Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

"The yen is about to depreciate. I want to exchange my yen for US dollars when the yen is at its strongest, and then use the US dollars to invest in Hong Kong. Don't you understand this?"

Tsukamoto Kazuo sneered.

After the Plaza Accord, the yen appreciated for a decade. Even after the collapse of the bubble economy, the yen continued to appreciate steadily. Many people thought that the yen would continue to appreciate, but that was impossible!

So after the yen reached its post-war peak against the dollar in April of this year, the yen began to gradually decline. However, this did not attract much attention, and people thought it was just a technical adjustment and that the yen would rise again. But many big capitalists had already sensed the change and predicted that the yen would soon experience a major depreciation, and the yen's appreciation trend would be completely changed.

In recent years, Japan's major conglomerates have begun acquiring energy and mineral resources around the world—regardless of whether the yen depreciates, resources of significant strategic value are unlikely to depreciate.

Kazuo Tsukamoto had long anticipated the depreciation of the yen, so starting at the beginning of this year, he secretly sold off the Tsukamoto Group's non-core assets, converting the money into US dollars. However, this money was not intended for investment in resources, but rather for investment elsewhere.

Where to invest? Hong Kong!

Kazuo Tsukamoto was a former officer of the Kwantung Army who committed numerous crimes in the Central Plains. However, he was also very aware of the terror of the people of the Central Plains and knew the terrifying power they could unleash when they were awake.

So even though he was in Japan, Kazuo Tsukamoto was always paying attention to the development of Central China. He saw things more clearly than many people in China. He knew that Central China had extremely vigorous vitality, but because of the lack of capital, its economic potential could not be fully realized.

Investing in the Central Plains at this time and using the power of capital to control its economic lifeline would be the best opportunity. However, the problem is that the Central Plains is extremely wary of foreign investment, and it is impossible to control its economy in the same way that other countries do.

Fortunately, there was another back door to enter: Hong Kong. By investing in Hong Kong before its return to China, the Tsukamoto Group could ride the wave of the Central Plains' rapid development.

Of course, he also had to cooperate with those guys on some things during this period, but it didn't matter, it didn't affect his overall situation, it was just something he did as a matter of course.

Feeling insulted at his intelligence, the shadowy figure didn't know how to refute the other party, so he could only say in a half-threatening tone: "Anyway, I will continue to keep an eye on you. Forget about the sword and saber thing. If you mess up that thing too, I will deal with you myself."

After saying that, the shadowy figure slipped away through the crack in the door of the Japanese-style room.

Kazuo Tsukamoto sneered. These guys may be incredibly powerful, but in the end they are still human. And humans must act according to certain rules. As long as there are rules, they can be manipulated.

After waiting a while and confirming that the shadowy figure had left, Kazuo Tsukamoto was about to call back the two women in kimonos to continue enjoying himself when a voice came from outside the tatami room: "Mr. Tsukamoto, may I come in?"

Kazuo Tsukamoto quickly straightened his clothes, which he had messed up while playing, and said to the person outside the door, "Miss Isayama, please come in."

Isayama Yomi opened the door to the Japanese-style room, went inside, and looked around. Finding nothing there, she frowned slightly. She asked Tsukamoto Kazuo, "Mr. Tsukamoto, I just sensed something unusual. Is something happening here?"

Isayama Yomi's intuition (sensing spiritual power) is extremely high. Just now, when the shadowy figure left, it leaked a tiny trace of its aura, which Isayama Yomi sensed, which is why she came to check.

"A strange aura? What is that? I don't know... I was a little sleepy just now and wanted to take a nap, so I didn't sense anything."

Kazuo Tsukamoto feigned ignorance.

When Yomi Isayama heard Tsukamoto Kazuo say this, and since she hadn't really noticed anything unusual, she could only bow to Tsukamoto Kazuo and say, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest, Mr. Tsukamoto."

Kazuo Tsukamoto smiled kindly and said, "Not at all, Miss Isayama. With your conscientious and responsible attitude, I feel very reassured to entrust my personal safety to you."

Isayama Yomi gave a dry laugh.

As the saying goes, "You can't hit a smiling face," although the old man in front of me had a terrible reputation and a very immoral private life, his attitude towards me was impeccable, which made it difficult for Isayama Yomi to give him a cold look.

"If Miss Isayama hasn't discovered anything, please allow this old man to rest a bit. I'm getting old, my energy isn't what it used to be, and I need to rest more."

