ebookslot Chapter 38 The Miyazawa Family's Phone Call
Chapter 38 The Miyazawa Family's Phone Call
Seiji Shiraishi paused his movements.
Ayako Shiraishi said:
"He said he went to Dojima today. Although he hasn't officially returned to the company yet, he stood outside the warehouse for a while. He said... he wanted to start with the simplest job."
Seiji Shiraishi remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Let him be."
Mrs. Shiraishi placed a bowl of soup in front of him.
"It's better than continuing to be depressed."
"Um."
Seiji Shiraishi responded softly.
The atmosphere didn't sink for long.
Ayako Shiraishi quickly smiled and said:
"My uncle even asked me if he could stop moving goods for now. He said his back isn't the same as it was twenty years ago."
Seiji Shiraishi finally couldn't help but laugh.
"He didn't move many times when he was young."
Laughter erupted again in the private room.
After the meal, Mrs. Shiraishi unwrapped the wagashi (Japanese sweets) that Kiryu Yaya had brought and served them to the living room along with hot tea.
A warm yellow floor lamp was on in the living room, and the TV volume was turned down low, showing a weekend variety show.
The host's exaggerated laughter occasionally drifted through the screen, but it wasn't too noisy.
Several people sat on the sofa and tatami mats, creating a more relaxed atmosphere than at the dining table.
Keiko Miyazawa held her teacup, took a small bite of the plum and kudzu bun, and her eyes brightened slightly.
"This is delicious."
"The shop in Kitahama is indeed quite good."
Mrs. Shiraishi said with a smile.
"Kiryu-san has a good eye for talent."
Kiryu Yaya smiled and said:
"I just happened to be passing by."
As they talked, the topic somehow shifted to TV dramas.
Ayako Shiraishi said that recently, young people all over Japan have been talking about "Tokyo Love Story," and female office workers can argue for half an hour over Kanji and Rika during their lunch break.
Keiko Miyazawa also watched a few episodes and whispered that Rika's bright and direct personality was amazing.
Ayako Shiraishi immediately asked:
"Does Keiko like Rika?"
Keiko Miyazawa thought for a moment.
"Envious, aren't you?"
"What do you envy about her?"
"I envy her for being able to say whatever she wants."
Mrs. Shiraishi quickly responded with a smile:
"It's a blessing to be so straightforward when you're young."
Ayako Shiraishi nodded.
"So Keiko should say a little more."
Keiko Miyazawa lowered her head and smiled.
I will try my best.
Just then, the phone rang at the Shiraishi family's house.
Ayako Shiraishi got up to receive it.
"Hey, Shiraishi family."
She listened for a few moments, then turned to look at Keiko Miyazawa.
"Huizi, they're looking for you."
Keiko Miyazawa was somewhat surprised, put down her teacup, and went over.
"I am Miyazawa."
She stood by the phone, speaking very softly.
The other people in the living room didn't pay any attention; they just continued drinking tea and chatting.
But Kiryu Yaya's position was just enough to hear a few intermittent words.
"……yes."
"Monday afternoon?"
"Is your uncle going to Mitsubishi Bank too?"
"I see."
"I'll bring the documents with me."
"Yes, please tell my uncle that I will be there on time."
The call ended quickly.
When Keiko Miyazawa returned, she still looked relaxed.
Ayako Shiraishi asked:
"About family matters?"
"Um."
Keiko Miyazawa sat back down and smiled.
"It was my uncle's secretary calling. She said that on Monday afternoon, my uncle was going to the Osaka branch of Mitsubishi Bank to confirm some group accounts and documents. She asked me to go with him."
"It's a bank again."
Ayako Shiraishi looked at Yaya Kiryu.
"Kiryu-san, your bank has been very busy lately."
"The bank is always busy."
Kiryu Yaya's tone remained unchanged.
Seiji Shiraishi paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.
The movements were very gentle.
It was so light that Kiryu Yaya wouldn't have noticed it at all if he hadn't been paying attention.
Seiji Shiraishi raised his eyes, glanced at Keiko Miyazawa, and then calmly put the teacup back on the table.
"Mr. Miyazawahara?"
He asked the question very naturally.
Keiko Miyazawa nodded.
"He's my uncle. Does Uncle Shiraishi know him?"
"We don't really know each other."
Seiji Shiraishi smiled.
