Tokyo, 1991: Starting as a bank clerk

Chapter 37 The Baishi Family Banquet

Saturday afternoon at four o'clock.

Kiryu Yaya stood in front of an old Japanese confectionery shop in Kitahama, looking up at the somewhat aged wooden signboard.

The lettering on the signboard has been worn and faded by time, but the edges are clean. A dark blue noren hangs at the entrance, and the noren is gently lifted by the late April wind and then slowly falls back down.

This is Beibang Old Shop.

If it weren't for this voucher, Kiryu Yaya probably wouldn't have ventured into a place like this for a long time.

This kind of store looks very expensive.

For him now, the word "expensive" alone is enough to make people keep their distance.

Kiryu Yaya pushed open the door and went in.

"jingle."

The brass bell on the door rang softly.

The store is not very spacious, but the display cases are filled with rows of exquisite seasonal fruits and nuts.

Sakura mochi, wakame, kashiwa mochi, and several boxes of nerikiri shaped like tender green maple leaves.

The female shop assistant behind the counter was wearing a light gray kimono and looked to be in her early forties. When she saw him come in, she immediately bowed slightly.

Welcome!

Kiryu Yaya took out the voucher.

"I've come to pick up the gift box I reserved."

The female shop assistant took it and glanced at it; her gaze immediately softened.

"Please wait a moment."

She turned and went into the inner room, and soon came out with a wrapped paulownia wood box.

It was wrapped in light beige washi paper and tied with a dark green string, the knot of which was tied neatly.

The shop's name is stamped in a small, elegant seal in the lower right corner of the paper.

"This is our limited-time spring gift box. It contains cherry blossom leaf Domyouji, plum and kudzu bun, wakakusa nerikiri, and azuki bean yokan."

Kiryu Yaya checked the price; this gift box cost around 5000 yen.

The saleswoman placed the gift box on the counter and then asked:

"Is it for a gift?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll add another layer of outsourcing for you."

"This is troublesome."

Kiryu Yaya stood in front of the counter, watching her skillfully repackage the gift box.

When I came out of the wagashi shop, the sun had already begun to set in the west.

The streets around Kitahama looked very clean in the evening light.

Near the Osaka Stock Exchange, a few people in suits were still coming and going, and the shadows of young office workers could be seen reflected in the glass windows of cafes.

The evening paper was displayed at a newsstand on the street, and the front page still featured words like "falling land prices," "financial unease," and "the end of the Heisei boom."

But the pedestrians on the street didn't seem that heavy-hearted.

A young girl wearing a light-colored long skirt and a short jacket is carrying a paper bag from a department store; several male college students are standing in front of a vending machine distributing soft drinks; and in the distance, a record store has posters of the latest pop songs on display.

This is Japan in 1991.

The foam has burst, but the neon lights are still on.

Kiryu Yaya, carrying wagashi (Japanese sweets), took the train to Toyonaka.

Ayako Shiraishi arranged to meet at Toyonaka Station at 5:30 PM.

When he arrived, Keiko Miyazawa was already standing next to the station exit.

Today she was wearing a light cherry blossom-colored cardigan over a white shirt, paired with a dark blue long skirt, and her hair was softly draped over her shoulders.

She was also holding a small bouquet of flowers, white lisianthus and light pink carnations, a very refreshing combination.

Her eyes lit up slightly when she saw Kiryu Yaya.

"Kiryu-kun."

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just arrived too."

Keiko Miyazawa looked down at the gift box in his hand and smiled, saying:

"You brought a gift too?"

"We can't go empty-handed."

"He looks like a bank employee."

"What does this have to do with bank employees?"

Keiko Miyazawa thought for a moment and said seriously:

"It's the kind of person who... always considers procedures and etiquette first, no matter what."

Kiryu Yaya was silent for a second.

"That doesn't sound like a compliment."

Keiko Miyazawa laughed.

"It's a compliment."

As the two were talking, a dark blue Toyota slowly pulled up to the side of the road.

The car window rolled down, and Ayako Shiraishi leaned out of the driver's seat.

"Keiko! Kiryu-san! Over here!"

She was dressed much more casually today than she was at the bank, her chestnut hair was loosely held back with a hair clip, and she didn't have that tense look on her face.

Seeing the two get into the car, she immediately smiled and said:

"That's great! I was worried you'd get lost."

Keiko Miyazawa sat in the back seat and placed the bouquet on her lap.

"Ayako, you actually drove here to pick us up yourself."

"There's nothing we can do."

Ayako Shiraishi sighed as she started the car.

"My father has been practicing saying thank you at home since the afternoon. If he comes to pick you up again, he might recite his thanks three times on the way from the station to home."

Keiko Miyazawa couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Is Uncle Shiraishi taking this so seriously?"

"It was frighteningly solemn."

Ayako Shiraishi said helplessly:

"His mother had already warned him that tonight was a family dinner, not a shareholders' meeting."

Kiryu Yaya, sitting in the passenger seat, smiled upon hearing this.

The car drove through the Fengzhong residential area.

Neatly trimmed hedges and low walls line both sides of the street, and occasionally you can see two-story wooden houses with warm yellow light shining from their windows.

