Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 232 So, do you like me when I'm cunning? [Basic update: 5k words]

Kiryu Yaya nodded truthfully: "That's already amazing."

Compared to him, who hadn't even taken a driving test, Keiko, who was already able to drive on the road, truly deserved his sincere praise.

"Get in the car, I'll take you for a drive."

Keiko Miyazawa urged.

Kiryu Yaya opened the car door, bent down and sat in the passenger seat, reaching for the seatbelt.

The moment the car door closed, the carriage was silent for a moment.

Then, instead of starting the engine, Miyazawa Keiko turned her head to look at him and said, "Kiryu-kun, I've been wanting to thank you for what happened today."

Kiryu Yaya paused slightly, then smiled and said, "No—I should be the one saying thank you. If you hadn't been sitting in the host's seat today, how could we have possibly caught such a big fish as Kouyuu Hiko?"

Keiko Miyazawa shook her head: "I'm just doing what you said."

Kiryu Yaya chuckled softly and said, "Alright, there's no need for us to argue about these things, but we've thanked each other tonight."

"So, dear Miyazawa-san, where would you like to take me for a drive?"

Keiko Miyazawa felt a slight flush at his address of "Dear Miss Miyazawa," and quickly looked back ahead, starting the engine.

"Just sit still."

A black Toyota Crown glided out into the night, driving along the quiet streets of Ezaka towards the main road.

Then the car drove south along the national highway, passed through several sparsely lit streets, and got onto the elevated road leading to Osaka Port.

The night breeze blew in through the half-open car window, carrying the salty smell of the sea and the warmth of early summer.

About twenty minutes later.

The car stopped in a coastal area with a wide view.

Ahead lies the night view of Osaka Port. The cranes and warehouses on the dock are reduced to dark silhouettes in the night, while the lights of the distant city are reflected on the sea.

Keiko Miyazawa turned off the engine, unbuckled her seatbelt, and then, just like Yaya Kiryu, adjusted her seat back a bit and leaned into the seat back.

The two sat side by side, looking at the sea in the distance.

After a moment of silence, Miyazawa Keiko suddenly spoke up: "Kiryu-kun—do you think Uncle—will be satisfied with today's outcome?"

Night fell over the sea, and the lights of container ships in the distance drifted slowly like stars.

Kiryu Yaya did not answer immediately.

He leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the skyline tinged with a dark orange by the city lights, as if he were pondering the same question.

After a moment, he gave a soft "hmm".

"I think he will be satisfied."

"Besides making the Miyazawa Group even better, what the former executive director wanted most before he left was you."

.

"Now that the great revenge has been achieved, and the death warrant from Lingkong City is about to be cast, the group will finally have a moment to catch its breath."

"From any perspective, he should feel gratified."

Keiko Miyazawa was silent for a few seconds, then said softly, "But he's gone."

97

The night breeze blew in through the half-open car window, causing her hair to sway slightly.

She turned her head to look at the sea, her voice lower than before: "Sometimes I wonder what my uncle's expression would be if he were still here and saw this scene today. He would probably still frown, pretend to be unhappy, and then say, 'It's alright, Huizi.'"

She chuckled softly as she finished speaking.

"He's always been like this; he never gives people a proper compliment."

Kiryu Yaya smiled and said, "Then this evaluation is already quite high."

Keiko Miyazawa did not deny it, a smile on her face, her gaze returning to the sea.

Kiryu Yaya turned his head and glanced at Miyazawa Keiko in the dim light of the distant port area.

"Huizi".

Keiko Miyazawa turned her head and her eyes met his in the dimly lit carriage.

"Um?

'

"Would you like to go for a walk?"

She paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay!"

The two pushed open the car door, and the night breeze immediately rushed in.

Kiryu Yaya walked around to the driver's side.

As Miyazawa Keiko stepped out of the car, the night breeze ruffled her long hair, a few strands brushing against her cheeks, which she gently brushed back with her hand.

The two walked along the embankment.

