Chapter 234: Knife Wounds, Metropolitan Police Department

Pain!

Akiwara Yuto did not have time to react and could only watch helplessly as the knife tip pierced through his suit jacket.

However, the blade did not pierce the stab-proof vest he was wearing underneath; it merely "slammed" heavily against the area over his heart, causing him to feel a sharp, intense pain.

Due to the impact, he stumbled back two steps and nearly fell.

But by steadying himself against the wall, he managed to regain his footing.

Without a moment's hesitation, he subconsciously shouted his bodyguard's name.

"Hatanaka! Come quickly!"

Upon hearing Akiwara Yuto's cry, Onuki Masakazu, who was dressed in a cleaner's uniform, immediately snapped back to reality.

He had been momentarily stunned because the knife tip had been blocked.

But he knew he could not miss this opportunity, so he stepped forward and swung the knife again, aiming to pierce Akiwara Yuto's windpipe—this area had no protection, and if he could pierce it, it would likely be fatal.

Facing Onuki Masakazu's swing, Akiwara Yuto immediately raised his arms, attempting to block and protect his vital areas.

The distance between the two was too close; turning to run now would undoubtedly expose his vitals to the opponent.

Besides, the bodyguard was right at the door, and it would likely only take a few seconds for him to rush in.

He only needed to protect himself during this brief window!

Although Onuki Masakazu was determined to pierce Akiwara Yuto's neck, he was, after all, not a professional and did not know how to use a fruit knife to kill.

Under Akiwara Yuto's deliberate blocking, his greatest achievement was merely scratching Akiwara Yuto's arm.

Soon, the sound of rapid footsteps approached.

"Mr. Akiwara, step back!"

The bodyguard Hatanaka immediately rushed into the restroom and headed straight for Onuki Masakazu.

Onuki Masakazu tried to scare him off with the knife, but the bodyguard Hatanaka easily knocked the "murder weapon" from his hand and used police grappling techniques to control his joints.

After letting out a cry of pain, Onuki Masakazu fell to his knees.

Watching Onuki Masakazu, who had lost his ability to resist, Akiwara Yuto finally breathed a sigh of relief.

By this time, there were already several visible knife wounds on his arms and the backs of his hands.

The loud noise soon attracted the attention of nearby people, and upon discovering that someone had been injured in the restroom, the library security guards and the teacher on duty rushed over.

After a brief explanation, the teacher on duty immediately called 110 to report the crime and took Akiwara Yuto to the nearby infirmary to have his wounds treated.

Because this incident occurred on the campus of the University of Tokyo and involved a public figure, the Metropolitan Police Department took it very seriously—they arranged for the nearby police box to respond immediately, arriving at the scene 20 minutes later.

After communicating with the police, the bodyguard Hatanaka finally handed Onuki Masakazu over to two officers, who placed him in handcuffs.

As Onuki Masakazu was being loaded into the police car, Akiwara Yuto, Asano Aiko, and the bodyguard Hatanaka stood among the nearby crowd watching.

Onuki Masakazu seemed to notice his gaze, immediately turned his head, and flashed a ferocious grin at Akiwara Yuto, as if trying to say something.

The police officer nearby noticed this and forcefully shoved him into the back seat of the police car.

Upon seeing this, Akiwara Yuto felt a sense of oppression in his heart.

Looking at the man's demeanor, it seemed this matter was not over yet?!

Could it be that he wanted to find another opportunity to retaliate later?

Seeing the officer who had just finished questioning them leave, Asano Aiko asked worriedly, "Teacher, should we go to a nearby general hospital?"

Akiwara Yuto looked at the bandaged wounds on his hands and initially intended to refuse, as he still had to cooperate with the police investigation at the Metropolitan Police Department.

But just then, he felt a dull ache where the knife tip had "stabbed" him with such force.

He recalled hearing cases where people suffered cardiac contusions or even internal bleeding from severe impacts to the chest area.

Out of this concern, Akiwara Yuto agreed.

"Understood, I will go with Hatanaka-san."

He paused, looked at Asano Aiko, and said gently, "I'm sorry, let's end today's lesson here."

After saying this, he waved his hand and left the library with the bodyguard Hatanaka, heading toward the parking lot.

Watching Akiwara Yuto's retreating figure, Asano Aiko's emotions became complicated.

As his student, she naturally knew about the death threat letters her Master had received.

But what she hadn't expected was that her Master would be attacked at the very place where she was receiving his instruction—the University of Tokyo library...

