Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

“Seiji Shiraishi 38%, Shiraishi family 12%, Takao Shiraishi 28%, Morikawa Sangyo 12%, and employee stock ownership plan 10%.”

She closed the shareholder register.

"It certainly doesn't seem like a simple equipment loan."

Masakazu Yamada said:

"The branch manager's idea is to compile the preliminary review questions tonight. When we go to the site on Monday, we can't just look at the cold storage and equipment; we need to look at the equity, guarantees, and execution procedures as well."

"Yes."

……

The discussion in the financing review class continued into the evening.

It was 7 p.m., and no one had left yet.

At 8 p.m., Masakazu Yamada stood up from his section chief's seat and went to the break room to pour himself a cup of coffee that had already been brewed until it was bitter.

When he walked back with his cup, he paused for two seconds next to Kiryu Yaya's workstation, glanced down at the densely packed forms on his desk, said nothing, and then went back with his coffee.

Kiryu Yaya drank a bottle of strong Red Bull at noon, and is still full of energy, maintaining a high-intensity work state.

Indeed, "your energy is beyond your imagination."

This made Chihaya Yuri, who was sitting next to her, turn her head to look.

Three tea bags were already stacked next to her own teacup, and her temples were throbbing slightly, while the newcomer next to her worked at a pace that never slowed down from beginning to end.

Doesn't this guy ever get tired?

Nine o'clock in the evening.

Only the breathing of the three people and the occasional rustling of papers remained in the office.

Kiryu Yaya placed the organized documents on Chihaya Yuri's desk.

"Chihaya, the preliminary list is ready."

Chihaya Yuri raised her head.

Her eyes were a little dry, and she blinked before focusing on the documents on the table.

"Is it all packed?"

She assigned Kiryu Yaya a workload that lasted for both Saturday and Sunday.

Kiryu Yaya nodded:

"While my thoughts were still clear, I got everything sorted out."

Chihaya Yuri quickly picked up the documents on the table.

First copy:

Preliminary Risk Memorandum for the Financing Proposal of Shiraishi Refrigeration Co., Ltd.

Second copy:

Breakdown of the Use of Funds from the Joint Financing between Shiraishi Refrigeration and Shiraishi Seiji

Third copy:

Implementation Timeline Before Golden Week

Fourth copy:

List of Supplementary Materials for On-site Investigation

Fifth document: ...

She flipped through it very quickly.

Masakazu Yamada walked over with a cup of coffee.

"what happened?"

Chihaya Yuri didn't answer, but simply handed him all the documents.

Yamada Masakazu looked down and his eyes widened as well:

"It's all done?"

He looked at Kiryu Yaya in disbelief:

"Kiryu-kun, did you tidy all this up tonight?"

Kiryu Yaya nodded:

"Yes. It's just a preliminary version, and it still needs to be revised by Section Chief Chihaya and the Division Chief."

He spoke calmly, without any hint of boasting.

Masakazu Yamada looked at Yuri Chihaya.

"Chihaya, what do you think?"

Chihaya Yuri closed the memo.

"The framework is usable."

She paused, then added:

"It's more complete than I expected."

The fact that these words came from Chihaya Yuri's mouth is enough to demonstrate the high quality of these documents.

Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly.

"Thank you, Section Chief Chihaya."

Masakazu Yamada looked at him repeatedly, as if he were looking at a freak.

Chihaya Yuri didn't respond. She put the documents away again and began assigning tasks for Monday's field investigation.

"The section chief is responsible for confirming the financing background, existing borrowings, and the relationship with the main transaction bank with President Shiraishi."

"I am responsible for equity, guarantees, and contracts."

"Kiryu-kun, come with me and focus on Shiraishi Takao's 28% stake, Morikawa Sangyo's 12% stake, the employee stock ownership plan, and the equipment situation at Dojima Cold Storage."

Kiryu Yaya nodded.

"clear."

Masakazu Yamada glanced at the clock:

"That's all for today."

Kiryu Yaya was slightly taken aback.

In the bank, it's rarer for a section chief to say "I'm here today" than for a bonus.

Masakazu Yamada seemed to have read his mind.

"Don't look at me like that. The real busy period starts on Monday."

Kiryu Yaya immediately stood up straight.

"Yes."

……

Saturday morning.

Mitsubishi Bank's Osaka branch is not open to the public.

The main entrance's roller shutter was halfway down, with only the staff entrance on the side open.

The traffic on Midosuji was much lighter than on weekdays, with only the occasional taxi driving by on the empty lanes, its exhaust sound quickly fading into the morning air.

Kiryu rode his Bridgestone bicycle to the bank entrance, locked it, and swiped his card to enter through the staff entrance.

The hall was empty.

There were no customers queuing, no sound of female clerks stamping documents at the window, and no sound of male clerks carrying vouchers in the business department.

On weekends, banks are like a giant animal that is temporarily asleep.

But the lights in the financing review office on the third floor were already on.

Chihaya Yuri arrived even earlier than him.

She sat at her workstation, her desk tidy, files spread out, and a red pen, pencil, ruler, and calculator lined up in a row.

She didn't wear a suit on the weekend, but only a dark gray knit sweater with the cuffs slightly rolled up above her wrists, revealing a section of her neatly shaped forearm, giving her a more homely feel.

"8:50."

She looked up at the wall clock.

"We didn't scout the location this time."

Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly.

"Thanks to the department head's guidance."

Chihaya Yuri ignored his politeness and pushed a document towards him.