"I've met him a few times before at banquets in the Kansai financial world. Managing Director Miyazawa is very capable and knows how to deal with banks."
Keiko Miyazawa didn't think much of it.
"My uncle has always helped my father handle many things for the group. My father passed away suddenly, and he's been the one keeping things going lately."
Seiji Shiraishi nodded and didn't continue.
The topic was quickly steered back to a more relaxed tone by Ayako Shiraishi.
She began by recounting how her father, after drinking too much at a business dinner in Beixindi for the first time, was locked out of the entrance hall by her mother.
Seiji Shiraishi immediately protested that it happened when he was young, but Mrs. Shiraishi said, "That doesn't change the fact."
Laughter filled the living room once again.
Only Kiryu Yaya, amidst the laughter, silently memorized that moment.
As the dinner party drew to a close, Keiko Miyazawa and Ayako Shiraishi went to the kitchen together, saying they would help Mrs. Shiraishi tidy up the tea set.
Only Seiji Shiraishi and Yaya Kiryu remained in the living room.
The TV is showing GG.
A young actress from a credit card company smiles brightly at the camera, her catchphrase being "the future is in my hands."
Seiji Shiraishi looked at the television screen and suddenly said softly:
"Kiryu-san."
"Yes."
Seiji Shiraishi didn't look at him, but simply picked up his teacup and chatted casually.
"The Miyazawa family is no ordinary family. Mr. Miyazawa Hara is no ordinary business owner either."
Kiryu Yaya did not respond.
Seiji Shiraishi continued:
"He's very smart, knows a lot about banking, and knows how to get people to nod in agreement at banquets and conferences."
He paused for a moment after saying this.
"This kind of person isn't necessarily a bad person."
"It's just that sometimes I do things too quickly."
"Too fast?"
"Um."
Seiji Shiraishi put down his teacup.
"During the bubble economy years, many tourism developments, golf clubs, and real estate projects in the Kansai region developed too quickly. At that time, everyone thought that as long as they acquired the land and established the project, the money would naturally follow."
He smiled, but there was something indescribable about the smile.
Looking back now, the fastest runner wasn't necessarily the safest.
Kiryu Yaya remained silent for a moment.
This is not an accusation.
It doesn't even qualify as a reminder.
It was just a casual remark made by a seasoned business owner over a teacup after a family dinner.
But some things don't need to be said too harshly.
If you say it too harshly, it will sound unnatural.
"Is President Shiraishi worried about Miyazawa-kun?"
Only then did Shiraishi Seiji turn his head and look at him.
"Huizi is a good girl."
"Her father just passed away, so there are some things she may not see clearly."
"However, I'm just an outsider, so it's not appropriate for me to say too much."
After saying that, he seemed to think he had said enough, picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"If you're at the bank on Monday, it wouldn't be a bad thing if you could help out."
Kiryu Yaya nodded.
"I see."
The two did not continue the topic.
A few minutes later, Keiko Miyazawa and Ayako Shiraishi returned with fruit.
The atmosphere brightened up again.
Ayako Shiraishi said there was a box of strawberries left in the kitchen, and her mother insisted that they bring them all out; Keiko Miyazawa said she couldn't eat anymore, but was still forced to eat one.
Kiryu Yaya watched them laugh and joke, and only after Miyazawa Keiko sat down again did he seem to suddenly remember something, and speak naturally:
"Miyazawa-kun."
"Um?"
"When you go to Mitsubishi Bank on Monday, please invite me along too."
Keiko Miyazawa paused for a moment.
"Kiryu-kun is coming too?"
"I was already at the branch store."
Kiryu Yaya said:
"However, I'm just a regular staff member in the financing review department. It's not appropriate for me to show up at client meetings unless someone calls me."
"So when you get to the bank, if you feel you're not familiar with the procedures, just ask the switchboard operator or the receptionist to call me over."
Keiko Miyazawa blinked, then laughed.
"I see."
She was completely unaware of the caution behind those words, and only felt that Kiryu Yaya was considering the banking procedures for her.
"Then I'll leave it to you. Actually, there are a lot of things about the bank that I don't quite understand lately. My uncle can explain, but he speaks too quickly sometimes, so I don't want to keep asking questions."
Ayako Shiraishi laughed from the side:
"Keiko, you've finally admitted that you don't understand."
Keiko Miyazawa sighed softly.
"There's no way around it. I used to only know how to read textbooks, but now I suddenly have to look at accounts, seals, board documents, and bank files. It's really a headache."