Unlike the crowds in downtown Osaka, this area is much quieter, as if the city's hustle and bustle has been kept out of reach of the train station.

The Shiraishi family home is located deep within one of these quiet streets.

It's not an extravagant mansion, but the yard is beautifully manicured.

A maple tree, not yet fully leafed, stands by the entrance. The entryway light is already on, casting a warm glow on the stone steps, creating a cozy atmosphere at first glance.

Ayako Shiraishi opened the door and called inside:

"Mom, I've brought them here."

"Welcome, welcome."

A gentle female voice immediately came through.

Mrs. Shiraishi came out of the house.

She was around fifty years old, wearing a plain apron, her hair neatly tied up, and a smile on her face that made it easy for people to relax.

She first looked at Keiko Miyazawa, then at Yaya Kiryu, and then bowed deeply.

"It's so good that you could come today."

Kiryu Yaya quickly returned the greeting.

"Sorry to bother you."

Keiko Miyazawa also handed over the flowers she was holding.

"Auntie, this is for you."

"Wow, it's so beautiful."

Mrs. Shiraishi accepted the flowers, her smile becoming even gentler.

Kiryu Yaya also handed over the wagashi gift box.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation."

"The one in Beibang?"

Mrs. Shiraishi's eyes lit up slightly when she saw the packaging.

"Kiryu-san, you're too kind. This shop is famous for its plum and kudzu buns."

At that moment, Seiji Shiraishi also came out from inside.

He wasn't wearing a suit today, but a white shirt and dark trousers with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, making him look several years younger than he did in the bank's conference room.

But as soon as he saw Kiryu Yaya, his body instinctively straightened up, and a formal expression appeared on his face.

Mrs. Shiraishi immediately coughed.

Seiji.

Seiji Shiraishi paused in his movements.

Ayako Shiraishi whispered a reminder:

"Dad, it's time for a family dinner."

Seiji Shiraishi gave an awkward laugh.

"Yes, a family dinner."

He reached out his hand to Kiryu Yaya.

"Kiryu-san, please relax today. Don't treat this place like a bank, and don't treat me like a customer."

Kiryu Yaya grasped his hand and smiled:

"Then I'll try my best."

Dinner began quickly.

The restaurant wasn't large, but the tables were laden with food.

In the center is a large plate of scattered sushi, next to which are salt-grilled mackerel, tempura, beef tendon stew, dashi-maki tamagoyaki, cold spinach salad, and a pot of steaming hot clam soup.

Mrs. Shiraishi had clearly been preparing for a long time.

Seiji Shiraishi wanted to raise his glass to say something, but Ayako Shiraishi interrupted him as soon as he picked up his glass.

"Dad, let me make this clear first: you're not allowed to read those three pages of acknowledgments you wrote."

Keiko Miyazawa blinked.

"Three pages?"

Ayako Shiraishi nodded.

"Yes, three pages. It's divided into first, second, and third pages."

Seiji Shiraishi's face showed a hint of unease at being exposed by his daughter.

"That's a draft."

"Even a draft won't do."

Mrs. Shiraishi smiled as she served soup to everyone.

"It's just a meal today. If you really want to thank me, then finish your meal properly."

Looking at his wife and daughter, Seiji Shiraishi finally had no choice but to raise his glass.

"Then I'll just say one thing."

He looked at Kiryu Yaya, then at Miyazawa Keiko.

Thank you.

The message is very short.

But the friendship is deep.

Keiko Miyazawa lowered her head slightly.

"Uncle, you're too kind."

Kiryu, I raise my glass.

"President Shiraishi, Shiraishi Refrigeration's future performance will depend on its business results."

"I know."

Seiji Shiraishi nodded.

"The bank helped me protect the Dojima cold storage facility today, but debt is debt. The next few years will be the time when we really have to fight tooth and nail."

Mrs. Shiraishi immediately said:

"Look, it's starting to resemble a meeting again."

Seiji Shiraishi was taken aback.

Ayako Shiraishi added insult to injury:

"Mom is right. Dad didn't last a minute."

"President Shiraishi."

Kiryu Yaya immediately spoke up:

"We really won't talk about gratitude tonight."

Seiji Shiraishi paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about it."

The atmosphere at the dinner table lightened up again.

Ayako Shiraishi recounted how she played in the Dojima Refrigerator when she was a child, and was scolded by her father after he found out.

Seiji Shiraishi recounted an old story about how, when he was young, he was delivering goods in a refrigerated truck and got stuck at the Umeda intersection for two hours in the rain. In the end, he had to carry the cargo boxes himself and run into the back door of a hotel.

These are all very ordinary words.

But it is precisely because it is ordinary that it has a reassuring warmth.

Keiko Miyazawa listened very attentively.

On several occasions, her gaze fell on Seiji Shiraishi and his daughter Ayako Shiraishi, her eyes carrying a faint hint of envy.

Kiryu Yaya saw it, but didn't say anything.

Halfway through her meal, Ayako Shiraishi suddenly received a phone call.

She went down the corridor to answer the call, and returned shortly afterward.

"It was my uncle who called."