Chapter 50: The Cute Junior Schoolmate, Matsuda Yumi

Kitahara’s cute junior schoolmate was one grade below him. She had graduated last year and then started working. The place she worked at was Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

All of this had been explained in a letter she sent in the autumn of last year.

After looking at the specific bank branch, Kitahara found that the place where she worked was over in Shinjuku Ward, which was not too far.

Kitahara decided to go take a look.

Although the branch where she worked and the people who had come to the door today should not belong to the same branch office, they were presumably still part of the same bank, and this kind of business involving the disposal of non-performing assets could also be handled there.

It was already past ten in the morning. Thinking that he probably would not make it back for lunch at noon, Kitahara knocked on the door of Hayami Rina’s home and explained the situation to her.

"Kitahara-kun, where are you going?"

Hayami Rina found it a little strange. Kitahara-kun usually did not go out much, and basically had no social life.

Going out suddenly at this time made her unavoidably connect it to what had just happened. Could it be that Kitahara-kun really had some idea?

But that was a huge sum of one or two hundred million yen!

"I’m going to meet a university classmate, catch up a bit. I’ll probably be back in the afternoon. Rina-nee, don’t worry." Kitahara explained with a smile.

Hearing this, Hayami Rina no longer doubted him. She was actually quite happy to hear that Kitahara was going to catch up with a classmate.

It was a good thing that Kitahara-kun was taking the initiative to socialize with classmates.

"Hai, then be careful on the road, Kitahara-kun. It’s fine if you come back a little later."

"All right, then I’m heading out!"

...

After going out, he called a taxi and went directly there.

Twenty minutes later, Kitahara stood in front of an impressive building. This was a branch of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in Shinjuku.

Pushing the door open and entering, he explained to the service staff at the guide desk that he wanted to see Matsuda Yumi for business, and gave his name.

After waiting for a moment, a crisp and hurried "dada dada..." sound reached Kitahara’s ears.

He looked toward the sound and saw, not far away, a beautiful figure quickly running toward him.

It was a girl wearing a work uniform.

Her white shirt was clean and neat, the collar slightly open, revealing a slender, fair neck.

Her black suit skirt tightly wrapped her graceful figure. The hem of the skirt fluttered gently with the wind, making her look even more elegant and poised.

Together with those black stockings and delicate high heels, her whole person gave off a unique professional charm.

The girl was not particularly tall, but she displayed a cute and petite side.

Her fair, delicate skin, like mutton-fat jade, glowed faintly. On her face, which was carefully made up with light makeup, although she was doing her utmost to suppress an excited expression, the light in her eyes was still hard to conceal.

"She’s changed so much from how I remember her. Elegant, capable, confident, charming. Is this the temptation brought by the uniform?"

Kitahara muttered inwardly.

In his memory, Matsuda Yumi was a very immature student girl with extremely clear eyes.

Her looks were ordinary, her figure ordinary. She was far from as charming as she looked now.

"Kitahara-senpai, it really is you who came to see me! I thought I had misheard the name. Incredible! Senpai, have you finally agreed to date me?"

Looking at Matsuda Yumi standing in front of him, slightly short of breath from walking a little hastily just now, Kitahara felt that her gaze was still clear.

It was as if the year she had spent working in society had been for nothing!

"Uh... actually, I have some business I’d like Yumi-chan to help me with. As for dating, can we talk about it later?"

Kitahara looked around at the surrounding environment, hinting to Matsuda Yumi that discussing something like "dating" here was somewhat inappropriate. This was her workplace.

But Matsuda Yumi seemed not to have caught his meaning:

"What business does senpai want to handle? Speaking of which, senpai, it’s been so long since we last met. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you!

You never wrote back to me either. When I miss you, I can only flip through your works. I’ve read that book Listening to the Rain countless times. Watching the Flowers Fall and Listening to the Insects have also always been kept by my bedside. When I miss you, I look at them.

Huh? It seems like Kitahara-senpai hasn’t published a new book in quite a while. I’ve been looking forward to your new work all this time..."

Kitahara felt a headache coming on. Matsuda Yumi was very lively, and her voice was very pleasant and sweet.

But she was a bit too lively, and talked too much.

He could not help but wonder: with the intelligence Matsuda Yumi displayed, could she really have gotten into the University of Tokyo? And even graduated smoothly?

After finally waiting for her long speech to end, Kitahara controlled his emotions and smiled:

"Yumi-chan, it really has been a long time. I’ve missed you very much too! So now, can we first discuss the business matter?"

"Oh, right, business! But Kitahara-senpai, do you really miss me too? If that’s true, then I’m just too happy..."

"..."

This girl was all about romance, wasn’t she?

Kitahara perhaps guessed the reason the original owner did not like her.

...

After finally waiting for Matsuda Yumi to calm her restless heart, Kitahara finally had the chance to state the purpose of his visit.

Matsuda Yumi still had some professional ability. Before long, she found him the information on the ex-husband Watanabe’s "single-family house."

"Senpai, you want to buy this property? This house is very expensive. Is your financial capacity sufficient?

Speaking of which, now is not a good time to buy real estate. Tokyo housing prices have been falling all along. This property has been stuck with our bank for several years.

The selling price has dropped from the initial two hundred and fifty million to the current one hundred and eighty million yen, and it still can’t be sold. The price should continue to fall afterward.

Honestly, senpai, you might as well wait and observe a while longer!"

While looking at the materials, Matsuda Yumi chattered on beside Kitahara.

This time Kitahara did not find it annoying, because what she said was quite right. She was considering things for him.

She was able not to think about pushing this deal through to earn a commission, but instead explained the pros and cons.

It seemed she truly loved him.

Closing the materials and handing them back to Matsuda Yumi, Kitahara decided to go see the house on site. Nothing could really be seen from the materials.

"Yumi-chan, I want to go see this house on site. Is that all right?"

"Of course. But senpai, you really need to think it through carefully, and you must act according to your means! I heard that the original owner of this property went bankrupt and jumped to his death..."