Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 123 Long Live the Section Chief! [Second Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Wednesday morning.

The atmosphere in the financing review department on the third floor of the Osaka branch was finally not as tense and suffocating as it had been the previous two days.

Just after nine o'clock, Masakazu Yamada walked into the office of the Matsumoto branch manager, carrying a thick kraft paper tube.

The sealed tube contained all the materials for the Higashi-Osaka Seiko case:

Kajiwara Seizo's written confession, asset list, consent to arbitrary disposal, as well as the key to the vault containing the 36 kilograms of gold, the Swiss account cipher sheet, and a copy of the nominee real estate agreement.

Kiryu Yaya sat at his workstation, flipping through a post-loan tracking form, but his eyes were constantly fixed on the direction of the section chief's office.

He put down the form in his hand and suddenly remembered the skill he had just acquired last night: "political intuition".

To be honest, he hasn't actually used it yet.

Why not give it a try now?

Kiryu Yaya's mind stirred, and his gaze fell on the tightly closed door, as if he could see through the door and see Yamada Masakazu sitting inside.

Skill activated.

A semi-transparent information panel silently unfolded in his field of vision, visible only to him.

[Target: Masakazu Yamada]

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

[Faction Affiliation: Matsumoto Takahiro Clique]

Kiryu Yaya's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Matsumoto Takahiro.

Chihaya Yuri once told him in the night breeze of Yodoyabashi that disagreements had arisen within the branch regarding the handling of non-performing loans:

Some people advocate for clearing out and writing off the outstanding balances, while others advocate for reducing or eliminating them as much as possible.

Section Chief Yamada is working for the branch manager of Matsumoto, but the branch manager of Matsumoto has not yet made a clear statement.

In other words, Masakazu Yamada is on the side of the branch manager of Matsumoto, and can be considered a royalist.

This is quite important information for Kiryu Yaya.

He looked away, and the semi-transparent information panel quietly faded from his sight.

Just then, the door to the section chief's office opened.

When Masakazu Yamada came out, the tension on his face had visibly eased.

He glanced at the office area of ​​the financing review department and raised his hand: "In-class meeting, now."

In the conference room, about twenty people sat in a circle around a long table.

Standing at the head of the table, Masakazu Yamada placed a summary of the main branch's preliminary opinion on the table and stated bluntly, "The preliminary conclusion of our review department is inclined to characterize the Higashi-Osaka Seiko case as a case of the borrower making a material misrepresentation and maliciously concealing debt repayment resources," rather than an "early incident case."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the conference room seemed to relax instantly.

Yuka Nakamura visibly breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders even slumping slightly.

Section Chief Wakako Kishigami smiled and said in her usual indifferent tone, "That's good, at least there's still hope for a summer award."

Sitting in the corner, Hashimoto Yusuke chuckled, though he didn't reply, but his expression was clearly much more relaxed.

Masakazu Yamada continued, "Of course, the official conclusion hasn't been issued yet, but the direction has basically been set. The next focus is on asset disposal."

He flipped through the folder beside him, saying item by item, "The house in Abeno will begin the arbitrary disposal process next week. The two apartments in Kobe, the land in Minoo, and the parking lot in Higashi-Osaka have also been coordinated with the debt management department."

"Regarding the gold, we have already obtained the vault key. Once the legal counsel and the IRS have confirmed the procedures, we can arrange for its liquidation."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "As for that anonymous account in Switzerland—that requires international legal assistance procedures, and can't be rushed. However, Kajiwara Masazō has already confirmed the account's ownership and code in writing, so at least it won't become a completely dead account."

After speaking, he closed the folder and slowly scanned everyone present with his gaze.

"The Higashi-Osaka Seiko case has reached this point, which means we've pulled it back from the brink of disaster. Thank you all for your hard work during this time."

A few scattered claps rang out in the conference room; not enthusiastic, but conveying a sense of relief and relaxation.

The expressions on everyone's faces were much more relaxed than they had been a few days ago.

As the applause subsided, Masakazu Yamada's tone shifted, becoming unusually relaxed: "Alright, now that we've covered the important matters, let's talk about something else."

