Chapter 1009

When Uesugi Muneyuki was looking at the house.

In central Japan, Owari Province, the land of Oda Ryūkō, the hometown of Lord Nobunaga, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya City.

Nagoya is Japan's fourth-largest city, the seat of Aichi Prefecture's government, and also the economic and cultural center of the Chubu region.

This is the headquarters of Toyota Motor Corporation, the lifeblood of manufacturing runs through the entire city, the volume of goods entering and exiting Nagoya Port has long ranked among the top in Japan, slowly sinking into the sea level of the Tōkai Sea in the city's twilight.

The keep of Nagoya Castle is illuminated by lights at night, like a quiet seal stamped here.

More than three hundred years ago, Lord Nobunaga was here as the great fool of Owari, here at Atsuta Shrine he shook the victory-bringing shrine bell, launched the miracle of Okehazama, and destroyed the greatest archer of the Tōkaidō.

It must be said, Oda Nobunaga's life is truly too legendary, legendary to the point of being somewhat absurd.

If transposed to the Three Kingdoms, Nobunaga's life would be equivalent to Liu Bei preparing to attack Cao Cao in Hanzhong, arranging for his army corps commander Guan Yu to lead troops through his defensive zone, only for Guan Yu to suddenly say the enemy is at Nanzheng City, thus doing in Liu Bei and Liu Chan, and why Guan Yu rebelled remains unclear to this day.

Afterwards, Zhuge Liang, who was engaged in battle with Cao Wei on Qingshan Road, looked bewildered, immediately negotiated peace with Cao Wei and hurriedly returned to Hanzhong, defeated and killed Guan Yu (one account says Guan Yu changed his name to Qióuzhōu and served as a black-clothed chancellor, living another fifty years), then defeated another army corps commander Zhang Fei in the Battle of Langzhong, won over Wei Yan and others, destroyed Cao Wei and Eastern Wu, and became the ruler of all under heaven.

As a result, after Zhuge Liang's death, his son Zhuge Zhan was only five years old, and Huang Yueying, assisting the young and doubtful ruler, remained steadfast

for most of his life, was widely regarded as "virtuous" and "honest," and the renowned general Zhao Yun, who met Liu Bei in obscurity, overthrew the Zhuge regime, ultimately leading the eastern army to victory over the western army at the Battle of Hulao Pass, becoming the ruler of all under heaven in the Great Han.

Sounds far-fetched, doesn't it?

But this is the result of the Japanese Sengoku period.

Too brilliant, too capable, leading everyone to just love this flavor!

Of course, this also leads to Japanese Sengoku-themed works being remade too often.

And unlike the bustle of Tokyo and the fervor of Osaka, Nagoya possesses its own steadiness and quietness tinged with the hue of an industrial city, it does not rush to speak, but its weight has never been light.

This is the headquarters of Toyota and Aisin, the largest manufacturing center in all of Japan.

On the third day of Hirate Sarina's disappearance, the management company of Red Slope 46 finally formally submitted a missing person report to the Aichi Prefecture Police Headquarters.

The officer receiving the report, upon seeing the informant's identity and the missing person's name, paused his gaze on the document for a moment, then said nothing more, accepted the materials, filled out the form, stamped it, and gave the case receipt.

Information flowed quickly within the police system, and soon Nagoya Central Police Station immediately reported to the Aichi Prefecture Police Headquarters, with the note in the report pre-marked as "Caution: Involves a national-level idol group member."

"Should we consider applying for support from the National Police Agency?"

Soon, the telephone of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Aichi Prefecture Police Headquarters rang, and Director Hirosawa indicated that this should be taken seriously.

After hanging up, the Chief of the Criminal Investigation Division stood silently in the center of the office for a few seconds, then took out his mobile phone and dialed a number: "Nagase, come to my office for a moment."

Nagase Ren, section chief of the Criminal Investigation Division, lifted his head from his workstation in the Criminal Investigation Division.

