Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Konosuke Nakajima sat at the retrieval table, his gaze fixed on his own handwriting.

Showa fifty-sixth year.

At that time, he was the head of the General Affairs Department.

Although he was considered a high-ranking official in the bank, he was not as cautious as he is now, and thus left behind such a big oversight.

Konosuke Nakajima looked at Yoshio Hashimoto:

"Hashimoto-senpai, this file shouldn't have been accessed recently, right?"

Yoshio Hashimoto shook his head and said:

"No one has accessed this file in the past year."

Konosuke Nakajima breathed a sigh of relief.

If this supplementary explanation is discovered by the special investigation team, it can certainly be used as direct evidence that he had a business relationship with Chiyoda.

That would be troublesome.

Then he glanced at the supplementary instructions, pulled it out of the file box, slowly tore it in half, folded it, and put it into his suit pocket. Hashimoto Yoshio was startled and instinctively cried out:

"Managing Director Nakajima..."

But Konosuke Nakajima merely glanced at him and smiled, saying:

"Senior Hashimoto, please pretend you didn't see what happened today."

Upon hearing this, Yoshio Hashimoto swallowed hard, then nodded.

"Don't worry, Managing Director Nakajima. I've worked in the preservation warehouse for so many years, I know what's important."

Konosuke Nakajima rearranged the remaining documents in their original order, put them back in the box, closed the lid, then stood up and nodded slightly toward the duty desk.

"Thank you for your hard work, Hashimoto-senpai."

Yoshio Hashimoto looked up, adjusted his reading glasses, his gaze lingered on his face for a moment, and then he said slowly:

"Take care, Managing Director Nakajima."

Konosuke Nakajima didn't linger any longer and turned to walk towards the iron gate of the storage room.

The sound of leather shoes clicking on the floor gradually faded into the empty warehouse, eventually being swallowed up by the sound of the iron gate closing. ...

The next morning.

Chiyoda General Planning Office Building, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

Hiroki Arai frowned as he held the opened letter from the finance department of Mitsubishi Bank.

The letter was addressed to the Finance Department of Mitsubishi Bank, and stamped with the department's official seal at the bottom, which read:

"As part of our routine compliance inquiry, please provide all business records related to the Financing Department from the first year of the Heisei era to the present."

The letter was politely worded, but it gave Hiroki Arai a chill down his spine.

The timing is too coincidental.

The special investigation team sent a letter to Tokyo Metropolitan Bank requesting access to the transaction details of Chiyoda's account; that happened on Monday.

Managing Director Nakajima told him to stall, but now the Mitsubishi Bank's finance department has sent a letter directly to the company under the guise of compliance verification, bypassing the bank and demanding materials directly from the company itself.

What does this mean?

Please visit [website address] to see the latest chapter! This means the situation is different from what Managing Director Nakajima told him.

Previously, Managing Director Nakajima had told him on the phone that the special investigation team was not well-regarded by other managing directors at Mitsubishi Bank.

How can we now directly have the financing department send a letter to Chiyoda requesting their bank statements?

Most importantly.

He couldn't ignore this letter.

Mitsubishi Bank's finance department is a documented business partner of Chiyoda General Planning, although past contracts were not complicated and the amounts were not large.

However, since the other party has requested verification in the form of a formal letter, if he delays on the grounds of trade secrets, it will only make him appear to be trying to cover up the truth.

One of Chiyoda General Planning's core businesses is providing market research and policy analysis consulting services to large corporations.

If it refuses a formal compliance review by the finance department of its business partner, Mitsubishi Bank, this in itself constitutes a serious damage to its business reputation.

Once this news gets out, the outside world will immediately question the authenticity of its accounts and business.

The excuses he used to delay the special investigation team's inquiry, such as trade secrets, are completely untenable here.

Because the party seeking confirmation is its own client. But what if it submits the materials elsewhere?

Those funds that flowed out under the guise of market research fees and policy analysis consulting, once the other party obtains their bank statements and compares them with the payment records of Kanto International Development...

He dared not think any further.

This put Hiroki Arai in a dilemma.

Giving it to them is one thing, not giving it to them is another.

Hiroki Arai closed his eyes briefly, then picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Feed".

Konosuke Nakajima's voice came through the receiver.

"Mr. Nakajima, it's me."

Hiroki Arai lowered his voice:

"The finance department of Mitsubishi Bank just sent me a letter with a compliance inquiry, requesting me to provide all business records related to the finance department from the first year of the Heisei era to the present, including contracts, payment vouchers, and bank statements." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

There was a hint of something unusual in Konosuke Nakajima's voice; he was clearly surprised by the news as well.

