RBCT Chapter 6 New Channels
Chapter 6 New Channels
Lunch break.
The courtyard of Shenghua Academy is designed with a strong Zen aesthetic, with the white sand of the dry landscape reflecting several vigorous five-needle pines.
Satsuki sat alone on a bench under the wisteria trellis, holding a cup of black tea she had bought from a vending machine.
Although the school has a dedicated tea room and maid service, she now needs some time alone to sort out her thoughts.
The bench under the wisteria trellis is located in a dead corner of the courtyard, making it an excellent haven.
Satsuki held the can of black tea she had bought from the vending machine—a can that didn't have much of a tea flavor—and gently pulled the tab. A soft "click" sounded particularly clear in the quiet afternoon.
She didn't rush to drink it, but instead pressed the cool can against her cheek to cool down her facial muscles, which had become stiff from faking a smile for so long.
"The Okura family is involved in land reclamation projects, and their finances are heavily reliant on bank loans. If Sumitomo Bank tightens its lending practices..."
Satsuki mentally replayed the exchange in her mind. It was just a childish victory; the real battleground was how to use the Okura family's future misfortune to establish her own voice in the "Rose Circle."
Just then, a series of slow and hesitant footsteps interrupted her thoughts.
Satsuki didn't turn around, but she could tell that the person making the footsteps was in a state of extreme inner conflict—taking two steps forward, pausing, and then taking half a step back.
Finally, the person seemed to have made up their mind and walked to the side and back of the bench.
"Um... Saionji-kun."
The voice was barely audible, with a noticeable tremor.
Satsuki slowly turned her head, and the cold, calculating expression on her face seamlessly switched to a polite smile the instant she turned.
Standing there was a girl with short, ear-length hair and thick-rimmed glasses. Her hands were gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, her knuckles white from the force.
Emi Suzuki.
Satsuki remembered the name. In the classroom just now, she was the only one who almost laughed out loud when Okura Masami was humiliated, but she desperately covered her mouth.
"Oh, it's Suzuki-kun." Satsuki put down her tea, her tone gentle. "What's up?"
Amy took a deep breath, as if squeezing out all her courage: "Th...thank you!"
"Thank me?" Satsuki tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"It's just... just now in front of Okura-san..." Amy's face flushed with excitement, and her speech quickened. "Okura... she always mocks my family for being 'country parts makers,' and says I smell like solder. No one has ever dared to talk back to her like that; everyone's afraid of her father. But you, Saionji-san..."
It turned out to be the case.
Satsuki understood. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or—a worshipper I can use.
With her nouveau riche personality, Masami Okura must have bullied a lot of people at school. His actions just now unintentionally made him appear as a "righteous hero" in the eyes of these bullies.
"I'm not trying to help you, Suzuki-san."
Satsuki gently shook her head, her voice as soft as a spring breeze, saying the words most befitting her "aristocratic persona": "I just felt that as a student of Seika, one should know what 'decency' means. Okura-san's words and actions were really unladylike, I was just giving her a slight reminder."
This unassuming attitude only intensified the admiration in Amy's eyes.
"Even so...it's really amazing!" Amy took a step forward, but then seemed to realize she had overstepped her bounds and pulled back.
At that moment, Satsuki noticed something that Amy was tightly clutching in her arms.
It wasn't a fashion magazine or a romance novel, but a professional publication with curled edges and a cover printed with intricate circuit board designs—"Radio Technology."
Even more interestingly, half of a dark green object was visible in the book's interlayer.
Based on her limited knowledge of the hardware industry from her previous life, Satsuki immediately recognized it as a corner of a PCB (printed circuit board).
"Suzuki-kun," Satsuki asked casually, without directly expressing interest, "which one are you interested in?"
"Huh?" Amy followed Satsuki's gaze and quickly hid the book behind her back in fright. "I'm sorry! I know it's strange... Girls should be reading 'Non-no' or learning flower arranging, but I..."
"Your father owns a factory?" Satsuki interrupted her rambling.
"Hmm... a small factory in Ota Ward." Amy lowered her head, her voice filled with self-consciousness. "It manufactures electronic components. It's noisy and messy, nothing like the elegant Saionji family home..."
Daejeon-gu. Electronic component manufacturing.
