Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 229 Kiryu: How could Captain Furuta do such a thing? [Basic update 5k]

Kouyuhiko's pupils suddenly contracted.

Kiryu Yaya's movement was very light, but to him it felt like a thousand pounds.

At this moment, the gesture of slicing across the throat was clearer than any words.

All of this is the result of the young man's revenge.

revenge!!

Kouyu Tianyan's mind went blank, as if a bomb that had been buried for many years had finally been detonated in the hand of the seemingly gentle young man in front of him.

He wanted to speak, to shout out the words "It's you."

But he realized...

He suddenly realized that it was useless; no one would believe that a newcomer who had only been with Mitsubishi Bank for two months had accomplished all of this.

In fact, even he himself couldn't believe it.

How did Kiryu Yaya manage to do all this?

Why did Kuroda Shuichi, no, even Takatsukasa Seiichi, stand on his side?

And he himself, the high-ranking executive director of Mitsubishi Bank's headquarters, had become a discarded pawn.

This is ridiculous.

It was so absurd that even Kouichi Kou himself refused to believe it.

But the arrest warrant stamped with a bright red seal in Hanayama-in Taki's hand clearly told him—

This is not absurd; this is reality.

Kouyuhiko finally came to his senses.

"Wait—I need to see a lawyer! I need to contact Mitsubishi Bank's legal department! You can't just leave it at that!"

"Mr. Furuta".

Hanayama Inoki's voice was calm to the point of being indifferent: "You have the right to contact a lawyer and the right to request that your unit be notified. These procedures will be completed in the investigation room, but for now, please cooperate."

After saying that, he turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Takahashi Taishi who was hiding behind him: "And you, let's go together."

Taishi Takahashi shrank back, repeatedly muttering, "I was used," "I don't know anything."

As Kouyu Tianyan was led out of the conference room, the image suddenly popped into his mind.

At the funeral that day, Kiryu Yaya said to him, "I will remember the pain that Captain Kouda caused me and my family."

"hundred times!"

"A thousand times!!"

"I'll pay you back!!!"

This young man really did it.

The heavy door slowly closed behind Kouyu Tianyan, as if shutting down all hope in his life.

A soft "click" sounded.

The door lock was engaged.

After Kouyuhiko and Takahashi Taishi were taken away.

The conference room fell into an almost vacuum-like silence.

Thirty seconds.

-

For a full thirty seconds, no one spoke, no one got up, and even the sound of breathing was kept to a minimum.

For those thirty seconds, the only sound in the air was the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock.

Then it was Ushio Takeo who moved first.

His eyes were lifeless, and his body seemed to lose its support as he slid into the back of the chair.

He slumped back in his chair as if his spine had been removed, his mouth slightly open, his eyes staring at a hollow corner of the ceiling.

It's over, it's over.

One side of the long table.

The two company representatives who had been called by Kouyu Tianyan to accompany him in the race looked at each other in bewilderment.

One of them stood up first, bowed slightly to Miyazawa Keiko, and said in a dry voice, "I'm sorry to bother you today," before picking up his briefcase and leaving quickly.

Another person followed closely behind, not even having time to collect the documents on the table.

Akio Uesugi sat in his seat, his expression somewhat blank.

He never imagined that Minister Kouyu, who had been so imposing just moments before, would suddenly be arrested by the National Taxation Bureau.

The contrast is simply too great.

Keiko Miyazawa sat in the main seat, her hands folded on the table.

She just sat there quietly, like a resilient blade of grass that had just weathered a storm.

The storm has passed, but she remains in the same spot, unyielding.

uncle.

She said it softly to herself.

Did you see that?

She didn't let any expression show on her face; she simply clenched her fingers slightly and held the back of her hand.

Masakazu Yamada sat in the gallery, his mouth slightly agape, clearly still reeling from the fact that Minister Kouda had been arrested.

Then, belatedly, he said, "What... what happened?"

Sitting to the side, Kiryu Yaya frowned and continued, "Yes, Section Chief, isn't there some misunderstanding here? How could a righteous person like Department Head Furuta do something like accepting bribes?"

Masakazu Yamada nodded: "Yes, it must have been a misunderstanding, right? Those people at the National Tax Agency are so unreliable. How could they take Minister Furuta away in a situation like this?"

