All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 136: From Today, Get Familiar with Laplace Corporation

In recent years, the situation of the Yukinoshita family has not been very favorable.

Mrs Yukinoshita, considered the backbone of the family's revival, has been under immense pressure.

A few years ago, Japan's economic bubble burst.

The real estate industry, once inflated to extraordinary heights, collapsed into ashes in the blink of an eye.

Many families far wealthier than the Yukinoshita family were completely ruined or severely damaged by this bubble burst.

However, thanks to Mrs Yukinoshita's sharp insight, the Yukinoshita family did not plunge headfirst into the real estate industry but withdrew in time, thereby preserving their wealth.

Nevertheless, in Chiba, where the Yukinoshita family's foundation lies in construction, they could not escape signs of decline amidst the significant economic shifts.

After painstakingly stabilizing the family's current ventures, Mrs Yukinoshita constantly searched for new directions for the family's future development.

Expanding business into neighboring districts seemed like a good step forward.

However, in Tokyo, which borders Chiba, entering the market was exceedingly difficult for the Yukinoshita family.

Thus, Mrs Yukinoshita shifted her focus to Gifu.

Recently, an unexpected incident occurred, one that no one could have predicted.

This disruption might cause unpredictable repercussions throughout the whole melody of their plans.

Madam Yukinoshita seized an opportunity and proactively approached a member of parliament named Kobayashi.

"Legislator Kobayashi, good day. You look particularly healthy today," she greeted.

Kobayashi turned his head, saw Mrs Yukinoshita, and took a moment to recall her identity.

"Oh, it's Mrs Yukinoshita. Good day to you," he responded.

The two exchanged simple pleasantries. Kobayashi had no intention of fostering closer ties with Mrs Yukinoshita—it was merely social etiquette.

After all, outside the Yukinoshita family circle, Mrs Yukinoshita's political influence was even less significant than one of Kobayashi's protégés.

Though the Yukinoshita family was highly regarded in Chiba, they truly held no weight in Tokyo.

Mrs Yukinoshita had anticipated Kobayashi's attitude.

"I've come from Chiba and brought some local specialties as a small gift. I hope Legislator Kobayashi will kindly accept them," she said.

"The items have been placed near the garage. It's just a token of goodwill; I hope Legislator Kobayashi won't refuse," she added.

Hearing this, Kobayashi instinctively raised an eyebrow.

"Is it something valuable? If so, Mrs Yukinoshita, I'd kindly ask you to take it back," he said.

Gifts from Chiba didn't hold much significance to him. If there were strings attached, he would certainly refuse.

"Oh, no, no. It's just a few local specialties," Mrs Yukinoshita quickly assured him and then casually asked, "By the way, have you heard about the recent comet incident? It seems to have fallen in Gifu."

Kobayashi immediately grasped the implication behind her words.

She wanted to know if the national assembly had any plans regarding the comet disaster in Gifu and what the future prospects in the area might be.

This wasn't a major secret, so he didn't mind sharing.

"Of course, I've heard. The national assembly has been grappling with this issue, though thankfully the disaster hasn't spread widely," he said.

"The meteor fell in the mountains of Gifu, affecting a nearby inland lake. Rescue efforts are still ongoing there."

"The local mountain residents have to be relocated, and infrastructure will certainly need to be rebuilt. But, as you know, after the economic bubble burst…"

"There's a businessman with the surname Suou who donated a piece of land after the disaster to temporarily resettle the locals. It has truly eased the country's burden," he explained.

At this point, Kobayashi seemed satisfied but refrained from elaborating further.

Mrs Yukinoshita echoed his sentiments with a few remarks and then took her leave.

Kobayashi's message was clear.

Gifu had suffered a disaster.

The national assembly intended to provide emergency relief and stabilize the population's morale.

After all, once the local council elections concluded, the national assembly elections would follow shortly.

However, the national assembly had no money for such efforts.

The only solution was to rely on others to foot the bill, with the government potentially issuing some favorable policies in return.

Currently, the prestigious Suou family in Gifu had already taken the lead in this effort.

As the most prominent family in Gifu, the Suou family was an old, noble lineage with a much deeper foundation than the Yukinoshita family.

Furthermore, they were firmly rooted in Gifu.

If the Yukinoshita family wanted to make an impact in Gifu and gain rewards in the future, the best choice was to collaborate with the Suou family.

How to establish this collaboration, however, was not something Kobayashi cared about.

He had already shared all the relevant information.

As for the gift from Chiba, he accepted it without any guilt.

Back in a corner of the evening banquet hall, Mrs Yukinoshita fell into deep thought.

The Suou family.

Previously, the Yukinoshita family had almost no ties with the Suou family.

How could she establish this relationship now?

...

Conversations like those between Kobayashi and Mrs. Yukinoshita were countless in this evening banquet hall.

The atmosphere was unusually harmonious.

No one dared cause a disturbance—this was, after all, a party hosted by Kobayashi.

Regardless of the circumstances, no one would dare create trouble here.

As the banquet reached its midpoint, Kobayashi stepped onto the raised platform in the banquet hall.

He lightly tapped his fork against his wine glass.

A crisp sound echoed, gradually quieting the conversations below.

All eyes turned toward him.

"Thank you all for attending tonight's banquet. Today, we have a guest in this hall who would like to say a few words to everyone."

"So, I kindly ask for two minutes of your time. I appreciate your cooperation."

After speaking, Kobayashi downed the champagne in his hand.

The entire hall was filled with curiosity.

