Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

Seiji Shiraishi sat up straight.

"Five hundred million euros."

Chapter 20 Cases of Defense of Control

Five hundred million.

After Seiji Shiraishi stated the number, there was a moment of silence in the reception room.

Kiryu Yaya's heart skipped a beat.

From 30 million to 500 million for Shiraishi Refrigeration.

This career advancement happened much faster than he had imagined.

[World line converging - fork two selected]

The skill "Shortcut to Road Traffic Laws" has been unlocked.

This skill enables the user to quickly master common knowledge points in the Japanese Road Traffic Law's licensing exam.

Kiryu Yaya looked at the prompt in front of him, his feelings were somewhat complicated.

Original payment is waived.

The system certainly knows how to pick its time.

He was worried that his Honda Super Cub was stuck in the system space and he couldn't ride it.

But now is not the time to think about getting a driver's license.

The branch manager of Matsumoto closed the folder and looked at Masakazu Yamada.

"Section Chief Yamada, this case will be initially reviewed by the Financing Review Division."

"Yes."

"Chihaya, the chief judge, and Kiryu, the assistant investigator."

Kiryu Yaya was slightly taken aback.

Auxiliary investigation?

Why would someone like him, a newcomer who had only been with the company for less than a month, be involved in a case worth 500 million euros?

Perhaps they considered that the Shiraishi family came because of their connection with them.

Otherwise, a typical newcomer would never be able to get involved in such a major case.

The branch manager of Matsumoto seemed to notice his surprise and calmly said:

"Kiryu-kun, you did a great job with the Fuji Metals case. But 30 million and 500 million are not in the same league."

He looked at Kiryu Yaya.

"This time, we must watch carefully and learn diligently."

Kiryu Yaya immediately stood up straight.

"Yes, branch manager."

Seiji Shiraishi took out several more folders from his briefcase and neatly placed them on the table.

Shiraishi Refrigeration Co., Ltd. - Financial Statements for the Past Three Periods

Transcript of the Land and Building Register of the Dojima Cold Storage

Major Client Transaction Details

Shareholder Register

When he saw the last four words, Kiryu Yaya's gaze paused for a moment.

Shareholder register.

While seeking stable financing, they proactively brought along a list of shareholders.

This is quite subtle.

For most companies applying for equipment upgrade loans, the most important documents are the balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, equipment quotation, and guarantee documents.

Of course, you can also view the shareholder register.

But it's definitely not something they'll proactively bring up in the first round of interviews.

Unless the loan is truly intended to address not the equipment issue, but the equity issue.

Kiryu Yaya glanced at Shiraishi Seiji without making a sound.

Seiji Shiraishi maintained the composure and politeness typical of a middle-aged business owner, but his fingers lightly pressed the edge of the shareholder register folder, revealing a hint of nervousness.

Kiryu Yaya's mind stirred.

[Skill "The Manager's Obsession" activated]

The next instant, a thought that did not belong to him surfaced in his mind like a piece of driftwood carried by the tide.

<That idiot Takao Shiraishi actually pledged 28% of his shares to a financing company affiliated with Daiwa Securities for stock speculation, and now the deadline is fast approaching.>

<Kuroda, the developer of the Kansai City Development Company, has his eye on the Dojima Cold Storage facility. That guy knows nothing about cold chain logistics and doesn't care about his employees; he just wants to demolish the cold storage and turn the land into commercial buildings.>

The company my father left behind cannot be destroyed in my hands.

Please, even if it's just this once, let me hold on.

Kiryu Yaya's eyes darkened slightly.

really.

The core of Baishi Refrigeration's 500 million yuan financing is not equipment upgrades at all.

It is a share pledge.

Takao Shiraishi, 28% stake, Daiwa Securities-affiliated financing company.

Kansai urban development, Kuroda.

A few keywords are enough to piece together most of the story.

Masakazu Yamada opened the documents and asked:

"President Shiraishi, the application states that it's for operational stabilization funds and equipment upgrade funds. Could you please explain the specific uses of the 500 million euros?"

Seiji Shiraishi sat up straight.

"Yes. Of the 500 million euros, 90 million will be used to replace existing loans from the Osaka Credit Union, 90 million will be used to upgrade the cold storage compressor units and temperature control system, and the remainder will be used for capital policy adjustments and working capital replenishment."

"Capital policy adjustment?"

Masakazu Yamada's eyebrows twitched.

In bank loan applications, this word is almost synonymous with "I can't say".

Seiji Shiraishi paused for a moment.

"Yes, some information regarding the company's shareholding structure."

Takahiro Matsumoto raised his eyes.

"Does restructuring the equity structure require more than 300 million?"

Seiji Shiraishi paused for a second, then lowered his head and said:

“This part is rather complicated, and I hope to explain it to your bank in detail during the formal review.”

The room fell silent.

This answer is very Japanese.

Polite, reserved, and leaving room for maneuver.

But to bankers, the meaning is quite clear.

It's not convenient to talk about it now.

Or rather, they didn't want to tell Miyazawa Keiko and Shiraishi Ayako everything.

Matsumoto Takahiro didn't press further, he simply nodded.

"Sure. The formal review will be handled by the Financing Review Division."

Seiji Shiraishi bowed deeply.

The bow was lower and lasted longer than a standard business bow.

"Please help me, everyone."

Keiko Miyazawa sat beside him, but her gaze remained fixed on Yaya Kiryu.

She originally thought that introducing Kiryu with a €500 million financing deal was giving him a chance to prove himself.

But now, sitting in the reception room, listening to terms like "capital policy" and "equity structure," she slowly realized that she had probably oversimplified things.

Kiryu Yaya noticed her gaze.

He didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.