Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 198 Private Club Talk [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"There's a high-end club in Beixindi called 'Lan,' and a very tall pine tree grows in front of it."

"The madam there is called Reiko."

"If one day you are desperate and need someone to pass on a message from the other side, you can go to her."

Kiryu Yaya narrowed his eyes slightly, memorizing the location of the club.

Shuichi Kuroda walked to the door and pushed it open to go inside.

The door was unlocked.

Kiryu Yaya followed him into a narrow, dark corridor.

At the end of the corridor was a dark wooden door.

Shuichi Kuroda raised his hand and tapped twice.

The door was pulled open from the inside.

The woman standing behind the door made Kiryu Yaya's gaze sharpen slightly.

She looked to be in her early forties, wearing a dark purple dress and her hair was styled in a low bun, revealing a section of her fair nape.

Her makeup was very light, with only a touch of color on her lips, but her eyes seemed to see right through people.

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

"Reiko, excuse me."

Kuroda nodded, stepped aside to make way, and gestured for Kiryu Yaya to go in first.

Kiryu Yaya stepped into the room.

The room was much bigger than I had imagined.

It's about thirty stories high, with a simple and restrained decor.

The walls are dark gray, the floors are brown, and several spotlights are embedded in the ceiling, illuminating key areas of the room.

The seat by the window was a large, dark-colored executive desk, on which sat a neatly trimmed orchid.

The orchids are beautiful.

Even someone like Kiryu Yaya, who doesn't understand flowers, found it pleasing to the eye.

"Please sit down."

Reiko led the two to sit down on the sofa.

She reached for the teapot, poured a cup of tea for each of them, then bowed slightly and left the room.

The door closed gently behind me.

Only two people remained in the room.

Shuichi Kuroda leaned back on the sofa, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down and looked at Yaya Kiryu.

"Kiryu-kun, what do you think of this shop?"

Kiryu Yaya put down his briefcase, picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and took a sip.

The tea is Gyokuro, with a sweet taste and a long-lasting aftertaste, possessing the unique delicacy of a high-grade tea.

"very good."

He put down his teacup, his gaze shifting from the room's decor to Kuroda Shuichi's face.

"President Kuroda, let's skip the formalities and get straight to the point today."

Shuichi Kuroda ran his fingers lightly around the rim of the teacup, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Okay, I like Kiryu-kun's personality."

He placed the teacup back on the table, crossed his hands on his knees, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Kiryu Yaya's face.

"What are your thoughts on Rinku Castle, Kiryu-kun?"

After Kuroda Shuichi finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

Kiryu Yaya did not answer immediately.

He picked up his teacup and took another sip.

The sweetness of the jasmine tea slowly melts on the tip of the tongue, while the aroma of tea lingers between the lips and teeth.

Then he put down his teacup, raised his head, looked directly into Kuroda Shuichi's eyes, and suddenly laughed: "I can help Mr. Takatsukasa take over Rinku Castle."

Kuroda's eyes narrowed slightly.

Instead of asking anything else, he asked with slight surprise, "Kiryu-kun, how did you know about Takatsukasa-san?"

Kiryu Yaya looked at him, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, and then said, "That day at the underground venue, after President Kuroda left, I happened to run into Mr. Takashi. We had a very pleasant conversation, and Mr. Takashi even gave me a thousand points as a gift."

Kuroda nodded and said with a smile, "This is indeed something Mr. Takatsukasa would do, but given his personality, he probably wouldn't tell you his surname, right?"

""

After all, the surname Takatsukasa is somewhat special in Japan.

Kiryu Yaya didn't reply, but took out a photo of Miyazawa Hara and Takaji Seiichi from his briefcase.

He then placed it on the table and pushed it in front of Shuichi Kuroda.

"This is the one who told me Mr. Takatsukasa's surname."

Kuroda Shuichi looked down.

The photo is small, about five inches square, and the edges are slightly yellowed.

He recognized both people in the photo.

On the left is Miyazawa Hara wearing a dark blue work jacket, and on the right is naturally Takaji Seiichi.

Shuichi Kuroda picked up the photo and turned it over.

A line of small print was written on the back in pen—

"In March of Showa 61 (1942), I visited the empty castle and met Takatsukasa-sama."

He flipped the photo back over, glanced again at Kiryu Yaya's young, smiling face, and then nodded slightly.

"I see."

He put the photo back on the table, leaned back in the sofa, and let out a long sigh.

"Was this photo left to you by Miyazawa Hara?"

"Yes."

What else did he leave behind?

"There wasn't anything very important, or rather, if there had been something important, he wouldn't have died."

Upon hearing this, Kuroda Shuichi couldn't help but smile: "That's indeed the case."

He paused, then steered the conversation to the main point: "But it was precisely because of his death that Mr. Takatsukasa was somewhat annoyed."

Kiryu Yaya listened quietly, then nodded gently.

It seems that Miyazawa Hara's death has indeed disrupted Takatsukasa Seiichi's plans.

He didn't show any extra expression on his face, but simply picked up his teacup and took another sip.

The sweetness of the jasmine dew melted on his tongue, and the aroma of tea lingered between his lips and teeth, yet his thoughts were clearer than ever before.

"President Kuroda."

He put down his teacup, raised his head, and looked directly at Kuroda Shuichi.

"Before we talk about the Lingkong City project, I have a few questions I'd like to confirm first."

Shuichi Kuroda's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He leaned back on the sofa, tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, and then nodded.

"Please speak."

Kiryu Yaya straightened his posture and placed his hands on his knees.

"Minister Furuta, what is your relationship with Mr. Takatsukasa?"

When Kuroda Shuichi heard the question, he was slightly taken aback at first, and then chuckled softly.

There was an inexplicable contempt in that laughter.

"Furu Utahiko?"

He picked up his teacup and took a small sip: "He's not even worthy of being mentioned in front of Mr. Takatsukasa. At most, he was the one who jumped the gun the most on the issue of Rinko City."

""

Kiryu Yaya's brow twitched slightly.

"Not presentable?"

"right."

Shuichi Kuroda continued, "What is Mr. Takatsukasa's status? Although Kouyuhiko joined the organization relatively early, that was because the entry requirements weren't strict back then."

"In the end, he was just an executive officer at Mitsubishi Bank, not a big shot in the East Asia Group."

Kiryu Yaya twitched his eyelids, but he wasn't particularly surprised.

For a behemoth like Mitsubishi Bank, the position of minister is simply that of a worker.

Only those who are promoted to the ranks of officer, managing director, or senior executive can be considered senior executives in the bank.

It took Kouyuhiko five years to climb from section chief at the Osaka branch to department head at the head office, a meteoric rise in the eyes of outsiders.

"So, Minister Kouda wants to use the Rinku Castle incident to take another step forward?"

Kiryu Yaya asked very directly.