The Houzuki corporation, the largest corporation in the world, headed by the richest family in the world. Accounting for all subsidiaries, the Houzuki corporation accounts for a staggering 38% of all global shipping capacity, including 900 container ships, 280 cargo aircraft, and spanning rail freight lines on multiple continents. However, this is by no means the only slice of industry the Houzuki clan has a foothold in. Second only to shipping, the corporation oversees major divisions in real estate, telecommunications, mass transportation, auto parts manufacturing, and tourism, among many smaller divisions as well.
Of course, such tremendous success didn't just happen by chance. Each member of the family, from the esteemed founder Cavell Houzuki, to even the most distant cousin alive today, have all played an instrumental role in shaping the company's success.
"Family is the highest value for us." Said the company's current CEO Henry 'Chet' Houzuki. "And not in some gross middle manger way. [Light laughter.] Trust me, I know the type. No, I mean that every member of our family is capable of something fantastic and we as a group are determined to bring it out of them."
"Really, success is all about the mindset," he would continue to explain. "While the reality might be a bit more nuanced and comprehensive than this, we really follow 10 guiding principles in our lives:
March 19th, 2001
30 minutes before the annual Houzuki Co. Shareholder Address
"Pearl, honey, please. We're running short on time.""Mmm mmm!" Pearl shook her head with all her might, nearly knocking her crown off in the process. She couldn't let that happen.
Mother rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Ok, fine, let's make a deal then. You put on the dress, but you can keep your crown."
Pearl eyed the dress. It was a pretty thing, with little bows on the arms and a frilly collar, the kind she didn't like. But, she'd get to keep her princess crown, so she supposed she could put up with it.
"Mmkay!" She cheered, putting her arms up in the air so Mother could put the dress on.
"You know how important appearances are, right dear?" Mother politely scolded while she walked over.
"But all we're doing is sitting on a stage!" She protested.
"Yes, but it's important that we look proper, so we don't hurt Daddy's image."
Pearl huffed, and crossed her arms. "I think it's dumb!"
That was enough to make Mother laugh. "Yes, well, it's part of the big game we play. You'll understand more when you're older. Now, how still and let me tie your shoes."
May 5th, 2002
Formal meeting with Kensaki Co Chief Ambassador Blake Kensaki
"It shouldn't take anymore than three days in transit." The stuffy man said with a smile."It's no problem how long it takes." Father dismissed with a wave of his hand. "The Kensaki Corporation has more than proven good faith, I see no need to force arbitrary limits on you."
In the background, Pearl stifled another sigh. She'd been required to watch these two go back and forth, negotiating for half an hour, and she was BORED. She couldn't tune anything out either, because Father would ask her questions after the meeting was over to make sure she was paying attention. All she could do was keep her hands folded, and watch.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. She may have only been sitting in on meetings for a few months now, but the other girl in here with her was clearly a lot newer than she was. Pearl didn't know her name, but she seemed really timid and unsure about being here.
"I think these terms are agreeable then, Mr. Houzuki. Astrid will be delighted to hear this."
Father laughed. "She does seem rather concerned about even the smallest of deals, no?"
The other man sighed, though it was surprisingly fond. "That's just how she is."
"A micromanager?" Pearl blurted without thinking.
The girl's eyes widened in shock, and for the first time Pearl was able to get a good look at her eyes. They were a similar gold to her own, though the girl's pupils darkened where her own lightened.
A surprisingly uproarious laugh cut through the air, making both Pearl and the girl jump. "Ha... leave it to kids to lay things bare, huh?" The other man laughed.
"Oh yes." Father was quick to agree. "They're really good at speaking their minds, I suppose. Anyway, I'll send the details downstairs, and they'll get over to your folks within the hour."
"That works just fine." The other man smiled a final time, and offered a hand, which Father took and firmly shook. "Until next time then. Come, Marie, we're going home."
"Yes Papa." The girl quietly agreed as she stood up. She gave Pearl a shy smile, and a little wave, before following her dad out of the door.
Several tense seconds paused as the departing pair shuffled down the hallway, until Father leaned back in his chair with a resigned sigh. "Pearl, we've talked about your outbursts."
"I know I need to—" Pearl tried to give the lecture before he could, but she was silenced by Father holding up a single finger. She knew that meant she was supposed to let him finish talking.
He regarded her for a moment, before deciding to change tactics. "Any negotiation or deal we make needs to be founded on truth, correct?"
Pearl nodded.
He continued. "Respect is a critical component in any interaction, you understand that, yes?"
Pearl nodded again. "Is it because it's mean?" She asked, trying to circumvent part of the lecture.
