Chapter 12: The Era of Women's Rights (1)

  The name of the cafe is simply "Cai Cai Zi's Coffee House", extremely ordinary, so ordinary that it can't be any more ordinary. However, the cafe itself is not ordinary at all. The entire cafe is divided into two independent parts with two different theme concepts: one is the warm and cozy "Starbucks" atmosphere, while the other is the comic-style "CosPy House".

  That's right, this is Jerry-designed coffee shop two consecutive open, in the middle is the place to supply coffee, on the left is "Starbucks Hall", on the right is "CosPy Hall", two independent stores, facing different consumer groups, while occupying a cash register!

  "Meimei, help me contact Sanrio!"

  "Hey, is Jerry going to merge with Sanrio?"

  "Are we going to merge with Sanrio? Not yet, it's not time! We need to consult with Tsuji Shintaro about the cooperation!"

  "So, is it related to the coffee shop?"

  "Yes! Since Copycat's daily wear and prop-making company is not established yet, I think we can collaborate with Sanrio, leveraging their success in gift-giving to establish a manga peripheral operating company!"

  "Anime merchandise?"

  "Yes! Huh? Menmen doesn't know what anime peripheral is? Anime peripheral, this is actually easy to explain! You see, we sell comics, and the characters in the comics can also be sold! Uh, this explanation is too vulgar! Let me give an example. For instance, "Yu-Gi-Oh!", we don't just sell comic books, we can also sell cards, the cards that appear in the comics, Yu-Gi-Oh! calendars, the golden pyramid necklace worn by Yugi Mutou, the model of the Sky Dragon from Osiris, character figurines, and so on. We can also set up a complete card game rule system and hold a Yu-Gi-Oh! card tournament. In addition to this, we can also produce and sell costumes from the games. Look, every fan of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" has a dream of becoming Yugi Mutou, holding the divine card! Based on this idea, we can also host Cosplay competitions, where participants dress up as characters, and select the best player from among them!"

  "But Jerry, I don't understand, you're talking about role-playing, what's the point of that?"

  "What's the meaning? Didn't I say it already, this is a dream, every comic fan's dream! Haven't you ever dreamed of Snow White? Nanako, this isn't something that can be explained with just one sentence! Moreover, by relying on the development of anime-related goods, we can further expand the influence of our comic society."

  Tanaka Nana added in her heart, of course, she had thought about it, but the white prince seemed to be... She didn't dare think any further. "Okay! If what you said is true, maybe we really need to make a detailed plan!"

  "Believe me, Cai Cai Zi, this will be a brand new beginning! I've already made detailed plans last night, take a look first, if there's anything you don't understand just ask me. The negotiations with Sanrio should be entirely handed over to you! Cai Cai Zi?"

  "Huh?"

  "In the future, as for company matters, apart from giving directions on major issues, I think everything will be handed over to you!"

  "Jerry, are you going to slack off?"

  "Shiwei and Fu's words, you also heard them. If I continue to be so sharp and revealing, the Japanese Academy of Sciences may catch me in a laboratory, open my skull, take out my brain, slice it, and put it under a microscope! Then, I'll have to live a life of miserable captivity! Can't you bear to see me like this, Menmen?"

  "Huh?"

  "Oh no, if they find out the truth, it's all over! I don't know what will happen to Bill, Paul, Stephen, George and Robert, whether they'll be invited by the FBI for a cup of tea! Good grief, this is terrible!"

  "But can I? I'm just a woman!"

  "Caicai, in Chinese mythology, the goddess Nüwa who gave birth to humanity is a woman. In Japanese mythology, the sun goddess Amaterasu is also a woman. So, please don't look down on yourself! Women have a resilience that men do not, and they possess the same power as men to create miracles!"

  "Alright then, I'll give it a try!"

  "It's not a try, it must be done!"

  "Hi!"

  "By the way, Chanchan, have you ever considered joining the Japanese Communist Party?"

  Tanaka Nana's inexplicable shaking of her head.

  "Perhaps you should think about it! Didn't Tanaka Ichiro always tell you that he's been haunted by the death of your uncle, thinking it was all his fault for letting him take his place as a Japanese soldier and end up losing his soul in a foreign land? But Nanako, you should know that if it weren't for Ito Hirobumi and Japan's right-wing government, war might never have broken out."

  Of course, Jerry didn't think so in his heart, it was just an excuse!

  "Does Jerry mean that I should help the Japanese Communist Party come to power? Do I have such ability? I'm just an ordinary woman!"

  "Hey, you're being self-deprecating again! Don't forget what I told you - women, just like men, have the ability to create miracles! And look at Tanaka Nana now, she's a national idol and beautiful author sweeping Japan! Think about it, how many Japanese male authors can reach your level of success!"

  "But those were all created by Jerry!"

  "Caicai, you must remember one thing, those are the ones I created for you! They're yours! I'm telling you, if I say they're your creations, then they're definitely your creations! Do you understand? So, never say something like that again!"

  "Ah-ha! I get it now!"

  Perhaps, Tanaka Nana's traditional Japanese womanhood is still there! Let her directly help the Japanese Communist Party rise to power through her national idol status, maybe it's a pipe dream! Wait, perhaps...

  "Hmm? Kanako, do you know about Japanese women during World War II?"

  "Is Jerry referring to those women from the National Defense Women's Association?"

