Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

The branch manager of Matsumoto leaned back in his chair, tapped his right fingers lightly twice on the table, and then stopped.

"How long has that new employee been with the company?"

"Less than a month."

"A new recruit on rotation noticed something suspicious about a case they'd been working on for two months?"

It's unclear whether the Matsumoto branch manager's statement was praise or criticism.

"Where's the data?"

Masakazu Yamada handed over the A4 sheet of paper with Kiryu Yaya's hand-drawn illustration.

The branch manager of Matsumoto took it and read it from beginning to end.

On the paper, the pencil-drawn chart of fund flows has clear lines and distinct arrows.

Next to each number, the source was indicated in small print: which page of the final accounts report, which line of the procurement list, and which section of the loan application.

The handwriting is neat and tidy, with no careless strokes.

He looked at it for about two minutes, then put the A4 paper on the table and looked up.

"Who's going to conduct an on-site investigation at Fuji Metals tomorrow?"

"Chihaya and Kiryu."

The branch manager of Matsumoto nodded.

"Once the results are out, report them directly to me."

This sentence means:

He personally oversaw this case.

The atmosphere in the conference room changed slightly.

The Osaka branch handles hundreds of financing applications every month. A sum of 30 million euros is not small at the branch level, but it is not enough to alarm the branch manager to personally intervene.

When Matsumoto Takahiro said this, he was clearly not referring to the case itself.

"Section Chief Yamada."

"Yes."

"After this new employee in your class finishes his rotation, I need his evaluation report."

Masakazu Yamada bowed slightly.

"clear."

The meeting continued.

The Debt Management Division reported on the collection progress of three companies in Higashi-Osaka last week, the Planning Division announced the adjustment of the credit policy for the main store next week, and the Sales Division reported on the expansion of new customers.

But after the meeting, as the section chiefs walked out of the meeting room, they were all whispering about the same thing.

"Kiryu, is he? A new rotational recruit?"

"Graduated from Tokyo University, no wonder."

"It has nothing to do with the University of Tokyo. There are many graduates from the University of Tokyo, but how many of them can spot this kind of problem during their job rotation?"

The message traveled from the fifth floor to the third floor, from the section chief's office to the department head's workstation, and from the break room to the printing room.

Finally, the entire bank knew:

A young man joined the financing department; he's quite remarkable.

……

However, Kiryu Yaya, who was caught in the eye of the storm, was completely unaware of the situation and was leisurely pretending to work at his desk.

The new employee on rotation was doing miscellaneous tasks, but since he was already familiar with all the bank's procedures, it didn't take him long to do them.

If this were a bank in your past life, you would just have to wait until it was time to leave work.

But that doesn't work in Japan.

Because Japan has a very bad tradition...

work overtime.

To be precise, it's "unpaid overtime," which the Japanese themselves call "sabisu zanzō."

There were no subsidies, no overtime pay, and we couldn't even say "I'm working overtime."

Because this would be seen as a betrayal of the company and a silent accusation against senior colleagues.

New employees must sit at their workstations and pretend they have a lot of unfinished work.

Even if you've already done everything you were supposed to do today.

You also have to pretend to be busy.

That's just brain-dead.

Kiryu Yaya glanced at the wall clock.

4:30 PM.

There's still half an hour until the designated end of the workday.

Just when Kiryu was suffering greatly.

The internal phone on the desk suddenly rang.

Chihaya Yuri answered the phone, responded twice, and then handed the receiver to him.

"Kiryu-kun, this is an outside call. A lady named Miyazawa is looking for you."

Kiryu Yaya paused for a moment as he took the receiver.

"Hey?"

"Kiryu-kun."

The voice on the other end of the phone was soft, carrying a bright, spring-like quality:

“It’s me, Miyazawa.”

"Ah."

Are you still busy?

Kiryu Yaya glanced at the files spread out on the table.

"I'm fine, what's wrong?"

A very faint breathing sound came from the other end of the phone. Miyazawa Keiko asked:

Are you free after get off work today? If you're not busy, would you like to go shopping together?

Chapter 11 Shinsaibashi

Exhausted from a long day, Kiryu-sensei didn't want to go shopping, and he was about to decline:

"I might..."

But before he could finish speaking, Keiko Miyazawa added:

"If you haven't had dinner, how about I treat you to some?"

Can I save a dinner?

Upon hearing this, Kiryu Yaya's style changed drastically, and he spoke with great passion:

"How could I possibly be unavailable today? I have to accept Miyazawa-san's invitation no matter what, but... I'll be getting off work a little late."

"Then I'll wait for you at the bank entrance!"

After a busy signal, Keiko Miyazawa hung up the phone.

What followed was endless waiting and painful pretense for Kiryu Yaya.

The workday is supposed to end at 5 PM, but no one in the financing review department left until 6:30 PM.

Because the section chief hasn't left work yet.

If the section chief hasn't left work, the department head can't leave early; if the department head hasn't left work, the director can't leave; if the director hasn't left work, ordinary staff can't leave work.

Even those people mentioned above haven't left work yet, so Kiryu Yaya, as a newcomer, has to stick to his post even more.

That's utterly stupid.

Kiryu Yaya cursed inwardly, finally seeing Yamada Masakazu walk out of the office.

He breathed a sigh of relief and waited a few minutes, watching as the department heads, including Chihaya Yuri, left one after another, followed by the directors, and finally the ordinary staff.

6:30 PM.

Kiryu Yaya finally got off work.

He stopped in front of the Osaka branch of Mitsubishi Bank, loosened his tie, and looked at the street in front of him.