Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 204 A Hundredfold or a Thousandfold Return!

"Kiryu-kun."

Kouyuhiko spoke first, with a gentle tone characteristic of a senior: "I didn't expect this—"

"I'll see you here."

Kiryu Yaya put down his teacup, gave a slight bow, and said politely, "Department Head Furuta, it's been a long time. You've come all the way from Tokyo. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work."

Kouyuki waved his hand: "I've known Executive Director Miyazawa for many years. He's gone, so I should come and see him off no matter what."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Kiryu Yaya's face for a moment, then said casually, "After the Miyazawa case, I heard that you did something remarkable, Kiryu-kun, recovering 800 million yen in bad debt from Higashi Osaka Seiko. That's something most people can't do."

Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly, his posture respectful: "You flatter me, Minister. The Higashi-Osaka Seiko case is the result of everyone's hard work in the department. I just did my job."

Kouyuhiko chuckled softly, a hint of emotion in his voice: "It's Matsumoto branch manager's good fortune that the Osaka branch was able to recruit a newcomer like you."

"Minister, you flatter me."

Kouyuki looked at him for about three seconds.

Then he nodded: "It's a good thing that young people know how to be humble."

He then sat down next to Kiryu Yaya, looked at the portrait of Miyazawa Hara in the mourning hall, and sighed, "Executive Director Miyazawa, that man..."

Kouyuki lowered his voice, as if talking to himself, or perhaps to Kiryu Yaya beside him: "I had quite a bit of dealing with him when I was in Osaka."

"Back then, Rokkaku was just a barren mountain. He took me up there to look at the terrain and said that the best golf course in the entire Kansai region would be built here in the future. He was in his early forties then, full of vigor and ambition."

Kouyu Tianyan's gaze fell on the black-framed portrait in the mourning hall, and his tone of voice carried a just-right sadness.

Kiryu Yaya did not respond.

He simply sat quietly, his hands folded on his knees, his gaze fixed on the direction of the mourning hall, his lips slightly pursed.

After a few seconds, Kouyu Hiko spoke again: "The biggest problem with Executive Director Miyazawa is that he can't let go. He actually knew there was a problem with the Rokko project a long time ago."

Kouyu Tianyan paused, then gently shook his head, as if he were genuinely regretting it.

"He thought things would get better if he just held on a little longer, but in the business world, there's no such thing as simply hanging on and expecting things to get better."

Kiryu Yaya spoke up: "The minister is right."

Kouyuki turned his head and glanced at him: "Kiryu-kun, do you know what the hardest thing is for someone working in a bank?"

Kiryu Yaya did not answer.

Kouyuki Hiko himself gave the answer: "The hardest thing is knowing when to let go. When faced with a client who has no hope, you must choose to let go in time to preserve the bank's interests as much as possible."

"This is the kind of thing we, as bankers, least want to encounter, but inevitably have to encounter."

These words were like a needle, pricking Kiryu Yaya's nerves.

He lowered his eyes, took a deep breath, pursed his lips tightly, and then said, "The minister is right, that's true—"

"You taught me this a long time ago."

Kouyuki's eyebrows twitched slightly: "When?"

Kiryu Yaya's gaze fell on the white curtain at the entrance to the funeral hall: "The first time I met Minister Kouyuta, oh right, it was also at a funeral."

Kouyuki narrowed his eyes: "A funeral?"

"Um."

Kiryu Yaya lowered his eyes: "My father—"

—"

"The funeral of Seiichiro Kiryu".

Kouyuhiko's pupils contracted sharply the moment he heard the name Kiryu Seiichiro.

He did remember.

That was probably five years ago, in the autumn.

A small metal processing company called "Kiryu Metal Industries Co., Ltd." suffered a sharp drop in orders and a cash flow crisis due to the appreciation of the yen after the Plaza Accord.

As the head of the financing department at the Osaka branch, he oversaw the review of that loan and the subsequent handling of the debt.

Of course, in order to recover the loan more quickly, he did not take the cleanest route.

He had done this process of adding collateral, withdrawing loans, sham seizures, and waiting for developers to enter the market at low prices countless times. He was very familiar with it and didn't even need to struggle with his conscience much.

Then, he remembered.

That day, when I came out of the restroom, the boy was standing in the hallway.

He was dressed in an oversized black mourning outfit, his face as pale as a sheet of paper.

He clearly overheard his conversation with his subordinate, Takeo Ushio.

But he didn't take it to heart at the time.

What can a seventeen-year-old boy do when he hears those words at his father's funeral?

She cried her heart out in bed and then forgot about it.

But he didn't expect that.

That boy actually climbed step by step to where he is today and sat down in front of him.

Kouyu Tianyan slowly opened his eyes, turned his neck, and looked at the young face beside him.

The lights from the funeral home shone down from above, clearly outlining the features of Kiryu Yaya's face.

The shadow of that boy from five years ago perfectly overlaps with the restrained face before me, especially in the curve of his eyes.

Kouyuki's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by something.

He spoke instinctively, his voice trembling slightly: "—You."

"What do you want to do?"

Kiryu Yaya did not answer.

He simply sat there quietly, his hands folded on his knees, staring straight at Kouyu Tianyan, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Kiryu Yaya slowly began to speak: "What do I want to do?"

Faced with this question, he scoffed, "That would naturally be the pain that Minister Kouyuta inflicted on me and my family back then."

"hundred times!"

"A thousand times!!"

Kiryu Yaya smiled slightly, but there was no warmth in that smile.

"I'll pay you back!!!"

Seeing the seriousness in the other person's eyes, Gu Yutian suddenly felt inexplicably flustered.

Even though he knew that the young man in front of him was just a newcomer to Osaka Bank and had no power to shake his position.

But looking into those eyes filled with murderous hatred, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

What trump cards does Kiryu Yaya have that make him dare to declare war on him in this situation?

It was at this moment that...

The staff at the funeral hall lifted the white curtain and bowed slightly to the guests in the waiting room: "Distinguished guests, the all-night service is about to begin. Please enter the funeral hall in order."

People in the waiting room gradually got up.

Kiryu Yaya also stood up.

He turned around, looked at Kouyuhiko, bowed slightly, and said in a calm tone as if nothing had happened: "Minister Kouyuhiko, please."

Kouyuu Hiko looked at Kiryu Yaya.

He tried to stand up calmly, but found his legs were weak and he stumbled.