mijobooks Chapter 9 The Aftermath of Fuji Metals
Chapter 9 The Aftermath of Fuji Metals
Forty minutes passed quickly.
Footsteps and conversations echoed down the corridor as employees, having finished their lunch break, returned to their workstations.
Mizuna Yayoi stood up, carefully put the notepad into her pocket, and then bowed deeply to Yaya Kiryu.
"Kiryu-senpai, thank you so much for today."
"I've memorized a lot of what you taught me. I'll review it repeatedly when I get back and memorize it all. I promise I won't make any mistakes next time I deliver documents."
"Um."
Kiryu Yaya put away the A4 paper and the discarded samples on the table.
"See you at the usual spot in the cafeteria tomorrow at noon."
"yes!"
Mizuna Yayoi turned and walked towards the sales department. After a few steps, she turned back and smiled at him.
Kiryu Yaya watched her figure disappear around the corner of the corridor before leaning back in his chair.
Free lunch, how wonderful!
Suddenly, he remembered something.
He forgot to correct Yayoi Mizuna, who kept calling him "senpai."
Forget it.
Let's talk about it next time.
Mizuna Yayoi practically skipped back to the sales department.
Materials sent out are arranged by time, and materials archived are categorized by customer.
The seal must be stamped in the correct position.
Discard the seal, revise the seal, cut the seal.
As she walked, she silently recited the text in her mind, like a primary school student memorizing a text, not daring to miss a single word.
Back at her workstation in the sales department, she spread out her notepad and circled the key points she had just noted down one by one with a red pen, drawing small star symbols next to them.
Tanaka, the senior colleague sitting at the workstation next to her, leaned over.
"Yayoi, what's wrong? Your face is so red."
"N-No!"
Mizuna Yayoi slammed the notepad shut, covered it with her hands, and her ears were so red they looked like they could bleed.
Senior Tanaka gave her a meaningful look, smiled, and didn't ask any further questions.
Just then, the phone at her workstation rang.
The caller ID showed a number she recognized.
The area code for Kyoto.
When Mizuna Yayoi answered the phone, her voice involuntarily softened.
"Hello, Mom?"
A gentle female voice came from the other end of the phone, with the elegant ending notes characteristic of Kyoto accents:
"Mina, have you eaten?"
"I've eaten! The salt-grilled mackerel in the cafeteria was delicious today."
When Yayoi Mizuna said this, her voice was much lighter than usual.
"Mom, how are you feeling today?"
"Same as always, it's fine. The cherry blossoms in Kyoto have all fallen, what about Osaka?"
"Hmm, it's alright. The cherry blossoms in Kyoto have fallen, and the ginkgo trees on Midosuji are just sprouting new leaves, so tender and green, they're so beautiful."
After saying that, Yayoi Mizuna herself was stunned for a moment.
She had never paid attention to the color of the ginkgo leaves outside the window before.
I'm busy from morning till night every day. Just dealing with those endless receipts has exhausted all my energy. I have no time to look at ginkgo trees.
But today is different.
Today she remembered that the ginkgo leaves at Midosuji were new leaves, remembered their tender green color, and remembered how the afternoon sunlight in April fell on the leaves.
"Mina?"
There was a hint of doubt in the mother's voice.
"You seem... a little different today. Did something good happen?"
Yayoi Mina held the receiver and said happily:
"Mom, I have to tell you, I met a really nice person at the bank today."
"Are you a colleague?"
"Yes. He's a senior from the financing department, his surname is Kiryu."
Mizuna Yayoi held the receiver between her shoulder and ear, her hands unconsciously twisting together.
Her voice was very low, but her speech became faster and faster, like a stream that had been accumulating water all spring and finally found its outlet.
"This morning, when I was carrying a bunch of documents out of the elevator, I accidentally bumped into him. The documents spilled all over the floor, and I thought to myself, 'Oh no, I'm going to get yelled at again.'"
