Evening, at a Chinese restaurant in Ginza.
Lin Baicheng brought Maoli Haruko and invited the three department heads of Zhiyin Manga Publishing Company for dinner. The goal was to get to know one another and casually chat.
The three department heads were named Koyama Yuta, Egaran Kirigi, and Kinoshita Kazuhito. Aside from Koyama, who was not yet forty, the other two were around fifty and had worked at the company for many years.
The five of them ate and talked.
After dinner, while resting, Lin Baicheng finally spoke to the three, "What are your thoughts on the company's development? How do you think we should move forward? This is just casual conversation—speak freely. There's no right or wrong, so feel free to say whatever you think."
Koyama, Egaran, and Kinoshita exchanged glances. They all knew this wasn't just small talk. The new boss was clearly assessing them to see whether any of them were suitable to become the company's president.
The three hesitated. Each had their own vision for the company, but they didn't know what the new boss's opinion might be. If their ideas clashed with his, they could be immediately ruled out, giving the other two an advantage.
Under such circumstances, it wasn't wise to speak first. But speaking first also came with an advantage—if their thoughts aligned with the boss's, they'd stand out.
Maoli Haruko gave a subtle hint: "The Chairman is optimistic about both the manga market and the real estate market here in RB. He plans to inject nearly 3 billion yen into the company. So please, share your thoughts on how the company should grow."
The three were surprised—none of them expected the new owner to invest more money than the company was worth.
"Since the two seniors insist, I'll speak first," Koyama said after a brief pause.
"Chairman, Assistant Maoli—personally, I believe that for a manga publishing company, the most important thing is having high-quality, long-running serialized works. The company must have strong titles of its own. So I think we should frequently host competitions for new manga artists, raise prize money, attract new talent, and discover more excellent works."
"Besides that, in terms of distribution, I don't think we should overly rely on third-party distributors. The company should establish its own sales channels—buy storefronts in major cities and operate them directly. In larger cities, we should focus on self-operated stores; in smaller towns and rural areas, we should partner with distributors—both strategies combined."
"And lastly, we should develop related merchandise: anime series, animated films, toys and models, snacks and collectibles, music and image products—diversifying as much as possible to maximize profits."
"This approach requires significant upfront investment, but with the Chairman's planned financial support, we can implement these step by step based on priority and steadily strengthen the company."
"Very well said."
Inwardly, Lin Baicheng was satisfied—Koyama's development plan was largely aligned with his own. But he didn't praise him out loud, instead waiting to hear from the other two.
Egaran spoke next: "Chairman, I personally believe that distribution channels are even more important than content. As long as we own a nationwide sales network, writers and artists will naturally come to us. Therefore, I think the company should prioritize building distribution channels across all of RB."
Lin Baicheng silently shook his head. Channels were important, but creating a nationwide network required enormous capital. Without strong works to generate revenue through those channels, they would instead become a burden, bleeding the company dry.
The right way was to develop both content and distribution simultaneously, supporting one another.
Kinoshita's view was similar to Koyama's but leaned toward working with established artists rather than discovering new ones—commissioning works from well-known creators for guaranteed quality. Regarding distribution, he believed buying property for stores wasn't necessary—renting was sufficient, which would allow faster expansion of the network.
Kinoshita's ideas were not bad, but Lin Baicheng preferred Koyama's vision, and his decision was made.
However, he didn't announce it just yet. Instead, he changed the subject and chatted about other things.
The three department heads, though curious about whom he favored, didn't push further and kept their thoughts to themselves.
Around 10 PM, they left the restaurant.
Outside, the three department heads said their goodbyes and departed.
Lin Baicheng signaled for Maoli Haruko to walk with him. The two strolled along the bustling streets of Ginza, bodyguards following behind.
Side by side, Lin Baicheng turned to her and asked, "Haruko, in your opinion, which of the three is most suitable to be president of Zhiyin Manga?"
"All three are capable, but in terms of development strategy, Minister Koyama's plan aligns more closely with your vision, Chairman," she replied. She didn't state it explicitly, but the implication was clear.
"Seems we share the same view. I also favor Koyama Yuta as company president."
Lin Baicheng nodded slightly and continued, "For the company's self-operated stores—aside from selling manga, they should also sell merchandise like toys. So the store spaces should be slightly larger to accommodate both manga and related products."
This way, even though the initial investment would be higher, a single distribution network could be used to sell any future product as soon as it launched.
Of course, the products must match the channel's positioning—puzzle cubes and toys were fine, game consoles too, but large household appliances definitely not.
"Understood, Chairman," Maoli Haruko responded.
Afterward, the two walked around Ginza a bit more, chatted for a while, then Lin Baicheng sent Haruko home before returning to his hotel.
The next day, Lin Baicheng officially announced that Koyama Yuta would serve as the company president. He also spoke to Egaran and Kinoshita individually, reassuring them and encouraging them to continue working steadily in the company.
In truth, even without reassurance, the two wouldn't resign. At their age, what they valued most was stability. Without major changes, they'd likely stay with the company until retirement.