Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 247 Let's talk business, hitting people is wrong [Basic update 5k]

Kiryu Yaya closed his eyes, slowly outlining in his mind the possible steps the yakuza might take to intervene in the cooperative alliance:

The first step is to help a group of small and medium-sized enterprises that are experiencing operational difficulties stabilize their situation and gain their trust through financial assistance or order placement.

The second step is to gradually control the pool of funds and the settlement process of the group, requiring member factories to settle their payments through the group account under the guise of "improving efficiency," but in reality, to keep the cash flow in their own hands.

The third step involves using a cash pool to allocate orders and payments among member factories, creating false performance figures to help companies obtain loans from banks, and then taking a cut from the loans.

The fourth step involves the group acquiring the company's equipment at a low price under the guise of "disposal on behalf of the company" if the company defaults on its loans.

Land and customer resources.

If that's really the case.

It would be very troublesome for the bank to handle this combination.

There is evidence. With Marui's methods, as long as you pull out the bank statements of the group and the corresponding order relationships between the member factories, you can find out the truth every time.

The problem is that banks do not have the power to conduct mandatory investigations.

If the member factories of a group are located in different banks, and the loans involved are scattered among more than a dozen financial institutions, no single bank has the incentive to investigate individually.

Even if Mitsubishi Bank decides to initiate an internal risk investigation, the process requires first reporting to the head office, then coordinating with the legal and audit departments, and only then can the credit information of all member companies under the portfolio be retrieved.

This process will take at least a month, and a month is enough time for the group to reorganize the accounts.

Moreover, if the group really does have a triad background, the bank's senior management will assess the extent of the trouble before deciding whether to investigate further.

Because once an investigation is launched, the results may not only expose bad debts, but may also uncover more things that banks are unwilling to get involved in.

Moreover, banks have no incentive to get involved in this matter.

For banks, these loans are not a problem as long as they are still paying interest normally.

Banks will only be forced to intervene when the pool of funds in the portfolio can no longer sustain itself and widespread defaults begin.

But at that time, the person in charge was not necessarily who.

Therefore, if we wait for the banks to handle it, the best outcome for this combination is that it will slowly deteriorate, leaving behind a pile of bad debts and unemployed workers.

However, the crackdown on organized crime in Japan will not be effective until the "Organized Crime Countermeasures Law" is officially implemented next March.

This marked the beginning of the decline of Japanese yakuza organizations.

However, it wasn't until after 2010 that the problem was truly addressed.

Therefore, Terada's reminder was not unfounded.

Kiryu Yaya nodded: "Thank you for the reminder, Terada-san. I know what I'm doing."

After saying that, the four of them proceeded with the subsequent procedures.

He put the folder into his briefcase, then turned to Makiko Marui: "I will have the first draft of the letter of intent ready by tomorrow morning. If Ms. Marui has no objections, we can officially sign the contract the day after tomorrow."

Marui Makiko visibly relaxed: "Okay, okay, I'll wait for your news."

Keiko Miyazawa, who had been standing quietly beside Yaya Kiryu, turned to look at him and asked, "Kiryu-kun, shall we go back now?"

"Okay, I'll come again tomorrow."

Kiryu Yaya turned around and was about to walk towards the side door.

But at this moment.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the half-open roller shutter door of the workshop.

Then the roller shutter was lifted up from the outside.

Five people walked in.

The leader was a man in his early thirties, wearing a flashy Hawaiian shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a tattoo on his chest.

His hair was dyed light gold, and he had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth as he walked toward Makiko Marui with a smile.

Behind him were four equally reckless thugs.

At first glance, they all seem rather restless.

And then there was the one who whistled at Keiko Miyazawa as soon as he came in.

The workshop fell silent the moment the five people entered.

The sewing machines that were still running also stopped one after another.

The workers peeked out from behind the machine, then quickly looked away; no one dared to speak.

If it were other thugs, it would be fine, as some workers would always dare to step forward and help them out.

But they recognized these thugs; they were all members of the gang.

They are not to be trifled with.

