Nagao's visit to Wall Street ultimately resulted in several capital giants jointly demanding that he immediately show some profit, and they had begun to consider investing selectively, rather than providing funds without reservation as they had before.
This selective consideration was because the capital giants still saw some potential in YOO that could be leveraged.
For example, his stake in Japanese TV stations.
Before, it had been very difficult for American capital to enter Japan's media industry, as it was heavily regulated. However, after Nagao's involvement, it was easier to get through despite still facing regulations.
This gave them a way to influence public opinion in Japan.
The value of traditional media in Japan remained high.
Nagao felt disoriented as he boarded a plane back to Japan.
This time, he wasn't sitting in first class but in a regular economy seat.
...
...
It wasn't because he was truly short on money, but because he had to make a statement. These capital giants were clearly dissatisfied with his operations, and if he continued to spend recklessly, it would only increase their resentment.
After returning to the company, Nagao reassessed the allocation of funds and decided to temporarily halt the maintenance of his e-commerce and video platforms, leaving only staff responsible for daily upkeep. The remaining funds were directed to the company's core businesses.
The game department received the most attention, as Nagao hoped that by focusing more resources there, he could save money and ensure that the game projects already in development would be completed.
At this point, he had no choice but to keep going.
It felt like Takayuki was pushing him into a corner, forcing him to spend money. If he retreated, all his previous investments would go to waste; if he continued, his funds would be further drained.
Meanwhile, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment showed no signs of financial strain.
The company had over 5,000 employees, more than ten game projects in development, and everything continued as usual.
It was only now that Nagao realized he had seriously underestimated Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
Originally, he had thought Gamestar Electronic Entertainment must have outside investments.
But this kind of thing would definitely be hard to hide if one looked into it carefully. Yet, up to now, there had been no signs of external investments, and the only reasonable conclusion was that Gamestar Electronic Entertainment was still using its own liquid funds.
It was truly baffling. How could a company that held the top position in the industry have so much reserve capital? It seemed unreasonable because such top-tier companies should be expanding quickly to capture more of the market. However, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment was doing the opposite, yet still managed to maintain its leading position. It was hard to understand.
While Nagao was feeling troubled, Takayuki was being personally received by the president of Kitada Bank, one of Japan's "Big Four" banks.
Kitada Bank was one of the top three commercial banks in Japan in this parallel world, and also one of the top ten commercial banks internationally, highlighting its prestigious status.
Being the president of Kitada Bank was no small feat. He came from the influential Kitada family and controlled vast wealth.
The Kitada family held significant power in this parallel world's Japan, ranking among the largest financial conglomerates.
Takayuki was being treated so seriously because he had deposited most of his funds in Kitada Bank.
After the Japanese bubble burst, the real estate sector quickly shrank, and investments in other industries became incredibly risky.
Although Kitada Bank was a top-tier bank, it couldn't escape the economic downturn. After the bubble burst, the bank suffered significant setbacks.
Soon after, Japan experienced several waves of economic downturns, with many bad debt investments exposed. This caused a mass panic, with people rushing to withdraw their money, fearing the financial system would collapse.
During this time, nearly everyone in the industry was struggling. It was difficult to recover from this situation in the short term, which was why Japan's "lost decades" continued for decades without recovery.
Yet, despite all this, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's gaming business emerged as an unexpected success, briefly helping the economy rebound.
At the same time, Takayuki was known for his habit of saving money and rarely taking risks. He had deposited much of his money in Kitada Bank.
Six months ago, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's deposits were over 300 billion yen, and if Takayuki were more extreme, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had saved as much as 500 billion yen.
This was why Kitada Bank treated Takayuki like family.
Banks especially favored individuals who deposited large amounts of money, particularly in such a sluggish economic environment. What's more, Takayuki was incredibly wealthy, and just from his gaming business, he had already positioned himself as a major player in the capital sector in Japan.
"Mr. Takayuki, this is a piece of calligraphy from Master Ueki Mishi, created three hundred years ago. What do you think?"
Takayuki casually looked at the collection on the wall in the luxurious office of Kitada Kase, the bank president.
The walls were lined with antique calligraphy, a traditional Japanese sword, animal specimens, and other items. The office could easily double as a small museum.
Takayuki wasn't particularly interested in antiques, merely glancing at them out of curiosity.
He nodded and said, "It looks nice, but I don't really understand these things."
Kitada Kase smiled and said, "Mr. Takayuki, your focus is on pioneering your own industry, so it's understandable that you're not interested in these things. But if you find anything you like, just let me know, and I'll consider it a gift."
Takayuki shook his head, "No need. I wouldn't want to take something you cherish. It would be a waste for me to keep it."
Kitada Kase couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Takayuki was still too young. Though he was in his early thirties, he was still considered young in the eyes of the financial elite. The only one who could compare to him in this regard was Nagao from YOO.
However, Kitada Kase liked Takayuki, whereas he didn't have much regard for Nagao. Nagao didn't save money and had a completely different position. In his eyes, Nagao had no value.
As for Takayuki, he was a prized asset in Kitada Kase's eyes.