  "Yes, those women who were corrupted by militaristic ideology, invaded by the Emperor's so-called "Holy War", completely fell into the control of Japanese men! Do you know how much harm they caused to other countries with their bodies? Do you know Ichikawa Fusae? That pitiful woman who linked the dream of liberating Japanese women with "nation" and "imperial nationalism". Remember the "Women's Volunteer Corps" established by the Japanese government after Japan's surrender to satisfy the physiological needs of American soldiers? Those poor women were ultimately completely betrayed by their trusted country! Pitiful people, must have a hateful place! So, Nana, you need to understand now that those Japanese women made such crazy militaristic moves and ended up with this outcome, it's all because their thinking has been completely corrupted! They need liberation of thought, throwing off the burden of patriarchal tradition! The Yamato nation you mentioned is not the Yamato nation of Japanese men, but the Yamato nation of Japanese men and women together! Women should not just be appendages to men, women should have half the sky! Nana, having experienced that incident, you should know how much women's rights need to be maintained, do you understand my meaning?"

  Tanaka Nana was a bit stunned, because from childhood to adulthood, the education she received only made her understand one thing: women are only born to give birth and raise children as good wives and mothers. There is no idea in this education that tells her that women can stand up and compete with men! Jerry's last sentence was like a thunderbolt, which almost blew Tanaka Nana away from consciousness! The thing that had almost been forgotten by her reappeared in her mind, the feeling of humiliation, helplessness, and being on the verge of death, filled her mind in an instant!

  Can women really compete with men?

  Can you compete with men?

  Are you competing with men?

  Let's see who's better between you and me!

  Compete with men!

  For almost a whole day, Tanaka Nana was in a daze, and she kept muttering to herself, but it was unclear what she was saying.

  Jerry suddenly felt like he had done something stupid, and yet... but there was no regret medicine to take in this world! Tanaka Nana's daze lasted for almost a week, just when the people at home were starting to worry about her, one evening, Tanaka Nana opened Jerry's door, slipped into his bed, hugged his small body, buried her head in his chest, and burst out crying loudly!

  This is all the pain in her heart!

  All the pain in a Japanese woman's heart!

  A pain that can never be forgotten!

  It was as if to exhaust all her energy, that night, Tanaka Nana cried for a very long time. And when Jerry woke up, she had already left the house and gone to Sanseido!

  As this is the first store of 'Cafe Ciel', Jerry can't simply copy and paste the new employee training plan from his previous life at Starbucks, assigning each new recruit to a mentor and having them learn from their mentor. So everything has to start from basic theory. For the new employee training plan, IC specially absorbed some excellent graduates from Japanese universities, thus forming the IC training department centered around Takane Shizuko!

  After explaining the basic theoretical knowledge of coffee such as history, origin, varieties, functions and taboos, the training entered the practical operation stage.

  "Miss Shizuko~"

  "Hey Jerry, what's up?"

  "It's like this, Shizuko-san. Starting tomorrow, the Tokyo Metropolitan trial survey will divide new people into two teams, A and B. You just need to hand over the task requirements to them, and you don't need to participate in the specific implementation and plan formulation!"

  "Jerry, what's this..."

  "The development of the coffee shop business requires talent, not just us telling them what to do. The purpose of training is to introduce them to the door, cultivate their customer-centric thinking, and see the specific results from their actual actions! Ah, right, the new lecturers in the training department are also divided into two parts. Your task is to record everything that happens to Team A and Team B every day, but you're not allowed to participate in it. Even if they make mistakes, don't point them out! Understand? All questions will be reserved until the investigation is over and then corrected!"

  "Ah-ha! I get it, Jerry is going to test the new guy?"

  "Miss Jingzi, you'd better be careful. If these new instructors and newcomers are not qualified, I'll deduct your salary!"

  "You're something! But don't worry, Jerry, I'm sure my students will pass your test!"

  "Very confident! Yes, very good, our company's women need this kind of confidence! Well done!"

  "Thank you for your compliment!"

  "By the way, Shizuko-san, maybe you can spare some time and go see Makoto-chan, I'm a bit worried about her!"

  "What's wrong? What happened? Jerry!"

  "Recently, she has been busy with something called the Japan Women's Rights Association, it's a bit... maddening!"

  "Japan Women's Rights Association?"

  "Yes!"

  "What kind of organization is this?"

  "I heard from Nana-chan that it's an organization to improve the rights of Japanese women, calling on society to give more work opportunities to Japanese women! You know, after World War II, Japanese women didn't have many job opportunities, and many positions were limited to men. Women had chances but weren't recognized! I'm sure Shizuko-san has also heard about Japanese women being insulted by Americans, they need the help of Japanese citizens too, but Japan's high-ranking officials can't do anything except cover it up. Nana-chan thinks that now is the time for an organization to represent Japanese women's voices! It's my fault, I shouldn't have brought up painful past events, if I hadn't mentioned that incident, she wouldn't be like this! Shizuko-san, please!"

  "Protecting the rights of Japanese women..." Yeah, that's right. Naoko was humiliated by an American as soon as she entered college. If there had been an organization to speak up for them back then, things might have turned out differently. Those bastards kicked Naoko out just to save face for the school. It's a wound that can never be erased. Takayama Shizuko, who has always had a vague sense of feminism, suddenly realizes she can do more for her old classmate.

  "Jerry, don't worry! Let's walk together after work!"

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