation workers to divide up the shop.”

It's just a back massage, and I'm wearing a bra. I'm not doing anything. Isn't it the same on the beach?

She was completely scaring herself.

If I had superpowers, I would have become Ultraman long ago.

Moreover, the mirrored curtain wall was personally verified. If you doubt and distrust even things you've confirmed, what can you possibly accomplish? You'll only be hesitant, indecisive, and ultimately achieve nothing.

"Hey, it's noon!" Ayako quickly grabbed Hideaki's shirt hem. "It should be past lunchtime by now!"

Xiuming glanced at his watch; it was 11:55.

There were so many things to do that I almost forgot about the daily intelligence gathering.

Xiuming sat back down on the sofa.

Ayako blinked, her gaze shifting, her moist lips pursed and she licked them quickly, swallowing hard. She whispered, "Should we... do it like in the bathroom..."

In that case, it's still bearable! It's him who's being exposed, not yourself.

"Oh?" Xiuming turned around and placed his hands on her flushed cheeks. She leaned forward and tilted her chin up slightly, squinting her eyes.

Her eager, ravenous expression made her unsuitable for gathering intelligence today. The next 12 hours were pretty much predictable. As for the skill rewards, which might be useless, and the prerequisite for demanding a "good review," given her past behavior, people might have to kneel down and beg for a good review.

Intelligence gathering needs to be combined with the actual situation; skills are just an additional bonus.

Locking in this store is the best option. Will the renovation go smoothly? If everything goes well, I can just leave it to the wholesale market to buy goods and negotiate prices without needing to supervise the work.

[Over the next 12 hours, some elderly scavengers will be loitering near the shop.]

[In the next 12 hours, an elderly scavenger who crawled into the store and started pulling at fabric will be hit on the head and die.]

The shop will be sealed off by the police within the next 12 hours.

Damn! Xiuming, who was leaning against the back of the sofa, almost jumped up.

Xiuming twirled a strand of long hair that fell beside Ayako's face with his fingers. Ayako was glancing up at him sideways, her smooth face and delicate ears flushed pink.

"Do you have the phone number for a waste recycling company?" Xiuming asked.

The store's recyclable waste must have attracted scavengers! A 12-hour timeframe isn't short; they might have sneaked into the store at night.

Wouldn't it be better if I sold it myself for money?

“It won’t sell for much, wouldn’t it be better to give it to the elderly people who collect garbage? They’re so pitiful…” Ayako stammered, her words indistinct. “It’s in the phone book, I’ll give it to you later…”

Xiuming was too lazy to explain to her, "If one of them dies in the store, you'll know who to pity." He just thought to himself, and then said, "It's the same if you send them after the renovation is finished. You can also set up a charity tea station at the entrance... Don't you know how to make clothes? Make a batch of one-size-fits-all clothes and give them to them... They're just sitting around doing nothing anyway."

Hideaki's idea was excellent, but Ayako had no time to think about anything else. She had already suffered a lot in the bathroom that morning, and now this was happening again, which felt like a drop in the ocean.

This involves a relatively equal emotional value feedback, even though they are of different genders, the physiological needs they seek are essentially the same. Often, these needs cannot be controlled by thought, but rather manifested through bodily instincts and the subconscious.

"Eh? Eh!? What are you doing? I'm so embarrassed..." Ayako felt a lightness in her body and hurriedly covered her face.

1:30.

"You're not even as good as Riko."

Ayako lay sprawled on the sofa, her face bearing a look that seemed to say, "How could you do this?"—a look that was more like one of grievance than anxiety.

Her slightly dazed gaze turned to Xiuming, filled with the shame of "Aren't you disgusted?", before she quickly turned her head to the sofa and hid her face inside.

After all, she had always been subjected to emotional abuse from her gay ex-husband, and had never experienced anything other than the monotonous, mechanical, and execution-like routines.

That's terrifying... I feel like I have no way to repay this kindness.

