Akira had to admit he'd lied to himself. Not that long ago he'd declared his finances were fully squared away, which was why he no longer wanted to launch new ventures - only expand or optimize a few business processes.
And yet… thanks to his tinkering with swi-chakra and his bold foray into writing in the adults-only genre, his subconscious had pried his eyes open to a fascinating, lucrative and, most importantly, empty niche.
A niche genuinely useful for society - for physical health as well as mental well-being. Naturally, Akira couldn't just look away from his sudden discovery.
"One way or another, Ayumi will handle this venture from top to bottom. Let people think it's entirely her enterprise," he thought, looking at his secretary, who stared in astonishment and confusion at the items laid out before her.
"Akira-san, I… I don't want to jump to conclusions, so would you explain yourself what these things are for?" she asked, pointing to the array spread before her.
"Ayumi-chan, tell me - are many married women dissatisfied with their sex lives?" The woman flushed, realizing her suspicions were being confirmed.
"I can't say for sure, Akira-san…" she murmured, dropping her gaze, hoping to slip away from the question.
"But I can." He smiled, realizing it would be hard to draw a direct answer out of Ayumi. "After a formal union between a woman and a man, the first two or three years are the most eventful. First child, then a second, and all that bedroom activity turns into mere memories that, if you're lucky, surface once a month. Ayumi, set aside your emotions and personal code of propriety and answer me plainly, to the point - would once a month be enough for you when it comes to physical intimacy with a man?"
"But I…" The secretary flustered, waving her hands, anxiety rising, and Akira cut in:
"I'm well aware you don't have a partner. But I think you understand me. If not, I'll be blunt - I'm talking about sexual release."
Stripping away the extra words, Akira was essentially asking Ayumi: "Would masturbating once a month be enough for you?"
Mortified to the core, the lonely woman shook her head, trying not to look up.
"You'll agree that this release is needed more often than once a week, won't you?" Akira pressed.
Seeing Ayumi's small nod, he smirked and continued, "No need to be embarrassed - it's perfectly normal for a healthy person. As nature would have it, by middle age women experience sexual desire more intensely than men. Men, in turn, can't always meet their partner's needs. Sometimes it's fatigue, sometimes over-sensitivity, sometimes other causes - physiological or otherwise. One fact stands - the percentage of couples fully satisfying one another in bed isn't all that high. A man, for a shot of novelty or variety, can step out, and maybe - probably - his partner will forgive him. The same can't be said for a woman. We can't change that part of society - and frankly, I don't have any particular desire to try - but we can help women better satisfy themselves." With those last words, Akira gestured over the items on the table.
The most eye-catching were the phallus-shaped ones, both glass and silicone, in a wide range of sizes.
Akira had first taken note of silicone at the hospital: certain tubes and connector elements for various blood delivery systems used the material. A few questions, a line to a supplier, then to a factory rep, and for a hefty sum Akira quickly got the necessary samples straight from a plant in the northeast - the place synthesizing this silicon-oxide polymer.
The plant had a free production line, and the molds to be filled with silicone weren't exactly complicated. Harder was finding a glassworker willing to spend precious skill and years of practice blowing glass into such "depraved shapes." But as they say, if a problem can be solved with money, it isn't a problem at all - merely an expense.
"And you want…" Ayumi trailed off so she wouldn't have to say it herself.
"I want you, as you did for the foundation, to personally handle every stage of creating a specialized shop that will sell these goods. On paper you'll be listed as the owner. Tax notices will go to you. And for your work, you'll receive… a quarter of the shares, that is, 25 percent of the profit. Consider it my gift to you for a job well done in Tanzaku."
Upon hearing she'd receive a share of the proceeds - even from an enterprise not exactly prim and proper - Ayumi visibly brightened.
*If this business brings in at least two hundred thousand ryo a month, I'd pocket fifty thousand for doing practically nothing!* she thought, not noticing the faint curl at the corners of Akira's lips.
"Oh, almost forgot." Those words snapped her attention back to Akira. "These… toys, let's call them that, need to be tested, so by opening day we can offer our clients only the very best."
"So I need to find people who'd be willing to test…" Ayumi deliberately drew the words out again.
