Kenji was already there.
By the time Adam reached the cafe in his old-man disguise, Kenji had already taken his usual seat and placed the paper on the table in front of him. He was not reading today. He was waiting.
Adam sat across from him.
"You came," he said.
Kenji nodded. "I did. I spent the rest of yesterday thinking about what you wrote."
Adam studied him carefully. The excitement from before was still there, but now it was mixed with caution and calculation. That was better than blind enthusiasm.
Adam rested one hand on the table. "Then I won't waste time. Like I explained in that paper, I want to enter chip manufacturing and chip distribution."
Kenji replied at once. "That's the part I don't understand. I researched as much as I could in one day. Mobile manufacturing and distribution are more profitable. Why not do that instead?"
Adam had expected that question.
"Because profitable and survivable are not the same thing," he said. "One local giant already controls mobile manufacturing in this province, and two more giants still move through that same space in different ways. Once companies like that spread across a sector, small businesses rarely survive for long."
Kenji's eyes narrowed.
Adam continued. "If we enter that market, we won't be building from zero. We'll be stepping into a field where the ground is already owned. Even if we make something decent, our early years will be spent getting squeezed."
That made Kenji pause.
'He reacts to structure before profit.' Adam thought.
Even then, Kenji did not yield. "Chip manufacturing has its own problems. We would be a new company. No one would trust us. The business depends on custom parts, stable delivery, and relationships. The market does not just accept unknown names. And retaliation from larger players is still possible."
Adam nodded. "It is. But unlike mobile manufacturing, there is no giant player standing directly on top of the exact space we want. We are not targeting the biggest clients first. We go where there is still need, where the giants no longer care enough to crush every smaller hand reaching in."
Kenji stayed silent, so Adam pressed further.
"Large companies chase volume," Adam said. "We don't need volume at the start. We need entry. We build reliability in a neglected slice of the market, then grow from there."
Kenji tapped the paper lightly. "And if a bigger company tries to acquire us later?"
Adam gave a small smile. "Then we deal with that later. Right now our biggest target is simpler. We establish the company first."
Kenji leaned back.
"Before that," he said, "I need something clarified. If I join you, I want authority over operations. Real authority. I don't want someone stepping in from the side and changing things whenever he wants. If I run operations, I run them fully."
Adam went still.
It was not greed. It was confidence. Kenji had finally reached a real opportunity, and he had no intention of wasting it by becoming a decorative employee.
'I asked for a capable man. A capable man will always demand room to act.' Adam thought.
Kenji spoke again. "I'm not asking you to put the company in my name. I'm saying operations need one center. If too many hands pull at them, we fail before we begin."
That part was true.
Adam nodded slowly. "Fine. Then I have conditions too."
For the first time since Adam sat down, Kenji looked surprised.
"Two conditions," Adam said. "First, if I believe the company is under serious threat, I reserve the right to step in and take temporary control of major decisions. But I won't ignore you. I'll hear your judgment, and if you show me a better path, I'll step back from that move."
Kenji thought for a moment.
It was a twisted clause, but not an unreasonable one. Adam still kept a door into control, yet he also tied himself to explanation instead of blind interference.
"I can accept the first condition," Kenji said.
Adam nodded once. "Second, my name will never appear on the company. Not anywhere."
That hit harder.
Kenji frowned. "May I ask why?"
Adam met his eyes. "Not now. In the future, you will understand."
Kenji held his gaze for a moment longer. It was strange, maybe even dangerous, but the plan in front of him was real and the old man in front of him clearly knew more than he should.
Finally, Kenji exhaled. "Fine. I accept both conditions."
Adam gave a small nod. He had given up more than he liked, but he had secured the two things that mattered most. If this company grew, it could become a real backup for him. Not just money, but structure, cover, and leverage against people like John.
Then Kenji said, "In that case, I need a legal adviser and one more hand beside me if this company is going to be built properly."
Adam almost showed his surprise.
He had only planned for Kenji.
Now Kenji was already asking for more people.
Adam refused to let that show on his face. He gave a low cough and said, "You've taken operational command. Then handle that part as well."
He expected hesitation.
Instead, Kenji smiled.
"If that's the case," he said, pulling out his phone, "I already called someone I trust."
He made the call without delay.
A short while later, the cafe door opened.
A young woman stepped inside.
She moved inside.
Her clothes were neat, a file rested under one arm, and her expression was calm in a way that made her look sharper than most people in the room.
Kenji turned slightly toward the entrance. "There she is."
Adam's eyes locked on her face.
For a second, he forgot to breathe.
Shinju.
He knew that face.
Not from now, from the future.
She would become one of the most famous lawyers in the country.
And her ending would be even worse.