Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 224 Lily-chan, such a good young man, don't miss him! (Basic update 5k)

Chihaya Yuri looked up at him and said, "After you go, listen more and talk less. Don't rush to take sides or try to show off."

Kiryu Yaya nodded: "Thank you, senpai. I'll remember that."

2

"besides--"

Chihaya Yuri paused for a moment, as if considering something: "If you encounter anything you're unsure about, you can call me back to ask."

She said it calmly, not even solemnly, but Kiryu Yaya could hear the care in her voice.

He paused for a moment, then nodded seriously.

"Okay, I will."

Chihaya Yuri didn't say anything more. She lowered her head, picked up the cup of tea that had already gone cold, and took a sip.

After that, their conversation gradually shifted to some lighter topics.

Chihaya Yuri mentioned that the book she's been reading recently is a biography of a merchant from the Edo period.

Kiryu Yaya mentioned the tonkatsu restaurant he had discovered before, saying that he would go there once a week.

"The owner of that shop is an old man in his seventies, and he's very skilled. A set meal of fried pork cutlet costs only 550 yen, and the shredded cabbage is piled up like a small mountain."

"Five hundred and fifty yen?"

Chihaya Yuri's eyes widened slightly: "There are still set meals this cheap?"

"Yes, it tastes good too; it's not the kind of cheap, perfunctory food."

"Then take me to try it next time."

"Okay, when are you free, senior?"

"Let's do it this weekend."

"Then let's do it this weekend."

The agreement was reached in a matter of seconds, and both sides seemed completely at ease with it.

Kiryu Yaya felt that he was getting along with Chihaya Yuri more naturally lately than before.

Perhaps as he gradually matured, Chihaya Yuri no longer completely regarded him as her former subordinate.

After eating for a while longer, Chihaya Yuri paid the bill.

The two walked out of the store side by side.

The sky outside had completely darkened, and the streetlights on both sides of the street lit up one after another, turning the early summer night into a warm orange-yellow hue.

There were few pedestrians on the road, and occasionally a taxi would drive by.

Kiryu Yaya walked to Chihaya Yuri's right, at a moderate pace, keeping a distance of about half a step from her.

"That restaurant makes pretty good salt-grilled mackerel."

Chihaya Yuri's voice rang out in the night breeze: "You can order another one next time."

"I'm glad you like it, senior."

The two walked along the sidewalk.

Chihaya Yuri's apartment is not far from here, about a five-minute walk, along a quiet stretch of road by the river.

With nothing else to do, Kiryu Yaya decided to take Chihaya Yuri back to her apartment first, and then go for a walk to digest his food.

"Kiryu-kun."

"Um?"

"Have you noticed that time seems to be passing by exceptionally quickly lately?"

Kiryu Yaya turned his head and glanced at her.

The light from the streetlamp fell from the side, clearly outlining the contours of her profile.

"It's really fast."

He looked away: "It's been almost two months since I started working here in early April, but it feels like the day I first entered the bank was just yesterday."

Chihaya Yuri chuckled softly: "Don't even mention two months, even if you work in a bank for five or six years, you'll still have this feeling."

"Yes, you're right, senior."

The two walked for a while longer.

Occasionally, the cry of a waterbird could be heard from the river, carried far away by the night wind.

Just then, a rapid ringing of a bell suddenly came from the bend in the uphill road ahead.

Ring ring—ring ring! Immediately after, a child riding a bicycle rushed out from around the corner.

It was a boy who was only about ten years old, wearing a school uniform, with his schoolbag slung across his shoulder and a plastic bag from a convenience store hanging on the handlebars.

He seemed to be racing with his companions behind him, looking back as he rode, completely unaware that there was someone in front of him.

The car was traveling at a considerable speed.

Kiryu Yaya almost instinctively turned to the side, trying to use his body to block, but Chihaya Yuri was a step faster than him.

She almost instinctively took a half step back, trying to avoid the bicycle's path.

But she forgot that she was wearing mid-heeled leather shoes tonight.

The moment she stepped back, she lost her balance and fell to one side.

"Be careful!"

Kiryu Yaya reached out to help, but it was too late.

