lovenovelstory Chapter 107 Meeting Between the Two Sides [27th Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Chapter 107 Meeting Between the Two Sides [27th Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Chapter 107 Meeting Between the Two Sides [27th Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets]
At night, the traffic on Midosuji Street is much lighter than during the day.
The dark-colored official car sped south from Honmachi, passing through the neighborhood towards Tennoji, and headed towards Abeno.
No one was laughing or talking in the car.
Masakazu Yamada drove with focused concentration.
Kiryu Yaya sat in the front row, watching the streetlights flash by outside the window, his fingers lightly tapping his knees, mentally going over the possible scenarios for tonight.
Arima Kishou, sitting in the back row, adjusted his glasses and suddenly spoke up: "Section Chief, even if we find the place, we don't have the right to conduct a forced search."
"I know."
Masakazu Yamada looked at the road ahead.
"After tonight, keep an eye on him, then figure out a way to force him to vomit."
Kenta Sasaki sat in the last row, so nervous that he straightened his back.
"What if Kajiwara Shozo refuses to open the door no matter what?"
"Then we'll block the entrance."
Masakazu Yamada raised his head, his face hard.
"We must find the funds he hid, no matter what."
The air inside the car suddenly became a little tense.
About twenty minutes later, the car turned into a quiet residential street near Showacho.
Unlike the drab, dusty workshops in eastern Osaka, this place is noticeably more presentable.
The roads are clean, the streetlights are stable, and the roadside is lined with neatly trimmed shrubs.
The address corresponds to a two-story detached house.
The exterior walls are off-white, with a short section of wall and gateposts in front of the house. There are parking spaces on the side, and a very clean white Toyota Crown is parked in front of the door.
After getting out of the car, Kenta Sasaki looked up and muttered to himself, "This place—it doesn't seem like the kind of place a company president on the verge of bankruptcy should be."
Masakazu Yamada had already started walking towards the door.
The apartment lobby wasn't large, but it was very clean and tidy, with shiny floor tiles, and even the mailboxes were much more upscale than the old houses where factory presidents lived in Higashi-Osaka.
According to what Kenichiro Nomura heard, Masazo Kajiwara is most likely here tonight.
Masakazu Yamada rang the doorbell.
"Ding-dong!"
A few seconds later, a woman's voice came through the walkie-talkie.
"Who is it?"
Masakazu Yamada said calmly, "Mitsubishi Bank Osaka branch. See President Kajiwara."
The other end of the walkie-talkie went silent.
About three seconds later, the courtyard gate clicked open.
The four people immediately went inside.
Kenta Sasaki's Adam's apple bobbed, and his palms sweated.
Ultimately, this was his first time participating in a real-life nighttime debt collection operation.
Moreover, the target was a bad debtor with debts amounting to billions of yen.
The front door was ajar.
Masakazu Yamada raised his hand and tapped twice.
The next second, the door was pulled open from the inside.
Standing behind the door was Kajiwara Shozo.
Unlike when I saw him at the factory in Higashi-Osaka that afternoon, he was now dressed in a casual knit sweater and slippers, with his collar loose and a cigarette still dangling from his mouth.
But when he saw that it was Yamada Masakazu and his group standing at the door, his face visibly stiffened for a moment.
Clearly, he had no idea that the bank could find its way here so quickly.
But that tension lasted for less than a second.
Soon, Kajiwara Masazo suppressed his stiffness and reverted to his usual shameless, reckless demeanor.
"Oh, you're from Mitsubishi Bank."
He leaned against the door, his tone even carrying a hint of sarcasm.
"They're really going all out, chasing us all the way here at night."
Masakazu Yamada stared at him.
"President Kajiwara, we'd like to go in and have a talk."
Kajiwara Masazō exhaled a puff of smoke and gave a cold laugh.
"What are you talking about?"
"This isn't Higashi-Osaka Seiko."
"Besides—"
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He held onto the door frame with one hand and deliberately spoke slowly.
"This place is the apartment I gave to a woman when I had enough money."
"It has absolutely nothing to do with me now."
"Your bank doesn't think you can just squeeze out a billion yen by following my lead here, do you?"
Kenta Sasaki's expression changed upon hearing this.
This old man actually admitted it so openly.
Arima Kishou, however, remained calm and asked directly, "Since it has nothing to do with you, why are you here?"
Kajiwara Masazō shrugged.
"Can't I stay here?"
Is it strange for friends to look out for each other?
"Anyway, things are really chaotic in eastern Osaka. Can't I come here for a couple of days to find some peace and quiet?"
Masakazu Yamada's gaze grew increasingly cold.
"Would it be convenient for the homeowner to come out and meet us?"
"What's wrong?"
Kajiwara Masazō grinned.
"Your bank is now even harassing women when it comes to debt collection?"
Just then, soft footsteps came from inside the house.
A woman walked out from the end of the corridor behind the entrance hall.
She was wearing a light-colored knitted cardigan over a lounge dress, her hair loosely tied back, and she looked to be in her thirties. Her face still showed a hint of unease from being disturbed.
Even so, it's still clear that she must have been a very beautiful woman when she was young.
"Shozo, what's wrong?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very soft.
Kajiwara Masazō turned and glanced at her, his tone immediately softening.
"It's nothing, just bank employees."
And just as the woman raised her face, Kiryu Yaya's brows furrowed slightly.
Saeko Matsushita.
It must be her.
But the problem is—
Kiryu Yaya looked at her face, and a strange sense of familiarity suddenly rose in his heart.
It feels like I've seen it somewhere before.
But for the moment, I couldn't remember.
Masakazu Yamada then spoke up, "Ms. Matsushita? I'm Yamada from the Financial Review Department of Mitsubishi Bank's Osaka branch. I'm here tonight to confirm some things regarding the loan issues between Higashi Osaka Seiko and President Kajiwara."
Matsushita Saeko's face paled slightly, and she subconsciously looked at Kajiwara Masazo.
Kajiwara Masazō, however, cut him off first.
"Confirm what?"
"Didn't I already say? This is her place, not mine."
"I gave you the house before, so what?"
"Things that are given away no longer belong to me legally."
"If you have any objections, go ahead and sue me in court."
He said this with an air of absolute confidence.
Masakazu Yamada's face was extremely grim.
But just as the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense—
Suddenly, the roar of a car exhaust pipe came from outside the courtyard wall.
Immediately following were several neat and rapid footsteps.
Kiryu Yaya's gaze flickered slightly, and he turned to look back.
The next second, a familiar black figure appeared outside the gate.
He wore a black suit, a white shirt, and a red tie, and his face was so pale it was almost sickly.
Leading the way was Taki Ichikayama, an investigator with the Osaka National Tax Bureau.
When he saw the scene at the door, he paused for only half a second, then his lips twitched slightly to express his displeasure: "Ah ha."
"They actually let the bank people get ahead of us."
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