Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 142 Kiyomasa Ogaki, Here I Come! [Third Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]

The tram swayed leisurely along the Hanwa Line.

The view outside the window gradually transitions from the low-rise factories of Sakai City to the increasingly dense cluster of buildings in the Midosuji area.

Kiryu Yaya leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on his briefcase, his heart churning with emotion.

Inside the briefcase, three bullets were already loaded.

Ogaki Kiyomasa.

The countdown to the trial has begun.

But the word "trial" is simple to say, but there are countless ways to do it.

Direct reporting, covert manipulation, using someone else to do the dirty work, drawing the line without actually doing anything —

Every path leads to a different outcome, and every path has its own risks and costs.

He mentally laid out several possibilities one by one, analyzing and evaluating them one by one.

The first option: Report directly. This is the most straightforward option and the one that most new bank employees would choose.

Hand over the points transaction records, loan agreements, and recorder intact to the Matsumoto branch manager's desk, or mail them to the bank headquarters.

Then Kiyomasa Ōgaki was internally investigated, suspended from his post, and summoned for questioning; ultimately, he was disgraced before his retirement.

The advantage is that it's clean and efficient.

He himself does not have to bear any moral burden, nor does he have to worry about being bitten back by Kiyoshi Ogaki later.

With conclusive evidence and compliant procedures, even if Hidetoshi Ogaki were in the head office's personnel department, he couldn't cause any major upheaval.

But what are the downsides?

Kiryu Yaya leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tapped his briefcase lightly with his finger.

The downside is—

His banking career is likely to come to an end here.

Not to mention that Kiyomasa Oogaki's younger brother, Hideto Oogaki, is the head of the personnel department at the head office, even without that, Yaya Kiryu, who reported his superior, was no better off.

A bank is an organization that values ​​"harmony" and "order".

No matter how righteous or well-founded a subordinate's report is, if he reports his superior, he will be seen as a "rulebreaker" in the eyes of the bank's senior management.

If he can report Kiyomasa Ogaki today, will he report someone else tomorrow?

Such people, even if they are not fired, will be labeled as "untrustworthy".

Upgrade? He won't get a chance.

Transferred? I'll be transferred to the most remote and least promising position.

Training? His name will never appear on the head office's list.

His file will have an extra line. There's no need to write "reporting superiors." Just a casual "coordination needs improvement" in the "overall evaluation" section will be enough to ensure he can never recover at this bank.

This is not speculation, but the most real and brutal rule of the Japanese workplace.

Kiryu Yaya silently marked this path with an X in his mind.

The second option: use someone else to do the dirty work.

Instead of taking matters into their own hands, they send the evidence to the appropriate place through a third party.

For example, send it anonymously to the Osaka National Tax Bureau.

Hanayama-in Taki is keeping an eye on the Higashi-Osaka Seiko case.

If the leads regarding Wako Electronics Industry are passed on, the National Tax Agency might take the opportunity to dig deeper and uproot Kiyomasa Ogaki.

The IRS has far greater investigative authority than banks have for internal investigations.

The information they can access, the people they can interview, and the scope of searches they can apply for are all far beyond what internal bank audits can achieve.

The advantage is that you don't show your face, so the risk is small.

After Ogaki Kiyomasa's downfall, he wouldn't be directly suspected.

But the downsides are also very real.

The credibility of anonymous whistleblowing is an issue.

The IRS receives a large number of anonymous tips every day, more than 90% of which are invalid.

Without sufficient solid evidence, this report is likely to be ignored.

Moreover, once an investigation is launched, the matter will be beyond Kiryu Yaya's control.

The direction, scope, and conclusions of the investigation were not within his control.

Using someone else to do your dirty work is safe, but uncontrollable.

Kiryu Yaya also raised a question mark in his mind about this path.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

It seems that this is the only way to achieve both safety and maximum benefit.

However, he might have to break his promise to Masataka Mitsuaki.

In my ears, the train announcement rang: "まもなく, Midosuji Midosuji.

Kiryu Yaya opened his eyes.

We've arrived at Midosuji Station.

He picked up his briefcase and stood up.

The train doors opened, and a gust of wind rushed in from the platform.

Kiryu Yaya strode out of the carriage, his face cold and stern.

Kiyomasa Ogaki, here I come.

4:20 PM.

Mitsubishi Bank Osaka Branch, third floor.

Kiryu Yaya stopped in front of the minister's office and knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

From inside came the slow, deliberate voice of Kiyomasa Ogaki.

Kiryu Yaya pushed open the door and went in.

Kiyoshi Ogaki sat behind his desk, a document spread out in front of him, and a pen still in his hand.

When he saw that it was him who came in, a fleeting look of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes.

But that hint of surprise lasted less than half a second before being replaced by a gentle smile.

"Kiryu-kun? What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Kiryu Yaya walked directly to Ogaki Kiyomasa's desk and stood there.

His expression was serious, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

She looked like a newcomer who had done something wrong and didn't know how to start the conversation.

"Boss Ogaki."

Kiryu Yaya stood in front of the desk, his voice low: "The case of Wako Electronics Industry—I probably can't handle it."

Kiyoshi Ogaki looked up, his pen hovering in mid-air.

"Can't it be done?"

His voice was still slow and deliberate, but something in his cloudy eyes lit up slightly.

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head, as if he had mustered a lot of courage to say what he was about to say.

"I went to conduct an on-site investigation this morning and talked with President Wako for almost an hour. On the surface, the company's financial situation seems fine, but I feel that something is not quite right in a few details."

Oogaki Kiyomasa became interested and asked, "Kiryu-kun, what do you think is a bit off?"

Kiryu Yaya paused, pursed his lips, and said, "The proportion of prepayments is too high, the inventory turnover days are not indicated, and there is also an affiliated company called 'Wako Shoko' that is not disclosed in the data."

"I can't clarify these doubts in a short time."

Kiyomasa Ogaki put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and placed his hands folded on the table.

He looked at Kiryu Yaya, his gaze not exactly stern, but certainly not gentle either.

"Kiryu-kun, I understand what you mean, but—"

"You know I personally selected this case, right?"

Kiryu Yaya's voice went even lower.

"Know."

A hint of anger slowly crept onto Kiyomasa Ogaki's face as he said righteously, "I entrusted the case to you because I believe in your abilities."

"Fuji Metals, Shiraishi Refrigeration, Miyazawa Group, Higashi-Osaka Seiko—you did a great job with each of them. How come you can't do it with Wako Electronics?"

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