N-M Chapter 151 The Coin Battle
Chapter 151 The Coin Battle
February 25, 1989, Tokyo.
The sky was a murky, leaden gray, with low-hanging clouds pressing down on the tops of Shinjuku's skyscrapers, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Shibuya, Seibu Department Store Headquarters Building.
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi stood before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, clutching a recently faxed internal memo from the Ministry of Finance. The paper groaned weakly in his hand, its edges already crumpled.
"Four hundred million."
He turned around and threw the crumpled paper onto the mahogany desk.
"Are those guys at the mint joking? There's only one month left until April 1st, and they're telling me there's a shortage of 400 million coins nationwide?"
The executive directors standing in front of the table kept their heads down, none of them daring to look directly into the eyes of this "Emperor of the Western Martial World".
"President, it's not just about coins."
The executive in charge of operations took a step forward, his voice a little dry.
"NEC has sent a new quote. To cope with the 3% consumption tax, the entire group's 2,000 cash registers need to have their computing chips replaced. They said there's insufficient production capacity, and the chip price will increase by 30%."
"Give them to them."
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi answered without hesitation, even with a hint of impatience.
"Money is not the issue. But Seibu Department Store is the face of the Japanese retail industry. I cannot tolerate long lines at our checkout counters on the first day of the new tax law being implemented because they can't calculate the bills."
He walked behind his desk and sat heavily into the leather swivel chair.
"The key now is the coin."
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi stretched out his fingers and slammed them on the table, making a "thump-thump" sound with his knuckles.
"Consumers have to pay tax, so we have to give them change. If a customer has 1000 yen to buy 900 yen worth of goods, plus 27 yen in tax, we need to give them 73 yen in change."
"This requires one 50 yen coin, two 10 yen coins, and three damn 1 yen coins."
He raised his head, his gaze sharp.
"Go talk to the bank. No matter what means you use, even if it means exchanging at a premium, you have to get back the coins that the Seibu Group needs."
"Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo... don't let any of the city banks slip through your fingers."
"Tell them that this is the will of Seibu."
In Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's logic, the 3% tax was set by the government, and consumers should rightfully pay for it. His task was to ensure that this "money-collecting" process went smoothly. To this end, he did not hesitate to use enormous amounts of capital to hoard cheap aluminum sheets.
He firmly believes this is the correct business logic.
……
At the same time.
Jiangdong District, Da Rong Group Headquarters.
This is the command center of the "price cutters," where the air is perpetually filled with the smell of cheap tobacco and instant coffee. But today, the air is thick with the smell of gunpowder.
"Rob it! Go rob it!"
The president of the Zhongneigong Society roared so loudly that it almost lifted the low ceiling of the conference room.
This man, who had crawled out of piles of corpses on the Philippine battlefield during World War II, now resembled a hungry lion trapped in a cage. He pulled his tie up to his chest, rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, and paced back and forth in the narrow aisle of the conference room, his leather shoes stomping loudly on the floor.
"Since those incompetent fools at the mint can't make them, let's just buy them from the market!"
He suddenly stopped in front of a purchasing manager who was sweating profusely, and spat in the man's face.
"Go to the shrine! Buy their offering boxes! They must have tons of 1-yen coins there!"
"Go to the arcade on the street! Go to the vending machine company! Even if you have to beg on the ground, get me those coins!"
"But President..." the department head said hesitantly, raising his hand, "cleaning those coins will take time and money..."
"Then deliver it to the customer with the mud on it!"
Zhong Neigong roared, his eyes red.
"Da Rong started out by being 'cheap'! Our customers are middle-aged women and housewives! They care about getting their change, not whether the coin is dusty!"
He walked to the window, placed his hands on the windowsill, and looked down at the bustling logistics center below.
"If we make customers wait even a second longer at the checkout because we can't make change, we're killing our efficiency! We're pushing customers to Seibu Department Store!"
"Go contact Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank! Tell them that if they can't guarantee Dai-Ei's coin supply next month, I'll have to renegotiate with other banks regarding the hundreds of billions in loan interest next year!"
The conference room was deathly silent, save for the heavy breathing of the executives.
"Um... President."
The head of Lawson's business unit, who had been huddled in a corner, cautiously held up a report.
"Should we coordinate things with Lawson too? After all, they have thousands of stores there, and if we don't have enough coins..."
"Rosen?"
Upon hearing this word, Zhong Neigong paused for a moment.
He turned around, and the murderous, ferocious expression on his face suddenly disappeared, replaced by extreme indifference, even with a hint of gloating mockery.
Why should we care about them?
Zhong Neigong took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep breath.
"Have you forgotten? We signed a contract six months ago. Who controls Lawson's supply chain, logistics, and even its store operation system now?"
He exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes filled with malice.
"In the hands of that little maid from the Saionji family."
"Since she wants control, and since she boasted that she could double Rosen's efficiency, then finding coins and other dirty and tiring work is naturally her job."
Zhong Neigong waved his hand, as if shooing away an annoying fly.
"Don't give Rosen a single coin. That's the Saionji family's problem, not Daiei's."
"What if Lawson becomes paralyzed because he doesn't have any change..."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Zhong Neigong's mouth.
"That's perfect. We can use the breach of contract clause to demand compensation from that arrogant young lady, and even take back control."
"Leave our bullets to Da Rong Supermarket. As for Lawson... let them fend for themselves."
The entire Japanese retail industry is going crazy over this small aluminum coin with a face value of only 1 yen.
