Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 199 Is this what you wanted to ask? [Seeking monthly votes]

Kuroda Shuu glanced at him, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, and then he picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"Kiryu-kun, your greatest strength is your insightful nature."

"Furuda is fifty-two years old this year. There are quite a few department heads of that age at Mitsubishi Bank, but not many can rise any higher."

"The next level up is conscript."

Kiryu Yaya picked up the conversation.

"right."

Kuroda nodded.

"Executive officer, or executive director, is the dividing line in a bank. There can be many department heads, but there are only a few directors. Only when you get into the board of directors can you truly get close to the bank's decision-making level."

"Does Furuta want to become the managing director?"

"Who wouldn't?"

Shuichi Kuroda smiled, a smile tinged with mockery.

Kiryu Yaya's brow twitched slightly.

Why?

"Because his roots aren't deep enough."

Shuichi Kuroda chuckled softly: "In the Eastern Rectification Association, the real power comes from your roots within the system."

"People from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Ministry of Justice—these are the backbone of the East China Strategy Association."

"Gu Yutian, a bank manager, is just a worker in their eyes."

Kiryu Yaya listened quietly without interrupting.

Shuichi Kuroda continued, "Kuruda himself knew this, which is why he has been working hard to climb the ranks over the years, transferring from the Osaka branch to the Tokyo headquarters, rising from section chief to deputy section chief, and from deputy section chief to department head."

"He thought that as long as he climbed high enough, he could stand more firmly in the East China Association."

"But he forgot one thing."

Shuichi Kuroda's gaze fell on Yaya Kiryu's face, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"The higher he climbed in the bank before becoming a director, the lower his value to the East China Association became."

Kiryu Yaya's brow twitched slightly.

Why?

"Because of his position as bank minister, he is under constant scrutiny. Everyone is watching what he does, and the slightest disturbance can cause him a lot of trouble."

"For the East China Banking Association, a cautious banking minister is far less useful than a daring head of the financing department."

Kuroda paused, picked up his teacup, and took another sip.

"When Furuta was most valuable, it was during the years when he was the head of the financing department at the Osaka branch. He was able to do many things for the Toseikai that they can't do now. Now that he's a department head at the main store, he's been sidelined."

19

Kiryu Yaya understood.

Before becoming a decision-maker at the bank, the higher Koudahiko rose in his career, the less valuable he became to the Toseikai.

Because there are simply too many things that can replace his ecological niche.

The room was silent for about three seconds.

Kiryu Yaya didn't rush to ask any more questions. He simply picked up his teacup quietly and took another sip.

Kuroda Shuichi leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on Kiryu Yaya's face, his tone more playful than before: "Kiryu-kun, your first question was about Kouyu, your second question—"

"You're not going to ask me, are you?"

Kiryu Yaya put down his teacup, looked up, and smiled slightly.

"President Kuroda is joking."

"But you guessed right. I do have a question that I've been wanting to ask you."

Looking at the expression on Kiryu Yaya's face, Kuroda Shuichi raised his hand, stopping him from speaking further: "Then let me guess what Kiryu-kun wants to ask?"

Kiryu Yaya did not deny it, but just looked at him quietly.

Kuroda Shuichi leaned back on the sofa, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, and then spoke: "Kiryu-kun, what you want to ask is about your father, isn't it?"

Kiryu Yaya didn't speak, but his gaze deepened.

Kuroda looked at his reaction with indifference: "Kiryu Metal Industries, Ltd."

Bankruptcy in 1986.

"President Seiichiro Kiryu committed suicide that winter, and his wife soon passed away from heart disease."

Shuichi Kuroda's gaze fell on Yaya Kiryu's face, and he said, word by word, "The person in charge of reviewing that loan was Hiko Kouta. And the buyer who took over your father's factory land..."

"It was the predecessor of Kansai Urban Development, Kitase Land Development Co., Ltd."

Kuroda Shuichi raised his eyes, looked at Kiryu Yaya, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Kiryu-kun, this is probably what you wanted to ask, right?"

Kiryu Yaya did not answer immediately.

He sat quietly on the sofa, his gaze fixed on Kuroda Shuichi's face, showing neither surprise nor anger.

After a few seconds, Kiryu Yaya smiled and said, "President Kuroda is the truly perceptive one."

Shuichi Kuroda shook his head: "I wouldn't call it keen observation. It's just that when we first met, I felt that your surname, Kiryu-kun, sounded familiar, so I had my people look it up."

He paused, picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, then leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh.

"Kiryu-kun, I wasn't planning on saying these things."

"But now that you've made things so clear, it would be impolite of me to pretend I don't understand."

Kuroda Shuichi looked at Kiryu Yaya: "Your father's matter, in fact, is related to me."

Kiryu Yaya's fingers tightened slightly, but his expression remained calm.

Shuichi Kuroda continued, "In the autumn of 1986, Hirohiko Kouda contacted me and said there was a piece of land in Higashi-Osaka in a good location at a reasonable price, and asked if I was interested in taking it over."

"I did due diligence. The factory is already partially shut down, cash flow has dried up, suppliers are pressing for payment, and banks have withdrawn loans."

""

"The market valuation of that land at the time was around 40 million yen, but Gu Yutian said that the bank had already made a false seizure, and the auction process would take at least six months, and the auction price might not even reach the valuation."

"His offer to me was 22 million yen."

As Kuroda Shuichi finished speaking, he chuckled softly, a hint of self-deprecation in his laughter.

"At the time, I felt that this deal was worth doing."

"Buying a piece of land worth 40 million for 22 million, even after deducting taxes and disposal costs, can still earn at least 10 million."

Shuichi Kuroda looked up at Yaya Kiryu: "You know what happened next."

"Your father is dead, the factory is closed, and the land has come into my hands."

"I resold it to a developer in the Kansai region and made about 13 million yen."

"But I don't know how that guy Kouyuda handled this case, and I only heard about your father's death later."

Kiryu Yaya listened quietly without interrupting.

There was a few seconds of silence in the room.

Then, Kuroda Shuichi slowly spoke, his voice lower than before: "Kiryu-kun, I'm not trying to excuse myself."

"Although your father's death was not my intention, I was indeed a part of that process."

"So if you think I should be held responsible for this?"

He paused, looking into Kiryu Yaya's eyes.

"I admit it."

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