Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 55 Forming a Temporary Team

"Gentlemen, prepare for battle!"

After Branch Manager Takahiro Matsumoto finished speaking, the air in the conference room seemed to tighten completely.

Keiko Miyazawa sat on one side of the long table, her face slightly pale, but her eyes were no longer wandering.

Masakazu Yamada, Yuri Chihaya, Tsuyoshi Iwakura, and others stood up, preparing to return to their posts and immediately retrieve data, seal ledgers, and establish a risk review framework.

And at that very moment—

A semi-transparent system interface suddenly popped up in front of Kiryu Yaya.

[The first chapter of the main storyline "The Storm of the Miyazawa Family"—"Risk Review of the Miyazawa Group"—has been completed.]

[Task Completion: Perfect]

[Rewards for the task have been distributed]

[Received: Basic Salary Card]

[Basic Salary Card: After binding, 1 yen will be automatically deposited into your Mitsubishi Bank account daily]

[Note: Funds are stable, legal, and have no source of risk]

Upon seeing this notification, Kiryu Yaya's breath hitched.

1 yen per day.

That doesn't sound like an exaggeration.

However, roughly calculated based on the 30th of each month, this is equivalent to an annual income of 360 million yen.

That's equivalent to his annual salary.

In other words, having this basic salary card means his future salary will double.

780w yen a year!

I can pay off my debt in six months of work!

Kiryu Yaya let out a soft breath and pressed down the system interface.

However, now is clearly not the time to study salary cards.

The most important thing right now is to establish a temporary task force to conduct an emergency risk review of the Miyazawa Group.

Although he was personally appointed as "acting manager" by the Matsumoto branch manager, he was still a newcomer who had been in the industry for less than a month.

Let him direct the senior colleagues in the financing review department?

That's unrealistic.

That's also against the rules.

In the Japanese workplace, seniority and position are paramount. Even if a newcomer has the title of "acting director," it's impossible for him to actually have senior colleagues who have been with him for seven or eight years, or even more than ten years, sit down and become his subordinates.

Therefore, the goal is to quickly assemble a usable team—

We can only start with the same period.

Thinking of this, Kiryu Yaya did not hesitate at all and turned to look at Yamada Masakazu, who was about to leave.

"Section Chief."

Masakazu Yamada stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"I would like to ask you to help me recruit a few people from the same cohort to form a temporary team."

Masakazu Yamada narrowed his eyes.

"Who?"

Kiryu Yaya speaks very quickly:

"Yayoi Mizuna from the Sales Department, Arima Kishou from the International Finance Department, and Sasaki Kenta from the Logistics Department."

Yamada Masakazu stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled.

"Alright, since the director is acting, then we'll do it your way."

Because of a major case tonight, almost all of the bank's middle and senior management are holding back.

According to the unspoken rules of the Japanese workplace, the leaders are still on the front lines, and newcomers like Kenta Sasaki are clearly not yet out of the loop.

So even though it was already past 7 p.m., Masakazu Yamada was still able to summon them.

As he spoke, he walked directly to the internal telephone and picked up the receiver.

"Connect me to Section Chief Takei from the sales department."

"...Yes, lend me your personal account, Mizuna Yayoi, and I'll have her listed in the financing review department tonight."

"Next up: International Finance."

"Arima Kishou, transfer him here."

"And Kenta Sasaki from the logistics department will come along too."

"Reason? The branch manager's order."

"Yes, now, immediately, report to the Financing Review Section!"

pat.

The phone hangs up.

Yamada Masakazu turned around and looked at Kiryu Yaya.

"I've arranged for someone to be transferred to your team."

"Next, it depends on whether you, as the acting director, can make good use of them."

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head slightly.

"Yes."

……

Five minutes later.

The third floor, the innermost small conference room of the financing review department.

The door was pulled open.

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.

"My 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 again, his throat dry.

"right."

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... is it really okay for newcomers like us to participate in a case of this caliber?"

"No, under normal circumstances."

"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.

"etc."

"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 ahead on the same career path!!"

Arima Kishou calmly summarized:

"In other words, it's highly likely that you will 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 reports 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 you're supposed to do."

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

"Chief Kiryu, please begin."

Kiryu Yaya nodded.

"clear."