Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

What is Kiryu Yaya talking about?

How could he possibly believe that his wife was having an affair with Executive Director Sato?

No, if it's really as he says.

That can't just be called an affair; it's downright betrayal.

Their relationship began at the start of his marriage to Yumiko.

Thinking of this, Miyamoto Souichi felt a cold, numb sensation coming from his fingertips.

He subconsciously tightened his fingers, trying to grip the armrest of the seat, as if it were the only real thing he could hold onto.

Miyamoto Soichi quickly shook his head, banishing the terrible thought from his mind.

It's definitely fake, it's definitely fake.

This must be a despicable trick by Kiryu Yaya to sow discord between him and Executive Director Sato.

He forced himself to calm down and, as he had done in every crisis over the past thirty years, analyzed the evidence at hand.

He recalled the meticulous care that Executive Director Sato had given him since he was transferred to the head office, the perfectly timed promotion opportunities, and the lucrative cases that were specially assigned to him... All of this now seemed like a carefully woven rope that was quietly tightening.

In that instant, a cold, spiritual light suddenly cleaved through his mind without warning.

Could it be...?

Miyamoto Souichi dared not think about this possibility, but he did not immediately refute Kiryu Yaya either. He simply waited quietly, almost holding his breath, for his wife's reply on the phone.

He silently recited in his heart:

Yumiko, don't let me down!

As soon as Kiryu Yaya finished speaking, the voice on the other end of the phone paused for a moment.

Then, Miyamoto Yumiko's originally gentle voice suddenly turned cold, and she asked warily:

"Who... are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. If you've dialed the wrong number, please hang up now."

As these words were spoken, Miyamoto Muneichi, who had been somewhat anxious, breathed a sigh of relief.

He even felt a surge of almost gratitude: That's right, Yumiko wouldn't lie to me.

This is the normal reaction!

That brat's words were utter nonsense!

But then, Kiryu Yaya smiled and said:

"Mrs. Miyamoto, you're being a bit too formal. You used to be a staff member in the general affairs department of Mitsubishi Bank. Didn't Executive Director Sato start pursuing you back in 1949?"

Before Yumiko on the other end of the phone could even speak, Miyamoto Souichi's expression changed.

Showa thirty-eight years.

He and Yumiko didn't know each other at that time; they met and got married a year later.

His gaze was fixed on Kiryu Yaya's face, trying to find a flaw in that young face.

But Miyamoto Soichi was disappointed.

Because Kiryu Yaya's face showed no flaws, only a resolute calmness.

Please visit...to see the latest chapter! Address: dEqixs.oRg On the other end of the phone, however, there was a suffocating silence.

Kiryu Yaya continued calmly:

"Mrs. Miyamoto, although you didn't like Executive Director Sato and later chose to marry Managing Director Miyamoto, Executive Director Sato has never forgotten you."

"In 1940, after you married Managing Director Miyamoto, your husband was promoted from director to section chief, while Managing Director Sato was your husband's direct section chief and a member of the evaluation committee."

"So at that time, Executive Director Sato made a request to you that he would only agree to your husband's promotion application if his unspoken rules were met."

"And Sana, she's the product of your accidental union with Executive Director Sato, isn't she?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Miyamoto Soichi could almost hear the sound of blood flowing backwards in his veins, and his mind went blank.

Only Kiryu Yaya's words remained, intertwined with his wife's long silence, creating a dizzying echo.

Suddenly, a chilling thought, like a venomous snake, coiled around his heart:

Is it...

Did Yumiko really choose to satisfy Kenichi Sato for the sake of his career? Even Sana is Sato's child...?

Before Miyamoto Soichi could recover from this world-destroying conjecture, Yumiko's voice finally came through the phone.

This time, her tone changed.

Instead of vigilance and caution, there was utter fear and pleading:

"Who are you... how do you know these things? Please... please don't tell anyone. I'll grant you any request."

"Money!? How much money do you want? I'll give you anything, just please don't tell anyone about this!!"

Her voice was filled with near-desperate despair.

Saying this means that Miyamoto Yumiko has acknowledged that every word Kiryu Yaya said is an undeniable fact.

On the other end of the phone, Yumiko kept pressing and pleading, asking Kiryu Yaya how he could keep the secret and how he could save her family...

But Miyamoto Souichi couldn't hear a single word of what he was saying.

He sat blankly in that leather chair that symbolized power and status, yet felt as if the whole world was spinning.

The desk before him, the city outside the window, the certificates on the wall that bore witness to his struggles—all turned into a blurry, ironic mass of color. So that's why…

He obtained his executive position by sacrificing his wife's health.

His proud 30-year path to promotion was built on the charity and exchange of others.

And he, as a man, a self-proclaimed upright and honorable man, actually believed that all his achievements were due to his own hard work and talent.

What utter folly and what humiliation this is!

Miyamoto Soichi sat in his executive seat, maintaining his previous stiff posture, his ears feeling as if they were plugged with thick cotton, unable to hear any sound from the world.

He couldn't feel his fingers, couldn't feel the weight of his breath, and felt like an empty shell with his soul hollowed out.

