Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 121 Bank Personnel Department [Eight Chapters, 20,000 Words, Seeking Monthly Tickets]

It wasn't until Kajiwara Masazō mentioned the name Ōgaki Hideto and his position that Kiryu Yaya's eyes showed a hint of interest.

"The younger brother of the head of the personnel department?"

"That's interesting."

Looking at Kiryu Yaya, whose face remained calm, Kajiwara Masazō couldn't help but ask a question.

Do you know what "personnel section chief" means?

Kiryu Yaya glanced at him.

"Speaking."

Kajiwara Masazō stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, extinguishing the last embers, and then slowly leaned back in his chair: "Although I'm just a company president, I've dealt with people in your bank a lot, so I've naturally picked up these kinds of things from what I've seen and heard."

"The human resources department in a bank is not just about managing attendance, issuing salaries, and arranging training programs."

"It has a file on every employee. From the day you joined the company, every performance review, every report, every business achievement, and every section chief's comments are all recorded."

He held up two fingers.

"The authority of the personnel department is manifested in two things."

"First, promotion."

"Promotions in banks aren't based on how well you perform, but rather on which HR department places you in their hierarchy."

"They have an internal evaluation system that weights and calculates scores based on years of service, departmental factors, and section chief recommendations. Only those who score high enough are eligible to be on the promotion candidate list."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"In other words, if Hidetoshi Ogaki doesn't want you to be promoted, no matter how well you do, you won't even make the shortlist."

Kiryu Yaya's eyes flickered slightly.

Kajiwara Masazō extended his second finger.

"Second, relocation."

"There are two types of transfers in banks. One is normal job rotation, where you go from the business department to the financing department, and from the financing department to the planning department. After going around in circles, your resume looks good, and you get promoted quickly. This kind of transfer can be approved at the department head level."

"The other one is different."

His voice was lowered even further: "External transfer—or, to the outside world."

Even Kiryu Yaya frowned slightly upon hearing this word.

Outbound.

In Japanese companies, this term literally means "sent to an affiliated company for support," which sounds like entrusting someone with an important task.

In reality, there are many different ways to exit.

There is a type of exit called "Yingteng".

Sending someone to a subsidiary as a senior executive, with the same or even better compensation, is a true sign of being given important responsibilities.

But there is another direction, called "left return," which involves going to remote areas, loss-making subsidiaries, or even remote overseas branches. Nominally, it is "support," but in reality, it is exile.

Being reassigned to a lower-level position means that your career advancement opportunities within the bank are completely cut off.

Many people who go there never come back.

Kajiwara Masazo looked at Kiryu Yaya's expression and knew that he understood.

"Mitsubishi Bank's reach extends from Hokkaido to Okinawa, from the Philippines to Brazil. As long as it's a Mitsubishi-affiliated company, the personnel department can send you there with a single transfer order."

"If you don't go, that's refusing the company's arrangements. You'll get a D on your exam, your bonus for next year will be zero, and your promotion will be permanently frozen."

"You're going? Then who knows when you'll be back."

After Kajiwara Masazo finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair and looked at Kiryu Yaya.

"Now you know who Hidetoshi Ogaki is, right?"

Kiryu Yaya did not answer immediately.

He lowered his eyes, as if he was processing the information, or perhaps thinking about something else.

perhaps----

Could we take advantage of the relationship between Kiyomasa Ogaki and Hideto Ogaki?

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Kajiwara Masazo thought he would see Kiryu Yaya panic.

The young man simply nodded slightly: "I see. Thank you for reminding me."

Then Kiryu Yaya turned around, opened the door, and went out.

Only Kajiwara Masazō remained in the detention room.

He stared at the closed door with some disappointment, and after a long while, he muttered under his breath, "Damn, that kid is really a bit creepy."

The door to the detention room closed gently behind me.

Kiryu Yaya paused at the door for two seconds, closed his eyes, and went over Kajiwara Masazo's words in his mind again.

Hideto Ogaki.

Head of the Personnel Department.

Kajiwara Masazō is right, the head of the personnel department does indeed have that ability.

External transfers, demotions, and being sidelined—anyone who has worked in this system knows that the pen of the personnel department is more terrifying than anything else.

Just then, a semi-transparent system interface suddenly popped up in front of Kiryu Yaya.

[New life options have been triggered]

Kajiwara Masazō's words made you fully understand the current situation. Ōgaki Kiyomasa was not fighting alone; behind him stood Ōgaki Hideto, the head of the personnel department, a key figure who held the power of promotion and transfer, and could influence your career.

The Higashi-Osaka Seiko case has opened a breach, but Kiyomasa Ogaki remains firmly in his position as finance manager, and may even be plotting a counterattack against you.

