Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

As dusk began to fall, the streetlights along Midosuji lit up one by one. The wind of late April blew in from the south, mingling with the noise of the crowds leaving get off work and filling the entire street.

Then, he saw Keiko Miyazawa.

She stood by a stone pillar outside the bank's main entrance, holding a beige handbag in one hand and gathering her long hair, which was being blown about by the wind, with the other.

She was wearing a light cherry blossom-colored cardigan over a plain round-neck top, and a knee-length dark gray skirt—very ordinary clothes that a girl would wear after get off work to go shopping.

But when she wears it, there's an indescribable beauty to it.

Although she had been waiting for a long time, Keiko Miyazawa did not show any impatience. She simply stood there quietly, tilting her head slightly, watching the neon lights on the rooftop of the building opposite Midosuji light up one by one.

"Sorry, have you been waiting long?"

Kiryu Yaya walked over quickly.

Keiko Miyazawa turned her head, saw it was him, and her eyes crinkled into a smile.

"No. I just arrived."

She paused, her gaze lingering on him for a moment, then smiled softly:

"Kiryu-kun looks quite convincing in a suit."

Kiryu Yaya looked down at himself.

Wearing a dark blue formal suit with the Mitsubishi Bank logo pinned to his left breast pocket, he certainly looked quite sharp.

At least it looks better than the cheap clothes he usually wears.

Kiryu Yaya smiled:

"Thank you for the compliment. Where shall we go for a stroll?"

Just taking a casual stroll?

"Okay, let's go."

As they spoke, the two walked into the evening crowd.

They walked south along Midosuji for a while, then turned left at the Nagahori-dori intersection towards Shinsaibashi.

That's one of Osaka's busiest shopping streets.

The Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street in 1991 still retained the unique vibrancy of the late Showa era.

An arched canopy about 600 meters long covers the entire street, and at night, fluorescent lights turn on one by one, illuminating the whole street.

The streets were lined with all sorts of shops.

Daimaru Department Store's South Wing occupies the best location at the street corner, with a huge spring clothing advertisement hanging on the exterior wall, and female models in dresses showing just the right smiles.

This is the first year after the bursting of the economic bubble.

The stock market has been plummeting since last year, land prices are also softening, and newspapers are discussing every day whether the "Heisei boom" is really over.

But on this shopping street in Shinsaibashi, those things seem to happen in another world.

Keiko Miyazawa walked beside Yaya Kiryu at a moderate pace, just shoulder to shoulder with him.

Unlike other young girls browsing the shopping street, she didn't look around aimlessly or stop in front of any shop windows, seemingly uninterested in the dazzling array of goods.

It seems she simply wanted to browse around.

Kiryu Yaya could understand this, after all, he had just experienced the grief of losing a close relative, and it was inevitable that he would be mentally exhausted.

Seemingly sensing the somewhat silent atmosphere, he casually asked:

"Where does Miyazawa-san work now?"

Keiko Miyazawa paused, raising her hand to gather her long hair, which had been blown about by the night wind.

"Me..."

"I originally planned to find a job after graduation, but after my father passed away, there was no one to manage the family business, so I had to bite the bullet and take the plunge myself."

"That must be very tiring, right?"

"There are some business matters to handle at home... They're big in some ways, small in others, but I'm not really in a position to say I've taken over yet. There are so many little things to deal with every day, and since I'm not very familiar with business matters, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed..."

Kiryu Yaya nodded and affirmed:

"That Miyazawa-kun is able to build a career on his own, that's already quite impressive, most people can't do that!"

Keiko Miyazawa turned her head slightly and glanced at him.

The lights of the shopping street fell on Kiryu Yaya's profile.

His expression was normal; there was no deliberate attempt to comfort him, nor any further questions. He simply said sincerely, "That's still amazing."

Keiko Miyazawa smiled gently:

"I feel more relaxed when I'm with Kiryu-kun."

Kiryu Yaya did not respond.

He was about to say something

A semi-transparent interface popped up in front of me.

[New life options have been triggered]

After her father's death, Keiko Miyazawa took over the business he left behind. The immense pressure, the complex situation, and the loneliness of having no one to confide in left her feeling almost suffocated. She asked you out tonight hoping for a brief escape, but your words touched her deeply.

At this moment, looking at her weary figure, you have three choices.

The options are as follows:

[Fork in the road 1: Stop interfering. You've already noticed her exhaustion, but in the adult world, some burdens must be borne alone.]

(Bonus: Bank deposit increased by €5000)

[Fork in the road two: Stop and look at her with deep affection, then tell her, "No matter what happens in the future, you won't be alone."]

(Reward: Bank deposit increases by €10, with a high probability of unlocking a romance route)

[Branch Three: Don't say much. Use your unique methods to help her relax, and use the simplest methods to help her unload the burdens in her heart.]

(Bonus: Bank deposit increased by €5)

Kiryu Yaya's gaze lingered on the three options.

Fork 1, 5000€€.

Fork two, €10 + romance.

Branch 3, 50,000 euros.

Kiryu Yaya made his choice almost without hesitation.

He pulled his hands out of his pockets, turned around, and looked at Keiko Miyazawa:

"Miyazawa-kun".

"Ok?"

"Come with me to a place!"

"what?"

Chapter 12 already said it wouldn't be a surprise.

Kiryu Yaya stopped walking along the Dotonbori River.

The river flowed slowly, almost still, two meters below their feet.

The neon lights on the opposite bank are reflected on the water, red, yellow, and blue, broken up and then reassembled by the water's ripples, like a jigsaw puzzle that can never be completed.

Keiko Miyazawa stood beside him, her hands gripping the railing, her gaze fixed on the fragmented light and shadow.

"Miyazawa-kun, taking over such a big business right after graduation must be very difficult, right?"

Kiryu Yaya's voice wasn't loud, but in the gaps between the sound of water and the distant noise, every word was clear.

The two continued their previous conversation.

"It is very difficult."

Keiko Miyazawa's voice was very soft:

“Nobody trusts me. They think a recent graduate can’t handle the business. When suppliers are chasing payments, their tone is completely different from before. Several long-term employees have also left, saying they don’t have a good outlook on the company’s future.”

“Recently, my uncle has been asking me to sign some documents, saying it's for bank procedures. I don't quite understand them, but something feels off about them.”

As she spoke, she sighed, gazing at the bright night sky, a hint of melancholy in her voice:

"The hardest part is that there's no one to talk to."

As she spoke, she suddenly looked at Kiryu Yaya, smiling and narrowing her eyes:

"Luckily, Kiryu-kun has been willing to keep me company these past two days, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to hold on."

Kiryu Yaya looked at her without saying anything, and like Miyazawa Keiko had just done, looked at the distant river.

A group of drunk office workers burst into laughter from the opposite bank of the river. The laughter bounced twice on the water before being swallowed by the night.

A cruise ship slowly sailed by in the distance, its lanterns appearing like a series of blurry ellipses in the darkness.