Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 172 Fushimi Seiko [Fifth Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets]

A few minutes later, Kenta Sasaki and Kisuke Arima walked back from the direction of the restroom.

Kenta Sasaki started shouting from afar, "What are you guys talking about? You're not talking badly about me, are you?"

"There's no need for that."

Arima Kishou said calmly.

Kenta Sasaki glared at him, then looked at Yaya Kiryu: "Shall we go up? There's an observation deck up there, and they say you can see the whole of Arashiyama."

Kiryu Yaya stood up and patted non-existent dust off his pants: "Let's go then."

The four continued walking up the mountain.

Finally, just before noon, the four of them reached the observation deck at the top of the mountain.

The observation deck is small; it's a platform made of wooden planks, surrounded by wooden railings.

Standing by the railing and looking down, you can see the entire Arashiyama, the Oi River, the Togetsukyo Bridge, and even the distant city of Kyoto.

"That's amazing!"

Yayoi Mina leaned on the railing, tiptoed slightly, and gazed from the nearby bamboo forest all the way to the distant mountains.

Kiryu Yaya stood beside her, the wind blowing and causing the hem of his shirt to flutter slightly.

Kenta Sasaki had already taken his camera out of his bag and was looking around for the best angle.

"Come on, let's take a group photo!"

He looked around and saw a tourist with a camera not far away. He immediately ran over and said, "Excuse me, could you please take a picture for us?"

He was a man in his forties, wearing a baseball cap, who looked like someone who traveled frequently.

He took the camera and readily agreed.

"Come on, stand still."

Kenta Sasaki ran back to the center of the observation deck and stood next to Kishou Arima.

Arima Kishou remained expressionless, his hands in his pockets.

"Arima, can you at least smile?"

I laughed.

"That expression of yours isn't a smile, it's facial paralysis."

"This is my normal expression."

"Then please be a little abnormal for a while."

Arima Kishou's lips twitched slightly, so slightly as to be almost imperceptible.

Kenta Sasaki gave up and turned to look at Yaya Kiryu and Mizuna Yayoi.

"Kiryu, Yayoi, you two stand in the middle!"

Kiryu Yaya and Yayoi Minina walked to the center of the platform.

Mizuna Yayoi stood to Kiryu Yaya's right, leaning slightly towards him.

The distance between the two people was a little closer than in a normal colleague's photo, but a little farther than in a romantic relationship.

"Okay, ready."

The tourist raised his camera and framed the four people.

"Three, two,

'

Click.

The sound of the shutter was scattered by the mountain wind.

"One more!"

Kenta Sasaki shouted.

The tourist pressed the shutter again.

"Alright! What do you guys think, is this okay?"

Kenta Sasaki ran over and glanced down at the camera.

"Hmm—this one is good—this one is also good—Arima's expression is still blank in this one—oh well, I can't be too demanding."

He hung the camera back around his neck and turned to look at Kiryu Yaya and Yayoi Mizuna.

"Why don't you two take a picture together?"

Mizuna Yayoi paused for a moment, then her ears turned red.

"No, no need—"

"Let's take a picture!"

Kenta Sasaki had already raised his camera: "It's a rare opportunity to get out and have fun, so let's take some photos to remember this moment."

Mizuna Yayoi subconsciously looked at Yaya Kiryu.

Kiryu Yaya smiled and said, "Let's take a picture then."

Mizuna Yayoi's heart skipped a beat.

She walked over to Kiryu Yaya and stood there.

This time, she got a little closer to him.

There was only a fist's distance between them, shoulder to shoulder.

A breeze blew through the bamboo grove, causing her hair to flutter slightly. She reached out and smoothed it, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Kenta Sasaki raised his camera and framed the two of them.

"Okay, closer—closer—"

'

Mizuna Yayoi's ears were so red they were almost bleeding, but she didn't back down.

She stood there beside Kiryu Yaya, trying her best to make her expression look natural.

"Three, two,

""

Click.

The shutter clicked.

Mizuna Yayoi let out a soft breath, but her heart was still pounding.

Kenta Sasaki glanced down at the camera screen, then looked up and gave Yaya Kiryu a thumbs up.

"Great shot!"

Mizuna Yayoi wanted to go over and take a look, but hesitated for a moment and didn't go over.

She was afraid that if she saw her expression in the photo, she would feel too embarrassed.

"Let's go, let's go down the mountain."

