Chapter 73: A Fated Crash

On August 12th, Japan Airlines’ stock price reached 2,520 yen.

It coincided with Japan’s Obon festival holiday.

Okutama, a remote town on the outskirts of Tokyo, has a traditional Obon custom called “Mizuokuri,” which involves placing lit paper lanterns into mountain streams and letting them float away, carrying thoughts and prayers for their ancestors.

“Big Brother, hurry up!”

Such an interesting event was naturally a favorite among children.

A young girl, holding a paper lantern, skipped ahead, turning back from time to time to urge her older brother.

“Hai, hai…”

The boy, who had just finished dinner, walked with a lazy pace.

Urged on by his sister, he quickened his steps, steadying the camera hanging from his chest.

If it weren’t for the important task of taking pictures of his sister, he would much rather be at home playing games with his friends.

“Big Brother!”

The little girl in front of him suddenly stopped.

“What is it now?”

The boy nearly bumped into his sister and couldn’t help but complain.

“Look, a big airplane!”

The little girl raised her hand, pointing at the sky with an innocent face.

The boy looked up in the direction his sister was pointing and couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

In the sky, a passenger plane was flying at an extremely low altitude, skimming over the peak of a nearby mountain.

Small pieces of debris were falling from its tail.

On the ground, many pedestrians gasped in alarm.

The boy subconsciously raised his camera and pressed the shutter, aiming at the plane.

In the viewfinder, the plane continued to descend.

Okutama was a mountainous region. The plane had just passed one mountain peak, and another one lay ahead.

This time, it wasn’t so lucky…

Boom!

After a tremendous roar, thick smoke and flames erupted from the mountain forest.

A passenger plane had crashed in Okutama.

A yakuza, deliberately sent on a business trip to Tokyo by Seiko, relayed this news to Seiko, who was currently in a factory building in Urawa City.

When she heard about the crash, Seiko felt neither surprise nor excitement.

The crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 could be called an accident, but it could also be seen as the inevitable result of an accumulation of factors.

First, JAL Flight 123 was an old aircraft. Before the accident, it had been in service for 11 years and 7 months, with a total of 25,030 flight hours.

Second, domestic flights in Japan are characterized by frequent takeoffs and landings. Each time a plane takes off, the cabin must be pressurized, and when it lands, it must be depressurized.

Each cycle of pressurization and depressurization, like inflating a balloon, caused the metal pressure bulkhead to deform slightly. Frequent deformation leads to metal fatigue.

Then, four years prior, JAL Flight 123 had been involved in an accident, and the tail of the aircraft had undergone a faulty major repair.

This faulty repair significantly reduced the bulkhead’s resistance to fatigue…

This chain of factors led to an explosion in the tail of JAL Flight 123 after takeoff.

The vertical stabilizer was blown off, hydraulic fluid leaked, and the hydraulic system completely failed.

Inside the factory.

Seiko hung up the phone, temporarily setting aside the matter of the plane crash, and continued her conversation with the woman in front of her.

If any viewers of Crime of Passion were here, they would surely recognize this woman.

She was one of the lead actresses, the one who played the fallen university professor—Anna.

Anna’s real name was Takigawa Anna.

This factory had originally been a small workshop that manufactured toys—legitimate toys.

The original owner, unable to cover his debts, had mortgaged the factory to the bank.

The bank had little use for a processing plant, so Seiko was able to lease it at a very low price.

Seiko had mentioned this to Hayami, who had laughed at the time and asked Seiko if she needed a manager.

Seiko just needed to appoint a representative to take charge.

Of course, Seiko was leasing the factory to produce Miyazaki’s toys, so she hoped to find a female manager who would be easier to communicate with.

Thus, she thought of the AV actresses under Omori Ryo.

Omori Ryo recommended Anna.

Although it was hard to believe, Anna was indeed a talented student from the University of Tsukuba’s School of Political Science and Economics.

She had a very scholarly demeanor, which was why she played an associate professor in Crime of Passion.

In the past, Anna had also participated in some of Bubble Witch’s personnel management—mainly managing AV actresses—so she had some work experience.

“This plastic is too hard and too smooth. It’s too different from human skin. If you stick it inside, the experience won’t be good, and it will affect the mood. Understand?”

“Mhm, I understand.”

Communication was indeed very smooth.

With just a slight hint from Seiko, Anna, who had who-knows-how-much experience, immediately got Seiko’s point.

“There’s a material called silicone. That material is more skin-friendly and can be used to cover the surface of the toy. But you don’t need to cover the whole thing; that material is quite expensive. As for how much to cover, you can try it out for yourself…”

Due to production processes, the current production cost of silicone was much higher than that of plastic and rubber.

At present, only high-value-added products like baby pacifiers on the market used silicone.

“Okay.”

Anna clearly valued this opportunity and was diligently recording every one of Seiko’s requirements.

Nearby, Miyazaki, who had tagged along to watch the fun, lost interest after listening for a few sentences.

She wasn’t very interested in the dirty, cold machines in the factory either.

Instead, her gaze fell upon the three girls who had come with Saori and were now standing at the factory entrance.

The three girls were named Sakura, Aoi, and Tsubaki.

Saori said that all three were her younger sisters.

“I like Aoi. Her legs are so long,” Miyazaki said, drooling slightly.

“You don’t like the other two?” Saori asked with a smile.

“Tsubaki is a bit plain, but Sakura is also very pretty,” Miyazaki evaluated.

“As long as you like them,” Saori nodded. “But my sisters’ first time is reserved for Seiko.”

“Oh, then why did you ask me so much…” Miyazaki said, dissatisfied. “Besides, who would believe they’re your sisters? Do you think I’m an idiot? Tsubaki is clearly older than you!”

“So, Yu-chan, you like the older sister type, huh?” Saori chuckled.

“What’s not to like about older sisters? Neither of you have a figure as good as mine…”

Miyazaki whistled guiltily, then her eyes suddenly darted around. “Then, if I just touch Aoi’s legs, that shouldn’t count as a foul, right? Her virginity is still reserved for Seiko.”

Saori thought for a moment and said, “Alright, that doesn’t count as a foul. But you have to talk to Aoi yourself. If she agrees, then it’s fine.”

“Okay!”

Miyazaki’s spirits immediately lifted, and she jumped up.

“Wait a minute,” Saori said, grabbing Miyazaki. “I have something I want to ask you too.”

“Hmm?” Miyazaki stopped, puzzled.

Saori leaned in and whispered a few words in Miyazaki’s ear.

Miyazaki’s face first showed surprise, then turned beet red, and then she gritted her teeth. “You two bastards, I’ll kill you!”

“Can you do it?” Saori smiled.

Miyazaki bit her lip and struggled for a long time before finally nodding. “Fine. If Mom likes it, it shouldn’t count as a foul, right…”

“But, but, but…” Miyazaki shook her small fist threateningly. “Let’s be clear first, don’t even think about making me call you ‘Dad’! Or else I’ll kill both of you!”