"You know, when you came to my house this morning, I thought you were taking what I said last night way too seriously," Asami commented in a tone that betrayed her good mood. "But I didn't expect our 'second date' would be about me helping you pick out a house in the city." She turned right as she drove her personal Satomobile. "Aren't you technically the owner of all the land in the city?"
"I'm just keeping the economy flowing," Jin replied dismissively.
He couldn't tell her that he basically wanted to get rid of the money he'd taken from the gangs—money that would do more good changing hands than sitting buried.
Not to mention he had to comply with the current legal system.
Besides, until he went to Zaofu to speak with Suyin in person, he wouldn't really know what he owned and what he didn't. What had once been his was basically inherited by Toph after his confinement, and aside from some legal clauses in certain documents, he really couldn't say he was back to his prime.
For now, he only had the armor hidden beneath his clothes, the money provided by Col Corporation (and the gangs in this city) in his bank account, and the ownership of Jasmine Island by default.
Other properties, rights, commissions, and so on that had originally been his were uncertain and currently in the collective hands of the Beifong family.
As for passive income, only Jasmine Island provided him with something at the moment.
"Right…" Asami turned right again. "So, what kind of residence are you—are we—looking for?" she asked to know where to head.
There were several real estate agencies in the city, so depending on the request, one was better than another.
"A large place," Jin was clear on what he wanted. "Ideally sturdy, with enough privacy and with a garden or pool. Several floors and multiple rooms. Also…"
Asami listened to the requirements, and her expression grew strange.
"I think I know the perfect place." She made a U-turn, and within minutes, they were back at the Sato residence.
Jin: ???
"Did you forget something inside?" Jin asked, not understanding why they'd come back as Asami hopped over the car door after unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Don't you think my house fits your requirements?" Asami asked unexpectedly, pointing at the building with her thumb.
"I guess so?" In fact, the house (or rather, the mansion) was pretty much what he was looking for. "But Asami, I'm looking for a place of my own, and I don't think you're asking me to move in with you guys."
Wow, this woman moved fast when she wanted something!
"What?" Asami seemed to be on a completely different wavelength. "That's not what I meant!" She let out a groan of realization, pinching the bridge of her nose and thankful Jin couldn't see her blushing cheeks. "Alright, maybe I didn't phrase myself correctly, I realize that now," she said, lifting her driving goggles above her eyebrows. "The point is: when this area was built years ago, three nearly identical homes were made, stretching from one end of the street to the other. The northernmost one is where I live with my father. The one at the southern end was demolished after the city bought it and replaced with a park. And the remaining one (this is where I'm getting at) has been for sale for two years."
"You're saying your neighbor's house is similar to yours and is up for sale?"
"...Yes, I guess that sums it up better."
Why the hell did she explain the whole history?
"Alright, two quick questions," Jin immediately saw a problem. "First, how much is the property going for? And more importantly, why hasn't anyone bought it in two years?"
Two years was a long time, and with wealthy people in the city, there had to be a reason no one had claimed it all this time. Especially since it would make someone neighbors with Hiroshi Sato.
"The price is two hundred million yuans," Asami stated directly.
Jin blinked twice and raised his brow in surprise.
Not because it was expensive, but because it was an outright bargain no matter how you looked at it. He had estimated the real value of the property to be around three hundred fifty to three hundred eighty million yuans.
Of course, the purchasing power of the yuan now was different from seventy years ago, something he had made sure to learn in the days since his release, since knowing the perceived value of the basic currency was vital for business.
"Originally it was four hundred million including the interior furnishings, but the owner wants to get rid of the property quickly, and enough time has passed for him to lower his demands to a more realistic level," Asami explained. "As long as he can recover half the price, that'll be enough. He might even bake you a cake."
Well, it was certainly a tempting offer (especially the cake), and he could afford it, but…
"You still haven't told me why no one wanted to buy the place. More than that, you're saying the current owner wants to get rid of the title to the house," Jin pointed out.
