Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 186 The Hermit Has a Clever Plan [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

It was already dark when I walked out of the tonkatsu restaurant.

However, the exit of Hankyu Sanbangai was still crowded with people.

"Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!"

Kenta Sasaki patted his stomach, looking satisfied: "The tonkatsu at this restaurant is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, cooked to perfection! You know, the oil temperature is key when it comes to tonkatsu, and the chef at this restaurant is definitely a veteran." "The sauce is indeed excellent."

Arima Kishou rarely praised it, saying, "The sweet and salty flavors are well-balanced and don't overpower the natural umami of the pork."

Kenta Sasaki opened his mouth, his expression one of surprise: "You can actually compliment things? Has the sun risen in the west?"

"I just don't like praising you, please be aware."

'

'

Mizuna Yayoi walked ahead, listening to the bickering between the two behind her. She then turned her head to look at Yaya Kiryu and found him looking down at the bill in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Senior? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Kiryu Yaya folded the bill and put it in his pocket, but in his mind he was calculating today's expenses.

两趟电车3000円、两趟计程车4500円、茶屋冷煎茶还有和果子3200円、卡拉0K两小时9800円、炸猪排店晚餐15200円。

That adds up to 35,700 yen.

Even with a 150% reimbursement, I would only earn a little over 17,000 yen.

This was really unacceptable to Kiryu-sensei, who had been busy all day.

He made up his mind that he had to spend money quickly!

Kiryu Yaya looked around and his gaze fell on the shop with warm yellow lights opposite the Hankyu Sanbangai exit.

A wooden signboard, a dark blue warm curtain, and several neatly trimmed evergreen plants placed at the entrance.

It is a souvenir shop.

Kiryu Yaya's eyes lit up, and he said to the three who were about to head back, "Since we've come all the way to Shinkyogoku, let's buy some souvenirs to take back with us."

"souvenir?"

Kenta Sasaki paused for a moment, then perked up: "That makes sense! It's a rare trip to Shinkyogoku, it wouldn't be right to go back empty-handed. I'll go pick out a gift for Shimazaki-san."

Arima Kishou glanced at him, his face expressionless, and said, "Weren't you already rejected last week?"

"That...that happened last week!"

Kenta Sasaki stubbornly argued, "This week is different! When she heard I was injured, she came to the logistics department to see me and brought me some gifts—"

""

"Hmm, a can of coffee."

"That's not ordinary coffee!"

"It's canned coffee I bought at a convenience store."

Sasaki, at his wit's end, yelled, "Can you please stop undermining me?!"

"cannot."

Just as Sasaki was cursing, the four of them walked into the souvenir shop.

Suddenly, a dazzling array of small commodities filled my field of vision.

To the left of the entrance is a row of glass display cases, filled with various exquisite trinkets such as hair clips, earrings, bracelets, and brooches, most of which feature elements of Kyoto or Osaka.

The cherry blossoms, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Tsutenkaku (Tsutenkaku Tower), and Shitou Taro (Shokutotaro) designs aren't particularly stunning, but they are exquisite and compact, and the prices are relatively affordable.

On the right are several rows of open shelves displaying food-related souvenirs:

Nama Yatsuhashi, Senmaizuke, Kitayama Chaga, Uji Matcha Cookies, Osaka Tsutenkaku Limited Edition Instant Takoyaki —

The innermost section, closest to the wall, features higher-end items—Nishijin-ori wallets, Kiyomizu-yaki teacups, and Kyoto Yuzen handkerchiefs, priced from several thousand to tens of thousands of yen.

"Senior, is this nice?"

Mizuna Yayoi stood in front of the glass counter, slightly bent over, her gaze fixed on a cherry blossom-shaped hair clip.

The light pink petals, edged with a thin silver border, gleam softly under the light.

Kiryu Yaya walked over and glanced down at it.

"It suits you perfectly."

Yayoi Mina's ears turned red instantly, and she quickly put the hair clip back on the counter: "I-I didn't say I wanted to buy it—"

Before he could finish speaking, Kiryu Yaya had already waved to the shop assistant behind the counter: "Could you please wrap this up?"

"senior!"

Mizuna Yayoi panicked and reached out to stop him, but Kiryu Yaya sidestepped her and easily dodged.

"I promised to treat you today."

"But one"

"No buts."

Kiryu Yaya took out banknotes from his wallet and handed them to the clerk. He then took the small, packaged paper bag and turned to put it into Yayoi Mizuna's hand.

"Take it."

Mizuna Yayoi looked down at the light pink paper bag in her hand, pursed her lips, and finally did not refuse again.

"—Thank you, senior."

Kiryu Yaya smiled, didn't reply, and turned to walk towards the counter on the other side.

Several Nishijin-ori wallets were displayed in the glass cabinet, with elegant colors and exquisite workmanship.

He looked around for a while, then pointed to one of the dark blue ones and said to the shop assistant, "Wrap this one up too."

Yayoi Mina stood to the side, watching the dark blue wallet being put into a paper bag, and blinked: "Are you giving it away, senpai?"

Kiryu Yaya nodded: "Bring one for Section Chief Chihaya."

Mizuna Yayoi nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

He then pointed to a dark brown one next to him: "Wrap this up too."

Yayoi Mizuna blinked: "What's this?"

"For the section chief."

'

""

Kiryu Yaya's gaze continued to sweep across the counter, where he spotted a dark gray striped tie, a light blue silk scarf, and two beautifully packaged boxes of Kyoto-limited edition sandwich cookies.

"Wrap this, this, this, and this all up."

The shop assistant's hands were almost constantly busy, packing one item after another into the paper bag.

Mizuna Yayoi opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing Yaya Kiryu's "I'm going to spend money today" expression, she swallowed her words.

Arima Kishou stood in front of the shelf against the wall, holding a box of Uji matcha cookies, and witnessed the whole thing.

He adjusted his glasses and, unusually, spoke up: "Kiryu-kun, were you being a little too unrestrained today?"

Sasaki nodded blankly: "I had a feeling before that Kiryu-kun's family background was extraordinary. See, this is proof enough, isn't it?"

Kiryu Yaya vaguely heard their conversation, smiled slightly, and did not respond.

The shop assistant quickly calculated the prices: "Cherry blossom hair clip, 1,800 yen; dark blue wallet, 8,200 yen; dark brown wallet, 8,200 yen; dark gray tie, 6,500 yen; light blue scarf, 5,300 yen; sandwich cookies, 2,200 yen per box, 4,400 yen for two boxes."

The shop assistant read out the total while typing it into the calculator. Then she looked up and smiled at Kiryu Yaya: "Sir, the total is thirty-four thousand four hundred yen."

Kiryu Yaya paid by card.

Logically speaking, such gifts should not be covered by the reimbursement policy for group activities.

But the hermit had a clever plan.

Kiryu Yaya walked up to Arima and Sasaki with a paper bag and said with a smile, "Arima-kun, Sasaki-kun, I've prepared a gift for you to give to your seniors in the Financing Review Division."

""