Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 272 Sumitomo Family

On the winding mountain road leading to Karuizawa.

Yoshio Sumitomo, the direct heir of the Sumitomo family, leaned back in the back seat of the car, his gaze passing over the regularly swinging windshield wipers and looking at the winding mountain road ahead in the rain and mist.

Seventeen-year-old Takamichi Sumitomo sat beside his father. The eldest grandson of the Sumitomo family wore a dark uniform, his hands resting flat on his lap. His gaze frequently drifted to the deep green pine forest rushing past the car window in the rain and mist, his fingers unconsciously clenching and unclenching in his hands.

The carriage was filled with the low-frequency vibration of the engine.

Yoshifu's gaze at the winding mountain road outside the window broke the silence inside the carriage.

"The Baishui Society has been quite restless lately."

Longdao turned his head. He had also noticed something unusual about the group in the past few days.

"Is it because of the Ministry of Finance's 'Total Regulations'?" Longdao lowered his voice. "With the banks closing their lending channels, the loans they blindly approved in the real estate sector should already be unmanageable on paper."

Fangfu nodded slightly.

"I had someone check the records. They're in a rush to balance their books and are transferring billions of dollars in bad debts to newly registered shell companies."

"This kind of trickery can't be kept secret forever; sooner or later, it will attract the attention of the Special Investigation Department. Sumitomo's century-old reputation cannot be allowed to be buried along with these short-sighted managers. We must purge them out before the scandal fully explodes."

Longdao looked into his father's eyes and quickly sorted out the current situation in his mind.

The Bai Shui Society holds the actual decision-making power, and relying solely on their marginalized family bloodline, they are simply powerless to carry out personnel purges.

(The Hakusuikai was the core leadership and decision-making body of the Sumitomo Group, composed of the presidents (general managers) of its core companies. However, after World War II, the Allied Command (GHQ) forcibly dissolved the zaibatsu. The Sumitomo family's shares were diluted and stripped, and family members were prohibited from holding positions in core companies. Therefore, the Sumitomo family did not actually hold power.)

He glanced at the black leather briefcase placed at his father's feet. He hadn't been informed of this trip beforehand. He only knew that his father had come out of his grandfather's study and taken him directly to the car.

Could it be that the family is planning to... seize power?

"So, this is why we're looking for the Saionji family this time?" Ryudo met his father's gaze. "To borrow the Saionji family's vast funds to fill the financial hole, and then use their knife to cut out the cancerous tumor in the Hakusui-kai."

Fangfu looked at his son, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

"Looking at Tokyo today, only the Saionji family can do both of these things at the same time."

Fangfu turned his head and his gaze lingered on his son's young face.

"The de facto head of the Saionji family, the young lady. She's also seventeen this year."

Longdao's breathing was slightly sluggish.

Political marriage.

For heirs of these large families, marriage was a bargaining chip for exchanging benefits, something he had accepted since he was old enough to understand.

But...the other party is Saionji...do you expect me to do something like this?

"During the Meiji era, Saionji Kinmochi's younger brother was adopted into our Sumitomo main family," Yoshio said calmly. "Given this bloodline connection forged by our elders, if your generation can make the two families 'one family' again based on this collaboration, then no manager in the world will be able to shake the foundation of Sumitomo."

Longdao lowered his head and looked at his hands on his knees.

"...I understand, Father."

"I will do my best."

"Be careful when dealing with her," Fangfu reminded him. "But there's no rush. Let me finalize the basis for our cooperation first, and then we'll find another opportunity to meet."

"Tonight, just observe more and speak less. Figure out their background first, then act accordingly."

Longdao nodded solemnly.

The car drove onto a gentle, straight road through the woods. In the rain and mist ahead, the dark wooden outline of Tingsong Villa was faintly visible.

……

Listening Pine Villa. Living room.

Raindrops pounded incessantly against the large floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors.

Shuichi, dressed in a dark gray casual kimono, sat at a long rosewood table. He held a thick financial report in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, as he read through it by the warm light of a floor lamp.

Satsuki leaned back in the wicker rocking chair to her side. Ever since she tried wearing oversized T-shirts at home, she couldn't go back. Today, she was wearing that same white oversized T-shirt, her legs casually curled up in the chair. She held the gray-white Game Boy handheld console in her hand, pressing buttons idly.

The past few days of rest have allowed her to recover most of her health. The paleness has faded, and color has returned to her cheeks. Only a trace of fatigue still lingers in the corners of her eyes.

She gave a very slight yawn and pressed the pause button.

Just then, soft footsteps echoed down the corridor.

The shoji door was opened by the butler, Fujita Tsuyoshi.

"Young lady, head of the family." Fujita Tsuyoshi bowed slightly, breaking the silence in the room. "Mr. Yoshio of the Sumitomo main family, along with his eldest son, requests an audience outside the door."

Shuichi paused, his fingers flipping through the briefing. He looked up and glanced at the clock on the wall.