"A letter from the financing department? Who signed it?"

"Minister Koji Kondo."

Another brief silence followed.

Then Konosuke Nakajima's voice rang out again:

When was the letter sent?

"Yesterday afternoon. I just arrived this morning."

"..."

Konosuke Nakajima seemed to be thinking about something, and Hiroki Arai did not urge him, holding the receiver and waiting quietly.

This silence was far more unbearable than before, and then, as if remembering something, Arai Hiroki quickly said:

"The letter was very formally worded, and in addition to Minister Kondo's signature and the Finance Department's official seal, it also had..." "Managing Director Miyamoto's signature confirming it."

On the other end of the phone, Konosuke Nakajima hummed in response, a hint of surprise flashing across his face:

"Miyamoto Soichi?"

As a former employee of Mitsubishi Bank, Hiroki Arai naturally knew Soichi Miyamoto and had a thorough understanding of Mitsubishi Bank's system.

"Yes, that's what it says in the letter."

"As the highest-ranking person in charge of the financing department, Managing Director Miyamoto's signature on this letter signifies that there is no room for negotiation on the decision-making process at the financing department level."

"How about... you try negotiating with Managing Director Miyamoto? If he can withdraw this letter, perhaps..."

After listening, Konosuke Nakajima gave a soft "hmm," but he was puzzled.

Why is Miyamoto causing trouble at this time?

So at the same time.

Konosuke Nakajima, on the other end of the line at Mitsubishi headquarters, hung up on Arai and dialed Soichi Miyamoto's internal number.

The phone was answered after only one ring. "Managing Director Miyamoto, it's me, Nakajima."

Konosuke Nakajima leaned back in his office chair, his gaze fixed on the horizontal plaque in front of him, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Managing Director Nakajima? What's up calling so early?"

Miyamoto Soichi's voice came through the receiver, but his tone was somewhat lazy.

Konosuke Nakajima didn't beat around the bush.

"I heard that the Finance Department sent a compliance inquiry letter to Chiyoda General Planning yesterday, requesting them to provide all business records related to the Finance Department from the first year of the Heisei era to the present. Was this arranged by Managing Director Miyamoto?"

Miyamoto Souichi smiled and said:

"Yes, I asked Department Head Kondo to send it. What, Managing Director Nakajima has some concerns about this?"

Konosuke Nakajima paused and asked:

"Managing Director Miyamoto, the special investigation team is following up on the Chiyoda general planning line. Will the Finance Department's intervention at this time, under the guise of compliance verification, cause unnecessary confusion for Chiyoda?"

"Puzzled?"

Miyamoto Soichi chuckled softly: "Managing Director Nakajima, I'm just doing my job. Chiyoda's general planning and financing departments have had a few normal business transactions. The financing department is currently conducting its annual compliance self-check, and sending a confirmation letter to verify the completeness of past transaction records is perfectly acceptable."

He paused slightly at this point, then said:

"and……"

"This is what Director Nakano wanted."

As he finished speaking, Miyamoto Soichi slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

This was a detail that Kiryu Yaya had told him before: when in doubt, push the problem onto the bank manager.

At least at the next board meeting, we must not allow Nakajima and Sato to become overly suspicious.

Upon hearing Miyamoto Soichi's reply, Nakajima Konosuke instantly understood everything.

It turned out to be an instruction from Director Nakano.

Seemingly fearing that Nakajima Konosuke might become suspicious, Miyamoto Soichi continued:

"Yesterday afternoon, I went to the president's office to report on the quarterly compliance self-inspection plan of the financing department. President Nakano casually mentioned that the special investigation team was stuck on the Chiyoda line because the interbank investigation process was taking too long. He asked me if the financing department had any way to proceed ahead of schedule under the guise of internal compliance."

He paused, a hint of just the right amount of helplessness in his voice: "Managing Director Nakajima, as you know, we can't refuse the president's request."

Konosuke Nakajima reasoned about this possibility and then nodded.

Although Nakano Yukinaga's direct intervention surprised him somewhat.

However, given his previous strong support for the special investigation team, it seems reasonable for him to step in and push forward the team's work this time.

To his surprise, Nakano Ryo actually abandoned all martial ethics and went straight into the fray.

This was rarely seen before.

Konosuke Nakajima narrowed his eyes.

This shows that even the bank manager is gradually losing patience.

"I see."