……
Chiyoda Ward, Otemachi.
Mitsui Bank Headquarters Building.
The vault door on the second basement level was wide open.
The air was thick with the peculiar smell of lubricating oil mixed with old banknotes. The forklift motor hummed as it weaved through the narrow aisles.
Boxes of heavy coins were hauled out from the depths and piled up in the shipping area.
The canvas bags, printed with the Mint's cherry blossom emblem, were filled with brand-new, gleaming silver-white one-yen coins.
President's Office.
Yoshino Yukinaga—who is also the father of Yoshino Ayako, Satsuki's classmate—was sitting on the sofa, personally setting up an expensive tea set.
Boiling water is poured into the teapot, and white steam rises.
"Shuichi-kun, please."
President Yoshino pushed a cup of bright green sencha across to the other side.
Shuichi Saionji sat there, dressed in a well-tailored dark gray suit, his expression calm.
"Yoshino-kun looks very tired."
Xiu Yi picked up the teacup but didn't drink it; he simply felt the warmth emanating from the porcelain cup.
"There was no other way; those retailers forced us into it."
President Yoshino shook his head with a wry smile and pointed out the window.
Through the thick bulletproof glass, you can see rows of armored trucks waiting to be loaded downstairs.
"You've seen it too. Trading companies all over Tokyo are scrambling for coins. Yoshiaki Tsutsumi called me personally yesterday, asking for a quota of fifty million coins. The Chunaigong side is even more ruthless, directly threatening to transfer their bank deposits."
Yoshino Yukinaga sighed, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
"The machines at the mint are running like crazy, but it's still a drop in the ocean. These days, 1-yen coins are even more sought after than gold coins."
At this point, President Yoshino leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more serious.
"Shuichi-kun, actually, the reason I invited you here today is also for this matter."
He took a document from the cabinet behind him and placed it on the coffee table.
"SA Group now owns Uniqlo, controls the supply chains of FamilyMart and Lawson, and is even about to open a large supermarket called S-Mart. Your demand for coins is probably astronomical."
Yoshino's fingers pressed on the document.
"Considering that Ayako and Ms. Satsuki are classmates, and also considering the long-standing friendship between our two families, I specially allocated a piece of the 'cake' from the head office's strategic reserves for the Saionji family."
"Thirty million one-yen coins. And five million five-yen coins."
"Once you sign, this shipment can be delivered to SA Logistics' warehouse tonight."
This is an immense favor.
At this critical juncture of coin shortage, this batch of coins is enough to ensure a smooth transition for the thousands of stores in the Saionji Group on April 1st, and could even serve as a strategic reserve to strike at competitors.
The room was very quiet.
The only sound was the tea sloshing gently in the cup.
Shuichi looked at the document, then at President Yoshino's face, which was full of sincerity but also showed a hint of fatigue.
He put down his teacup.
He did not reach out to take the document.
"I appreciate Yoshino-kun's kindness."
Shuichi's voice was gentle, but his refusal was crisp and decisive.
"However, we don't need these coins."
"unnecessary?"
President Yoshino was stunned, wondering if he had misheard.
"Shuichi-kun, are you kidding me? April 1st is almost here. If you don't have change to give customers, your store will be paralyzed! For a high-volume store like Uniqlo, if the checkout is clogged, the consequences are unimaginable!"
"I know."
Xiu Yi said calmly.
He took a 1-yen aluminum coin from his suit pocket and gently placed it on the table.
That was given to him by Satsuki before she left home that morning.
"Yoshino-kun, what do you think this thing is?"
"It's currency, a tool for making change," Yoshino said, puzzled.
"No."
Shuichi shook his head.
"For retailers, it's a 'headache.' Giving change takes time, counting costs money, and exchanging money at the bank incurs fees."
Xiu Yi stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the busy armored trucks below.
"Of course we need coins. We'd be happy if customers were willing to pay in coins."
He turned around, looked at Yoshino Yukinaga, and gave him a meaningful smile.
"However, we don't need to give customers change."
"No change?"
President Yoshino was completely dumbfounded.
"Then... what about the change? What about the 3% tax?"
"We pay for the customers."
Shuichi's voice was calm, yet it resounded like a thunderclap in the office.
"Uniqlo, S-Mart, FamilyMart, Lawson. All terminals controlled by the Saionji Group have implemented 'de-zeroing' pricing."
"A product that costs 100 yen would cost 103 yen after tax. We only charge 100 yen."
"A product that costs 980 yen would cost 1009 yen after tax. We'll just charge you 1000 yen."
President Yoshino opened his mouth wide, tilted his teacup slightly, and spilled a few drops of tea onto the table.
"You...you guys are just burning money!"
"That 3% profit margin is life or death for the retail industry! How could you possibly afford to lose that?"
"Because we are faster than others."
Shuichi walked back to the table, picked up the aluminum coin, and gently twirled it between his fingers.
"While Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's customers were still queuing and complaining about getting change for those three coins; while Daiei's clerks were sweating profusely trying to count all that change."
"Our customers just throw down a thousand-dollar bill, grab their stuff, and leave."
"We won't need to take a single coin from the bank. Instead, we'll become the largest coin recycling center in all of Tokyo."
Shuichi flicked the coin up, caught it, and put it back in his pocket.
"Yoshino-kun, keep those coins. Tsutsumi Yoshiaki and Chunai will need them. Let them go and steal them."
"The Saionji family doesn't play this game."