The blond-haired man walked to the center of the workshop, his gaze sweeping over Makiko Marui's face before glancing at the documents on the table. He exclaimed, "Hey, Miss Marui, things' getting lively today. Any guests?"

Marui Makiko's lips moved slightly: "Mr. Matsuda—"

The man in front of me is Kenji Matsuda, a member of the secretariat of the West Fiber Industry Cooperative Association, who is in charge of the affairs of this generation of the association.

Kenji Matsuda pulled out the folding chair next to his desk, sat down casually, and crossed his legs.

Then his gaze swept over Kiryu Yaya and Miyazawa Keiko.

He then looked away and turned to Makiko Marui: "I heard that Ms. Marui wants to sell the factory?"

"Why didn't you tell the group about something this big first?"

"Our group has over thirty members. If any of them wants to transfer, merge, or dispose of equipment, they all have to go through the group's internal procedures first."

He paused, holding the unlit cigarette between his fingers: "Ms. Marui is so unruly, it's really difficult for me."

Marui Makiko gripped the hem of her work uniform tightly and said in a low voice, "Mr. Matsuda—my father is hospitalized, and the follow-up treatment will cost a lot of money. I can't keep the factory running by myself—"

"I understand selling the factory."

Kenji Matsuda nodded, his tone surprisingly showing some understanding, but then he changed the subject, saying, "But if we're going to sell, we should sell to a group first."

Marui Makiko said tremblingly, "But—but the price offered by the group is too low, twenty-five million yen—"

Twenty-five million.

It's less than half the market valuation.

After hearing this, Kenji Matsuda scoffed as if he had heard a joke, saying, "Twenty-five million? Is that a small amount? Ms. Marui, you should do the math. How did your factory get that loan last year? If it weren't for the group, your factory would have closed down last winter."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the sewing machines that had stopped in the workshop: "The group is now offering 25 million to take over, to help you unload your burden."

"Take this money, use it to treat your father's illness, pay off your debts, and you can rent a small apartment and live a peaceful life with the rest."

"Isn't this better than being drowning in debt and begging for help every day?"

Marui Makiko's lips trembled as she listened.

She knew that every word Matsuda Kenji said was a distortion of the truth, but she dared not refute it.

After finishing his sentence, Kenji Matsuda put the cigarette back in his mouth, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and waited for Makiko Marui's reply.

Marui Makiko's knees bent.

She knelt on the concrete floor of the workshop, her forehead pressed against the ground: "Mr. Matsuda—please—25 million is far too low—I need more for my father's continued medical treatment, the family's loan payments, and the workers' severance pay."

Her voice trembled with tears: "Just another ten million—no, five million will do—please, have mercy—"

Matsuda Kenji looked down at her, his smile slowly fading.

Then he stood up, looking down at the woman beneath him: "Ms. Marui, are you trying to bargain with me?"

"Do you know where the factory owner who haggled with me last time is now? He rented a shipping container to live in near Osaka Port. His wife ran off with someone else, and he sent his child to the countryside to be cared for by his grandparents."

He crouched down, looking directly at Marui Makiko's face, which was shrouded in fear and despair, and raised his right hand: "Today I'll teach you what rules are."

The next second, the slap, accompanied by a whooshing sound, was delivered.

Marui Makiko gasped instinctively and closed her eyes.

But a long time passed, and the pain on his face still hadn't returned.

She slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to find that Matsuda Kenji's right hand had been grabbed.

The one who caught him was naturally Kiryu Yaya.

Kiryu Yaya smiled and said slowly, "Mr. Matsuda, let's talk business. Hitting someone is wrong, don't you think?"

Matsuda Kenji frowned, trying to break free of his hand, but after trying for a long time, he found that he couldn't.

He glanced at his wrist, which was being held captive, then at Kiryu Yaya's young face: "Who the hell are you? How dare you interfere in my business?"

Kiryu Yaya did not let go, maintaining that posture: "I am the acquirer of Marui Fibers."

Kenji Matsuda stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"You're the one who's fucking shameless, aren't you?"

Kenji Matsuda stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Okay, very good."