Underfoot is a rough cement road, and beyond that are smooth reefs and a small beach, polished smooth by the sea over the years.

"Kiryu-kun."

Keiko Miyazawa turned her head to look at him, her eyes bright in the night: "You know what? This is the first time I've ever thought that the night view of Osaka Port is actually quite beautiful."

A night breeze blew in from the sea, carrying the salty, damp scent unique to early summer, and stirred the hem of her skirt.

"Never been here before?"

"I've been here before. My father brought me here once when I was a child."

"Back then, this place was full of construction sites and fences. I was young then, and I just thought it was all dusty and not pretty at all."

"But today is different."

When Miyazawa Keiko said this, she turned to look at Kiryu Yaya, her eyes full of smiles: "Being with you today, I realized that this place is actually quite beautiful."

The night breeze passed between the two of them.

Kiryu Yaya turned his head to look at her.

Her profile appeared exceptionally soft against the backdrop of the night and the distant port lights.

Their eyes met in the sea breeze, carrying a hint of ambiguity.

But Miyazawa Keiko didn't look away. Instead, she took a small step forward, getting so close that she could feel his body heat coming through his shirt.

Then she reached out, her fingers slowly slipping between his, and gently took his hand in hers.

"Huizi————"

Kiryu Yaya called her name softly.

Keiko Miyazawa did not answer.

Then she turned slightly to the side, gently rested her forehead on his shoulder, and stood there quietly.

Then she said softly, "Kiryu-kun."

"I think I've been being willful again."

She leaned on his shoulder, and the sea breeze gently brushed her loose hair against his arm.

Kiryu Yaya turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on the top of her dark hair, and then said, "This is not being willful."

Keiko Miyazawa didn't look up, but instead buried her head deeper into his chest: "What's that?"

"It's courage."

As he finished speaking, Kiryu Yaya gently pulled Miyazawa Keiko into his arms.

The night breeze blew from the sea, stirring her skirt and ruffling the stray hairs around her ears.

Keiko Miyazawa made no move.

She leaned on his shoulder, savoring that moment of warmth and peace.

After a long while, she spoke in a low voice: "Kiryu-kun—I feel like the past two months have been longer than the past twenty years combined—"

Kiryu Yaya gave a soft "hmm" and didn't say anything more.

He could sense that the pressure in Miyazawa Keiko's heart could not be relieved with just a few words.

"Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I feel a little disoriented, as if my father is still downstairs reading the newspaper, and my uncle often comes over to visit —"

"But when I really came to my senses, I realized that it was all just an illusion."

"Only when I see you do I feel like my life isn't so bad after all."

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head and looked at that slightly raised pretty face.

"Huizi, if you keep talking like this, I'm afraid I'll start to feel more important than the bank president."

Keiko Miyazawa paused for a moment, then smiled gently, her radiant appearance captivating all who beheld her.

She pressed her entire body against Kiryu Yaya's and whispered, "Because you are important to me."

"for me."

This statement was made frankly and naturally, without any hesitation.

Kiryu Yaya looked down at her, at her slightly trembling eyelashes, at her hair that was ruffled by the sea breeze.

The night wind, carrying the whispers of the waves, swirled between the two.

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head and saw that Miyazawa Keiko was looking up at him.

Those eyes reflected the lights of the distant port area, and also his own reflection.

He didn't speak, but slowly raised his hand, gently brushing aside the wind-blown strands of hair on her face and tucking them behind her ear.

As his fingertips brushed against her earlobe, he could clearly feel a fleeting tremor in Miyazawa Keiko's body.

Keiko Miyazawa's breathing seemed to pause for a moment.

Then she mustered her courage.

Slowly rise onto your tiptoes.

Kiryu Yaya sensed her feelings, gently lowered his head, and lightly kissed her forehead.

It was just a fleeting touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water, and then he prepared to back away.

But Keiko Miyazawa hooked her arms around his neck, giving him no chance to back away.

"Kiryu-kun."

Her voice was very soft, almost swallowed by the sea breeze: "You can't always be like this—"

"how?"

