Morning light filtered in through my window, painting soft amber lines across my floor. I woke before the system's alert could nudge me. My heart was already beating with purpose.
Today was the day I would meet Mrs. Yamamoto, tour her manufacturing workshop, and make one of the most important financial decisions of my life.
I showered, dressed sharply but comfortably, and packed my prototype, sketches, measurements, and some of the early test materials I'd used. I double-checked my financial tracker: barely enough in savings to pay the deposit.
[System Notification: Current Funds: ¥241,200 | Required Deposit: ¥200,000] [Advisory: High liquidity risk. Ensure fallback plan is in place.]
No fallback. No safety net. Just me, the system, and the harness.
Mrs. Yamamoto's factory sat behind a nondescript warehouse district in eastern Tokyo. No signage, no marketing. Just a rusted steel door and the smell of hot metal and sweat.
She met me at the door, eyes sharp behind safety goggles, grease on her sleeves.
"You brought the design?"
I handed her the file folder. She flipped through it briskly.
"Material spec?" "Nylon-poly blend with double-stitched tension anchors." "You know your stuff. Follow me."
The factory floor was louder than expected. Small but efficient. Five workers moved with precision between machines. Fabric-cutting presses hissed, sewing machines chattered like gunfire, and the air vibrated with focused energy.
She pointed to a clean corner. "That's where your run would be handled. One cutter, one stitcher, one finisher. You want speed or quality?" "Both." She grunted in approval.
We sat down at a metal workbench and went over the contract line by line. She wasn't just blunt—she was fair. The price per unit was high, but the turnaround was fast, and her team had experience with fitness gear.
"I'll need the down payment before close of business. We start tomorrow if it's in. You miss that window, you go to the back of the line."
I wired the money without hesitation.
[System Notification: Major Transaction Logged] [Funds Remaining: ¥21,200] [Risk Tier: Severe. Caution advised.]
But I didn't flinch.
Because this time, it was risk in the direction I chose.
Back at home, I updated my production tracker and inventory sheet. I sketched a layout for my workspace and made a list of every component I needed to manage while the factory handled the manufacturing: fulfillment, packaging, customer service, order validation.
Then I opened the message from Sarah Chen and confirmed our Thursday meeting at WellCorp headquarters.
[System Notification: Corporate Client Presentation Preparation]
Required: Presentation deck, sample kit, cost breakdown Bonus: Customized proposal for corporate wellness ROI Deadline: 3 Days
I didn't waste a second.
For the next 12 hours, I worked like a man possessed. I created a branded PDF packet detailing the benefits of the harness, built a custom ROI projection using employee productivity metrics, and recorded a quick demo video in my tiny apartment showing stretches and strength exercises employees could do using it in office settings.
[Daily Quest Completed: Business Operations Management] [New Trait Progress: Professional Presentation 12% → 41%]
That night, AyakaFit came by with her camera crew—just two people, both friendly, both surprisingly efficient. We filmed for nearly two hours. I walked them through my prototype wall, my sketches, the story of the ApexFit deal, and why I turned it down.
She asked hard questions.
"Weren't you scared?" "Of course. But I'd rather fail building my story than succeed building someone else's."
She nodded, impressed. "That's going to hit."
[System Notification: Authentic Brand Story – Part 1 Complete] [Bonus Triggered: Organic Traffic Multiplier (72h)]
By the time they left, my inbox was already seeing new activity. Orders. Inquiries. Two people even asked if I offered internships.
Me.
Internships.
Thursday morning arrived faster than I expected. I packed five sample units in a clean hard case, printed out the proposal packet, and put on the blazer I'd bought years ago and never had a reason to wear.
I wasn't walking in as a broke guy trying to prove himself. I was walking in as a brand.
I took a deep breath, looked at the prototype still hanging on my wall, and whispered, "Let's scale."