He nodded and gestured with his chin toward the four thugs behind him: "Beat him up and teach this meddlesome brat a lesson."

The four thugs approached.

Marui Makiko was still kneeling on the ground when she saw this scene and suddenly raised her head: "Mr. Matsuda! This has nothing to do with them!" But Kiryu Yaya remained calm and simply reminded Miyazawa Keiko: "Keiko, step back and don't come any closer."

Keiko Miyazawa did not hesitate.

She quietly took seven or eight steps back to a cutting table, her gaze fixed on Kiryu Yaya without blinking.

She was very worried about Kiryu Yaya.

But she knew she couldn't be of much help.

Keiko Miyazawa looked around and quickly fell on the rotary dial telephone on the desk.

Without asking, she secretly dialed the number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

She lowered her voice and said, "Hello? Mr. Uesugi, it's me, Miyazawa. Please bring a group of people to Higashi-Osaka Marui Fiber immediately. It's dangerous, the sooner the better."

Although Kenji Matsuda noticed Keiko Miyazawa's subtle actions, he ignored them.

Because this kid in front of me is just too infuriating.

Kiryu Yaya, hearing Miyazawa Keiko calling for help, silently grabbed a wooden-handled mop from the side and stood protectively in front of her, saying, "Mr. Matsuda, we're all decent people. Let's use words instead of fists, or things might get messy." Matsuda Kenji, however, thought Kiryu Yaya was showing weakness. He rubbed his wrist and chuckled, "Hit him!"

"You brat"

One of the four thugs was bald. He cursed and swung his fist at them.

The bald man came on fiercely, but without any strategy or method; it was all brute force.

Kiryu Yaya showed no fear and did not even back down.

He simply gripped the wooden handle of the mop and gently tilted it upwards.

Snapped!

The wooden handle struck the inside of the bald man's forearm, deflecting the punch by half an inch.

Before the bald man could change his move, Kiryu Yaya flipped his wrist, and the mop handle pressed down with the momentum of the other man's forward movement, stabbing him squarely on the outside of his knee.

"what!"

The bald man's knees buckled, and he fell forward, his forehead hitting the cutting table next to him with a dull thud.

Then he lay there, hugging his knees, gasping for breath in pain.

The whole process took less than two seconds.

The remaining three thugs were stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this seemingly mild-mannered young man to act so swiftly.

"Attack together!"

Someone shouted.

The three men pounced on him one after another.

The one on the left grabbed a folding chair, swung it around, and threw it at Kiryu Yaya.

The remaining two were unarmed and tried to approach him.

Of the three, the thug who was swinging the folding chair arrived first.

The chair came whistling through the air, but Kiryu Yaya didn't take it head-on. Instead, he shifted his feet slightly and moved half a step to the left.

The chair slammed down almost flat on his shoulder, knocking over the hopper of a sewing machine next to him, scattering fabric and spools of thread all over the floor.

Taking advantage of the moment the chair slipped from his grasp, Kiryu Yaya flicked his wrist, sending the mop handle flying upwards and slapping the inside of the man's elbow with a sharp crack.

The excruciating pain caused the folding chair to fly out of his hands, and the man staggered backward, clutching his arm.

Kiryu Yaya turned around without stopping and walked up to the two remaining unarmed thugs.

One was still throwing a punch, and the other was trying to flank from the side, but they were too slow.

In Kiryu Yaya's eyes, there were flaws everywhere.

He slightly lowered his left shoulder, dodging a punch while simultaneously thrusting his right knee into the back of the man's leg, causing the man to grunt and immediately kneel down.

With his other hand, he pressed the mop handle down, using the force to push it forward, and accurately stabbed the third person in the upper part of his chest.

The man's breath hitched, and he staggered back several steps as if nailed to the spot, his back hitting the edge of the cutting table before he collapsed to the ground.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

Several workers peeked out from beside the sewing machine, then quickly withdrew.

The entire workshop fell silent, save for the wails of a few thugs.

The cigarette in Matsuda Kenji's mouth finally fell to the ground.

He stared at Kiryu Yaya in astonishment, seemingly not expecting the young man to be so skilled.

