Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 230 Kiyomasa Ogaki: I suggest a thorough investigation of Kouudahiko! [Basic update 5k words]

After figuring everything out.

Kiyomasa Ogaki's breathing suddenly became somewhat rapid.

If that's the case, how could Kouyuu Hiko, who has already been arrested by Hanayama-in Taki, be unharmed?

In just a moment, Kiyomasa Ogaki understood.

Even Kouyuu Hiko couldn't beat Kiryuu Yaya, so what is he hesitating for?

Thus, Kiyomasa Ōgaki let go of all his burdens.

On one side is Kiryu Yaya, whose background is unfathomable, and on the other side is Kouichi Kouda, whose downfall is already inevitable.

He no longer needs to think about which side to stand on.

So, under everyone's scrutinizing gaze, Oogaki Kiyoshi slowly revealed a smile and uttered words that shocked everyone: "Branch Manager—"

"My suggestion is to immediately investigate all large-scale credit cases related to Minister Kouda, especially those he approved when he was the head of the financing department at the Osaka branch."

"If Minister Kouyuda did indeed accept bribes and provide improper assistance, then there are likely similar problems with the loans he handled. Rather than waiting for the investigating authorities to come and dig up old dirt on us, we should investigate it ourselves first."

The voice just fell.

The meeting room fell completely silent.

All eyes were on Kiyomasa Ogaki, as if trying to read something from his usually slow and unassuming face.

No one expected that it would be Kiyomasa Ogaki who would be the first to propose "taking action" against Kouda Hiko.

Who is Kouyu Hiko?

He is a legend who rose from the Osaka branch, the executive director of the head office, and a highly sought-after figure in the Mitsubishi Bank system.

And Kiyomasa Ogaki, Kouyuhiko's former superior, actually took the initiative to jump out and kick him when he was down.

Matsumoto Takahiro's gaze lingered on Ogaki Kiyomasa's face for two seconds, as if to confirm whether he was serious.

Then he spoke up: "Minister Ogaki, do you mean we should preempt the National Taxation Bureau and dig up Minister Furuta's old dirt ourselves?"

"right."

Kiyomasa Ogaki nodded, his tone unusually firm: "Minister Furuta was taken away on charges of accepting bribes and assisting in unfair competition."

"If he is convicted on both charges, then it is very likely that more than just the Rinko Castle loan case he handled during his time at the Osaka branch is problematic."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across both sides of the long table, as if searching for approval.

"Instead of waiting for the investigating authorities to send a request for our files and empty our branch's records, we might as well go through them ourselves first."

.

"Taking the initiative to identify problems, rectify them, and report them is at least a better approach than passively cooperating."

These words were logically clear and decisive, completely unlike the usual slow-talking, hesitant finance manager who always backed down when faced with problems.

Sitting opposite Kiyomasa Ogaki, Takafumi Todo had a deep frown on his brow.

He had known Kiyomasa Ogaki for over a decade and knew the man's temperament all too well.

Kiyomasa Ogaki is not the type of person who would intentionally offend someone.

Does he know anything about Kouyu Tianyan?

Takahiro Matsumoto did not immediately respond.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and then looked at Kiyomasa Ogaki, his tone ambiguous: "Minister Ogaki, if we really start the investigation, which type of case do you plan to begin with?"

"Eight billion yen credit line for Miyazawa tourism development."

Kiyomasa Ogaki answered almost without pause, as if he had already prepared his answer: "This credit line was personally approved by Minister Kouuda back then. It involves a large amount of money, a long period of time, and a complex guarantee structure. If there is any improper assistance or transfer of benefits, it is most likely to be hidden there."

"In addition, there are several small and medium-sized enterprise financing cases that he approved around the 60th year of the Showa era. I just went through a few of them in my mind, and the list can be compiled after the meeting."

He paused for a moment, then added, "If the branch manager agrees, I can submit the preliminary list to your desk tomorrow morning."

Silence fell on both sides of the conference table once again.

It wasn't just because Kiyomasa Ogaki's suggestion was sharp enough, but also because of the attitude he displayed—he already had a plan of action.

Nonaka Shigeru glanced at Ogaki Kiyomasa, said nothing, picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Matsumoto Takahiro was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding: "Okay. Let's do as Minister Ogaki says. The Financing Department will take the lead, with the General Affairs Department cooperating. Let's start with the credit files for the Miyazawa tourism development. Give me a preliminary list within two days."

