Chapter 2: 002, Want to get rich quick? Pay your rent first!

Whirrr.

As Naoki Nagayama was lost in thought, the water he had been boiling earlier began to whistle. Since his stomach had just been pumped, he couldn't drink anything too cold or too hot, so he set the water aside to let it cool.

He then reached under the TV stand, pulled out a notebook he had used back in school, and began to write down a list, item by item

Naoki Nagayama

Basic Info: 18 years old, 175cm tall, thin build, relatively handsome, high school education, currently working part-time at a convenience store.

Family Background: Grandfather Hayato Nagayama is a Yakuza executive (still alive); Father is the second son, Ken Nagayama, who runs an izakaya as a branch family and is not favored by the grandfather; Mother is Nanako Nagayama; has an older brother who will inherit the family business and a younger sister who is a top student (in junior high).

Strengths: Young, possesses knowledge of the major trends of the next 30 years, excellent Java programming skills.

Weaknesses: Low education, limited connections, neither his predecessor nor his current self has an extroverted personality.

Residence: Rented apartment, 50,000 yen monthly rent.

Assets: 20,000 yen.

Looking at it this way, the options for getting rich through hard work are very limited. There’s basically no capital, and as for his best skill—programming—C++ has only just come out, and Java isn't even a glimmer on the horizon. The internet is still in its infancy; wanting to make money from it... it’s still too early.

As expected, the only way is to get rich quick!

With the knowledge of the major trends for the next 30-plus years, getting rich quick should be easy

Could he take out a bank loan, buy land, mortgage the land to take out another loan, buy more land, and become the Li Ka-shing of Japan?

The economic bubble is only a couple of years away. Why not scrape together some capital, speculate in foreign exchange, then enter the stock market, add some leverage, and as long as he cashes out before the bubble bursts, he could earn enough in a few years to last others several lifetimes.

Or, based on global development trends, he could invest early in several unicorns before they take off. Wouldn't it be nice to have those future titans working for him?

At the very least, he could hoard a few hundred or a thousand Bitcoins when they first come out; by 2016, he’d be a billionaire, plain and simple!

"Who said all the ways to get rich quick are in the criminal code? Clearly, the methods to get rich quick are all in my head!"

Looking at the entries in his notebook, Naoki Nagayama felt a bit emotional.

"With a dragon riding on my face, how could I possibly lose?"

However, all these methods seem to require some startup capital. What to do?

Working part-time is out of the question. Besides, he hadn't shown up for three days; he’d definitely lost his job at the convenience store.

Furthermore, Naoki Nagayama looked at his 20,000 yen in assets, checked the calendar, and recalled his predecessor's memories, suddenly feeling a bit worried.

Today is already the 9th. The rent is 50,000 yen. Will he be able to pay it at the end of the month?

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Outside the door was the landlady, Mrs. Makino.

"Naoki-san, I made a little too much lunch. Would you like to come down and eat with us?" Mrs. Makino was very concerned about this tenant, who was about the same age as her son.

"You just got out of the hospital, so you probably haven't prepared any food yet. I made light udon noodles today."

It was true, he hadn't prepared anything.

Between cleaning, bathing, and thinking about his future, the morning had slipped away. Once reminded by Mrs. Makino, his stomach began to growl.

As expected of a young man, his metabolism was fast.

Naoki Nagayama felt a little happy inside and smiled at Mrs. Makino outside the door

"Hai, thank you so much! I was just worrying about what to do for lunch!"

"Then hurry down, Naoki-san. Genta-san is downstairs too!"

"Hai, arigato~"

Genta Nakai was another tenant living at the Makino residence. He was nearly finished with his degree at Hitotsubashi University and was currently happily job hunting. Companies were generous with travel expenses, so every day he was either on his way to an interview or being wined and dined by companies at an izakaya.

As a bachelor, he never cooked, instead paying Mrs. Makino to provide his dinner.

"Genta-san," Naoki Nagayama greeted him upon seeing him.

Genta Nakai must have been hungover; his eyes were bloodshot, and his complexion wasn't great.

