Otaku Translation: Absolute Number One C121

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Chapter 121: The Gambler's Proxy

Yasuda Shintaro counted the zeros in the passbook, momentarily astonished, but quickly regained his composure. Regardless of how Chihara Rinto had amassed this fortune, Yasuda now had work again and was no longer abandoned by society.

He placed the passbook on the table and politely asked, "Chihara-sensei, do you intend to invest all this money?"

"Yes, it’s all under your responsibility," Chihara Rinto replied directly. "I’m counting on you from now on!"

This didn’t mean handing over the money outright—trust hadn’t reached that level yet. Instead, they would follow proper procedures, opening an account at a securities trading firm. All funds would remain in Chihara’s name, with Yasuda Shintaro only having the authority to execute trades. There was no way for him to abscond with the money.

Yasuda Shintaro bowed deeply. "Thank you for trusting me!"

Chihara Rinto smiled. "Do your best from here on out! Now, about the information I asked you to gather…"

"Right here," Yasuda Shintaro immediately produced a thick folder of documents, flipping it open and handing it over with professional precision. "As per your request, I’ve been monitoring internet companies. For now, short-term returns seem low, but the long-term outlook is promising."

"Short-term returns are low?"

Chihara Rinto hastily flipped through the pages. In his previous world, he hadn’t paid much attention to financial news—it had always felt too distant from his life. What little he knew came incidentally, such as the fact that stocks of internet-related companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and Apple had skyrocketed. But when exactly those surges began? He couldn’t say.

Moreover, this was a parallel world; timelines didn’t align perfectly, and company names differed. While the inevitability of internet development might hold true, matching companies across worlds wasn’t guaranteed.

As he carefully reviewed the economic data Yasuda Shintaro had painstakingly collected over three months, Chihara was struck by a realization: there were no fools in this world. Take, for example, the company akin to Microsoft—a developer of operating systems. Its prospects were widely regarded as bright, and its stock price already sat at a high point, with stable fluctuations. Short-term returns on investment were indeed minimal. Meanwhile, the company resembling Apple was currently in continuous losses, with economic analysts advising it to shut down and liquidate assets.

Other internet companies followed a similar pattern. Those he anticipated would soar based on foreknowledge were already recognized as promising by others who had secured their positions early. Rising stars like Google’s counterparts were still small players, cross-holding shares with established giants. When—or if—they’d emerge independently was anyone’s guess.

After a while, Chihara deeply understood one thing: different industries were like different mountains. He was just an ordinary person trying to succeed in a field outside his expertise. Even with a certain edge of foresight, it was still incredibly difficult—others might lack foresight, but they were professionals skilled in analysis and forecasting.

He promptly turned to the "expert" for advice: "Yasuda-san, what do you think we should do?"

Yasuda Shintaro swiftly flipped through the folder and pointed. "Here’s the investment plan I’ve prepared. It approaches the matter from two angles. First, long-term investments. Currently, the global economy is showing signs of recovery, and the U.S. and Japan are engaged in trade negotiations in Canada. Most parties believe these talks will yield mutually satisfactory results…"

"Hold on," Chihara interrupted. "The U.S. and Japan are negotiating trade? Is it about the auto market?"

"Precisely," Yasuda Shintaro flipped through the folder again, pulling out relevant information for Chihara. "Due to a massive trade deficit, the U.S. is demanding Japan open its auto market. Talks have only just begun a few days ago."

Chihara studied the details closely, surprised to find that he actually knew about this event.

It had happened between the U.S. and Japan before, with both sides claiming victory. The U.S. President declared triumph in breaking into Japan’s auto market, asserting that Japanese cars would soon incorporate significant American components. Meanwhile, Japan’s Prime Minister announced that Japan’s free-market economy hadn’t succumbed to U.S. trade pressure, emphasizing that numerical targets imposed by the U.S. hadn’t been written into the agreement—only cooperation terms were included.

In reality, however, American automakers entering Japan were swiftly crushed by powerful conglomerates, gaining nothing. Americans then accused the Japanese government and auto industry of collusion and unfair competition, triggering retaliatory trade sanctions—imposing 100% tariffs on various Japanese vehicles and threatening aviation sanctions.

The stock market reaction to this event was clear: Japan’s stock index plummeted by around 20%, further exacerbating the economic downturn.

But now, this was just the beginning. Surely, this presented an opportunity!

Chihara immediately asked, "Yasuda-san, what’s the current state of the stock market?"

"It’s relatively stable, with slow upward fluctuations."

"Then forget everything else. Use this 100 million yen to aggressively short the stock index!"

Yasuda Shintaro froze, baffled by Chihara Rinto’s sudden, seemingly reckless idea. This could be his last chance to turn things around, and he couldn’t afford to lose any more than Chihara could. He urgently advised, "Chihara-sensei, the global economy is slowly emerging from a slump, and Japan’s stock market is on a long-term upward trend. If we go all-in on shorting, isn’t that…?"

After Japan’s bubble economy burst, its stock market naturally collapsed. However, perhaps due to the severity of the crash, it quickly entered a slow rebound phase, which it was currently in. This gave many people confidence, believing that although the economy had suffered a severe blow, it was gradually self-repairing, and the future remained hopeful. Of course, the reality wasn’t so optimistic.

Chihara didn’t hide the core data, as he still needed Yasuda to perform well. Smiling, he said, "I’m aware of all this, but I still want you to operate on the assumption that the stock index will drop by 20%."