Father stopped for a moment and considered her words. "Yes... but there's more to it than just that. It's a social contract. Both parties enter the negotiation in agreement to keep things polite and civil, as that generally makes the meeting both faster, and more pleasant for everyone. And yes, while it is true that Blake's wife is a bit of a micromanager, pointing it out had the potential to drag the meeting down, or even completely upend it."
Pearl smiled, pleased by her father's agreement about that guy's wife, but confusion quickly dominated her mind. "But he laughed! How could the meeting have gone bad?"
"That is because Blake is a nice man. Not everyone is so kind as him. Imagine if you had said that to Fergus, or Anais?"
She pictured the stern face of Mr. Fergus, and the look he gives her when she'd say something mean about one of the staff, or Ms. Anais, and how sad she looked the one time Pearl had said something mean about her, and she suddenly understood what Father was saying. Pearl just nodded, suddenly feeling embarrassed about her outburst.
"It's alright dear, it's a lesson we've all had to learn. Just try not to forget it." He took a moment to straighten the papers on the table in front of him. "Ok, now, before we go to dinner, let's review the meeting real quick."
Pearl groaned and fell back in her chair. Darn! Almost got out of it!
Father chuckled, before adopting his business face. "Ok, now, why did I refrain from negotiating a time limit on this deal?"
October 30th, 2003
Meeting with Representative from Burbot Lumberyard
"With this agreement, you, the Houzuki Corporation, hereby grant us, Telwart shipping, as contracted by Burbot Lumberyard, to use your shipping vessels to transport products to other material yards in crustacean land." The sleazy representative leaned back in her chair as she set the copy of the contract on the table in front of her. She was an... irritable looking octoling, and if the smell was any indication, ready for this meeting to be done so she could smoke a cigarette or four.
Pearl kept her face neutral, but internally, she was frowning as she eyed the representative. She'd never liked this type of person, especially when it comes to contract deals. They always were too happy to hear themselves talking, so confident they could trick or con their way into a better deal for themselves, and dead set on getting the last work in any negotiation. Of course, in a sense, everyone was trying to do these things, but these people were so grossly transparent about it, it made the entire thing feel gross. On top of that, something about her words rubbed Pearl the wrong way, too.
"Of course!" Father agreed, happily pulling a pen from his suit pocket. "Let's seal the deal then."
'...Use your shipping vessels to transport products to material yards...' The words bounced around in Pearl's mind as she watched her father reach for the contract. 'Shipping vessels...products... Wait.
"If you don't mind me asking," Pearl interjected, causing her father to pause. "Could you clarify what you meant by 'products' specifically? I thought this deal was about shipping raw materials. Also, were multiple vessels specified for any specific reason, or was that just a notation mistake?"
The representative smiled easily, gladly taking the contract back as she attempted to smooth talk her way out of the corner Pearl backed her into. She smiled politely, and said all the right things, but there was an anger behind her eyes that was unmistakable, especially any time her eyes rested on Pearl.
Details were clarified, and a much less ambiguous version of the deal was signed off on, and the representative was gone a few moments later, leaving nothing but a death glare and a fake smile in her wake.
"Excellent job Pearl! That was a very important clarification to make. Your tact was very good as well, if a little pointed."
Pearl smiled, wide and real, at the praise. "Thank you, Father."
"If we had left things as they were, the unclear language meant they could call on multiple ships, which we would have been obligated to provide."
"Or they could have shipped products at a material rate." Pearl added, proud she was remembering things so well. "Either thing would lose profits, and combine they could set back operations."
"Yes! Fantastic!" Father rounded the table, and pulled her into his arms, lifting her into the air. "You're figuring this out so fast, you'll be a master in no time!"
Pearl giggled as she rose into the air, letting the feelings of happiness and pride wash over her.
April 3rd, 2004
On the trails of Mt. Nantai
"Pearl, slow down!" Mother shouted up at her, but Pearl just shook her head and kept barreling down the path. Normally, anytime she was out on Mt. Nantai, she'd be marveling at the massive trees and rocks that littered the sides of the trails, but not today. Today she was upset, and she wanted to get away from everything. She ran forward until she came to a bridge over a small river, where she finally let herself collapse onto a large rock just off the path.It was another business meeting, but this time she'd messed up, and the representatives backed out of the deal because of it. I'm seven years old now! I shouldn't be messing things like this up anymore. Father had tried to console her afterwards, but the lecture amidst the reassurances only made things feel worse. It was such a stupid mistake too, which amplified the feeling even more.
"Are you still thinking about earlier?" Mother softly asked from behind her a few minutes later.
Pearl considered trying to deny it, but she knew Mother would persist until she answered. "Yeah..."
"Oh, darling..." Mother pulled her into a hug, which Pearl eagerly returned, finally letting the tears she'd been holding back out. "You're still learning these things, it was an easy mistake to make. You'll—"
"That's the problem!" Pearl shouted. Her voice echoed down the mountain trail, far louder than it should have been. Birds flew from the trees, startled by the noise.