He is twenty-eight years old this year, tall and slender, with a clean-cut and angular face, wearing a dark blue police uniform jacket, his tie tied impeccably.

He is of the elite career track, entered the police system after passing the national civil service examination via the standard route, and currently serves as a police inspector in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Aichi Prefecture Police Headquarters; for a young person under thirty, this is already quite an impressive résumé.

As mentioned earlier, the career track only recruits a few dozen each year, Nagoya is still considered a major metropolitan area, so the career track is still willing to come here.

When Nagase Ren entered the section chief's office, he saw the section chief had already pushed a file folder onto the desk surface: "New case?"

"

"Yes." The cover of the file folder reads "Hirate Sarina Missing."

The section chief is a man in his early fifties, solidly built, with white-speckled hair, and when he speaks, he carries the tone of "This matter, by rights, shouldn't be my concern, but the other party's influence is great, we must be responsible to the nation, otherwise it will affect the budget":

"The center of Red Slope 46, Hirate Sarina. She went missing three days ago before a performance at Nagoya Dome. The management company filed the report today officially; our task is to find her."

"Hirate?" Nagase Ren nodded: "I've heard of her, a popular idol, she and Miyawaki Sakura of Kyushu, and our own Aichi's Matsui Jurina are probably the three most famous idols, right?"

"It would be great if you knew."

The section chief opened the file folder and pointed to several pages inside: "Preliminary investigation shows she left on her own. Surveillance captured her walking alone through the emergency exit at the end of the backstage corridor before the performance, exiting through the door. At the time she was wearing casual clothes, a hoodie, her steps were normal, no signs of coercion. After that, contact was lost. Her mobile phone signal last appeared near Nagoya Station, then the phone was turned off. She————has she often done this before?"

Nagase Ren took the file folder, quickly browsed through a few pages, then set it down: "She indeed had similar situations before; after her movie became a hit, she missed rehearsals, temporarily canceled performances, suddenly disappeared from public view, and afterward explained it with 'poor health' or 'mental pressure'—the number of times is not small. But previously, she at most disappeared for one or two days before returning. This time it's already been three days."

The section chief leaned back in his chair, hands crossed on the desk surface: "Hey, the pressure from the management side is huge. You know the influence of Red Slope 46, right? They debuted and went straight to Kohaku, fans are spread all over Japan, Nagoya Dome's concert just ended, if the news of the center's disappearance gets out, the media will hound it relentlessly, and the higher-ups will also hound it relentlessly."

"So this case————we must put on the appearance of 'taking it very seriously.' The Investigation Headquarters can be activated, personnel can be assigned to you." "Section Chief paused slightly, adding with a subtle tone: "But you and I both know, she will probably reappear on her own in a few days. Hasn't it always been like this before?"

Nagase Ren did not refute.

He knew the section chief was stating a fact, Hirate Sarina's "disappearance" has precedent, and each time ultimately ended due to physical reasons or adjustment of condition.

If this time is also just the same situation, then pouring significant police resources into investigating an artist who "will probably reappear in a few days" seems somewhat not worth it.

But we cannot not do it, because if we don't, and this time something truly happened, the Aichi Prefecture Police Headquarters would face overwhelming public criticism.

"Understood. I will advance the investigation according to procedure." He picked up the file folder and walked out of the office.

Just putting on an act! Who wouldn't say the same?

Nobody understands the Japanese police better than I do!

After returning to his seat, Nagase Ren sat in his chair, opened the case file of the folder, and looked at the ID photo of Hirate Sarina inside. She looks younger than her actual age, a clean-lined young face with eyes carrying a sense of distance, a faint arc at the brow tip, like the kind that would slightly rise when smiling.

His gaze lingered on that photo for a few seconds, then he turned to the next page.

Feels inferior to Matsui Jurina————in looks.

Well, let's check it out.

First phase, we claim nothing happened! Hirate did not go missing!

In the following few hours, Nagase Ren assigned several teams to check surveillance, interview witnesses, and contact telecommunications carriers, all standard procedures, neither cold nor hot.

