Who is to me for failed investments?


    The investigation into the financial investmentpanies revealed that their operations were entirelypliant with thew. The only exnation for the disaster was bad luck—hitting a stock that exploded like andmine.


    Over the past year, Japan had experienced a wave of enthusiasm for investing. Conversations about stocks, futures, and investments dominated social circles. But now, that passion had beenpletely extinguished. People became fearful of investing altogether.


    The once-bustling offices of mortgage investmentpanies were now deste.


    There were no more protests—those who had lost everything had either given up or died.


    And new investors? Nowhere to be found.


    Japan''s fervor for financial investments had been wiped out in this wave of disaster. It would likely take years, if not a decade, to recover.


    Future historians might even refer to this period as"The Lost Decade of Financial Investment."


    Previously, as stock values climbed, people felt wealthier on paper and were more willing to spend money. Even the red-light districts saw booming business. But after the stock crash, many were left destitute, and even the red-light districts suffered a downturn.


    However, one business thrived.


    Some sought its services to numb themselves and forget their pain.


    The Japanese Prime Minister and his cab convened, concluding that Japan was ill-suited for financial investments at this time. They decided to halt all overseas financial investment operations and issued administrative orders to suspend the activities of certain financialpanies.


    Prime Minister Yoshida consulted Hardy, as thepanies involved were foreign entities, making the situation moreplex.


    Hardy had no objections to the Japanese government''s decision, giving them the green light to proceed with their ns.


    Soon after, the government informed the investmentpanies of their decision.


    Within days, several mortgage investmentpanies published announcements in the newspapers:


    "Due to investment failures, we are unable to continue normal operations. Ourpany has decided to suspend all investment activities and withdraw from Japan."


    "All remaining shares will be sold to Wells Fargo Bank, and mortgage loan agreements will also be transferred to Wells Fargo."


    And just like that, thesepanies made a clean exit.


    Their high-profile executives, once luminaries in Japan''s upper echelons, vanished without a trace.


    A few dayster, Wells Fargo announced that it hadpleted the transfer of assets from the investmentpanies. Wells Fargo acquired all theHans Pharmaceuticalsstocks held by thepanies at current market prices, as well as all associated mortgage agreements.


    Wells Fargo publicly dered that, to minimize customer losses, it would refund investors the equivalent value of their remaining stocks.


    Additionally, Customers with coteral could redeem their items by settling their agreements in full, concluding their investment projects.


    To outsiders, This seemed like a benevolent gesture from Wells Fargo, stepping in to bear the brunt of the financial risks while offering a lifeline to Japanese investors.


    When Japanese citizens read the reports, many rushed to Wells Fargo, desperate to recover whatever little money they could. They feared that waiting any longer might result in losing even that small amount.


    Take Mr. Fukagawa, for instance.


    He had mortgaged antiques worth over $200,000, but the cash he received at the bank was a meager $1,000.


    His wealth had shrunk by a factor of 200.


    He was speechless, his heart aching.


    Next to him, another man had invested $2,000. Now, he held just $10 in his hands. Tears rolled down his face as he stared at the money.


    Fukagawa thought to himself,


    I lost over $200,000 and I''m not crying. What''s your problem?


    Then the man muttered, "If I only got $10 back for my antique, I''m sure I won''t be able to redeem my house andnd. Without money, I can''t reim them. In a few months, the bank will take everything. I''ll be sleeping on the streets…boo hoo hoo."


    Fukagawa shook his head.


    At least he hadn''t mortgaged his home.


    When he approached another bank window, he handed over a mortgage slip and said, "Miss, I''d like to redeem my coteral."


    He pointed to one item on the list:The Manuel I Golden Royal Seal. "This was mortgaged for $1,680. I''d like to redeem it first."


    Of all the antiques he had mortgaged, Fukagawa cherished the royal seal the most. He opened his briefcase, pulling out a stack of cash—hisst reserves, amounting to just over $1,000. Adding the small refund he had received, he had enough to redeem the seal.


    But the bank clerk, after examining his documents, gave him a polite yet mechanical smile and said, "I''m sorry, sir. ording to the terms of your mortgage agreement, the coteral is categorized as batch coteral, not individual items. To redeem your coteral, you must pay the full amount for all items in the batch, includingmission fees and interest."


    "What?!"


    Fukagawa was stunned.


    His hand froze mid-motion as he extended the money.


    "I need to pay the entire amount to redeem my items?" he asked in disbelief.


    "Yes, sir," the clerk replied, maintaining her courteous smile.


    "That''s over $200,000! How could I possiblye up with that kind of money all at once?" Fukagawa stammered.


    Even before the crash, he couldn''t have mustered such an amount. Now, it was entirely out of reach.


    The clerk smiled again and said, "That''s what the agreement stiptes. You have a copy of the contract, so you can review it. Would you like to proceed with redeeming your coteral?"


    Fukagawa found her polite smile increasingly infuriating.


    "No, thank you," he muttered, pocketing the documents and preparing to leave.


    The clerk gave him onest reminder: "Sir, ording to your contract, the mortgage term expires in February next year. If you fail to redeem your coteral by then, the bank will have the right to seize it automatically."


    "Ugh!"


    Fukagawa felt as though a dagger had pierced his chest.


    That wasn''t all.


    The clerk added, "By the way, when you redeem your coteral, you''ll also need to paymission fees and interest, so the total amount may increase by about 5%. For your batch, that''s approximately $12,000 more."


    "Argh!"


    Another metaphorical stab to the chest.@@novelbin@@


    Clutching his chest, Fukagawa mumbled, "Thank you, miss. I understand."


    As he left, his hunched posture revealed the weight of his despair.


    He realized he would never see his antiques again. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire


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    Banks are Evil.


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