Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 39 Basic Training Session for New Employees

April 29th.

On the calendar, it is "Green Day".

This holiday is quite novel for the Japanese people.

Two years ago, this day was called "Emperor's Birthday," the birthday of Emperor Showa.

但1989年1月7日昭和天皇去世后，天皇诞生日自然不能继续定在4月29日了，因为新天皇明仁的生日不是这一天。

However, April 29th is a significant date in Japanese society, and canceling it abruptly would have a substantial social impact.

Therefore, the "Emperor's Birthday" was changed to "Green Day" because Emperor Showa was very interested in plants and nature during his lifetime.

On this day, the whole country generally rests.

But as a newcomer to the bank, and given that April is typically a busy month for training, this was a challenging time.

Kiryu Yaya and his group of new recruits inevitably lost their wonderful vacation and were forced to participate in a half-day new recruit training program.

Mitsubishi Bank Osaka Branch.

The large study room on the third floor of the annex.

New employees who were originally scattered in the sales department, financing department, and general affairs department were all called here to participate in new employee training.

The training room has four rows of long tables, with pencils, sticky notes and a thin training document neatly placed on each table.

The cover had a few words written on it:

Basic Training for New Employees – Details Determine Everything

Kiryu Yaya sat in the back seat.

He originally intended to quietly listen to the morning training session and then return to the financing review class to continue writing the post-loan inspection plan for Baishi Refrigeration.

But it's a pity.

He can no longer keep a low profile.

Fuji Metal Industries' 30 million yen loan fraud case.

Shiraishi Refrigeration's 500 million yen control defense financing case.

Less than a month after joining the company, I finished my job rotation and was officially assigned to the financing review department.

These events combined have made Kiryu Yaya's fame among the newcomers so great that it's impossible for him to hide it anymore.

He had barely sat down when several newcomers in the front row began to whisper among themselves.

"Is that Kiryu from the Financing Review Division?"

"I heard he was also involved in the 500 million yen case involving Shiraishi Refrigeration."

"Not only did I participate, but I also persuaded Section Chief Iwakura of the Debt Management Division at the meeting."

"Really? A newbie can do this?"

"Tokyo University's."

"The University of Tokyo can't be that exaggerated..."

Kiryu Yaya lowered his head and flipped through the training materials, pretending not to hear.

At that moment, Mizuna Yayoi also walked into the training room from the sales department.

When she saw Kiryu Yaya, her eyes lit up, but because everyone around her was a newcomer, she simply nodded gently and restrainedly.

"Kiryu-kun."

"Yayoi-san."

Their greeting was very ordinary.

But in the eyes of some people, it's not like that at all.

In the third row on the left side of the training room, a young man with slightly curly hair and a very energetic look suddenly sat up straight.

His name is Kenta Sasaki.

Graduated from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University.

She has an outgoing personality, a loud voice, and a strong sense of self-esteem.

To use a more precise term, it would be—

Second-year middle school student.

Kenta Sasaki noticed Mizuna Yayoi on his first day at the company.

The reason is simple.

She was cute, spoke softly, and always bowed her head to apologize for small things.

In Kenta Sasaki's eyes, this seemingly soft and easily bullied girl was simply the heroine that fate had sent him.

And he himself is undoubtedly the protagonist of the story.

Until recently.

He often saw Yayoi Mizuna having lunch with Kiryu Yaya in the cafeteria.

Moreover, his gaze was noticeably gentler than when he looked at others.

Kenta Sasaki was completely devastated.

He turned his head and looked at the bespectacled man sitting next to him.

"Arima."

The bespectacled man didn't look up; he was simply flipping through the training materials in his hand.

"Um."

Did you see that?

"I saw it."

"Yayoi-san just laughed at Kiryu Yaya."

"Um."

Don't you think this is a serious matter?

"no."

"That's Yayoi-san!"

"so?"

Kenta Sasaki took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and spoke in a heavy tone as if he were announcing the end of the world:

"A nemesis has appeared."

The bespectacled man finally looked up.

He wore thin-rimmed glasses, had a cold and stern face, and a detached gaze, making him seem like the kind of person you shouldn't mess with.

Arima Kishou.

Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Waseda University.

He and Kenta Sasaki were university classmates and had also rented a small apartment in Takadanobaba.

One of them was arguing, and the other was being cold.

They miraculously spent four years together.

Arima Kishou adjusted his glasses, his tone calm:

"Sasaki."

"Um?"

"Yayoi-san doesn't know you like her yet."

"..."

"Therefore, Kiryu Yaya is not a nemesis."

"..."

"You only lost on one side."

Kenta Sasaki looked as if he had been shot in the chest, and froze on the spot.

The door in front of the training room was pushed open.

A man who looked to be around fifty-five years old walked in.

He was not tall, and his hair was already gray, but it was neatly combed.

There was no smile on his face, his suit was buttoned up neatly, and his leather shoes were polished to the shine.

