Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 159 Dongdu Pavilion [Third Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Kiryu Yaya answered the receiver.

"Financing Review Division, Kiryu."

"Kiryu-kun, this is an outside call transferred from the switchboard. A Mr. Kuroda is looking for you."

Kiryu Yaya's fingers paused slightly.

Shuichi Kuroda.

"Please come in, thank you."

A soft sound came from the receiver, followed by that familiar voice on the other end of the line: "Kiryu-kun, good afternoon."

"President Kuroda, it's been a long time."

Kiryu Yaya leaned back in his chair, speaking casually, but his eyes unconsciously swept around.

Chihaya Yuri was looking down at her documents and didn't notice what was happening here.

"You said you'd contact me again after you got back from Nagoya, looks like you're back now?"

"I just got back yesterday."

Kuroda Shuichi chuckled: "Things in Nagoya took a little longer than expected. But we finally got it done."

"Congratulations, President Kuroda."

"What's with the congratulations? It's all hard-earned money."

Shuichi Kuroda asked in a relaxed tone, "By the way, Kiryu-kun, are you free tonight?"

Kiryu Yaya tapped his finger lightly on the table.

"tonight?"

"right."

Kuroda paused, lowering his voice slightly, "Remember what I told you on the phone last time?"

Kiryu Yaya's gaze froze slightly.

Dongzhenghui.

"Remember."

"That's good."

Shuichi Kuroda smiled and said, "Eight o'clock tonight."

"North New Town, East Capital Hall."

He paused, a deeper meaning creeping into his voice: "Kiryu-kun, haven't you always wanted to see what the Tou-seikai is like? Tonight, I'll take you to see it for yourself."

Kiryu Yaya chuckled softly: "Since President Kuroda has spoken, how can I refuse?"

7

"Then it's settled."

Shuichi Kuroda hummed in agreement: "By the way, you can't just talk your way into a place like that. I'll have someone deliver the invitation to the bank counter later, and you can enter with the invitation. Dress formally and presentably."

"clear."

Not long after, the female receptionist from the General Affairs Department walked into the Financing Review Department.

"Kiryu-kun, someone has brought you something."

Kiryu Yaya took the items.

It was a dark black envelope.

There was no sender's name or header; a gold-embossed emblem was pressed onto the seal.

It is circular, with a variant of the Chinese character "东" (East) at the center, surrounded by fine arabesque patterns.

After opening the seal, there was a folded hard card inside.

The front of the card features the same gold-embossed emblem as the envelope, and below it, in neat regular script, are a few lines of text: "Respectfully yours, Mr. Kiryu, we are hosting a small banquet tonight at the Totokan. We sincerely hope you will be able to attend. This invitation is respectfully presented on May 17th, 1964, Tokyo Assets Consolidation and Research Association Secretariat."

On the other side of the card, there is a partial map of Kitashinchi, which marks the location of Totokan.

Kiryu Yaya carefully put away the invitation, leaned back in his chair, and gently closed his eyes.

Dongzhenghui.

Kuroda Shuichi, Kajiwara Shozo, Wako Masataka, Ogaki Kiyomasa, Ogaki Hideto, Furu Udahiko————

I'm finally going to see their connection point with my own eyes.

The night was as dark as ink, and the neon lights of Beixindi swayed gently in the night breeze.

Kiryu Yaya parked his motorcycle one street away from his destination.

It wasn't that he was deliberately keeping a low profile, but rather that the alley where the Dongdu Pavilion was located was inaccessible by car.

Kita-Shinchi is a common name for the Sonezaki Shinchi area in Kita-ku, Osaka.

It is a high-end dining and entertainment district that rivals Tokyo's Ginza.

This area is home to hundreds of upscale restaurants, bars, and clubs, exuding an understated luxury.

However, the Todo-kan is not included in this list.

Kiryu Yaya walked through a firebreak alley that could only accommodate one person at a time, with towering walls on both sides.

The surroundings were quiet.

He walked seventy or eighty steps before he saw a black wooden door appear at the end of the alley.

There was no house number or any sign.

Only through the circular doorway above the door can one vaguely see the narrow corridor inside.

Kiryu Yaya stood in front of the door.

He raised his hand and gently pressed the door knocker.

The brass door knocker sank slightly, making a very soft "click".

Then, a deep voice came from inside the door: "Please verify the invitation."

Kiryu Yaya took the invitation out of his suit pocket and handed it through the doorway.

A faint sound of papers unfolding came from inside the door.

Then, there was a very soft conversation, as if someone was confirming something on a walkie-talkie.

A few more seconds passed—

The door opened.

Four men were standing behind the door.

They were all dressed in black suits, of similar height, and of robust build.

Their suits were meticulously tailored, but with ample allowance at the shoulders and elbows, clearly for ease of combat.

Kiryu Yaya narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the danger emanating from "mastery of swordsmanship".

These four people are very strong.

The man at the head of the group accepted the invitation, stepped aside slightly, and made way for them.

Kiryu Yaya stepped across the threshold.

Behind the door was a narrow corridor paved with white sand, and the bamboo fences on both sides rustled softly in the night breeze.

He had only taken a few steps when a very beautiful woman appeared at the corner ahead.

Black kimono, yellow obi.

Her hair was neatly pulled back, revealing a section of her fair and beautifully shaped nape.

She stopped in front of Kiryu Yaya, clasped her hands together in front of her, and bowed deeply.

"Kiryu-sama, welcome to the Toto-kan."

"Master Kuroda has been waiting for you for a long time. Please follow me."

Kiryu Yaya nodded.

Thank you for your trouble.

The woman straightened up, stepped to the side, made a "please" gesture, and then walked about a step ahead of him, leading the way at a leisurely pace.

The corridor was deeper than I had imagined.

Passing through wooden screens and several dry landscape gardens, the air is filled with the faint scent of sandalwood.

Nakai stopped in front of a dark wooden door, knelt down, placed his hands on his knees, and his forehead almost touched the tatami.

"Kiryu-sama, we've arrived."

She gently pulled open the wooden door.

Behind the door was a private room with about twenty tiers of floor space. A traditional Chinese ink painting of a landscape hung in the niche, and the flower arrangement was a very simple withered branch.

The lights were turned down so low that you could only see the outline of the person opposite you.

Shuichi Kuroda sat in the seat of honor, holding a glass of wine in his hand, with that familiar smile on his lips.

"Kiryu-kun, come in and have a seat."

Kiryu Yaya took off his shoes, stepped onto the tatami mats, and went inside.

The wooden door behind him was gently closed by Zhongju.

Only two people remained in the private room.

Shuichi Kuroda didn't rush to speak, but simply gestured for him to sit down, then picked up the sake bottle on the table: "Want to have a drink first?"

"I'm sorry, President Kuroda, I came by bicycle, it wasn't very convenient."

"Haha, then forget it."

Shuichi Kuroda put down the sake bottle, leaned back in his chair, and looked at him.

"Kiryu-kun, I haven't had a chance to thank you in person for what happened with Rokko last time."

Kiryu Yaya smiled and said, "President Kuroda, you're too kind."

"The division of Rokko is beneficial to the Miyazawa Group, to Mitsubishi Bank, and to the Kansai urban development."

"It's a win-win-win situation, so there's no question of who should thank whom."

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