Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

Kiryu Yaya paused for a moment with his chopsticks.

How should I respond to that?

If I tell her now that that person is me, how am I supposed to explain why she's been calling me "senior" for so long? It's so awkward.

It's too complicated to explain.

Moreover, hearing someone praise you to your face is a situation that even the most thick-skinned person would find hard to resist.

Kiryu Yaya sighed and had no choice but to cover it up:

"Huh? There are such talented newcomers? I've never heard of them before."

Mizuna Yayoi let out a soft "Ah," a hint of regret in her voice.

"That's a real shame. I was thinking that since he works in the financing department, he must know him. I'll definitely ask him next time I have the chance, how can someone be so capable so soon after joining the company..."

Kiryu lowered his head and ate his rice, pretending not to hear the last sentence.

As they chatted, the two finished off their bento boxes.

Kiryu's portion was especially clean; not a single grain of rice was left, and he used the last bite of rice to soak up all the eel sauce.

Yayoi looked at the empty bento box he had eaten, and a more satisfied expression appeared on her face than when she had been praised for "deliciousness" earlier.

During their lunch break, the two went to the office of the financing review department.

Kiryu continued the lesson, and today's topic was ticket classification.

Yayoi had already prepared her notebook, pen tip resting on the paper, waiting for his first words.

Kiryu spoke slowly and deliberately, from payment commitment type to entrusted payment type, from promissory note to bill of exchange, pausing after each concept to wait for her to finish taking notes.

Yayoi's pen moved quickly across the notepad, occasionally glancing up to ask, "Is this related to the seal we talked about yesterday?" After asking, she would quickly lower her head again, as if asking questions required courage.

As the lesson ended, Kiryu put away his ballpoint pen and reminded everyone:

"By the way, that bento box doesn't need to be so elaborate tomorrow. Just something simple will do."

Yayoi Mizuna picked up the bento box, looked at Kiryu Yaya, and suddenly bowed deeply, saying very seriously:

"I'll prepare a bento for you as usual tomorrow!"

After saying that, she turned and ran towards the sales department, her short ponytail swaying behind her.

Kiryu watched her retreating figure and smiled helplessly.

The point of that sentence was clearly "be more ordinary," but she probably only heard "continue tomorrow."

Then he sat back down at his workstation and suddenly realized that he could get this kind of lunch in exchange for giving her a few pointers every day. Was this the most worthwhile deal he had ever made in his life?

……

Lunch break is over.

Kiryu sighed, picked up the can of Red Bull, and took a swig.

He heard familiar footsteps and looked up.

Chihaya Yuri sat down in her seat and said without looking up:

"Kiryu-kun, come here for a second."

Kiryu Yaya walked over and stood beside her table.

"sit."

Chihaya Yuri then took a form from the drawer and pushed it in front of him.

That was a "Departmental Allocation Request Survey".

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head, his gaze falling on the words "Financing Review Division" in the upper right corner of the form.

"I just went to see the section chief."

"Job rotation is a mandatory course for new employees. Under normal circumstances, you will spend at least six months in the financing review department, then rotate for six months each in the sales department and the planning department, and finally be assigned by the human resources department based on the evaluation of each department."

Her voice was very concise.

"But the section chief said that rules are rigid, but people are flexible. As a newcomer, there's no need for you to go through all the procedures step by step."

Kiryu Yaya looked at the form and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"You don't need to think too much."

Chihaya Yuri seemed to sense his hesitation.

"This is not special treatment; it's recognition of your abilities, but it also means higher expectations."

"If you stay in the financing review class, you will be dealing with not only documents and reports, but also all kinds of complex clients, increasingly difficult cases, and real responsibilities."

She paused for a moment and placed the last option in front of him.

"If you feel the pressure is too much, you can refuse now. We'll still keep the job rotation route open for you."

Kiryu Yaya reached out and picked up the form.

He read it over, then picked up a pen and neatly wrote the five characters "Financing Review Section" in the "Personal Desire" column.

Chihaya Yuri watched him finish writing the last word, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Then it's settled. The section chief has already spoken with the HR department, and the official document will be issued next week."

She put away the form and then picked up a folder from the desktop and handed it to him.

"This is Fuji Metals' case closure report template. You write the first draft and hand it to me before you leave work."

Kiryu Yaya took the folder, applying slight pressure with both hands.

"Yes, Section Chief Chihaya."

Review report on the financing application of Fuji Metal Industries, Ltd.

Kiryu Yaya laid the folder out on the table, picked out the smoothest-flowing ballpoint pen from the pen holder, and wrote the date in the upper right corner of the manuscript paper:

April 19th, Heisei 3 (1949)

Then he stopped, closed his eyes, and mentally reviewed everything he had seen at Fuji Metals that day.

The workshop was filled with the roar of machines, the workers' tired and numb eyes, the customer-supplied materials with mislabeled labels on the shelves, and the reddish and rusty scraps in the corner.

And there's the slightly trembling figure of Kenichiro Nomura kneeling on the cement floor.

He opened his eyes and began to write.

Chapter 18 Branch Manager's Summoning

The first paragraph is a summary of the case.

The application amount is 30 million euros, the purpose is equipment upgrade, the application date is March 15, 3rd year of Heisei, the examiner is Chihaya Yuri, and the assistant examiner is Kiryu Yaya.

The second paragraph describes the review process.

He listed three points: the time of the on-site investigation, the scope of the investigation, and the problems found.

Each one is followed by corresponding evidence:

Final settlement report comparison table, raw material present value assessment, and equipment supplier telephone confirmation records.

The third paragraph is the problem analysis.

He elaborated on this from three perspectives:

Abnormal procurement, inflated inventory, and hidden liabilities.

He paused here, then added a sentence to the conclusion section:

"The above three issues are related, and a comprehensive judgment indicates that the applicant has committed systematic deception in order to cover up its operational difficulties."

The fourth paragraph is the review conclusion.

He wrote very slowly, carefully considering each word.

"After on-site investigation, it was confirmed that the applicant had significant integrity flaws, including falsely reporting inventory, concealing liabilities, and misappropriating customer-supplied materials as its own assets. Based on Articles 3 and 7 of Mitsubishi Bank's Financing Review Standards, it is recommended that the loan application be rejected."

He paused here, read through what he had written from beginning to end, and then added a paragraph at the end.

"Furthermore, although the applicant Kenichiro Nomura engaged in deception, his business difficulties were mainly caused by drastic changes in the external economic environment, and not entirely due to his personal lack of management ability."

"It is recommended that the debt management department intervene and provide debt restructuring advice to the applicant while rejecting the loan. If Fuji Metals can complete the asset cleanup and business restructuring in the future, its financing eligibility can be reassessed when conditions are right."

After writing the last word, he put down his pen and checked the entire report from beginning to end.

There are no typos or grammatical errors.

Chihaya Yuri told him this morning that it was a report that needed to be reviewed by the section chief and the branch manager.

There can be no carelessness whatsoever.

He bound the report, stood up, and walked to Chihaya Yuri's workstation.

"Chihaya, the closing report for Fuji Metals is ready."

Chihaya Yuri looked up, took the report, and turned to the first page.

The office was so quiet that only the sound of turning pages could be heard.