Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 328 Inspection

The sound waves from the rehearsal room crashed over us.

Yuki sat on the drum platform, sweating profusely, arms raised high, the drumsticks about to fall—

The door opened.

Her drumsticks hung in mid-air, she froze, and her mouth slowly opened into an "O" shape.

Rie was playing bass with her head down, unaware of what was happening.

Maki was crouching in the corner, adjusting her effects pedals—a whole row of brand-new single-effect pedal arrays were neatly arranged on the pedalbox at her feet, their silver metal casings reflecting the fluorescent light. Her attention was entirely focused on the signal cable in her hand; she didn't even look up.

Yami stood in the center of the rehearsal room, her back to the door. She was adjusting the height of the standing microphone stand, her hands gripping the cold metal rod, and turning the latch with slight force.

The moment Yuki stopped, the drumbeats ceased. The bass and guitar also stopped. The sudden silence caused Yami's hands to freeze.

She turned around.

My gaze swept across half of the rehearsal room and landed on the person at the door.

They froze instantly.

...It was her.

We still met.

Ever since Yami signed the contract, she knew this day would come. She just hadn't expected it to be in this form.

She paused for about half a second, taking a deep breath. She released her fingers from the microphone stand and placed the pick between her left index and middle fingers.

She took a step forward, bending slightly at the waist.

"Young Miss, it's been a long time."

Yuki's drumstick fell with a "thud" onto the snare drumhead, bounced twice, and rolled to the ground. Her mouth remained in an "O" shape. Her gaze darted frantically back and forth between Satsuki and Masami. Her lips moved several times, but because too many questions flooded her mind at the same time, she couldn't form a single complete sentence.

"Um... Um... Yami, what's this... And who is this...?!"

Rie hugged Beth tightly, taking a half-step back. She recognized Satsuki—or rather, she recognized that aura. Something that emanated from her very bones, completely different from the sweat-filled rehearsal room.

Maki finally looked up. She glanced at Satsuki, then looked down at the row of effects pedals at her feet, her fingers unconsciously moving towards the pedalbox.

Itakura peeked out from behind Satsuki and quietly introduced them to the three of them.

"This is Miss Satsuki Saionji. The heiress of the Saionji family, and also an important family member of the SA Group..." He carefully chose his words.

Yuki's O-shaped mouth finally closed, then opened again.

"Saionji...Saionji?!" She jumped up from the drum stool, nearly kicking over the footboard stand. "That Saionji?!"

Rie subtly tugged at Yuki's sleeve, signaling her to lower her voice. Yuki was completely oblivious.

"Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Saionji Satsuki, and it's a pleasure to meet you all."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear in the now quiet rehearsal room.

"I overheard something outside the door just now—it was very powerful."

"……thank you."

Satsuki glanced past the band members, each with their own distinct expression, and her gaze settled on Ayami.

The girl in front of her was much taller than she remembered. Her shoulders were also broader. There were several calluses on her fingers from the strings, and her nails were cut very short.

The young lady from Seika Academy back then—wearing an exquisitely tailored uniform, with her chin slightly raised and her eyes filled with arrogance—is gone.

Instead, she has become a more composed… daughter? lead singer? band member? Whatever her identity, she now seems more like a young lady than before.

A slight smile appeared on Satsuki's lips.

"Ms. Okura Masami, I heard your single made it into the Oricon Top 20 last month?"

"Yes." Yamei bowed slightly. "Thank you for the company's support."

……

Satsuki didn't put on airs. She looked around the rehearsal room, her gaze landing on a folding chair in the corner. She walked straight over, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

Itakura's expression subtly shifted for a moment—a damp patch of sweat, flicked away by Yuki, clung to the cushion of the folding chair, glistening faintly in the lamplight. He opened his mouth, as if to offer a word of warning, but Satsuki had already sat down.

Her sweater was draped over the sweat stain.

Itakura silently closed his mouth.

"How's the rehearsal progress lately?" Satsuki asked casually.

Perhaps because Satsuki acted so approachable, the girls in the band were no longer afraid of her. On the contrary, they became excited after learning Satsuki's true identity.

This is a super big boss! If we satisfy her, won't we be able to change instruments at will in the future?

Yuki was the first to answer. Her voice was still incredibly loud, but due to excessive excitement, her tongue was clearly not keeping up with her brain.

