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Iced vanilla latte in hand, Sonoko walked into an empty elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. On the other side of the glass panel, the city was still illuminated by the neon signs of Suzuki Group’s competitors. They hung around like predators — ready to pounce once they saw a ripe opportunity to get a share of success for themselves.
Just as the doors were closing, a man slipped inside the elevator. He did not push any of the buttons.
“Ms. Suzuki, my company is working on a new application that will revolutionize the financial services industry through the use of blockchain technology.”
People like this were akin to bees. All that came out of their mouths were buzzwords and once they got what they wanted, they would stab you right in the back. Of course, they would never get away with it thanks to the legal team on Suzuki Group’s payroll.
“Our return on investment is projected to be 24 percent over three years. We’re just asking for a million dollar investment from the Suzuki Group to kick us off.”
Sonoko took a sip of her latte and requested a status update on the construction of the executive’s elevator from her secretary.
“Ms. Suzuki, this is our business plan and my business card.”
The elevator doors opened and Sonoko stepped out without taking either. The man tried to follow her, but she blocked his way.
“Feel free to pitch your project through our normal channels,” she said. The elevator doors began to close. “I don’t appreciate being accosted so early in the morning.” Without her badge, the elevator doors would not open again and the man would be sent back down to the lobby where security could deal with him.
Once in her office, Sonoko fell into her morning routine. The plant by her desk, a gift from Sera, needed to be watered. The awards in the display case needed dusting. After all these years, she still found the golden Kamen Yaiba trophy ugly. At least to visitors, it blended in with the rest of her awards if they didn’t look too closely at the misspelled plaque that read “Congrats on becoming Cheif Executive Officer!” That was what happened when children spent all their free time playing detective instead of studying.
At precisely seven o’clock, Sonoko’s secretary briefed her on the day’s appointments. By 7:15, she was in her first meeting listening to a round-table of executives report on their sales forecasts for the next quarter. Even after years of experience, Sonoko couldn’t say that she had a head for numbers, but no one in the room could deny her business sense.
“Stop right there.”
The presenting executive shut up immediately.
“Why hasn’t our market share grown? It’s even trending down for users between eighteen to thirty-five. I would have expected to see an increase in that demographic.”
“We’ve implemented marketing tactics that will appeal to the average consumer that are on par with our competitors.”
Around the table, men and women twice her age shuffled their papers.
“What I’m hearing is that we’re doing the same things as our competitors. And ‘average consumer?’ Marketing to everyone is marketing to no one. Even laundry detergent has a target market. What makes our product stand out from the rest?”
“Ms. Suzuki, I apologize.”
Sonoko help up a hand. “I don’t need an apology. Revise the marketing strategy and bring it to me by the end of tomorrow.” Addressing everyone, “This is the Suzuki Group. We expect good results and we put our capital behind each of you to achieve that. I expect you all to take risks to create a strong market presence, not to copy what others are doing. Let’s reconvene next quarter. For those with assignments, I’ll have my secretary schedule time to discuss.”
She caught her first break when a meeting with a happy investor ended early.
“Ms. Suzuki, a detective stopped by to give this to you.” Her secretary handed her a sealed manila folder stamped ‘Confidential’ in bold lettering. “He said you would know what it was and that it was urgent.”
“Not that urgent,” Sonoko scoffed. “I’ll handle it from here. Thank you.”
Her email inbox was the same. Attention Needed. Please Respond ASAP. Highly Important. Her secretary would schedule time for it if it truly needed her attention. With ten precious minutes of free time left before her next meeting, Sonoko checked her phone. She swiped away everything but a few notifications about sales at stores she frequented and a tag notification that she opened.
Underneath the promotional image of Two-Mix’s concert in Beika City, Ran asked, “Are you free?”
Finally something worth her attention.
“Do I have anything important next Thursday?” She asked aloud.
“One dinner meeting with a subsidiary representative.”
“Reschedule it, please. And block off that day starting from 4:00 pm. I have a personal matter.” One phone call to a connection in the entertainment industry got her two VIP tickets with backstage passes.
On the way to the conference room, Sonoko made one more call.
“Hello? Kudo Detective Agency.”
“Ran, I got us tickets!” She could see the businessman inside through the glass walls but ignored their curious looks. As long as she schooled her face into a neutral expression, they would never know who she was talking to or what she was saying with the building’s state-of-the-art soundproofing.
“Sonoko! Isn’t it a busy time for you?” The sounds from a horse race filtered in from the background.
“It’s fine. I need a break anyway. I’ll pick you up at five so be ready!” She hung up, leaving no room for argument. Ran was trying to be considerate, but these were the moments that Sonoko worked for. Being able to her friends and enjoy the best there was in life made the stress and pressure worth it.
This was not worth it. Sonoko felt a headache coming on as she listened to the ridiculous idea being pitched to her. How had this whiny man with a half-cooked scheme gotten a spot on her calendar? Right, as a favor to a close business associate whose brother, who stood in front of her now, was starting his own business. This was a complete waste of time. She would need a week — no, a month — on a tropical island without internet and phone reception to recover.
“I’m sorry, but this doesn’t fit the direction the Suzuki Group is heading in. I’m afraid we won’t be able to take on this project.”
“But Ms. Suzuki, I hope that because of your long-standing working relationship with my sister,”
“The Suzuki Group invests based on the potential of the project.”
“I really need the funds,” the man begged. “Please, you’ve been such a good business partner to my sister.”
“I listened to the full extent of your proposal because of her.” Sonoko stood from her chair. “But I will not invest in a project that does not align with our goals solely because of your connections.” She exited the room. Her secretary could see him out.
