Chapter 152: The Price of Heaven
At around three o’clock in the afternoon, the Sakai family of four appeared in Nishimabu, Minato Ward. They had even taken a special cab ride over from Ueno, Taito District, for this trip.
Masayoshi Kishimoto flashed people. In fact, he was perfectly fine for the afternoon, except that he had promised Natsui Makoto that he would spend Christmas Eve with her. If he hadn’t excused himself at noon, wouldn’t it be too easy to arouse suspicion if he said he had something to go out at night?
Sakai Rie didn’t slacken off for the New Year’s Concert even though she was on vacation, instead she worked even harder than she did during the week. She went back to the university campus and practiced over and over again.
Rie Sakai not only performs on stage with her specialty of Western flute, but also has a minor in piano. She had a strong personality and always strived to do her best in everything, not willing to lose out to Prof. Suzuki’s daughter, who was also her senior sister. Even if they were to perform together, they would still have to compete.
When the Sakai family of four arrived at the place, it was a complete eye-opener. True to the saying, what class of people and what class of people would gather together. In order to become friends with a tycoon, one must first become a neighbor of a tycoon.
A home is not a one-family building at all. After all, the definition of a Japanese-style one-family building is a small yard plus parking lot, partially private road, and small 2- to 3-story wood-built building with an area of about 100 square meters to 300 square meters.
Every single family here has a single house, and all of them have large houses with more than 1,000 square meters, making it a thoroughly luxurious residential area. Even though it is located in the busy downtown area of one of Tokyo’s capital cities, it is still a quiet place in the middle of the action.
Each house is also planted with valuable trees and flowers. This not only showed off the owner’s taste and style, but also the owner’s financial strength; after all, taking care of expensive flowers, plants and trees also required money to hire specialists to do so.
On the left and right sides are mansions, and in the center is a two-lane road with two sidewalks. The roads are built to the standard of a highway.
Not only were there no potholes, but there weren’t even minor cracks. It was evident that even this road was well maintained inside the weekdays.
Even without garbage cans, the street was very clean and tidy. The street lamps on both sides of the sidewalk had a distinctly Western retro style. The density of surveillance cameras was comparable to that of a prison, and they could be seen everywhere.
“This place where rich people live is really different.” Sakai Masao couldn’t help but say with great emotion.
The three of them, Sakai Shota, Sakai Meiling and Sakai Aiko, were just like Liu Lou Lou entering the Grand View Garden, not only were they dazzled, but also tacitly nodded their heads in unison and agreed, “That’s right, that’s right.”
Two security personnel wearing black uniforms suddenly appeared in front of the family of four. The slightly taller one said, “This is not a tourist and sightseeing area, please do not linger too long to avoid unnecessary trouble and suspicion.”
Before the Sakai family could reply, the slightly shorter one said with a skeptical and scrutinizing gaze, “What exactly do you guys do?”
“We look for a house?” Masao Sakai said under his breath.
“Looking for a house? Looking for what kind of house? Whether the houses here are for rent, or for sale, they’re sky-high.” The short security guards looked at them in ordinary clothes, not like people who could afford to spend money at all, but rather like tourists who came here in admiration.
Although they had encountered this situation not once or twice, they could not be lax. There is no guarantee that there will be thieves dressed as tourists to first step on the spot, and then burglary, or even kidnapping, murder.
Every homeowner here spends so much money on the management fee every year to hire them to patrol, naturally, in order to keep their homes safe and sound, not just for show.
Aiko Sakai took out the contract from inside her handbag and said, “We found the house that is here.”
The short security guard came closer to look at it. His cold and loving expression was instantly presented with a very kind smile and said, “You must be the new owners! No wonder, we have no impression of you.”
Sakai Masao suddenly held his head high and said, “This place is really big, making it easy for us to find. Our family wouldn’t be taken for bad guys, would they?”
“Not at all. When I first saw the four of you, I sensed the rich and noble aura from you. Please follow me this way and I’ll personally take you there.”
The security guard of the shorter man began to slip up. He was afraid that if the other party complained about his previous bad attitude, he wouldn’t have to come to work here tomorrow.
With his hands clipped behind his back, Sakai Masao nodded his head slightly, his eyes no longer looking left and right, but rather at a forty-five degree angle.
He began to act like the rich people in movies and TV dramas, and the steps he took became broad strides.
The four members of the Sakai family were guided by two security officers and found their way to the location they were going to without any problems. Aiko Sakai took out the keys inside her bag, looked down at the handwriting wrapped around the top of one of the key handles, and unlocked the gate to the courtyard in pairs.
“If there is anything else you need, we are at your service.” The short security guard said with a smile on his face.
“No more, thank you.” Aiko Sakai thanked as she pushed open the courtyard door.
The two security guards neatly stood at attention and then bowed forty-five degrees towards their family of four before waving away with a step and three turns.
“Are those two people just now what everyone always calls dog-eyed?” Sakai Shota couldn’t help but blurt out just as soon as he walked into the front courtyard.
Sakai Mirei mimicked the look and demeanor of the shorter security guard as she spoke, and said conspiratorially, “Whether the houses here are for rent, or for sale, those are sky-high prices. Heavenly price oh!”
As soon as her words fell, the two siblings were couldn’t help but look at each other and laugh.
“I think that dad pretending to be rich is bad acting.” Sakai Shota chuckled.
“Even though I’m not really a rich man myself, I’m the father-in-law of a rich man. That one fact is always true right!” Masao Sakai said unimpressed by his youngest son’s words.
“It’s a shame to tear down and rebuild such a good place. I also wonder what’s going on inside Justice’s head?” Aiko Sakai didn’t just walk forward. She stopped down and looked around, lamenting.
“The thoughts of the rich are something some of us poor people wouldn’t understand.” Sakai Shota said bluntly.
“When has our family ever been poor? Our family is solidly middle class.” Aiko Sakai didn’t like her youngest son calling her family “poor” and hurriedly corrected herself.
“I’m able to read Brother Justice’s mind. There are no vacant plots of land here. If you want to live here, you will inevitably have to buy someone else’s house.
Instead of buying a house, it would be better to buy a plot of land. The existing house is not to the new owner’s liking, so naturally, they will tear it down and rebuild a DREAM HOUSE that is to their liking,” Sakai Meiling put away her smile and said seriously.