Azuma and Yukino had bought a car.
A sleek, black Cadillac.
It was the same model Azuma remembered seeing the Shinomiya family use. They had expedited the paperwork with extra money—registration, license, the whole deal done swiftly.
Yukinoshita Yukino sat confidently in the driver's seat, projecting the aura of a capable career woman.
Azuma nodded in quiet approval.
This suited her.
To imagine her crying alone in some rundown apartment? That would have been the real tragedy.
"So, where to now? I know nothing about picking out factories," Yukino said, her voice cool as always.
"That kind of thing needs real info and expertise. I'm not omniscient," Azuma replied, sensing her glance and correctly guessing she thought he was being smug.
He snapped his fingers.
"Umu. Let's leave that to the experts. We're going to the Shinomiya estate."
Yukino lifted her eyes to the rearview mirror. In it, Azuma sat like he was just headed out for lunch, not challenging one of Japan's wealthiest families.
She said nothing, just started the car.
By now, nothing Azuma did really surprised her anymore.
Her driving was smooth, controlled.
Infinitely better than Sayuri's chaotic, white-knuckled style.
The Shinomiya Estate, Shinjuku
The Shinomiya mansion was immense—an anomaly in the concrete jungle of Tokyo. Where most would build storefronts or high-rises, the Shinomiya family had created a tranquil paradise: sprawling gardens, open lawns, ornate flower beds.
As the car approached, a man in a black suit stepped forward to block the entrance.
Azuma rolled down the back window.
"Do you have an appointment or invitation from the Shinomiya family?" the man asked politely.
"I'm looking for Hayasaka," Azuma replied without a hint of formality.
The man checked his phone, verified the name, then stepped aside.
They were allowed into the outer grounds only.
Yukino drove slowly past the well-maintained gardens and neat gravel paths.
"How do you feel about all this?" Azuma asked.
Yukino thought a moment.
The layout reminded her of her own family's estate in Chiba, albeit slightly smaller and less prestigious.
"I'm wondering… will you build something like this someday?"
Azuma shook his head.
"Probably not."
She looked at him again through the mirror. He seemed serious.
"No one I know likes tending to flower gardens," he said.
"A house this big feels hollow. If you open the door and can't call out to someone you want to see—then it's not a home. It's just a building."
Those words struck her deeply.
She'd woken up in the Yukinoshita mansion her whole life… and never once had it felt like home.
Despite the butlers, the servants, the perfection—it had always been cold.
But her mother…
She had sacrificed everything for that illusion of "home."
They arrived at the estate's inner grounds.
A blonde girl in a maid's outfit was already waiting: Hayasaka Ai.
Azuma opened the door and patted the seat beside him.
"Hayasaka, hurry up."
She smiled sweetly, but inwardly she was fuming.
This morning, Azuma had called her.
"Are you free today?"
She'd responded that she had work—as always.
But Azuma insisted she take the day off.
When she refused, he'd said just one thing:
"Hayasaka, you don't want your mother to suffer losses, do you?"
It was emotional blackmail, plain and simple.
And it worked.
Now sitting beside him, she asked with forced politeness,
"Yukima-nii, what important matter required dragging me out here?"
Azuma answered cheerfully.
"Umu. I need you to help me make money."
"…Why is that urgent?! Why should I help you?!"
"Because my company—Nao-san has shares in it. You don't want your mother to lose money, right?"
That line again.
She gritted her teeth.
"…Fine. What do you want?"
"I want you to use the Shinomiya network to find suitable electronics factories."
Hayasaka glared.
"Am I still their maid or your lackey?!"
"You don't want—"
"SHUT UP! I'll do it!"
"And find me some computer talent too."
"ARE YOU INSANE?"
"You don't wa—"
"STRATEGY MEETING. NOW."
As the car left the estate, Azuma reclined in the back seat, completely satisfied.
Hayasaka sat beside him like a broken soul.
Yukino watched them from the mirror.
And for the first time, she realized—Azuma had always treated her kindly.
He never used her weaknesses.
He never pushed her.
Sometimes, he even made her breakfast.
Could this be… love?
She blushed and quickly looked away, eyes on the road.
That day, Azuma acquired several struggling electronics factories—specializing in refrigerators, TVs, and similar products.
After Japan's bubble burst, demand had plummeted. These factories were on the verge of shutting down.
Azuma grouped them together into a new subsidiary:
Smart Home Laplace Inc.
It was his second company in Japan—one that would become the main focus of his domestic expansion.
On the return trip, Yukino broke the silence.
"Why the electronics industry? With the current economy, wouldn't external investments yield better returns?"
Azuma smiled.
"Yukino, money isn't everything. It needs to move to have meaning. If it's just sitting there, it's not wealth—it's dead weight."
Hayasaka turned, genuinely surprised.
Yukino was quiet for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Maybe… she still had a lot to learn.
Back at the estate, Hayasaka stepped out of the car, paused, and glanced back at Azuma.
He just waved.
She watched the car disappear before turning back toward the mansion.
All the staff she passed greeted her with respect.
She returned to Kaguya's room.
The moment she opened the door, Kaguya asked sharply,
"He called you. What did he want?"
Hayasaka paused.
"Factories. He asked me to help him find some."
"Factories?" Kaguya narrowed her eyes.
"What kind?"
"For home electronics."
Technically true.
But she left out two very important words:
Smart Devices.