Truth be told, she had also given him a chance because she saw her younger self in him — a well connected upstart with a strong family background but no experience. It had taken internships in every corporate function, then years of working under a mentor before she had been rewarded with her current role. She had seen this meeting as an opportunity to take someone under her wing and share her knowledge with the next generation of leaders. Unfortunately, they had only wanted her to share her wealth.
While she had been stuck in that unproductive meeting, she had missed a call from Makoto. He had messaged her instead and she opened it to find a selfie of him taken from an angle that gave him a double chin. She saved it immediately.
Makoto must have been expecting her call because he picked up on the first ring. “Long day?” One look at her and he already understood.
“Difficult meeting.” Sonoko smiled, already feeling healed. “It’s over now.” Behind him, students milled around in karate uniforms.
“I’ll be home late, but I’ll bring back some of that cake you like from the bakery by the studio.” There was a competition coming up and Makoto had been staying late for the past week to coach his students. Competition weekend was already blocked out on her calendar and a reservation was already made at a barbecue restaurant to celebrate the students’ hard work, trophy or not.
“You’re the best.”
Makoto’s face reddened, still shy when receiving compliments even after all these years. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No, I have a meeting with the Board of Directors next. We’ll have lunch after.”
“That’s right. I know you’ll do well.”
Unexpectedly, she wasn’t immune to compliments either.
Maybe because the Suzuki Group was a family business, the Board of Directors meetings were especially nerve-wracking. Seated around the conference table were her cousins, aunts, and uncles, and also her father, the chairman. They had all known Sonoko in diapers; she feared that was how they still saw her.
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “I’ll start us off with a review of our third quarter performance.” Sonoko knew they were just listening, but their blank faces were hard to read. Then, the questions came rolling in.
“Why was there a decline in revenue growth?”
“Why are we keeping this product line?”
Under their scrutiny, Sonoko refused to shrink. She wasn’t a high school student with no grand ambitions who the family could look down on any longer. While her results demonstrated her drive and capability, she could also speak up for herself now.
She explained that the decline in revenue growth was being felt across the industry, and their growth was higher than their competitors due to hedges made in the prior year.
“As for that product line, I acknowledge that the return on investment is lower than projected. Suzuki Group was a late to enter the retail market. Although our brand name is strong, we need to prove our commitment to providing the same excellent service to our retail customers. There are still opportunities to grow our market share as that market is expanding quickly; thus, we plan to target older customers who are hesitant to try new services by leveraging the trust they have in our brand.”
There were nods of approval as they delved into the next item on the agenda and Sonoko took her seat at the table. Each director brought with them insights, some that Sonoko hadn’t considered before. She tried to trace their through process and internalize their methods so that Suzuki Group would reach new heights under her care.
From stories that her relatives told, the Suzuki Group had a gavel that was passed down from chairman to chairman until it was broken when it was thrown against the wall during the financial crisis in the ‘90s. The hole in the wall had been patched up since, but a photo of it remained with her father posing next to it.
Without a gavel to bang, the chairman cleared his throat. “I adjourn this meeting at 12:05 pm.”
The atmosphere in the room relaxed instantly. People who had been arguing over profitability measures were now chatting jovially about their weekend plans. Sonoko’s secretary, who had been taking minutes, finished typing and stood. “I’ll have them bring in lunch shortly.”
“What are we having?” One of Sonoko’s great aunts asked.
“We ordered catering from Shin Sushi.”
“I think we should remove Shiro from the board,” Sonoko’s uncle complained. “We keep ordering things he likes.”
“Well, I can’t help it that my daughter grew up to be a thoughtful person. I’ll reflect on my parenting,” Shiro said.
“Oh, look at him brag now. Don’t let him retire. Otherwise he’ll spend his carefree days trying to give us parenting advice.” Sonoko’s aunt crossed her arms and gave Sonoko a teasing wink.
“Alright, we’ll take a vote for next time,” Sonoko conceded. After a few rounds of voting, they would get bored and have her choose again. Just like last time.
Her father hung back as everyone left. “Sonoko, you’ve really grown up. When you were speaking today, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Thanks, papa.” Sonoko took the elevator down with him to where his driver was waiting.
“I’m very proud of you, Sonoko. I was worried that you didn’t have any ambitions when you were younger, but I’m glad you’ve found your place in the world.” He patted her on the arm. “And bring Makoto around more. I heard he’s taken some good students under his wing.”
Sonoko watched until his car was no longer in sight before returning to her office. Those meetings took a lot out of her. She considered leaving early for the day, but it would be boring to spend time alone at home. Upon her desk was the confidential envelope from earlier that she had forgotten about until she saw it again. She opened it and pulled out the thick document inside.
Confidential, really?
She flipped through the pages, looking at the items circled in black marker. Astounded by the detective’s taste, she called him on the phone.
“Sonoko?”
“Kudo, if I were to describe the rings you chose in one word, it would be ugly, no, gaudy. Actually, that’s how I would describe this entire catalog. Completely tasteless.”
“That’s three words now.”
“As your friend and Ran’s best friend, I’ll help you out. Be at the Beika Shopping Mall in ten minutes.” With her there, the sales associates would give them a private room and hand-picked recommendations that would not include what Kudo chose.
“Ten minutes? I’m at a case.”
“Fine.” Sonoko was already packing her bag and shutting off her computer. “I’ll give you ten minutes to wrap up your case plus commute time.”
“That’s it! What if he couldn’t taste the poison?”
“Excuse me?”
“Thanks, Sonoko. I’ll be there.” He ended the call.
Even though he wasn’t there to see her, Sonoko rolled her eyes. She stopped trying to follow his train of thought years ago and decided to accept him for the strange man he was.
She exited her office and put on her sunglasses. “I’m leaving for the day. Call me if there’s an emergency.” The sun was still out and she had a friend to meet — a recipe for a great rest of her day.