webnovelvip Chapter 97 Sugar-Coated Poison
Chapter 97 Sugar-Coated Poison
The afternoon sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the "White Rose Pavilion," bathing the parquet floor in a golden glow. The air was filled with the rich aroma of Darjeeling tea and the buttery scent of freshly baked scones.
This is the temporary activity room of the "Rose Society," a club that Satsuki founded during her junior high school years at Seika Academy.
Although Satsuki had only recently entered high school and didn't plan to create another club with the same name, the organization was still preserved as a small group. Moreover, thanks to the Saionji family's reputation, even though the "Rose Club" didn't have any official structure, the school still granted them special permission to use this best-lit lounge during their free time.
Most of the club members from junior high school have also gone on to high school. Except for a very few students who transferred schools due to family changes, they are now basically all gathered in this lounge.
The crystal chandelier refracted tiny specks of light, which fell onto the dark blue uniform skirts of the girls.
Satsuki sat in the main seat by the window, holding a gilded bone china teacup. Her hair was not tied up today; her long, black hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, giving her an air of languid yet noble relaxation.
Amy, sitting next to her, was intently adding sugar cubes to her black tea.
She's currently on a diet and seems to be hesitating whether to add just one piece or indulge a little and add two.
"Saionji-kun, um... I heard something recently."
At that moment, Mariko Ezaki, who was sitting across the round table, suddenly lowered her voice, leaned forward, and looked mysterious.
Today, she deliberately altered the length of her uniform skirt back to normal and changed her watch to a low-key and inconspicuous style, trying her best to blend into this circle of old money.
Since the day she gave away the pink diamond, she was finally allowed to step into this room, just as she had wished. Now, she desperately needs to offer something more substantial to solidify her position in this circle.
"Oh? What did you hear, Ezaki-san?" Satsuki put down her teacup and looked at her gently.
Mariko looked around to make sure the activity room door was closed before carefully taking out a thick brown paper envelope from a hidden compartment in her schoolbag.
She pushed the envelope in front of Satsuki, her movements as light as if she were passing on a state secret.
"This is a letter of intent for the subscription of unlisted shares of Apex Media, a subsidiary of our parent company."
Mariko's voice was filled with undisguised smugness and ingratiation.
"As you know, my father's Apes Group started out in human resources and information services. Now our employment information magazines, B-ing and Travail, practically monopolize the job market in Tokyo."
She tapped the envelope with her finger, her eyes shining.
"That's the value of information. My father said the company is expected to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Second Section in three months, that is, in the fall. We have the largest talent database and information network in Japan. According to the current market conditions, the stock price will at least triple as soon as it goes public."
The air in the room instantly became quiet.
Even a high school girl with no business knowledge knows what "pre-IPO stock" means in this crazy bubble era. What's more, the Epes Group is the fastest-growing "information empire" in recent years. They not only control the human resources market, but are also expanding wildly into communications and network services.
This is practically free money. It's a fast track to Hermès, Chanel, and a Parisian holiday.
The eyes of several girls around them lit up instantly, as if they had spotted a shark with a bloody scent, their gazes fixed on the envelope.
Despite their considerable wealth, their monthly allowance is limited. A mere few hundred thousand yen a month is simply not enough for them.
Mariko enjoyed being watched. She looked at Satsuki with eager eyes: "Saionji-kun, this is a 'special share' that I've reserved for you. It's not much, only two thousand shares, but it's a small token of my father's appreciation, so please accept it."
This is a cannonball coated with sugar.
It's also a pledge of allegiance.
If Satsuki accepts it, it means that the Saionji family and the Apes Group have become bound together in terms of interests.
Amy pushed up her glasses, her gaze sweeping over the envelope, and her lips twitched slightly.
She had witnessed genuine technological change in Silicon Valley, seeing hardware like Cisco that connected the world, and software like Adobe that could alter reality. In comparison, companies that relied on reselling human resource information and manipulating capital concepts seemed to her to have very little technological content.
How can a company like this have the nerve to call itself a technology company?
Moreover, there's usually nothing good behind such a windfall.
She looked at Satsuki.
Satsuki did not move.
She simply stared at the envelope, her fingers gently tracing the rim of her teacup.
In 1988, an unlisted stock, a human resources giant.
That makes sense.
The "Recruit Incident," which was about to shatter the entire Japanese political arena and bring down countless important figures.
This is an "alchemy" that is infinitely more sophisticated than directly transferring cash.
The unlisted shares of a subsidiary called "Epes Media"—that is, pre-IPO shares—were transferred to specific powerful individuals. In this crazy era of rampant bubbles and the Nikkei index soaring towards 30,000 points, these few thin pieces of paper, once listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, would instantly turn into several times or even dozens of times the value of real money.
No need for heavy suitcases, no need to sneakily slip envelopes into the ryokan (traditional Japanese restaurant).
The recipients only needed to sell their shares after the listing to "legally" pocket hundreds of millions of yen in profits. From the powerful figures of Nagata-cho to the elite bureaucrats of Kasumigaseki, and the media tycoons of Otemachi, no one could escape this web woven with greed.
Now, the fire is burning right in front of her.
"Ezaki-san."
Satsuki's voice broke the silence, tinged with regret.
I appreciate your kind intentions. But…
She reached out, but instead of taking the envelope, she gently pushed it back.