As Chihaya Yuri's body tilted, she instinctively tried to brace herself with her left foot, but unfortunately landed on an unstable spot.

With a soft "crack" sound from her ankle, her expression instantly changed.

! "

She didn't cry out, but Kiryu Yaya saw her brows furrow suddenly and her lips pursed tightly.

He was clearly in excruciating pain.

The child's bicycle almost grazed Chihaya Yuri's side.

The bell on his bicycle was still ringing, but he had already disappeared around the corner, completely unaware that he had almost hit someone.

Kiryu Yaya didn't have time to discipline the child. He put one hand on Chihaya Yuri's shoulder and gently supported her arm with the other.

"Senior, how are you?"

Chihaya Yuri did not answer immediately.

Her breathing was slightly rapid, and her cheeks were flushed with pain.

She looked down at her left foot, then lifted it up and tried it.

Then her brows furrowed again.

"pain--"

She didn't try to hide anything, her voice trembling slightly: "My ankle seems to be... twisted."

Kiryu Yaya followed her gaze and looked down.

The streetlights weren't bright enough, but he could still see that the outside of her left ankle was slightly swollen.

"Don't put force on this foot yet."

His voice was earnest: "Sit down and let's talk."

Chihaya Yuri gave a soft "hmm," her cheeks flushing slightly.

Kiryu Yaya helped her to sit down on the sidewalk, then knelt down on one knee.

"Senior, please take a look at the extent of the sprain."

Chihaya Yuri looked down at him, the light from the streetlamp falling from above and obscuring most of the timidity on her face.

The texture is somewhat similar to that of a tender beef square.

Through the thin white short stockings, Kiryu Yaya could feel the coolness of her skin.

Then his fingers slowly slid down, bypassing the slightly protruding ankle bone, and landed on the swollen area.

Chihaya Yuri immediately snorted.

"Senior, does it hurt a lot?"

Kiryu Yaya was somewhat surprised; he hadn't even exerted any force yet and there was already a reaction.

Chihaya Yuri shook her head, her face slightly flushed: "No—it's a little itchy—"

Chihaya Yuri's ankles are very slender with smooth lines, indicating that she exercises regularly.

However, Kiryu Yaya did not say this comment aloud.

In this situation, one could easily be mistaken for a pervert.

Does it hurt here?

He gently pressed the pad of his index finger against the edge of the swelling.

Chihaya Yuri's toes curled involuntarily, and the outline of her toes moved slightly at the toe through the leather shoes.

"Hmm—a little."

Her voice sounded more tense than before.

Kiryu Yaya exclaimed, "Looks like it's quite a sprain. Your ankle is probably already bruised. Shall I take off my shoes and take a look?"

"Um--"

Kiryu Yaya nodded, hooked his fingers around the back of her left mid-heeled leather shoe, lifted it upwards, and gently took the shoe off by supporting the arch of her foot with the palm of his other hand.

Chihaya Yuri's feet were encased in thin white short stockings, her toes pressed tightly together.

Her instep has a beautiful curve, her arch is neat and tidy, and her ankle is indeed very slender; one hand can easily encircle most of it.

Kiryu Yaya put the shoes he had taken off aside and moved his fingers to below her ankle.

"Let me check if there's any misalignment."

"Um."

Kiryu Yaya pinched the edge of the sock with his fingers and rolled it down little by little.

First, the rounded curve of her heel was revealed, then the delicate skin on the inside of her arch, and finally her glistening toes.

It was at this moment that...

Chihaya Yuri's toes involuntarily curled, the tendons on the back of her foot twitched, and her entire foot tensed up.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

Kiryu Yaya asked.

"----no."

Her voice was muffled, and she turned her head to look at the river, her earlobes turning red.

Kiryu Yaya didn't press further, but looked down at the outside of her left ankle.

A small lump has swelled up there, and it's higher than the other side.

With a sprain of this severity, it's impossible to walk normally without one or two weeks of recovery.

Does it hurt here?

Kiryu Yaya gently pressed his fingertips on the edge of the swelling, the pressure was so light that it was almost just touching it.

