Chapter 107: Ueda Nana’s Request

Tao Zhiming walked over to the office window and stood silently for a long while, lost in thought. He only wanted to ride the wave of Kinoshita Hidekaze’s sudden wealth, hoping to buy a couple of properties nearby to maximize his returns. Getting swept up in the whirlwind of Tokyo’s land wars, however, might have been a bit too intense for him.

It turned out that Kinoshita Hidekaze valued him not because the project in Kamigami Gokuraku Town was particularly impressive—after all, he had no real plans to develop that land. The 1.5 billion yen loan, given his own capabilities, was not something Tao Zhiming would fail to repay. The annual consulting fee of 52 million yen was evidently for this very matter.

Takeda Manufacturing currently owned two parcels of land. The one under scrutiny had already been mortgaged to Mitsubishi for 3 billion yen. Now facing financial difficulties, they wanted to use the new factory site as collateral, but due to special circumstances, Takeda Takanobu found all sorts of excuses to refuse. Borrowing from private lenders would entail higher financing costs than banks, and Takanobu was still diligently meeting the banks’ various “credit requirements.”

When a real estate company proposed to buy the land, Takeda Takanobu, short by just 1 billion yen, refused to sell at a time when land prices were rising. At this moment, this Takeda Takanobu was likely the focal point of all the influential figures in Tokyo, yet he himself remained oblivious to the storm brewing around him.

Kinoshita Hidekaze, bold and skilled, actually intended to bypass the conglomerate behind him, using Tao Zhiming as a glove to secretly complete the acquisition and secure a valuable bargaining chip.

Standing by the window, gazing out over Tokyo, Tao Zhiming gradually began to understand. After the market settled post-April, he should have some capital and could dive in to ride the waves.

“Brother Hidekaze… hasn’t anyone bought the leasehold rights on that land first?” Tao Zhiming asked.

Kinoshita Hidekaze came to his side and said gravely, “Before the Japan National Railways privatization reform surfaced, no one thought to do anything with the land. Plus, Takeda Manufacturing was developing normally back then. It was only because of insufficient factory space that the plan to invest in a new plant was made. There was no extra land available to lease out for housing.”

Tao Zhiming nodded.

Given the current land prices in Minato Ward, if it were full ownership, the price per square meter had already exceeded one million yen. The house owned by Tao Daluo was much cheaper because it was under leasehold rights. This was a peculiarity of Japan’s land system.

“That makes things difficult,” Tao Zhiming said, turning to Kinoshita Hidekaze. “He only needs one billion yen, but your goal is to acquire the entire plot.”

“So I thought maybe you’d come up with something unexpected,” Kinoshita revealed without hesitation. “If you can get it, and want to avoid the ensuing disputes, you can immediately transfer it to me. Whatever you pay, I’ll pay you double the very day you succeed!”

Tao Zhiming pondered for a moment, then smiled wryly. “So, under the guise of opening a dance hall, secretly handle this? That’s hard to do without attracting attention!”

“I trust you’ll find a way. Neither I nor my trusted aides can appear publicly.”

“Let me think it over carefully. This isn’t something that needs to be rushed,” Tao Zhiming said, glancing at the documents on the tea table. “Can I take those materials with me?”

“As long as you keep them confidential,” Kinoshita said, eyeing him intently. “That much I trust you with.”

...

After leaving Kamigami Real Estate, Tao Zhiming called Yusuke Obata on his cell phone. After some time, Obata returned the call.

Tao Zhiming teased, “Getting pretty good at using that pager of yours, huh?”

Obata’s pager had been a reward from the Hokushirokai for the recent tip-off Tao Zhiming had given about his connection to Shana Ueda. After all, behind Masahiro Ueda, there were some very special powers.

“... Tao-kun, stop joking. What’s up with the sudden contact?” Obata’s voice was tense.

“Have you received any new orders recently?”

Tao Zhiming asked because earlier that day, Hiroshi Omiya had a peculiar reaction when he heard him mention Yamamoto Akihito. He had specifically mentioned something about the prestigious Tao family, likely linking it to Masahiro Ueda and the Japanese aristocracy.