The same goes for Makiko Marui.

She remained kneeling on the ground, watching blankly as Kiryu Yaya effortlessly dealt with the thugs.

Mr. Terada took off his reading glasses and then put them back on, seemingly unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

Of all the people present, the most shocked was Keiko Miyazawa.

She stood beside the cutting table, the telephone receiver still in her hand, her whole body frozen in place, completely still.

Of course she knew that Kiryu Yaya was very capable.

From the moment she took over as president, Kiryu Yaya was by her side, helping her overcome countless difficulties.

After his father's death, his uncle's relentless pressure, and later, the events of Rinku Castle and Kouyu Tianyan.

He was in control of the situation.

Keiko Miyazawa thought she knew Kiryu Yaya well enough.

But to her utter surprise, this man used only a mop to take down three or four thugs in an instant.

Kiryu Yaya, who works at the bank, is always gentle, speaks slowly and deliberately, and does things methodically.

At this moment, however, he exudes a unique charm.

Keiko Miyazawa's heart.

It suddenly sped up a bit.

At this moment, Kiryu Yaya, who had his back to her, was naturally unaware of all of this.

He slowly walked up to Kenji Matsuda, the mop slanted at his side, and sighed, "Mr. Matsuda, you see, I told you, we're all decent people, if we can use words, we shouldn't use fists, but you just wouldn't listen."

"Now look what's happened, your brothers are all lying on the ground, aren't they?"

After being mocked by Kiryu Yaya, Matsuda Kenji's face turned constipated.

His gaze swept over the four thugs lying on the ground groaning, then settled on Kiryu Yaya: "Fine! Very well! You just wait!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flip phone, snapping the cover open with his thumb.

He pressed a few keys, held the phone to his ear, but kept his eyes fixed on Kiryu Yaya: "Hey? It's me, boss. Some clueless guy came to Marui's side and brought a woman to cause trouble—ten minutes, okay, boss, hurry up, bring more people, the faster the better."

After hearing something said on the other end of the phone, Kenji Matsuda hummed twice and hung up, putting his phone back in his pocket.

He took two steps back, creating distance between himself and Kiryu Yaya, then plopped back down in the folding chair and crossed his legs.

Kenji Matsuda even had the leisure to pick up the cigarette from the ground, put it back in his mouth, and then take out a lighter from his pocket and light it.

"Young man, I advise you to get lost now, it's not too late."

He tilted his head, his tone laced with bluff: "Our group has been around this area for over a decade, we know everyone on the streets. Even if you're good, how many can you take on? Five?"

Ten? Thirty or forty people are coming later, can you handle that?

Kiryu Yaya ignored Matsuda Kenji's bluff, turned his head, and asked Miyazawa Keiko in a low voice, "What did Mr. Uesugi say? How long will it take him to arrive?"

Keiko Miyazawa quickly estimated the distance and time, then lowered her voice and replied, "From the Miyazawa Group headquarters, taking the Hanshin Expressway and turning towards Higashi-Osaka, it will take at least fifteen to twenty minutes —"

Fifteen to twenty minutes.

Kiryu Yaya frowned slightly.

It's too late.

If Matsuda Kenji's men arrive in ten minutes, while their men are five to ten minutes late, by the time Uesugi Akio and his men arrive, it will be too late.

These people won't wait for both sides to arrive before they start fighting.

The principle of "striking first gives you the upper hand, while striking later brings disaster" has always been a guiding principle in the underworld.

This means that if Kiryu Yaya cannot find a replacement within ten minutes, the acquisition of Marui Fibers will likely fall through.

And at this very moment.

In Higashi Osaka, far from the city center, the only person he could think of who might have influence here was Kuroda Shuichi.

Kiryu Yaya kept his eyes down, showing no sign of anxiety on his face.

He nodded to Keiko Miyazawa to reassure her, then picked up the receiver and skillfully dialed a number.

The phone was answered after only one ring.

A cheerful voice came from the other end of the line: "Kiryu-kun? Calling me at this hour, it must be something important, right?"

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