Chapter 75: Morning Chat With Misae! Hiroshi Nohara’s Layout!
The morning breeze, carrying a hint of last night’s lingering tipsiness, slipped in through the half-open window and gently brushed Hiroshi Nohara’s cheek.
He slowly opened his eyes, the slight headache from the hangover making him a bit annoyed.
But upon seeing the serene and peaceful sleeping face in his arms, it instantly vanished.
Because it was Misae in his arms.
Misae curled up in his arms like a lazy kitten, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow in the morning light, her slightly pursed little mouth still carrying a trace of sweetness from her dream.
Hiroshi Nohara’s heart was filled with softness.
He lowered his head and gently planted a kiss on her fair forehead.
“Mm~”
Misae let out a mosquito-like hum in her sleep, instinctively nuzzling closer into his arms as if searching for a more comfortable position; that complete trust and attachment made the corners of Hiroshi Nohara’s mouth unconsciously curve into a doting arc.
He carefully withdrew his arm and got out of bed lightly on tiptoe.
After washing up, he walked to the doorway, opened the small milk box, and found two glass bottles of milk printed with cute cow patterns quietly lying inside, with morning dew condensed on the bottles.
Back in the kitchen, he skillfully put sliced bread into the bread maker and set the timer.
In the frying pan, olive oil sizzled softly over low heat, and thin slices of ham slowly curled up in the pan, releasing an enticing meaty aroma.
In another small pot nearby, blanched sesame greens and Nozawana greens simmered in clear soup, their fresh aroma gradually filling the air.
Hiroshi Nohara was in an excellent mood, even taking the leisure to take out the leftover minced meat and chopped onions from the refrigerator, mixing them with eggs, breadcrumbs, and a bit of black pepper, kneading them in his hands into round, plump patties.
Soon, the hamburger patties were fried golden brown on both sides in the pan, the rich meat juices mingling with the sweet onion aroma, conquering every corner of the small apartment like the most domineering invaders.
“Wow… it smells so good…”
At that moment, a sweet, soft voice tinged with laziness and surprise came from the kitchen doorway.
Hiroshi Nohara turned around and saw Misae rubbing her sleepy eyes, like a little greedy cat awakened by the scent, cutely twitching her little nose, her big watery eyes plainly expressing “I’m so hungry.”
“Awake?” Hiroshi Nohara smiled as he plated the last hamburger patty, turned around, and opened his arms.
Misae immediately rushed into his arms like a swallow returning to the forest, her soft and elastic body pressing tightly against his back, her lotus-root arms wrapping around his waist, burying her little face in his shoulder hollow, contentedly nuzzling.
“Hiroshi-kun, the breakfast you made smells like the best scent in the world!” Misae praised.
“Not necessarily.”
Hiroshi Nohara turned around, pulled her into his embrace, and lowered his head to lightly kiss the tip of her little nose dusted with a bit of flour; his eyes held a mischievous glint only they two understood: “I think Mrs. Nohara in the morning smells even sweeter.”
“Ah! You… you’re being improper again!” Misae’s face flushed red like a ripe apple, pouting as she lightly thumped his chest, the force as gentle as coquetry.
After the playful banter, the hearty breakfast was served on the table.
Golden yellow toast, emerald green vegetables, crispy ham and hamburger patties, paired with two cups of warm milk—simple, yet full of the taste of home.
“Itadakimasu!” Misae clasped her hands together piously, then picked up knife and fork, cutting a small piece of hamburger patty and putting it in her mouth.
The moment the rich meat juices burst in her mouth, her beautiful big eyes happily narrowed.
“Mm—! So delicious!” she praised indistinctly, her cheeks puffed up like a little hamster diligently stockpiling food.
Hiroshi Nohara looked at her satisfied expression, his heart filled with peace.
“By the way, Hiroshi-kun.”
Misae swallowed her food, suddenly remembering something, her sparkling big eyes gleaming with excitement: “Yesterday I heard Kitagawa on the phone say that the procedures for the Setagaya Ward apartment the television station gave you are almost done! When… when are we moving there? I heard that people living in Setagaya Ward are real rich Tokyoites!”
Her tone was filled with longing for the future.
A house of their own, in Tokyo’s most famous upscale residential area—this was a dream dizzyingly happy enough for any girl who came from a small town to hustle here.
However, contrary to her expectation, Hiroshi Nohara’s expression didn’t change at all upon hearing this.
He calmly took a sip of milk, set down the cup, and a depth and solemnity beyond his years flowed from his usually smiling eyes.
“Misae.” He spoke slowly, his voice gentle yet carrying an unquestionable seriousness: “We’re not moving into that house.”
