Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 22 Exceptional Promotion Card

After the department head finished speaking, he walked away with the documents in his arms.

At the entrance to the financing review office, Mizuna Yayoi stared at Yaya Kiryu, her expression frozen as if struck by lightning.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Kiryu Yaya.

"Senior? You...you?"

Kiryu Yaya remained silent for two seconds.

"Strictly speaking, I was your classmate. I'm sorry... I've been wanting to say this for a while... but I never had the chance."

Mizuna Yayoi's face gradually turned red.

The redness spread from the tips of her ears to the base of her neck.

"Were you and I from the same class?"

"I've been calling you 'senpai' all along... I've even had you teach me how to organize materials... I've used honorifics... I've even made you a bento box..."

She suddenly covered her face with her hands, her whole body looking like it was about to burst into smoke.

"How could I have been so wrong for so long... I should have known on my first day... But, but I never imagined that my colleagues could be so amazing..."

"I'm so sorry, so sorry! I kept calling my fellow students 'senior' and even praised them to their faces. Doesn't that imply you're not a newcomer? Was what I said strange? I'm so sorry—"

Chihaya Yuri sat not far away, turning a page of documents.

She didn't look up, but simply said:

"In banks, seniority and junior status are judged not only by the length of time the employee has been employed, but also by their abilities."

Mizuna Yayoi was stunned.

Chihaya Yuri raised her eyes.

"Kiryu-kun is certainly qualified to teach you about banking."

After saying that, she continued to look down at the documents.

Kiryu Yaya gave Chihaya Yuri a grateful look; thankfully she came to his rescue, otherwise things would have been very difficult to handle.

Yayoi Mizuna stared blankly at Chihaya Yuri, then looked at Kiryu Yaya.

Suddenly, her face turned even redder, and she asked softly:

"Um, then I'll call you Kiryu-kun at the bank, but in private... in private, can I still call you senpai?"

Kiryu Yaya hadn't had a chance to answer yet.

The semi-transparent text suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[New life options have been triggered]

[Yayoi Mizuna finally realized the misunderstanding about how she addressed him.]

To her, you are both a contemporary and a senior. Your answer now will determine the distance between you in her future interactions.

[Fork in the road 1: Seriously correct her, saying, "We're in the same cohort, so you don't need to call me 'senior' anymore."]

(Reward: Bank deposit increases by 10 yen; Yayoi Mina's affection level decreases)

[Branch 2: Gently accept her form of address, saying, "At the bank, I'll call you Kiryu-kun; in private, I'll call you whatever you like."]

(Reward: Yayoi Mina's exclusive item "Exceptional Promotion Card" fragment (1/5) - When you lack seniority but have outstanding achievements, activating the item will ignore the promotion conditions and grant you an exceptional promotion.)

[Branch 3: Deliberately putting on a stern face, he said, "Since you're calling me senior, you'll have to be more careful with the bento boxes and documents from now on."]

(Rewards: Bank deposit increased by 10 yen; Yayoi Mina's affection level slightly increased; Chihaya Yuri's affection level slightly decreased)

Kiryu Yaya was silent for a second.

In situations like these, making the wrong choice can be more troublesome than failing the financing review.

Regardless of which option you choose, the "Exceptional Promotion Card" fragments rewarded by the second branch are truly tempting.

So he thought about it:

"If the lunch contract remains in effect, that's fine."

Mizuna Yayoi nodded vigorously and clenched her fist forcefully:

"It works! It always works!"

"Um... Kiryu-kun, I'll come pick up the empty lunchbox later! You can continue with your work!"

After saying that, she ran away with the empty cloth bag as if she were running away. In the corridor, you could still hear her whispering to herself, "It's so embarrassing, so embarrassing."

You chose branch two.

[Yayoi Mizuna's exclusive item "Exceptional Promotion Card" fragment (1/5) obtained]

Kiryu Yaya watched her retreating figure and chuckled softly.

Chihaya Yuri suddenly said:

"Kiryu-kun."

"Yes."

"After finishing my bento, I'll continue reviewing the documents."

"……yes."

Kiryu Yaya's face fell.

Banks on weekends are indeed devoid of warmth.

……

Sunday morning.

Menzhen driver's license test center.

The exam room is one of the few that is open even on weekends.

Kiryu Yaya stood in the queue, holding his resident certificate, photo, stamp, and application form.

It is not difficult to waive the original payment.

Aptitude test, written test, and original lectures.

You can get your certificate on the same day you pass.

But when he paid the fee, he still felt a pang of heartache.

Ten thousand yen.

That's enough for him to eat more than sixty meals at the bank's cafeteria.

But thinking of the Honda Super Cub in the system space, he still handed over the money.

The effectiveness of the "Road Traffic Law Shorthand" was immediately apparent once the written exam began.

The original legal maximum speed was 30 kilometers per hour.

Two-stage right turn at multi-lane intersections.

Two people are not allowed to ride in the vehicle.

A safety helmet must be worn.

You must stop immediately at a railway crossing.

The results were announced half an hour later.

Passed.

3 PM.

Original payment and free license received.

As Kiryu Yaya stepped out of the test site, a system notification popped up.

