February 3, 1988.
Ube City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
The air here felt very different from Tokyo. Instead of the dry, sharp cold of the capital, the wind carried moisture from the sea along with a faint salty smell. The sky was gray and heavy, as if it might start raining at any moment.
A black Toyota Crown slowly stopped in front of a small two-story building.
The building looked old and worn. Its white tile exterior had turned yellow from years of exposure to sea wind. Near the entrance hung a simple sign with black characters:
Ogori Shoji Co., Ltd.
"Is this really the place?"
The car door opened, and Endo stepped out. He adjusted his coat and looked at the building with a slight frown. As the CFO of Saionji Industries, he was used to dealing with enormous sums of money and high-end corporate offices. Seeing a place like this made it hard for him to understand why Satsuki had chosen it as a target.
"Yes, Managing Director," his assistant replied. "According to our investigation, this is the headquarters of President Tadashi Yanai."
Endo let out a quiet sigh.
"Headquarters… This place is smaller than one of our storage units in Ginza."
Still, he straightened his tie and walked forward.
"Let's finish this quickly. The young lady is waiting."
Inside the office, the air felt heavy and stale. The smell of cigarette smoke filled the room.
Tadashi Yanai sat behind a cluttered desk. Papers were stacked everywhere, and an ashtray full of cigarette butts sat nearby. His hair was messy, and his eyes showed clear signs of stress and lack of sleep.
Business had not been going well.
Although his first "Unique Clothing Warehouse" store had succeeded, expanding too quickly had created serious problems. Banks refused to lend money because they didn't trust his business model. Suppliers delayed shipments because his orders were not large enough. Local competitors even worked together to push him out of the market because his prices were too low.
"A bunch of narrow-minded fools…"
He crushed his cigarette into the ashtray.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," he said impatiently.
The door opened, and his secretary stepped in nervously.
"President… there are visitors from Tokyo."
"Tokyo?" Yanai frowned. "Which bank? If they're here to sell financial products, send them away."
"They're not from a bank," the secretary replied. "They said they're from Saionji Industries."
Yanai paused.
Before he could respond, Endo walked in with two assistants.
Their appearance immediately stood out. Their clothing was neat, their posture confident, and their presence carried the unmistakable aura of elite businessmen from Tokyo. Compared to them, the small office felt even more cramped and outdated.
"Nice to meet you, President Yanai," Endo said politely, handing over a business card. "I am Endo, representing the Saionji Family."
Yanai glanced at the card without standing up.
"What does a big group like yours want with a small company like mine?" he asked coldly. "If you're here to buy clothes, you're in the wrong place."
"We are not here to buy clothes," Endo replied calmly.
He pulled out a chair and sat down without hesitation.
"We are here to buy your company."
Yanai's eyes narrowed.
"Buy my company?"
"Yes."
Endo took out a document and placed it on the desk.
"S.A. Group intends to fully acquire Ogori Shoji. That includes all stores, trademarks, and your position as well."
Yanai suddenly laughed, but there was no humor in it.
He stood up abruptly, slamming both hands on the desk.
"Buy my company? Buy me too?"
"You people from Tokyo really think money can solve everything?"
His voice rose with anger.
"This company is mine! I built it myself! I have my own vision—I want to turn it into Japan's version of GAP, even something bigger! I won't become a puppet for a conglomerate!"
He pointed at the door.
"Take your money and leave!"
The room fell silent after his outburst.
But Endo remained completely calm.
Instead of reacting, he slowly took out another item.
A neatly packed box.
"President Yanai," he said, opening the box, "dreams require resources."
He placed a white T-shirt on the desk.
"This was produced in our Shanghai factory. High-quality cotton, carefully processed."
Yanai instinctively looked at it.
Even without touching it, he could tell the quality was excellent.
He hesitated for a moment, then reached out.
The moment his fingers touched the fabric, his expression changed.
The texture was thick, smooth, and far better than anything he could currently source.
"What's the wholesale price?" he asked quietly.
"Not wholesale," Endo replied.