"Good afternoon, Naoki-san," he said, then seemed to remember something. "So, Naoki-san really is a die-hard fan of Momoe Yamaguchi. It’s such a pity that Her Highness Momoe retired just like that."

Naoki Nagayama could only mutter to himself, "You really know how to pick a sore subject!"

Just then, Mrs. Makino arrived with a tray carrying two bowls of udon.

"Genta-san, that’s enough. Naoki-san has only just recovered."

"Hai, hai, sumimasen~"

Seeing the udon placed before him, Naoki Nagayama quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Arigato, Makino-san. Thank you for taking care of me~"

"Eh? Naoki-san was never this polite before..."

The landlady seemed a bit surprised. The old Naoki Nagayama had been a quiet one, rarely speaking beyond a nod or a shake of the head, avoiding conversation whenever possible.

"Perhaps after experiencing a few things, I've opened up a bit."

Genta Nakai chimed in, "Indeed, after going through something, one's perspective changes—whether it's life, death, or anything else."

Naoki Nagayama smiled. It was only natural to have changed after experiencing life and death.

"Itadakimasu."

He ate the meal with gusto, his satisfaction nearly overflowing from his face.

It wasn't that Mrs. Makino's udon was particularly extraordinary, but after the ordeal of transmigrating, having his stomach pumped, and surviving on simple liquid hospital food for a day or two, his hungry appetite was suddenly satisfied. The pleasure of the taste and the joy of rebirth all added to the experience of this meal.

"It's delicious, Makino-san! I'm completely satisfied!"

The landlady beamed at these words.

"Ara, Naoki-san, I'm so glad you like it!"

"Hahaha, this is honestly the best udon I've ever eaten in my life!" Naoki Nagayama silently emphasized the words "in my life."

"Ah, Naoki-san, if you keep praising it like that, you'll make me blush~" The landlady was even happier.

Beside him, Genta Nakai, who was eating his own udon, looked confused. Are we eating the same udon? It tastes the same as always; it's not that special...

Soon, everyone finished their udon. After Mrs. Makino cleared the bowls and chopsticks, she brought out two cups of tea and went back to work in the kitchen.

Genta Nakai and Naoki sat there, drinking tea and chatting leisurely.

Naoki had initially thought about helping, but seeing how Genta Nakai and Mrs. Makino took it for granted, he had no choice but to sit down and drink his tea.

One had to admit, in this era's Japanese culture, the status of men in the household was truly high.

"Naoki-san, you've changed a lot. Now that you've come back to life, do you have any plans for the future?" Genta Nakai asked.

"Haha, well, I was in the hospital for three days, after all. But my part-time job at the convenience store is probably gone, and I don't have any direction yet."

"That's true, they've probably already found someone new. But there are plenty of job opportunities right now. If you send out enough resumes, it should be easy."

A full man doesn't know the hunger of a starving one. Could a Hitotsubashi University graduate really be compared to a high school graduate from Shizuoka?

Even in the bubble era, those who were fought over by every company—offered generous travel expenses, luxury watches, high-end suits, and apartments—were graduates of prestigious universities.

For the bottom-tier laborers, life remained quite miserable.

For a country boy like Naoki Nagayama, the convenience store job had been his lifeline. And the future career path was so vast—he could eventually be promoted to a regular clerk, a store manager, or even a general manager (lol).

Just then, Mrs. Makino finished her chores and walked over.

"About the convenience store job, Naoki-san, if you apologize sincerely, you will definitely be forgiven!"

Hmm... this must be a traditional art form: apologize properly, bow, and if that doesn't work, perform a *dogeza*. That way, he would surely be forgiven!

"Hai, Makino-san. Even if I can't work at the convenience store anymore, I will still apologize properly. After all, leaving without notice caused the manager trouble."

Inside, Naoki Nagayama secretly added, "But I'm not going back to work there. Absolutely not!"

The landlady wore a relieved expression, as if looking at a child who had finally found his way back. "That's the best attitude! Ganbatte, Naoki-san!"