"Yes."

Kiyoshi Ogaki responded.

Matsumoto Takahiro then looked at the others: "The other departments, proceed according to your assigned tasks. The General Affairs Department is responsible for confirming external communications, and the Sales Department is responsible for maintaining customer relationships. Meeting adjourned."

The clock on the wall ticked away.

Chihaya Yuri held the TV remote in her hand and turned it over and over seven or eight times.

A prime-time variety show was playing on the screen, and the host and guests were laughing so hard they were doubled over, but she couldn't understand what they were laughing about.

She turned off the sound, leaving only the video, but the video was too noisy, so she turned the sound back on and muted the video.

-

After repeating this several times, she finally gave up and leaned back on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Days off from work.

I am bored.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened.

In May, the days are long, and even at almost 6:30, the sun is still setting.

She hopped to the window, leaning on her cane, and glanced downstairs. The traffic was sparse, and there was no familiar figure parked next to the motorcycle.

Chihaya Yuri looked down at her left foot. The swelling had subsided somewhat, but the bruise had spread into a larger purple patch.

She tried to put her foot on the ground, and as soon as she put a little force on it, a sharp, tingling sensation came from the ligament on the outside of her ankle.

She sighed and put her feet back on the cushions on the edge of the coffee table.

By seven o'clock, it was completely dark.

Chihaya Yuri was staring blankly at the ceiling when she suddenly heard footsteps in the hallway, followed by the sound of a key being inserted into a lock.

She instinctively sat up straight and moved her injured foot off the coffee table.

Then, realizing that his action was too deliberate, he leaned back on the sofa and pretended that nothing had happened.

The door opened.

Kiryu Yaya stood in the entrance hall, carrying two bulging shopping bags in his hands.

Chihaya Yuri blinked: "What did you buy? So much?"

"We can't expect our seniors to eat takeout every day, can we?"

Kiryu Yaya said naturally, and then put the ingredients into the kitchen.

Chihaya Yuri exclaimed, "It's nothing, I'm used to eating out."

Then, somewhat surprised, she exclaimed, "Kiryu-kun, you can cook?"

"I know a little bit."

Kiryu Yaya opened the system panel and looked at the long-dormant system skill:

[Home Cooking - Beginner]

Master basic Japanese home-style cooking techniques.

[Includes: Seasoning (basic proportions of salt, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and dashi), cooking temperature (judging the temperature and time for stewing, grilling, and frying), and ingredient preparation (three-part preparation of fish, vegetable cutting methods, and meat processing)]

Although Kiryu Yaya himself can cook, and his skills are quite good.

But since unlocking this skill, he has found that his cooking skills have improved significantly.

It's unbelievable. If even beginners are this good, what level must advanced and expert levels be?

Kiryu Yaya placed the shopping bag on the kitchen counter and began taking things out one by one.

The paper bag contained mackerel, tofu, scallions, ginger, eggs, miso, soy sauce, miso paste, a handful of spinach, and a small box of shiitake mushrooms.

These are all things we'll need later.

Chihaya Yuri leaned against the sofa armrest, her gaze following the busy figure, unsure of what to say.

The apartment itself is not large; you can see the kitchen through the living room.

Kiryu Yaya's movements were swift and decisive, as if he had practiced these steps countless times.

"You can cook fish?"

Chihaya Yuri's gaze fell on the shimmering silver fish, her voice carrying a hint of undisguised surprise.

"Mackerel is cheap, delicious, and easy to prepare. If your family always keeps some on hand, you can quickly solve your dinner problem for one person."

Kiryu Yaya turned on the tap, and the water flowed over the surface of the mackerel. He held the fish steadily with one hand and gently rubbed off the remaining scales with the other.

"I only know a few quick and easy dishes."

Chihaya Yuri watched as he skillfully dried the fish with kitchen paper towels, a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"Handling fish is probably more difficult for me than reviewing a loan of one billion yen."

Kiryu Yaya turned his head to look at her, a smile in his eyes: "It's something you can learn, senpai. It's not difficult."

Chihaya Yuri did not respond.

She watched as he made three cuts on each side of the fish, then sprinkled a thin layer of salt on it and set it aside to rest.

