Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 243 Kiryu-kun is truly an upright character. [Basic update 4k]

The short-haired female employee is named Nishino Haruka. She has been a regular at the business counter for two years and loves to gossip about the bank.

She pulled Yayoi Mina to the counter and whispered, "Mina-chan, guess what I just saw?"

Mizuna Yayoi had just delivered a stack of summonses and was still holding an empty folder when she was pulled by her, causing her to stumble.

"Nishino-senpai—what's wrong?"

Haruka Nishino whispered mysteriously in her ear, "Kiryu-kun just checked his account balance. Guess how much money he has?"

Mizuna Yayoi blinked but didn't answer, because she genuinely didn't know.

Haruka Nishino held up one finger and waved it in front of her: "One hundred million."

"One hundred million—?"

Mizuna Yayoi stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"To be precise, it is 103.4 million."

Haruka Nishino added, "One hundred million yen of it was just deposited this morning. The remitter was Keiko Miyazawa. Do you know her, Mina-chan?"

Why do you think she transferred so much money to Kiryu-kun?

When Yayoi Mizuna heard the name Keiko Miyazawa, she was slightly taken aback.

Of course she knew who Miyazawa Keiko was. Although she had never met her, she had seen the name many times when she was organizing the Miyazawa Group's information.

The new president of the Miyazawa Group.

Heir to the main family line.

She had seen the neat seals and the signatures at the end of resolutions, but she never imagined that this name would appear in her ears in this way.

"Mina-chan? Mina-chan?"

Seeing her lost in thought, Nishino Haruka waved her hand in front of her eyes: "Do you know her?"

Mizuna Yayoi snapped out of her reverie and nodded slightly: "—I guess I know. She's the president of the Miyazawa Group."

"Oh? Then tell me, why did she transfer so much money to Kiryu-kun?"

Haruka Nishino's eyes gleamed with gossip: "One hundred million yen! Even the company president wouldn't just transfer that much money to a bank newbie, would he? Is there something going on between them?"

"Nishino-senpai."

Mizuna Yayoi suddenly spoke, looking up at Haruka Nishino, trying to keep her tone calm: "Please don't ask me anymore, I don't know anything."

After saying that, she felt a little impolite, but still gave Nishino Haruka a slight bow: "I need to go to class to get some documents, so I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the stairwell, clutching the empty folder.

She heard Nishino Haruka and her colleague whispering behind her, as if they were saying something, but she didn't want to listen anymore.

Mizuna Yayoi stopped in front of the window at the corner of the stairs.

The sky outside the window was low and dark clouds piled up, as if it were about to rain at any moment.

Looking at her blurry reflection in the glass, she felt inexplicably sad.

She was thinking about a question at that moment.

This is a very important issue.

Miss Miyazawa ————

What exactly is Kiryu-kun's?

She looked up at her pale face reflected in the windowpane, and then remembered what Kiryu Yaya had said to her at the alley entrance the previous evening.

"Your expectations have never been superfluous to me."

"You have never been a burden to me."

"I will definitely do what I promised you."

These words were spoken so earnestly that they kept her immersed in a dream of springtime beauty all night long.

But----

I woke up this morning, and the dream was over.

Mizuna Yayoi closed her eyes, her forehead pressed against the cool glass.

Kiryu Yaya had just reached the third floor when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

etc----

One hundred million yen!

The transferor was Keiko Miyazawa, president of the Miyazawa Group, a client of Mitsubishi Bank.

Moreover, the money was transferred to him via direct bank transfer.

He stood there, closed his eyes, and a wave of vigilance washed over him.

He knew the bank's internal regulations better than anyone.

As employees of financial institutions, bank staff are prohibited from accepting large sums of money related to their business without authorization, and are even more prohibited from engaging in undeclared financial transactions with customers.

Keiko Miyazawa transferred the money as a friend and investor.

However, from the bank's perspective, as long as the Miyazawa Group remains a credit client of Mitsubishi Bank, and his work has intersected with the Miyazawa Group's business, this transfer naturally carries a red line.

More importantly, transferring the money to him would be useless.

According to Article 10, Paragraph 2 of Japan's Banking Law, banks may not engage in any business other than "ancillary banking business".