Yumiko's sobs and pleas continued on the phone, begging Kiryu Yaya not to tell her husband and daughter about it, saying that all the blame was hers alone.

Kiryu listened quietly, then hummed in agreement and hung up the phone.

At this moment, in his power struggle with the bank executive in front of him, there was no room for the collapse of a wife.

Then he looked at Miyamoto Souichi, and seeing his face, which seemed to have aged twenty years, he sighed softly:

"Managing Director Miyamoto, please cheer up. Life is full of disappointments." "There's an old Chinese saying, 'Knowing shame is close to courage.' I think you should be able to understand the profound meaning behind it."

Miyamoto Soichi gave a dry laugh, a laugh filled with absurdity and self-mockery, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Heh... What a fine saying, 'Knowing shame is akin to courage.'"

This incident was a devastating blow to the executive director.

The wife was bullied by her boss.

Even his daughter is his boss's child.

Meanwhile, she herself had served that man diligently and gratefully for decades.

If it weren't for the mental fortitude he had developed during his years in the banking industry, he probably would have collapsed by now, breaking down in tears in the office where he had dedicated most of his life.

Miyamoto Souichi raised his bloodshot eyes, yet still retaining a last shred of dignity, to look at the young man who had forcibly dragged him from his dream into hell, and asked in a hoarse and dry voice:

"Kiryu...why did you tell me this?"

His voice was almost squeezed out from deep in his throat.

Kiryu Yaya looked at him and couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. After all, it was hardly a pleasant thing to see a man's life pillar of nearly thirty years collapse in an instant, to personally shatter a deception that had lasted for half a lifetime.

Kiryu Yaya sighed and slowly said:

"I know this news is very cruel to you, but it is precisely because it is of great importance and you have been kept in the dark that I feel you have the right to know."

"Even if the truth is cruel, it's better than living in false gratitude and jokes."

Miyamoto Souichi stared blankly at Kiryu Yaya, looking as if his spine had been removed, and he appeared to have aged more than ten years.

A violent storm was raging in those eyes:

Anger, humiliation, sadness, and endless uncertainty about the future.

He slowly raised his hand, looking at the hands that had held pens and seals for half his life, as if trying to confirm what was left of the owner of those hands.

A long, deathly silence fell over the office.

Time passed by, second by second, feeling as long as an eternity.

Finally, Miyamoto Soichi slowly and with great difficulty, pieced back together the dignity befitting a managing director, like a broken mask.

He spoke, his voice still hoarse, but no longer completely hollow: "When...did you find out about this?"

Kiryu Yaya did not hide anything and answered by selecting some facts:

"A clue that was discovered unexpectedly during the investigation of the Kanto International Development Project."

Miyamoto Muneichi repeated, stunned:

"Is it for international development in the Kanto region...?"

Then, he paused, re-examining the young man before him, his gaze sharpening:

"Kiryu-kun, you didn't come to tell me this just to make me feel bad, did you?"

In Miyamoto Soichi's voice, the keen insight that belongs to a managing director is gradually resurfacing.

Even under such a huge shock, he was still able to grasp the core of the conversation.

This is probably the instinct he developed after more than 30 years of working in the banking system.

Kiryu Yaya paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly:

"Managing Director Miyamoto, you're right. I'm not here today just to tell you this." "I want to ask you for a favor, a way for you to take back control of your life."

Just as he was about to continue speaking, Miyamoto Souichi stretched out his hand and let out a self-deprecating sigh, interrupting him.

Then, with a look of both admiration and chilling coldness, he looked at Kiryu Yaya and slowly said:

"I originally thought that you and Chairman Matsumoto's target was Managing Director Nakajima, but I didn't expect that your ambitions were so great that you would set your sights on Sato."

Kiryu Yaya nodded slightly and said:

"You should be aware of Minister Matsumoto's situation. If he can't make a difference with this special investigation team, his position as minister will be his last."

"He has shown me great kindness, and I cannot fail to repay this debt of gratitude."

Miyamoto Soichi chuckled softly, a hint of bitterness in his smile:

"I didn't realize you were such a grateful person."

"Tell me, how do you want me to help you?"

For Miyamoto Soichi now, if he could bring down Sato Kenichi, he might be able to regain the dignity he had lost.

At this moment, he no longer cared about factional balance or the overall situation of the bank. This managing director of Mitsubishi Bank only wanted that man to pay the price for his thirty years of humiliation.

Kiryu Yaya looked at Miyamoto Mune's resolute expression and knew that the most promising executive director was now on his side.

He slowly revealed a smile:

"I only need Managing Director Miyamoto to do these few things for me."

……

Kenichi Sato's office was clearly of a higher standard than the executive office.

At that moment, in the spacious reception area, Kenichi Sato was sitting comfortably in a dark leather chair with hand-carved details, holding a freshly brewed cup of gyokuro.

His face showed little expression, only endless composure.

Across from him, Konosuke Nakajima sat in a guest chair, looking much more relaxed than he had at the executive meeting that morning.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put it down, as if slowly savoring the lingering sweetness after the initial bitterness.