"It can't always be like this—stopping at the point and then backing away, it makes me very sad."

Keiko Miyazawa's eyes were brighter than the lights on the sea: "And you know my feelings, yet you're afraid that getting too close will cross some line."

"I know you still have things you haven't finished, but have you ever considered that perhaps those things and feelings aren't necessarily an either-or choice?"

"Helping you and you helping me are never in conflict."

Kiryu Yaya looked down at her and whispered, "Keiko—"

The sea breeze passed between the two.

She took another half step forward, pressing her body tightly against Kiryu Yaya, then buried her head in his chest, listening to his thunderous heartbeat: "Kiryu-kun, I'm not the Keiko who asked you at the hotel entrance if you could stay with me forever anymore."

1

"At that time, I was scared, lonely, and had just lost my father and was cornered by my uncle."

2

"But things are different now."

"I am standing here now because it is a choice I made after thinking it through."

The night wind, carrying the whispers of the waves, surged from the darkness, as if the breath of the entire sea was poured between the two of them.

Kiryu Yaya lowered his gaze, which fell on her upturned face.

He couldn't tell whether it was the sea breeze that softened his heart or the sincerity in her words that finally made him give up all distance.

He lowered his head and gently pressed his forehead against hers.

"Keiko, I heard you."

"I heard you."

Keiko Miyazawa's eyelashes trembled slightly, then she raised her head and gently tiptoed.

Kiryu Yaya did not hesitate any longer.

He aimed at Keiko Miyazawa's lips and gently pressed them against hers.

During that kiss, they both held their breath.

The moment their lips touched, it felt as if an electric current surged from where they met, running down their spines.

Kiryu Yaya could feel that her lips were slightly cool, carrying the lingering warmth of the sea breeze and a slight tremor.

"Are you nervous?"

Kiryu Yaya stepped back a few centimeters, but their noses were still touching. He jokingly asked Miyazawa Keiko.

Keiko Miyazawa pursed her lips; his warmth still lingered on them.

Her ears felt as hot as if they had been scorched by salt from the sea breeze. She looked away, trying to force herself to say, "No, I didn't."

But the moment the words left his mouth, they changed completely: "A little bit—after all, this—"

"It was my first kiss—"

Kiryu Yaya looked at her like this and suddenly smiled.

He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "If you're not familiar with it..."

"Let's do it one more time."

This time, it was as if they were afraid she would run away again.

Kiryu Yaya supported the back of her head with one hand and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her a step closer to him.

Keiko Miyazawa's knees buckled slightly, and she was pulled forward by his strength, almost falling into his arms.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her again.

Completely different from the previous tentative touch, this time he added some force, taking her lower lip into his mouth and gently sucking on it, as if savoring a freshly picked berry.

After her breathing became noticeably erratic, Kiryu Yaya stepped back slightly to let her catch her breath, then changed his angle and kissed her again.

At that moment, Keiko Miyazawa's mind went blank.

She had imagined many times what it would feel like if she and Kiryu Yaya actually kissed one day.

She imagined it would be very romantic and intense, like in the movies, with two people embracing, music playing, and the camera rotating.

But when it actually happened, she realized that all her imagination was in vain.

His lips were drier than she had imagined, carrying the night breeze and his faint warmth.

Kiryu-kun's kiss wasn't urgent; in fact, it could be described as a kind of patience that was unsettling.

Every touch seemed carefully considered, a tentative probe followed by confirmation before finally closing in, as if to kiss every inch of her soul.

Keiko Miyazawa slowly lost her strength amidst the fervor.

Her fingertips slowly loosened from the back of his neck, slid down to his shoulder, and then gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly.

Even so, she still responded to him awkwardly.

Her teeth bumped against his lower lip again; it was less of a bump and more of a flustered, soft friction.

Keiko Miyazawa felt as if her ears were filled with the echoes of ocean waves, the distant whistles of cargo ships, and the gurgling of water flowing among the rocks below the embankment.

All these sounds mingled together, eventually merging into a gentle hum.