This requirement naturally includes bank employees as well.

Kiryu Yaya slapped his forehead, almost losing his head overwhelmed by the huge sum of 100 million yen.

In his original plan, the seed funding should have gone through the following process:

First, sign a formal investment agreement with Huizi to clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties and the use of funds.

Then, a legal entity account is opened in the name of the newly established company, and the money is injected into the new company in a compliant manner. The new company is then used to purchase equipment, lease factory buildings, and negotiate OEM cooperation.

Who knew Huizi would act so quickly, transferring the money before he could even finish explaining?

Kiryu Yaya shook his head helplessly.

All I can say is that Keiko is kind of adorably impatient.

Fortunately, there were no problems with this matter. He just needed to return the money and proceed according to the original plan.

Thinking of this, Kiryu Yaya quickly turned back, walking a few paces faster than when he came back.

However, as he reached the stairwell between the second and first floors, he suddenly caught a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

Mizuna Yayoi stood in front of the window at the corner of the stairs, facing the direction of the corridor.

She held a folder in her hands, her gaze lowered, fixed on the gray sky outside the window.

Kiryu Yaya slowed his pace.

He looked at her from a distance of several steps.

Although Mizuna Yayoi is somewhat introverted, Kiryu Yaya rarely sees her with such a forlorn expression.

Without hesitation, Kiryu Yaya softly called out, "Mina."

Yayoi Mizuna's shoulders trembled slightly, and she forced a smile: "Senpai—why did you come down?"

"I need to go to the branch office to take care of some business. What about you?"

"Okay, I need to take the documents to the second floor."

Yayoi Mizuna lowered her head, her voice softening slightly: "Senpai—I'll go first."

"Wait!"

Kiryu Yaya frowned slightly as he looked at her. He first called out to her, and then used his skill "Mind Perception".

"Mindful perception"

When interacting with the opposite sex, one can vaguely perceive the other person's true feelings.

In an instant, the world fell silent.

The unspoken words that Mizuna Yayoi kept buried in her heart flowed silently into his mind like a gentle stream:

<Miss Miyazawa—Who is she to Kiryu-kun?>

(100 million yen — even if you're very close, you wouldn't just transfer 100 million yen to a colleague, would you?)

(Yesterday evening, my senior said, "I've never been a burden to you," and I felt as happy as if I were dreaming.)

But after hearing those words today, I suddenly realized that I might have been too arrogant.

Perhaps I'm just a close, ordinary friend of yours.

(I was indeed too naive.)

Is it because of Keiko's situation that you're upset?

After understanding the root of the problem, Kiryu Yaya breathed a sigh of relief.

What could it be?

He glanced at the stack of folders in Yayoi Mina's arms and asked, "Mina, are those files urgent?"

Yayoi Mizuna paused slightly, looked down at the folder in her arms, and gently shook her head: "No rush—it's just information I need this afternoon."

"That's perfect."

Kiryu Yaya smiled at her: "Come with me to the service center. This matter is a bit troublesome, and it would be best if you could be there for me."

Yayoi Mizuna paused for a moment, then asked, "What is it?"

"Well, it's safer if you come with me for this money transfer."

Kiryu Yaya said it very naturally.

Mizuna Yayoi stood there, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay."

The two walked down the stairs one after the other, passed through the first-floor lobby, and arrived at the window where Kiryu Yaya had checked his balance earlier.

The female employee behind the counter is named Yamamoto Ami. She is a meticulous and efficient young woman in her late twenties.

She was slightly surprised to see Kiryu Yaya return with Yayoi Mizuna by his side: "Kiryu-kun, is there anything else?"

Kiryu Yaya stood in front of the counter: "Yamamoto-san, could you please return the remittance from the Miyazawa Group to the original payment method?"

Yamamoto Ami paused for a moment: "Return it—? Kiryu-kun, the money has already been deposited into the account."

"I know."

Kiryu Yaya nodded and patiently explained, "But this money is a bit special."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "President Miyazawa previously offered me a thank-you payment for handling several cases involving the Miyazawa Group."

"I felt this was a non-business-related personal favor, and the amount was quite large, so I declined it at the time."