Head of the General Affairs Department, Takafumi Todo.

He worked at Mitsubishi Bank for over thirty years, rising through the ranks from the lowest-level sales counter, general affairs clerk, seal management, and personnel transfer to become a department head.

Many people in banks are afraid of the financing department, the debt management department, and the branch manager.

But those who truly understand how banks operate internally know—

The head of the General Affairs Department is definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Because the General Affairs Department handles the most trivial and problematic matters.

Seals, documents, archives, meeting minutes, authority, regulations, and procedures.

Any mistake in any detail could turn into an accident.

Takafumi Todo placed the training materials on the podium, looked up, and gazed at the newcomers in the training room.

He didn't exchange pleasantries.

The first sentence is:

"The bank won't forgive your carelessness just because you're new."

The training room fell silent.

Takafumi Todo picked up a summons and held it up in front of everyone.

"A single typo in a number could result in a customer's account having either an extra or a missing ten million."

He picked up another seal.

"A single incorrect stamp could render a guarantee invalid."

Then he picked up a sample contract.

"A single discrepancy in dates could give the opposing lawyer leverage over the entire document during litigation."

He put the things back on the podium.

"Therefore, today's training topic can be summarized in just one sentence—"

"Details determine everything."

Takafumi Todo's voice was not loud.

But every word is as clear as a ruler tapped on a table.

"Banks don't operate on passion."

"It doesn't operate on intelligence either."

"Banks rely on processes, on reviews, and on every individual to prevent even the smallest error from occurring."

After he finished speaking, he gestured to the staff of the general affairs department to distribute a stack of documents.

Each new employee was given a set of simulated business materials.

The title is:

Application materials for short-term working capital from Osaka Foods Corporation.

Fujido Takafumi said:

"This is a mock loan application. It contains several deliberately designed questions."

You have twenty-five minutes.

"Identify the problems and write them on the answer sheet."

"The final results will be entered into your files."

"Time begins."

The sound of turning pages immediately filled the study room.

The newlyweds began to look down and check their documents.

Kiryu Yaya also turned to the first page.

A copy of the business license, application form, tax payment certificate, loan details, handprint list, guarantee documents, board resolution, and representative's seal certificate.

At first glance, the information appears complete.

But if you look closely, you'll find quite a few problems.

The application was dated April 31st.

April does not have 31 days.

The borrowing details show that Sumitomo Bank borrowed 30 million yen, but this was not included in the total liabilities column.

The edges of the representative's imprint on the seal certificate and the imprint on the application form have subtle differences.

The due date on the hand-shaped list is June 30, but the original copy says July 31.

The tax payment certificate has expired after three months.

The date of the board of directors' decision is earlier than the date of the notice of the meeting.

There is also an error in the consumption tax calculation on the quotation.

Kiryu Yaya picked up a pencil and began writing down line by line.

Just then, a suppressed, excited voice suddenly came from the side.

"It's Kiryu too."

Kiryu Yaya raised his head.

Kenta Sasaki was staring at him.

That look wasn't like looking at a colleague, but more like looking at a rival destined by fate.

"I heard you're very capable."

Kiryu Yaya was silent for a second.

"fine."

"In that case, do you dare to have a contest with me?"

Several newcomers in the training room looked up.

Mizuna Yayoi was also stunned.

Takafumi Todo stood on the podium, his gaze sweeping over them.

Kenta Sasaki, however, had already stood up.

"Kiryu-kun."

His tone was solemn:

"I challenge you."

Kiryu Yaya looked at him, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

Has this person been reading too many shonen manga?

Just then, a semi-transparent system interface appeared before our eyes.

[New life options have been triggered]

Kenta Sasaki, a chuunibyou (delusional) youth who graduated from Waseda University, mistakenly sees you as his destined rival because he has a crush on Mizuna Yayoi.

During the new employee training session, he challenged you.

At this moment, you have three choices.

[Fork 1: Rejecting challenges, indicating that training is not a competition.]

(Reward: Bank deposit increased by 5000 yen, nothing happens.)

[Branch Two: Accept calmly, but emphasize that this is training, not a personal victory or defeat.]

(Rewards: Bank deposit increased by 2 yen; improved evaluation among newcomers.)

[Branch 3: Publicly crushing Kenta Sasaki, making him realize that there is a gap between Waseda University and the University of Tokyo.]

(Reward: Bank deposit increases by 5 yen; Kenta Sasaki's hostility increases significantly.)

Kiryu Yaya looked at the third option and couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

The system, that wicked thing, wants to make him make enemies.

He stood up and spoke calmly:

"Sasaki-kun, if it's for the sake of training effectiveness, I can accept it."

"But this is not a personal victory or defeat."

"We're all new to the bank; our goal is to find problems in the data, not to prove who's better."

Upon hearing this, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Takafumi Todo's eyes.

Kenta Sasaki seemed not to have heard the second half of the sentence at all, only hearing the word "accept".