Mother gently patted her on the back. "Shhh... breathe, baby. It's alright. Measured voice, ok?"
Pearl agreed with a solemn nod. "I'm supposed to be better by now, but I'm still messing up!" She lamented, her voice deliberately just above a whisper.
A few moments passed where Mother just rubbed her back gently, before she pulled back to meet Pearl's eyes. "Be still, my little Pearl." She whispered as she pulled Pearl into a hug. "Learning all of this isn't easy, you've done a fantastic job on everything else. Look at all the things you've done right so far."
"But this is supposed to be the easy stuff!" Pearl pouted in response.
Mother sighed, but there wasn't any disappointment in it. "Don't spend longer wallowing in your mistakes than you need to learn from them, alright? That's a mistake you can prevent."
Don't...? "I guess that makes sense..."
"You can't control everything, especially other people." Mother explained. "But you can always control how you react to them. That's what makes your dad so good at what he does."
"Why?" Pearl asked, looking into her mother's eyes.
"Well, what do you think he did the last time he messed up a deal? Do you think he spent the time running from things and crying? Or did he face his mistakes and try to learn from them?"
Pearl thought over the words for a few moments, before nodding slowly. "He probably tried to learn..."
Mother smiled and nodded in turn. "Exactly. Now, do you want to stay on this rock for a little longer, or do you want to try and keep going forward."
With a bit of reluctance, Pearl pulled herself off of the rock, back onto her feet.
September 14th, 2005
Preparing a new contract for Indicative Splash Limited
Pearl sighed and looked over the contract in front of her. Normally, she'd sit on the sidelines and review notes while Father did the talking, only interjecting when she felt there was something important going unmentioned. Today was different. She and Father would be switching positions, meaning she would be heading the negotiations today.
"Are you nervous?" Father leaned over her shoulder, looking back at her with a curious expression.
Pearl shook her head no.
"Heh... It's alright to be nervous Pearl. This is some really grown up stuff here."
She wrinkled her nose in response. "I'm gettin' grown up!" She rebuked, holding up her hands to show where her fingers were just starting to separate. That was one of the first signs of an inkfish maturing, which meant she was really close to getting big!
That was enough to make Father laugh with his full belly. "Oh... you absolutely are Pearl. That's why I think you can handle this. Just remember, you're allowed to be nervous, ok? Even I still get nervous when dealing with some of these suits."
"Are you nervous about this meeting?" Pearl looked up at him, now as curious as he was.
"Hmm... no, I don't think so, because you're going to do great. Just remember what we've been over."
Pearl nodded, and looked back at the contract. I can do this. It's just a business deal, I've been through dozens of these things by now, it's nothing. With her resolve steadies, Pearl motioned the secretary at the door to let the consultants in.
The smile remained on her face as the pair walked out of the meeting room. Pearl waited for the door to close to drop the act, slouching all the way back into the chair and resting her forehead on the table.
That was a grueling two hours that she'd never get back. Turns out Splash Limited really liked to flesh out the particulars of their agreements, which was comical considering how small their business really was. On top of that, she spent the entire meeting having to work around the pair's disquiet feelings on negotiating with an eight year old. Pearl more than proved her competence during the meeting, but it didn't stop the furtive glances towards her father throughout. Still, the deal was signed, the terms were amicable, and she'd done it herself.
Pearl lifted her weary head to find Father, who was reviewing the notes he took during the meeting.
who was reviewing the same note sheets she'd have been during the meeting. With her fingers still not quite formed yet, she still relied on pre-written, laminated notes produced for her, which she would follow along with and highlight with her ink as the things happened in the real meetings. Father emulated this perfectly with a highlighter, diligently pouring over the tiny notebook and marking things down as they happened. The entire thing was the exact amount of funny to make her double over laughing. The sheer dedication on his face, mixed with the small size of the notebook, and his tiny reading glasses was just the perfect combination, all he was missing was her crown.
"You did quite well Pearl!" He cheered as he finished marking his last line. "I do apologize, they were a lot more... thorough that I anticipated, but you handled that expertly as well!"
"Only cuz I've seen you do it a hundred times." She deflected, trying to hide the proud blush on her cheeks.
"No, that's perfect! You studied well, and then put it all into practice!" He set the book down and opened his arms to her, which she eagerly jumped into. "Of course, there's some places you need to work on, but there's always room for improvement, so don't let that weigh on you."
Pearl prepared a retort, but was cut off by a sudden, powerful yawn. After being so attentive for so long, and just now falling back into the familiar warmth of her father's arms, a sense of tiredness overwhelmed her in a matter of seconds.
Father chuckled, and brought his arms around her, patting her on the back gently. "I suppose we can review the meeting later. Let's take a break."