Everyone wondered who could be significant enough for Kobayashi to personally make such an introduction.

The more perceptive attendees shifted their gazes toward one corner of the room.

Sawamura Sayuri stood up and stepped onto the platform.

"Thank you, Senior Kobayashi," she said with a smile.

"Oh, it's a minor matter. Since you're a junior of mine, there's no need to thank me for something so trivial," Kobayashi replied, waving his hand dismissively.

His words were heartfelt. For such a small favor, Kobayashi had no intention of leveraging it for any advantage.

Sayuri calling him "senior" indeed had a basis.

Before Kobayashi entered the national assembly, the Sawamura couple had been his juniors in their field of work.

Given this connection, along with Sayuri's status, Kobayashi was more than happy to extend a small favor.

After a brief exchange, Sayuri stood at the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am Sawamura Sayuri. May I take two minutes of your time? Thank you for your cooperation," she began.

Upon seeing Sayuri take the stage, the audience exchanged glances.

Those familiar with Sayuri were particularly puzzled.

For years, the head of the Sawamura family had kept a low profile, seemingly retreating from both the political and social stages. Why would she suddenly stand up to address everyone tonight?

Could it be that she was finally making her move?

And if so, who would be the fortunate recipient of her support?

Even Mrs Yukinoshita, known for her sharp insights, couldn't hide her curiosity as she gazed at Sayuri on the stage.

However, Mrs Yukinoshita failed to notice the complicated expression on her eldest daughter Yukinoshita Haruno's face as she stood beside her.

"Recently, a junior in my family has been working on some small creations, and I found them very intriguing," Sayuri continued.

"Joy shared is joy doubled. So, for this banquet, I brought a few completed products to share with everyone."

"Consider them small gifts. If you find them useful after trying them, perhaps you might also consider similar products in the future."

"Currently, within the Sawamura household, we've fully embraced the products from this junior's company. Please take a moment to view this demonstration video."

With that, Sayuri turned on the large screen in the banquet hall.

She played an advertisement video showcasing smart home furniture produced by Laplace Corporation.

All eyes in the room turned to the video.

However, most attendees initially focused not on the content but on the small logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen:

Laplace Corporation

Some had heard of it; others had not.

But from this night onward, everyone would undoubtedly remember this name.

As for the video itself?

Some viewers recognized the potential in the smart furniture line; others were merely intrigued by its novelty.

Regardless of their focus on the product, many had already begun contemplating investments in the brand.

The idea of offering support or collaboration didn't even need to be spoken.

After all, forget about smart furniture—

Even if the video had been about handmade straw sandals, as long as Sayuri introduced them and mentioned they were made by a junior in her family, people would be willing to place orders for seventy or eighty pairs.

Whether they used them or not didn't matter—at worst, they could give them away as gifts.

No one cared about the product's uniqueness.

What mattered was who introduced it.

By extending support to Sayuri now, they expected her to return the favor in the future.

"Have you heard of this company before?"

Mrs. Yukinoshita turned to ask her daughter.

Haruno, who had arrived in Tokyo a bit earlier, swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes, it's a newly established company... growing very quickly. Currently, its market value has exceeded 100 billion yen."

Mrs. Yukinoshita nodded, showing some interest.

This 100 billion yen figure carried a special significance.

It was enough for the Yukinoshita family to take note of but not enough to fully prioritize.

If supported by the Sawamura family, achieving this 100 billion yen mark wouldn't be a difficult feat.

Thus, she was only mildly curious and didn't think much more about it.

After all, the current business fields of the Yukinoshita and Sawamura families didn't have any clear connections.

However, Haruno's eyes showed a flicker of unease.

She knew that what she had just said wasn't entirely true.

That 100 billion yen figure didn't come from the Sawamura family's support.

It was the achievement of a young man who built it entirely on his own within less than a year.

What was even more noteworthy was that the majority of this market value came from investments in products that hadn't officially launched yet.

When the actual products of Laplace Corporation entered the market, combined with strong support from the Sawamura family, the market value of the company could rise to unimaginable levels.

Haruno felt overwhelmed.

Sayuri had placed a significant bet on Yukima Azuma, someone she was willing to invest not only resources but also time and effort in.

The Sawamura family, which had maintained an attitude of gradually withdrawing from politics for many years, was now making a complete 180-degree turn because of Yukima Azuma.

This was beyond Haruno's imagination.

The person making the decisions was still Sayuri, not Eriri, the daughter who always stayed close to Yukima Azuma.

Haruno didn't know that Yukima Azuma had not yet brought any tangible benefits to Sayuri.

Sayuri had chosen to place unconditional trust in him.

If Haruno knew this, she would likely be ten times more astonished.

When the video ended, Sayuri said a few more polite words.

After that, she leisurely stepped down from the stage.

Eriri immediately ran up to her mother, her eyes shining brightly.

"Mom, did you dress up like this today to promote Azuma's products?"

Sayuri nodded.

Upon hearing the answer, Eriri smiled brightly.

That smile resembled that of a girl in love, who had just received approval from her parents.

"You're already proud of him even before getting married."

Seeing her daughter grinning foolishly, Sayuri sighed and gently pinched Eriri's cheek.

"Oh, come on, it's not called being proud. Mom is helping Azuma now; later, he'll definitely help Mom back."

Eriri, her intentions exposed, immediately tried to justify herself.

"That, I don't doubt... but that's not what matters."

Sayuri understood Yukima Azuma well. But in reality, the primary reason she invested in him was largely because of Eriri.

This was, to her, like a dowry for her daughter.

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