Chapter 3: For Everyone's Happiness
"Apart from the one meant for you, we have sold a total of six sets, amounting to 6 million yen!"
Stuffing the oil-stained bills into his bag, Uesugi Kiyoshi pulled out a Fukuze Yuki, "Here, Nakasone, this is your payment for today."
"No, I can't take it!"
Nakasone Kazuko jumped up from the sofa, blushing, waving her hands repeatedly, "Because of me, you gave Grandma Komiko a protective suit, I feel really bad about it."
Most people can afford one million yen, but it's rare to keep so much cash at home, unless the bank is working properly.
Living on the same street, the elderly widow Komiko Ideku, who is almost seventy, is an exception.
Unable to resist the old woman's pleading, Nakasone Kazuko hesitantly mentioned it, only to have Uesugi Kiyoshi directly give her one.
She felt guilty, realizing she hadn't been of any help, but instead caused her lifesaver to suffer additional loss.
"It's nothing really, just 7000 yen, I can afford that." Uesugi Kiyoshi waved his hand dismissively.
"7000 yen! That's not a small amount, enough to buy, to buy… wait?"
Nakasone Kazuko stood with her mouth open, staring blankly at the ground, then hesitantly asked. Wasn't it one million yen?
"That was the retail price, how could it be the same as the cost?"
Uesugi Kiyoshi smiled and guided the clueless girl, "Just a few square meters of Oxford cloth for the protective suit, about a kilogram of steel rings, and over a hundred milliliters of oil, how much does it cost? Saying seven thousand is too much!"
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to raise the starting capital.
Despite living in a villa and having over ten bank cards stored at home, Uesugi Kiyoshi was struggling to even afford a meal at first.
He didn't know the passwords for the cards, nor did he know his parents' phone number in Europe.
In the end, he had to sell his belongings, selling all the furniture at low prices, even prying up and selling the floor tiles, just to gather one million one hundred thousand yen to make a hundred protective suits.
"Oh, I see…"
Nakasone Kazuko responded blankly, slowly walking into the kitchen with the food, then suddenly poking her head out again.
"I was thinking, if we slightly lower the price…"
"No!" Uesugi Kiyoshi firmly rejected.
"But Uesugi, if the price is lower, wouldn't it be easier to sell?" Nakasone Kazuko tried to persuade.
"If we sell more, more people will be saved from the harm of the Head Balloon, is that what you mean?"
Seeing the hesitant girl, Uesugi Kiyoshi lay on the sofa and calmly said. Actually, our goals are the same.
"…"
Nakasone Kazuko's face was full of disbelief.
"I only have less than a hundred items in stock. Even if I give them all away, it will only temporarily save dozens of people. Those who receive the items won't cherish them either."
Uesugi Kiyoshi always had patience with beautiful girls.
"But if we sell at a high price, buyers won't be satisfied just seeing the product. Since the structure of this thing is so simple, why wouldn't they try to replicate it themselves? If they make more replicas than they need, they will naturally sell them. Only by uniting everyone's efforts can we save more people!"
"So that's how it is!"
Nakasone Kazuko suddenly understood, her face turning red as she sincerely bowed and apologized to Uesugi Kiyoshi, saying, "I was wrong."
"It's okay, everyone makes mistakes."
Uesugi Kiyoshi graciously forgave the girl, saying, "Oh, by the way, I need to go pick up some supplies soon, but I'll be back. Can I rest here today?"
"Oh? But…"
"Don't worry, it doesn't have to be a bed."
It wasn't that he had any improper thoughts, it's just that his beds and sofas had already been sold, and sleeping on the floor was really uncomfortable.
Just as Uesugi Kiyoshi had said, on the fourth day, a body wearing a different style of protective suit appeared in the steel ring of the Head Balloon in the sky.
This suit was even more roughly made and less safe, it seemed to not provide any protection.
However, gradually, the streets near the Nakasone household began to see more people around, and the proportion of people wearing Uesugi Kiyoshi's protective suits decreased day by day.
But when the capital sniffed the smell and entered, the situation became completely different.
The steel lining was replaced with a lighter and stronger titanium alloy, breathable and durable new fabric replaced nylon, the colors and patterns on the curves became finer, but the shapes became more uniform, and the biggest difference became the various logos.
The prices of the products kept dropping like a dive, now a single set of protective clothing only cost 80,000 yen, the products from the assembly line were delicate and inexpensive, and Uesugi Kiyoshi has been completely squeezed out of the market.
The people wearing protective gear walked out of their homes, carefully walking on the greasy roads, heading towards the few convenience stores or supermarkets that were open.
Countless balloons, like bombers, waved steel cables and took turns diving down, only to reluctantly return one by one to the sky. This repeated cycle, the screams never stopped, but rarely hit a target all day.
Nakasone Kazuko sat by the window, taking small bites of bread, watching everything with a happy glow in her eyes.
"Uesugi, you were right after all, everyone was saved because of you!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Uesugi Kiyoshi absentmindedly echoed.
As if sensing his mood, Nakasone Kazuko suddenly turned around. Are you… feeling sorry for those unsold protective suits?
"How is that possible?!" Uesugi Kiyoshi denied. Just ten items, only ten million yen, what's the big deal?!
Alright, even though it does sting a bit, it shouldn't be long before he doesn't have to worry about such small sums anymore.
Uesugi Kiyoshi had long made up his mind to seize this opportunity and achieve financial freedom.
Then he could fulfill his small wishes, and spend the rest of his life meeting more pretty girls.
"Kazuko…"
He hesitated for a moment, about to speak, but Nakasone Kazuko pointed outside excitedly, saying, "Look, there's a car!"
In this situation, the appearance of a Lexus on the street is indeed surprising.
What surprised them even more was the slow movement of the car on the road, parking leisurely in front of the Nakasone's house.
Two tall figures in protective suits got out of the car, they checked the nameplate, exchanged a few words in low voices, then walked straight towards the house.
"Knock, knock."
There were four knocks on the door, then a polite voice from outside.
"Excuse me, is Mr. Uesugi Kiyoshi at home?"
After waiting for a moment with no response, the visitor spoke again.
"Apologies for the intrusion. We are representatives from Yumura Co., Ltd, wanting to discuss a patent issue regarding protective clothing with you."
