Thus the Old Man Spoke 5 - (Cyberpunk AUrunners/2077, Arasaka Saburo!SI)
1950, Tokyo, Kanto, Empire of Japan
The 40s for Japan were the last period of instability that led to the modern era.
For the country, it was all about not getting nuked, agreeing to the terms of the Treaty of Guam, and reorganizing ourselves as to not get screwed by the Soviet Union. Oh, and there was also the matter of radical militarists still being a nag to the butt but... the problem would go away in the 60s.
For Arasaka, it was the period where the biggest steps were taken in establishing a foothold in the country - we had to either integrate or kill the members of the 'Big Four' within the country. The Zaibatsu were financial clique that were dominated by Sumitomo, Mitsui, Yasuda and Mitsubishi.
My brief period as Prime Minister helped in establishing some laws that favored us, but it took personal effort from both myself and my father in devouring our opposition. First thing, we allied with the Sumitomo Zaibatsu and allowed them to retain control of mining efforts through new low-interest loans we offered to kickstart their business within the few colonies we had left in Korea and Taiwan, at the fine price of cheap resources to expand our Manufacturing business.
With Nambu's gun-making production suffering a major purge from the democratic government due to its connections with the militarists, we were able to push an hostile takeover and acquire most of their factories. This move almost doubled the income produced by the company and expanded the military production under our streamlined efforts.
Despite these two easy steps, 1945 saw the real brawl between us and Yasuda as I pushed to open the Arasaka Banking division. Yasuda had been in tough waters ever since the war ended and its illicit effort to produce 'colonial money' had backfired.
While they still held some control within the diet, the Yasuda group had also started to suffer internal issues due to the civil war within the ruling family. The decision of Yasuda Hajime to curb nepotism had been met with extreme prejudice and opposition, leading to several clashes and 'mutinies' within the conglomerate.
For a full year, there was a mixture of Arasaka and Yasuda butting heads over financial businesses, and of Yasuda butting heads with fellow family members for the sake of either reforming or entrenching the traditional doctrine of the Banking corporation.
1946 saw the internal conflict lessening to some extent, but the fighty attitude of Yasuda towards Arasaka had somewhat mellowed. As planned, Arasaka did not push its luck in suppressive Yasuda as diplomacy was the key needed to have them beat for good.
It was only in 1947 that a plan was agreed upon and one that even now bears the name of 'Yasuda Plan' or 'Yasuda Plan for dissolution'. Hajime was a good businessman, but he had grown sick and bitter over the infighting of his family over the company.
It all took a turn when January 1947 saw an assassination attempt barely failing in claiming his life and another one in March that almost got his daughter. The presence of ultra-nationalist militias within the country was a matter that was being handled by the government, and the process was as lengthy as I had dreaded but... this particular opportunity opened an interesting situation that I saw fit to exploit.
I made an offer, one with a very lengthy and exhaustive contract and, much to my delight, it was approved. In less than a month, I had claimed Hajime's daughter as my newest secretary, but I made it clear that no sexual advances would be made without consent and that other rights as a worker would be guaranteed.
Many would be confused by why this was a big move and, truth be told, I would be holding back on telling the full reasoning: to put it simply, there was a formal convenience in the form of crushing Yasuda from within through a 'Trojan Horse' situation which ultimately helped me take over the business on my father's behalf, and there was a 'plot-related' reason tied to the woman herself.
Yasuda Naomi should have... or was meant to be my wife.
The name itself spoke volumes, but it was clear within our age gap that she was indeed the one that Saburo would have wanted. She was just eight years younger than me and, at the time of her hiring, 19. She had studied heavily the matters of accounting, and while she was immensely pissed at working for a 'rival company', I could tell she didn't hate me when we first met.
A shake of hands, a tour over her workplace and the overall office, and the leniency I was already planning to give to my eventual secretary. At a time where women were seen as property in the country, this meant a lot to someone as tough as Naomi.
And... there was also the fact she was a 'wanted' woman by most men. Not only her bloodline made her appetible, but she was hot. Like very hot. Even in her western formal clothes, the woman was a bombshell that was just so tempting - and that's why I added that 'no sexy pushes' clause in her contract.
