“Well, it’s finally my turn, isn’t it? Yep, it’s about cashing out… Honestly, I wondered what you planned to do with such a fortune when you have no intention of returning to Japan, but it was for times like these, wasn’t it! Just as I expected! I’ve c-ed it out in the dark as requested and deposited it into that overseas account. The amount is astonishing! It’s become this much… I almost felt like running off with it! Honestly, you unscrupulous parvenu!”
Wakako said with a smile, holding up two fingers.
Hmm, I thought it would be a little over a hundred million, but it reached two hundred million… It was more than I expected.
Wakako did good work… I need to give her a handsome reward.
Well, anyway… I’ll operate my smartphone and request a bank transfer via an app…
Somehow, the balance in my store’s account, which had dwindled to around 500,000, has become nine digits… in the hundreds of millions.
The deposit amount is 200,000,587,630 yen.
It’s strange to think that a salaryman’s average lifetime income can be obtained with a single tap… A slight, odd smile creeps onto my face.
“Wakako, thank you. I’ve transferred the fee to your usual account. I’ve added a little extra… it’s my way of showing appreciation, so keep it.”
Saying that, I held up two fingers and made a circle twice with my left hand.
Twenty million yen for the fee, that’s an exorbitant reward, but… she did good work to deserve it.
Actually, I had secretly entrusted Wakako with the gems and gold ingots I obtained in this world and asked her to convert them to Japanese yen.
Of course, not through official channels, but through the black market exchange.
With regular antique dealers or banks, they’re fussy about the origin and authenticity certificates, and it can lead back to me.
On the other hand, the black market may take advantage of me a little, but they’ll cash it out without any questions or fuss.
They’ll also do the appraisal and assessment, so regardless of the origin, if they recognize its value, it will fetch a good price.
After all, I used a super-rare gem that is rarely found on Earth as a featured item – a blue diamond.
The rarity of blue diamonds is extraordinary; the mining ratio compared to ordinary colorless transparent diamonds is said to be 1 in 100,000.
A top-quality “Fancy Vivid Blue” can easily fetch one to two hundred million per carat…
To think that a Dwarf merchant left such a blue diamond behind in exchange for alcohol, I was astonished! …Or rather, after Param’s appraisal, it was equivalent to two small gold coins on the local market… What’s that, too cheap!
According to Doran and the others, diamonds are mined in this world somewhat carelessly and are sometimes used for ornaments, but they are simply too hard to process, so they are generally crushed into powder for polishing, or due to their magic-storing properties, they are used as magic catalysts or magic stones.
And in those cases, they are disposable… Ababababa!
Transparent ones with no impurities are recognized as having some value, but colored diamonds with impurities are bought very cheaply, and they are not even considered gemstones in this world…
On Earth, such colored diamonds fetch a decent price due to their rarity… but here, because diamonds themselves are common, they are treated as mere scrap…
…This is the kind of story that would make Earth’s jewelers go mad, but the blue diamond I acquired was well over one carat, and it seemed to be a decent-looking gem after a Dwarf craftsman worked hard to polish it.
That Dwarf merchant also seemed quite proud of it.
The Merchant Guild, which tried to sell me the blue diamond, gave a very disappointing appraisal, and apparently, he gave it to me in frustration as payment for drinks…
Personally, I thought it was too much, let alone payment for drinks, so I loaded him up with a ton of sake and whiskey as souvenirs, and also included all-you-can-drink and all-you-can-eat at Santos Diner, but he seemed to feel like he had scammed me, and his hesitation was memorable.
Well, even if it’s only worth next to nothing in this world, it looked like a decent gem to my eyes, so I tried selling it through the black market, and as expected, it fetched nearly a hundred million yen just for that.
Apparently, a jeweller who acquired an otherworldly blue diamond at a black market auction sent a polite thank-you note saying, “We sincerely look forward to your continued patronage”… which is unusual in the underworld.
Dwarf quality… As expected, it’s incredible.
But to think that the initial investment was the equivalent of one night’s worth of drinks… I can’t really tell anyone that.
What kind of Straw-Millionaire story is this?
In addition, I had them withdraw some money from the hidden assets in the underground bank… As a result, a total of two hundred million yen has rolled into my account.
The transfer destination is a regional bank in Switzerland, a bank that has a reputation for strictly protecting customer confidentiality, so even if the government tries to track the money’s movement, it becomes a darkness from that point on… The National Tax Agency would be at a loss.