Konosuke Nakajima's voice finally rang out again:

"Since it's the bank manager's decision, let's follow the procedure."

"Okay. If there's anything that needs to be confirmed later, I'll communicate with Managing Director Nakajima." Miyamoto Soichi's tone remained polite.

"Thank you for your hard work, Managing Director Miyamoto."

"Of course."

The phone hangs up.

Konosuke Nakajima put the receiver back on the landline, thought for a moment, and then picked up the phone again.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Feed".

Kenichi Sato's voice came through the receiver.

"Executive Director Sato, there is something I need to report to you."

Konosuke Nakajima's voice was even lower than before.

"explain."

"There might be a problem with Miyamoto Souichi." Sato Kenichi nodded in agreement.

"What's wrong?"

Konosuke Nakajima used very careful wording:

"Today, under the guise of a compliance self-inspection by the financing department, he sent an inquiry letter to Chiyoda General Planning, requesting them to provide all business transaction records and bank statements. His reason was that it was at the behest of the bank manager. The reason itself is not problematic, but the timing is too coincidental..."

Kenichi Sato listened quietly, his tone remaining unchanged:

"Has Chiyoda's materials been handed over?"

Konosuke Nakajima replied:

"The letter was sent yesterday afternoon, and Chiyoda just received it this morning. The materials haven't been handed over yet."

After a few seconds, Kenichi Sato replied:

"The materials from Chiyoda cannot be handed over completely."

Konosuke Nakajima frowned slightly:

"But the letter has already been sent, and Miyamoto Soichi has completed the necessary procedures. If Chiyoda refuses to cooperate, it will only confirm outside suspicions. Moreover, the letter contains the bank manager's instructions..." Sato Kenichi's voice remained calm:

"The contracts and payment vouchers can be submitted, but for the bank statements, have Arai create a condensed version. Remove the payment records related to Kanto International Development from the statements, and only keep the ones related to the original business dealings with the financing department."

Konosuke Nakajima understood: "You mean, use partially authentic materials to meet the compliance requirements of the letter?"

"right."

Kenichi Sato said:

"There were indeed a few business transactions between Chiyoda and the financing department, and those are real and can be verified. But those real transactions can be used to cover most of the content of the correspondence. As for the other parts, as long as there are no obvious gaps in the timeline, the other party will not easily become suspicious."

Konosuke Nakajima paused for a moment, as if mentally reviewing the feasibility of the plan, then nodded:

"I understand. I will contact Arai immediately and have him prepare the materials in this direction."

"There's one more thing."

Kenichi Sato's voice suddenly lowered a few decibels:

"I need to confirm with Miyamoto Souichi how much he actually knows. If he was only instructed by Nakano Ryo on short notice, then it's not a big problem. But if he already knows things he shouldn't know..."

He paused. After a few seconds, he spoke again:

"You don't need to worry about this for now, I'll handle it."

The phone hangs up.

Konosuke Nakajima put the receiver back on the landline, sat for a moment, then picked up the internal phone and dialed Hiroki Arai again:

"The materials can be submitted."

Konosuke Nakajima lowered his voice:

"However, those payment records related to the Kanto International Development should be deleted from the bank statements, and a new version should be printed. There should be no gaps in the timeline; if possible, other business transactions should be used to fill in the gaps."

Hiroki Arai quickly took notes on the other end of the phone:

"...Understood. What if the financing department presses for details...?"

"The financing department won't ask any further questions."

Konosuke Nakajima interrupted him:

"The purpose of this letter is simply to confirm your cooperation. As long as you reply promptly after receiving it and provide seemingly reasonable information, they won't delve deeper." Hiroki Arai's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"……I see."

"I'll send out the materials the day after tomorrow."

"it is good."

The phone hangs up.

Konosuke Nakajima placed the receiver back on the landline and his gaze fell on the horizontal plaque that read "Unmoved by Wind and Rain." He remained seated in that position for a long time without moving.

……

At the same time.

Kiryu Yaya stood by the window of the Special Investigation Team's office, holding a cup of coffee in his hand.

Just then, his phone, which was on the table, vibrated briefly.

He answered the phone, and Miyamoto Souichi's voice came from the other end:

"The letter from Chiyoda... Nakajima just called." Kiryu Yaya glanced around, then quickly walked to the tea room in the corridor and asked in a low voice:

"What did he say?"

Miyamoto Soichi replied:

"He accepted the bank manager's explanation, but Sato probably already knows. You need to be prepared."

Kiryu Yaya's expression remained as calm as still water.

"Okay, that's part of my plan."