"At today's executive meeting, thanks to the intervention of Executive Director Sato, the procedure monitoring group's move was enough to render the special investigation team unable to move."

Kenichi Sato put down his teacup and said calmly, "The completion of many things depends on the overall situation and trends. We can't just look at ourselves and our opponents; we have to consider the whole picture."

Konosuke Nakajima nodded quickly:

"Executive Director Sato is right. You really understood what the other managing directors were thinking. You saw that they were also wary of this special investigation team, which is why you were able to get President Nakano to agree to the establishment of the procedure inspection team so easily."

Kenichi Sato put down his teacup and waved his hand:

"The establishment of the program monitoring team can only be described as an offensive move, but you still cannot let your guard down."

"You didn't handle things well at Kanto International Development and the matter got out. Even I can't protect you now."

Konosuke Nakajima gave a sullen smile:

"I never expected the special investigation team would be able to trace it back to Chiyoda..."

Kenichi Sato shook his head:

"There is a kind of victory in this world that is when your opponent thinks he has already won."

Konosuke Nakajima paused slightly, looking thoughtfully at Kenichi Sato.

"What does Executive Director Sato mean...?" Sato Kenichi didn't speak, but slowly narrowed his eyes and looked at a painting of "Fireflies" by Yokoyama Taikan on the opposite wall.

The fireflies in the painting gather and disperse in the dark night, their glow as unpredictable as his expression at this moment.

……

After discussing their plan, Kiryu Yaya and Miyamoto Souichi sat down again in the reception area.

At this moment, Miyamoto Souichi, who had been struggling for a long time, was no longer able to appreciate the ingenuity of Kiryu Yaya's plan.

Unable to bear the emotional trauma any longer, he sat on the sofa, looking at the family photo in his hand, and asked Kiryu Yaya:

"So... Sana..."

"I was there for her as she grew up, watching her take her first steps, taking her to school, teaching her to ride a bicycle, fending off those immature suitors for her, and watching her put on her bank uniform and walk up to me saying, 'Dad, I've started my job'..."

His voice grew softer and softer:

"Were those... all fake?"

The fact that Miyamoto Souichi was able to open up to Kiryu Yaya and tell him these things shows that he already trusts Kiryu Yaya.

Although their relationship wasn't great before, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

This is an eternal truth.

Kiryu Yaya did not choose to answer the question because he knew it did not need an answer.

Miyamoto Souichi didn't really expect to gain any comfort from Kiryu Yaya's words; he simply continued to laugh self-deprecatingly.

"I used to think that... I got to where I am today because I worked hard enough, was cautious enough, and was patient enough."

"But it turns out that the steps I thought I had taken were all paved for me by others, even in the most humiliating way."

He looked up, his gaze landing on a spot on the ceiling:

Thirty years.

"After thirty years, I've turned my life into a joke?"

The office was quiet for a moment.

At this moment, Kiryu Yaya finally spoke:

"Managing Director Miyamoto, you can't think like that. You got to where you are today through your own abilities without knowing the truth." "You did receive preferential treatment from Executive Director Sato, but he has taken care of many people in the bank, and you are the only one who has been able to reach the position of managing director."

He paused slightly, his gaze falling on Miyamoto Souichi's tired face:

"And there's one more thing you shouldn't forget."

"As I said when I walked into the office, Miss Sana grew up under your guidance. Her personality and character today are all shaped by you."

"Regardless of blood relation, you will always be her father."

After he said those words, a glimmer of hope slowly appeared on Miyamoto Soichi's face.

His gaze fell once again on the family photo framed in the picture.

In the photo, Sana is wearing a light blue dress and stands between him and Yumiko, smiling with her eyes crinkling.

That photo was taken on Sana's fifteenth birthday.

He remembered that the weather was nice that day. They went to a hot spring hotel in Hakone. Sana was chasing a butterfly in the courtyard when she tripped and fell, scraping her knee, but she still smiled and said it was okay.

He thought at that time:

That child is just like him, not afraid of pain. Now, looking back, that thought suddenly feels very distant.

But it was precisely that distant thought that made him realize something.

Regardless of where Sana's bloodline comes from, for more than twenty years, she has called him "Dad" for more than twenty years.

He was the one who wiped the wound on her knee, and when she couldn't stand steadily for the first time while wearing high heels, he held her shoulders and said, "Take it slow."

These are all real memories.

Even if the facts are absurd, everything that happened is the reality of his past life.

Regardless, Sana is his only daughter.

Miyamoto Soichi slowly closed his eyes and murmured to himself:

"Kiryu-kun, in my whole life, I have never truly lived for myself."

"I could endure anything in the past in order to climb the ladder."

"Later, I could endure it for Sana's sake."

"But now—" "I have nothing left to lose."

"I'll see Sato off on his final journey."

When Miyamoto Muneichi opened his eyes.

The bloodshot in his eyes was still there, but it was no longer a look of helpless defeat; instead, it was a resolute fighting spirit.

Kiryu Yaya nodded in agreement and added:

"But before we can charge at Sato, we still have one opponent in front of us."

The two exchanged a glance, and a name slipped out:

"Konosuke Nakajima".