You stand in the corridor outside the detention room, the night is deep, and the future is uncertain. Faced with the threats from the Ogaki brothers, you have three choices:

[Fork in the Road 1: Temporarily Avoid the Enemy's Edge. With Hidetoshi Ogaki holding a high position of power, it's better to protect yourself than to confront him directly. You decide to temporarily halt your investigation into Kiyomasa Ogaki's activities and focus your efforts on recovering the assets of Higashi-Osaka Seiko, awaiting a more opportune moment.]

(Reward: Bank deposit increased by 10 yen)

[Branch Two: Proactively Initiating War. Ōgaki Kiyomasa already sees you as a thorn in his side; backing down will only embolden him further.]

You decide to fight back, searching for clues to bring down Kiyomasa Ogaki.

(Reward: Skill "Political Sense" - Allows you to view the faction affiliation of any entity within the bank)

[Branch Three: Using External Forces. You decide to temporarily refrain from taking direct action and instead hand over the evidence to the National Tax Service or other oversight agencies, allowing others to bring down Kiyomasa Ogaki.]

(Reward: Basic Skill "Intelligence Network" - Automatically acquires one key intelligence report related to the current case each week)

Kiryu Yaya's gaze slowly swept over the three options.

Should we temporarily avoid the limelight?

He had nowhere left to retreat.

Since Kiyomasa Ogaki already knows that he is investigating him, even if he stops, the other party will not let him go.

As for using someone else's strength against them, although the rewards are considerable, it is actually unrealistic.

According to the unspoken rules of the Japanese workplace, rashly revealing internal problems to external organizations is seen as a betrayal of the organization.

Once the IRS or these local branches expose this, their careers will be over.

Kiryu Yaya let out a soft breath, already having made up his mind.

The only way to bring down Kiyomasa Ogaki is through our own efforts.

Branch 2 has been selected.

[Gain the skill "Political Sense" - allows you to view the faction affiliation of any entity within the bank]

Kiryu Yaya slowly closed his eyes.

Kiyomasa Ogaki wielded considerable power.

There's also the variable of Hidetoshi Ogaki.

Fortunately, from the moment he asked Kajiwara Masazo whether Ogaki Kiyomasa was the mastermind behind it all.

He had already prepared a backup plan.

Kiryu Yaya opened his eyes, and a semi-transparent interface unfolded in the center of his field of vision.

【Ogaki Kiyomasa】

Age: 59

[Position: Head of Finance Department, Mitsubishi Bank Osaka Branch]

【assets:】

1. Anonymous account at UBS (UK Bank): ¥421,867,000

"2. Beneficial interest in Eighth Asset Co., Ltd.: 380,000,000 yen"

「3.东京资产整理研究会积分帐户：12，400积分（可兑换124，000，000日元）」

4. Philippine nominee shareholding (Cebu Island resort development): ¥250,000,000

5. Gold bars in stock: ¥32,500,000

"6. Painting collection (three paintings including 'Toshodai-ji Temple' by Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama): 85,000,000 yen"

7. Overseas Life Insurance (Bermuda Islands, Variable Annuity, Surrender Benefit): ¥64,200,000

"8. Nominee shareholding in Hong Kong (via BVI company, real estate development fund): 173,000,000 yen"

[Hidden Assets:]

"1. Residence in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture (Nominal owner: Masami Ogaki): 148,000,000 yen"

"2. Three apartments in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture (nominal owner: Kiyomi Ogaki): 96,000,000 yen"

Total assets: ¥1,774,567,000

[Liabilities:]

"1. Consulting fee payable by the Tokyo Assets Consolidation Research Association: 50,000,000 yen"

"2. Payment to local partners for shareholding in the Philippines under a nominee: ¥37,500,000"

"3. Fees payable to the nominee holder for nominee registration of residential property in Ashiya City: 4,800,000 yen"

4. Overseas life insurance policy loan: ¥28,300,000

"5. Borrowed from Hong Kong financial institutions to conceal the funding route: 45,000,000 yen"

"6. Swiss account operating fee: ¥6,200,000"

"7. Debt for covering the shortfall in a fictitious lease agreement: ¥22,000,000"

Total liabilities: ¥193,800,000

Net worth: ¥1,580,767,000

Kiryu Yaya was already very familiar with Ogaki Kiyomasa's financial situation.

With total assets of 1.77 billion yen, even after deducting liabilities, the net surplus exceeds 1.5 billion yen.

A bank manager who works his whole life on a normal salary could never save that much money.

The problem is that most of these assets are hidden behind layers of nominee holders and overseas accounts.

Anonymous accounts at Swiss banks, the East Asian Association's points system, nominee shareholding in the Philippines, and BVI companies in Hong Kong —

These are all things that are far, far away.

But as the saying goes, even a hundred leaks can have a single oversight.

There is one asset that is different.

>