Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

Page 28

"Take a look at this."

Kiryu bowed his head.

The file title is:

Analysis of the Equity Structure and Financing Use of Shiraishi Refrigeration Co., Ltd.

He sat down and turned to the first page.

The morning passed by amidst numbers and documents.

Noon.

Just as Kiryu Yaya rubbed his eyes, footsteps suddenly came from outside the corridor.

A girl with a short ponytail peeked in.

"S-Senior? You were here after all!!"

Mizuna Yayoi stood at the door holding a cloth bag.

She wasn't wearing her uniform vest today, but rather a light blue shirt and a dark gray skirt.

Upon seeing Chihaya Yuri in the financing review class, she froze for a moment as if a pause button had been pressed, and then immediately stood up straight.

"Thank you for your hard work, senior!"

Chihaya glanced at her, recognized her as the new employee in the sales department, and nodded.

"Are the sales department also working overtime?"

"Yes, yes! Section Chief Takei said that the data for the end of the month needs to be organized in advance..."

As Yayoi Mizuna spoke, her voice grew softer and softer.

Chihaya didn't ask any further questions. She simply hummed in agreement and continued looking down at the documents.

Yayoi Mizuna then carefully walked to Kiryu Yaya's side and placed the cloth bag on the corner of his table.

"Senior, this is today's bento."

Kiryu Yaya opened it and took a look.

Salmon rice balls, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), fried chicken, spinach and sesame seeds, and two cherry tomatoes were arranged neatly.

It was also a very luxurious meal.

"Thank you."

Mizuna Yayoi's eyes curved into a smile.

"I'll head back to the sales department now. Good luck to you today, senior."

She had just turned around when she heard the voice of a director from the financing department in the corridor.

"Ah, Kiryu-kun, you're here on the weekend too."

Kiryu also looked up.

The director, carrying the documents, walked by and said with a smile:

"I heard you're the new guy from the Fuji Metals case, right? You've only been here for less than a month and the branch manager already remembers your name, that's impressive."

Chapter 22 Driver's License in Hand

After the department head finished speaking, he walked away with the documents in his arms.

At the entrance to the financing review office, Mizuna Yayoi stared at Yaya Kiryu, her expression frozen as if struck by lightning.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Kiryu Yaya.

"Senior? You...you?"

Kiryu Yaya remained silent for two seconds.

"Strictly speaking, I was your classmate. I'm sorry... I've always wanted to say this... but I never had the chance."

Mizuna Yayoi's face gradually turned red.

The redness spread from the tips of her ears to the base of her neck.

"Were we from the same cohort, senior?"

"I've always called you 'senior'...and asked you to teach me how to organize materials...I used honorifics...and even made you a bento box..."

She suddenly covered her face with her hands, her whole body looking like it was about to burst into smoke.

"How could I have been mistaken for so long... I should have known on my first day... But, but I never imagined that my colleagues could be so amazing..."

"I'm so sorry, so sorry! I kept calling my fellow students 'seniors' and even praised them to their faces. Doesn't that imply you're not a newcomer? Was what I said strange? I'm so sorry..."

Chihaya Yuri sat not far away, turning a page of documents.

She didn't look up, but simply said:

"In banks, seniority is not only judged by the length of time someone has been employed, but also by their abilities."

Mizuna Yayoi was stunned.

Chihaya Yuri raised her eyes.

"Kiryu-kun is certainly qualified to teach you about banking."

After saying that, she continued to look down at the documents.

Kiryu Yaya gave Chihaya Yuri a grateful look; thankfully she came to his rescue, otherwise things would have been very difficult to handle.

Yayoi Mizuna stared blankly at Chihaya Yuri, then looked at Kiryu Yaya.

Suddenly, her face turned even redder, and she asked softly:

"Then, can I call you Kiryu-kun at the bank, and in private... in private I can still call you senpai?"

Kiryu Yaya hadn't had a chance to answer yet.

The semi-transparent text suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[New life options have been triggered]

[Yayoi Mizuna finally realized the misunderstanding about how she addressed him.]

To her, you are both a contemporary and a senior. Your answer now will determine the distance between you in her future interactions.

[Fork in the road 1: Seriously correct her, saying, "We're in the same cohort, so you don't need to call me 'senior' anymore."]

(Reward: Bank deposit increased by €1; Yayoi Mina's affection level decreased)

[Branch 2: Gently accept her form of address, saying, "At the bank, I'll call you Kiryu-kun; in private, I'll call you whatever you like."]

(Reward: Bank deposit increased by €2; Yayoi Mina's affection level slightly increased)

[Branch 3: Deliberately putting on a stern face, he said, "Since you're calling me senior, you'll need to be more careful with the bento boxes and documents from now on."]

(Rewards: Bank deposit increased by €3; Yayoi Mina's affection level greatly increased; Chihaya Yuri's affection level slightly decreased)

Kiryu Yaya was silent for a second.

In situations like these, making the wrong choice can be more troublesome than failing the financing review.

So he thought about it:

"If the lunch contract remains in effect, that's fine."

Mizuna Yayoi nodded vigorously and clenched her fist forcefully:

"It works! It's always effective!"

"Um... Kiryu-kun, I'll come pick up the empty lunchbox later! You can continue with your work!"

After saying that, she ran away with the empty cloth bag as if she were running away. In the corridor, you could still hear her muttering to herself, "So embarrassing, so embarrassing."

You chose branch two.

[Bank deposits increased by €2]

Kiryu Yaya watched her retreating figure and chuckled softly.

Chihaya Yuri suddenly said:

"Kiryu-kun."

"Yes."

"After finishing my bento, I'll continue reviewing the documents."

"……Yes."

Kiryu Yaya's face fell.

Banks on weekends are indeed devoid of warmth.

……

Sunday morning.