Furthermore, she felt a vague sense of familiarity with the suspect.

Could it be that the suspect had made preparations by following her?

At this thought, her heart grew exceptionally heavy.

While Akiwara Yuto was heading to the hospital, the suspect, Onuki Masakazu, was transferred to the Metropolitan Police Department.

As an "attempted murderer," Onuki Masakazu was no longer a case the local police box could handle.

So, after collecting evidence and some witness statements from the scene, the two officers escorted him to the First Investigation Division—the department specializing in violent crimes such as murder, robbery, assault, and sex crimes.

After bringing Onuki Masakazu into a dedicated interrogation room, the two officers handed a file to a scruffy, thin man and said politely.

"Assistant Inspector Soma, this is the witness testimony we collected from the scene, and the murder weapon has also been handed over to the forensics department."

The thin man took the file, flipped through it briefly, and frowned. "Assault and attempted murder—why haven't you called the relevant parties in to cooperate with the investigation?"

The two officers lowered their heads, and one of them replied, "Apologies, the victim stated he needed to go to the hospital and will be here a bit later."

The thin man waved the file in his hand and said bluntly, "Didn't it say there were no significant wounds other than some minor ones? Did you record it incorrectly?"

"That's not it, Assistant Inspector Soma." The two officers immediately denied it, and one added, "The other party is a person of some status, so we thought it better to wait."

"A person of status?" the thin man said with dissatisfaction, immediately feeling that this matter had become troublesome.

For police work, the most troublesome thing is outside interference.

But if the victim is a politician, a member of a financial group, or a celebrity, it will undoubtedly attract the attention of outside media.

Under the glare of the flashbulbs, all handling of the case must be as open and fair as possible; otherwise, it is easy to be criticized by the outside world.

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and asked, "Who is it?"

One officer replied, "It is Akiwara Yuto, the author of *Furuhata Ninzaburo*."

Upon hearing this name, the thin man, who had been dissatisfied, immediately perked up.

To the Metropolitan Police Department, the work *Furuhata Ninzaburo* was famous indeed.

It not only successfully served as a piece of publicity for the Metropolitan Police Department but also bolstered the sense of honor among all its members.

After it aired, many young officers at the Metropolitan Police Department became more popular on blind dates, and some fans even sent letters of appreciation and gifts to the department.

And as the author of *Furuhata Ninzaburo*, Akiwara Yuto naturally became a favorite among all levels of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The thin man stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and clenched his fist excitedly.

He had to handle this case beautifully.

If he could get the murderer to confess obediently, he might be more highly regarded by his superiors.

If that happened, he could probably shave a few years off his wait for the rank of Police Inspector, right?!

On the other side, Onuki Masakazu, left alone in the interrogation room, kept his head down and gritted his teeth in frustration.

He had not expected that his foolproof assassination attempt would fail.

To plan this operation, he had tracked Akiwara Yuto for a month and a half, recording all of the man's social circles and the locations he was most likely to appear.

Among these locations, he chose the University of Tokyo.

According to his investigation, Akiwara Yuto would regularly come to the library here to meet the female student who had snatched his "Modern Mystery Literature Award."

So he went to great lengths to find a part-time job specifically responsible for library cleaning and secretly bought a fruit knife.

On the day of the plan, he discovered that after Akiwara Yuto entered the library, he stayed in a restroom stall the whole time, observing through the gap in the door that wasn't closed tightly.

Just as he expected, when taking care of personal business, Akiwara Yuto would inevitably be separated from his bodyguard.

And this was his best opportunity to assassinate him.

To ensure a fatal blow, he specifically chose the location of the heart—other areas might have been treatable.

But such a detailed and thorough plan had still failed.

Onuki Masakazu closed his eyes and thought for a while, realizing he had misjudged two points.

First, he hadn't expected Akiwara Yuto to be wearing a stab-proof vest. One had to know that the average temperature in April was over 20 degrees; wearing that thing would surely feel stifling and uncomfortable.

Second, for portability, he had only chosen a small fruit knife, which meant he couldn't inflict much damage on Akiwara Yuto when he swung it.

He gritted his teeth for a moment, then suddenly thought of something else.

Since he hadn't killed Akiwara Yuto, he could at most be charged with attempted murder and assault, which meant he probably wouldn't be sentenced for long.

Besides, the preparations he had made to evade guilt should still be useful, right?!

Akiwara Yuto, once I get out, you had better accept your punishment obediently!