Kazuo Tsukamoto addressed the Yomi-do of Isayama.

Nonsense, you were just with two women...

Although Yomi Isayama was still unmarried, she was not completely ignorant. Living in a country like Japan, even a high school girl would become quite familiar with certain things through exposure to the world. Yomi Isayama naturally knew very well what Kazuo Tsukamoto had been doing in the Japanese-style room.

But as a bodyguard, she couldn't interfere in such matters, so she could only say, "I understand, Mr. Tsukamoto. If you notice anything unusual, please inform me immediately, and I will come to protect you."

Kazuo Tsukamoto smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will. Although I'm quite old, I still value my life."

Isayama Yomi nodded. Outside the Japanese-style building, besides her, there were at least four teams of well-equipped bodyguards constantly patrolling. There were also at least five very powerful auras hidden in the shadows, who looked like martial artists. Not to mention that this building owned by the Tsukamoto Group had extremely strict access control, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to sneak in.

The security measures have been taken to this extent; this old man is certainly not someone who values ​​his life too much. Of course, it could also be that he has done too many bad things and is afraid of death.

After Isayama Yomi took his leave, Tsukamoto Kazuo gave a smug smile.

On the one hand, he enjoyed the protection of these official sorcerers, and on the other hand, he secretly cooperated with the "Nine Chrysanthemums School," the biggest scourge in the Japanese sorcery world. This life of being able to please both sides was one of the things that Tsukamoto Kazuo was most proud of.

"Hong Kong, I really want to go there soon. There, I find women from the Central Plains!"

Kazuo Tsukamoto reminisced.

....................................

Under Lai Sheng Lei's arrangement, Yu Xue didn't even have the chance to spend a night with Li Xin before being quickly assigned to work at a Zhongyuan Restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown.

The restaurant not only provided room and board, but also had staff from the Central Plains, so Yu Xue could stay there with peace of mind, working and living while learning Japanese.

According to Kisei Rui, as long as Yu Xue can learn Japanese, she can arrange other better jobs for Yu Xue, which motivates Yu Xue and makes her even more grateful to Kisei Rui.

(Later Life Loves to Pout: You silly little fool who got sold out and still counts the money for the seller...)

After resolving Yu Xue's matter, Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief. Since he was temporarily out of work, Li Xin could only focus more on practicing his skills. Just then, Yi Tianxun gave Li Xin the sword manual for the "Eight Forms of Famous Swords" and one sword move, so Li Xin began to practice his swordsmanship according to the manual.

Li Xin learned the first seven moves of the "Eight Forms of the Famous Sword" almost instantly (Yi Tianxun coughed up blood), but he struggled with the eighth move for half a day without any success, and finally had to give up temporarily.

Just as Yi Tianxun said, mastering this eighth move requires both opportunity and comprehension, and Li Xin doesn't have either of those yet, so he can only put it aside for now.

The other sword move recorded in the sword manual, although it had a specific method of practice and did not require self-comprehension, was something Li Xin quickly discovered he could not master after practicing it for a while.

No, to be precise, Li Xin has already learned the sword move, but he can't use it because his skill level is not high enough. Perhaps he will only be able to use that sword move when he reaches the seventh or even eighth level of the Mingyu Gong. If he uses it rashly without sufficient skill, it will only backfire and injure himself. Perhaps this is why Yi Tianxun's father went mad.

"It seems I still need to work harder on my internal strength!"

Li Xin murmured.

The more Li Xin practiced, the more he realized that internal strength was the foundation of all martial arts. The reason he learned martial arts so quickly was not only because of his talent, but also because of his profound internal strength. When internal strength is profound enough, any martial art can be learned with ease.

However, internal strength training is not easy to master. It is tedious and boring, which is the main theme of internal strength training. Therefore, few young people can settle down and practice internal strength. It is only after they get older that they realize the benefits of internal strength and then they put in the hard work to improve it.

Li Xin, however, was different. He initially practiced the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill." Driven by the special properties of the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill," Li Xin had to practice his internal energy diligently every day, which led him to develop the habit of spending a lot of time on internal energy cultivation each day. Li Xin retained this habit when practicing the "Mingyu Skill," which is why his "Mingyu Skill" progressed so quickly.

However, after reaching the sixth level of the Mingyu Gong, the progress slowed down significantly. Li Xin was not surprised by this, knowing that the sixth to seventh level was a hurdle that was difficult to overcome. Once overcome, the Mingyu Gong would undergo a major transformation.

