Chapter 101: Earned Another Little Bit (A Whole Lot)

After enduring a stifling morning and a similarly oppressive lunch, once inside the car, Masahiro Ueda asked, “How was your meeting with Jiro?”

“It went... quite well,” Nana Ueda replied calmly.

Masahiro glanced at her through the rearview mirror and said evenly, “Chairman Mori has high hopes for him. If you have the chance, meet with him more often. In terms of knowledge and ability, he’s among the best of the young generation. With Chairman Mori’s insight, the fact that he was able to secure 300 million yen at once to launch his computer software venture speaks volumes.”

Among the best of the young generation?

Nana merely nodded slightly and then said, “Understood, Father. Could you drop me off at school first? There are no classes today, but the Kendo Club is preparing to welcome new members, and there’s a lot to get ready.”

“You can leave the Kendo Club behind soon enough,” Masahiro said firmly, eyes fixed ahead. “As the daughter of a successor to the Kyoshin Meiji style, you don’t need to seek others’ respect there.”

Nana lowered her head, clenching her teeth. “Next term, I’ll quit.”

They arrived at the school gate. After stepping out and bowing to see the car off, she let out a heavy sigh.

Turning around, despite the freedom that awaited her within the campus, her mood was overwhelmingly low.

Unconsciously, she found herself at the Kendo Club.

“What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?” came a lazy voice from ahead. Tochi Meiji stood there, half a sandwich in hand, looking at her with surprise.

“Who would dare bully me?” Nana straightened her back in front of him, pride and stubbornness evident in her tone.

“But your pout and the two words written all over your face say otherwise—‘miserable’!” Tochi took another bite and started heading toward the research lab. “Why are you dressed like that today?”

Only then did Nana realize she was still wearing a kimono. Tochi Meiji turned back, eyes gleaming with the same curiosity as Jiro Mori’s, making Nana uneasy. With a stern face, she strode toward the main entrance of the Kendo Club. “What I wear is none of your business.”

“You’re showing a different side of yourself,” Tochi chuckled without looking back. “But it suits you!”

Nana kept walking but felt her spirits lift slightly.

She would change into her practice uniform soon—no one would see anything then!

After changing, bamboo sword in hand, she headed to the research lab. Pushing open the door, she saw only him inside. A small smile flickered within her, though her face remained stern.

“Finished your practice for today? With the new members’ welcome ceremony coming soon, as a senior, you can’t afford to embarrass yourself,” she said.

“Yes, yes, as your student, Nana-sensei, I won’t disgrace you,” Tochi replied. Then he frowned. “Why the change? Wasn’t the kimono fine earlier?”

Hmph, Nana snorted. “We’re about to practice, so of course I changed. Now, have you finished your training? Show me what you’ve achieved!”

She felt an urge to strike him a couple of times, to vent the frustration of the stifling morning.

“Wait a moment, I’m busy!” Tochi turned back, eyes fixed on the market screen. The leek stocks had been planted for several days, and the market was shifting again.

Nana tapped his shoulder lightly with her bamboo sword. “Watch your tone!”

The tap was gentle; Tochi ignored it and said, “Alright, alright. Nana-sensei, can you give me a little time? This is a critical moment concerning my hundreds of millions in income.”

Nana was taken aback. “Hundreds of millions in income?”

Setting her sword aside, she sat in the chair Lin Xi used to occupy. “You’re joking, right? Let me see.”

She looked seriously at the screen but couldn’t understand a thing.

“I’m not joking!” Tochi frowned. The yen’s depreciation was accelerating rapidly, seemingly unstoppable.

The trading frequency was increasing, with many small orders coming in—typical of retail investors eager to jump in.

But it appeared the scythe was already raised; no matter how much more it would depreciate, Tochi was ready to exit.

He picked up the phone and dialed. “Chang Le, listen carefully, start selling the US dollar now!”

Nana watched him seriously issue instructions, the phone never leaving his hand.

Leverage, spreads, stop-loss points... she understood neither the terms nor the meaning.

Tochi sensed that large international funds were about to push the yen’s value up again, a move that would force the government to cut interest rates once more.

This was the moment to capitalize on retail investors’ panic over the yen’s unstoppable rise and the government’s inevitable rate cut.

Once this round of harvesting was complete, the next rate cut would come around October.

Tochi issued rapid orders, while Ichiro Kawasaki at Nomura Securities was in a frenzy, shouting at his subordinates, “Move faster! Faster! Sell the US dollar, quick! Quick!”

This operation had to go perfectly to secure his position.

Unexpectedly, the sell orders for the US dollar were all absorbed. The yen surged sharply, drawing a large bullish candlestick in a short time.

Kawasaki, seeing his positions all closed, breathed a sigh of relief, finally filling the previous gap.

But watching the yen’s value continue to fall quickly afterward, regret crept in.

If he had held on a bit longer, moved more slowly, he might have earned an additional five million yen.

Sure enough, despite some fluctuations, the yen’s downward trend persisted.

He glanced at Chang Le’s line; the call was still ongoing.

“Toji-kun, what now?”

“Every time the yen appreciates slightly, buy ten lots immediately!” Tochi replied calmly.

He didn’t care whether the market was rising or falling; he didn’t need to time the absolute bottom.

He only knew this round of the yen would rise considerably, then fluctuate sharply in May, and thereafter soar until October.

Kawasaki watched the relentless decline with heartache. At this early stage, if he had closed his positions now, he could have made an extra five million yen!

Just as he dwelled on this thought, the brief volatility ceased.

Suddenly, a massive influx of funds arrived, and the yen was continuously bought up.

Kawasaki’s mouth dropped open.

176.85... 176.79... 176.71...

The yen’s rate was quickly pulled back, climbing steadily.

He looked over to see Chang Le, phone cradled between ear and shoulder, sweat beading on his forehead as he worked frantically.

“Quick! Quick! Buy the yen!”

At the University of Tokyo, Tochi had put down the receiver.

It had begun—the next round of appreciation.

He stretched his arms and noticed Nana staring at him in confusion.

“What is it?”

“Did you make a profit or a loss?” she asked.

“Look at my expression. Do I look like I lost? Let’s go practice!”

Seeing him stand, Nana followed, asking, “How much did you make?”

“Just a little,” Tochi replied, warming up as he walked. “A bit over a million.”

Nana pursed her lips. ‘Hundreds of millions in income,’ he said.

Then her steps faltered... over a million? Could he mean US dollars?

If that’s the case... that’s roughly three hundred million yen.

She wasn’t sure, but Tochi’s relaxed and cheerful demeanor didn’t seem like someone thrilled over a mere million yen.

Nana’s gaze drifted back to the lab and the machines inside.

Could that be... high-tech related to computer software? So impressive?

Jiro Mori had secured 300 million yen from her grandfather and seemed extraordinary, but was this guy really just making 300 million yen out of thin air?

Recalling her earlier cluelessness while watching from the side, she suddenly felt even more like striking him!