But what was clearest was the temperature of his lips, and the breaths of the two of them mingling together.

Only after sensing that Miyazawa Keiko was somewhat exhausted did Kiryu Yaya slowly release her. He looked down at her, a hint of a smile in his eyes: "How was the second time?"

Keiko Miyazawa opened her eyes, blinked, and then looked away at the distant sea.

"What—how is it—?"

As she spoke, the redness at the base of her ears spread from her earlobes to her cheeks, as if dyed by the sunset.

"The feeling of being a second time."

Kiryu Yaya's voice held an even stronger hint of amusement.

"All you do is bully people."

Keiko Miyazawa took a deep breath and then glared at him sharply.

But that glance held no danger whatsoever; instead, her moist pupils were filled with the gentle glow of the distant harbor lights.

Then, she snorted, "Kiryu-kun, you're really going too far—"

"Hmm? What's wrong with that?"

"You know I'll be shy, yet you still asked. You're definitely doing it on purpose."

"That's right, I did it on purpose."

Kiryu Yaya admitted it with complete confidence, without even trying to hide it.

Keiko Miyazawa opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say in response.

"You—"

She struggled for a long time, but in the end, she could only manage to utter this half-sentence.

What's wrong with me?

Kiryu Yaya tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on her face.

Keiko Miyazawa turned her face away from him, but she forgot that he was still holding her hand, and her fingertips unconsciously curled up in his palm.

"You're too cunning."

Kiryu Yaya chuckled softly, offering no rebuttal.

He took a small half-step forward, and Miyazawa Keiko's back pressed against the railing on the embankment.

He lowered his head, his nose brushing against her earlobe.

"Am I cunning?"

The warm breath brushed against her ear, and Miyazawa Keiko almost instinctively shrank her neck and leaned closer to the railing.

"That----"

He paused deliberately, watching her earlobes visibly flush red: "So, do you like me when I'm cunning?"

That's a really bad question.

Keiko Miyazawa turned around abruptly, her face flushed red.

She opened her mouth, the words "I don't like it" were already on the tip of her tongue, but when she met his gaze so close to hers, she couldn't bring herself to say them.

She bit her lower lip.

"Asking a question you already know the answer to—"

The sound was so soft it was like a mosquito humming.

"Um?"

Kiryu Yaya deliberately brought his ear closer: "The wind was too strong, I couldn't hear you."

Keiko Miyazawa was so angry that she raised her hand and punched him in the chest.

"Kiryu-kun!"

The force was not strong; it conveyed more of a coquettish tone than annoyance.

Kiryu Yaya was punched by her, and he took the opportunity to grab her wrist and put her hand against his chest.

"Now I understand."

He looked down at her, his voice tinged with laughter: "It's love."

Keiko Miyazawa's breathing suddenly became erratic.

The sea breeze passed between the two of them, blowing her hair up and down.

She looked up at him, and after a long while, she spoke softly, "Then—from now on, you're not allowed to 'stop at the point' anymore."

Kiryu Yaya paused slightly, then chuckled softly and tightened his grip on her hand: "Okay."

"It's settled then."

Keiko Miyazawa looked up: "Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise?"

"Okay, pinky promise."

She released her hand from his grasp, extended her right little finger, and carefully held it up in front of him.

Kiryu Yaya looked at her for two seconds, then extended his little finger and hooked it with hers.

Then the two of them pulled at the same time, hooked together and swayed twice.

"stamp."

After Miyazawa Keiko finished speaking, she gently touched his thumb with her own.

Having done all this, she felt as if she had accomplished something extremely important. Satisfied, she let go of his hand, leaned back into his arms, and let out a long breath.

"alright."

"alright?"

"Yes, it's been stamped. You'll be punished if you go back on your word."

Kiryu Yaya couldn't help but chuckle: "What retribution?"

"I hope to be reborn as a seagull in my next life, and be fed by tourists at Osaka Port until I can no longer fly."

"—This retribution is actually quite cute."

"What's so cute about it? Seagulls only live for twenty years. I don't want you to live such a short life."

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