Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 144 Perhaps it's Minister Ōgaki who should apologize? [Fifth update, please vote!]

Kiyomasa Ogaki's voice was neither hurried nor slow.

He smiled, reminding Kiryu Yaya.

The office was quiet.

Kiryu Yaya stood there, head down, shoulders slightly tense.

From Kiyomasa Ogaki's perspective, this young man was making his final psychological struggle.

Fear, hesitation, resentment—all these emotions must be churning within him.

Kiyoshi Ogaki leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped on the table, his cloudy eyes holding a cat-and-mouse-like composure.

He had been waiting for this moment for several days.

He had been waiting ever since Kajiwara Shozo told him, "Kiryu Yaya already knows your name."

This arrogant young man, unaware of his own limitations, walked right into the trap.

Now, he has finally gotten what he's been waiting for.

"Kiryu-kun."

Kiyomasa Ogaki softened his tone, as if giving a child who had made a mistake one last chance.

"It's normal for young people to make mistakes. I made mistakes too. The important thing is to have the courage to admit your mistakes and the sincerity to correct them."

He paused, his gaze falling on Kiryu Yaya's lowered head.

"Apologizing is not about humiliation. It's about letting go of your burdens."

"The minister is right."

Kiryu Yaya finally spoke.

"It was my oversight that let the minister down. In the case of Heguang Electronics, the minister gave me a chance, but I backed down and made all sorts of excuses to avoid it—that was my fault."

The smile in Kiyomasa Ogaki's eyes deepened.

I'm glad you think that way.

He reached out, picked up the teacup on the table, and slowly took a sip.

"So, apologize."

The sound of the teacup being placed back on the table was soft, yet it carried an undeniable command.

Kiryu Yaya remained silent.

His shoulders were trembling slightly, as if he were making a final struggle.

Then, he slowly bent down.

First, lean your upper body slightly forward.

Then, his knees slowly lowered.

Kiyoshi Ogaki sat behind his desk, looking down at the scene.

He had worked in the bank for forty years and had seen far too many scenes like this.

But never before had this moment brought him such joy.

Kiyomasa Ogaki had even begun to mentally plan what he should say after Yaya Kiryu knelt down.

Should we first say, "It's good that the young man knows his mistake and can correct it," or should we directly tell him to "go back and reflect on his actions"?

Perhaps we should first gently forgive him, then spread the word about his mistake, and finally write "insufficient stress resistance" in the evaluation report without making a sound.

This way, you not only appear magnanimous, but you also completely eliminate this troublesome brat.

perfect.

However-

Kiryu Yaya's right knee suddenly stopped when it was still a fist's distance from the ground.

The air seemed to be suddenly gripped by something.

Kiyomasa Ogaki's gaze sharpened slightly.

"Kiryu-kun?"

Kiryu Yaya did not move.

He remained in that position, kneeling on the ground, like a sculpture frozen in time.

Then, he slowly raised his head.

Eyes facing each other.

Kiyomasa Ogaki saw a calm face.

There was no fear.

There wasn't even a hint of panic.

Only a slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

But it was precisely this faint smile that made the hairs on Kiyomasa Ogaki's back stand on end.

"Kiryu-kun?"

He called out again instinctively, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty for the first time.

Kiryu Yaya finally moved.

He slowly brought his right knee, which had been hanging in mid-air, back down.

Then, he stood up straight.

The movements were neither fast nor slow, but every detail exuded a composed elegance.

Like a sword already drawn from its sheath, slowly revealing its true edge just when the enemy thinks the battle is over.

"Boss Ogaki."

Kiryu Yaya spoke up, suddenly raising his voice: "You just said that if I truly feel I've done something wrong, I should show some attitude."

"I completely agree with this point."

He took half a step forward.

There was no threatening movement, but that half-step made Kiyomasa Ogaki subconsciously shrink back an inch into the chair.

"If I am guilty"

"Then naturally you should apologize."

He raised his eyes, looking directly at Kiyomasa Ogaki, his eyes radiating the pride of a victor: "But as things stand now..."

A faint smile finally appeared on Kiryu Yaya's lips.

"The one who should apologize is probably Minister Ōgaki, shouldn't he?"

The office fell silent instantly.

Kiyoshiro Ogaki's face looked as if someone had pressed the pause button.

On that face that was always gentle, composed, and slow-moving, all expressions froze in that instant.

"You One"

He wanted to say something, but it felt like something was choking him, and he could only squeeze out one word.

Kiryu Yaya gave him no time to catch his breath.

He reached into his briefcase, took out a document, and tossed it onto Kiyomasa Ogaki's desk.

"This is the business registration information for Ogaki Asset Management Co., Ltd., registered under the name of your wife, Ogaki Masami."

Kiryu Yaya's tone was unhurried.

"Established in March of the first year of the Heisei era, with a capital of ten million yen. Its business objectives are real estate leasing, investment management, and asset preservation consulting."

Kiyomasa Ogaki's gaze fell on the document, and his fingers curled slightly.

Kiryu Yaya narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "Oogaki Asset Management Co., Ltd. holds a 10% stake in Eight Assets Co., Ltd."

Kiryu Yaya continued, taking a second document from his briefcase and placing it next to the first one.

"The business objectives of Hachisuke Co., Ltd. include debt recovery and collateral disposal."

He looked up at Kiyomasa Ogaki.

"In other words, your wife's company holds shares in a company that specializes in handling non-performing bank debts."

Kiyomasa Ogaki's Adam's apple bobbed.

"What does this prove?"

His voice finally returned to normal, though it sounded a bit more nervous than usual, but at least it sounded relatively calm.

"My wife runs a company, what does that have to do with me?"

"Of course it's related."

Kiryu Yaya smiled slightly and placed the third document on the table.

"These are records of collateral handled by Mitsubishi Bank Osaka Branch, which I retrieved from the underground vault over the past three years and which were taken over by Yatsushige Co., Ltd."

He turned to the first page.

"In July of the first year of the Heisei era, a metal processing plant in Higashi-Osaka City disposed of its land as collateral. Eight Assets acquired the land at 60% of the appraised value. Approver: Kiyomasa Ogaki."

Then I turned to the second page.

"In November of the first year of the Heisei era, a construction company in Sakai City was jointly and severally guaranteed the recovery of its debt. Eighth Asset Management acquired the debt at 50% of its book value. Approver: Kiyomasa Ogaki."

Page 3.

"In March of the second year of the Heisei era, a transportation company in Suminoe Ward disposed of collateral. Eight Assets acquired the property at 55% of the appraised value. Approver: Kiyomasa Ogaki."

He turned the pages one by one, pausing for two or three seconds on each page to make sure that Kiyomasa Ōgaki could see every word written on it.

Kiyomasa Ogaki's face paled inch by inch.

He certainly knew these records existed.

He thought that these old files had long been buried in underground vaults, covered in dust, and would never be unearthed again.

He didn't expect that Kiryu Yaya would actually dig them out.

Kiyomasa Ogaki is still struggling: "These only prove that I approved these cases."

"The decision of which asset management company to take over the disposal of non-performing assets by the bank is not made by me alone. The offer for the eight assets was reasonable, the process was compliant, and I did not do anything wrong."

"Yeah?"

Kiryu Yaya's voice remained calm.

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