Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 213 A man like Kiryu-kun is hard to find even with a lantern.

Chihaya Yuri's brows furrowed slightly before she regained her usual indifference.

But that one moment was enough for Wakako to catch.

Section Chief Anshan picked up his teacup, using the act of drinking tea to conceal the meaningful smile at the corner of his mouth.

Kenta Sasaki, completely oblivious, continued speaking animatedly.

"And then guess what? Kiryu-kun immediately borrowed a public phone at the teahouse, introduced himself, and called the financing department of the Kyoto branch."

"The person who answered the phone was a section chief named Nishida. Kiryu repeated the contents of the call verbatim, and also suggested that they re-verify Fushimi Seiko's inventory and hidden liabilities."

Upon hearing this, Nakamura Yuka's eyes lit up: "He made the call right there and then? Isn't he afraid people will think we're meddling?"

"What's there to be afraid of!"

Kenta Sasaki slammed his fist on the table: "Kiryu-kun said that the bank is a whole. The bad debts that the Kyoto branch issues today may affect the entire bank tomorrow."

Hashimoto Natsumi nodded: "Kiryu-kun is a person with a truly different perspective."

Misaki Yamaguchi leaned close to Yuka Nakamura's ear and whispered, "What did I tell you? A man like Kiryu-kun is hard to find even with a lantern. If you don't hurry up and someone else makes the first move, you'll really regret it."

Yuka Nakamura's ears turned bright red, and she gently pushed her away, saying, "Keep your voice down!"

As Chihaya Yuri listened to the girls talking, her brows furrowed even more.

Kenta Sasaki, completely unaware of the ripples his words had caused among his female colleagues, continued enthusiastically, adding details: "And you know what? That loan amount wasn't small—150 million!"

"Section Chief Nishida even called Section Chief Yamada to ask about Kiryu-kun's background, and upon hearing Kiryu-kun's exploits, he immediately believed it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Nakamura Yuka was stunned again: "As expected of Kiryu-kun!"

In the elevator leading to the fifth floor, Kiryu asked Yamada Masakazu, "Section Chief, what's up?"

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Masakazu Yamada stepped out without turning his head, saying, "Section Chief Nishida is here, and Branch Manager Matsumoto is also on the fifth floor."

Kiryu Yaya was slightly taken aback: "Section Chief Nishida from the Kyoto branch?"

Masakazu Yamada hummed in agreement and pushed open the door to the VIP room: "He came here specifically to express his gratitude."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two entered the VIP room.

In the VIP room, the branch manager of Matsumoto was already seated in the main seat.

Today, unusually, he wasn't sitting behind his desk, but rather in the sofa area, with a pot of freshly brewed sencha and several teacups in front of him.

Sitting opposite him was a man in his forties.

He was of medium build, with thick, gray hair, wearing half-rimmed glasses and a dark gray suit.

He held a cup of tea in his hand, and was gently blowing on the foam with his head down, his posture upright and restrained.

Nishida Ritsu.

Head of the Finance Department at Mitsubishi Bank Kyoto Branch.

Hearing the door open, Nishida put down his teacup and looked up.

His self-illumination passed over Masakazu Yamada and landed on Yaya Kiryu. It paused for a moment, and then a gentle smile appeared on his lips.

"This must be Kiryu-kun, right?"

Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly.

"Section Chief Nishida, nice to meet you. I'm Kiryu Yaya from the Financial Review Section of the Osaka branch."

Ritsu Nishida stood up and extended his hand to him.

"Nishida Ritsu. I came all the way to Osaka today to thank you in person."

Kiryu Yaya grasped his hand and bowed slightly: "Section Chief Nishida, you're too kind. I was just doing what a bank employee should do."

Ritsu Nishida released his grip, sat down again, and paused for a moment on his face, his tone tinged with a hint of regret: "There are fewer and fewer people in the bank who can do what needs to be done."

The branch manager of Matsumoto sat next to him, reached out and picked up the teapot, poured Nishida a cup of tea, and then poured one for himself.

"Section Chief Nishida, how's the follow-up investigation going on the Fushimi Seiko case?"

Ritsu Nishida picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and then took a folder from his briefcase and placed it on the table.

"Just as Kiryu-kun predicted, there is indeed a problem with the inventory."

"The book inventory is 820 million, but the actual inventory is less than 200 million. There are large empty spaces in the warehouse, and the shelves are covered in dust."

"Several pieces of equipment are no longer in their original locations. They have reportedly been moved to another warehouse, but the other party has refused to provide a specific address."

He looked up at the branch manager of Matsumoto, then at Kiryu Yaya.

"In addition, we also discovered several off-balance-sheet loans totaling nearly 100 million yen that were not disclosed in the loan applications."

"In addition, the transaction records of several undisclosed accounts under President Ito's name are not clean, and there are traces of assets being transferred overseas."

"If this loan isn't stopped in time, it will probably become a non-performing loan very quickly."

Ritsu Nishida looked up at Takahiro Matsumoto as he finished speaking: "So this time, we really do owe the Osaka branch a big favor. Thank you for your excellent talent cultivation."

Matsumoto Takahiro didn't reply, but simply picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Then his gaze shifted from Ritsu Nishida's face to Yaya Kiryu, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Kiryu Yaya didn't say anything, maintaining a humble smile on his face.

Ritsu Nishida followed Matsumoto's gaze to Kiryu Yaya, then reached into the side pocket of his briefcase and took out a long, narrow, dark blue cardboard box.

"I originally wanted to bring some local specialties from Kyoto, but then I thought that those Nama Yatsuhashi and matcha cookies were too ordinary and didn't do justice to this kindness."

He placed the cardboard box on the table and gently pushed it in front of Kiryu Yaya.

"This pen was a gift from my old section chief when I was transferred from the Osaka branch to the Kyoto branch. I've used it for over ten years, and it writes very smoothly; the nib has also developed its characteristic texture."

As Nishida Ritsu said this, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips: "I originally intended to keep it until I retired and pass it on to a junior, but after meeting Kiryu-kun today, I felt that rather than keeping this pen in my drawer for another twenty years, it would be better to give it to someone who can use it sooner."

Kiryu Yaya was slightly taken aback, and quickly declined, "Section Chief Nishida, this is too much."

"What's valuable is the sentiment, not the object itself."

Ritsu Nishida waved his hand: "Kiryu-kun, please accept it, otherwise I'll feel bad about it."

Matsumoto Takahiro put down his teacup, his gaze falling on the pen. His thoughts drifted for a moment before he said, "Section Chief Nishida isn't usually this generous. Kiryu-kun, please don't refuse."

Yamada Masakazu realized something and nudged Kiryu Yaya, signaling him not to be polite.

Kiryu Yaya glanced at Matsumoto branch manager, then at Nishida Ritsu's smiling face, and finally gave up on refusing.

He accepted the cardboard box with both hands and bowed slightly: "Thank you, Section Chief Nishida."

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