"Production cost."
He placed a small piece of paper on the shirt.
45 yen.
Yanai froze.
"That's impossible," he said immediately.
In his experience, even low-quality materials cost several hundred yen. Something of this quality should cost much more.
"We have the most efficient production system in Asia," Endo said calmly. "We can produce as much as you need."
Then he placed two more documents on the table.
One showed a prime retail location in Shibuya.
The other detailed large-scale advertising across Tokyo.
"These are resources we can provide," Endo continued. "Low cost. Prime location. Massive exposure."
He leaned back slightly.
"Our young lady has a message for you."
"She believes you are talented."
"But you are trapped in a small place, struggling for survival."
"She doesn't want to destroy your dream."
"She wants to expand it."
Then his tone changed slightly.
"If you refuse, that is also fine."
"Next month, we will open an S-Style store in Hiroshima."
"Right across from yours."
"We will sell this same product for 300 yen."
He paused.
"How long do you think your business will last?"
The meaning was clear.
This was not a discussion.
It was a choice.
Yanai slowly sat back down.
He stared at the T-shirt and the number written on the paper.
Everything he had built… everything he believed in… was being challenged by a simple fact.
He could not compete with this level of cost and scale.
But at the same time, this was also an opportunity.
A chance to achieve what he had always dreamed of.
After several minutes of silence, he finally spoke.
"What is the name of your young lady?" he asked.
"Saionji Satsuki."
Yanai nodded.
Then he picked up a pen.
"I'll agree," he said.
"But I have one condition."
Endo gestured for him to continue.
"I want full control over operations. How to run stores, how to manage staff—that must be my decision."
Endo smiled.
"That is exactly why we came to you."
Meanwhile, in Tokyo.
Shimokitazawa.
Snow was falling lightly, but the streets were still lively.
Outside an S.A. Karaoke location, a long line of customers waited.
However, among the crowd, a group of suspicious young men moved quietly.
Their leader, a blond delinquent, spoke in a low voice.
"This is the place?"
"Yes," one of them replied. "We just need to hide this inside and then report it."
They entered the building and were given a private room.
At the same time, in a nearby car, Onizuka Toranosuke listened to a report over the phone.
"Proceed carefully," he said. "Let them understand the consequences of ignoring us."
He ended the call, confident in the plan.
But inside the karaoke building, things were already under control.
In the surveillance room, Itakura watched the screens nervously.
"They're doing it," someone said. "They're planting something in the room."
Itakura quickly called Satsuki.
"They've started!"
"Stay calm," Satsuki replied.
"Let them continue."
She had already contacted the police.
Within minutes, sirens echoed through the streets.
Police officers rushed into the building and arrested the group on the spot.
The trap had failed completely.
Instead of harming the business, the criminals were caught red-handed.
Later that night, at the Saionji residence.
Shuichi sat in the dojo, deep in thought.
Even though the situation had been handled, he knew this was only the beginning.
Satsuki sat beside him.
"The police can only handle public problems," she said. "We need our own protection."
She called in a group of seven young men.
They were all trained in martial arts and came from families loyal to the Saionji household.
"They will serve as personal guards," Satsuki explained.
"They will protect us at all times."
Shuichi looked at them carefully.
These were not ordinary employees.
They were people willing to risk their lives.
Satisfied, he nodded.
After everyone left, Satsuki remained alone.
She took out another file.
This one was different.
It contained the record of a former military officer.
Dojima Gen.
A highly skilled soldier who had been dismissed after attacking a superior officer.
The reason was simple.
He could not tolerate behavior he considered dishonorable.
Now, he worked as a laborer, rejected by society.
Satsuki studied the file carefully.
"This is the kind of person we need," she said quietly.
"Someone who believes in rules. Someone who cannot tolerate corruption."
She closed the file.
"We already have a shield."
"Now we need a spear."
She smiled slightly.
"This world is full of disorder."
"And I will decide what order looks like."
The candlelight flickered as she blew it out.
The room fell into darkness.
And a new plan quietly began to take shape.