Kiryu Yaya turned and walked towards the steps.

Mizuna Yayoi followed behind him, took a couple of steps, and couldn't help but look back at the observation deck.

Looking down from here, Arashiyama is like a painting that will never fade.

She will remember this day.

a long time.

The way down the mountain was much easier than the way up.

Kenta Sasaki's steps became noticeably lighter, and he even started humming a song.

Arima Kishou walked behind him, listening expressionlessly. Finally, when Sasaki sang the third line off-key, he spoke up: "When you sing, do you ever consider how the people around you feel?"

"I sing very well!"

"You're singing 'LOVELOVELOVE,' but every note is off-key."

"That's because you lack musical taste!"

"My aesthetic sense is normal; it's your pitch that's abnormal."

-

Kiryu Yaya walked ahead, listening to the bickering behind him, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

They're such a pair of clowns.

"senior."

"Um?"

Do you think Sasaki-kun and Arima-kun have a good relationship?

Kiryu Yaya glanced at the two people behind him who were still bickering, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly: "Probably. Relationships that can be so playful and sarcastic tend to last longer than those that are just polite and overly friendly."

Mizuna Yayoi nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

After walking for about twenty more minutes, the slope of the mountain path gradually became gentler, and the bamboo forest began to thin out.

A small teahouse appeared by the roadside.

A wooden building with a dark gray tiled roof; a faded navy blue curtain hangs at the entrance, with the words "..." written in white on it.

The two characters "Nomiya".

"Would you like to go inside and rest for a while?"

Yayoi Mizuna stopped and turned to look at the three of them: "This teahouse is very famous; their cold-brewed tea is especially good."

Kenta Sasaki was the first to raise his hand: "Yes! I want water! No, I want tea!"

Arima Kishou glanced at him: "Didn't you just say that going down the mountain was easy?"

"Relaxation is relaxation, thirst is thirst, they are two different things."

The four of them lifted the noren curtain and entered the teahouse.

The inside appears wider than the outside.

The floor is covered with dark wood flooring, and several bamboo tables and chairs are neatly arranged. You can see a bamboo grove from the window.

The air is filled with the faint aroma of sencha (simmered tea), mixed with the crisp scent of bamboo.

There weren't many customers in the teahouse.

Two elderly women were sitting in the inner section, chatting in hushed tones.

A middle-aged man in a gray suit sat by the window, a half-empty cup of cold tea in front of him.

The four of them chose another table by the window and sat down.

A waitress in a kimono quickly came over, carrying a tray.

"Welcome. What would you like to order?"

"Four servings of cold brewed tea, and a seasonal fruit platter."

Mizuna Yayoi didn't look at the menu and ordered directly.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The waiter turned and left.

Kenta Sasaki leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh: "This is life."

The cold brew tea was served quickly.

In the transparent glass, the tea soup is a clear light green, and a layer of fine water droplets condenses on the glass wall.

On the small plate next to it were several exquisite wagashi (Japanese sweets).

One is a bamboo leaf-shaped kiri, another is a water yokan, and the last is a bracken cake coated with soybean flour.

Kiryu Yaya picked up the glass and took a sip.

"It tastes good."

When Yayoi Mizuna heard his evaluation, her eyes crinkled into a smile.

The four of them quietly drank tea and chatted about their plans for the afternoon.

Just then, a hushed voice came from the next table.

"—The extension for Mitsubishi hasn't been approved yet, could you help me delay it a bit more?—"

Kiryu Yaya's fingers paused slightly.

He didn't turn his head, but simply placed the glass back on the table, his ears already perked up.

Arima and Sasaki immediately became alert upon hearing the sound.

The middle-aged man in the gray suit continued speaking into the cell phone: "—I've already transferred the inventory, and I've had an acquaintance redo the assessment report—"

"—As long as this is done, I can settle all the previous accounts, and the bank won't be able to find out—"

Kiryu Yaya turned his head away without making a sound, glancing at the next table out of the corner of his eye.

The middle-aged man in the gray suit was talking on the phone with his back to them.

His voice was very low, but the teahouse was too quiet, and his words still drifted over without being missed.

Beside the man was a dark brown briefcase with the words "Fushimi Seiko" printed in gold on it.

Kiryu Yaya's gaze lingered on those words for a moment, then he lowered his eyes, a thought flashing through his mind.

[The Banker's Eye], activated.