"But when I checked the accounts today, I found that she had still transferred the money. I have contacted her to confirm and refunded the full amount. The funds have been returned to the original account. I'm informing you to avoid any further misunderstandings."

Yamamoto Ami listened, stunned.

She had worked at the counter for many years and handled countless transfers, but this was the first time she had encountered a situation like this where "100 million yen was deposited and then the person voluntarily requested to return it."

"Um—Kiryu-kun, are you saying that this money was transferred to you personally by President Miyazawa as a thank-you payment?"

Her tone was a little cautious.

"right."

Kiryu Yaya nodded: "But as you know, for us in the banking industry, large sums of money are absolutely not allowed to be transferred between us and our clients."

Yamamoto Ami nodded slowly, then asked, "I understand—so, do you need me to write a reason for this return?"

"Just write 'The remitter voluntarily requested a refund.' I'll report this to the section chief later."

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

Yamamoto Ami lowered her head and began to operate.

Taking advantage of this break, Kiryu Yaya smiled and said to his colleagues around him, "Sometimes customers are really too polite, but as bank employees, we still have to stick to our bottom line."

After saying that, Kiryu Yaya led Yayoi Mizuna away from the counter.

Right after the two left, chattering started up again behind the counter.

Haruka Nishino almost whispered, "No way? A refund of 100 million yen? That's 100 million yen! Kiryu-kun just gives it away like that?"

Yamamoto Ami didn't look up, but her voice sounded somewhat surprised: "Yes, the refund has been processed. Kiryu-kun is really an upright person, returning so much money so easily."

Haruka Nishino, however, didn't care about anything else. She turned her head and exchanged a glance with her colleague at the next window. The colleague mouthed, "Really retired?"

Haruka Nishino nodded slightly, her eyes conveying, "This person is just too outrageous."

Gossip in banks never needs approval.

Before Kiryu Yaya and Yayoi Mizuna could walk far, the whispers from the windows next door had already spread in circles.

"Did you hear? Kiryu-kun from the Financing Review Division just checked his account and found an extra 100 million yen, so he voluntarily returned it."

"One hundred million yen?! Who shared this?"

"The new president of the Miyazawa Group."

"Huh? Isn't that the one from the Miyazawa case—?"

"Yes. I heard it was a thank-you payment that President Miyazawa personally transferred to him, but he didn't accept it and returned it on the spot."

"Really? One hundred million yen! — If it were me, I'd hesitate for at least three days, right?"

"That's why they can handle so many big cases, while you can only count bankbooks here."

"Hello!"

Walking beside Kiryu Yaya, Yayoi Mizuna was unaware of the gossip her colleagues in the sales department had about him.

Even if she knew, she wouldn't care.

Because at that moment, she only had one thing on her mind.

That means the relationship between Ms. Miyazawa and Mr. Kiryu doesn't seem to be as close to what she imagined.

She originally thought that the 100 million yen was proof of some special relationship between Ms. Miyazawa and Mr. Kiryu.

She had even mentally prepared for the worst.

That might have been a token of love from Ms. Miyazawa to Mr. Kiryu, or perhaps the beginning of some kind of intimate relationship.

In short, that feeling made her feel like she was just an observer.

But now, regardless of the process, Kiryu-kun has actually taken the initiative to return the money.

This completely destroyed the foundation of Yayoi Mizuna's original sorrow.

The two walked out of the main hall side by side and through the short corridor leading to the side door.

It's a quiet place, almost deserted, perfect for whispering secrets.

Mizuna Yayoi remained silent, simply walking quietly beside Yaya Kiryu.

Kiryu Yaya stopped and turned around after passing the waist-high green plant at the end of the corridor and confirming that there was no one else around.

"Mina."

"----senior."

Mizuna Yayoi stopped, looked up, and met his gaze.

Kiryu Yaya looked into her eyes and asked with concern, "You didn't look well just now. Is something on your mind?"

Mizuna Yayoi's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she hadn't expected him to ask such a direct question.

But the concern from Kiryu Yaya still warmed her heart.

She smiled and shook her head: "I'm sorry to have worried you, senior. It's nothing. If there is anything, it's probably just that the weather is too depressing today?"

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