manynovel Chapter 153 A Declaration Against the Current
Chapter 153 A Declaration Against the Current
Saturday, March 25, 1989.
Tokyo's morning was shrouded in a thin, chilly fog. A newspaper deliveryman rode a Honda Super Cub motorcycle, white smoke billowing from its exhaust pipe, weaving through the quiet residential streets of Setagaya Ward.
"Smack."
A thick copy of the Yomiuri Shimbun was slipped into the mailbox at Sato's doorstep.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Sato, wrapped in a wool shawl, pushed open the door, her breath steaming in the air as she took out the newspaper. She habitually shook the newspaper, trying to unearth the colorful supermarket promotional flyers tucked inside, to see which store had the cheapest rice and soy sauce today.
She stopped moving.
There are no colorful flyers today.
Wrapped in the outermost layer of the newspaper was a piece of high-quality coated paper, even thicker than the main issue.
It didn't use those cheap red and yellow pop-up stickers, nor was it covered with densely packed price numbers.
The entire layout was designed in a minimalist off-white tone.
In the very center is a high-resolution wide-angle photo:
Bathed in warm tones, light-colored wooden shelves are neatly arranged. Warm-toned track lighting casts soft circles of light, illuminating the artfully displayed merchandise. A sales clerk in a crisp uniform smiles as she hands a customer a brown paper bag full of fresh vegetables. In the background, steam rises from the open kitchen, where golden-brown fried meat patties gleam enticingly in the glass display case.
Above the photo is a line of neat and powerful black Ming Dynasty-style Chinese characters (similar to Song typeface):
[GST? We'll pay it for you.]
There is no roundabout or convoluted expression.
These words are like a straight ball, hitting the retina of every reader hard.
Below is a slightly smaller line of explanatory text:
S-Mart (Saionji Supermarket) & UNIQLO solemnly promise: Starting April 1st, all items will maintain their original prices. No 1-yen coins, no complicated calculations.
Life should be lived with ease; we shouldn't let those 3% of our burdens weigh us down.
In the bottom right corner, there is a red square logo and a bright red Saionji family crest.
Mrs. Sato rubbed her eyes.
She looked at the place in the photo, which looked even more exquisite than the high-end department stores in Ginza, and then at that simple and blunt promise.
"Not raising prices? Paying our taxes instead?"
The voice sounded somewhat faint in the cold morning wind, trembling with disbelief.
"Such a beautiful place...how can they be so kind?"
……
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Jiangdong District, Da Rong Group Headquarters.
The president's office door was tightly shut, but the roaring sounds coming from inside could be clearly heard even by the secretary at the end of the corridor.
"You bastard!"
With a loud crash, an expensive crystal ashtray flew into the corner and shattered. Shards of glass splashed onto the carpet, reflecting the gloomy sunlight streaming through the window.
Zhong Neigong stood in front of the desk, his chest heaving violently. He clutched the Yomiuri Shimbun tightly in his hand, the newspaper crumpled into a ball.
"Shuichi Saionji... and that little girl!"
Zhong Neigong's eyes were bloodshot.
He looked at the row of executives standing in front of him, each of them with their heads down, staring at the tips of their shoes, not daring to breathe.
"We just emptied the warehouse! We just sold off all the stock to avoid inventory accounting issues across tax periods!"
Zhong Neigong pointed at the newspaper, his fingers trembling.
"Now they're telling me they're not raising prices? They're going to pay taxes for their customers?"
"Then what are we? What do we mean by doing a month of idiotic clearance sales?"
A manager nervously raised his head: "President, this is unfair competition. What they're doing is illegal, and we can file a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission..."
"What's the point of complaining!"
Zhong Neigong slammed his hand on the table.
"By the time those old men on the committee finish their procedures, April 1st will have long passed! All the guests will have left!"
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the bustling street. The sign of Da Rong Supermarket swayed slightly in the wind, looking somewhat old.
In preparation for April 1st, the Daiei Group spent a fortune upgrading its POS system, prepared tons of 1-yen coins, and even trained cashiers on how to quickly calculate the 3% tax. They believed this was in line with national policy and common sense in the retail industry.
But now, someone has overturned the table.
"Where do they get their confidence?" Zhong Neigong gritted his teeth. "A 3% net profit margin is a matter of life and death for the retail industry. Are they trying to commit suicide?"
"President..."
The minister in charge of intelligence hesitated for a moment, then took out a more detailed investigation report about the new species called "S-Mart".
"This is not just a 3% issue."
The intelligence chief opened the report and showed a set of secretly taken photos.
The photo shows a new S-Mart store in Chiba Prefecture where the construction barriers have just been removed.
"We found twenty such stores around Tokyo. They were all converted from former abandoned factories or logistics warehouses. But..."
The minister pointed to the interior of the photo.
"They didn't use warehouse shelves. They had wooden floors and warm lighting. And that...that deli section, S-Kitchen."
"According to our informants, the fried meat patties and oden there use the latest recipes from S-Food's central kitchen. And the prices... are 10% lower than ours."
Zhong Neigong snatched the photo and stared intently at the store that exuded a "high-end" feel while also displaying "low prices".
The stark contrast between the visually sophisticated appearance and the low price instilled in him an unprecedented sense of fear.
"This is impossible..."
The voice of the person with internal strength lowered.
"If this is the standard of renovation, how do they control their costs? Are they really doing charity?"
"There's also a membership system," the minister added. "Only customers who purchase a membership card can enjoy 'tax-free' treatment. Based on our observations on-site, although it hasn't officially opened yet, long queues have already formed just for pre-sale membership cards."
Zhong Neigong's body stiffened for a moment.
He whirled around and slammed the wad of newspaper to the ground as if smashing an unseen enemy.
"This is utter chaos!"
Zhong Neigong's voice was hoarse, and a kind of fear beyond common sense gripped his throat.
"Taking a department store's decor to sell radishes, they've already made a fortune using membership cards before even opening for business..."
He gritted his teeth, his eyes revealing a ferocious, beast-like ruthlessness.
"This is cutting off our escape route. If they succeed, the price advantage that Da Rong has built up over the past few decades will be a joke!"
"Get the car ready! Let's head to the Retail Trade Association!"
Zhong Neigong grabbed the coat from the back of the chair, draped it over his shoulders, and strode out.
"That self-important Yoshiaki Tsutsumi would probably be even more anxious than I am if he saw his territory being swallowed up by this 'hybrid'!"