Satsuki's mind quickly searched the industrial map from 1985. That area was home to a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises, which, like capillaries, supplied nutrients to giants like Sony, Toshiba, and NEC.
For Wall Street analysts, these small factories at the very bottom of the supply chain often reflect the true state of the industry more accurately than glamorous financial reports.
"Is the factory busy lately?" Satsuki asked casually, patting the empty seat next to her and gesturing for Amy to sit down.
Amy, flattered, sat down on one side of her bottom. Hearing the question, she sighed with a hint of complaint, "I'm so busy. Dad's been working overtime every day lately. He said he got a big order from Kyoto. The house is full of those red and white plastic boxes, even my room is taken up."
Satsuki's pupils contracted slightly.
Kyoto. A red and white plastic shell.
1985 years.
These keywords combined lead to only one answer—Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom).
Although the Famicom (FC) was released in 1983, 1985 was a pivotal year. On September 13th of that year, the game "Super Mario Bros." was released, triggering a sales explosion.
If Suzuki's factories are working overtime to produce casings or assembly boards, it means that Nintendo is stockpiling an astonishing amount of inventory for the Christmas sales season.
This is first-hand data that has not yet been made public.
Satsuki looked at the girl in front of her whose face was full of "I'm so annoyed," and a subtle change occurred in her eyes.
This is clearly a walking "supply chain eavesdropping device".
There's no need to spend any money to bribe her; all you need is a little bit of "friendship" and "recognition" from the aristocracy, and this girl, who is ostracized at school, will tell you everything about her family's factory's output, overtime hours, and even the mold details of new products, like pouring out beans.
"A red and white shell?" Satsuki feigned curiosity, flashing an innocent smile befitting her age. "It sounds cute. Is it a toy?"
"It's a game console!" Amy said, seeing that her mistress was actually interested. "I heard it's called 'Famicom.' Dad said that company is releasing new cartridges soon, and they're rushing us to deliver them. I even have to help put labels on the assembly line."
"Putting on labels must be very hard work."
Satsuki reached into her pocket, took out a beautifully packaged French fruit gummy, and placed it in Amy's hand.
"Eating something sweet will make you happier."
Amy looked at the candy in her hand. It was a high-end product from a famous Ginza confectionery shop, costing several hundred yen per piece, enough for her to buy several old magazines.
Her eyes welled up with tears: "Saionji-kun, you're such a kind person..."
Satsuki looked at her with a smile.
Through this girl, she could monitor Nintendo's shipping schedule. If shipments suddenly surged, it was a signal to buy Nintendo-related stock or distributor options; if the factory suddenly stopped production, it was a warning sign of inventory backlog.
As for Amy herself?
She doesn't need to be a genius, nor does she need to be technically skilled. All she needs to do is be a naive and innocent girl who grew up in a factory and yearns for friendship in this cold and indifferent school.
"Suzuki-san," Satsuki said softly, her tone slightly seductive, "I also think those glowing vacuum tubes are more interesting than diamonds. Although I don't understand them, if you ever make one of those 'strange new cartridges' again, could you secretly tell me about it? I'm really interested in that... red and white toy."
"Of course!" Amy nodded vigorously, as if she had received a mission from her queen. "Next time I'll sneak a discarded shell to show you! Daddy's going to throw them away anyway, so it's okay for me to take one!"
Satsuki's smile deepened.
"Then it's settled. In exchange..."
She pointed to Okura Masami and her group, who were pointing and gesturing in their direction from a distance.
"If anyone makes fun of your smell again, just tell them it's the 'smell of the future.' If they don't understand, you can come find me."
This is enough.
He traded a piece of candy and a few nice words for an inside connection directly to the end of Nintendo's supply chain.
This is the art of "domination".
"Alright, class is about to start."
Satsuki stood up and patted off non-existent dust from her skirt.
"Let's go, Suzuki. Let's see what tricks Okura-kun will pull in class this afternoon."
Watching Satsuki's graceful departure, Suzuki Amy clutched the gummy candy tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline. She vowed to find the freshest and most interesting things from her father's factory to tell Saionji-kun.
Satsuki, who was walking ahead, had long since lost her smile.
She glanced at the gloomy sky.
"Intelligence channels +1".
She silently checked one option in her mind.