Kiryu Yaya exclaimed indignantly, "Exactly! If the outside world finds out, it will damage the reputation of the entire Mitsubishi Bank!"

Masakazu Yamada sighed. "Who can argue with that?"

As he spoke, he stood up and said, "Kiryu-kun, come back to class with me first. This matter is spreading rapidly, and the branch manager will definitely hold an emergency meeting this afternoon."

"clear."

Kiryu Yaya stood up, tucked his notebook under his arm, and approached Miyazawa Keiko: "President Miyazawa, we'll take our leave now."

Keiko Miyazawa nodded, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment.

In those eyes, gratitude, amazement, relief, and a deeply hidden heartache were all suppressed in a calm gaze.

But Keiko Miyazawa knew that this was not the place to express her emotions.

So she only said one sentence: "Call me tonight."

Kiryu Yaya nodded: "Okay, I understand."

After saying that, he walked out of the conference room with Masakazu Yamada.

The corridor was no longer as quiet as it had been before.

The general affairs staff were standing in twos and threes at the elevator entrance, whispering among themselves. When they saw Masakazu Yamada and Yaya Kiryu come out, they immediately stopped talking and dispersed.

The elevator doors closed, and the car slowly descended.

Neither of them said anything.

Inside the metal elevator car, only the numbers on the floor indicator lights were silently ticking.

With a "ding," we arrived at the third floor.

The fact that the head office manager was taken away by the National Tax Agency will definitely be on the front page of the Osaka News tomorrow, or at least on the front page of the financial section.

Because this matter itself is very impactful.

An executive director at the headquarters of Mitsubishi Bank was taken away in public by the Osaka National Tax Bureau in a formal setting.

It should be noted that this was a public, enforced arrest warrant.

In 1991 Japan, the banking system still enjoyed a very high level of social trust.

The arrest of a bank executive on charges of "accepting bribes" and "aiding unfair competition" is itself a major event that could shatter trust within the industry.

When the two returned to the financing review department, the office was indeed in an uproar.

Kenta Sasaki stood next to Yuka Nakamura's workstation, making funny gestures with his hands like a Tyrannosaurus Rex: "You guys didn't see it! The scene was absolutely...unbelievable!"

"You saw it with your own eyes?"

Yuka Nakamura twirled her pen in her hand, her face showing a mixture of belief and doubt.

"Of course—"

Kenta Sasaki's confidence suddenly waned: "I wasn't in the conference room, but I was standing in the lobby! I saw Investigator Hanayama-in take that person into the car with my own eyes!"

Arima Kisuke looked up from his workstation, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Sasaki, keep your mouth shut. This isn't something to be proud of."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasaki realized what was happening and quickly shut his mouth.

Although he is sometimes a bit unreliable, he is quite sensible when it comes to matters of principle.

Although Kouyu Tianyan has been taken away in a car by the National Tax Agency, no official announcement has been made yet.

There was neither conviction nor judgment.

If it turns out to be a false alarm, then he'll be in big trouble.

"Arima is right!"

Masakazu Yamada walked over and said to all the staff in the classroom, "I'm sure you've all heard about what happened on the fifth floor just now, but whether it's true or not, it's a terrible incident that has severely damaged the public image of our Osaka branch."

Therefore, I want to emphasize three things here:

"First, before the bank completes the formal notification process for this matter, no one is allowed to discuss it in public, let alone disclose any details to the outside world."

"Secondly, this matter has nothing to do with the work of the financing review department. Continue to do the post-loan follow-up that needs to be done, and continue to review the cases that need to be reviewed. Don't let this matter affect the progress of the business."

"third-

'

Masakazu Yamada's gaze slowly swept over everyone present, his voice slightly deeper than before.

"After this matter is over, regardless of the final outcome, do not make any comments about Minister Kouyuta personally."

"Whether he is under investigation or wronged, it is not for us to judge. Remember your place and your duty."

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Kenta Sasaki was the first to lower his head, his voice much softer than before: "Understood, Section Chief."

Yuka Nakamura and Natsumi Hashimoto exchanged a glance and remained silent.

