Chapter 120: The Collapse of Orthodox Deduction

Kashiwagi Jin, not yet 30 years old this year, passed the National Higher Civil Service Examination at 25 and entered the Metropolitan Police Department.

Normally, many in the Career Track who join the Metropolitan Police Department choose departments with real power, such as the Police Affairs Department or the Public Security Department; the former holds great power and prestige, and the Metropolitan Police Department's Personnel Division and Payment Division are both within the Police Affairs Department—for example, Miss Minami joined the Personnel Division upon entering the department.

However, Kashiwagi Jin wanted to join the Criminal Investigation Department; he was born with a passion for deduction, a passion for upholding justice, and a passion for the glory of standing in the spotlight.

Before Uesugi Muneyuki appeared, the life of Police Inspector Kashiwagi Jin could be described as smooth sailing; after joining the department, he repeatedly solved cases, was hailed as a "Star Inspector" for his superb ability in orthodox deduction, and coupled with his Career Track status and his dashing, playboy-like appearance, he was soon treated as the face of the Metropolitan Police Department and sought after by everyone, subsequently marrying the previous Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, Kashiwagi Misa, through connections within the department.

The saying "the spring breeze is swift, and the horse's hooves are light" was exactly that.

However, ever since Uesugi Muneyuki came to the Metropolitan Police Department, Kashiwagi Jin's police career had been completely overshadowed, and there is no need to elaborate on that.

What angered Kashiwagi Jin even more was that he had been constantly thwarted in the Chiba Prefecture Serial Murder Case and had even been caught by the District Public Prosecutors Office because he couldn't help but lose his temper and lay hands on a suspect; why was it that when both sides were actually operating in violation of regulations, the Public Security Police came out to protect Uesugi Muneyuki but not him?

This matter infuriated Kashiwagi Jin; while everyone else was enjoying the victory banquet and holding press conferences, he was squatting in a detention cell at the District Public Prosecutors Office for an entire day.

Having finally been rescued by Watanabe Minami and her team, this was already humiliating enough for a favored son of heaven like him.

So today he finally exploded; the fact that a corpse could kill was bizarre enough, and after searching the entire medical building, Uesugi was the only living person left—if it wasn't him, then who could it be? Could it be that Saijo Yasue from Chiba Prefecture had resurrected to seek revenge?

Please don't be so absurd, Advisor Uesugi!

There is only one truth! You are the murderer of this case!

A forensic pathologist, a high-IQ individual, a meticulously designed theater-type crime that played everyone in the palm of your hand, but you cannot deceive me, you cannot deceive Kashiwagi Jin, the Chief of the Third Subsection of Investigation Division 1, the last trump card of the Metropolitan Police Department!

The criminal motive, criminal process, and criminal means derived from orthodox deduction were so smooth, so logically self-consistent, that even Kashiwagi Jin himself felt they were impeccable.

However, this entire perfect process collapsed with a crash before a few photographs!

There is surveillance in the hospital! There is a lot of surveillance!

Although the lights in the medical building were off that night, causing the vast majority of the surveillance footage to be pitch black and unclear, and although no one believed the conclusion that a corpse had resurrected to attack people, Uesugi Muneyuki realized immediately after waking up that, given the nature of the Japanese police, once they had no clue about a case, they would definitely start suspecting him!

If he were anywhere else, Uesugi Muneyuki would really be in trouble.

But this is a hospital.

The coverage of surveillance cameras in other parts of Japan is actually not high, and that guy Saijo Yasue's modus operandi was indeed shrewd and vicious, and he knew how to observe the locations of surveillance cameras.

But this is a hospital.

There is plenty of surveillance in a hospital, surveillance is everywhere; Uesugi Muneyuki had received such training while he was still in the First Surgery Department, and he memorized every surveillance camera to prevent medical disputes and specifically to deal with patients and their families who staged accidents or caused trouble.

Yes, although the doctor-patient relationship in Japan is much better than in some countries, and although Japanese people generally respect doctors and medical advice, such incidents are still inevitable.

He recalled the positions where the two had fought one after another, and immediately remembered that although the entire floor had no lights on at the time, there were faint lights near the emergency fire alarm and the emergency escape route.

Uesugi Muneyuki immediately told Ikeda Erena about this situation and asked her to find Watanabe Minami.

And so, these photos came to be.

