Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

He never expected that he would be able to send his old subordinate to the head office before retiring.

That's the Tokyo flagship store.

It was a place that was both desirable and unattainable for him.

Kiyomasa Ogaki recalled that when he first came to the Osaka branch, he was full of confidence, thinking that one day he would try his luck at the head office.

But for newcomers, and even for seasoned veterans with two or three decades of experience, this is still the moon shining brightly in the sea.

Unattainable.

By the time his younger brother became the head of the personnel department at the main store, he was already over fifty years old.

At this age, it's basically a matter of waiting for retirement; there's no hope for advancement.

This time, he was able to take the position of branch manager before retiring, thanks to Kiryu Yaya.

If it weren't for his suggestion, I would never have been able to sit in this seat in my life.

Thinking of this, Kiyomasa Ogaki couldn't help but feel a little envious of his old subordinate.

When he was the head of the finance department, Masakazu Yamada worked under him.

He was well aware of Yamada Masakazu's abilities.

In the talent-rich Mitsubishi Bank, he could only be considered average.

Although he rose to the position of section chief through diligence and honesty, he has not achieved any outstanding results over the years.

Back when Kouyu Tianyan was the head of the financing department, his performance far surpassed that of Yamada Masakazu.

Kiyomasa Ogaki originally thought that the upper limit of Masakazu Yamada's life was that he would retire as a branch manager, just like he had before.

Unexpectedly, this guy was incredibly lucky and ended up running into Kiryu Yaya, this freak.

Just because Kiryu Yaya had worked under him for a few months and owed him a favor, Kiryu Yaya actually wanted to help him become the deputy manager of the main store.

That's the deputy manager of the main store!

Although she is on the same level as the branch manager, the head office is the head office, and is naturally superior to the branch.

Most importantly, given Yamada Masakazu's current age, if he were to become the deputy general manager of the main store, he could be transferred to a branch store as a manager and promoted to general manager based on his resume.

This is basically a predictable development path.

If he's lucky, Masakazu Yamada might be able to get a chance to sit on the board of directors before he retires.

Director of Mitsubishi Bank

That was something that Kiyomasa Ogaki would never have dared to dream of in his entire life.

He sighed inwardly, then looked at Masakazu Yamada in front of him, smiled, and said:

"Yamada, I have good news for you this time."

Upon hearing this, Masakazu Yamada was completely bewildered:

"Branch manager... what good news is it?"

Kiyomasa Ogaki picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, then took a document out of the drawer and pushed it in front of Masakazu Yamada.

The document header read:

Mitsubishi Bank Personnel Recommendation Letter

Recommended by: Bank of Mitsubishi Osaka Branch Manager €€ Kiyomasa Ogaki

Recommended by: Masakazu Yamada, Head of the Financial Review Department, Mitsubishi Bank Osaka Branch

Recommended position: Deputy General Manager of the Finance Department, Mitsubishi Bank Tokyo Headquarters

Masakazu Yamada's gaze swept quickly over the information, then he froze as if struck by lightning:

"Branch manager...is this a mistake?"

The branch manager of Ogaki wants to...

Would you recommend me for the position of deputy general manager at the head office?

Masakazu Yamada secretly pinched himself.

Is he dreaming?

Who is Masakazu Yamada? He's just an ordinary section chief who's worked at a branch for fifteen or sixteen years.

Even if they transferred him to the head office as a section chief, that would be like a windfall.

And now, Kiyomasa Ogaki is actually going to recommend him for the position of vice president of the head office?

This……

Isn't that a bit unreasonable?

As a long-time employee of Mitsubishi Bank, Masakazu Yamada was well aware of the political resources required to make this move.

He has neither virtue nor merit, so why would Kiyomasa Ōgaki do this?

Moreover, can Kiyomasa Oogaki's energy accomplish this?

Masakazu Yamada was filled with doubt.

Kiyomasa Ogaki seemed to see through Masakazu Yamada's thoughts and smiled slightly.

He did not choose to claim credit for this, nor would he dare to do so.

Ogaki Kiyomasa said calmly:

"Yamada, although I signed this letter of recommendation, I wasn't the one who initiated this matter. To be honest, I don't have the power to transfer you to the head office as deputy manager."

As Yamada Masakazu listened to Ogaki Kiyomasa's explanation, his doubts grew even stronger:

"If it's not you... then who is it?"

Kiyomasa Ogaki uttered that name:

"It's Kiryu too."

"what!?"

Masakazu Yamada couldn't help but shout it out, his voice revealing the absurdity and shock in his heart.

Kiryu too?

Wasn't he going to the head office for training?

Although he joined the special investigation team, how could he put his name on the head office personnel's recommendation letter?

Masakazu Yamada couldn't help but smile, a hint of disbelief in his eyes:

"Branch manager, please stop teasing me."

"Kiryu-kun..."

"While he is indeed very capable, he's only a newcomer who's been with the company for six months. How could he possibly..."

Kiyomasa Ogaki smiled.

He had viewed Kiryu Yaya in the same way before.

Seeing Yamada Masakazu's reaction now, he felt as if he were seeing his naive self from the past.

He took another small sip of tea, and then slowly said:

"Yamada, you've stumbled upon such a fantastic opportunity, Kiryu-kun...!"

"It's not as simple as you think."

Masakazu Yamada exclaimed "Ah!" and lowered his voice to ask:

"Could it be that Kiryu-kun really has some kind of background?"

Oogaki Kiyomasa was speechless for a moment. He couldn't explain it either, because he himself didn't know what kind of background Kiryu Yaya had.

He had even investigated Kiryu Yaya before because of the dogeza incident, but the results of the investigation were no different from those in his file.

To this, Kiyomasa Ogaki could only say...

It must be because his investigation channels were too poor.

How could someone who could bring down a bank executive in just half a month be an ordinary person?

Therefore, based on this speculation, Kiyomasa Ogaki pondered for a moment and then told Masakazu Yamada:

"Kiryu Yaya's background is beyond your imagination."

Masakazu Yamada exclaimed "Ah!" again.

Although there were rumors in the bank that Kiryu Yaya had an extraordinary background, he believed them after Kiryu Yaya told him that he didn't have any background.

Masakazu Yamada still remembers what Yaya Kiryu said:

“My father committed suicide when I was in high school because of poor business management, and my mother passed away not long after.”

"So I'm pretty sure I don't have any connections or family. If I had to say I do have any... "

"Mitsubishi Bank is my biggest backer, and everyone in the financing review department is like my family."

But now that Kiyomasa Ogaki has said so, and considering what Yasuya Kiryu has done, Masakazu Yamada has no choice but to believe what Kiyomasa Ogaki says.