"My father has recently been tightening the family's financial discipline. He's very strict about these financial derivatives and specifically instructed me not to participate in such high-risk investments. Especially for companies involved in information services, due to the restructuring of the family business, we need to be even more careful to avoid any appearance of impropriety."
"Huh? But..." Mariko froze, then hurriedly explained, "This isn't venture capital! This is a sure thing... We're in business, we have the most comprehensive job search website in all of Japan..."
"I know," Satsuki interrupted her with a smile, her eyes clear and without a trace of impurity. "But family rules are family rules. If it were jewelry or art, perhaps Father could turn a blind eye, but stocks... I really dare not disobey Father's wishes."
Mariko couldn't hide her feelings either; her face instantly turned pale. She hadn't expected that her carefully prepared lavish gift would be rejected so casually.
If that's the case, then her status in this industry...
At that moment, the short-haired girl sitting to Satsuki's left put down her teacup.
She is Ayako Yoshino, the daughter of the branch manager of the Shinjuku branch of Mitsui Bank.
"Since Saionji-kun has said so..." Yoshino Ayako smiled, her eyes sweeping over the envelope. "Then I'll pass. My father has been nagging me lately about compliant business practices, and unlisted stocks are indeed a sensitive topic."
On the other side, Reiko Isokawa also gently shook her head. She was the granddaughter of a bigwig in the Takeshita faction of the Liberal Democratic Party. Although she usually seemed a bit too straightforward, she had been in this circle for a long time and was not lacking in the necessary perceptiveness.
"I've heard Grandpa say that the checks seem to be very strict lately." Reiko Isokawa held a cookie in her hand but didn't eat it. "Since Satsuki-chan won't accept it, then I can't accept it either."
These two were the "core team" that Satsuki had selected back in junior high school. They might not understand the deep logic of business, but they understood the simplest rule of survival: following Saionji Satsuki was never the wrong choice.
Since even the Saionji family rejected this "fat meat," there must be a deadly fishhook hidden inside.
Mariko panicked completely.
What... what should she do? She hadn't expected to be rejected when she made her plans...
"but."
Satsuki changed the subject.
Her gaze passed over Mariko and landed on the other side of the room, on the other girls who were pretending to read but actually eavesdropping.
Those were peripheral members who had only recently joined the Rose Society. Some were daughters of nouveau riche, while others were daughters of minor bureaucrats with shallow roots.
Their eyes were filled with two words: desire.
In this age where people are blinded by money, there are always those who can't resist wealth that comes knocking on their door.
"Although it is not convenient for us to participate, this is indeed a kind gesture from Ezaki-kun."
Satsuki picked up the teapot and refilled Mariko's empty teacup with hot tea, her movements elegant and composed.
"We're all sisters in the Rose Society. Since it's a 'perk,' why don't you ask the others if they're interested? After all, making everyone happy is the Rose Society's mission."
This sentence is like a key that opened Pandora's box.
Mariko was stunned for a second, then overjoyed surged into her heart.
Although Saionji Satsuki didn't accept it, she "tacitly approved" it! She even encouraged her to distribute it!
What does this mean? It means that she can weave her own web of interests within this top circle!
"Of course!"
Mariko's voice trembled with excitement. She quickly turned around, opened the envelope, and pulled out a thick stack of letters of intent.
"Dear students! If you're interested, please come and take a look! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We're going to build Japan's information superhighway!"
"Really? Esaki-san, can I buy it too?"
"I'd like to order 500 shares! I'm also thinking of getting a new backpack!"
"I want one too! My dad says IT stocks have been the hottest rising stocks lately!"
The once quiet activity room instantly transformed into a noisy exchange.
The girls completely abandoned their reserve, surrounding Mariko and eagerly filling out purchase forms. Mariko, surrounded like a star, blushed and waved her pen, as if she were the queen of the world.
At this end of the room, however, there was a deathly silence.
Some girls who didn't choose to subscribe also quietly approached Satsuki's side, holding their teacups.
Ayako Yoshino, holding her teacup, leaned back slightly, distancing herself from the noisy group. Reiko Isokawa, meanwhile, was engrossed in her book, seemingly oblivious to everything happening over there.
Amy watched the group of girls caught up in the frenzy, put down her teacup, and the bottom of the cup made a soft sound against the tray.
"Are they crazy?"
Amy lowered her voice and complained to Satsuki beside her.
"If there really were a sure-fire way to make money, why wouldn't the Ezaki family keep it for themselves? This kind of windfall looks exactly like one of those low-level online scam emails, the kind that infects you with malware after clicking the link. How come they didn't even have a shred of suspicion?"
"Because greed can short-circuit the brain."
Satsuki picked up a scone, gently broke it open, and spread bright red strawberry jam on it.
"Amy, in this world, things that are free are often the most expensive."
She put the small piece of pastry covered in red jam into her mouth.
It was cloyingly sweet, leaving a hint of bloody color on the lips.
The families of these women who received the shares will soon be drawn into the impending political storm.
Yeah.
The Rose Society has indeed become a bit bloated lately.
Since someone is willing to provide poison, let's make this selection process even more intense.
She has always followed an elitist path. She prefers an elite minority to a blindly conformist majority.
Only those who can remain clear-headed in the face of such temptation deserve to remain on her chessboard.
As for the others...
Satsuki picked up her teacup, using the rim as a shield to watch the group of girls whose faces were contorted with excitement in the sunset. A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
Let them rot away amidst laughter and joy.