novellhall Chapter 71 Cold Case
Chapter 71 Cold Case
The two chatted for a while longer.
They were all just idle chatter unrelated to the important matters.
When Kuroda Shuichi speaks, his shrewdness, honed by years of dealing with both political and business circles, occasionally shines through.
But more often than not, he's like any middle-aged man you'd see on the streets of Osaka, with a touch of the familiarity and down-to-earth charm typical of people from the Kansai region.
If Kiryu Yaya didn't know what kind of business he was in, he might even think that drinking and chatting with him would be a pleasant experience.
Just after ten o'clock, Kuroda Shuichi glanced at his watch and stood up.
"That's enough for today. If I keep drinking, I won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."
Kiryu Yaya also stood up.
"Thank you for your hospitality today, President Kuroda."
"Don't mention it. Next time you have time, I'll take you to one of my favorite skewer and fried food shops."
Shuichi Kuroda patted him on the shoulder, his smile carrying a subtle, unspoken meaning.
"Kiryu-kun, remember what I said. Mitsubishi Bank is a good place, but there are other good places in the world besides Mitsubishi Bank."
Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly but did not reply.
The two parted ways in front of the Songfeng Temple.
Shuichi Kuroda bent down and sat in the back seat of a silver-gray Mercedes. Before rolling up the window, he casually waved to Yaya Kiryu.
Kiryu Yaya stood in front of the ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant), watching the taillights of the Mercedes disappear into the winding alleys of Kitashinchi.
A night breeze blew by, carrying a lingering chill from early May.
Kiryu Yaya turned and walked towards the subway station.
The button-style tape recorder worked quietly on the front of his suit jacket all night.
When I get back, I need to find some time to transcribe the recording.
The amount of information in what Kuroda Shuichi said tonight was so great that he had to ponder it repeatedly.
There are a few questions he needs to figure out.
What is the relationship between Shuichi Kuroda and Hara Miyazawa?
What role will the Kansai urban development play in the Miyazawa case?
As Kiryu Yaya crossed Yodoyabashi Bridge, the roar of the last tram passing overhead made the bridge surface tremble slightly.
He stopped, put his hands in his trench coat pockets, and stared blankly at the dark surface of the Dojima River.
The reflections of neon lights shattered on the water's surface—red, yellow, and blue—being broken up and then reassembled by the ripples, like a jigsaw puzzle that could never be completed.
He suddenly remembered that many years ago, his father took him to Nakanoshima Park to watch a fireworks display.
Back then, my father was still wearing that dark blue work uniform, and there was always a bit of oil stain from the workshop on the collar.
My mother stood beside me, holding a round fan, fanning herself as she said, "Don't push, don't push, the fireworks won't fly away."
Later, my father died, and then my mother died.
The fireworks festival on Nakanoshima was held every summer as usual, but he never went to see it again.
Kiryu Yaya took a deep breath and suppressed the emotions that shouldn't have surfaced at this time.
Keep going.
But suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
The system's prompt and a flash of inspiration made his pupils shrink sharply.
[Passive "Merger Sense" has been triggered]
The night breeze blew across the bridge, carrying dampness and a faint smell of cooking oil, gently lifting the hem of Kiryu Yaya's suit.
But in his mind, it was as if an invisible hand was replaying every word that Kuroda Shuichi had said that evening—
"They found companies with problematic funding chains but profitable land acquisition opportunities, and used some shady methods..."
"..."
"We can't use an auction or a bidding process; we must quietly and cleanly convert the assets into cash."
"..."
In fact, as early as when Kuroda Shuichi mentioned this model, Kiryu Yaya had a vague sense of déjà vu.
But he didn't think in that direction at the time.
But it wasn't until his "merger and acquisition instincts" kicked in that Kiryu Yaya realized it clearly.
This approach to urban development in the Kansai region is similar to the bankruptcy of Kiryu Metals five years ago—
same.
Kiryu Yaya's heart suddenly plummeted into an ice cellar.
Additional collateral.
Qi Chai.
Lock up assets.
dun.
Waiting for the developer to come in.
Then, it doubles in value upon resale.
This is a set of jargon used for dealing with problem assets.
But at that very moment, it suddenly overlapped word for word with the conversation in the corridor of that funeral five years ago.
The Dojima River flows silently in the night, the reflections of neon lights shattered by the ripples.
Kiryu Yaya held his breath.
A thought slowly surfaced from the deepest part of my heart.
First it was blurry.
Then, it became clearer and clearer.
—Could the developer that reclaimed the land of the Kiryu Metal Factory back then be Kansai City Development?
in the case of.
Kouyuhiko, who personally handled the mortgage and loan withdrawal...
Isn't he the mastermind behind the Kansai urban development?
If this speculation is true.
The Miyazawa case...
Thinking of this, Kiryu Yaya felt a chill run down his spine.
The wind on the bridge suddenly picked up.
This idea is terrifying.
It was so terrifying that Kiryu Yaya dared not think about it further.
He suddenly turned around and ran towards the subway station.
No.
We can't wait until tomorrow.
He must verify this immediately.
We'll find out tonight whether Kansai Urban Development was involved in the recycling of Kiryu Metal.
……
10:40 PM.
Many lights were still on at the Mitsubishi Bank Osaka branch.
The Miyazawa case caused such a big stir that the store manager personally took charge, and almost no department in the Osaka branch dared to leave work completely.
Even if not all staff are on duty, at least a few should be on duty.
Therefore, returning to the branch store at this time would not be conspicuous.
But when Kiryu Yaya pushed open the door to the Financing Review Division, Section Chief Kishigami Wakako was the first to look up.
"Kiryu-kun?"
She glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Did you leave something in the office so late?"
Kiryu Yaya didn't sit down, but walked straight to her table and lowered his voice:
"Department Chief, I would like to access the old files in the underground archives."
Wakako on the shore was slightly taken aback.
She sensed an unusual tension in Kiryu Yaya's expression.
"The key to the underground vault is in the General Affairs Department's duty room."
She put down her pen, without asking why, and simply whispered a reminder:
"There should still be people here at this time, but you need to fill out an application form. If you're in a hurry, just say you need to access it."
"Thank you, Section Chief Anshang."
Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly, then turned and walked out.
……
Two underground floors.
The old archives of Mitsubishi Bank's Osaka branch are stored in the deepest part of the main building.
Iron gates, concrete walls, dim fluorescent lights, and the lingering smell of paper, dust, and old ink in the air.
The man on duty was an old man in his sixties, wearing a gray uniform jacket from the General Affairs Department, with reading glasses perched on his nose, and was watching a nighttime baseball highlight reel while holding a thermos.
Morishita Yoshio.
I've been doing preservation and management for over thirty years.
Some people in the bank are older than the ledgers, and Morishita is one of them.
"Why are you trying to transfer files so late?"
Morishita took the retrieval slip and squinted as he read it over.
"The Miyazawa case?"
"Yes."
Kiryu Yaya bowed slightly.
"We need to check the records of the real estate transactions that Kansai Urban Development has participated in in the past, including an old credit case from 1986."
Morishita clicked his tongue, slowly stood up, and picked up the keychain.
"These past few days, the VIPs on the fifth floor have been keeping the entire branch office up at night."