The inner door opened at that exact moment.
The head of the preparation team walked out holding a piece of paper just copied down from the main residence.
The expression on his face was completely different from before he went in.
The young employee who had just been standing by the window holding his bento was the first to stop using his chopsticks.
The legal staff member near the door also loosened the halfway-zipped zipper of his briefcase.
The person in charge of settlement pressed the fax in his hand back onto the desktop, and the rest of the people quickly stood up following suit.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned serious.
The team leader merely lifted a hand toward the long table.
"Come over here."
Chairs were pushed back one after another.
Someone closed their lunchbox, while another walked over directly holding an unfinished rice ball.
The dozen or so people who had been scattered around the telephones, fax machines, and several desks quickly gathered around the long table.
A few months ago, they did not even know they would be put into the same team.
Some had originally been in charge of large corporate accounts in the group's finance department, some had long handled settlements between banks and trusts, and others came from the legal, financing, and corporate relations departments.
The initial notification they received was also very simple—keep it confidential, accept temporary transfers, and everyone should continue working in their original positions first while waiting for the next order.
No one knew what exactly they were waiting for.
It was not until earlier this month that they were successively called to Nihonbashi.
Materials were brought in, customer lists were pulled up, the weekends of lawyers and settlement personnel were cleared in advance, and the words Nomura Securities began appearing more and more frequently on the desks.
By this step, even the densest person knew that this was not an ordinary market survey.
The team leader put the paper in his hand onto the table.
"The eldest miss made the decision personally just now."
The expressions of the people gathered around the table turned serious.
The team leader did not continue right away.
He first looked around at the people in front of him.
"Before reallocating tasks, there is one thing I will say again."
"I think I do not need to re-explain why everyone is sitting here."
"A few months ago, the group temporarily drew people from various departments, and the roster was changed three times. Those who can sit here are all screened out by their respective departments. Corporate, settlement, legal, financing—there are only this few people in each sector."
The young employee who had been holding the 2,980-yen bento earlier also completely put down his chopsticks.
The team leader continued.
"The explanation the eldest miss gave us has never changed."
"She has obtained insider information whose source cannot be made public."
No one showed any surprise.
They came specifically for this piece of news.
"A major event will occur in Japan's large securities companies in the near future, one sufficient to shake the trust of corporate clients. The group spent several months preparing funds, personnel, legal affairs, and client relationships in advance just to wait for this opportunity."
The team leader pressed his palm against the edge of the table.
"Saionji lacks no experience in overseas securities and investment business, nor does it lack money domestically, let alone corporate clients."
"What it lacks is an entry point."
"An entry point that can truly enter Japan's securities industry."
The room was very quiet.
The convenience store bento that had been sitting at the corner of the table moments ago was still steaming slightly, but no one touched it anymore.
"Therefore, this time we are not here to pick up a few corporate clients, nor are we here to take advantage of whichever securities company is having bad luck to make an extra commission."
The team leader looked at everyone.
"This is Saionji's first formal reach into the domestic securities industry."
"The eldest miss gave us news in advance that no one else has. What people like us must do is turn this lead of a few hours, or even a few days, into something that truly belongs to Saionji before all of Tokyo knows what has happened."
The head of corporate affairs nodded slightly.
The person in charge of settlement glanced at the stack of Nomura materials on the table.
What such an opportunity meant was certainly understood by these elites who had been screened layer by layer.
Heaven knows how the almighty eldest miss learned of such insider information; in the financial realm, being even a millisecond faster than others means enormous profits.
Not to mention news that could be prepared months in advance—relying on Saionji's scale, they could even use this news to completely reshape an industry.
Only then did the team leader pick up the Nomura Securities document right in the middle.
"The eldest miss has personally instructed that the problem has changed now."
He moved Nomura away from its original position to the left.
Then he placed Nikko next to it.
Daiwa.
Yamaichi.
The four sets of materials were laid out in order.
"The eldest miss has canceled two original conditions."
"First, we will no longer wait for a specific date."