So, we still need to practice!

"Brother Ashin!"

Yu Xue's voice came from below. Li Xin looked down from the rooftop and saw Yu Xue waving at him.

Without saying a word, Li Xin jumped off the rooftop and easily arrived in front of Yu Xue.

Yu Xue was startled when Li Xin suddenly jumped down. This was the fourth floor, a height that could kill someone from a fall, although the chances of dying from the fall were slim.

"Brother Ashin, you scared me to death!"

Yu Xue shouted loudly.

Li Xin smiled and said to Xue, "Your brother Xin is a special consultant for the security company. This little bit of height is nothing to be surprised about."

Li Xin is now quite used to his role as a special consultant for the security company. He has even officially registered his name in the security company that Lai Shenglei bought. However, it's just a nominal position; there's no guaranteed salary. He'll be paid based on the work he does, just like when he worked for Lai Shenglei before, except this time it's paid through the company's accounts.

"You still need to be careful, what if you get hurt!"

Yu Xue gave Li Xin a reproachful look, then handed him a bento box: "Here, Brother Xin, this is a bento box I prepared for you. I made all the dishes inside; they are dishes I just learned!"

Besides learning Japanese, Yu Xue also learned how to cook at that restaurant. She already had some basic cooking skills, but without a master chef, her skills were just average. Now that she was working at the restaurant, her talent for cooking was unexpectedly discovered, which was quite a pleasant surprise.

Chapter 107 Ordinary Daily Life

On the third floor, in Li Xin's residence, he opened the bento box Yu Xue had made and, looking at the sumptuous meal inside, said to Yu Xue, "Xiao Xue, thank you for coming all this way to bring me this bento box..."

Yu Xue laughed and said, "It's not as far as you say, Brother Xin. I didn't walk; I came by car!"

Yokohama and Tokyo are adjacent, only about 30 kilometers apart. There are buses and subways from Yokohama to Tokyo, and it only takes half an hour to get there. Even the bento that Xue sent to Li Xin was still warm.

Li Xin smiled slightly and said to Xue, "By the way, Xue, what brings you here to see me today? I remember your restaurant was quite busy, wasn't it?"

Yu Xue smiled and said, "No matter how busy you are, you still need to rest! Today is my day off, and my boss let me come out to have some fun. I was thinking of coming to see you, Brother A-Xin. Aren't you off today too, Brother A-Xin?"

What else could Li Xin say? He couldn't very well say that he did this every day, could he? That would make him look like an unemployed bum.

"Hmm, hmm, that's true."

Li Xin silently ate his rice.

After finishing his bento, Li Xin looked Yu Xue up and down and saw that she was still wearing the same simple clothes as before. After thinking for a moment, he said to Yu Xue, "Come on, Xiao Xue, let me take you to buy clothes."

"Huh? Buying clothes?"

Yu Xue was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook her head and said, "No, no, Brother Xin, I have enough clothes!"

After saying that, Yu Xue muttered under her breath, "And the clothes here are so expensive..."

Yes, it's obvious that Yu Xue wants to buy clothes. What girl her age doesn't enjoy shopping for clothes? She's just afraid of spending money.

Although Secretary Wang sent Yu Xue some money when she came to Japan (after all, it was he who suggested that Yu Xue go to Japan to work), and her family also gave her some money, and her workplace provided food and accommodation and paid a very good hourly wage, the problem is that the cost of living in Tokyo and the Tokyo metropolitan area is so high. How could someone like Yu Xue, who came from a small county, be willing to spend money here?

Li Xin was the same way. He was reluctant to buy clothes for himself. At most, he would buy a similar one when his clothes were torn. If the torn clothes were not too bad, he could continue to wear them after they were patched up.

However, Li Xin could compromise himself, but he absolutely could not let Secretary Wang's niece suffer. So Li Xin pulled Yu Xue and said, "Come on, Xiao Xue, let's go buy clothes!"

"Hey, Ashin!"

Yu Xue was pulled outside by Li Xin.

....................................

Inside a department store in Tokyo, Ai Kisugi is shopping with Natsumi Azuki, whom she hasn't seen in a long time.

Although Ai Kisei has multiple identities, including student, "Cat's Eye," the top disciple of "Shiranui-ryu Ninjutsu," and president of a security company, she is still just a sixteen-year-old girl who loves to play and go shopping. So on this rare day off, she went to the mall with her friend, Natsuki Ayatsuki, to buy clothes.