"But Kiryu-senpai didn't scold me at all. He knelt down to help me pick up the documents and even told me how to arrange them. I did as he said, and when I delivered them to the conference room, the account manager really didn't say anything to me!"
"Then at lunchtime in the cafeteria..."
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
Then the mother chuckled softly.
"I see. That's wonderful. Mizuna, you've met a kind person."
"Um."
Mizuna Yayoi pressed the receiver to her ear and nodded vigorously.
"Mom, can I become someone like my senior when I grow up? The kind of person who... helps others without making them feel indebted."
"Mina is already one."
The mother's voice was soft, but firm.
"The fact that you can see the kindness in others is itself a kind of kindness. Not everyone can see this."
Mizuna Yayoi pursed her lips and remained silent.
My eyes feel a little hot.
"Oh, right."
The mother's voice suddenly switched back to its usual tone:
"Do you have enough for living expenses? Do you need me to send you some more?"
Mizuna Yayoi quickly sniffed and answered in as relaxed a tone as possible:
"That's enough. I still have thirty or forty million yen on hand, enough to last until the end of the month. Mom, you don't need to worry about me."
She said this in a very natural tone.
"Okay, Mom, I'm hanging up now. The section chief is in the office."
"Mina!"
Her mother called out to her. Her voice was still gentle, but there was something very light and faint in her tone, like the outline of distant mountains.
"If you encounter any trouble, be sure to tell your mother, and she will look into President Nakano's case."
"...I understand, Mom. But I'll rely on myself."
A very soft sigh came from the other end of the phone, which sounded like a very soft laugh.
Then the call ended.
……
Kiryu Yaya sat at his workstation, looking at the system notification.
[World line converging - bifurcation two selected]
[10 Red Bulls (Powerful) have been added to system storage]
[Red Bull Power]: It can keep you energized for 24 hours after drinking, with no side effects.
Having not rested all afternoon, Kiryu Yaya received his reward and couldn't wait to take out a can from his system space.
The bottle looks familiar, but the label is gone.
He picked up the Red Bull and gulped it down.
After finishing his drink, Kiryu smacked his lips.
How to describe the feeling? It's a bit like Red Bull with mint.
However, after drinking it, the fatigue did indeed disappear completely.
Just then, the sound of high heels clicking away came from nearby.
Kiryu Yaya watched as Chihaya Yuri walked down the corridor.
"Chihaya, Section Chief!"
Chihaya Yuri folded her legs, which were clad in black stockings, and walked with her usual quick steps.
She stopped next to Kiryu Yaya's workstation.
"Kiryu-kun."
"Yes."
"I just called the equipment supplier at Fuji Metals, and the models and prices on the quotation are accurate. However, they said that President Nomura inquired about prices last month, but there has been no follow-up since."
Kiryu Yaya's shoulders relaxed, just as he had predicted.
Kenichiro Nomura's original words were not like that; he said:
"Equipment suppliers are willing to offer discounts, so prices have dropped a little compared to last month."
If Kenichiro Nomura really intends to buy this equipment, he should have already entered into substantive negotiations with the equipment supplier.
But the equipment supplier said, "There was no follow-up."
In other words, Kenichiro Nomura never pushed forward with this deal.
So what does he want to do by bringing the equipment quote to the bank to apply for a loan?
The answer is obvious.
With a hint of admiration in her eyes, Chihaya Yuri said to Kiryu Yaya:
"The section chief has suspended this loan. Tomorrow we'll go to Fuji Metals to assess the current value of the raw materials. If there are any problems, the loan application will be rejected immediately. If there are indeed problems, then Kiryu-kun, you've prevented a bad debt!"
Kiryu Yaya quickly stood up:
"Not at all, it's all thanks to the department head's proper training; as long as they didn't cause any trouble for the bank, that's good."
Chihaya Yuri was very satisfied with Kiryu Yaya's humble attitude and nodded in satisfaction.
But to their surprise, before they could even go to Fuji Metals to check the raw materials...
Kiryu Yaya's deeds had already spread throughout the bank.