Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk.

The first person to enter was Mizuna Yayoi.

She had clearly rushed over from the sales department, carrying a notepad in her hand, and instinctively lowered her head as she entered.

"Excuse me."

Then, she looked up and saw that the person sitting in the conference room was Kiryu Yaya, and her eyes lit up immediately.

"Kiri...mae, ah, no, Kiryu-kun."

She quickly changed her words, her ears turning red.

The second one to enter was Arima Kishou.

He still wore those thin-rimmed glasses and had that indifferent expression. After entering the room, he first glanced at the people in the conference room, his gaze lingering for a second on the ledgers and sticky notes on the table, before quietly taking his seat.

The third one is Kenta Sasaki.

When he entered the room, he looked completely bewildered.

"The section chief suddenly sent me over from the logistics department; I thought headquarters was coming to audit the accounts."

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Kiryu Yaya sitting in the main seat.

"...It's you again?"

Without saying a word, Kiryu Yaya gestured for the three of them to sit down.

"Since we're all here, I'll get straight to the point."

The three people took their seats.

The conference room door closed behind them.

The busy sounds of the financing review department outside were shut out, leaving only the lights, papers, and the breathing of a few people inside.

Kiryu Yaya pushed the two ledgers on the table forward, his tone calm:

"Tonight, the branch manager personally ordered an emergency risk review of the Miyazawa Group."

"The Rokko Golf Development project under the Miyazawa Group is suspected of having dual books, concealing true liabilities, making false disclosures to the outside world, and transferring risks to other entities within the group."

"And this matter is directly related to the safety of the existing 8 billion yen in related claims of Mitsubishi Bank's Osaka branch."

The words fell.

Mizuna Yayoi first widened her eyes.

Arima Kishou's hand, which was pushing up his glasses, paused slightly.

Kenta Sasaki opened his mouth, but remained silent for a full two seconds.

"...Eight billion?"

He repeated it, his throat dry.

"Correct."

Kiryu Yaya nodded.

"And from now until tonight—no, to be precise, before midnight—we must produce the first version of the risk assessment."

Mizuna Yayoi cautiously raised her hand.

"Kiryu-kun... can we newcomers really be involved in a case of this caliber?"

"Under normal circumstances, no."

"Then now..."

Kiryu Yaya looked at her, his tone still calm:

"Now the branch manager has personally ordered me to act as the case manager and form a temporary team."

"And the three of you were specifically requested by me."

Click.

Something seemed to crack open in Kenta Sasaki's mind.

He slowly turned his head and stared at Kiryu Yaya, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"and many more."

"Acting Director?"

"Branch manager appointment?"

"you?"

Kiryu Yaya nodded.

Yes, it's me.

The next second, Kenta Sasaki clutched his chest, his face showing an expression as if he had been declared defeated in life on the spot.

"Why……"

"Why is it that we're both newcomers who joined in April, yet I'm still running around in the back office and getting scolded by the section chief, while you've already become the acting manager appointed by the branch manager?!"

"Is this reasonable?!"

"Is this still a gap that humanity can overcome?!"

Mizuna Yayoi was startled by him.

Arima Kishou adjusted his glasses expressionlessly.

"Didn't you already lose once yesterday?"

"That's different!"

Kenta Sasaki said in grief and indignation:

"Yesterday it was just a difference in professional skills, but now it's like we've been pulled apart on the same career path!!"

Arima Kishou calmly summarized:

"In other words, you will most likely never be able to defeat Kiryu Yaya in this lifetime."

Kenta Sasaki felt as if he had been shot in the chest again.

"Arima, you're really nasty with your words."

"I'm just stating the facts."

Just as the atmosphere in the small conference room was about to take a strange turn, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor suddenly came from outside the door.

Click.

Click.

The door was pushed open.

Chihaya Yuri walked in.

Her gaze swept over the people in the room, her voice cold and clear:

"Have you made enough of a scene?"

The small conference room fell silent instantly.

Chihaya Yuri placed a stack of documents on the table and looked at the three newcomers.

"From now on, Kiryu-kun will be the acting chief prosecutor of this case."

"I am responsible for technical guidance, and Section Chief Yamada is responsible to the branch manager."

"The three of you don't need to question anything, nor do you need to be self-satisfied."

"Just follow instructions and do what needs to be done."

After saying that, she turned to look at Kiryu Yaya:

"Chief Kiryu, let's begin."

Kiryu Yaya nodded.

"clear."

Chapter 56 All Night Long

Small meeting room.

The whiteboard was pulled out.

Four markers were placed on the table.

Kiryu Yaya stood up and wrote several large characters directly on the whiteboard: €€€€

"The Miyazawa Group Rokko Case"

Then, with a turn of the pen, four lines were drawn.

"Line A: Reconciliation of public and private accounts."

"Line B: Guarantee, authorization, and legal structure."