"Hello, Boss. Weren't you enjoying your vacation? How come you have time to call me?"
"Because my vacation ended and I suddenly remembered that work exists."
"So you only remembered work after having enough fun?"
Chiba Business Tower, Touhou Gensokyo Company.
Sitting in her office, Kosaka Akane answered Sato's call. Hearing that, she replied irritably,
"With Akane-sensei around, what would I have to worry about?"
A faint smile curved onto Kosaka Akane 's lips.
She slowly rose from her chair and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the bustling city below.
"Miyabi-sensei really knows how to talk."
"I'm only stating a fact."
The smile on her face grew even brighter.
"Alright, Boss. Just tell me what you've got planned. If it weren't something important, you probably wouldn't be calling me."
"There are too many things to explain over the phone. I'll organize the materials and meet you at the company tomorrow."
Sato looked at the long list he'd written on the whiteboard.
"Hey! Hey! What kind of boss exploits their employees like this? Tomorrow is a day off!"
Huh?
Sato glanced at his computer screen in surprise.
"Then let's meet somewhere else."
"And where does the Boss think would be a good place?"
"I'm not very familiar with this area. If I had to name a place, I only know one..."
"Then let's meet there."
"..."
...
Hanamachi, Chiba City.
Maid Café.
Looking at the maid waitresses moving around the café, Kosaka Akane gave Sato a meaningful smile and slightly raised her flawless chin.
"So Miyabi-sensei likes younger girls after all."
Several black lines appeared on Sato's forehead.
What exactly was this woman talking about?
"Master, what would you like to order?"
A soft and adorable voice sounded beside him.
Sato found it familiar and instinctively looked up.
"Minami-san?"
"It really is Nohara-kun. Long time no see!"
Minami Kotori looked at Sato in surprise. Then she secretly glanced at Kosaka Akane sitting across from him and couldn't help muttering inwardly.
Why is it that every time Nohara-kun meets someone, it's a different person, and they're always so beautiful?
"Long time no see."
Sato greeted her with a smile.
"I'll have a cappuccino and a slice of honey cake."
"Okay! And what about this customer?"
"Black coffee and lemon cake."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
After Minami Kotori left, Kosaka Akane studied Sato with curiosity.
Then she teased,
"You actually know her. Could it be that Miyabi-sensei came here because of this girl?"
"She really is pretty. And her voice is nice too. She seems like the gentle and soft-spoken type."
"She's just an acquaintance."
Sato couldn't help complaining,
"Akane-sensei, are you a romance addict? If so, why don't you go find yourself a boyfriend?"
"Tsk."
Kosaka Akane narrowed her eyes.
Even her gaze became sharp.
"Men are obstacles on a woman's road to success."
What kind of twisted logic is that?
Sato rolled his eyes.
He didn't have the heart to poke at Kosaka Akane's sore spot any further, so he quickly changed the subject.
"If I remember correctly, Minami-san is Kosaka-san's (Honoka) best friend. You didn't know that, Akane-sensei?"
"Huh? Honoka's best friend?"
The sharpness in Kosaka Akane 's eyes instantly vanished.
She looked toward Minami Kotori's retreating figure in surprise.
"I really didn't know. I don't visit Honoka's house very often, so I've never met her."
"Anyway, let's talk business."
Sato took out three proposal documents he had prepared beforehand and handed them to Kosaka Akane .
Then he leaned back into the soft chair.
"This is what I plan to work on next. Take a look."
As Kosaka Akane accepted the documents and opened them, she frowned.
"Even though you already gave me a rough outline yesterday, trying to do all of these simultaneously is going to be troublesome. We're short on manpower."
"It can't be helped. Time waits for no one. If we're short on people, we'll hire more."
Sato shrugged.
Then his expression became serious.
"These industries are blue oceans right now. If we enter later, they'll become red oceans."
The smartphone era would usher in an age of massive digital entertainment.
Mobile entertainment would eventually permeate every aspect of people's lives.
If they didn't stake their claim now, the effort and capital required to enter those markets later would increase hundreds or thousands of times over.
Kosaka Akane stared at the documents with furrowed brows, deep in thought.
There was still visible worry between her brows.
The company had only started turning a profit last month.
And now they were already facing another huge round of expenses?
Still, she wasn't unfamiliar with the concepts Sato was describing.
Even if she couldn't necessarily identify all these opportunities herself, she could at least analyze them based on the ideas he presented.
Sato quietly watched as Kosaka Akane sank into contemplation.
Soon, Minami Kotori brought over their desserts and drinks.
Looking curiously at Kosaka Akane , who was studying the documents with a serious expression, she said,
"Master, all of your orders have arrived. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you."
Sato nodded in thanks.
Then he suddenly looked at Minami Kotori.
"If I remember correctly, Minami-san attends Otonokizaka Girls' High School, right?"
"Yes."
Minami Kotori nodded, looking puzzled.
"I heard that Otonokizaka's enrollment numbers have been declining every year and that the school might be shut down next year. Is that true?"
"Huh?!"
Minami Kotori stared at him in shock.
"W-Where did Nohara-kun hear that?"
Seeing her reaction, Sato more or less understood.
He smiled.
"It's probably just a rumor. Sorry."
"N-No, it's okay."
Minami Kotori smiled and turned away.
Sato didn't think much of it.
After all, it was just some gossip he had heard from Yukinoshita during the training camp. There was no way to verify whether it was true.
Suddenly, Sato noticed the café door open.
Several youthful and beautiful girls walked inside.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
He actually knew every single one of them.