Entrusting hundreds of millions of yen to someone is something I could never do with anyone else… but Wakako is connected to the underworld, and we’ve known each other for a long time, so I trust her like family.
The fee was originally supposed to be 100,000, but considering all her past work… she has done such good work that even paying twenty times that would be more than justified.
It’s a cheap investment in terms of future cooperation.
“Oh, thank you for your consideration. And, 20 million? Seriously! Owner-kun, I love you! You can ask me for anything! Big sis will gladly help you!”
After Wakako hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, the gazes of the girls were painful…
She’s definitely pressing her breasts against me on purpose…
Then, she leaned on my shoulder… It must look like I’m deeply loved… In reality, it’s a purely transactional relationship.
Well, this can also be seen as advertising my deep relationship with Wakako, the driver for “Otherworldly Express.”
Feel free to misunderstand completely!
More than anything, this is a message that I can manage even without cooperation from the Japanese side if I set my mind to it.
With Wakako’s cooperation and by leveraging connections in the underworld, it’s not impossible to gather enough supplies to run a convenience store on my own.
The reason I specifically purchased a generator and water purifier was also with the idea of being able to manage even if I lost my lifeline from Japan.
…I’ve also heard from the Meow Tribe and Wolf Tribe that there’s a wetland with oily surface in the jungle.
From what I’ve heard, it looks like natural asphalt, and there’s definitely an oil field…
In my current position, I can freely mine it, and Doran and the others are capable of electrical wiring work; they’ve long understood the concept of electricity and even the mechanism of generators.
Well, that aside, now that I’ve obtained powerful weapons, it’s time to resume negotiations… I put on a sharp, serious expression.
“Look, Ms. Kashima… if you check my account, you’ll see. I should have around two hundred million right now. With that amount, my debts should be easily cleared, right? You guys just pushed the Zero One and weapons on me, so demanding payment for them is wrong… But if you’re going to talk about that, does it mean you want severance pay? Am I right to think so?”
“……Im-impossible… T-two hundred million? Your assets were less than a million, and your own shop’s management was in danger, wasn’t it? First of all, when did you, and how, gather such a large sum of money? …There was no sign of you returning to Japan…”
“Well, it takes one to know one. I have several secret accounts that even the government can’t trace, and I have connections in the underworld. I’ve been making quite a profit in this world. I’ve been secretly c-ing out gems and gold ingots there through personal channels to start with.”
As I said that, I cast a glance at Wakako, who was leaning on me, and put my arm around her waist.
…Kuroie-sama and Kirika-sama, please don’t look at me with such cold eyes when it’s just an act.
“Well, if that’s still not enough, I can prepare more. I can borrow money from the Merchant Guild or the Romeo Kingdom and flow gold and gems into your world. The gold and gems are genuine, so there will always be buyers. Wouldn’t you agree that this is far better than being in debt to the Japanese government? Well, even if it’s the underworld, if a large amount of gold and gems of unknown origin flows in, it could destabilize the market and cause a minor financial panic, but I can’t take responsibility for that.”
“Hmm… If it’s to lend to Prime Minister Takakura, we will lend you any amount! Rather, if you have any financial concerns, please ask us anytime! Or rather, we also wish to have an account in Japan in our name, just like Japan has created an account here… Mr. Takakura, if you have time later, could you explain that in a little more detail…?”
“Our country will also spare no expense if that is the case! After all, our national treasury is so abundant that we have trouble finding ways to spend our budget! Rather, you can use the surplus funds as you see fit, Prime Minister! Since you are our Prime Minister, you must have that much authority!”
Wow, supporting attacks are flying in.
So that’s why, I have that kind of position… Well, it’s enough to know that financial threats won’t work. It’s enough.
…A large sum of money itself becomes a powerful weapon just by possessing it. Money is stronger than swords or guns… Without money, you can’t even wage war.
Next time, I might even prepare a more massive amount of funds and buy up Japanese government bonds.
This is truly where I show my true capabilities.
Sasazaki-san’s eyes are completely wandering, sweat dripping from his forehead and cheeks.
At this point, intimidation won’t work… In fact, Sasazaki-san… it’s different from what was discussed, and he’s completely flustered. He doesn’t even notice a lock of his meticulously gelled hair falling onto his forehead.
I stare intently at Ms. Kashima, the main negotiation opponent here.
She also gives a wry smile, looking troubled.
…Yes, it seems even Ms. Kashima is completely at a loss… This round, I win.
