Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

Chihaya Yuri put the organized documents aside and looked up.

Her posture was always perfect, her body ramrod straight.

So the off-white silk shirt suffered the most.

The first button at the neckline was fastened neatly, but starting with the second button, the fabric was stretched into a subtle tension.

"Kiryu-kun."

"Ah... yes."

"You arrived right on time today."

"Walk in at 8:55 when the roll call is opened. If you call roll even a minute earlier, you'll already be late."

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head:

"sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

Chihaya Yuri placed her hands together on the table.

"I just want to tell you one thing. In the banking industry, there's no difference between almost catching up and actually catching up. Whether you almost made it or you missed it, the result is the same."

She paused for a moment.

Do you know why that metal processing plant in eastern Osaka was denied a loan last week?

Kiryu Yaya raised his head.

"Just because their president was three minutes late."

“He said it was because of traffic. But the financing course doesn’t look at the reasons, only the results. A business owner who is late for a meeting is completely unqualified in terms of time management, crisis prediction, and respect for partners.”

"Lending money to such people is creating bad debts for banks."

Her gaze fell on Kiryu Yaya, like a ruler measuring his size.

"You're new here, so I'm telling you this today. But next time, I won't say it a second time."

Kiryu Yaya didn't refute it, nor was there any need to refute it, because that's just how the Japanese workplace is.

He bowed deeply.

“I’ve got it, Section Chief Chihaya.”

Chihaya Yuri glanced at him for two seconds, seemingly satisfied with his attitude, then looked away, picked up the documents on the table, and stood up.

“Come with me. I have an appointment with a client at ten o’clock. You can come and listen in and learn.”

Kiryu Yaya nodded:

"Ok."

Chihaya Yuri walked to the door and said without turning her head:

"A small or medium-sized enterprise that makes auto parts needs a loan of 30 million euros for equipment upgrades. I've reviewed their documents, and their fundamentals are fine. If all goes well, we can sign the contract this afternoon."

She opened the door and glanced at Kiryu Yaya:

"This is your first time going to a filming location with me. Observe more, listen more, and talk less. Understand?"

"clear."

Kiryu Yaya followed and said.

Section Chief Chihaya is a person who speaks precisely, sharply, and without holding back, but it's hard to say that she's wrong.

She wasn't deliberately making things difficult for herself, because she treated everyone equally.

……

The reception room for the financing review department is at the far end of the third floor.

Chihaya Yuri walked in front, with Kiryu Yaya following half a step behind.

The frosted glass doors on both sides of the corridor receded one by one, and occasionally faint conversations could be heard inside.

“Fuji Metal Industries, the section chief and I have been following up with this client for two months.”

Chihaya Yuri's voice was very low, only the two of them could hear it.

"The president is Kenichiro Nomura, 52 years old, and the company specializes in precision machining of automotive engine parts. Their main clients are Nissan and Matsuda, with whom they have been cooperating for over ten years. Looking at the financial statements, the company has stable cash flow, a reasonable debt structure, and sufficient guarantees."

"The purpose of the loan is to purchase new equipment."

Chihaya Yuri stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor; the sign on the door read "Reception Room 3".

She turned around and looked at Kiryu Yaya.

"Remember this: observe more, listen more, and speak less."

"Yes."

Chihaya Yuri reached out and pushed open the door.

A long, dark brown table, four leather chairs of the same color, and a neatly trimmed foliage plant against the wall.

A man was already sitting inside.

Kenichiro Nomura.

He was fifty-two years old, his hair was already gray, but it was neatly combed, and he was wearing a dark blue suit.

Upon seeing Chihaya Yuri enter, he immediately stood up, bowing more deeply than usual during a casual greeting.

"Chihaya, thank you for your help today as well."

His voice was a little hoarse, but his smile was very genuine, and deep lines appeared at the corners of his eyes.

"President Nomura, I apologize for keeping you waiting."

Chihaya Yuri sat down opposite him, and Kiryu Yaya sat to her right.

"This is Kiryu, who is in our financing class. He's auditing the class today."

The introduction to Chihaya Yuri is brief.

Kenichiro Nomura turned his gaze to Yaya Kiryu, and nodded with a smile:

"Kiryu-san, please take care of me."

Please take care of me.

Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly and casually activated "Banker's Eye".

Since Chihaya Yuri asked him to learn, he definitely had to immerse himself in the role. How could he possibly sign a contract without checking the information on the panel before signing?

【Kenichiro Nomura】

Age: 52

[Position: Representative Director and President of Fuji Metal Industries, Ltd.]

Annual salary: €1200 million (military personnel compensation)

【assets:】

1. Mitsubishi Bank's general advance payment: approximately €380 million

2. Sumitomo Bank standard deposit: approximately €210 million

3. Osaka Credit Union Regular Deposit: Approximately €500 million

4. Real Estate – Factory Land (Higashi-Osaka City): Appraised Value: Approximately 6000 million euros

5. Real estate – owner-occupied residence (Joto Ward, Osaka): appraised value approximately 4000 million yen.

Total assets: Approximately €609,400,000

[Liabilities:]

1. Mitsubishi Bank Business Funding: 5000 million euros

2. Sumitomo Bank Business Funding: 2500 million yen

"3. Mitsubishi Bank €€ Residential Loan (Self-House Loan): 1200 million€"

4. Illustrated Consumer Finance (Unsecured): 2300 million yen

"5. Promises Consumer Finance (Unsecured): 800 million yen"

Total liabilities: €118 million

Net worth: -€710 million

Looking at the asset interface, Kiryu Yaya's pupils contracted slightly.

アイフル、プロミス、アコム€€€€

These three companies are among the largest consumer finance companies in Japan, and they are known for their extremely high interest rates on unsecured microloans.

Annual interest rates are generally between 20% and 29%, and are figuratively called "usury" or "salad money".