"No, it'll be enough if you test them yourself." Ayumi's mouth fell open in shock.
"Yes, yes - you'll need to personally try the samples so you can better understand their flaws. I told you - you will fully manage the adult toy shop. I've already established contacts with the manufacturer. You'll handle further negotiations."
"You… you're not joking, Akira-san?" the secretary asked, aghast.
"I expect a full report in a week. For every item you must write your review - at least a hundred and fifty words."
Ayumi stared blankly over the table, then pointed at a random item. "But how am I supposed to use a whip on myself? And this one?" She pointed at a double-ended silicone dildo.
"Yes, using a whip solo will be difficult… What can I say - show some flexibility in the matter." He began sealing them back into a storage scroll as he went on. "After each use, disinfect with something like an antiseptic - or plain soap. For glass items, if there are any chips or cracks, don't use them. Store them in the scroll, or at least in a dry place at room temperature. If you get any irritation, tell me immediately. And don't skimp on lube - there's a supply in the scroll as well."
Having finished sealing the toys, Akira handed the scroll to the unsteady Ayumi. She took it and beat a quick retreat, while Akira returned to his new book - Kidnapping Brides.
This time, for the setting of his novel, Akira decided to use the current shinobi village system. He tweaked the government structure from feudalism to monarchy, and trimmed away some markers that would point directly at existing nations and villages - he changed their names and, to an extent, their cultures.
As someone who'd lived in a country with over 180 nationalities, each with its own culture, it was no trouble at all for him to enrich a novel. Still, he left certain hints of familiarity - and the psychotypes of a few characters, along with parts of their appearance, he lifted straight from this world.
The story followed a jonin from the Land of Mountains who possessed a special bloodline that let him completely alter his appearance - a nod to this world's kekkei genkai. His name was Akio - "handsome" - and, unsurprisingly, he specialized in espionage.
Akio was also a rather skilled iryōnin, so his superiors sent him to their neighbors - to the Land of Fertility, where medicine was in full bloom. Akio's task was simple: infiltrate the country, create a new identity, embed himself in a hospital as a medical employee, and if possible join the research department.
The mission was long-term; Akio was meant to remain in enemy territory for six years, delivering monthly reports with valuable information. Not even four years would pass before a handler notified twenty-one-year-old Akio that the mission was being terminated ahead of schedule. That was where the novel began. The reason for ending the mission was a rising conflict between the two nations that was highly likely to flare into war.
No matter how powerful the Land of Mountains was, they couldn't leave a valuable iryōnin exposed. They wanted him home as soon as possible - not empty-handed, but with a special souvenir from the Land of Fertility.
Akio specialized not only in espionage but also in abduction, so the recall message included an additional directive - a new assignment: kidnap the chosen vessel of the Land of Fertility.
The Chosen were human hosts sealed with special mythic spirit-beasts. There were seven such beasts in the world of the novel. One of the most powerful - the Scarlet Dragon - belonged to the Land of Fertility.
It was precisely this Chosen - or rather, the chosen woman carrying that mythic beast - whom Akio was ordered to abduct.
By "pure coincidence," the chosen girl had hair red as blood and was five years younger than the protagonist.
After the successful kidnapping and return to his homeland, the protagonist was summoned onto the carpet - to receive their gratitude and an offer of reward. He demanded, as his prize, a special lightning technique and, as well, the very girl he had abducted.
The head of Intelligence agreed to these terms but warned that after extracting the mythic beast, the Chosen might die. The nation needed only the beast, as you could guess. Akio, being a capable iryōnin and confident in his skills, believed he could save the girl whose looks had sparked a reluctant sympathy in him.
The rest of the tale charted how Akio won the trust and love of the kidnapped girl, how he later abducted other special girls, trying to install them into his growing harem. The Chosen, the Chosen's friend with a special eye lineage, a neighboring king's daughter, a mythic beast able to take the form of a woman, Akio's former sensei, the protagonist's older sister - and the list could go on forever.
The plot was quite simple. The novel's deeper meaning was practically zero, so Akira set to scribbling rather quickly, and the first chapter was out of his hands in just three hours.
(Author's note: Described my Naruto fanfic inside a Naruto fanfic… Genius, yo.)
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