“Now that you mention it, yes,” Obata responded honestly. “I was told to keep an eye on your interactions with a University of Tokyo professor named Akihito Yamamoto.”

“So I thought. When the time is right, you’ll receive intelligence to report back,” Tao Zhiming said thoughtfully. “Obata, keep an eye on whether Hokushirokai has any plans targeting a Minato Ward factory called Takeda Manufacturing.”

“Takeda Manufacturing? Why?”

“Don’t get involved. Just watch whether there are any plans against them. If there are, tell me first, and I’ll decide what to do. Don’t let anyone find out you’re monitoring this. If such plans exist, the people involved will be among the most capable of your group.”

Obata said gravely, “Got it!”

“That’s all for now.”

After hanging up, Tao Zhiming left the secluded alley and got into a taxi home. Having spent the entire day at Kamigami Real Estate, the picture of Tokyo’s land war surrounding the JNR privatization reform had become much clearer to him.

More importantly, he had uncovered a crucial battleground. The old Takeda Manufacturing factory site, a small plot of just over 3,000 square meters, now held such significance because it bordered the Shiodome freight transfer yard.

...

For three days straight, Tao Zhiming gave no response to Kinoshita Hidekaze.

In the Financial Sword Research Room, Yosuke Ueno—who had come after meeting Hayu Hayashi—kept showing up after Tao’s lectures.

Tao Zhiming cast him a disdainful glance. “I’ve told you, why do you keep coming here? If you have free time, why not work at a bookstore? Hanging around there, you’d still meet pretty girls buying books.”

“... I won’t tell Rena-san you said that,” Ueno said with a hint of frustration. “But both Shana Ueda and Senpai Kobayashi often come here. Daluo, how do you manage that?”

“We’re all innocent!” Tao snapped. “Or is it that you’re so starved because I haven’t taken you out for a while?”

“Want to go?” Ueno’s eyes lit up.

“Screw you,” Tao waved a hand. “If you want to relive old times, Miho Yanagawa or Risa Tomizawa—your call. You have their numbers. One call and done. I’m busy!”

“... Right, you’ve got Rena-san now,” Ueno sighed. “Why is it that ever since you came back from the dead, all the girls you know are so beautiful?”

Ueno looked envious.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

“What do you mean, ‘came back from the dead’?”

“Ah, Miss Ueda!” Ueno jumped up.

“Knock before you come in, Shana-sensei. Don’t you pay attention to such things?” Tao Zhiming said bluntly.

Shana Ueda looked at Ueno curiously. “What exactly does ‘came back from the dead’ mean?”

Ueno glanced at Tao, unsure whether to explain. Moreover, he wasn’t sure if she had overheard the talk about “reliving old times” and Miho Yanagawa.

“Go get a job!” Tao said firmly. “Don’t forget the test!”

Ueno breathed a sigh of relief and slipped away quickly.

Shana Ueda ignored him and still looked curious. “What does he mean by you ‘coming back from the dead’?”

“Shana-sensei!” Tao closed the screen showing information about the tape industry before turning. “That’s an embarrassing past of mine. Are you really that interested in me?”

“...” Shana studied him for a moment, then suddenly said, “Daluo, you once said if I helped you resolve your office issues, you’d repay me handsomely. Now, can you tell me how you plan to repay me?”

Tao Zhiming was taken aback. “I don’t want to give you gifts, and buying you dinner doesn’t count. You’re asking suddenly—don’t tell me you think just telling you about my past embarrassments will do?”

Shana shook her head, her expression unusually serious. “Tell me when you want to. What I want to ask about is something else.”

“... If it’s complicated, I’m pretty busy,” Tao said, thinking of the unresolved dance hall location and the Takeda Manufacturing matter, shaking his head.

“I already taught you swordsmanship!” Shana snapped.

“You’re the vice president of the kendo club! So many people admire and like you—can’t anyone help you out?”

Shana looked at him, pouting. After a long moment, she said, “You really need me to praise you before you’ll listen?”