She was smart, hot, and, best of all, a tsundere. The sheer amount of being called a 'baka' in private had increased significantly on a daily basis ever since I hired this adorable woman.
With Yasuda imploding and giving Arasaka more steam to work with, the next three years were all about wrecking Mitsui and Mitsubishi. The former was mawled first by the government due to the 'Tokyo Trials' highlighting the unsavory connection between Mitsui and Dohihara Kenji.
Dohihara had been one of those generals that had been more than happy in forcing war crimes. He had been beaten up brutally by the Chinese during the 'Grand Retreat' before he got saved by a small unit working with the disloyal Kwantung Army.
As he got arrested upon arrival in Osaka, the man was more than happy to mention the fact that Mitsui had not only supported his endeavors because of his 'blind policy' over the slave labor they employed through prisoners of wars, but he had also got their products 'sold' to the puppet states held in Nanjing.
Mitsui's leadership was sacked and the government shattered their business so much that we had those bits acquired at a cheaper price than expected. And the last contender, as Sumitomo was ultimately getting absorbed through the loans into Arasaka, was Mitsubishi.
War was unneeded as Mitsubishi had suffered under the heavy process of 'de-militarization'. With its corporation too geared into the war effort, the end of the war and the sudden halt to orders had crippled Mitsubishi long enough for an 'alliance' to be established. Loans were provided, but we were working on acquiring all those Heavy Factories they used for planes to put our foot in that sector too.
1949 then saw us sending a fuckton of guns to China. Despite having Manchuria, the Nationalists were struggling in the mountains with the Communists. So, we sent them a lot of unused howitzers to erase the mountains altogether.
If I had to pick between a totalitarian Maoist society and a corrupt kleptocracy in the hand of a faux progressive general, I would pick the latter since it gave us future openings into the country in terms of economic efforts. And this aid was definitely going to help mending relations after the fuck ups of the militarists in foreign policies.
As the New Year for 1950 came, I found myself finally wrapping up what happened in a rather unusual disposition. It was my office, the fireworks were going off on the side and... I was sitting on the lone couch in the corner with Naomi. The girl was tipsy after drinking some sake, but we were merely chilling and cuddling up.
If someone was being extra kinky in that moment, it was that 'stiff' lady with her intent of rubbing her tits on my arm.
Work had finished hours ago, but Naomi had decided to stuck around. I hadn't promised her a party, but she demanded one for the two of us. And that meant us sitting in the couch, giggling like morons at the firework while getting utterly drunk.
Arasaka was atop most companies in the country, and we were soon to establish enough of a dominance to start involving ourselves with other nations. First with China, then with Indochina, and then with India and Pakistan.
Everything was just going as intended and...
"Can I date you?"
My drunk ass just asked the big question - or what Naomi saw as 'the big question'. Not a marriage, not an engagement, the offer of courting her in public. I saw her red eyes widen slightly as she slouched against my shoulder.
Her pout was wonderful. "Why?"
"You hot. And smart."
"And?"
"And cute."
She blushed.
"A-And I meant 'and why'?"
"I told you," I rebuked, and she sighed. "What?"
"I thought you were going to ask for... you know. My body."
"You are hot-"
"I mean without dating. You need a heir."
"That I will have through a willing wonderful woman that I wish not to clip the wings of," I regarded stubbornly, causing her to huff. "You are deserving of love and a chance to be at your best."
This last bit, delivered so strongly, was enough to stir her in a rather good mood.
"Tomorrow we have a free day, yes."
"Yes."
She leaned closer to my face and landed a... peck with her nose on my chin. "I want to walk with you by the courtyard. I will make food, but you tell me some fun stories, Sabu-baka."
I snorted, nuzzling my chin against her forehead. "Love you, Naomi."
She stiffened, and then mellowed in the hug as we slowly faltered to sleep.
"...Love you too, Sabu-baka."
