Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

"will not."

Mizuna Yayoi paused for a moment.

Kiryu Yaya said:

“That was the right thing to do. You were doing it on behalf of Mr. Tamura, the business department, and the bank, keeping the mistake out.”

Mizuna Yayoi slowly loosened her grip on the chopsticks.

Kiryu Yaya continued:

"Many mistakes in banking happen when someone initially thinks 'it's almost there.' What you do in the morning is to stop 'it' from becoming a real mistake before it turns out to be a mistake."

Mizuna Yayoi lowered her head.

After a few seconds, she nodded slightly.

“In the past, I would probably apologize first and then do what others said.”

"But this morning, when I saw that the list and the photocopy did not match, I suddenly remembered what Kiryu-kun said: the materials sent out should be understandable to the recipient at a glance."

"If even I can't understand it, then there must be a problem."

Kiryu Yaya smiled.

"You're making rapid progress."

Mizuna Yayoi raised her head.

Her face was still a little red, but her eyes were much brighter than before.

"Will I be able to do it well in the future?"

"of course."

Kiryu Yaya answered quickly.

Mizuna Yayoi seemed surprised by his directness and remained stunned for a while.

Kiryu Yaya picked up a piece of crab meat omelet and casually taught her some precautions.

Yayoi Mina quickly pulled out her notepad from her pocket and jotted it down.

[World line converging - three forks selected]

[A cash reward of €2 has been deposited into the bank account]

Current bank account balance: €713,200

Kiryu Yaya was in a good mood as he looked at the system notification.

The meal tasted even better this time.

Seeing that he had finished his bento, Mizuna Yayoi had a very satisfied smile on her face.

"Tomorrow... oh no, tomorrow is Saturday."

She whispered:

"Then I'll prepare the bento boxes next Monday."

Kiryu Yaya originally wanted to say that it didn't need to be so complicated.

But after glancing down at the empty deluxe bento box, he finally nodded honestly.

"Then trouble you."

"Ok!"

……

4:30 PM.

Kiryu Yaya was organizing the post-loan inspection plan for Shiraishi Refrigeration Equipment when the outside phone on his desk suddenly rang.

He answered the phone.

"Financing Review Division, Kiryu."

A somewhat familiar, yet still somewhat reserved, female voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Kiryu-san, hello. I'm Ayako Shiraishi."

"Ms. Shiraishi."

Kiryu Yaya put down his pen.

"Is there a problem?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

Ayako Shiraishi's voice was softer than usual.

"Um... are you free this Saturday night?"

Kiryu Yaya blinked.

"Saturday?"

"Yes. Father and Mother would like to invite you and Huizi to our home for a meal."

As if afraid he would misunderstand, Ayako Shiraishi quickly added:

"It wasn't a formal occasion, and we weren't talking about work. My mother just said that she wanted to cook a meal herself to thank us properly."

Upon hearing the words "cook a meal yourself," Kiryu Yaya already had the answer in his heart.

A family like the Shiraishi family must have a decent dinner.

And it doesn't cost any money.

"I understand."

Kiryu Yaya's tone was calm:

"If it won't bother you, I'll be there on time."

The person on the other end of the phone visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's great. Keiko will be coming too."

"Ok."

"How about we meet at Fengzhong Station at 5:30 pm on Saturday? I'll pick you up."

"can."

"Then it's settled."

After hanging up the phone, Kiryu Yaya looked at the post-loan inspection plan on the table and suddenly felt that the air on Friday afternoon was a little lighter.

Dinner at the Shiraishi family's house.

Let's not talk about work.

Just eat.

It sounds like it's going to be a peaceful weekend dinner.

At least at this moment, that's what Kiryu Yaya thinks.

……

7 PM.

Kiryu Yaya left the Osaka branch of Mitsubishi Bank on his small motorcycle.

The night breeze in Osaka at the end of April still carried a slight chill.

Kiryu Yaya parked his bike in an empty space downstairs from the apartment building, locked it, hung his helmet under the handlebars, and checked the keys one last time.

Although the motorcycle was a system reward, it is already considered an important asset in his current financial situation.

It cannot be lost.

Kiryu Yaya's landlady is an elderly woman in her sixties named Matsushita. Her husband died years ago, and she lives off the rent from five or six apartments. She has only one daughter, but her daughter is married and lives in Tokyo and rarely comes back.

Mrs. Matsushita was very kind to him. Seeing that he was struggling financially, she often invited him to her home for meals.

However, Kiryu Yaya was afraid of troubling others, so he never agreed.

To get from the road to the apartment entrance, you have to go through a narrow alley.

The alley is not long, only fifty or sixty meters long, with concrete walls of apartment buildings and a row of iron racks for bicycles on both sides.

The streetlights at the alley entrance were dimly lit.

As Kiryu Yaya turned the corner, he saw a figure squatting on the steps at the entrance of the apartment.

A girl in a school uniform.

The skirt was ridiculously short, and black over-the-knee socks outlined her slender calves.

Her hair was dyed light chestnut brown and loosely tied at the back of her head, with a few stray strands hanging down on either side of her face. She was looking down with a tutoring textbook spread out on her lap.

The cover is printed with the words "代ゼミ".

The light from the stairwell shone through the glass door behind her, outlining her figure in a faint silhouette.