"Second, we will no longer assume that things must start with Nomura."
Someone at the table subconsciously looked toward Nikko's materials.
The team leader continued:
"From now on, all four will enter the same level of observation."
"Nomura, Nikko, Daiwa, Yamaichi. In addition, if other securities companies run into problems big enough first, they will count just the same."
The head of corporate affairs did not rush to reply.
He looked down at the desktop, and only slowly spoke after a few seconds.
"So the only thing that truly cannot change from beginning to end is the event itself."
The team leader looked at him.
"Go on."
"The eldest miss's insider information tells us that there will be problems in the securities industry."
The head of corporate affairs reached out and pulled the client cards next to Nomura a little closer to himself.
"Previously, we merely further assumed that the problem would erupt from Nomura at some point in time. Now that both the date and the company can change, it shows that the eldest miss believes these two conditions are just details within the news."
"What we are truly waiting for is an event sufficient to create a fracture in the credit of large securities companies."
The team leader nodded.
"That is right."
He lowered his head and glanced at the notes on the paper.
"Loss compensation, improper provision of benefits, high-level resignations, Ministry of Finance intervention, or anything sufficient to make corporate clients begin re-evaluating their existing brokerage relationships."
"Whoever gets into trouble first, we deal with them first."
As the voice fell, the head of settlement had already picked up that closing fax from Nomura just now.
"Then the settlement team will have to redo everything tonight."
This time no one asked why.
"All previous preparations were made on the premise that Nomura would have problems first. Corporate accounts, securities custody, unsettled transactions—the order was all arranged around Nomura."
He pulled out two client cards from the edge of the table and placed them between the four sets of securities company materials.
"Large corporations never use just one securities company."
"Some have stock business at Nomura, bonds at Nikko, and custody through trust banks. There are also companies that have accounts with all four, just with different scales."
"If one of them really runs into trouble, the first thing they confirm will not be who will take over the original brokerage."
He pressed his finger against one of the cards.
"They will first ask whether the money is still there, whether the securities can be transferred, and whether transactions maturing tomorrow can still be settled normally."
He looked up at the team leader.
"I suggest canceling the plan of splitting settlement personnel by brokerage. Tonight, let us rescreen all cross-accounts of key corporations. No matter which of the four runs into trouble first, we will cut straight in from the client end."
The team leader did not immediately express his stance, only looking at the head of corporate affairs.
The other party had already picked up the pencil on the table.
"The corporate team is the same."
He pulled out the primary list that originally belonged to Nomura and quickly flipped through a few pages.
"Continuing to use this table will only hold us back."
"Previously we arranged the order according to Nomura's account scale and business relations because we assumed the first batch of shaken clients would all come from Nomura. Now that the target has expanded, account scale itself is no longer the most important thing."
He pulled out several of the cards and set them aside.
"I will resort them according to three conditions."
"Being able to directly contact personnel at the level of financial head or above; using two or more large brokerages simultaneously; and—"
He raised his eyes.
"Members of The Club."
The few people around the table all understood what he meant.
"These enterprises are the easiest to break through at the first moment."
The head of corporate affairs continued:
"And they know Saionji's credit. When the market suddenly runs into problems, we will not need to spend half a day explaining who we are."
"As long as the phone call can reach the hands of the real decision-maker directly, we will be faster than anyone else."
This time the team leader nodded.
"Do it that way."
The sound of paper rubbing suddenly came from the position near the door.
The legal staff member who had just prepared to pack up his things put his briefcase back under the table and pulled out the materials he had just packed away one by one.
"The legal side must also take a step ahead."
Everyone's gazes turned over.
He remained seated and opened one of the sticky note pads.
"If what finally blows up is loss compensation, or other provisions of benefits involving corporate clients, we cannot understand this operation merely as grabbing accounts."
"Because the first batch of panicked people will likely be the clients themselves."
The head of corporate affairs did not interrupt.
The legal staff member continued.
"Everyone knows how chaotic the trading conditions were when securities companies competed for corporate business over the past few years."
