Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner-Chapter 755 - 461: Simple Happiness

"What?!" Minamoto Tamako’s pupils shook with surprise; it was the first time she’d heard of such a thing.

Fushimi Roku continued to express anxiety: "This isn’t the end of it. Economies have inflation. Don’t be fooled by the yen’s current purchasing power, where fifty yen can buy a bowl of ramen. In ten or twenty years, the yen will depreciate due to inflation. Although you still have 25 million yen in your bank account, the purchasing power is different, meaning your assets are evaporating with inflation."

"Is this... is this true?" It was Tamako’s first time managing so much money, and if it weren’t for Fushimi Roku, she wouldn’t have realized that managing finances is a skill.

"Of course it’s true. Why do you think wealthy people like buying financial products? Why do they like investing? It’s to ensure their assets don’t shrink."

Fushimi Roku waved his arm and envisioned a blueprint for Tamako: "Look, we’re now top-tier elites; we can buy whatever we want. Money is just a string of numbers for us. The simplest way to prevent wealth from dwindling is to buy value-retaining products."

"Like what?" Tamako asked.

"Buying houses!" Fushimi Roku said confidently, "Buying a house now is investing. Prices will keep rising in the future, meaning our assets will continuously increase. It’s like making money while lying down."

Tamako found it reasonable, the logic was tight, cause and effect perfect, but she suspected Roku’s real intention was buying a house, possibly hiding some trap she wasn’t aware of.

She calmly pondered a bit, not letting her mind get clouded: "I don’t plan to buy a house just yet. If you want to buy one, that’s your decision. I’ll pay you rent when we live together."

"My money has a use," Fushimi Roku blandly stated shamelessly: "The esteemed Kujo family heiress, how could you live off others? Paying me rent every day would make our relationship awkward, wouldn’t it?"

"What is your money used for? Buying a silly camera and chocolate flavored like crap?" Tamako slowly narrowed her eyes.

"Certainly not. I plan to buy a batch of affordable houses in East Sugamo; the Sunshine Apartments we patrolled earlier was quite good." Roku stated.

Tamako didn’t know what kind of crazy ideas Roku had again, couldn’t help asking: "What’s good about that place? The security is bad, the environment isn’t good, and the space is particularly small..."

"But it’s cheap! And in a few years, it’s bound to be redeveloped, and then you can make a big profit from the compensation." Roku’s investments resounded with calculations.

"But isn’t that making money off the government? How can you exploit such benefits aimed at helping the public?" Tamako knitted her eyebrows.

Roku never considered from such a unique angle; Tamako’s words sharply hit the target, making great sense, leaving Roku without something to refute. In his inherent view, redevelopment meant wealth, and redeveloped families were like nouveau riche.

Then Tamako continued: "Anyway, if I merely need a place to live, mom will definitely buy one for me; I think she mentioned it before, but I forgot. If you want to buy a new house, I don’t object, I can also contribute financially..."

Roku came to his senses and retorted: "Even if I don’t earn, someone else will; so why not me? At least my quality is better than those from East Sugamo, right? Surely, I won’t overly increase prices, but with them, it’s hard to say... You’ve patrolled there, you know what kind of people live around there."

Tamako was startled; upon careful thought, it seemed Roku’s point really made sense.

Roku seized the moment, promising to report compensation fairly for the redevelopment, saving money for the nation!

Of course, these words were rubbish; Roku didn’t believe them himself— he was definitely going to play dead, be a thorn occupant if not given enough compensation. In the 90s, Japan’s redevelopment relied on yakuza intimidation, but Roku wouldn’t cave to that; whatever gang came, it was no use— this money, he was determined to earn.

Persuaded by Roku’s plan, Tamako saw it as a beneficial venture for the nation and people. She agreed to Roku’s investment plan and decided to go house-hunting over the weekend... on the purchasing money she’ll provide.

Twenty-five million yen could buy a mansion in Tokyo. Tamako’s requirement wasn’t as high; she didn’t need it like mom does, just a small yard would suffice.

And thus, it was settled, Roku was in a delightful mood.

After buying a house, thoughts of purchasing a car came up; Roku had wanted a car for commuting before, but due to laziness and various delays, it hadn’t been arranged.

"How about not having dinner at home tonight and going to a car dealership or showroom for a free meal?" Roku seemed eager to try.

"How could we do that? What about Sakurako?" Tamako thought dragging the family to freeload was impolite and gently refused the idea.

But she relented, agreeing to first look at cars tomorrow, then go house-hunting.

Roku rejoiced further; freeloading was bliss, so he decided to reciprocate by making Tamako a delicious and healthy low-fat meal tonight.

Tamako ran for two hours this afternoon, then tidied up cardboard boxes for half the day, leaving her exhausted, hoping to lie on the sofa to rest, and maybe watch a little TV.

As soon as she picked up the remote, Roku dashed out from the kitchen, holding a spatula: "I suddenly remembered, there’s a really good movie..."

Afraid she’d see news of the Yakai Mutsumi husband murder case, Roku inserted a VHS tape into the player without a word, occupying the TV screen: "It’s Flag of Mist, adapted from Matsuboto Seisaku’s novel; it’s very good, I recommend you watch it."

Tamako didn’t doubt him and accepted Roku’s suggestion, she already liked Matsuboto Seisaku’s mystery novels. Since it’s a movie adaptation, of course, she was interested, and soon got drawn in.

The film portrays Kiriko’s struggle to clear her brother’s murder accusation and her confrontations with an indifferent lawyer, uncovering the corruption in the judicial system and the hypocrisy of human nature.

Immersed in the movie, Tamako barely responded when Roku called her to dinner, only casually saying ’I’m coming, I’m coming,’ ’right away,’ ’just five more minutes’...

Roku feared she’d continue watching TV after dinner, so he simply brought the dishes to the coffee table, letting Tamako eat while watching TV on the couch.

Normally, eating while watching TV is considered a bad habit, violating dining etiquette. Tamako wouldn’t usually do such things, but the film captivated her so much she couldn’t tear herself away. The least she could do was have Roku and Sakurako sit on the sofa to eat together. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Tonight’s dinner is avocado shrimp tartare, Icelandic cod slow-cooked at low temperature with quinoa pumpkin puree and pan-seared Brussels sprouts with Parmesan crisps," Roku introduced the dinner.

Tamako glanced over, feeling they looked like snacks and seemed quite high in calories. In the midst of watching the film, she offhandedly asked, "Isn’t there a healthier option for dinner? If not, could you at least make me a salad?"

"These are healthy dishes; I calculated the calories, and it doesn’t exceed 500 kcal altogether," Roku said.

"Eh? Really?"

Tamako seemed genuinely perplexed, finally shifting her attention from the TV to the food. She casually picked up a tartare, its fresh shrimp harmoniously blending with avocado, complemented by the spicy hint of onions and sweet-sour taste of tomatoes— it was delicious!

Her eyes lit up, then grew suspicious: "Are you sure it’s only 500 kcal? Didn’t you always say tasty things are unhealthy?"

"I’ve improved the recipe," Roku replied.

Tamako paused, understood suddenly, and felt a bit touched.

She watched the film, ate dinner, nestling on the sofa, relishing in this simple happiness.