Chihaya Yuri's toes curled again, and her foot instinctively tried to pull back, but he held her arch.

"It hurts a little—but not too much."

Kiryu Yaya moved it inward by less than half a centimeter and pressed it down with a little more force.

"hiss"

She gasped, her legs stiffened, and her toes instantly spread open and closed.

This time she didn't try to hide it; a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Does this area hurt a lot?"

Kiryu Yaya looked up at her.

Chihaya Yuri bit her lower lip and nodded.

"It's probably a sprained lateral ligament; the bone should be fine."

He released his grip: "Don't walk yet. Apply ice tonight, and buy a cane later."

"You might not be able to put weight on that foot for several days."

Chihaya Yuri exclaimed, "Then what about work?"

Despite her ankle being injured like this, her first thought was still how her work was going.

Kiryu Yaya looked at her furrowed brows and biting her lower lip, feeling somewhat helpless: "Senpai, in your current state, you can't even walk. Don't even think about going to work tomorrow."

"But"

"There are no 'buts'."

"I'll take a day off tomorrow and think about going back to work the day after tomorrow."

Kiryu Yaya put her shoes aside, stood up from the ground, and said with a smile, "Work is never-ending. I'll ask the section chief for leave for you. If you don't take care of this foot, it will become a chronic strain, and that will only cause more problems."

Chihaya Yuri raised her eyes, opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only gave a soft "hmm".

"So now—how am I supposed to get back?"

Kiryu Yaya looked around, scratched his head with some difficulty, and said, "It's still such a long way, it's definitely not realistic to hop and skip back —"

He paused slightly, as if remembering something, and said, "Senior, how about I carry you back?"

Chihaya Yuri let out a soft "Ah," her eyelashes fluttering, and a blush spreading across her cheeks as if from the roots of her ears: "—That's too much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all."

Kiryu Yaya crouched down, revealing a clear smile, then turned his back to her: "Come on up!"

Chihaya Yuri hesitated for two seconds before finally reaching out and gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on tight."

Kiryu Yaya supported Chihaya Yuri's body with one hand, then slowly stood up and picked up her black leather shoes with the other.

He took two steps forward.

Surprisingly, Chihaya Yuri was very light.

I don't know if it's because he's physically fit, or if that's just her natural weight.

Anyway, Kiryu Yaya didn't feel that it was very heavy while carrying her.

If we're talking about where the heaviest part is, it would be the upper middle part of the shoulders, on both sides.

It's not only heavy, but also very oppressive.

Chihaya Yuri was unaware of Kiryu Yaya's thoughts.

She hooked her arm around his neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and gently inhaled his faint scent, feeling utterly confused.

The sight before her made her feel quite shy, and in the end she simply closed her eyes.

A night breeze blew across the river, carrying the warmth unique to early summer, gently ruffling the stray hairs around Chihaya Yuri's ears.

Kiryu Yaya carried her forward with steady steps.

After walking about ten steps, neither of them spoke.

Then, Kiryu Yaya suddenly spoke up.

He said with a smile, "Everyone will be quite surprised to see the senior going to work on crutches the day after tomorrow."

Chihaya Yuri paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, opened her eyes and said, "Then I'd rather not go to the bank, it's too embarrassing."

97

Kiryu Yaya exclaimed, "How could that be? This suits your image perfectly, Senpai!"

Chihaya Yuri gently punched his shoulder: "Where does it fit?"

Kiryu Yaya thought for a moment and said, "Because in my opinion, you're the kind of person who would stay in the office and work hard even if the sky were to fall; you're the kind of person who's very hardworking and serious, right?"

Chihaya Yuri snorted and muttered, "Fine, you guessed right."

After saying that, she glanced at Kiryu Yaya's profile, her cheeks flushed slightly, and then she closed her eyes again.

A night breeze blew across the river, causing the willow branches by the roadside to sway gently, and the air carried the faint scent of early summer grass.

After walking a few dozen more steps, Kiryu Yaya noticed that her breathing rhythm was more steady than before, so he turned his head and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Her eyes were closed, her cheeks were still flushed, but her expression was much more relaxed than before.