Xiuming placed the teacup on the tea table, then got up and walked to the desk, where the phone book was next to the red landline phone.

I found the phone number for the recycling center and dialed it.

Waste recycling is also a very good business option during this period.

However, if you start from the bottom, you are very likely to be ostracized and driven away.

This business is like a gang dividing up territory; there are fixed areas, and if an outsider wants to join, someone has to quit.

There's basically no room for negotiation, unless you take the scrap to a recycling station yourself to sell it, in which case you might earn enough for a few more meals.

"The recycling guy will be here in twenty minutes. Keep an eye on him and make sure they don't take anything important," Xiuming said, hanging up the phone. He walked over to Ayako, patted her on the back, took the house key from her bag, and then opened the office door.

Ayako was still in the same position, her head buried in her hands.

Xiuming stopped at the door, tidied his slightly messy hair, rubbed his ears, and said, "No wonder you've trained in judo, your legs are really strong. You almost pinched my ears into a dumpling shape."

"Ugh!" Ayako suddenly reached out, grabbed a teacup from the tea table, and threw it toward the door.

The oversupply of real estate has led to a further downturn in the decoration industry. Xiuming walked around and saw several small companies that had gone bankrupt. Their glass doors were locked, and A4 papers were scattered haphazardly on the office floor.

Large decoration companies can still survive, but their prices are too high, so we won't consider them.

With a total budget of only 80 yen, the renovation cost is budgeted at most 10 yen. The design is a minimalist industrial style with white walls and a neon sign that says "Super Cheap".

As for promotional materials, such as flyer printing and price tags, you won't need much in the initial stage. Just find a graphic design studio or store, and if the price is right and the service is good, you can consider long-term cooperation. The budget is 5 yen.

Running alone would take too much time, so Hideaki brought Riko out.

After catching up on sleep all morning, Riko couldn't fall back asleep after having a simple bowl of udon noodles at noon. She was sitting in the nanny's room, absentmindedly fiddling with her embroidery tools.

When Xiuming told her that he would be taking her along to help with opening the shop, she maintained her composure, nodding softly and repeatedly saying "Mmm...Mmm..."

Her excitement and eagerness could only be seen in her eyes, which sparkled brightly.

Chapter 53 How can men tell women about matters between them?

Considering that Riko was a complete novice, Hideaki was in no hurry to go out.

He pulled her into Ayako's room, swept away the embroidery tools on Ayako's workbench, took out paper and pen, and asked Riko to bring over two chairs. He then created a foolproof "100-yen store business plan" for her.

Let's start by discussing the market positioning needs that precisely address the issue of "consumption downgrade".

Our core customer base is housewives aged 30-40.

Secondary consumer groups include single office workers, primarily those working in the Tokyo Financial Center building across from the store, and elderly people strolling in Shinjuku Central Park.

There are frequent activities near Central Park, such as family gatherings and outings with children. Considering the common illnesses among the elderly, a "Park Community Emergency Life Station" has been specially set up to foster emotional connection. It is also equipped with free first aid kits, bandages, sewing kits, etc., and can meet daily needs within a five-minute walk.

Next is the product strategy: focusing on products that take up little space and have a fast turnover rate, which are fast-moving consumer goods.

Fast-moving consumer goods, such as cup noodles and pre-packaged rice bowls. Daily consumables, such as cleaning agents, garbage bags, and paper towels.

There are also a small number of Central Park-related items, such as picnic mats and portable water bottles.

"I'll only provide you with some general guidelines. You can choose your own products. Just remember the key points for product selection: strictly control the number of SKUs, initially list 300 to 400 items, and don't overstock."

While writing, Xiuming talked to Riko for more than forty minutes without stopping for a moment or drinking a drop of water. His tongue was so tired that it was about to cramp up.

"I've never been like this before, why am I so tired today?" Xiuming tossed a ballpoint pen onto the table, pushed three sheets of A4 paper densely covered with writing and tables towards Riko, then rubbed his chin, walked to the bedside table, poured himself a glass of water, gulped it down, and continued...

