Keiko

"Keiko knew these circumstances, so she couldn’t give a clear answer at once. “It’s a generous offer, but I have to ask Toshi… Besides, the sale negotiations that had been progressing suddenly fell through this morning. We have no idea when we can find a buyer. We can’t do anything unless the store is sold.” Steve can be impatient. Given his nature, he might have thought, “I made a good proposal, but if that’s the case, then never mind.” However, his reaction was different on this day. “Anytime is fine. Just let me know when the store is sold. I’m not in a hurry, so I’ll wait. Also, in about 30 minutes I’ll have the director of the company’s cafeteria call, so could you ask Toshi about it by then?”"

"Soon after, Keiko sent an email to Steve. “I’ve heard you have an idea for Toshi. What is it? I’ll be at home until 3, so please call me.” Keiko listed the home’s phone number at the end of the email, and shortly after, the phone rang. “What’s the idea?” she asked, and Steve said rather proudly. “It’s a bit of a crazy idea, but I heard you’re selling the store, so if Toshi is interested, I was wondering if he would like to come to Apple. I think it’s a good opportunity.” It was as if a boy was showing off his special treasure to his mother. That’s how he sounded. Keiko was surprised but at the same time felt a strange kind of understanding, (Ah, so that’s what it was). In fact, she had been approached by Steve before. However, at that time her true feelings were (I don’t really want to work at Steve’s place). She felt it would be exhausting to work under Steve, who was not easy even as a customer, and couldn’t immediately agree."

"“It’s a crazy idea, but he asked if you would like to work in Apple’s cafeteria. What do you think? The timing is amazing, isn’t it? He shouldn’t know about the cancellation.” Indeed, the timing of the invitation was truly surprising. However, there were circumstances that prevented an immediate commitment. “The cafeteria, huh… But unless the store sells, we can’t do anything.” Keiko quickly added, “I told him that too, but he said he’d wait. He said it’s okay for when the store is sold,” as if she was recalling her earlier conversation with Steve. “I’ll wait.” - These words pierced the heart. Even just interacting with customers in the store, it was clear that the sick Steve was different from the Steve of the past. There would have been hesitation before, but on this day, the feeling of (being able to help Steve…) became stronger."

"Around this time, Steve had announced that he would take a long-term rest due to sickness and was actually on leave. However, the impression of illness was minimal, and he seemed full of energy. Even on this day, he appeared cheerful, but the interaction happened shortly after the start of lunch service. Letting him wait there for three hours was out of the question, so I told him, “I’ll have Keiko contact you later,” to which he replied, “Okay,” and left the store."

"Partnering with Someone Who Can Compensate for Your Weaknesses Chef: “The restaurant is so busy, why isn’t it more profitable?” Accountant: “Of course. With so much spent on labor and purchasing costs, no profit remains.” Chef: “That’s easy to say, but purchasing also costs money, and we need people to run the restaurant.” Around 1994, when we moved to the slightly larger “Toshi’s Sushiya,” we often had such conversations. The chef was me (Toshio), and the accountant was Keiko. At that time, we would tally up sales at the end of each month and combine expenses every three months to create a profit and loss statement. Toshi’s Sushiya was fortunate in terms of the economy and customers, and was so prosperous that lines formed every day. However, it was hard for profits to accumulate."

"The increasingly nasty dispute went to arbitration, and the aquar- ium ultimately discovered an old lesson about dealing with Craig McCaw: Always read the fine print. The contract between the aquarium and the foundation gave the latter sole power to decide when and where to move Keiko."