[The host has been detected to have obtained the original payment exemption license]

The Honda Super Cub 50 moped has been legally registered.

The vehicle keys, proof of liability insurance, and related documents have been sent to the host's home email address.

When he returned to the Eban apartment that evening, he indeed found a brown paper bag in his mailbox.

Then he found a deserted alley and took the motorcycle out of the system space.

Next to the parking space downstairs, a brand-new Honda Super Cub 50 was parked quietly.

Black body, round headlights.

Kiryu Yaya stood in front of the car and solemnly patted the seat.

"I'll be relying on you for my commute from now on."

He got into the car, inserted the key, and stepped on the start lever.

The engine made a sputtering sound.

……

Monday morning.

A dark blue Toyota drove into the Dojima area.

Dojima is close to Nakanoshima, Kitashinchi, and Umeda, making it one of the few locations in Osaka that combines both commercial and logistical value.

Shiraishi Refrigeration's Dojima Cold Storage is located at the end of a somewhat narrow road.

The three-story old-style cold storage building had some graying exterior walls, but it was well-maintained.

Several refrigerated trucks were parked at the entrance, and workers were loading boxes of frozen food onto them.

Seiji Shiraishi was already waiting at the door.

He was wearing a dark work uniform today, with the words "Baishi Refrigeration Machinery" embroidered on his chest.

"Chihaya-san, Kiryu-san, thank you for coming all this way."

Chihaya Yuri gets straight to the point:

"President Shiraishi, today I will be inspecting the site, ledgers, equipment, and customer delivery records."

"Of course, this way please."

Upon entering the cold storage, a wave of cold air hits you.

Kiryu Yaya couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

The frozen section, refrigerated section, temporary storage section, and sorting section are clearly separated.

The floor is clean, the shelves are neatly numbered, and the goods are arranged in an orderly manner.

Unlike the rusty and weary atmosphere of Fuji Metal, Shiraishi Refrigeration gives the first impression of stability, busyness, and clear discipline.

Chihaya Yuri walked and asked questions along the way:

What is the average daily outbound volume?

"Normally, we have 300 to 400 boxes. In the summer, that number can increase to over 500 boxes."

"Delivery radius?"

"Mainly Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto, with some trips to Nara."

Is it necessary to upgrade cold storage equipment?

Seiji Shiraishi stopped in front of a set of compressors.

The machine emitted a low hum.

"This equipment has been in use for thirteen years. It can still operate, but it consumes a lot of electricity, and the frequency of maintenance has increased. It broke down twice last summer, but fortunately, it did not cause any damage to the customer's goods."

Chihaya Yuri squatted down to look at the nameplate.

Kiryu Yaya did not speak immediately.

He walked to the wall of the equipment room and glanced at the monthly inspection report posted there.

Then Kiryu Yaya looked at the electricity usage record next to him, his brows furrowing slightly.

"President Shiraishi."

"Um?"

"Over the past six months, there hasn't been a significant increase in outbound shipments, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why is the power consumption almost 15% higher than the same period last year?"

Seiji Shiraishi paused for a moment.

Chihaya Yuri also raised her head.

Kiryu Yaya pointed to the electricity records on the wall.

"If the outflow volume is stable and the warehouse capacity utilization rate has not improved significantly, there are usually only a few reasons for the increase in power consumption."

"Decreased insulation performance, abnormal door opening frequency, or significant decline in compressor unit efficiency."

He then looked through the inspection checklist.

"But your door opening records are still normal, and the warehouse door sealing strip was just replaced last year."

His pen tip landed on the column for Unit 2.

"So the problem most likely lies here."

The maintenance team leader stood to the side, his expression changing slightly.

Seiji Shiraishi immediately looked at him.

"Sato?"

The maintenance team leader hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said:

"Unit 2 has indeed occasionally issued overload alarms recently, but they have all recovered automatically, so they have not been reported separately."

Chihaya Yuri's gaze instantly turned cold.

Seiji Shiraishi's face also darkened.

"Wasn't it reported separately?"

Kiryu Yaya said calmly:

"President Shiraishi, this is no small matter."

"The risks associated with cold storage equipment differ from those of ordinary manufacturing equipment. When ordinary equipment stops, production decreases. But when cold storage equipment malfunctions, it results in a direct loss of the customer's goods."

He looked at Chihaya Yuri.

"Section Chief, the necessity of upgrading the equipment is self-evident from the customer."

Chihaya Yuri nodded.

There was a clear hint of surprise in her eyes as she looked at Kiryu Yaya.

This guy even understands risk assessment for cold chain equipment?

Kiryu Yaya shrugged. In his previous life, he had worked in the banking industry for over a decade and had dealt with all sorts of companies.

He has a wealth of professional experience.

After touring the cold storage, the group went to the conference room on the second floor.

Ayako Shiraishi was also there.

She poured tea for the two of them, her movements somewhat nervous.

Kiryu also asked:

"Miyazawa-kun didn't come today?"

Ayako Shiraishi shook her head.

"Keiko said today is the formal review, and it's inconvenient for her to come. She asked me to tell Kiryu-san not to force her because of her."

Kiryu Yaya nodded.

Keiko Miyazawa is quite tactful in this regard.