"They say there's a spirit living there, and no one with enough money wants to take the risk after several 'incidents.'" Asami's response was said indifferently, despite the shocking reason.
"And neither you nor your father fear the (supposed) spirit living just a few meters from your home?" Jin didn't laugh at the mentioned reason—spirits had their places, but sometimes some also had to move on with time.
That there had been spirits in Republic City before the Harmonic Convergence?
Unusual, but totally possible.
"I grew up here and I've never seen it," Asami shrugged. "Besides, the rumors people spread only mention small things. Let's see… ice-cold water coming out when you want hot water in the shower, swapping the salt and sugar in their containers, tying the laces of both shoes together, things like that." She recalled the various rumors she had heard now and then. "I'd say instead of a spirit, they probably just have an unpatched hole somewhere that lets kids sneak in and play pranks. Some people even said they heard laughter, so I'm pretty sure it's not a spirit."
Well, that was intriguing…
"Can you get in touch with the owner so he'll let me see the property?"
Asami: …
Still with those jokes, huh?
"I'll go call him, give me a moment."
While Asami went inside her house to contact the owner through a private phone line, Jin expanded his perception as he waited for her return.
"Damn, there's an absurd amount of metal in there," he thought when he sensed the underground tunnel beneath Hiroshi Sato's workshop and followed it to the main warehouse. "A handful of robots, shock gauntlets, insulated leather uniforms, walls of solid platinum, and several half-assembled gadgets."
Jin felt his eyelid twitch just calculating the cost in yuans of the whole facility and its contents, especially since Hiroshi had managed to pay for and build all this without Asami being aware of his actions or the irregular cash flow. Add to that the financing for Amon and his followers…
"If the hidden account books I'm reading in his study are reliable, that man squandered two-thirds of his fortune in his quest for revenge!"
No wonder that after the scandal was exposed, Future Industries had so much trouble moving forward, despite Asami being a very capable and insightful woman.
Not to mention the loss of credibility, financial compensation for victims, or partners cutting business ties with the company to avoid a bad image for themselves. The remaining money in the Sato vault simply couldn't sustain the factory's necessary operations long enough to stabilize, recover, and start generating profit again.
"How should I bring this up with Asami?"
For him, it would be easy to dismantle everything, especially if he presented the necessary evidence to his niece, but he worried that Asami might redirect her confusion into anger toward him. With her personality, that was unlikely. But not impossible.
Revealing the truth about Hiroshi would cause the Equalists to lose a vital source of funding and weapons, but Amon could always play another card just to cause damage in retaliation.
So far, his actions hadn't caused a major change in the main plot. At least, as long as Korra ended up in the Fire Ferrets and the brothers got their funding to enter the tournament, there wouldn't be any major changes, and the group would still come together for their adventures.
"Which reminds me I have to introduce Asami to those three soon, or things will derail quickly," Jin reflected. "When this date is over, I should ask about Butakha's situation—if Lin has already arrested him, I might be able to acquire ownership of the city's Pro-bending Arena with a little persuasion and legal maneuvering."
No matter his situation, anything that brought in money was welcome.
Especially because if he wanted to help Asami keep Future Industries afloat when Hiroshi's plan was exposed, he'd need to inject a considerable amount of capital, and while he had received plenty of money from Col Corporation, it might not be enough.
Yeah, Varrick wasn't going to swindle his girl.
"Besides, if I get the building, Mako and Bolin won't have to look for a new place; they can stay in the attic, and I won't even charge them rent."
Then there was Amon's imminent Revelation and… he really should be honest with Asami about his relationship with Kyoshi. One of the things that made Asami break up with Mako on bad terms was not just the way he acted behind her back (or to her face), fawning over Korra as if Asami were stupid and wouldn't notice, but also his attempts to keep everything hidden from her.
"I get the feeling my plans to go to Zaofu are being postponed. Again."
Sometimes knowing too much was a complete headache.