It's 11 p.m.

Arriving at someone's door at this time without even a prior phone call is considered extremely impolite in the strictly regulated social interactions among powerful families.

Shuichi's brows furrowed tightly, and a clear hint of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"People from the Sumitomo family? Coming to Karuizawa in the middle of the night?" He threw the briefing on the table, his tone somewhat somber.

Satsuki placed the handheld console she was holding on the soft cushion beside her. She reached out and gently rubbed her still slightly sore neck.

"Let them in," Satsuki said languidly. "To be so shameless as to brave the pouring rain and rush up the mountain overnight, there must be some serious trouble in Kansai."

Shuichi sighed. He didn't get up to change into formal attire for receiving guests.

Normally, when receiving a tycoon of equal status, he would have changed into a formal crested haori and hakama. But tonight, the other party's abrupt late-night visit had crossed the line of etiquette. Moreover, although Yoshio held the title of direct heir to the Sumitomo family, he had long been completely sidelined by the professional managers of the "Hakusuikai" within the Sumitomo Group and had no real business decision-making power.

To receive a former noble family that lacked real power and acted rudely, wearing a casual kimono was a way to express the Saionji family's dissatisfaction with such abrupt behavior, while also remaining within the bounds of their status as old aristocratic friends meeting privately.

He casually straightened the hem of his kimono and sat down again at the long table.

The camphor tree gate was opened again.

Yoshio and Takamichi stepped into the living room.

They had already taken off their shoes and put on white tabi socks outside in the corridor.

Even when desperate and seeking help, the heir of a family that has been passed down for four hundred years still maintains a meticulous and dignified demeanor in every gesture.

The two walked to the guest seats opposite the long table. Yoshio knelt steadily on the tatami mat with his knees together. Takamichi sat down next to his father, his posture upright.

Their eyes met.

Yoshio looked at Shuichi, who was dressed in a casual kimono, and Satsuki, who was sitting in the shade wearing a plain white T-shirt. He placed his hands flat on his knees and bowed his head deeply.

"Mr. Shuichi. I am truly sorry for arriving so late at night without permission." Yoshio's voice was calm and steady, his speech slow and deliberate, carrying obvious apology. "The villa is peaceful, and our abrupt visit has disturbed your and Miss Satsuki's rest. Please forgive our rudeness."

Xiuyi picked up the teacup on the table.

"Mountain roads are difficult to traverse on rainy nights." Shuichi's tone was calm, with a hint of scrutiny in his words. "Brother Yoshio rushed all the way from Kansai to Karuizawa overnight, without even waiting to make a phone call. He must have encountered some urgent matter."

He put down his teacup with a slight effort, making a soft sound.

"Please sit down."

Fangfu straightened up.

He didn't engage in polite small talk; at this point in time, any unnecessary chatter would only further erode the other person's patience.

He placed a sandalwood box that he always carried with him on the table.

The surface of rosewood is covered with fine, hair-like grain. After a hundred years of oxidation, the wood has taken on a deep purplish-black hue.

Fangfu reached out and untied the silk ribbons on the outside of the brocade box. He then lifted the wooden lid.

He took out a yellowed old-fashioned letter from the brocade box.

"Mr. Shuichi."

"Please allow me to apologize again for my intrusion at this late hour. In order not to disturb your rest, I will get straight to the point."

Yoshifu held the letter, its edges slightly brittle, in both hands and pushed it to the center of the smooth tabletop.

"This letter was written by Lord Saionji Kinmochi to your younger brother, Sumitomo Tomozuke, the fifteenth head of our Sumitomo family."

Xiu Yi lowered his eyes and glanced at the private seal.

"The blood ties forged between the two families by their elders are still carefully preserved by the Sumitomo main family." Yoshio placed his hands flat on his knees. "I have come tonight with great difficulty, hoping that the Saionji family can lend a helping hand out of consideration for the friendship between our ancestors."

Shuichi picked up the teacup on the table and glanced at Takamichi beside him.

Bringing the heir along is also a political signal...

"The Sumitomo family has a deep-rooted history," Shuichi said calmly. "Brother Yoshio rushed to Karuizawa late at night with a letter. He must have encountered some difficulties."

"Exactly."

Yoshifu turned around and opened the black briefcase beside him. He took out a thick, top-secret file and handed it forward with both hands.

"It's a bit embarrassing to say, but those managers at Hakusui-kai are ruining Sumitomo's business."

Yoshio straightened up. He released his hands from handing over the file, placed them on his knees, and met Shuichi's gaze.

"After the Ministry of Finance cut off loans, in order to cover up the investment black hole in real estate projects over the past few years, they used peripheral trading companies such as Itoman to forge a large number of fund transfer records."

He pointed to the file.

"Here are internal documents detailing Sumitomo executives' alleged mishandling of accounts, as well as signed records of large-scale fund transfers. Each of these documents could legally constitute breach of trust and falsification of financial statements."