"The stock index will fall by 20%? How did you arrive at this conclusion, Chihara-sensei? Do you believe the U.S.-Japan trade talks will fail?"

"Yes, I think they will fail."

"And your reasoning is…?"

"My intuition!"

Yasuda Shintaro was speechless. At its core, wasn’t this just gambling?

Chihara Rinto, however, was confident. Risks certainly existed, as the development of this parallel world wouldn’t mirror the past exactly. But if successful, this approach could yield substantial short-term gains. Even if it failed, losing 100 million yen wasn’t catastrophic—he believed he could earn another 100 million in an even shorter time, provided he didn’t miss the critical juncture around 1997.

He stated directly, "Yasuda-san, do as I say. Until the outcome of the U.S.-Japan trade war becomes clear, operate on the premise of a major stock market crash."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Chihara Rinto smiled. "I don’t know how to build positions, prevent liquidation, or maximize profits with this 100 million yen—that’s why I’m relying on you, Yasuda-san. But I hope you’ll handle this carefully. If the index does fall by 20%, I don’t want to end up with only 20 million yen in returns."

"I’ll do my utmost to secure the highest possible returns… if the index indeed falls that drastically," Yasuda Shintaro agreed without hesitation. This was his job, after all. However, the stock market hadn’t yet been affected by the U.S.-Japan trade talks. If he shorted the index now and the market surged instead, that 100 million yen would essentially vanish. Chihara’s intentions were clear—he wasn’t satisfied with simply throwing the principal into the market. He wanted phased, meticulous operations.

This was a cyclical process. Once the 100 million yen generated initial paper profits, those hypothetical gains could be used as collateral for short-term borrowing at banks, reinvested into shorting the index. Starting small, the process would repeat and grow, forming a snowball effect. This was Yasuda’s role—if Chihara wanted straightforward short-selling like an average retail investor, aiming for a mere 20% return, he could’ve done it himself.

However, success depended entirely on smooth execution. Any sharp volatility in the stock market could undo all progress, not only wiping out the principal but potentially leaving them in debt to the bank. This was why those who failed in such investments sometimes resorted to jumping off buildings—they owed far more than they could repay.

Yasuda felt this approach was excessively aggressive and earnestly urged, "Chihara-sensei, investing requires prudence. Please reconsider!"

Chihara smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry, Yasuda-san. This is my decision—you’re merely the executor. Even if the entire 100 million yen is lost, it’s fine. No one will blame you. Just be cautious when drafting your trading plan. Even if we end up owing the bank, make sure it doesn’t reach the point where I have to jump off a building."

"I’ll be extremely cautious, creating detailed funding plans and setting strict stop-loss lines," Yasuda sighed. "But no one can guarantee against risks, Chihara-sensei. I can only promise to do my utmost."

"That’s all I ask," Chihara Rinto said with a smile. Although his original plan to generate wealth through internet company stocks hadn’t materialized, finding another opportunity was fine. A gamble was just a gamble!

This wouldn’t affect his fundamental career plans, so he wasn’t overly concerned. He quickly moved on to the next topic: "Now, let’s discuss your commission, Yasuda-san. What’s the standard rate in your industry?"

Yasuda wasn’t focused on this—he was more concerned about restoring his reputation in society. He fundamentally opposed this reckless gamble, as failure seemed highly likely. Feeling somewhat disheartened, he casually replied, "For large sums, we typically only charge transaction fees. For fully managed funds, we take between 3.5% and 15% of the profits."

"What do you think is appropriate for you?"

"The minimum, 3.5%, is sufficient," Yasuda Shintaro reiterated his advice. "Or I can forgo profit-sharing altogether, Chihara-sensei. Let’s reconsider internet-related companies. They’re a current hotspot, and if we identify promising targets, returns in three to five years could be quite substantial—and far safer."

Chihara Rinto shook his head and laughed. "I’m in a hurry, Yasuda-san. Trust my intuition this once! Keep monitoring the internet sector, though. If there’s spare capital, you can buy stocks. We can discuss this further later."

This was just an opportunistic grab for quick cash. Eventually, he planned to invest in internet companies as well, expecting solid returns post-2000. Patents were also on his mind—once he had more funds, he’d acquire some for long-term dividends.

Yasuda nodded silently, feeling the outlook was bleak. He had been forced into the role of a gambler’s proxy, making decisions without any economic analysis, simply betting on a 20% drop in the stock index. In his previous company, the section chief would have strangled someone suggesting such a move.

However, Chihara Rinto was the only one willing to employ him now. Fearing that strong opposition might cost him his job—and he couldn’t afford to lose it again—he had no choice but to comply with the client’s demands, even reluctantly taking on the risk.

He excused himself to handle account procedures and draft a trading plan, intending to present it to Chihara Rinto, his gambler-type client, for review later. Chihara, meanwhile, was satisfied, hoping this wave would multiply his funds several times over and allow him to catch the onset of the financial storm. He trusted Yasuda Shintaro’s abilities—after all, he was a [Special Talent] designated by his cheat system. Surely, he had some skills?

With that, Chihara left the matter in Yasuda’s hands, no longer interfering—it wasn’t within his capabilities anyway. Later that afternoon, he picked up his custom-tailored suit.

Summer programming was nearing its end, and the Star Awards vote-counting was almost complete. Soon, it would be time to attend the awards ceremony.

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