Summer is here, so girls always need to change into some cool and nice casual clothes, and they should definitely have one or two swimsuits on hand. It's a matter of etiquette for girls!

"Xiao Ai, what do you think of this one?"

Inside the clothing store, Ayatsuki Nata tried on a piece of clothing and asked about her future love.

After many days, Ayatsuki Natsumi has completely emerged from the shadow of the serial killer and has become lively again. It was Ayatsuki Natsumi who suggested going out to buy clothes on her day off.

"It looks great, why don't you try it on?"

"I love you in the next life," she said with a smile.

Girls often like to buy clothes in groups because they want to get other people's opinions, since clothes are worn for others to see, not for themselves.

Having received Ai's approval, Ayatsuki Natsumi nodded vigorously: "Okay, I'll go to the changing room to change. Ai, wait for me!"

Holding her new clothes, Ayatsuki Natsumi excitedly went to change, only to find that someone was already inside when she lifted the curtain of the changing room.

You're kidding! How can someone so small be so big!

Ayatsuki's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

While Yu Xue was changing clothes in the locker room, the curtain was suddenly lifted, causing her to scream. Ayatsuki Nazaki, realizing she had caused trouble, immediately lowered the curtain and repeatedly said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know there was anyone inside! I'm so sorry!"

Hearing the scream, Li Xin, who was holding an ice cream, quickly entered the clothing store and asked in front of the fitting room, "Xiaoxue, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, Ashin, I'm fine! Please wait a moment, I'll get dressed right away!"

Yu Xue hurriedly said.

Hearing Yu Xue say that everything was alright, Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief. Then he saw that Kisei Ai and Aya Tsuna were also in the clothing store. He exclaimed in surprise, "Ai, Miss Tsuna, you're here too!"

This was the first time Ayatsuki Natsumi had seen Li Xin, who had changed so much. She was very surprised that such a handsome man knew her, and that she had no memory of him at all. It wasn't until Ai-chan asked Li Xin, "Brother Xin, what are you doing here?"

"Brother Ashin?"

Ayatsuki Natsumi stared wide-eyed, completely unable to connect the current Li Xin with the Li Xin who had just arrived in Japan.

It's probably just a coincidence of names, but the problem is, the other person seems to know me. Could he really be Ashin?

Ayatsuki's mind was buzzing.

While Li Xin is indeed very handsome now, the problem is that she prefers muscular men. She already had this preference, and it became even stronger after encountering that serial killer in Shinjuku. Only muscular men like Li Xin could give her enough sense of security.

Not noticing Ayatsuki's absent-mindedness, Li Xin explained to Kisei Ai, "I came with Xiaoxue to buy clothes."

"Oh, that's Xiaoxue inside!"

In the next life, Ai suddenly realized that although she had never met Yu Xue, she knew that Li Xin had a relative visiting, and that the play before was specifically performed for Yu Xue.

Just as the two finished speaking, Yu Xue, who had changed into a sky-blue short-sleeved shirt and light-colored jeans, walked out of the dressing room with a flushed face. She said to Aya Tsukino, "Please have some."

Although she has only been in Japan for a short time, Yu Xue has been studying Japanese diligently. In addition, she is naturally intelligent, so she has already mastered some simple daily expressions in Japanese and can understand some Japanese. For example, she was able to understand when Ayatsuki Natsumi apologized to her.

Ayatsuki Nazuna looked very embarrassed. She bowed to Yu Xue and said, "I'm sorry about earlier. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even notice there were people inside..."

Ayatsuki Natsumi spoke too quickly, and Yu Xue couldn't quite understand her. She could only look at Li Xin, who translated what Ayatsuki Natsumi had said. Yu Xue immediately replied, "It's okay."

Giving Yu Xue an apologetic look, Ayatsuki Natsumi ran into the dressing room as if fleeing for her life, while Kisugi Ai looked at Li Xin and asked, "Brother Xin, are you and Xiaoxue here to buy clothes?"

Li Xin nodded: "Xiaoxue doesn't have many casual clothes, so I thought I'd take advantage of today being a day off to bring her to buy some clothes. I went to buy her ice cream while she was changing, and when I came back, I heard her scream, so I rushed over. So what exactly happened?"

Kiyoshi Ai told Li Xin with a smile about how Ayatsuki Nata accidentally lifted the curtain of the changing room. Li Xin looked at Yu Xue's flushed face and couldn't help but smile as he handed her an ice cream: "Here, Xue, ice cream to cool you down."