"If reporters really went to ask an enterprise: After that loss in 1989, why did Nikko give you another transaction that was obviously favorable—"
He paused here for a moment.
"At this time, the finance manager's thought is definitely not whether to change securities companies."
"He will first think about whether he is going to be investigated."
Someone at the table nodded lightly.
"Therefore, after the matter truly comes out, our first phone call cannot be about business."
The legal staff member picked up his fountain pen.
"First tell the client not to move their documents around."
"Transaction confirmations, internal ringi documents, payment vouchers, and transaction records with securities clerks—not a single piece can be deleted, nor should they rush to call back to the securities company themselves to unify their talking points."
"Then the lawyers go in."
"First catch the person, then determine how deeply he is actually involved."
Hearing this, the head of corporate affairs already understood.
"After he confirms that he is safe, he will naturally start considering whether his original brokerage can still be used."
"Correct."
The legal staff member looked down and wrote a few lines on the paper.
"When the client is most panicked, whoever helps him figure out the matter first is who he will call first in the future."
The head of settlement smiled slightly.
"After that, where the money goes will be much easier."
After this sentence came out, the side of the conference table quieted down for a moment.
The team leader did not rush to continue assigning tasks.
He looked at the people in front of him.
This was the reason they were picked out from various departments in the beginning.
Satsuki did not prepare an answer sheet for them on how to take every step.
What she gave was direction, time advantage, and the resources the group could mobilize.
The rest was supposed to be completed by these people themselves.
At this moment, the young employee from earlier suddenly spoke up.
"Then in that case, the original plan of 'going to pick up clients after Nomura runs into trouble' should also be partially scrapped."
The head of corporate affairs looked toward him, signaling him to continue.
The young employee went on:
"What we prepared before was to go find companies that had already begun to shake as soon as Nomura had a problem."
"But now we do not know which one will get into trouble first, nor do we know what the specific matter is."
He pointed to the four sets of materials side by side on the desktop.
"Then we cannot wait until the clients themselves show they want to leave before contacting them."
"We should first find out the group of people most easily affected."
"Mark in advance who has done large transactions with these four, who has lost money before, and who has a particularly deep relationship with the sales department."
"After the news comes out, they will be the batch most likely to panic first."
The team leader looked at him, pondered for a moment, and also nodded.
"Hmm, good analysis. It can be incorporated into the plan."
He looked around the circle again.
"Does anyone else have any thoughts?"
No one uttered a sound.
Seeing that everyone had no other opinions, the team leader spoke again.
"Very good."
"Then we will modify it according to what was just discussed."
He first looked at the settlement team.
"Cross-accounts and fund paths."
Then he turned to the corporate team.
"Resort the contacts, list The Club separately. In addition, screen out the corporations that have had obvious abnormal transactions with the four major brokerages over the past two years first."
Finally, the legal team.
"Complete the emergency handling checklist tonight. Especially what to do in the first hour after clients are suddenly approached by the media—I want something that can be handed directly to corporate financial heads."
The legal staff member nodded.
"Yes."
"One more thing."
The team leader swept across the circle again.
"Starting from now, any anomalies from the four securities companies must be cross-verified. Media, clients, settlement, banking ends—as long as two of these lines show changes simultaneously, call me immediately."
"Do not wait for the news to be officially published."
"By the time all of Tokyo sees the newspaper, us sitting here months in advance will have no meaning."
No one spoke.
But the expressions on everyone's faces had completely changed.
The team leader raised his wrist and glanced at the time.
Seven-twenty-seven.
"Before nine o'clock, I want the first draft."
The team leader looked around at everyone.
What needed to be said had already been said.
He raised his hand.
"Alright."
Clack.
Clack.
Two crisp claps resounded in the office.
"Let us get to work."
Everyone dispersed immediately.
The phones rang shortly after.
The fax machines started spitting out paper again.
The people who had just been gathered around the table returned to their respective positions, and the office began operating once more.
The young employee put that box of 2,980-yen bento next to his hand and also lowered his head to start processing his own list.