Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

Page 68

The sounds of telephone ringing, typing, and flipping through documents mingled together.

At 3:30 p.m., the internal phone rang again.

The older employee sitting in front picked up the phone, listened for a couple of minutes, and then turned to look at it.

"Kiryu-kun, the switchboard is looking for you."

"Find me?"

"They said there was a message for you at the front desk downstairs."

Kiryu Yaya stood up, walked over, and took the receiver.

"I am Kiryu."

The operator's polite and steady voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Mr. Kiryu, a lady left a message for you."

"Miss?"

"Yes. The other party identified herself as Ms. Miyazawa."

Kiryu Yaya's fingers paused slightly.

She said, "If it's convenient for you, please meet me at the tea shop 'Anka' next to the Nakanoshima Public Hall at 8 p.m. tonight."

"She has something she'd like to ask you privately."

"I understand, thank you."

"You're too kind."

The phone hangs up.

Kiryu Yaya stood still for two seconds.

Keiko Miyazawa acted faster than he had imagined.

This may not necessarily be a good thing.

Because if she could realize "something was wrong" so quickly, then Miyazawa Hara would likely also realize that she was starting to feel uneasy.

At 5:30 PM, the official time to leave work arrived.

But no one is taking action in the financing review section.

Kiryu Yaya wasn't in a hurry either.

He organized the documents at hand while waiting for Masakazu Yamada to come out of his office.

Finally, at 6:38, Section Chief Yamada walked out of the office with his briefcase.

Like toppling the first domino.

The department head stood up.

The director stood up.

The veteran employees also began to organize files, close documents, and tidy their desks.

Kiryu Yaya then packed his things and quickly went downstairs.

It was already dark when I left the bank.

Instead of taking a car directly, he walked along Midosuji towards Nakanoshima.

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

The neon lights along the street lit up one by one, and the lights in the office building looked like chessboards that hadn't been extinguished yet.

The city still looks prosperous.

But Kiryu Yaya knew that some of the numbers in the ledgers had begun to turn into an abyss from which there was no way to repay.

……

€€Tea shop "アンカ€€".

It is hidden on an inconspicuous street corner next to the Central Convention Hall.

The storefront is small, the wooden signboard is a bit old, and the glass window displays sample desserts made of plastic and handwritten menus.

As I pushed open the door, the brass bell on the door rang softly.

It was just past 7:55.

Keiko Miyazawa was already sitting in the innermost seat by the window.

Unlike her dignified and composed demeanor in the VIP reception room that morning, she had changed out of her ivory suit and put on a light beige knitted cardigan over a simple white shirt, paired with a dark blue long skirt, and her hair was simply tied back.

It's as if she deliberately transformed herself back into "Keiko Miyazawa".

Instead of "the eldest daughter of the Miyazawa family".

Upon seeing Kiryu Yaya, she immediately stood up.

"Kiryu-kun... I'm sorry for suddenly asking you out."

"It's ok."

Kiryu Yaya sat down opposite her.

The shop assistant came over, and Keiko Miyazawa ordered a hot latte.

Kiryu Yaya ordered the cheapest mixed coffee.

After the staff left and the table quieted down again, Keiko Miyazawa finally let out a soft sigh of relief.

"There are some things I can't say at the bank today."

"Because of your uncle?"

Keiko Miyazawa nodded.

"Ah."

She looked down at the sugar jar on the table, her fingers lightly touching the edge of the coaster, as if she were organizing her thoughts.

"Actually, when my uncle's secretary called on Saturday night, I really thought it was just a normal bank procedure."

"After my father passed away, my uncle handled most of the affairs at the group."

“At first I didn’t know anything, so I could only rely on him.”

"But today in the branch manager's office, I tried several times to ask about account permissions and documents, but my uncle answered all my questions."

She looked up at Kiryu Yaya.

"Kiryu-kun, that feeling is strange."

"His words were very gentle, and they were all for my own good."

"But I felt like I was being blocked from something."

Kiryu Yaya did not answer immediately.

Keiko Miyazawa took a brown paper envelope from her handbag and gently placed it on the table.

"So, I'd like to ask you to take a look at these things for me."

Clearly, among Keiko Miyazawa's companions, only Yaya Kiryu truly understands these things.

He was also one of the few people she could trust.

Realizing this, Kiryu Yaya looked down at the envelope.

It's not particularly thick.

But what Miyazawa Keiko brings out at this time is definitely not simple.