"It's super good! -- It's just that Maki keeps stealing my drumbeats -- oh wait, I meant we've been practicing a new song lately -- it's that, what was it again --"

Rie whispered a reminder from the side: "Glass Highway".

"Yes! That's it! Rie's bass intro is now completely up to par—the senior engineer who was monitoring the demo last time even praised her for her remarkable improvement—"

"Splash!"

Rie's water bottle tilted, spilling water onto the bass neck. She hurriedly wiped it off, her ears turning bright red.

"I'm so sorry..."

Satsuki glanced at the flustered Rie, then at Yuki who was still reciting her lines. Her gaze then shifted to Maki in the corner.

Maki remained crouched on the ground, her hands protecting the row of effects pedals. She looked up, revealing a pair of extremely serious eyes beneath the brim of her baseball cap.

"Excuse me," Maki said calmly, "could the company approve another original 1959 Marshall JTM45 speaker for me?"

The rehearsal room fell silent for a second.

Yuki finally shut her mouth. Rie stopped wiping her bass. Itakura gasped.

Yamei immediately took half a step forward.

"Maki..." Her tone was gentle, but she sounded quite pressured, "This kind of thing shouldn't be happening in this setting—"

"Please allow me to apologize to you on Maki's behalf, young lady." Masami turned to Satsuki and bowed slightly. "She doesn't know how to read the room when she speaks."

Satsuki looked at Ayami.

Then she turned to look at Itakura.

Make a note of this.

Itakura paused for a moment, stunned.

Satsuki repeated, "The original 1959 Marshall JTM45. Make a note of it."

Maki's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, boss." Maki's voice was noticeably a half-tone higher than before. "I will place you in my home as a shrine..."

"Haha..." Yuki had learned her lesson this time and quickly stepped forward to cover Maki's mouth. "Thank you, Miss! Maki didn't say anything!"

Rie mustered her courage and stepped forward to grab Maki's hand, preventing her from struggling.

Seeing the girls making a ruckus, Satsuki couldn't help but laugh.

"Miss Yami, you have a group of very good friends."

"Yes," Yami said helplessly, looking at the three of them. "They are very...lively."

"I won't disturb your rehearsal any longer."

Satsuki stood up from the folding chair.

She walked to the door of the rehearsal room and stopped.

There was no turning back.

"Miss Yami."

"Yes."

"The game you lost to me back then."

Satsuki turned half her face slightly to the side. The curve of her lips was shallow, but meaningful.

"Now it seems... not such a bad outcome?"

Yami paused for a second.

The air in the rehearsal room suddenly felt heavy. The three noisy people quieted down, though they remained entangled in their positions.

Yamei lowered her head, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

"Yes." Her voice was soft, but each word was enunciated clearly. "Thank you for your 'guidance' back then, Miss."

Satsuki did not leave.

"Then do you still hate me?"

The moment those words were spoken, the temperature in the rehearsal room seemed to drop by two degrees.

All eyes were on Yamei.

Silent for a long time.

Then Yami raised her head.

"I still hate you, young lady."

Yuki's face turned pale instantly. Rie subconsciously reached out to tug at Yami's sleeve. Itakura's Adam's apple bobbed once, and he unconsciously took a half-step forward.

But on Yamei's face appeared a genuine smile.

"But I am even more grateful to you."

She paused for a moment.

"And I hate you because that's what you told me."

"That's a very powerful force."

The air in the rehearsal room seemed to freeze for about three seconds.

Satsuki stared at Ayami for a long while, and Ayami didn't look away. Their gazes met across most of the rehearsal room.

Then Satsuki smiled.

A very soft sound.

"Looks like you really did make it back."

She paused for a moment.

"Yami."

There is no "Miss".

Yamei's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Satsuki turned around and stepped into the corridor.

Itakura followed half a step behind Satsuki and spoke cautiously.

"Young Miss... that Miss Okura from earlier, is there anything I should do to pay special attention to her? Perhaps allocate more resources, or..."

"Don't do that."

Satsuki didn't turn around, her speech was flat.

"That was an insult to her."

Itakura's mouth closed.

"You just need to ensure she can do her best. Provide the resources she needs according to the standard. Let her appear on the shows that are scheduled. No more, no less."

"Understood." Itakura nodded.

"Next, I'm going to see Sachiko."

Itakura paused for a moment.

He opened his mouth.

Hesitant to speak.

In the end, he simply nodded.

"I'll arrange it right away."