Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 184 I apologize for making a fool of myself in front of Kishimoto-senpai [Requesting monthly votes]

Kiryu Yaya smiled, a hint of shyness on his face: "But what Section Chief Nishida said was really a bit of an exaggeration."

"I didn't actually do anything remarkable, just a few insignificant little things for the branch. Section Chief Yamada was too kind and probably said a few more words on the phone, which Kishimoto-senpai must have found embarrassing."

"As for the matter of Fushimi Seiko, we did overhear it by chance while hiking in Arashiyama. We apologize if it caused any trouble for you, senpai."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kishimoto Takuya, who had just been gloating over Fushimi Seiko's 150 million yen loan, instantly lost face.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.

Takuya Kishimoto remembered what he had just said.

The claims that "Fushimi Seiko is a major client," "has always had a good reputation," and "the exhibition schedule is basically fine; it's just a formality" are ridiculous.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Every word I uttered felt like a resounding slap across my face.

Mayu Sato's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant.

She originally wanted to use Kishimoto Takuya's identity to show off to her old classmates.

Look, my boyfriend is a key employee at Mitsubishi Bank, in charge of major cases. He's on call at any time, even on weekends, and he can afford a cell phone.

But in the blink of an eye, the seemingly ordinary classmate next to Mina became the one whom the section chief personally called to praise.

"Someone else's new bride."

Furthermore, the Fushimi Seiko case, which Kishimoto was so proud of, was discovered and reported by Kiryu Yaya.

Mayu Sato's lips moved a few times, but she ultimately said nothing.

Ayaka was the only one still confused. She tilted her head and looked at Kiryu Yaya with a curious expression, her tone filled with innocent eagerness: "Wait, wow, you're the newbie? Kiryu-kun, how did you discover those problems? That loan fraud case, and that 8 billion yen debt risk—"

"That's amazing! Could you tell me about it?"

"Ayaka!"

Sato Mayu finally couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed Ayaka's arm, her voice filled with barely suppressed embarrassment: "We should go."

"?But-

'

"Let's go!"

Mayu Sato practically dragged Ayaka away.

She didn't look at Yayoi Mizuna, nor Kiryu Yaya, and didn't even care about Kishimoto Takuya. She grabbed Ayaka and walked out.

Kishimoto Takuya stood there, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

He glanced at his girlfriend's retreating figure, then at Kiryu Yaya, and finally said nothing, only nodding reluctantly before turning and following her.

The three people disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

The area around the table fell silent again.

Then, "Hahahaha!"

Kenta Sasaki was the first to break down, laughing so hard he collapsed onto the table.

"Did you see his expression just now?"

"That Kishimoto, he was just bragging about Fushimi Seiko, but then he got so angry about Kiryu-kun's deeds, it's hilarious!"

""

Arima Kishou sat beside him, and a rare smile curved his lips.

The arc was small, but for Arima Kishou, it was already a clear loss of composure.

He pushed up his glasses, his tone still calm: "It is indeed a little awkward."

"A little? This is far from a little! This is extremely, utterly, super embarrassing, okay?!"

Kenta Sasaki laughed so hard that tears almost came out.

Mizuna Yayoi sat to the side, but there was no smile on her face.

She lowered her head, her fingers twisting together, and after a few seconds she spoke softly, "Senior—I'm sorry."

Kiryu Yaya turned to look at her.

Yayoi Mizuna's voice lowered even further: "Mayu—she wasn't like this before. In high school, she was a very nice person, very cheerful, and very caring towards her classmates. Maybe—maybe it's just that we haven't seen each other for too long—"

Kiryu Yaya smiled as he looked at her guilty and helpless expression: "It's okay, she just wanted to show off her boyfriend, it's only natural."

He paused, picked up his oolong tea, and took a sip: "It's just that I happened to run into them; my luck wasn't great."

Mizuna Yayoi looked up at the faint smile on his face, and the unease in her heart slowly dissipated.

She gave a soft "hmm," and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Kenta Sasaki finally finished laughing, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and picked up the microphone on the table: "Come on, don't let those unimportant people affect your mood! Keep singing, keep singing!"

He turned to Arima Kishou and handed him the microphone: "Arima, would you like to sing a song?"

Arima Kishou looked at him expressionlessly: "I can't sing."

"How could anyone not know how to sing? Come on, I'll pick 'Romantic ga Shimaranai,' you can just sing along."

"don't want."

"Come on!"

"don't want."

"You're such a boring person."

Arima Kishou picked up his iced lemon tea and said casually, "You can sing, I'll just listen from the side."

Kenta Sasaki snorted, picked up the microphone again, took a deep breath, and resumed his torment of everyone.

As the intro began, he closed his eyes, his expression one of rapture, and then—

Open up.

This time, even the guests at the next table couldn't help but cast complicated glances at them.

Arima Kishou took off his glasses, slowly wiped the lenses with the hem of his shirt, and said in a low voice without expression, "As expected, whether the equipment is advanced or not has nothing to do with his technology."

Mizuna Yayoi couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand and laugh.

Kiryu Yaya picked up his oolong tea, leaned back in his chair, and listened to Sasaki Kenta's off-key singing. He thought this was probably what a weekend should be like.

He had indeed been having a rather boring time.

The song ended.

Kenta Sasaki sang until he was covered in sweat, but he still felt like he hadn't had enough.

He looked around, his gaze landing on Kiryu Yaya and Yayoi Mizuna: "You two, how about we sing one?"

Yayoi Mina paused for a moment, her ear tips instantly turning red: "I-I'm not very good at it—"

"Don't be modest! Mina-san, you have to believe in yourself, okay?"

Kenta Sasaki had already handed over the microphone.

Mizuna Yayoi subconsciously looked at Yaya Kiryu.

Kiryu Yaya smiled and took the microphone: "Then let's sing a song, Mina-san, what can you sing?"

Mizuna Yayoi's heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her head, looking at the white microphone in her hand, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper: "'Sudden Love'—is that alright?"

Kiryu Yaya's fingers paused slightly.

"Sudden Love" is the theme song sung by Kazumasa Oda for the TV series "Tokyo Love Story".

In 1991, this song was sung in every corner of Japan.

It's always number one on the karaoke charts, it's the background music in department stores, it's on the radios in convenience stores, and it's even on the radios in taxis.

Everyone in Japan knows this song.

"it is good."

Kiryu Yaya pressed the number on the song selection table.

The prelude begins.

The familiar piano melody flowed slowly from the speaker.

Produce