Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 215 Re-entering the Eastern Integration Conference, Papers Available

Dark as ink.

The neon lights of Beixindi swayed gently in the night breeze.

Kiryu Yaya did not ride a motorcycle this time.

He hailed a taxi and got off a block away from the East Capital, then walked through the narrow fire lane that could only accommodate one person at a time.

He stopped in front of the black wooden door and pressed the door knocker.

Footsteps came from inside the door, and then the door was pulled open a crack, letting in dim yellow light.

The gatekeeper recognized him, opened the gate, and then stepped aside to make way for him.

After all, today is Tuesday.

Kiryu Yaya visited the Toto-kan last Friday.

Kiryu Yaya stepped across the threshold.

The narrow corridor paved with white sand is still the same as before, and the bamboo fence makes a soft rustling sound in the night wind.

He walked about a dozen steps, and then that familiar figure appeared at the corner ahead.

Wearing a black kimono and a yellow obi, her hair was neatly pulled back, revealing her fair and beautifully shaped nape.

It's the same female middleman from last time.

She stopped in the corridor, placed her hands together in front of her, and then bowed deeply.

"Kiryu-sama, welcome back to the Toto-kan."

Her voice sounded more familiar than before, with a slight upward inflection at the end, as if she recognized the young guest.

Kiryu Yaya nodded slightly.

"Master Kuroda has not yet arrived. You may go to the tea room to rest for a while."

The female attendant stepped half a step to the side and gestured for him to follow her: "Please come with me."

She walked about half a step ahead, her pace unhurried, the hem of her kimono swaying gently with her movements.

The shoji doors on both sides of the corridor were closed, and a low voice could be faintly heard coming from behind one of the doors, but it quickly disappeared around the corner.

The female attendant stopped in front of a dark wooden door, knelt down on the corridor, and placed her hands folded in front of her knees.

"Kiryu-sama, we've arrived at the tea room. Please rest for a moment. Someone will come to inform you when Kuroda-sama arrives."

She reached out and pushed open the wooden door.

Behind the door is a tea room with about ten tatami mats.

The lighting was warm, and a teapot and a teacup were already set on the low table by the window, with wisps of steam rising from the rim of the cup.

Next to the teapot was a dish of light-colored dried fruit, arranged in three neat rows.

"The tea is freshly brewed sencha, and the fruit was delivered from Kyoto this morning," the female attendant added softly. "Please make yourself at home, Kiryu-sama."

After she finished speaking, she bowed slightly, then took half a step back and gently closed the wooden door.

After the door closed, the room became completely quiet.

Kiryu Yaya took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the chair next to him. He sat down at the low table and picked up his teacup.

The temperature of the brewed tea was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. It had a very faint sweetness on the palate, followed by the refreshing sweetness of the tea leaves themselves.

He took a sip, put down his teacup, and waited quietly for a moment.

About five minutes later, there were two knocks on the door.

"Kiryu-sama, Kuroda-sama has arrived."

The female attendant's voice came through the wooden door.

Kiryu Yaya put down his teacup, stood up, and straightened his shirt collar.

The wooden door opened, and Shuichi Kuroda walked in.

He was wearing a dark gray suit today, and he looked even more formal than he did at Miyazawahara's funeral.

"Have you been waiting long?"

He sat down opposite Kiryu Yaya and placed his briefcase beside him.

"We just arrived."

"That's good."

Kuroda Osamu nodded and picked up another cup of tea that the female attendant had just brought in: "Mr. Takatsukasa will be here in twenty minutes. He just returned from Tokyo, and he was very interested in your plan on the phone."

Kiryu Yaya smiled and said, "That's good."

He wasn't worried that the plan would encounter any problems with Seiichi Takatsukasa.

He's been eyeing that piece of land in Lingkong City for quite some time now.

But with Miyazawa Hara dead, his plan fell through. Now Kiryu Yaya has stepped forward and said he has a way to get Rinku Castle. It would be strange if Takatsukasa Seiichi wasn't happy.

In that situation, it would be natural for him to propose some terms of exchange.

After taking a couple of sips of tea, Kuroda Shuichi stood up: "Let's wait for him underground. Mr. Takatsukasa's usual entrance isn't here."

"it is good."

'

Kiryu Yaya stood up.

Shuichi Kuroda pressed a mechanism on the wall, and a familiar secret passage appeared before the two of them.

They walked through the long corridor and stopped in front of the metal door at the end.

Shuichi Kuroda inserts the card into the card slot and enters the code.

The green light came on, and the metal doors slid open silently to both sides.

Perhaps because it was a weekday rather than close to the weekend, the underground venue was much busier tonight than last Friday.

Shuichi Kuroda stopped at an empty table, pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for Yaya Kiryu to sit as well.

After Kiryu Yaya sat down, his gaze habitually swept over his surroundings.

The large screen on the wall was still silently scrolling real-time transaction information, with lines of codes and numbers appearing and disappearing alternately.

He suddenly remembered the paper he submitted on Friday, wondering if the review results had been released yet.

According to the information provided at the front desk that night, the review process would take two business days.

Today happens to be Tuesday, and judging by the time, it should be about time.

"President Kuroda, I need to ask the front desk about something."

Shuichi Kuroda, who was looking down at the scrolling information on his desktop screen, raised his chin upon hearing this: "Go ahead, but don't go too far. Mr. Takatsukasa might come over at any time."

"clear."

Kiryu Yaya got up, walked through several rows of high tables, and went to the service counter in the corner of the hall.

The person on duty tonight is different; it's a young man wearing a dark gray vest and a black bow tie.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"I'd like to check the review status of my submission from last week."

Kiryu Yaya gave his membership number.

The man checked and then looked up: "There is an article, titled 'Some Observations on the Current Economic Situation—and a Discussion on Asset Price Trends After the Bubble Bursts'?"

"right."

"The review has been approved, and it was uploaded yesterday afternoon."

As he spoke, the man took out three sheets of A4 paper from under the table and handed them over: "As is customary, the Secretariat will print a copy for each contributing member to keep on file."

Kiryu Yaya took the three pieces of paper and looked down at them.

The first image is the approval notification.

The secretariat stamped the bottom right corner, confirming that the article met the publication standards and was categorized as "Macroeconomic Forecast".

The initial reading points are priced at 15 points.

If the secret service splits the money 30/70, Kiryu Yaya can get 10.5 pages in one reading.

A single query costs approximately seven thousand yuan.

It's much more expensive than CNKI.

The other document was naturally his thesis draft.

More than three thousand words can be contained on two sheets of paper.

Kiryu Yaya asked about the number of article subscriptions again, and when he learned that it was still zero, he didn't seem surprised at all.

After all, those who can get into the East Asia Association are all smart people. Who would spend 150,000 yen to read a piece of garbage without any credibility rating?

However, in a few months, the situation will be different.

Kiryu Yaya couldn't help but look forward to what that scene would be like.

He folded the two pieces of paper in half, then looked up and nodded slightly to the man behind the counter: "Thank you."

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