Kiryu Yaya chuckled, "Senpai, please don't fall asleep. If you do, things will get complicated for me."

"I wasn't sleeping—I was just resting with my eyes closed."

"Okay, close your eyes and rest."

Why does it sound like you're making fun of me?

"No, I just think you're quite cute when you close your eyes to rest."

The air was silent for about two seconds.

Then, Chihaya Yuri's ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Kiryu-kun—do you think that because I'm hurt, I can't criticize you?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

"Your tone just now didn't sound like you were afraid."

"You must have misheard me, senior."

The two chatted casually.

We walked for about five more minutes.

Under the streetlights ahead, the apartment building where Chihaya Yuri rented came into view.

Kiryu Yaya slowed his pace and stopped in front of the automatic door downstairs.

"Where is the key?"

"In my coat pocket—"

Chihaya Yuri stirred, wanting to reach out and grab him, but with one hand still around his neck, the movement was somewhat inconvenient.

"Could you get this for me?"

"it is good."

Kiryu Yaya turned to the side and reached into the left pocket of her coat with his free hand.

He hooked the keychain and gently pulled it out.

"Found it."

Kiryu Yaya used the key to open the automatic door, entered the apartment building, passed through the narrow entrance hall, and arrived at the elevator.

The elevator doors opened.

A middle-aged woman wearing light gray loungewear came out.

Upon seeing Chihaya Yuri on Kiryu Yaya's back, she immediately greeted her, "Oh, Yuri-chan!"

Chihaya Yuri, who had been keeping her eyes closed, blushed instantly upon hearing the address, and her whole body snapped awake as if a switch had been flipped.

"Aunt Kono—Good evening."

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being carried?"

Aunt Kono hurriedly stepped out of the elevator, took a few steps closer, and her gaze lingered for a moment on Chihaya Yuri's bare left foot.

"You twisted your ankle?"

"Um—I accidentally twisted my ankle."

"Oh dear, this is terrible!"

Aunt Kono's tone carried the urgency characteristic of an elder: "Is it serious? Have you been to the hospital?"

"Thankfully, it's probably just a ligament strain."

Chihaya Yuri's voice was a few decibels lower than usual, carrying a kind of docileness unique to those in front of familiar people: "Just apply an ice pack when you get back."

Aunt Kono turned her gaze to Kiryu Yaya, looked him up and down, and then gave him a knowing look: "You must be Yuri-chan's boyfriend, right? Yuri-chan is a good girl, you should take good care of her!"

Before Kiryuu could say anything.

Chihaya Yuri's face flushed bright red, and her voice became urgent: "Aunt Kono, no! He's not my boyfriend, we're just colleagues at the bank—"

"Oh, Auntie understands, Auntie understands."

Aunt Kono smiled so hard her eyes crinkled, patted Chihaya Yuri's arm, and looked at Kiryu Yaya, her tone carrying the knowing wisdom of someone who's been through it all.

"Alright, alright, Auntie won't say anymore."

Aunt Kono waved her hand, took a step back, and glanced back and forth between the two of them before giving them a meaningful smile: "Yuri-chan has injured her foot and won't be able to go out for the next few days. Young man, since you've already taken her on your back, you might as well go all the way and take good care of her."

Kiryu Yaya smiled, his tone polite and natural: "Don't worry, Aunt Kono, I will take good care of you, senpai."

Chihaya Yuri's ears turned even redder: "Kiryu-kun, you don't need to."

"That's good, that's good."

Aunt Kono had already turned and walked towards the stairwell, but after taking two steps, she turned back and winked at Chihaya Yuri: "Yuri-chan, such a nice young man, don't miss out on him."

After saying that, she picked up the bag of trash and walked briskly into the stairwell.

The sound of footsteps went down the stairs and faded into the distance.

The elevator doors slowly closed behind me.

There was a two-second silence in the cramped elevator car.

Chihaya Yuri's voice was muffled, with a hint of lingering embarrassment: "Kiryu-kun, Aunt Kono—that's just how she is, don't take it to heart."

Kiryu Yaya chuckled softly: "Aunt Kono is quite interesting."

"What's so interesting about that?!"