"After the official opening, we will manually record the top 20 best-selling items, eliminate the bottom 10 items every weekend, and then, based on customer feedback and your own market research, put new products on the shelves."

"Okay, okay..." Riko nodded repeatedly, holding the paper, but hesitated to speak.

"What's wrong?" Xiuming sat back down in his chair with his water glass. "During study time, everyone is free to speak their mind. I love students who ask questions the most."

"Um... could you change 'free massage service' to something else?" Riko pointed to the words "Housewife KOC Cultivation" and whispered, "I... I think offering exclusive discount rights would be acceptable, right?"

Everything is great, except for the "free massage"... They even require you to be attractive, have a good figure, be single, and not considering remarriage...

It doesn't seem like opening a "100-yuan supermarket," it seems more like a "talent show."

"Pfft—!" Xiuming sprayed a mouthful of water onto the ground, wiping his mouth. "Are you going to take away my only source of joy? Can't you at least understand how hard I work?"

Xiuming immediately launched a "victim-first" attack, positioning himself as the victim.

Of course, even if one harbors ill intentions of giving special treatment, a deeper conversation will lead to a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of the other person's personality.

If the opportunity arises, we could consider developing them into employees, branch managers, or even senior executives in the future business empire.

Providing the other person with a job where they can support themselves and no longer depend on anyone, isn't that wonderful?

If things aren't going well, for example, if you treat Riko badly, misjudge your own position, or get jealous, then it's best to part ways amicably. We're all adults and need to be responsible for our actions.

Even if she marries an honest man, she will still give him gifts to express her sincere blessings!

"I'm sorry, I will cooperate..." Riko quickly stood up, bowed her head to indicate her obedience, and for a moment thought of Ayako. "Can I tell Ayako about this? Oh no, if you don't agree, I, I will keep it from her."

As Riko finished speaking, another wave of grievance welled up inside her, threatening to burst into tears. She quickly took a deep breath and held it back.

"What's there to hide? We're all open and honest people. She even specially set aside a massage room for me, which shows she's very supportive! You should be as understanding as she is!"

"I... I'll try my best." Riko wailed inwardly: How could anyone understand something like this... Ayako is so annoying!

"I'll take you to the market for a quick look, give you a feel for it. From now on, you'll need to make your own inventory list... Go for it with confidence, I'll cover any losses..."

Hideaki also wrote down in detail for Riko about sourcing, supply chain and cost control, and how to make good use of the "ruin economy" resources.

For example, leftover stock from bankrupt companies, goods bought at wholesale markets at night, and defective products sourced directly from factories that do not affect functionality.

The initial inventory cost was 50 yen.

Logistics and transportation are also a significant expense.

Xiuming found a public phone booth and dialed the red number for Ayako's studio. Ayako answered the phone shortly after.

The scrap metal in the shop sold for 2000 yen, and the renovation workers have entered the shop and started working.

After a brief question and answer, Xiuming said, "Your doll factory should have a delivery truck, right? Lend me one."

According to Ayako, she earns an annual salary of 600 million yen and lives in such a large mansion, so the factory must be quite large.

The larger the private factory, the more severe the impact in this environment. Its current profitability is definitely not good, and there must be some idle factories.

“That’s not my family’s. I’m only responsible for the products, not logistics or transportation, and I don’t have the authority to do so.” Ayako changed the subject. “But my brother can get one. I’ll talk to him… and you can give him some benefits…”

In fact, Ayako could even use her status as "the boss's wife" to sell one to Hideaki at a "friendship price".

But if she does this, her ex-husband will definitely find out, and then he will use this as an excuse to deduct her wages again.

She was fed up with that place.

Ayako's brother, Mr. Miyamoto, was trying to save some money for his family's finances by having his wife control the finances too tightly. He not only did business but also worked in transportation, sometimes even taking part-time jobs at convenience stores, and sometimes as a loader and mover.