Kiryu Yaya looked at her, his tone calm:
"If you don't understand, just ask. There's nothing shameful about it."
"But if everyone else seems to know a lot, and I'm the only one who doesn't, I'll feel useless."
"It's the same in banks."
Kiryu Yaya said:
"The most common mistake newcomers make is not asking questions because they're afraid of losing face. Then, when things go wrong, they realize that what's truly embarrassing is pretending to know what they don't."
Keiko Miyazawa paused for a moment, then nodded seriously.
"I've got it."
Seiji Shiraishi, sitting next to him, relaxed slightly upon hearing this.
He didn't say anything more, but simply poured Kiryu Yaya another cup of tea.
"Kiryu-san, have some tea."
"Thanks."
It was almost nine o'clock when dinner was over.
The Shiraishi family saw them to the door.
Mrs. Shiraishi gave Keiko Miyazawa another small bag of snacks, saying that she could take it home and eat it if she got hungry that night.
Keiko Miyazawa quickly said no, but Ayako Shiraishi still forced it into her handbag.
Seiji Shiraishi stood outside the entrance and said to Yaya Kiryu:
"Today is really just a family dinner."
Kiryu Yaya nodded.
"It's a very good dinner."
Seiji Shiraishi smiled.
"That's good."
There wasn't much formality in that "That's good."
He seemed more like a man who had just experienced a family crisis, and after confirming that tonight's meal had indeed made his guests feel relaxed, he finally felt at ease.
Ayako Shiraishi drove the two of them back to Toyonaka Station.
On the way, she was still discussing with Keiko Miyazawa about going to the movies together next time, saying that there was a very popular romantic film from Tokyo recently.
Keiko Miyazawa smiled and agreed.
Kiryu Yaya sat in the passenger seat, listening to their conversation without interrupting.
The residential area outside the car window slowly receded.
The lights in every household, like quiet pieces of amber, were enveloped in the night.
Upon arriving at the station, Ayako Shiraishi bid farewell to the two.
Keiko Miyazawa stood in front of the station, holding the bag of snacks in her hand, with a relaxed smile on her face after dinner.
"Today is great."
She said softly.
"The Shiraishi family is very warm, isn't it?"
Kiryu Yaya looked at her.
"Um."
"I used to think that everyone's family was pretty much the same. Fathers were busy with work, mothers took care of the family, they ate together occasionally, and they argued occasionally."
Keiko Miyazawa looked down at the bag of sweets in her hand.
"But after my father passed away, I realized that those seemingly ordinary daily routines were actually anything but ordinary."
Kiryu Yaya did not offer any words of comfort.
Some words are too light to say.
So he simply stood beside her and waited for the tram with her.
The wind on the platform blew from the end of the tracks, carrying a faint smell of rust from the night.
Keiko Miyazawa looked down at the bag of sweets in her hand, and after a long while, she said softly:
"Kiryu-kun."
"Um?"
"Today at the Shiraishi family's house, I suddenly felt a little envious of Ayako."
Kiryu Yaya did not respond.
Keiko Miyazawa smiled, a very slight smile.
"It's not that I envy how well her family is doing, nor that I envy how much Uncle Shiraishi and Aunt Shiraishi dote on her. It's just that... when she encounters problems, at least she has someone to rely on."
Her voice was lowered by the platform announcement.
"Sometimes I think, if my father were still here. Even if he didn't say anything, just sitting there, I would probably feel much more at ease."
Kiryu Yaya looked at her.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but felt that any comfort would be too weak at this moment.
Keiko Miyazawa seemed to sense his hesitation and gently shook her head.
Just then, the sound of a tram arriving at the station could be heard, and the lights slowly approached from the end of the tracks.
Keiko Miyazawa finally mustered up a tiny bit of courage, picked up her handbag, and gave him a knowing smile.
"I'll be asking Kiryu-kun for help on Monday."
"I would feel much more at ease if Kiryu-kun were here."
After saying this, the tips of her ears turned slightly red.
The tram came to a complete stop.
She stepped into the carriage, and just as the doors were about to close, she waved gently through the glass.
Kiryu Yaya stood on the platform, watching the train slowly pull away.
He didn't put his hands back into his trench coat pockets until the taillights disappeared into the darkness.
He had a vague premonition.
The Miyazawa family's affairs are not simple.