Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

If this blow lands squarely, an ordinary person would fall down on the spot.

But Kiryu Yaya moved even faster.

Instead of retreating, he advanced.

An inch shorter, an inch more dangerous.

Just as the baton swept in, he was already pressed against the opponent's center line. The black umbrella, brushing against the baton's wind, deflected it at an angle. The umbrella ribs collided with the metal baton with a crisp "clang." As the force was deflected, he lowered his left shoulder, cut his right foot between the opponent's legs, and thrust the umbrella handle upwards.

Throat.

The short, stocky bodyguard's pupils constricted, his breath hitched, and his movements faltered.

Half a beat is enough.

Kiryu Yaya pressed down with the black umbrella in his hand, the umbrella body slamming into the elbow of the opponent holding the stick like the back of a knife.

A dull thud.

The baton flew out of his hand, hit the ground, and slid into the shadows.

The next second, Kiryu Yaya turned around and circled to the other person's side, then without hesitation, tapped the end of his umbrella handle against the back of the other person's knee.

The short, stocky bodyguard's legs buckled, and he half-knelt down.

The black umbrella was already positioned across his neck.

If he's pushed any further in, he won't even have the right to stand up.

The whole process took only a few breaths.

The only sounds in the warehouse were the sound of rain and two suppressed gasps.

Akio Uesugi was completely dumbfounded.

He stood by the wooden table, his lips pale, as if he couldn't understand how a thin young man could be so brave.

Koga Hirano was also stunned.

He originally thought that tonight's task was simply to seize control of an accounting section chief and, incidentally, burn the ledgers.

As for Kiryu Yaya...

In his eyes, he was at most just a slightly troublesome new bank employee.

But now, one of the bodyguards was clutching his chest and leaning against the wooden crate, unable to straighten up, while the other was kneeling on the ground, having even dropped his baton.

Kiryu, however, didn't even dodge a breath.

He simply stood there quietly, his black umbrella pointing diagonally, the hem of his suit swaying slightly, like a knife that had just weathered the storm.

Koga Hirano finally stopped laughing.

"Mr. Kiryu...you really surprised me."

Kiryu Yaya ignored him.

He reached out with his left hand and swiftly grabbed the two ledgers on the table, pulling them into his pocket with clean, decisive movements.

Seeing this, the tall bodyguard gritted his teeth and tried to lunge forward again.

Kiryu Yaya didn't even turn his head, and flicked his black umbrella behind him.

Snapped!

The tip of the umbrella struck the back of the other person's hand hard.

The tall bodyguard winced in pain; his entire arm went numb, and the body he had just raised abruptly slumped back down.

"Don't move."

Kiryu Yaya finally spoke.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was as cold as iron pressing down on a rainy night.

"If you move again, the next time it won't be your hand."

The warehouse fell silent instantly.

Koga Hirano stared at him, his gaze completely changed.

Do you know what you're doing?

Koga Hirano asked, word by word.

"know."

Kiryu Yaya tucked the two ledgers into his briefcase and fastened the clasp.

Koga Hirano narrowed his eyes slightly:

"Then you should also know how much trouble it will cause if you take these two sets of accounts out."

Kiryu Yaya let out a groan:

"That's something you should be worried about."

After saying this, he looked up at Akio Uesugi.

"Mr. Uesugi, let's go."

Akio Uesugi then suddenly came to his senses.

"Ah...okay, okay!"

Koga Hirano's face darkened.

"Stop them!"

The short, stocky bodyguard who was kneeling gritted his teeth and tried to get up.

But before he could even move, Kiryu Yaya had already taken the first step.

With a single step closer, the black umbrella slammed down from above, striking the opponent's shoulder and neck with tremendous force.

boom!

The man was slammed back to the ground by the blow, his forehead hitting the concrete floor. He groaned and couldn't get up at all.

The tall bodyguard roared and pounced.

Kiryu Yaya shifted his feet and dodged to the side, the black umbrella pressing down with the opponent's momentum before flicking it upwards.

Use someone else's strength against them.

The tall bodyguard lost his footing and tumbled off the wooden table, his shoulder slamming into the puddle and splashing dirty water everywhere.

The wooden table wobbled, and old ledger pages flew everywhere.

The wind blew in through the broken window, scattering and swirling the scraps of paper in the warehouse like snow or the embers of a war.

Koga Hirano finally took a half step back.

Only half a step.

That's enough to explain the problem.

As Akio Uesugi watched this scene, his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

Kiryu Yaya stood at the door, flicking his black umbrella, the water droplets on the tip of the umbrella drawing a cold light.

He looked at Koga Hirano, his tone calm to the point of being indifferent.

"Please tell Miyazawa Hara for me."

"I've taken the bill."

"If he wants it, let him come to the bank and get it himself."

Koga Hirano's face darkened completely for the first time.

Akio Uesugi stood there, stunned, almost unable to believe what he had just heard.

The rain is getting heavier.

The wind howled outside, and the moisture from the Dojima River, carrying a chill, rushed into the warehouse, as if the entire night of Osaka had pressed down on it.

Kiryu Yaya didn't linger. With his briefcase in one hand and his black umbrella open in the other, he turned and rushed into the rain.

Akio Uesugi hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly followed.

At the warehouse entrance, a black umbrella suddenly opened.

Like a black flower suddenly blooming in a downpour.

Koga Hirano stood in the center of the warehouse, watching the figure disappear into the distance through the dense rain curtain, his fists clenching tighter and tighter.

One bodyguard slumped down beside the wooden crate, while the other lay on the cold, wet cement floor.

And those two ledgers that were supposed to be burned tonight were taken away instead.

Right under their noses.

He was taken away by a bank newbie who no one had ever taken seriously.

Koga Hirano remained silent for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"...call the executive director."