Nakano Toshito, who had been declared dead at noon, was holding a machete, his face illuminated by the faint light near the emergency exit; the middle-aged man with hollow eyes and a ferocious smile appeared clearly in the frame.

Although it was only a few frames, it was enough.

Enough to prove that Nakano Toshito was still alive at the time, still moving, and still had his eyes open.

Kashiwagi Jin's entire set of orthodox deductions fell apart on its own.

"He, he he..." Kashiwagi Jin was completely unable to accept this result; he only felt stars in his eyes and dizziness, and facing the gazes of the crowd and Uesugi Muneyuki's cold expression, this Star Inspector grabbed the surveillance photos: "How did he do it? Wasn't he already declared dead? And he was dissected! It was done by Advisor Uesugi himself!"

"How could a person who has been dissected resurrect? This, this must be fake, right?"

Impossible, how could my orthodox deduction be wrong? The entire logic is sound, the means are clear, and the process is self-consistent.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Kashiwagi Jin shook his head vigorously, still insisting on his point of view: "No, this is possible to do, right? The forensic pathologist took the corpse..."

"Police Inspector Kashiwagi, are you sober?" Criminal Investigation Department Chief Mouri Takayoshi had long since lost his patience; he directly signaled his subordinates to go up and undo Uesugi Muneyuki's handcuffs: "Sorry, Advisor Uesugi, I apologize to you on behalf of this department. According to what was captured on surveillance, although we don't know what is going on either, you should not be the murderer."

Watanabe Minami also let out a sigh of relief; Miss Minami had been kept up all night by Uesugi Muneyuki.

After receiving the message that Uesugi Muneyuki was calling for help last night, Miss Minami initially thought he was joking, but after making a few calls back, she realized something was wrong; the police from Otsuka Station were the ones she had called.

"Finally." Ikeda Erena let out a deep sigh of relief and came up to unlock Uesugi Muneyuki's handcuffs.

Uesugi Muneyuki, however, coldly pushed her away and turned to look at the stunned Kashiwagi Jin: "Kashiwagi-san?"

"Hmm?" Kashiwagi Jin looked at Uesugi Muneyuki as if he were looking at a ghost.

"Do you owe me something?" Uesugi Muneyuki held up the handcuffs in his hand.

"............" Kashiwagi Jin remained silent.

"Kashiwagi?" Miss Minami was a bit displeased.

Kashiwagi Jin still stood there without saying a word.

"Kashiwagi!!!" Chief Mouri had already roared.

"I am truly~" In front of everyone, Kashiwagi Jin's eyes were bloodshot, filled with grievance, pain, and shame; slowly, slowly, he forced himself to lower his head with willpower, bowed 45 degrees, and gritted his teeth, nearly crying: "I am truly sorry!"

He didn't feel he was wrong, and besides, if it wasn't Uesugi Muneyuki, then was it a dead person committing murder? How could such a thing be possible?

"That really lacks sincerity." Uesugi Muneyuki snorted coldly and waved his hand, signaling for them to unlock his handcuffs.

If it were anyone else, he definitely wouldn't have let Kashiwagi Jin off so easily; he would have definitely given the other party some hard evidence to deal with.

But the problem was, he intended to cooperate with the Metropolitan Police Department in the future, and after such an incident, Uesugi Muneyuki knew deeply that besides his own hard power, he would mostly have to rely on the Metropolitan Police Department to protect himself.

Since he intended to continue deepening cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department, he couldn't make things too difficult for them; Uesugi Muneyuki knew this.

Moreover, come to think of it, even if he didn't accept the apology, what could he do? Transform into the Aizen Myōō or Kongō Yasha Myōō and slaughter Kashiwagi Jin?

Actually, Kashiwagi Jin's orthodox deduction show was quite brilliant.

This person had some talent; since it was impossible to kill him with one blow, it would be better to seize his leverage and see what he could do for himself in the future, and what else he could trade from the Metropolitan Police Department.

"Forget it, let's end this matter here." Uesugi Muneyuki first magnanimously forgave Kashiwagi Jin's transgression, but immediately followed up by saying to Chief Mouri: "But one thing is one thing, Chief Mouri; Police Inspector Kashiwagi's investigation into my registration at the hotel in Bunkyo Ward seriously infringed upon my personal privacy, and I remember that detectives from Investigation Division 1 cannot forcibly require a hotel to cooperate without a search warrant, right? I remember that this power is only possessed by the District Public Prosecutors Office and Investigation Division 2."