Masakazu Yamada didn't say anything more and turned to walk back to the section chief's office.

The door closed behind him.

The financing review session fell silent again.

Although it was quiet, there was still a restless atmosphere.

The person who "caused" all of this sat down as if nothing had happened and yawned lightly.

There's nothing to do.

Started slacking off.

Twenty-five minutes after Kouda Hiko was taken away.

Fifth floor, small conference room.

The middle and senior managers of the Osaka branch were seated on either side of the long table.

Matsumoto Takahiro sat in the main seat with a stern expression.

His gaze slowly swept across both sides of the long table, as if to check the current state of everyone.

The head of the financing department, Kiyomasa Ogaki, was sitting to his right, in a posture no different from usual.

However, if you observe closely, you can see that he is more relaxed and vacant than usual.

Matsumoto Takahiro frowned slightly and followed Ogaki Kiyomasa's gaze.

Head of Debt Management Section: Tsuyoshi Iwakura; Head of Financing Review Section: Masakazu Yamada; Head of Financing Planning Section: Takafumi Satomi; Head of International Financing Section: Haiqiao Chen; Head of SME Financing Section: Hisashi Baba.

All staff members of the financing department were present.

Then, sitting on the left, is Takafumi Todo, the head of the General Affairs Department.

As the head of the general affairs department, he is known for his composure. Whether facing questions from branch managers or handling emergencies, he always maintains a calm and collected demeanor.

However, a hint of surprise could still be seen on his face when the head office manager was arrested at the branch.

Matsumoto Takahiro's gaze remained unchanged as he looked towards the position of his hand below.

Personnel Section Chief Shinji Miki, Accounting Section Chief Kazuyo Komatsu, and Systems Section Chief Takumi Tominaga.

The General Affairs Department is all present.

Then there's the sales department.

Department Head Shigeru Nonaka, Section Chief Toshiko Onishi of Sales Division 1, Section Chief Kento Takei of Sales Division 2, and Section Chief Yuto Shinkai of Foreign Exchange Division.

Osaka Branch, Department 3, Section 11.

Everyone is in place.

Matsumoto Takahiro nodded and then spoke: "You all already know the situation."

"Minister Furuta was taken away in public by investigator Hanayama-in of the Osaka National Tax Bureau in the fifth-floor conference room on two charges: 'assistance in unfair competition' and 'receiving compensation.'"

No one responded in the meeting room.

Takahiro Matsumoto continued, "Manager Furuta was the head office executive manager, someone who came from the Osaka branch. He was taken away in the conference room of the Mitsubishi Bank Osaka branch."

"From an outsider's perspective, the impact of this incident on the branch's reputation is self-evident."

"So I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on how to minimize the impact of this."

After the words were spoken, the section chiefs looked at each other, but none of them spoke.

No one was willing to be the first to speak.

Whoever speaks first at this moment is in the eye of the storm. Even if it's just a suggestion, it could be interpreted by others as a stance afterward.

A senior executive at the head office was taken away in front of everyone in the conference room of the Osaka branch.

Regardless of the final outcome, the reputation of the Osaka branch has already been damaged.

All the section chiefs' eyes were focused on Takafumi Todo and Shigeru Nonaka.

In the current situation, only these two are qualified to speak first.

As for Kiyomasa Ogaki, he rarely expressed his opinion on such matters.

Noticing the gazes from all around, General Affairs Department Manager Takafumi Todo cleared his throat and said, "Branch Manager, in my opinion, this matter requires emergency handling. The situation has now exceeded our scope of responsibility, and we should report it to the head office immediately."

"Internally, they instructed section chiefs to restrain staff from spreading rumors; externally, they issued statements under the guise of cooperating with the investigation," but without making any explicit statements.

"After all, the investigation results have not yet been released, and we do not know whether Minister Kouyuda is guilty or not. So we can only say that Mitsubishi Bank has always abided by laws and regulations and will actively cooperate with the investigation authorities."

After he finished speaking, Matsumoto Takahiro nodded: "What Minister Todo said makes a lot of sense."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Nonaka Shigeru, the head of the sales department, signaling him to share his thoughts.

Shigeru Nonaka didn't rush to reply.