Start boiling water in the pot, gently add the kelp, then a small spoonful of mirin and soy sauce.

Chihaya Yuri leaned back on the sofa, watching Kiryu Yaya's busy figure.

And coming from the kitchen were the soft sounds of a spatula hitting the edge of a pot, and the bubbling of boiling water—

The sounds blended together, suddenly bringing a certain vitality to this usually quiet apartment.

This inexplicably gave Chihaya Yuri a sense of happiness.

Both her father and mother were workaholics, so it was only natural that she became a workaholic herself when she grew up.

For some reason, at this moment, she felt the warmth of home in Kiryu Yaya.

"senior""

Kiryu Yaya's voice came from the kitchen, interrupting her thoughts: "Do you have any Shichimi Toji (seven-spice powder)?"

Chihaya Yuri snapped out of her daze and blinked: "No."

"Then forget it, the mackerel itself tastes good enough."

As Kiryu Yaya spoke, he flipped the fried fish over, and golden brown charred marks were evenly spread on the surface.

He turned the heat down a bit and began processing the spinach.

Just then, the variety show that was playing on TV ended, and the screen switched to the evening news headline.

The female news anchor's voice came through the loudspeaker, clear and serious: "Next is today's most talked-about news. This afternoon, the Osaka National Tax Bureau's Inspection Department arrested Hiko Furuta, the executive director of Mitsubishi Bank."

Chihaya Yuri subconsciously turned her head.

The camera has switched to the scene.

Outside the main entrance of Mitsubishi Bank's Osaka branch, two black official cars were parked below the steps, and several clerks in dark suits were standing beside the cars.

The person in the middle, being escorted by two officers on either side, is none other than Kouyuu Hiko.

The female news anchor continued broadcasting: "According to the Osaka National Tax Bureau, Hirohiko Furuta is suspected of using his position as executive director of Mitsubishi Bank to accept 200 million yen from Nagoya Industrial Asset Management Co., Ltd. in exchange for providing them with non-public guarantee assessment information and bidding strategy advice during the bidding process for the Miyazawa Group's Rinku Castle land plot. This constitutes unfair competition assistance."

The scene shifts to the press conference outside the Osaka National Tax Bureau.

Standing before the microphone, Taki Hanayama responded succinctly to a series of questions from reporters: "The amount of money involved, the hierarchical structure, and the internal connections within the bank in this case are quite rare in similar cases in recent years. The National Taxation Bureau will continue its in-depth investigation and transfer the case to the prosecutor's office in accordance with the law."

The camera then cuts back to the studio.

The female anchor began to add background information: "Kouda Hiko is 52 years old. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo. He joined Mitsubishi Bank in 1948 and served as the head of the Finance Department at the Osaka branch, the deputy head of the Finance Department at the head office, and the executive director."

"During his nearly 30-year banking career, he led or participated in several large-scale credit projects, including the 8 billion yen comprehensive credit line for Miyazawa Tourism Development Co., Ltd."

"This arrest is one of the most severe law enforcement actions against senior executives of large banks in recent years."

The female anchor began her summary: "Mitsubishi Bank has not yet issued an official statement, but according to our understanding, the Osaka branch has held an emergency internal meeting and initiated a self-inspection process for the relevant credit projects —"

The female anchor's voice continued on the TV, but the screen had already switched to the commentator's analysis.

After reading the brief news report, Chihaya Yuri's mouth dropped open in surprise. She quickly asked Kiryuu Yaya, "Kiryu-kun, did you hear the news on TV just now?"

"Minister Furuta, he—?"

At this moment, Kiryu Yaya turned to the side, still holding the spatula in his hand, glanced at the TV screen and said, "Senpai—although I was there this afternoon and saw Minister Kouyuta being taken away with my own eyes, I still find it quite sudden."

"The head office's executive director was actually arrested by the IRS in broad daylight, it's unbelievable!"

Chihaya Yuri nodded, her expression somewhat saddened: "For something like this to happen is a huge blow to our bank's reputation—"

Kiryu Yaya also sighed slightly: "Who can argue with that? But since the National Tax Agency dared to make an arrest in public, it must not be without reason."

"Moreover, Mr. Takahashi, who was present at the time, also identified that he did indeed give Kouyuda Hiko a sum of money."