Everyone looked up at him.

Masakazu Yamada's lips curled up slightly, revealing a rare smile: "Tonight, it's my treat at Takenoya."

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room.

Immediately afterward, Kenta Sasaki was the first to shout, "Long live the section chief!"

Yuka Nakamura couldn't help but laugh: "Section Chief, you've finally said something sensible."

Even Yusuke Hashimoto, who rarely spoke up, said, "It's not often that the section chief is treating us."

Masakazu Yamada raised his hand, signaling everyone to calm down, his tone still unhurried: "Don't get too excited yet. Today isn't a department-wide reward party, it's the wrap-up meeting for the Higashi-Osaka Seiko project. Everyone involved in this project, come. Those who weren't involved..."

He paused deliberately before continuing, "I'll treat you next time."

To be precise, he was just joking, after all, everyone in the financing review department was involved in the investigation of the Higashi-Osaka Seiko case.

Wakako Kishigami laughed and added, "Section Chief, you're creating class conflict."

"If you have any objections, you don't have to come. I won't force you."

After speaking without changing his expression, Masakazu Yamada laughed first.

The atmosphere in the meeting room then truly came alive.

The dark cloud that had been hanging over the financing review department for the past few days, known as the "early incident case," has finally dissipated at this moment.

After the meeting, everyone returned to their workstations one after another.

Chihaya Yuri took several attachments that needed to be organized from Yamada Masakazu and returned to her seat.

As Kiryu Yaya passed by her desk, she didn't even look up, only asking in a low voice, "Are you going tonight too?"

"The section chief has already spoken, so it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse."

Chihaya Yuri gave a soft "hmm" and didn't say anything more, but the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch very slightly.

Lunch break.

In the staff canteen on the second floor of the annex, the aroma of fried mackerel mixed with the steam of miso soup slowly drifted into the air.

The sunlight outside the window was a bit brighter than it had been a few days ago.

In mid-May, Osaka already had a hint of early summer.

When Kiryu Yaya carried his tray into the cafeteria, several people were already sitting in his usual spot near the beverage counter.

Yayoi Minana, Arima Kisho, Sasaki Kenta.

After some time, this spot gradually became their default fixed dining spot.

Kenta Sasaki sat next to Kishou Arima, his arm still wrapped in bandages, and even his movements of carrying a plate seemed a little awkward.

But as soon as Kiryu Yaya sat down, he immediately perked up and couldn't wait to boast about his "heroic deeds" from the previous night.

"You wouldn't believe it, the way I pounced on him was exactly like something out of a police thriller!"

"A flash of light, and I remained calm and faced the enemy head-on."

"And Miyuki Shimazaki even came to see me this morning."

Can you understand the emotion I feel?

Arima Kishou didn't even look up, picked up a piece of grilled fish, and said indifferently, "It was Kiryu-kun who knocked the knife away with his umbrella and saved you in the process. You, on the other hand, were mainly responsible for taking the blows."

There was a moment of silence around the table.

Mizuna Yayoi couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Kenta Sasaki's expression froze on the spot: "Arima, you really know how to ruin the mood."

Arima adjusted his glasses: "I'm just correcting the facts."

After laughing, Yayoi Mizuna subconsciously looked at Kiryu Yaya, her voice softening slightly: "But Kiryu-kun, you should also be careful, that president is really terrifying."

Kiryu Yaya drank the miso soup and said with a smile, "I'm fine. With Sasaki-kun as my shield, I'm safe and sound."

"Hello!"

Kenta Sasaki immediately protested, "I call that bravery! Bravery, you understand!"

Arima Kishou added expressionlessly, "He bravely blocked the knife, and then was carried away."

Kenta Sasaki clutched his chest, his face filled with grief and indignation: "Don't you all lack even the most basic humanitarian concern for the wounded?"

Kiryu Yaya looked at him and finally burst out laughing.

After laughing, he seemed to suddenly remember something, put down his spoon, looked up at the group, and asked, "By the way, what are everyone's plans for this weekend?"

Mizuna Yayoi looked up and blinked: "The weekend?"

"Yes, Saturday or Sunday."