Uesugi Muneyuki's words made Kashiwagi Jin, who was bowing in apology, look troubled.

Yes, strictly speaking, Investigation Division 1 was not qualified to make a hotel produce registration records, but it was possible if the hotel "voluntarily cooperated."

Some things, if not put on the scale, weigh nothing, but once put on the scale, even a thousand pounds won't hold them down.

Uesugi Muneyuki was going to put this matter on the scale: "Chief Mouri, your Criminal Investigation Department is truly overgrown with weeds."

This guy, his mouth is truly venomous!

Mouri Takayoshi felt a headache coming on from Uesugi Muneyuki's words, yet he dared not vent his anger at him, so he could only roar at Kashiwagi Jin: "Look at you, what kind of things have you done?!"

"How could you arrest him without any evidence? If you act like this, what Forensic Pathologist will ever dare to come to the Metropolitan Police Department to help in the future?"

"Go back and reflect on yourself properly; I am announcing the temporary suspension of your duties, you are now on inactive status!"

Department Manager Mouri made the decision on the spot, the ashen-faced Police Inspector Kashiwagi was dragged away, and then he signaled for Watanabe Minami and Ikeda Erena to take Uesugi Muneyuki home to rest first.

But Uesugi Muneyuki refused.

He wanted to take a look at the deceased Saito Nanami.

In the temporary morgue at the Medical and Dental University in Tokyo, Uesugi Muneyuki saw the corpse of Saito Nanami; there were many knife wounds on the victim's body, each one deep enough to reach the bone, and the police officer in charge at the scene could not help but look away before lifting the shroud, while Miss Minami stood far away not wanting to look, and only Ikeda Erena followed Uesugi Muneyuki to take a look.

It was normal for Saito Nanami to die in the hallway, because Uesugi Muneyuki had stayed in the medical building that evening specifically to wait for her.

Normally, the routine they went through was usually finding a place to eat together, and then playing Princess Connect together, but today Saito said she had something very important to discuss with Uesugi and came to find him on her own initiative.

Unexpectedly, she actually got caught up in this Cursed Grudge attack.

No, to be specific, it was precisely because she took the initiative to find him that Uesugi Muneyuki stayed in the medical building to wait for her, and that was why Saijo Yasue found the opportunity to attack him; these few conditions complemented each other, and not one could be missing.

As for why Saijo Yasue could know that he would stay in the medical building to see Saito, this might perhaps be another eternal mystery.

No Soul, unable to trigger a Death Soul Contract; it seems those killed by the Cursed Grudge will not have the chance to be awakened.

Uesugi Muneyuki signaled to the police that they could cover the shroud; his expression was complex, he turned around, and signaled to Watanabe Minami and Ikeda Erena that it was enough.

The tall beauty beside him had not found an opportunity to speak the whole time and had a belly full of words; seeing that there was finally a chance, she still couldn't help but ask: "Uesugi, what is she to you?"

"Just what you imagine," Uesugi Muneyuki answered very straightforwardly: "A relationship where we often eat together and get a room together."

"Eh?" This was not the answer Erena wanted; she almost immediately glared at Uesugi with a look of contempt: "Scumbag! Trash!"

Is having me not enough for you?

Erena felt angry inside, and almost in an instant, her not-so-bright brain suddenly realized something: "Wait, that time, that time at the Ryotei... when we were choosing clothes at Uniqlo, the phone call you received was from her?"

Hmm? Miss Minami beside them also became interested.

There are still things between these two that I don't know about?

I want to hear it!

"That's right, it was her," Uesugi Muneyuki said casually; since coming to Tokyo, the number of Tokyo women he had played Princess Connect with was actually quite high, and there were hundreds of names in his address book, it was just that some were relatively fixed, while others were just fleeting encounters.

And ever since his work started getting busy, he rarely had the opportunity to go out and recruit new Princess Connect characters, so there were fewer and fewer people to find in his address book, and Saito counted as one he could relatively consistently make appointments with.

But precisely because of this, Uesugi Muneyuki had already planned to stop meeting her.

"This guy, she borrowed 588,000 from me," Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly said to Miss Minami and Erena.

"Eh?!"

(End of this chapter)