He first picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, then slowly put it down, clearly considering his words: "From a public relations perspective, Minister Todo's suggestion is prudent."

"But there is one thing I would like to remind everyone: the occasion when Minister Kouyu was taken away was the bidding meeting for the Miyazawa Group."

"In the meeting room at the time, besides our bank staff, there were also representatives from the Miyazawa Group and the heads of four potential buyers."

"So, since this has happened, in addition to restraining our bank employees, shouldn't we also communicate with the presidents of these five companies to prevent them from escalating the impact?"

After hearing what he said, many people nodded slightly, finding it a very good supplement.

After listening to Nonaka Shigeru's words, Matsumoto Takahiro did not immediately comment, but turned his gaze to Ogaki Kiyomasa: "Minister Ogaki, what's your opinion?"

As Matsumoto Takahiro spoke, everyone's attention shifted to Ogaki Kiyomasa.

Surprisingly, the head of the financing department seemed not to hear the branch manager's question at such an important meeting, staring blankly into space.

Matsumoto Takahiro frowned: "Minister Ogaki?"

His voice was a little louder than before, and it carried a clear displeasure.

This time, Kiyomasa Ogaki heard it.

His eyes flickered, then slowly focused on Matsumoto Takahiro's face.

"Sorry, branch manager, I was just thinking about something."

Everyone could see that this statement was nothing more than a clumsy excuse.

However, no one knew what Kiyoshi Ogaki was thinking.

Except for himself.

In fact, Kiyomasa Ogaki had been thinking about the phone call he had with Kouichi Kouta the day before yesterday.

In that phone call, Kouyu Hiko explicitly told him to give Kiryu Yaya, the head of the Osaka branch, a warning.

He refused at the time.

Kiyomasa Ogaki clearly remembers the time of that phone call; it was the night before last.

And just two days later.

Kouyuhiko has fallen from power.

Moreover, right here in the Osaka branch, it was because of the Miyazawa Group's Rinko City project.

He was arrested on the spot by a team personally led by Hanayama-in Taki.

Kiyomasa Ogaki simply cannot believe that Kiryu Yaya wasn't involved in this.

What a coincidence!

But if you really say that all of this was orchestrated by the newcomer Kiryu Yaya, Oogaki Kiyomasa feels it's utterly absurd.

He was a newcomer who had only been working at the Osaka branch for two months. It was one thing for him to be forced to kneel in obeisance as a branch manager, but what right did he have to bring down a respectable head office manager?

Moreover, the head of this branch office is none other than Kouyuhiko, a legendary figure at Osaka Bank.

That name, revered by countless younger generations and hailed as the "Golden Generation of Osaka Bank" in numerous reports.

Now, he's being handcuffed and stuffed into an IRS interrogation room.

But at that moment, he couldn't help but recall the scene that had happened in the minister's office not long ago.

The scene shows Kiryu Yaya holding evidence of bribery and beating him up, making him dogeza (a traditional Chinese obeisance).

That scene remains like a thorn in his throat, something he can neither swallow nor spit out.

Actually, afterwards.

He also questioned Masataka Kazumitsu about why he gave those things to Yaya Kiryu.

When Masataka Kazumitsu recounted what had happened, he was stunned.

Kiryu Yaya seemed to know them inside and out, having long ago figured out their methods of falsifying accounts and transferring funds.

Even when he was interrogating Kazumitsu Takamasa, he mentioned the name of Kazan-in Taki.

Upon realizing this, Kiyomasa Ogaki was suddenly startled.

and many more! ! !

Kazan-in Taki! ??

The prosecutor who took Kouyuhiko away this time is none other than Hanayama-in Taki!

In an instant, Kiyomasa Ogaki seemed to have grasped the thread.

It's like suddenly pulling out the starting point of a knot from a tangled mess.

Found it! Found it!

Kiyomasa Ogaki understood.

Kiryu Yaya must have a huge background; he not only has the channels to investigate their fund flows.

Even Hanayama Inoyuki, a member of the Han Chinese ethnic group, had to obey his orders.

With such energy and resources, it's no wonder that they were able to handle four major cases in a short period of time: Fuji Metals, Shiraishi Refrigeration, Miyazawa Group, and Higashi-Osaka Seiko.