His eyes lit up.

"very good!"

"Then let's begin, Kiryu!"

Arima Kishou sat beside him, expressionless, and said in a low voice:

"Shameful."

Kenta Sasaki pretended not to hear.

Twenty-five minutes later.

Takafumi Todo asked several newcomers to report on the results.

Kenta Sasaki was the first to stand up.

He rattled off seven questions in one breath.

Incorrect date, expired tax certificate, inconsistent due date of handprint, incorrect total of borrowing details, missing correction stamp, incorrect consumption tax calculation on quotation, and disordered page numbers in guarantee documents.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Kiryu Yaya with great confidence.

It's quite impressive that seven problems could be found in such a short time among newcomers.

Many people looked surprised.

Fujido Takafumi nodded.

"Sasaki-kun, your basics are good."

Kenta Sasaki's lips curled up slightly.

But the next second.

Takafumi Todo looked at Yaya Kiryu.

"Kiryu-kun."

"Yes."

Kiryu Yaya stood up and placed the sticky note on the table.

"I found a total of fourteen problems."

The training room fell silent for a moment.

Kenta Sasaki's smile froze on his face.

Kiryu Yaya didn't look at him, but instead opened the documents and explained each point.

The handprints have inconsistent due dates, the total amount of the borrowing details is incorrect, the correction stamp is missing, the consumption tax calculation on the quotation is incorrect, and the page numbers of the guarantee documents are out of order.

"Besides the seven points Sasaki-kun mentioned earlier, I'll add seven more:"

"First, the edge of the representative's seal on the application form is inconsistent with the edge of the seal image on the seal certificate, which may indicate a risk of misapplied seal or forgery."

"Second, the date of the board of directors' decision was earlier than the date of the notice of the meeting, and there were formal flaws in the decision-making process."

"Third, the 30 million yen loan from Sumitomo Bank was listed in the details but not included in the total liabilities, resulting in an understatement of total liabilities."

"Fourth, the collateral valuation report used last year's land price and did not reflect the recent decline in land prices."

Fifth, inventory details include goods deposited by customers, which cannot be counted as owned assets.

"Sixth, the stated purpose of the funds is short-term working capital, but the quotation says it's for refrigeration equipment upgrades, so the purposes are inconsistent."

"Seventh, the date of signature on the transcript of the representative director's register is inconsistent with that on the application form, and there is a gap in the period of change of representative authority."

After he finished speaking, the training room became so quiet that you could hear the air conditioner running.

Takafumi Todo looked at Yaya Kiryu, his eyes showing even more obvious satisfaction.

"very good."

Kenta Sasaki was completely petrified.

Seven places versus fourteen places.

The defeat was complete.

However, at that moment, Arima Kishou, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"There's one more place."

Everyone looked at him.

Arima Kishou adjusted his glasses, his voice calm:

"At the board meeting, three directors were present and all three signed the resolution."

"But the company register shows that there are currently four directors."

"The absent directors had no letter of appointment and no record of abstention."

"If the loan agreement stipulates that significant borrowing requires the approval of more than half of the board of directors, this resolution may not be sufficient to demonstrate authorization for the borrowing."

Takafumi Todo paused for a moment.

He picked up the document, glanced at it, and then nodded.

"Arima-kun is right."

"This problem is the most hidden one in today's materials."

Arima Kishou did not show any smugness; he simply lowered his head and continued flipping through the documents.

Kiryu Yaya glanced at him.

Heroes of this world are indeed as numerous as carp crossing a river.

This bespectacled man is definitely not simple.

Kenta Sasaki sat beside him and muttered to himself:

Why didn't you tell me just now?

Arima Kishou said calmly:

"Because this is your challenge."

Kenta Sasaki was hit with another blow:

"Betrayal, this is betrayal from a close friend!"

Takafumi Todo walked to the center of the podium, picked up the chalk, and wrote four characters on the blackboard.

detail.

Then he wrote down two more words.

responsibility.

He turned around and looked at all the newlyweds.

What you're seeing today isn't a game.

"It's something that happens every day in banking."

"Someone will bring the mistake to your doorstep."

"Some people will hide the risks in thick files."

"The customer won't tell you where they made a mistake."

"They won't call you in advance to notify you of bad debts."

Takafumi Todo put down the chalk.

"Therefore, the value of bank employees lies in seeing problems where others cannot."

After he finished speaking, his gaze lingered for a moment on Kiryu Yaya, Arima Kishou, and Sasaki Kenta.

"That concludes today's training."

"Return to your respective departments this afternoon."

Meeting adjourned.

[World line converging - bifurcation two selected]

[The 2 yen cash reward has been deposited into my bank account.]

Current bank account balance: ¥653,200

Kiryu Yaya looked at the system notification and was in a fairly good mood.

If I could earn 20,000 yen every time I was challenged by a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur).

That kind of challenge isn't something that can't be repeated a few times.