“Huh?!” Misae was stunned, her beautiful big eyes full of confusion: “Why? It’s a reward from the television station! It’d be such a waste not to live there!”
“It’s not that we won’t live there, it’s that we can’t.” Hiroshi Nohara looked at her innocent expression and sighed inwardly.
Of course he couldn’t tell her that in less than two years, this seemingly prosperous country would face an unprecedented economic collapse. That house pursued as a lifelong goal by countless people would become a heavy shackle crushing any middle-class family.
And the apartment from the television station was only 40 square meters.
It looked expensive.
The location was good too.
But ultimately, in that bubble burst like a bloodbath, it would turn to nothing.
“Misae, do you think Tokyo’s housing prices now are normal?” he asked guidingly.
“Um…” Misae tilted her little head, thinking seriously: “They do seem ridiculously expensive. I heard the lady next door say her relative bought a small apartment in Adachi Ward, and the monthly loan takes up two-thirds of their salary, still paying for thirty years!”
“Exactly.” Hiroshi Nohara nodded, his gaze sharpening: “Current housing prices are like a balloon inflated bigger and bigger—looks pretty, but no one knows when it’ll go ‘bang’ and burst.”
He paused, painting a more enticing blueprint for her.
“So my plan is, once the house procedures are done, we sell it immediately. While the market is hot, turn it into real cash.”
“And then?” Misae was already dazed by his profound-sounding “investment theory.”
“Then, we use that money for more secure investments.”
The corners of Hiroshi Nohara’s mouth curved into a confident arc:
“For example, we can rent a bigger, more comfortable apartment first, save part of the money, and invest the rest into industries with more potential. That way, money makes money. In a few years, when housing prices deflate like that big balloon, we buy a bigger, better house with a yard than the one in Setagaya—sound good?”
“Wow—!” Pink bubbles were already bubbling in Misae’s beautiful big eyes.
She looked at the man eloquently talking, his handsome face shining with “wisdom” and “foresight,” completely conquering her little head with worship.
“Hiroshi-kun… you… you’re amazing!” She cupped her face, her eyes looking at an omnipotent deity: “I… I’ll listen to you!”
“That’s right.” Hiroshi Nohara nodded satisfiedly, reaching out to dotingly ruffle her hair.
He looked at the steel jungle outside the window, placing another key piece in the chess game he’d simulated countless times in his mind.
The bubble economy’s collapse was a disaster for ordinary people, but for him, a traverser holding the future, it was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
He knew that when the economy stagnated and people’s spending power was greatly weakened, cheap entertainment providing spiritual solace would see explosive growth.
Animation, manga, video games…
These things hailed in his previous life as the “Heisei otaku three divine artifacts” would become Japan’s sturdiest and most profitable cultural pillars for decades.
And what he, Hiroshi Nohara, had to do was lay out in advance before the great reshuffle, steadily betting his chips on that must-win future.
An Shizhi and World of the Strange were just his trials in the television field.
Yu Yu Hakusho was his entry into the manga world.
And the next target…
Hiroshi Nohara’s gaze fell on the brand-new Nintendo SFC game console at the corner of the table, still emitting the scent of fresh plastic.
Countless names that would drive any gamer crazy flashed in his mind.
Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Pocket Monsters, Resident Evil…
These masterpieces not yet born—or unknown if they would be in this parallel Neon world—lay quietly like gold mines waiting for him to mine, sleeping deep in his memory.
“Perhaps… there’s a chance to venture into even broader fields.”
Hiroshi Nohara chuckled inwardly, the thought planting like a seed.
Of course, these grand layouts were still too early.
For now, he had more important things to do.
He turned his head, looking at the girl eating her sandwich in small bites, her face radiating pure longing for a beautiful future life, his heart softening.
He didn’t want Misae to worry about anything.
What he wanted was for her to forever be carefree, cute, just responsible for being beautiful as Mrs. Nohara.
Raising a husband and teaching children might be her best destination.
“Speaking of which…” Hiroshi Nohara’s gaze turned outside again, as if piercing through layers of skyscrapers to a more distant land with a touch of rustic flavor.
Kasukabe.
That place in another world carrying countless people’s childhood laughter and tears.
Though far from central Tokyo, housing prices there would become incredibly affordable in the future.
The neighbors there, though nosy, were full of human warmth.
There was a riverbank for leisurely walks and a meadow for chasing sunsets with his son.
He calculated the time: about four or five years until that little guy with thick eyebrows arrived in this world.
The plot would start in about a decade.
Time was still plentiful.
“No rush, take it slow.”
The corners of Hiroshi Nohara’s mouth curved into a confident yet gentle arc.
He knew the story of him, of this brand-new Nohara family, had just pulled open the curtain.