He himself sat in the office, turning that case file over and over, reading it many times, but always felt something was not quite right.

Finally, he took out his mobile phone, scrolled to a number in his contacts list that he had not saved a name for, hesitated a few seconds, then still dialed it.

That is his connection as a career track officer in the National Police Agency.

"Regarding Hirate's matter————what do you know on your end? I mean, there have always been rumors about Hirate's major financial backer?"

The other party was silent for a while, then said, "You clearly know why, yet you still ask again."

Heh, not like you! The heavenly official of the National Police Agency!

Nagase Ren of course knows, Hirate's background is a National Diet member, former secretary-general, current general affairs of the party, the Tangqian Yang father and son.

But some things, if not weighed, are not even four taels; even if weighed at a thousand catties, they cannot be settled.

"No. Tangqian Yang's side has been these past few days as quiet as a dead pool of water. He usually keeps in frequent contact with Hirate, but this time his secretary's side has shown no movement at all."

"?" Nagase Ren was quite puzzled.

But the other party clearly had no intention of saying more, so he could only whisper his thanks and hang up the phone.

The young professional group police inspector placed his phone screen face down on the desk, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the fluorescent lamp on the ceiling for quite a while.

There is an extremely close connection between a twenty-something national-level idol and the son of a former party secretary-general and current party general affairs official, a politician, but judging from the current situation, it seems even Hirate doesn't know Yuasa's whereabouts, let alone Yuasa knowing Hirate's?

That is very strange!

Then we must proceed to the second stage: we claim that Hirate is indeed missing, but this is not a big deal, and we have no need to make a big fuss!

Nagase Ren gave a wry smile; within the system, doing anything requires power exchange and resources.

He lacks sufficient authority.

Yuasa Yang is no ordinary businessman; he is the son of former party secretary-general Yuasa Masamichi and the current party general affairs officer, with a complex web of political and business connections behind him.

A police inspector from Aichi Prefecture attempting to bypass the prefectural police headquarters to contact a major figure is inappropriate and does not conform to protocol.

He is not from the old nobility, lacks a police commissioner father-in-law, has no nationally televised drama to boost his image, cannot summon the police, prosecutors, and courts with a single phone call, and cannot even produce a scion of the Asako family as a shield.

He is merely Nagase Ren, just a professional group-promoted inspector who is intelligent but still young.

He can suspect, he can speculate, he can silently draw a circle in his mind around the name "Yuasa Yang," but if he dares to call and inquire or even raise questions in this regard, gently guiding the issue toward the Yuasa father and son, and exposing Hirate's connection with Yuasa, he will be transferred tomorrow to Aomori Prefecture as a forest police officer—well, possibly Hokkaido, or even Okino Torishima.

Don't rush, don't rush.

Let us think, what would Uesugi Muneyuki do?

Autopsy, forensic pathologist, check surveillance?

Hmm, does Nagoya have a forensic institution? Moreover, Hirate's life or death is unknown, and without a corpse, how can an autopsy be conducted?

Or should we first start with interpersonal relationships and surrounding area searches!

Nagase Ren closed the file folder, thinking this is again a task where finding something brings no merit, and not finding it means taking the blame!

Subordinates' achievements are seized by superiors, while superiors' mistakes become the responsibility of subordinates.

Outside the window, Nagoya's night had completely fallen. The city's lights stretched into a warm, slightly reddish horizon in the distance, while nearby were the bright white lights inside the police headquarters building, illuminating the dark desk surface with crystal clarity, and also clearly revealing the outline of Hirate's mushroom-head hairstyle on the file folder—not handsome, but possessing a unique neutral beauty.

It's fine, Nagoya's public safety is excellent, much better than Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Tokyo!

Study abroad institutions also generally rate Nagoya as having "excellent public safety."

After all, most people here are industrial workers.

Nagase Ren inspector felt somewhat relieved, thinking Uesugi Muneyuki hasn't even come to Nagoya!

The possibility of a major vicious case occurring?

Impossible!