Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

This system is pretty good.

……

After 3 p.m., the sky outside the office window began to slowly darken.

The tall buildings on both sides of Midosuji cut the sky into narrow, gray-white slits, where a glimpse of the light blue of a spring afternoon could still be seen.

Later, it was as if someone had slowly poured a thin layer of ink from above, gradually darkening the color until it turned into lead gray.

Snapped.

It looked like someone had flicked a fingertip across the glass.

Then came the second and the third strike.

It started raining in Osaka.

The rain came in torrential downpour, as if it were going to smash the asphalt road of Midosuji.

However, the sudden rain did not affect the work of the financing review department.

In the office, the sounds of telephones, paper turning, and printers mingled together, like a machine that never stops.

Kiryu Yaya sat at his workstation.

"Sword mastery" not only enhanced his martial prowess, but also gave him an aura of waiting for the right moment to act.

From a distance, he looked like a long sword sheathed as he worked at his desk.

It's not flashy.

It could even be described as quiet.

But that quietness wasn't the usual restraint of a new employee, nor was it simply the dullness of someone burying their head in work.

Rather, it is a polished, almost restrained sharpness.

Even Chihaya Yuri paused as she walked past him, and said:

"Kiryu-kun, you seem a little different today."

Kiryu Yaya has a question:

"Which aspect are you referring to, senior?"

Chihaya Yuri thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a specific description, so she just threw out a sentence:

"I feel more energetic."

Kiryu Yaya smiled slightly:

"Perhaps it's due to Chihaya's influence?"

Chihaya Yuri didn't reply, but asked:

"Has the post-loan plan for Shiraishi Refrigeration been finalized?"

Kiryu Yaya nodded:

"It's basically done, except for the supplementary receipt for the mortgage registration. The legal representative said it can be picked up before this evening."

This was an excuse he had prepared long ago to go out.

Chihaya Yuri nodded, glancing at the torrential rain outside the window:

"If you come back too late after you've taken it, you don't need to go back to the branch."

"clear."

Kiryu Yaya returned to his seat and put away his briefcase.

Then, he glanced at his watch.

4:35.

There was still an hour and a half until the agreed-upon time of 6:00 at the old warehouse on Dojima.

enough.

4:35.

The rain outside the window is no longer spring rain.

It's as if someone stood in the sky and poured all the water from the entire Yodo River down.

The gray-white rain curtain fell straight down from the gaps between the tall buildings, blurring and dispersing the streetlights, traffic, and pedestrians of Midosuji.

The Honda Super Cub 50 in the underground parking lot obviously won't be able to be ridden out today.

Kiryu Yaya closed the document, got up, and went downstairs.

The first-floor lobby was nearing closing time, and outside the glass doors were people hurriedly holding umbrellas.

In the corner store downstairs from the bank, a row of umbrellas was temporarily hung up—transparent, navy blue, and gray checkered—crowded together like a row of spears waiting to be picked up.

Kiryu Yaya's gaze swept over the umbrella, and finally he picked up a black long-handled umbrella.

The umbrella ribs are sturdy, the handle is slightly heavy, and the length is just right.

While the shop assistant was still looking down to find change, he had already subconsciously gripped the umbrella handle and gently turned it.

Snapped.

The black umbrella tumbled in his palm and then came to a steady stop.

In that instant, the "sword mastery" I had just acquired seemed to awaken from the depths of my bones.

The way you hold the umbrella, the center of gravity, and the sense of distance in your steps—all these become perfectly integrated with the umbrella in an instant.

It's not a knife.

But in his hands, it had already taken on the characteristics of a knife.

Kiryu Yaya glanced down and made only one judgment in his mind.

It fits perfectly.

He paid, opened his black umbrella, and stepped into the rain.

The raindrops pounded on the umbrella, making a dense and rapid muffled sound, like the beating of drums.

Chapter 50: Come out, stop hiding!

Our first stop was the tea shop "Anka" on Nakanoshima Island.

It's not even rush hour yet, but taxis are already hard to find on the street.

Kiryu Yaya stood at the bank entrance, his black umbrella tilted slightly, his cuffs quickly soaked by the wind and rain.

After waiting for two minutes, a yellow taxi finally slowly glided out of the rain.

"Next to the Nakanoshima Public Hall, there is an Anka Tea Shop."

The driver responded, and the car drove into the rain.

The windshield wipers were swinging wildly from side to side, but they still couldn't clear away the layer of water that kept splashing up.

The whole of Osaka seemed to have been suddenly put into a giant fish tank. The neon lights blurred through the rain, red like blood and yellow like old lamp oil. In the distance, the Dojima River was just a dark reflection.

Kiryu Yaya sat in the back seat, one hand resting on the handle of the black umbrella, the other seemingly casually placed on his knee, but in his mind he was going over the route for the evening again and again.

Token of trust.

Get the receipt.

Go to Dojima.

If Akio Uesugi is real, then what we can get tonight might be the first nail to pry open the hollow building that is Miyazawahara.

If it's fake...

That means someone set up a trap for him on a rainy night.

However, given his proficiency in swordsmanship and his status as a bank employee, Miyazawa Hara dared not do anything to him.

The car was parked in front of the tea shop.

Kiryu Yaya got out of the car, pressed down his black umbrella, and quickly went inside.

The brass bell on the door rang once.

Yesterday, the middle-aged female shop assistant, upon seeing him, seemed to have known he would come. She didn't ask anything, but simply took an ordinary brown paper bag from under the counter and whispered:

"It was left by that lady from yesterday."

"Thank you."

Kiryu Yaya took the paper bag, but didn't open it immediately; he just weighed it lightly in his hand.

It's very light.

He went back into the rain and only opened the paper bag after getting into the car.

Inside was a light-colored handkerchief.

Wrapped in the handkerchief was a deep blue, everlasting pen.