Kiryu Yaya stopped there and didn't continue.

After all, it's not exactly something to be proud of.

Chihaya Yuri also sighed.

Kiryu Yaya returned to the kitchen and continued cooking.

However, it's not his intention that things turned out this way.

He only told Kuroda Shuichi the plan; in fact, Kuroda was the one who controlled the whole process.

Whether it was Takahashi Taishi of the Nagoya Shell Company or someone who fabricated evidence and reported it to Hanayama Inoki.

All of this was handled by Shuichi Kuroda.

Kiryu Yaya would never touch these things, after all, he is an innocent person.

However, he did not expect that Taki Hanayama would be so bold as to arrest Hiko Kouta at the auction.

As expected of a member of the Chinese ethnic group, they are truly reckless and unruly.

Not long after.

Kiryu Yaya placed the pan-fried mackerel into a white porcelain plate, then ladled out two bowls of tofu miso soup and sprinkled on some finely chopped green onions.

The spinach has been mixed with sesame paste and neatly arranged in a small dish.

Then he called out to Chihaya Yuri, "Senpai, it's time to eat."

"They're here."

Chihaya Yuri, leaning on her cane, hopped from the sofa area to the dining table on one foot.

The aroma of the caramel still lingers in the steam on the table.

The miso soup was steaming with wisps of white vapor, and the spinach mixed with sesame sauce was placed in two small dishes.

There were two bowls of freshly cooked white rice next to it.

"Senior, please sit here."

Kiryu Yaya pulled out a chair for her and then casually placed her cane against the table leg.

Chihaya Yuri sat down, holding onto the edge of the table, and exclaimed in surprise, "It looks... pretty much like it."

What does "looks like" mean?

Kiryu Yaya sat down opposite her and picked up his chopsticks: "It tastes similar, senpai, give it a try."

Chihaya Yuri picked up a piece of mackerel.

The fish skin was pan-fried until slightly curled, with a thin, crispy char on the edges. The fish flesh was snow-white and could be easily separated with a gentle touch of chopsticks.

She put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and her brow slowly relaxed: "—Delicious."

Kiryu Yaya also picked up a piece of rice and took another bite: "It's simple and easy to make. You can try it at home next time, senpai."

"Okay, I'll have to ask you for cooking advice in the future."

Chihaya Yuri smiled, a rare occurrence for her.

"I wouldn't call myself a good cook; I just make some simple home-style dishes."

"But it's delicious? I think it tastes better than many restaurants."

"Was the senior starving?"

"No way!!"

5

Time passed little by little.

The night outside the window was quite clear.

The dishes on the table were mostly empty, and only a small portion of the sesame sauce mixed with spinach remained.

"I'm full."

Kiryu Yaya put down his chopsticks and clasped his hands together, saying, "Thank you for the meal."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

Chihaya Yuri also put down her chopsticks: "You cooked this food, and I'm eating it. How did it become you thanking me?"

Kiryu Yaya smiled, did not argue, and began to clear the dishes.

Chihaya Yuri wanted to help, and had just stood up by supporting herself on the table when he reached out and pressed down on her shoulder: "Senpai, please sit down. Your leg isn't fully healed yet, so don't keep moving around."

"I just sprained my ankle, it's not like I broke my arm."

Chihaya Yuri muttered something, but ultimately sat back down.

Kiryu Yaya collected the dishes into the kitchen sink, turned on the tap, and rinsed them with quick and natural movements.

Chihaya Yuri sat at the dining table, one hand supporting her chin, her gaze following him as he moved around the kitchen. Suddenly, she asked, "Kiryu-kun, are you going to the branch office again tomorrow?"

"Go ahead, it's not like you're on a long vacation."

Kiryu Yaya placed the washed dishes on the drainer and shook the water off his hands.

"With Minister Kouda taken away, there must be a lot of things to deal with at the branch office, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me not to go."

Chihaya Yuri nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Then come pick me up in the morning, and I'll go with you."

"senior""

"I know, I know, my foot injury hasn't healed yet."

Chihaya Yuri interrupted him, saying helplessly, "But I can't just stay at home forever. Besides, even though I'm on sick leave, it's such a big deal, I have to go back and check on things to feel at ease."

Kiryu Yaya thought for a moment, then nodded and didn't refuse: "Okay, I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning, senpai."