Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 176 The Founder of the Eastern Zheng Society? [Fourth Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]

The Dongzheng Association's membership card fell silently to the ground.

Kiryu Yaya was completely unaware.

Mizuna Yayoi noticed it immediately.

She bent down, curiously picked up the card from the tatami mat, and called out to Kiryu Yaya, "Senpai, you dropped something."

She held the card and handed it over, her gaze unconsciously falling on the card.

The circular emblem features a variant of the Chinese character "东" (East) at its center, surrounded by intricate arabesque patterns. Its exquisite detail belies its status as a regular membership card.

"Oh, thank you, Mina-san."

Kiryu Yaya took the card, his movements tensing slightly.

He glanced around and saw that Yayoi and the other three should not know about the existence of the East Association, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

Kiryu Yaya stuffed the card back into his pocket, then gave Yayoi Kazuko a slight bow, said "Excuse me," and turned to walk towards the restroom.

The restaurant fell silent for a moment.

Kenta Sasaki sat opposite him, chewing the last bite of sea bream rice, and turned to look at Kishou Arima.

Did you see that card just now?

";

"I saw it."

Arima Kishou's voice was very flat.

"It looks really high-end. Do you think the rumors about the bank might be true?"

Arima Kishou did not reply.

His gaze fell on the spot on the tatami where the card had once stood, and he remained silent for a moment.

Then he pushed up his glasses: "I don't know."

Yayoi Kazuko knelt on the seat of honor. When she saw the black card, she was slightly taken aback, and then a complex expression appeared on her face.

After lunch, Mizuna Yayoi got up to clear the dishes.

Her movements were much more efficient than in the bank, clearly indicating that she was used to it.

A pair of fair hands picked up the lacquerware bowls and plates, carefully stacked them neatly, and then turned to look at her mother.

"Mom, I'm going to the kitchen to wash the dishes."

When Kiryu Yaya returned from the restroom, the restaurant had already been cleaned up.

Mizuna Yayoi isn't here; she's probably still in the kitchen washing dishes.

Kenta Sasaki and Kishou Arima were not there either. Sasaki's loud voice could be faintly heard coming from the other end of the corridor, as if he was asking the butler how old the maple tree in Ito's yard was.

Yayoi Kazuko sat alone in the restaurant, holding a cup of tea in her hand, her gaze fixed on the courtyard outside the window.

Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.

Kiryu Yaya paused for a moment, then nodded.

"certainly."

He sat down opposite Yayoi Kazuko.

Yayoi Kazuko reached out and picked up the teapot, pouring him a cup of tea.

The tea was freshly brewed, steam rising gently, carrying a faint aroma of boiled tea.

"Thank you, Madam."

Kiryu Yaya picked up the teacup with both hands, blew on it gently, and took a sip.

Yayoi Kazuko also picked up her teacup, but did not drink it. She simply held it in her hands, as if to warm it, or as if to make her hands feel more at ease.

The restaurant was quiet for a while.

The sunlight in the courtyard fell on the moss, making the velvety green glow brightly. The shadow of the stone lantern was stretched long, diagonally draped over the white sand of the dry landscape garden.

"Kiryu-kun."

Yayoi Kazuko finally spoke: "Could I take another look at that card from earlier?"

'

Kiryu Yaya's fingers paused slightly.

Lady Yayoi seems to know about the existence of the Eastern Strategy Association.

But given the Yayoi family's financial situation, this doesn't seem surprising.

Kiryu Yaya looked up, remained silent for two seconds, took out the black card, and handed it over with both hands.

Yayoi Kazuko took the card, placed it on the table, and gently traced the fine lines on it with her fingertips.

Upon seeing this, Kiryu Yaya understood.

Yayoi Kazuko must have known about the existence of the East Association; not only did she know, she was also very familiar with it.

Then, she turned the card over and her eyes fell on the small print on the back.

"Full Member of the Tokyo Assets Consolidation Research Association"

Member ID: TKS-OS-00876

"Family name: Kiryuya"

Kiryu Yaya waited quietly.

Then Yayoi Kazuko flipped the card over again, put it back on the table, pushed it back in front of Kiryu Yaya, and said with emotion, "I didn't expect that after so many years, the Tosankai has developed to this extent."

97

Dongsankai?

Kiryu Yaya frowned slightly, feeling a little unaccustomed to the sound; it must be another name for the Toujoukai.

After thinking for a moment, he still asked, "Does Madam know about the Dongzheng Association?"

Yayoi Kazuko put down her teacup, placed her hands on her knees, and looked out at the courtyard.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft glow on her profile, but her eyes held a deep sense of repression.

"Kiryu-kun, do you know when the Tou-seikai was founded?"

Kiryu Yaya shook his head.

"This—I don't know."

Yayoi Kazuko chuckled softly, a smile tinged with an indescribable melancholy.

"The Eastern Integration Association was established in 1978."

Kiryu Yaya frowned slightly.

1978 years?

The Dongzheng Association has actually been around for 13 years.

Kazuko Yayoi continued, "At that time, the Japanese economy had just emerged from the oil crisis, and the wave of industrial upgrading and financial liberalization had just begun."

"Some people felt that the era needed a new platform, a platform that would allow capital, information, and connections to flow efficiently."

Her tone was unhurried, as if she were telling a story from long ago.

"So they got together and formed a research association, which was the predecessor of the Eastern Integration Association."

Kiryu Yaya sensed something unusual in Yayoi Kazuko's tone and boldly asked, "Madam, when you say 'them,' you mean—"

Yayoi Kazuko looked at him and smiled calmly, "It seems that Kiryu-kun is very interested in the establishment of the East Association, so let me say a little more."

"The story of Yayoi Masaki, one of the founders of the Toseikai and Mina's grandfather."

Upon hearing this, Kiryu Yaya was startled.

Yayoi Minana’s grandfather————

He was actually one of the founders of the Eastern Zheng Association?

Showa fifty-three years.

Kyoto, Arashiyama.

The autumn leaves have turned the foothills a dazzling deep red.

In an unassuming tea room, three men sat around the stove.

It lacked the luxury of a traditional restaurant and the company of geisha.

There was only a pot of coarse tea and a few rough pottery teacups.

Seated on the east side is Masaki Yayoi.

Fifty-two years old, the seventh head of the Yayoi family.

His family has been in the timber business in Kyoto for over two hundred years.

From supplying building materials to shrines and temples during the Edo period to transforming into a general trading company of building materials after the war.

The Yayoi family's businesses permeated the reconstruction projects of countless temples, schools, and public facilities in the Kansai region.

But what truly propelled him into this circle was not the timber that had given the Yayoi family its fortunes, but rather the ever-increasing value of the land.

In the 1930s, Japan entered a period of rapid growth.

The urban expansion of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe requires a large amount of land for construction.

Masaki Yayoi began planning ten years in advance.

He acquired forests in Arashiyama, Fushimi, Uji and other places at extremely low prices.

When the wave of urbanization arrived, these mountains and forests were gradually incorporated into urban areas, and land prices increased dozens of times.

The Yayoi family's wealth thus grew from the pile of timber and expanded in the foam of the land.

Sitting on the west side is Takatsukasa Nobumoto.

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