Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

The atmosphere became more relaxed in the latter half of dinner than before.

Kiryu Yaya poured half a glass of wine for Miyazawa Keiko and Chihaya Yuri each.

Seeing Kiryu Yaya's actions, Yayoi Mizuna bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and made a decision.

"May I have just a little bit?"

Kiryu and the other two paused and exchanged glances.

Finally, it was Kiryu Yaya who spoke:

"You drink alcohol?"

Yayoi Mina waved her hands repeatedly:

"No, but..."

"Today is different, I want to give it a try."

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head and thought for a moment, then, not wanting to offend her, poured her a little bit of the bottom of her glass and stopped.

Yayoi Mina smiled, her eyes crinkling, and held the wine glass in both hands, tentatively taking a sip. The wine went down her throat, and her eyes lit up.

"It doesn't seem spicy?!"

Keiko Miyazawa couldn't help but chuckle:

"This wine won't make you drunk. If you like it, you can drink more."

Mizuna Yayoi nodded, looking at the amber liquid in her glass, and the last bit of resistance in her heart completely disappeared.

"Hmm, it tastes pretty good."

Chihaya Yuri also picked up her glass and took a sip:

"Yes, it's really good."

The meal lasted from dusk until night fell completely.

The streetlights outside the window were already on, casting a warm, orange glow through the half-open curtains.

Most of the dishes on the table had been eaten, leaving only two or three pieces of grilled eel and a small dish of pickled mustard greens soup base.

Mizuna Yayoi leaned back in her chair, her cheeks flushed a light pink from the alcohol. It was her first time drinking, and just half a glass had put her in a slightly tipsy state.

Dinner is over.

Keiko Miyazawa put down her chopsticks and prepared to clean up.

Chihaya Yuri caught up, and Yayoi Mizuna noticed the two chatting and laughing.

She couldn't help but feel surprised; she hadn't expected that Section Chief Chihaya and Keiko would get along so well.

Mizuna Yayoi slowly stood up and moved closer to the two of them:

"I'll help too."

The three of them clearly divided the tasks of clearing away the dishes, washing the dishes, and mopping the floor.

On the contrary, Kiryu Yaya, as the master, became idle.

He sat on the sofa, watching the three figures busy with their own things, and suddenly realized that this small apartment had never been so lively before.

They cooked for themselves, and the three of them cleaned up.

The division of labor was clear. At this moment, Keiko Miyazawa came out of the kitchen and looked up at Yaya Kiryu:

"Your apartment may not be big, but it's very comfortable to keep."

Kiryu Yaya responded:

"If you live alone and don't have much stuff, it's easier to tidy up."

"Besides, Mr. Yoshida is a very particular person. If the room is too messy, it will make him unhappy."

"Mr. Yoshida?"

Keiko Miyazawa tilted her head slightly.

Kiryu Yaya explained:

"The landlord of this apartment building, who is in his sixties and lives on the first floor, is a very interesting person."

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang suddenly.

Kiryu Yaya put down his teacup, puzzled, wondering who would come at this time. He walked to the door, opened it, and saw Yoshida Masao standing in the hallway.

He was holding a tray with several slices of watermelon on it.

He was about to speak when he saw Miyazawa Keiko behind him, who had just been talking to Kiryu Yaya, through Kiryu Yaya's shoulder.

His face also showed a teasing expression:

"Oh my... Kiryu-san, is this your girlfriend?"

Keiko Miyazawa was slightly taken aback by the question, then smiled slightly, neither denying nor admitting it, and simply bowed slightly to Masao Yoshida:

"Good evening, landlord. I'm so sorry to bother you tonight, Kiryu-kun."

"I won't disturb you..."

Yoshida Masao waved his hands repeatedly, but inwardly he was amazed. As expected of an outstanding young man who could go to Tokyo for training at such a young age, his girlfriend was indeed beautiful.

But then...

Hearing the sound, Mizuna Yayoi came out, a hint of curiosity on her face.

Upon seeing Masao Yoshida, she quickly bowed and said: "Go to Bing to search for the latest chapters!"

"Hello, landlord... I'm Kiryu-kun's... colleague. I'm coming over for dinner tonight."

Upon seeing another beautiful girl appear, Yoshida Masao's eyes widened slightly.

He never expected that two beautiful girls would appear in Kiryu Yaya's small apartment, and they both seemed to be very close to Kiryu Yaya.

Yoshida Masao stood at the doorway, holding a bowl of watermelon. His gaze lingered on Yayoi Mina's face for a moment. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words and instead offered a vague greeting:

"Oh... my colleague... okay, okay."

He said "okay" but his eyes clearly showed a hint of scrutiny.

Mizuna Yayoi stood at the kitchen doorway, the pale pink on her cheeks not yet completely faded, and her light blue cotton-linen dress looked exceptionally soft under the light.

This girl is so pretty!

Kiryu-san is blessed.

Masao Yoshida sighed silently in his heart.

What more could one ask for than to know both of these beautiful girls? But just as Yoshida Masao was about to deliver the watermelon and leave, the bathroom door next to the entrance was suddenly pushed open.

Chihaya Yuri came out from inside.