Yoshio looked at Shuichi.

"This clumsy cover-up will collapse sooner or later. The day the Special Investigation Department intervenes, the reputation of the entire Sumitomo zaibatsu will be utterly destroyed."

"I urge the Saionji family to use this evidence to pressure the Ministry of Finance or the Special Investigation Department, forcing the current powerful figures in the Hakusuikai to resign en masse."

Yoshifu took a deep breath.

"Once these managers relinquish their power, a huge funding gap will appear on Sumitomo Bank's books. I need the Saionji family to provide a massive transfer of US dollars to fill this bad debt hole and stabilize the situation."

"After it's done, as long as I regain control of the Sumitomo Group's board of directors..."

Yoshio leaned forward slightly, his tone solemn. Ryūdō, standing beside him, also lowered his head.

"The Sumitomo family will surely face severe retribution."

The living room fell silent.

The sound of rain pattering incessantly on the eaves outside the window.

Shuichi didn't go to get the file. He quietly held his teacup, his gaze fixed on Yoshio's face.

Longdao sat beside his father. He lowered his head slightly, but out of the corner of his eye, he tried to make out the face of the girl, who was about the same age, in the shadows of the long table. She sat there quietly the whole time, without even making a sound like her clothes rustling.

"Mr. Sumitomo."

The figure moved, and a pleasant voice rang out.

Satsuki stopped massaging the back of her neck. She leaned back in the wicker rocking chair, a trace of lingering weariness in her eyes.

"Getting the Saionji family to intervene... comes at a high price."

Yoshifu's gaze shifted to the girl in the shadows.

Satsuki tilted her head slightly, her gaze passing through the dim light to look directly at Yoshio.

"You want to use us to purge the management of the White Water Society, and then use our funds to cover the bank's bad debts. In return, you want the Sumitomo family to return to the forefront."

"Even if we help the Sumitomo family return to the forefront, you won't truly hold power. You understand that, right?"

Longdao's breath hitched. He could even feel a slight chill on the tips of his fingers.

Is the negotiation about to fall apart? The other party doesn't seem to have any intention of beating around the bush.

Satsuki remained leaning against the cushion.

"Or rather, your Sumitomo family... will become a vassal of the Saionji family. Is that alright?"

Faced with Satsuki's words, which didn't even bother to wear a cloak of hypocrisy, the living room fell into a deathly silence.

Longdao stared intently at the grain of the wooden floor, not daring to look up, his fingers unconsciously gripping the fabric at his knees.

At least for now, he sees no future where Satsuki will become his wife.

Is she really the same age as me?

Yoshio sat upright on the tatami mat, his expression unchanged.

He met Satsuki's gaze.

"Miss Saionji".

Fangfu's voice was steady.

"Even if we are controlled by the Saionji family, we must not let those short-sighted professional managers destroy Sumitomo's 400-year-old foundation."

He looked at the file on the table.

"When disaster strikes, those employees are only focused on their own escape from imprisonment. They will only do their best to protect themselves, leaving the Sumitomo family to bear the mess of huge debts and the stigma of bankruptcy."

Yoshio's gaze returned to Satsuki.

"Rather than suffer disgrace along with them, it's better to bow down to a family with deep-rooted family connections."

He paused.

"This is the most rational choice to preserve the Sumitomo name and social standing."

"This is also the common will of all direct descendants of the Sumitomo family."

"We are prepared."

The living room fell silent again.

Satsuki quietly looked at Yoshio, who was sitting opposite her.

She tilted her head slightly, a very faint smile curving her lips.

"You are such an interesting person."

Satsuki withdrew her gaze. She turned her head and looked at Shuichi, who was sitting at the head of the long table.

"Father," she said casually, "what do you think?"

Shuichi quietly held his teacup. He looked at the top-secret file on the table, his fingers lightly tracing the rim of the porcelain cup.

"Since it is a tradition left by our ancestors."

"The Saionji family will naturally not stand idly by."

Satsuki nodded slightly.

She lowered her arm from the armrest, sat up straight, and her gaze returned to Fangfu's face.

"We accept cooperation."

Yoshifu's tense shoulders relaxed imperceptibly by half an inch.

Longdao sat beside his father, slowly loosening his grip on the fabric at his knees.

Phew... It's good that this first step has been achieved.

He slightly raised his head, his gaze quickly sweeping over the girl in the shadows once more.

However, the possibility of achieving this second step seems slim.

Satsuki stretched out her fair fingers and picked up the bone china teacup that was placed on the low table beside her.

"However, as you both can see, I am currently recuperating in Karuizawa."

She held her teacup, her tone gentle.

"Specific details will be discussed with you by senior executives of the group later."

Yoshio watched as Satsuki picked up her teacup.

He didn't say another word. He put his hands on his knees and stood up.

Longdao immediately stood up as well.

The father and son bowed deeply respectfully towards the long table.

"Then we will not disturb your rest any longer."