-d-d-d-d-
2076, Coronado City, California, USNA
A loud 'Awww' noise left Sasha's lips as this second interview ended on such a sweet note.
"That was so wholesome, Mr. Saburo."
The old man chuckled as he fixed himself in his chair, the two having taken to sit by a bench in a nearby park. Looking around at the little 'fake' nature all around.
"Yes, yes. I admit that Naomi's shell was adorable back then. She still is a strict lady with a golden heart, but I have to say that our bond is far more intimate and less tense than back then."
The young woman nodded in agreement, being aware of the rumored news of Saburo still being active with all of his three wives. It was still absurd to know he was one of the rare few people that succeeded in managing a romantic and sexual group without ever facing a major scandal.
"Of course. Sex is part of life but... when did it happen?"
Spicy spoiler question, and one that got a smile from Saburo. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe it."
Sasha smiled at the challenge. "Hit me, oldie."
Maybe a bit too brazen, but Saburo didn't seem to mind the nickname.
"Fine but... promise you don't get too loud about it."
"...yeah?" She was crossing her fingers behind her back and-
"We had our first time in 1980."
Sasha felt her jaw hit the floor at that insane claim. "No way."
"Yep. We held back from proper vaginal until the 80s. We had some groping and touching going on in private occasions, but... we had a good reason to do so."
"...Which is?" Sasha asked, her brain failing to grasp a possibility where that would make any sense.
"Well, we had one of the most difficult jobs trying to make Arasaka the greatest company, so we set our goals to a quota to then organize our much-awaited first time as properly bedded husband and wife."
"And that is?"
He smiled a shit-eating smile. "I am afraid that I gave you too many crumbs now, Sasha."
That response had the woman growl. "Oh come on, Mr. Arasaka. You can't just tease me like that and leave me blue-balled."
"You're the one that got in that spot, Sasha. Alas, you should just wait for that bit in our multi-day interview to elaborate on that part and... do I need to remind you that these bits will have to be omitted in the final piece?"
"What? Why? Too spicy?" She asked, almost whining at the chance to brag about having heard some of the wildest sexual situations from a decades-old relic from Japan.
"Yes, but not for me or Arasaka- the issue is the laws of USNA being quite strict about publishing sexual content in newspapers' articles."
Sasha opened her mouth but then remembered it was also one of the rules Maine tended to stress his subordinates a lot about. "Fine."
"Oh, don't be so sad. At the very best, you can know yourself how that happened because, trust me, things are only going to get interesting."
Her mood didn't improve from that, but the next words from the Arasaka patriarch got her full attention.
"By the way, I believe tomorrow we can enjoy a change in scenery. Say, how would you feel for... a double date?"
Sasha frowned. "A what now?"
"You can bring your partner with you at... let's say, Pepper & Spice, and I bring someone to join us."
"...Mrs. Naomi is going to be there?"
"Oh no, she is busy in Japan," Saburo assured with a nod. "But my second wife, Ayako, is going to return today from her trip in Europe and she will be staying in Coronado City for a week so..."
"I will have to ask my girlfriend- I am in a relationship with a-"
"Sasha, my wives kiss in bed. Of course I don't mind," The old man flatly rebuked, picking up on the potential awkwardness of 'coming out at a time where coming out should not be an issue'. It was just a matter of courtesy considering from what age Saburo came from and... Sasha felt intrigued.
"Your wives... kiss?"
"And do some cum-swapping too. But I believe that's a bit too much for you, yes?"
"...Yeah," Sasha admitted with a tense tone, knowing that the old man may be kinkier than her at her worst. She had lost that battle, and she tipped her abstract fedora to the greater pervert. "Still, I should get going."
"Don't let me keep you around for longer. See you tomorrow for the double date and... no need for formal outfits."
That was a saving grace. Sasha doubted that Rebecca would be too happy to have to put something that was too conservative but...
How long has it been since she took her out for a date?
AN
Next time, a double date. And Ayako is introduced in her 'Present Form'. What I can say is that 'things are about to get weird'.
Also, Yasuda (Future Arasaka) Naomi's reference is Rio from Blue Archive. You're welcome.