Her hands were still wet, and she was wiping them with a handkerchief.

She had just finished mopping the floor and then went to the bathroom to rinse the mop clean and hang it back in its place, so she didn't hear Kiryu Yaya's conversation with Miyazawa Keiko and naturally didn't know the identity of the old man in front of her.

But she only paused slightly, then nodded naturally to him, her tone calm and polite:

"Hello."

She then looked at Kiryu Yaya and asked:

"Who is this?"

Kiryu Yaya quickly explained:

"This is my landlord, Mr. Yoshida."

A look of understanding crossed Chihaya Yuri's face, and she then bowed slightly and said:

"Hello, landlord, I'm Kiryu-kun's colleague..." At this moment, Yoshida Masao's smile almost froze. He really didn't expect that his small apartment could accommodate three such beautiful girls.

Kiryu-san usually seems unremarkable, how come he's so capable?

"Hello colleague... Hello colleague..."

Yoshida Masao casually agreed, but his gaze swept past the group, constantly glancing inside, as if afraid that another beautiful girl might suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Kiryu Yaya seemed to understand what the landlord was thinking and quickly said:

"Mr. Yoshida, these are the only three. We're having dinner with some friends tonight."

Yoshida Masao's gaze swept quickly over the three people again, then, as if finally accepting a fact that had exceeded his expectations, he slowly nodded:

"Three...good, three is good, more people means more popularity."

After saying that, he handed the bowl of watermelon he was holding forward:

"Here's the watermelon. I'm going downstairs. You can enjoy it."

He turned to leave, but couldn't resist turning back to add:

"Although I shouldn't say such things, old man, we still need to take precautions. I was infected when I was young, and it still brings tears to my eyes..." Kiryu Yaya naturally understood the landlord's deeper meaning, which was simply to tell him to take precautions against pregnancy.

In Japan, there is no crime of group sex; as long as you don't disturb the peace, generally no one will bother you.

This may explain why Masao Yoshida was so tolerant.

Kiryu Yaya looked around at the three bewildered girls and decided not to explain anything further, simply saying:

"...I understand. Thank you, Mr. Yoshida."

Yoshida Masao glanced at him, then turned and walked downstairs with a look of apprehension towards the younger generation.

The door closed gently behind me.

The apartment fell silent for a moment.

Keiko Miyazawa stood by the sofa, tilting her head to look at Yaya Kiryu, her eyes full of doubt:

"What did the landlord mean by the preventative measures he just mentioned?"

Chihaya Yuri had just put the mop back in the corner when she heard this, she paused slightly, did not look up, but her ears were clearly perked up.

Yayoi Minaya stood in the kitchen doorway, looking curiously at Kiryu Yaya. Kiryu Yaya met Miyazawa Keiko's puzzled eyes and said calmly:

"Older people always like to beat around the bush. What they meant was that I shouldn't be too noisy at night and disturb the downstairs neighbors."

Keiko Miyazawa responded with an "oh," without delving further.

She glanced at the watermelon in Kiryu Yaya's hand:

"I didn't realize, Kiryu-kun, that your landlord is so kind to you, he even gave you a watermelon."

It is well known that watermelons in Japan are not cheap.

It could even be said that watermelons in Japan have never been cheap.

Japan has many mountains and little arable land, so the land suitable for growing watermelons is limited. In addition, the country generally adopts costly greenhouse cultivation techniques.

So, a watermelon would cost between 2,500 and 3,000 yen.

Ordinary families simply cannot afford it.

Therefore, in Japan, watermelons are sold in 1/8 or 1/4 slices.

In this respect, Kiryu Yaya still misses the refreshing feeling of eating watermelon in his previous life.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

No, I'm a rich man now, no matter what.

Watermelons are nothing; you can just eat one and throw it away.

That's just being arrogant and domineering.

Kiryu Yaya brought the watermelon to the coffee table and beckoned the three of them over.

The neatly arranged slices of watermelon, with their red flesh and green rind, shimmered under the light, giving off a refreshing and cool feeling.

I don't know if it was a coincidence, but there were exactly four slices of watermelon in the bowl, enough for one slice for each person.

Mizuna Yayoi was the first to walk over, sit down on the edge of the sofa, pick up a slice of watermelon and take a small bite, the juice overflowing between her lips and teeth.

She gave a soft "hmm," a look of satisfaction appearing in her eyes:

"So sweet."

Chihaya Yuri also sat down on the single sofa to the side, her posture more upright than Yayoi Mina's, but she also picked up a slice of watermelon, took a bite, and nodded slightly: "It's really good. Watermelons this season are very juicy."

The four people sat around the coffee table, and no one spoke for a while. The only sounds were the occasional crisp sound of someone biting into a watermelon and the sporadic sounds of cars coming from afar outside the window.

The watermelon was eaten quickly.

Keiko Miyazawa pulled out a napkin from the table and wiped her hands.

"By the way, Kiryu-kun, I was just about to tell you this while we were eating. Things are going well at Miyazawa Fiber lately."

Kiryu Yaya looked up upon hearing this:

"I heard Mr. Furukawa mention some of this on the phone before, and now the winter clothing sampling has already started over there."